I was looking at the Flyertalk store, and thought that a Flyertalk Cookbook would be a great addition! We have members from all over the world, and I know a lot of us have that *secret* recipe. Just an idea, and I posted it in the Community forum because I thought of a potluck meeting or a get-together where we cooked all day! testing recipes and taste tests, etc. I thought of this when I was making chili for New Year's Day football watching. I have always wanted to go to a cooking contest or a chili cookoff.

Linda

Great idea, Ling ... we all know your cooking has a big edge on the rest of us!

I've got plenty of recipes (although I won't divulge the family secrets!). How about an FT recipe website? (I'd be glad to be the webmaster...) My email's [email protected] if anybody wishes to contact me...

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If an A320 knocks down some trees in the forest, and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

-NWDC94Ever

I volunteer to be the official FT taste-tester. Oh yes, it would be a huge sacrifice on my part, but trying dozens of great recipies from around the world would something I would do just for my fellow FT's.



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Hell hath no fury like that of an elite frequent flyer in coach.

I am not real smart, but I can lift heavy things.

Fun idea! I'd participate and so would my little chef Twiz. How about including a section on Foods you can easily eat on a plane seeing as there have been so many meal cuts.

I love it. Our very own Congress of Chefs.

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Yes!

Yet please remember that Ling is a a real "Pro" among so many amateurs!

Does using an "Easy Bake Oven" count?

I've driven Julia Child. Does that count?

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Reputation is built when there are people around to see your deeds. Character is built when there are not.

We should have our own worldwide-televised cooking competition show:

Platinum Medallion Chef

Get it, Iron Chef, Platinum Chef? HA! I kill me.

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NorthBest? Of course, uh-huh, sure.... yeah.
-NWDC94Ever

This must be the hot new thing - I'm submitting recipes to my alumni association as well... count me in for the dessert section

OKAY! Here we go with an EASY and guaranteed winner (picked this up in Italy this summer and then found it all nicely spelled out on the web too . . . IT IS WONDERFUL . . . no side dishes are needed as the onions and pears serve well . . . it looks BEAUTIFUL and tastes MAGNIFICENT!)

Recipe for :
Oven Baked Chops with Red Onions and Pears

Ingredients

2 cups balsamic vinegar
3 Tblsp. olive oil
6 garlic cloves, crushed
4 center cut pork rib chops, each about 12 oz. and 1 1/4" thick
1 large red onion (about 12 oz.) cut into 8 wedges
Salt & freshly ground pepper
2 ripe but firm bosc pears, peeled, cored and cut into 8 wedges
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tblsp. honey

Method
In a small saucepan, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil over high heat. Adjust the heat to a gentle boil and boil until the vinegar is syrupy and reduced to about 1/3 cup. Set aside.

Heat oven to 425�. In a large heavy skillet with a heatproof handle, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and cook, shaking the skillet, until brown, about 2 minutes. Add the chops and cook until the undersides are browned, about 6 minutes. Remove and reserve the garlic cloves if they become more than a deep golden brown. Turn the chops and add the onion wedges to the pan and continue cooking until the second side of the chops are browned, about 6 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper. About halfway through browning the second side, tuck the pear wedges in between the chops.

In a small bowl, stir the red wine vinegar and honey until the honey is dissolved. Add the vinebar/honey mixture to the skillet and bring to a vigorous boil. Return the garlic cloves to the skillet if you have removed them. Place the skillet in the oven and roast until the onions and pears are tender and the juices from the pork are a rich syrupy dark brown, about 30
minutes. Once or twice during roasting, turn the chops and redistribute the onions and pears. Handle the skillet carefully. It will be extremely hot.

Remove the skillet from the oven. Place a chop in the center of each warmed serving plate. Spoon the pears, onion and pan juices around the chops. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar reduction around the edge of the plate.
Serves 4

OK, I'll submit something now. This recipe, sort of my invention, is one of my favorites:

"Award Winning" Chicken Salad (I need to come up with some awards for it to win)

2 large cans (14 oz. total) cubed cooked chicken breast
1 small white onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
1/2 cup real mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip or that low fat/fat-free stuff!)
1/2 cup yogurt

To taste:
Pinch of poultry seasoning
Salt
Pepper
Pinch of cayenne (optional)
Fresh chopped rosemary (optional)

Drain chicken if canned. Combine chicken, onion, and celery in bowl. Add mayonnaise and yogurt (you may wish to add more mayonnaise if the consistency is too dry for you). Add poultry seasoning, cayenne, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Stir to combine. Add pecans, stir until evenly mixed. It is recommended that the salad sit in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 8 hours (or overnight) for best taste. This allows the flavors to blend together and the salad to chill, intensifying the flavor. Serve on your choice of bread or crackers, or on a bed of lettuce.

"To Taste": I really couldn't tell you exactly how much of each spice to put in this. If you put in the amount of cayenne I typically use (1/3 teaspoon), for example, most of you would find the resulting concoction far too hot. So do what your intuition says on these ingredients.
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-NWDC94Ever

Well, I'm not much of cook. Actually, that statement exaggerates the true nature of my culinary skills. However, I would like to apply as a taster at the chili contest. I've been involved in a couple of hot-food-eating contests here in Bangkok, and up in Vientiane, Laos. Chili was always sort of a central ingredient in the cuisine. I can't even say if I can differentiate good chili dishes from great, but I have always felt that a dish that didn't kill me couldn't be all bad. BTW, the connoisseurs who entered these contests could only �drop out� respectably if their heart stopped momentarily, or longer, after hitting the floor or the dirt.

UAL Traveler wrote:

Finally, someone who might appreciate my cooking.