What is your signature dish?
 

I absolutely love cooking and was wondering what your signature dish is.
What do your SO/kids/friends/family keep asking for, what food do you love to cook?

My Mom and now by extension me, are known for a certain cookie that only makes an appearance around the holidays/by particular request of friends. They are called raisin molasses gems, and they are full of sugary spicy goodness.

"Grandma" Cake (aka Eclair Cake) is another one.

My mom is also known for her awesome lasagna recipe. She (who is Scots-Irish by heritage) has been deemed an "honorary Italian" by one of my biological brother's fraternity brothers.

hmm...i have several.

homemade macaroni and cheese, a pineapple casserole, pot roast, pork tenderloin prepared in the crockpot, spice cookies.

buffalo chicken dip, pumpkin cookies

Well there are quite a few... I'll start with non-desserts: mashed potatoes, chicken pot pie, and bacon (apparently I cook it really well). Desserts: home made Oreos, Milanos, red velvet cake, imitation Loft House frosted sugar cookies, and fancily decorated cupcakes. I love cooking!

I'm not a very good cook, but I make great brownies.:)

Darn you all... now I'm really hungry for something yummy

Oh, and I also make great chocolate chip and pumpkin muffies, too.:)

My sister always requests my spaghetti carbonara. My dad likes my linguini with fresh clam sauce.

Thai chicken thighs, mashed potatoes and gooey butter cake.

My friends all think I make wonderful Lasagna (even though I'm not Italian, and they don't realize it's a heart healthy version!). My family insists on my broccoli casserole & stuffed eggs every holiday, but also love my pot roast. I think I'm an even better baker. I just made my autumn sugar cookies that are as beautiful as they are delicious last week.

I've been cooking since I was an itty bitty girl (3? 4?), so I'm a fairly good cook when I want to be. One thing I've never done, though (*hanging her head*) is to fry chicken. It seems so daunting! My foster cousin has offered to show me, though - that's her signature dish!

Because of this thread, I decided to bake some chocolate chip muffies for everyone at the clinic, tomorrow.:)

There are four things that people are always ecstatic to see:
1. secret family recipe for spaghetti and meatballs
2. strawberry cheesecake that I have played with for years
3. cookie lady spice cookies (given by a woman we named the cookie lady on his mail route)
4. my fried chicken

Chicken Broccoli Glop (a kind of chicken divan type of dish), Beef Stroganoff, Coca Cola Cake, Snickerdoodles, Buche de Noel (Yule Log), which at Thanksgiving becomes Buche de Turkey.

My step-mom can't cook a piece of toast but she makes one killer Chicken Parm. I can't even put it into words without my mouth watering...and that souded really pathtic

Tons of sauce, tons of cheese, tons of pasta, and chicken falling off the bone. (Who hates me? =P )

"famous for" my cookies & cream brownies (even though I'm not that much of a baker! -- can't really screw up brownies)
and another so simple thing "eggs in a hole" -- the breakfast deliciousness that is an egg cooked in the center of a cut out hole in a piece of bread. it is SO easy and not special at all but my friends always have me make it for them

I LOVE to cook so I'm always trying things. I have a blog of food stuffs. Tonight I made sausage & peppers and onions in the crock pot w/tomato sauce over toast. yum. i focus on easy but yummy.

I'm known for:
my stew (beef stewed over hours with a wine sauce) with a mustard puree, my lasagna, and a dish with
Roast duck and veggies.

But what I love baking the most is macaroons.
Coconut macaroons is a type I make a lot because it only takes a few minutes, but on a free sunday I love making French macaroons.

My husband's favorite is my Seafood Alfredo (mussels, shrimp, squid, octopus, crab in fettuccine Alfredo). I made a pesto version of it when I was down visiting his family in Mexico. It was funny watching his little brothers try octopus for the first time.

My favorites of mine are: Beef Sangria, Barbacoa, and Flounder Soup.

I'm also known for my Guacamole (Just don't tell anyone that it's mostly from the packet, except for a couple of my own touches ;) )

Baking: Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Muffins (or bread), Banana Oatmeal Bread, Marranitos

LOL - I had an aunt who couldn't cook worth beans - potato salad was boiled potatoes with milk poured over them. :p She constantly got cook books for presents. Didn't help one bit.

But she made the best macaroons I've ever eaten - to this day!

Two things come to mind: molasses sugar cookies and this spicy/creamy artichoke dip. Soooo excellent!

i'm pretty nice with desserts - but people BEG me for my superamazingjelloshots. i know its not food; but during holiday party season and summer cookout season, that is what people expect me to bring.

my brownies have been known to make men cry (in a good way) and propose marriage. LOL.

Lol! Reminds me of my co-worker who has passed around a cake recipe, and every woman who makes it for her man ends up engaged! :D

People request my:

1. cheesecakes (I make different varieties)
2. spinach-artichoke dip
3. enchiladas
4. salmon dip

I love cooking (aka ripping off Bobby Flay recipes and Epicurious 4 fork rated recipes), and I cook (almost) weekly for my parents who don't live too far from me...they cop the bill and get a good meal, and I get to use a bunch of crazy ingredients I'd never be able to afford otherwise.

I never like to repeat because it's more interesting for me that way, but the two things I've been forced to repeat are lamb chops with a balsamic sauce and mint pesto, and this steak sauce made out of roasted red peppers (so tangy and ridiculously good). There were also these Thai chicken skewers with a spicy peanut sauce that I've been coerced into making twice. Other than that I try to find a new recipe every week.

Stuffed eggs . . . deviled eggs . . . . You are Southern. :D

Finally, a guy posted to this thread.

I think I'm justifiably proud of my baked beans and my pound cake with key lime glaze. Others always seem happy to see them. And when I have time (which seems to be rarer and rarer), I can do some pretty cool marzipan at Christmas.

I just made Candy Corn Rum & Pumpkin jelloshots for my party tonight. Layer 1 is sweetened condensed milk & vanilla rum, layer 2 is pumpkin schnapps, layer 3 is layer 1 + yellow food color. Set in an icecube tray for the shape. Soooooo good!

My go to dish is always "orzotto" - it's like risotto, but with orzo instead of rice. Like risotto, you can put just about anything in it.

My dad always asks me to make this lemon mustard chicken dish. It's incredibly easy and honestly not one of my favorites, but he and my sister love it.

My chocolate chip cookies are always a crowd-pleaser too!

Okay, someone needs to share the recipe for this one.
________
WWW.VAPORSHOP.COM MEDICAL MARIJUANA VAPORIZER REVIEWS

My Mac n' Cheese
Bread Pudding
this very quick broccoli and chix dish

I can cook, but fail at baking. The only thing I can bake that are any good are Russian Tea Cakes. Other than that I always get requests for: garlic mushroom bruchetta (super easy), taco dip, spicy thai shrimp soup, and chilli (family secret recipe).

I usually make kofta (Indian spiced meatballs) when asked to bring an appetizer or main dish to an event. It always disappears.

My kheema (another Indian dish - ground beef or lamb with onions and Indian spices) is one of the reasons my husband proposed to me.

Then there's my mom's mac and cheese. That has got to be the ultimate comfort food. Kraft dinner it ain't.

:D How's your little stuffed egg maker doing in the kitchen?

Men who cook are sexy!

Too few people realize what a skill it takes to make good baked beans! I do have a tube of marzipan paste, but haven't dared... yet!



THANK YOU!! When I was in grade school, the home ec teacher asked, "Who can make macaroni and cheese?" Everybody put up their hand. Then she said, "Without the box." I was the only one with my hand stjill up. SHe dared me, "Okay, how do you make it?" I responded, "Well, first you make a white sauce..." and she was stunned. I had my A on the first day of class and had been making white sauces since I was four!

THANK YOU!! When I was in grade school, the home ec teacher asked, "Who can make macaroni and cheese?" Everybody put up their hand. Then she said, "Without the box." I was the only one with my hand stjill up. SHe dared me, "Okay, how do you make it?" I responded, "Well, first you make a white sauce..." and she was stunned. I had my A on the first day of class and had been making white sauces since I was four!

I just made 2 pumpkin rolls. :) I can't wait to eat them!

This post made me smile. There is a world of difference between "cooking" and "baking". I have met many who are good at one or the other, but those who are good at both are rare. And there is no such thing as a true master of the pair.

My "signature" dish is rare beef tenderloin with one of a handful of sauces I haved practiced over the years- including sauce bearniase, creamed morels and sauce bordelaise.

But what I secretly lay claim to doing well is fried chicken tenders- soaked in eggs and buttermilk, breaded and then fried until they are nearly black and flake at the slightest touch with the chicken itself perfectly tender and just barely cooked through. I like them better a day later cold from the fridge.

I love leftovers really. The beef tenderloin makes a great dinner- but cold the next day it makes incredible sandwiches. Slice thick and put in a french baguette with homemade garlic and herb butter plus a sprinkling of fleur de sel. Refrigerate and then let warm to room temp before eating. Awesome.

Same with roast beef- better the next day when you chop it up and sautee with potatoes and onions and then slobber on the chili sauce for hash.

^^^ I am one of those people who can bake, but can't cook. I can cook breakkfast foods, and I can throw stuff in a crockpot, and I can do just enough to keep my kids from starving ;) But I can bake the hell out of cookies, pies, breads, etc! My husband (who is an academically trained chef) said it's a left-brain versus right-brain thing. People who are good at cooking tend not to follow recipes, are more artistic, etc. People who are good at baking are more technical, follow recipes to a T, etc.

I think you have this exactly right. Baking requires precision- artistry too of course, but precision overall.

Cooking on the stove you can take all kinds of liberties- and should- to get to a particular result.

And the longer something cooks on the stove- the more leeway you have. One reason I like making beef stew is that it is impossible to screw it up. Results may vary, but when you cook that slow and that long there is plenty of time to taste and adjust as you go.

Not the case when you have to make it all in advance and put it in an oven with no room for error once the baking starts.

I agree with the left brain vs. right brain interpretation. Additionally, I think that cooking and baking are so different that they may not appeal to the same people. I love cooking, but the idea of baking anything just bores me. I respect somebody who can bake amazing things, but it's just not something I'd want to do. I've never done anything more advance than Betty Crocker brownies or whatever. I suspect that most people fascinated by baking find cooking boring in a similar manner.

I really enjoy both so perhaps I'm an anomaly. You can also take creative license with baking, you just have to understand what you're doing and what the result will be.

My signature baking thing is cheesecake. I take a lot of creative license with cheesecakes, with different toppings or fillings. You can't alter the basic liquid/fat ratios though.

My signature food is probably my homemade sauce although I don't make it often these days (it has to cook for hours to be "just right") so instead, I'll say my lasagna. My son absolutely loves my meatloaf too.

I can be more creative with baking than I can with cooking, partially because of my dietary limitations with Crohn's Disease. When you can't eat veggies or high fiber foods, it limits your cooking creativity a lot.

Interesting discussion about baking v. cooking. My mother always said that if you're good at knowing about chemistry, you can be good at either.

oops...i forgot my banana pudding, chocolate rum cake, million dollar pound cake,lemon poppyseed cake, key lime pie & homemade ice cream. i wish everyone would share the recipes that they can share.

Oh, I especially want to see the Key Lime pie and banana pudding!