Well you about to go bananas...

I have never heard such poppycock. Tangerines are the best.

combination of what sleet thinks the best and diss thinks the best.
how does it taste like?
ummmmm.. taste like vanila tomato

A...
Tomato Banana smoothie?

It does sound tasty. Kudos for being creative. I always worry about disaster.

A tomana smoothie.

A tomato banana smoothie? D:

It ain't that bad, it's pretty good. and healthy!

Speaking of smoothies, I could really go for a strawberry/mango smoothie right about now.

You read my mind.

It's never a bad time to have a smoothie. Especially in summer.

Guys, NEVER put too much kiwis in your smoothie. It kills. My lips are burning. Too sour.

Fried cheese curds. HAVE YOU HAD THEM?

Nope. Haven't even heard of them till now.

Never heared of it before but word cheese make it tempting for me

I've never had fried cheese curds either. Not even sure what they are.

I really enjoy fried mozzarella sticks.

Never had fried cheese curds, but mozzarella sticks (and mozzarella cheese in general) are incredibly tasty. I don't get to have them often, but my god are they delicious.

I love mozzarella sticks!

I used to always eat mozzarella sticks back in middle school.

Better with or without marinara sauce?

With! Marinara sauce is one of my three major food groups!

What are the other two?

I ate some gnocchi and meatballs with marinara sauce today. Delicious!

It depends on what brand they are or where they were made. If the quality is good enough, I actually prefer mozzarella sticks without marinara sauce because I'm basically a mozzarella cheese junkie. If they're just run-of-the-mill store bought stuff, I usually prefer to have dipping sauce though.

Also, on the topic of cheese: cheese cubes. I don't understand how or why this is, but cheese tastes infinitely better when it's in cube form. Agree/disagree?

Perhaps cube form is the optimal balance of surface area (to provide flavor) and thickness (to provide an appreciable texture)?

Suggests the non-cheese-eater.

I actually prefer string cheese. For some reason, cubed cheese tastes stronger (too strong).

I also love taco cheese on salads. Mmmm....

Texaspete hot sauce on popcorn is great,
So is dill weed on fried eggs,
And sauteed mushrooms on steak are tasty<3.

I also prefer marinara sauce on my spaghetti.

Fried cheese curds are a lot like mozzarella sticks (which are tasty), same idea anyway. Cheese? Check. Fry it. Just usually with some sort of cheddar cheese.
For the curious, I expect any Culver's (if there are any near you - mostly upper midwest of the US) has them, if you don't mind having a heart attack.


I must try this hot sauce on popcorn idea...

Make sure you dip the popcorn into the hot sauce. The acidic quality of the sauce will actual dissolve/make VERY mushy popcorn if you sprinkle/pour it over the popcorn.

That's because you're a good person.

I had hazelnut gelato last night in St. Louis's Italian district. So. Yummy.

POPCORRRRRRRNNNNN!!!

Is awesome.

Especially caramel popcorn.

Beagle/Penwrite/McFly: I recently saw a cooking show that said you can toss buttered popcorn with some of that Sriracha chili sauce (you know, the stuff in the clear bottle with the green cap) and lime zest for a little extra flavor. Might be worth a try.


Nutella gelato all the way.

Would anyone mind if I posted up a few recipes...? (One of which is, by the way, for excellent marinara sauce)

Pfft, please. I like my Nutella old-school.
(Mainly because I am lactose intolerant. Even cheese is rare for me.)

Edit: GunRacer, I'd like that popcorn recipe if you have it.

Aaah... that pretty much is the recipe; the show host didn't get too specific. If I had to guess, I'd peg the chili sauce at 1-2 Tbsp. and the lime zest at around 2 tsp. for a decent-sized bowl. It's probably very much one of those "to taste" things.

Oh, and the Sriracha stuff also makes really good Bloody Marys (virgin, mind you). Keep the tomato juice and Worcestershire sauce, but sub the celery salt for a little lime juice and the Tabasco/Texas Pete's*/etc. For the aforementioned chili sauce goodness. Spicy, but it'll sure wake you up in the morning!


*Not actually made in Texas. A travesty, I tell you.

I think have ingredients very similar needed for that popcorn. And I'm hungry. Back in 15 minutes, y'all!

That's part of the point of the thread! Go for it!

I see marinara sauce in that quote. This must be expounded upon. Get to it before I explode with anticipation.

Sorry it took me a while to post these up; it's been a busy day. Unfortunately, the bean dip recipe I've previously talked up evades me. Again. Still.

But I do have a couple others to share!

GunRacer's Marinara:
[EpicMealTime]What you know about pasta sauce, *****?![/EpicMealTime]

You can make this one of two ways: either start out with tomato juice or use a basic jar of sauce-- I prefer Classico tomato-basil. If you work from scratch, you'll need to use more seasoning and simmer the sauce for much longer so it reduces to an acceptable consistency.

First, cook any meat or vegetables you want in the sauce. Once they're done, put the tomato sauce in the same pot/pan and let it get to simmering.

Then, add the following:

(N.B. It should go without saying that this is all pretty much "to taste," so consider this as just a starting point to develop your own sauce)

3-4 Tbsp. garlic (fresh minced is best, but the "Spice World" pre-chopped stuff in a jar is more convenient)

1/4 cup Cabernet or similar red wine
OR
2 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar

3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

3-4 Tbsp. butter

1-2 Tbsp. pesto (The only one I've tried that's been good is, again, Classico. Stay away from the Christopher Ranch brand.)

1 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. thyme

2 tsp. rosemary

2 tsp. basil

Mix all that into the sauce, and let it simmer for at least ten or fifteen minutes so that the flavors can blend-- assuming you used wine, that also provides a chance for any alcohol to cook off.

GunRacer's Tex-Mex Salsa:
First, a story. I love Tex-Mex food, especially the fresh salsa and bottomless bowls of chips most Mexican restaurants offer. But jarred salsa is just never nearly as good. One day, I decided to screw around with different ingredients to get my own fresh salsa recipe. The good part is that it's delicious. The bad part is that it's delicious-- my family generally eats about a pint a day until it's gone... while the salsa itself is healthy, the fried tortilla chips that serve as its vector aren't. Even if there aren't any chips around, I've been known to eat it with crackers or even just a spoon.

Anyways, you'll need:

A blender-- the bigger, the better

2 16 oz. cans diced tomatoes

1 bunch fresh cilantro

1-2 jalepeño peppers

10-12 cloves garlic

Salt

1 Tbsp. white vinegar (optional)

1/4 chopped green onions, if desired

First, cut the peppers in half and scoop out their insides (grapefruit spoons are perfect for this). Chop them (very) coarsely, and then drop 'em in the bottom of the blender.

Take the skin off the garlic cloves, and drop them in the blender, too.

Then take the cilantro and start plucking individual leaves off the bunch, dropping them in the blender as you go. Once the blender is about 1/4 full of loose-packed cilantro, you have enough.

Pack the cilantro down and pour in about a quarter cup of tomato juice from the canned tomatoes; blend until the jalepeños and garlic are minced. Take anywhere from half to all of the remaining tomato juice and pour it down the drain (or reserve for later use-- starving children in Africa and all that).

Then put the diced tomatoes in the blender, and mix thoroughly with the cilantro/jalepeño/garlic mixture that's already in there.

Blend to your desired consistency. I like my salsa chunky, but to each his own.

Salt to taste, and then let the salsa sit a few hours (preferably overnight) in the fridge so the flavors can blend.

Hope somebody here enjoys these.
GunRacer

That all sounds delicious. o.o *wants to make the marinara*

But without any meat added. Yuckers.

See, and I'm of the opinion that my sauce needs ground beef or good, strong Italian sausage to round out the flavor. To each his own, but...

If you want to talk meatless sauces, try a vodka sauce (Seeds of Change is really good if you can find it, and Classico-- I swear the company isn't compensating me-- comes a close second). It's light and creamy, and I've never really been able to taste the "vodka" part. Just the sauce straight-up, or maybe with some sautéed Portobello mushrooms, is fantastic... no meat required. It's just as good with chicken, too, if you want a little protein.