Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (February 2011)

This recipe is featured on the Cook's Country website right now, so if you are interested, now is the time to print it out or save it.

I'm perfectly happy with the Cook's Illustrated Simple chili recipe but I guess I always am willing to try something new. The fact that the recipe was developed for a slow cooker appealed to me. 

This tasted great, but it was more work than the Simple Chili recipe. And it created another problem. It didn't fit in my slow cooker. I should have known. Most of their recipes are for the large crock-pot, and I have a smaller one. I should have cut the recipe in half.  (Although I'm happy to have lots of leftovers to freeze now.) 

I ended up just using the dutch oven I did all the prep cooking in, and cooked on low for 3 hours, although it would have been fine at 2 hours. 

I might make again, but most likely I'll stick with the Simple chili which takes just 20 minutes of prep and requires less cleanup. 

Simple Italian-Style Meat Sauce

 Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Grade:B-

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (March 2008)
Recipe Source: Best of ATK 2009


This was a fairly simple recipe but it did involve getting out the food processor to chop some mushrooms, which are there to add meatiness. I don't like mushrooms, but can handle them when processed this way. I don't mind their flavor, just the texture. The sauce was fine, but just not incredible, so I probably won't make again. I think if I want meat with my sauce, I'd like some meatballs instead. I am coming to the conclusion that I just don't love pasta sauces with ground meat.


I will not make this again, but if you like ground meat sauces, you might still want to try this one. It is more a personal taste issue for me, not that the recipe is bad.

Pork and Potato Meatloaf

Prep Time: 17 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Rest Time: 10 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2012)

This is a simple meatloaf recipe that uses 2c. frozen hashbrown potatos (plain, just shredded potatoes) in place of breadcrumbs. It stretches the meat a bit. I used a mixture of meatloaf mix and a little ground sirloin, because I didn't want to use all pork. I thought it was really good and I enjoyed the potatoes inside the meatloaf.

I served this with roasted carrots and potatoes and reheated Parker House rolls from the freezer.  Overall, a very nice, simple winter meal.

Triple Chocolate Brownies (Lighter)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2012)

The annual "light" issue always includes lighter desserts. I'm not a big fan of those.  I think I'm better off eating less desserts but enjoying them in full. However, the idea of using black beans in brownies has been around for a while now and I've always wanted to try it.

These are really good. They are extremely moist and fudgy which is the way I like my brownies. The recipe only used 1/4 of black beans, so they are definitely hidden. It allows you to only use 1/2 stick of butter for the recipe.

I would definitely make these again. The only issue is using only 1/4 c. of black beans. I can use up the rest of the can, but that is still a tiny bit of a downside in my mind.

Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup

Total Time: < 30 minutes 

Grade: A+ 

Make Again: Yes 

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (Sept 2008)
Recipe Source: Best of ATK 2010

I love this recipe. I made it when the recipe first came out and knew I would make it again. I waited to blog about it until the second time, which didn't happen until this week. It won't be 3 years before I make this again.

This recipe is quite simple and very healthy. It has the feeling of Campbell's tomato soup, but probably tastes different. (It has been so long since I had that.) Basically it is canned whole tomatoes, some bread (which provides the creaminess without the cream) and onions, garlic and oil, plus some chicken broth. Using a blender makes it smooth. That is the only somewhat complicated step - transferring the soup between blender and pan.

I made a half recipe which only gave 3 servings. I had the leftovers tonight. I wished I had made a bigger batch. I think this would freeze well without any dairy in the recipe.

I'll post my simplified version here (full recipe amounts) because the recipe is so simple.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 T. extra virgin olive oil 
• 1medium onion , chopped medium
• 3 medium garlic cloves , minced
• pinch hot red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes packed in juice
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 large slices good-quality sandwich bread , crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
• 2cups low-sodium chicken broth
• Salt and ground black pepper

(They add brandy as a suggested optional ingredient. And chopped chives. I have not tried either.) 

1. Saute onion, garlic and pepper in 1 T of oil (they suggest 2T)  till softened.
2. Add tomatoes and crush with potato masher. Add brown sugar and bay leaf and bread. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes until bread breaks down. 
3. Remove bay leaf and transfer half of soup to a blender. They suggest adding more oil now but I didn't and I don't think it needs it. Blend for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. 
4. Pour into bowl. Repeat with second batch. 
5. Rinse pot and return soup to reheat and add chicken broth. Season to taste. Add optional brandy and chives.

The original recipe can be found at the link if you subscribe. My version uses less oil and none of the extras. I still loved it, but you might prefer it their way.

Tuna Casserole

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Cool Time: 10 minutes


Grade: B+/A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (October 2011)  

This recipe was from a lightened up comfort foods article. The sauce replaces a lot of the whole milk with broth. I think that adds flavor and is a good idea. It also uses a tiny bit of parm in the topping with panko. I felt like there should be more cheese in the topping. I used less oil for the onions and white sauce, and that was fine, so next time I would add more cheese.

The amount of tuna in this was kind of small. I think I would use more next time. The panko makes a much better topping than regular bread crumbs (although fresh toasted would be great also, if you don't have panko.) I didn't have enough peas, so I threw in some chopped fresh spinach for added green and more veggies. I thought the spinach and peas might clash, but I barely tasted the spinach.

I'm not sure which tuna casserole is my favorite. I think that Cook's Country version probably tastes the best, but it is also pretty high calorie since it is made with heavy cream. It is a quick and easy recipe however, so that goes in it's favor. The other Mediterranean Tuna Casserole from EF is nice and a bit different. I don't make tuna casserole very often, and I'm not sure which one I would do again. Really, any of them are fine, I think.

January/February Everyday Food Favorites

I've only reviewed the first five of these recipes in this blog. Many of the favorites come from the very first issue of Everyday Food which I somehow received free in the mail. It was enough to make me want to subscribe for 4 years.

I cancelled after that because there was quite a bit of repetition, and not as many of the fun unique recipes they had early on. I recently resubscribed to the iPad version, however. It is full of videos and nice interactions, so I am enjoying my subscription again. If you have an iPad, I recommend checking it out.  The first issue from last January is free.

• Pork Bulgogi
• Brownie Hearts - A good choice if you would like to cut out shapes of brownies. The leftover pieces can be used to make "truffles" as well.
• Sausage and Kale Soup
• Spicy Black Bean Soup (not as good as CI's recipe, but a little simpler and still good)
• Mini Mocha Cheese Cakes - Nice for a "lighter" dessert

• Apple Pie Cake - I really need to review this recipe. It is unique and good.
• Pork and Apple Stew
• Sweet Potato Wedges - This recipe introduced a new favorite food to me. I had never liked those mushy overly-sweet holiday recipes for sweet potatoes, but made this way, I found out I loved them. I make this often all fall and winter long and have for the past 8 years.
• Valentines Day Cookies
• Pot Roast Hash - I only made this once, because I rarely make pot roast, but remembering this recipe makes me want to try it again.
• Lentil and Brown Rice Pilaf - This takes a while to carmelize the onions, but it makes very plain ingredients yummy.

I haven't tried these yet, but they look interesting so I hope to try them this month:

• Heart-Glazed Cornmeal Cookies
• Flank Steak with Onions, Peppers and Beans

Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies

Prep Time: 15 min
Bake Time: 9 minutes
Frost Time: 5 minutes

Grade: ??
Make Again: ??
Recipe Source: Everyday Food (December 2011)

The online version of the recipe is not available yet.

These are not bad cookies, but I felt they were a little dry, and my first thought was I wouldn't make them again. I really love chocolate mint so like the taste of them overall, but I didn't love the texture. Everyday Food has come up with lots of great mint recipes so this doesn't really fill a gap in the recipe collection.

However, the picky eater did really like them and gave them an A+. This was after they were frozen and defrosted. I liked them when I ate them later also, so I may end up using this recipe again after all. 

The Espresso Snowcaps recipe that I reviewed a few years ago is a similar chocolate cookie for the holidays, and I really love that one, so that might be my first choice most years, but this one may come into rotation again in the future.

Pumpkin Prailine Pie

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Chill Time: 50 minutes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 35 minutes
Topping Time: 10 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Probably not

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (October 2006)
Recipe Source: Best of ATK 2008

This recipe is currently available on the Cooks Country website, but probably won't be forever, so print it out if you want to try it. 

This tasted good, but I guess pumpkin pie is not my favorite. The biggest complaint I have with the recipe was I could not make it as pretty as it should have been. The sugar on top didn't caramelize and after sitting in the fridge all day (which they said was OK) the outside topping liquified a bit. The topping did taste very nice though and I liked that in combo with the pumpkin.

Also, I'm not great at pie crusts, so mine ended up a bit tough, although I thought it tasted quite good.


If I wanted to make a pumpkin pie again, I might try this once more. However, if I was just going to make a pie, I would go with another type. I would like to get better at pies someday.

December Favorites

This is a little late since December is just about over, and of course, most of these recipes are good for the holidays. I'm not going to skip it though, since I do want to categorize all my favorites for the future.


~ Tortilla Pie (different than the veggie version with Black Beans from an earlier month) 
~ Baked Pasta and Chicken Sausage
~ Strata with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Sausage 
~ Giant Ginger Cookies (I make them smaller)
~ Chocolate Espresso Snowcaps
~ Peppermint Bark
~ Chocolate Mint Brownies
~ Chocolate Peppermint Cake
~ Cranberry Scones (not on blog) 

Still want to try:
~ Pastistio
~ Goat Cheese Quiche with Hash-Brown Tart
~ Coconut Cookies

Parker House Rolls

Prep Time: 20 minutes total

RiseTime: 3+ hours 

Bake Time: 30 minutes  

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (November 2011)  

These rolls are nice but they took too long to rise (at least according to magazine times). Reading the reviews, it appears everyone had trouble with the rise. The iPad version of the recipe said 1t of yeast, but the website says 1 packet (2 1/4 t.). At the time I thought it was because my kitchen was cold, so I heated my oven to 200 for a while and then put the dough in there for the final rise.

It has been a while since I made the CI version of these, but I think I probably like that version better. I should make them again soon and compare and pick which recipe I want to keep. 

The effort is small. Well, as long as you have a mixer with a dough hook. 10 minutes of the prep is kneading in the mixer. The only real effort is rolling out the rolls into balls and putting in the pan. The recipe called for brushing the tops with 4 T. total of butter (2 before, and 2 after.) As usual, I cut that in half. You still get the buttery top though, which is nice. The recipe also calls for a sprinkle of salt on the top after final brushing of butter and that was a nice touch. 

The rolls are pretty baked in the 13x9 pan. They all end up nice and uniform, which I liked. These would be good to serve for a Christmas dinner, and not too much effort.  However, I would try the recipe from the website instead of magazine and read the reviews first. Cook's Illustrated version or Cook's Country are probably a more reliable choice.

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Frosting

Prep: 9 minutes
Bake: 40-45 minutes (start checking at 25 for half recipe)
Cool: 1+ hour
Frosting: 5 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (November 2005)

This cake is good. My version was a little bit dry. I made a half recipe in a bread pan and it ended up being done quickly, but that was my fault. I froze the cake then frosted it a day or two later. I didn't love the frosting at first. It was not very sweet. Perhaps a better honey would have worked better. I ended up adding a Tablespoon or so of powdered sugar to sweeten a little, which helped. Still not terribly sweet, but it worked well with the cake. My picky eater liked it, probably because the frosting wasn't too sweet. The combo of spice cake plus the frosting ends up being good and a little bit unique, since it is different than other cream cheese frosting.

I made this a month ago and we just finished the frozen leftovers this week. The cake froze nicely. It is a nice not too sweet dessert. 

Chicken Pot Pie with a Savory Crumble Topping

Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (Sept 2010)
Recipe Source: The America's Test Kitchen TV Show (Season 11)


Quick, if you have any interest in this recipe, go to the TV Show link and watch the recipe before it moves behind the pay wall. If there is a new season for 2012 of ATK then those videos will be gone when it starts. The recipes are usually available for another year though. If you like pot pies, you should definitely check this one out.

All pot pie recipe's I've seen either have pie dough on top or a biscuit on top. This one is a cross between the two. The topping is quite rich, and also quite delicious. It is made with flour, butter, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese and some pepper. I never make pie crust pot pies, but I will definitely make this one again. The filling is similar to CI's other pot pie recipes, but they do add some soy sauce and tomato paste to add savory flavors which was good.

I did not add the mushrooms, so the prep time might be a bit longer if you use them. I added the soy sauce and paste to the veggie mixture instead. The only problem I had with the recipe was the carrots were not cooked enough. I would cook them longer next time.

This recipe was a winner and got a thumbs up from my picky eater, so I will make it again. It is a bit rich, even with the healthy modifications I made. Those include, using half the butter in the sauce, using 2% milk instead of whole, and all chicken breasts instead of thighs. None of those changes hurt the dish. I left the topping as is, since it is the star of the dish, but you could get by with using less of that also, since it is so rich.
 

Turkey and Stuffing Bake

Prep Time: 30 minutes 

Bake Time: 25 minutes

Cool Time: 10 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Maybe next year 

Recipe Source: Every Day Food (October 2011) 

http://www.marthastewart.com/859565/turkey-and-stuffing-bake

I meant to post this a few weeks ago, before Thanksgiving, but managed to not do that.

This was a kind of fun recipe that is a take on Thanksgiving dinner. It has a ground turkey and sage base, and a stuffing topping. The topping was delicious and it all tasted good. It was almost like a bread pudding or a strata on top, which I really liked.

The one problem I have is I just don't love ground turkey flavor when it is more on it's own. I use it in chili a lot and with salsa and those flavors take over. But in the dish, the other flavors weren't strong enough and the ground turkey taste isn't quite like turkey to me. 

I probably won't make this a lot, but maybe next November when I am in a stuffing mood and want a simple dish to prepare.

Actually, now that Thanksgiving is over, I'm thinking this might be a nice recipe to modify using leftover diced turkey instead of ground turkey. I might try that, if/when I'm lucky enough to have leftover turkey. I love turkey breast, but never cook a turkey because it grosses me out. I became a vegetarian for 7 years after learning how to prepare the turkey! Even though I've been eating meat again for over 10 years now, I leave the turkey prep to someone else every year.

November Favorites

Here is a list of my favorite Everyday Food recipes from November. Some I haven't made in a while, but remember the recipes make me want to try them again. I did just do the Tomato and Sausage Risotto, and I love that one.

I really want to compile my favorites from Cook's Illustrated my month also, but that might have to wait a while.

• Bean Burritos - Good freezer food for making ahead.
• Tomato and Sausage Risotto - fairly easy and very tasty. Good comfort food that I made again this week.
• Steak and Onion Sandwich - a super easy recipe I love, but I may replace this with the lighter version I tried from ATK earlier this year.
• Baked Pasta with Spinach, Ricotta, and Prosciutto - this can get dry if you overcook. A better ricotta will help.
• Southwestern Skillet Pie - one of my most used recipes. Flexible, quick and easy.
• Chicken Posole - I haven't made this one the past few years, but I should, because it is an easy tasty soup.
• Chicken with Bell Pepper Sauce - The recipe calls for steak, but I've always made it with boneless chicken breasts which works out nicely.
• Sweet Potato Biscuits - I've never put these in the blog, but I love these biscuits and make them often. The hardest part is getting the sweet potato cooked first. It is easy, just time consuming.

Everyday Food recipes from November that I still really want to try:

• Savory Sweet Potato Souflees
• Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
• Maple Glazed Sweet Potato and Parsnips
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares
• Brussels Sprouts with Baon and Apple
• Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Frosting

Buttermilk-Thyme Drop Biscuits

Prep Time: 9 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe
  Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2005)

These are lighter biscuits with only 4 T of butter to the recipe. The thyme adds flavor though, and I liked these. I'm not sure I will make again, since there are so many good biscuit recipes.

I should mention I used 1/2 t. of thyme instead of the full t. I think the flavor would have been too strong with the full amount.

These biscuits were really good with the Chicken Barley soup.

Chicken Barley Soup

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (October 2011) 

This is a a super quick and easy recipe. I think it is one of the fastest soups I've ever made. It can be made quickly because it uses quick cooking barley. You add spinach the last minute, which I really liked. However, the soup is good without the spinach too. I will definitely be making this soup again because it was so simple. 

October Favorites from Everyday Food

I could have sworn I created this post in October, but I don't see it. I did want to keep making the list of my favorite recipes for each month, so I am making sure I get this done before Fall is over.

(If I blogged on the recipe, the link takes you there first. You can still get to the recipe from Recipe Source. If I haven't blogged on it, the link takes you to the recipe.)

• Ginger Pumpkin Bread - I finished up the last of this from the freezer and wish I still had more.
• Bolognese Pie with Bicuit Topping - I thought I had added this to the blog, but I guess not. A good way to use up leftover sauce. 
• Candy Corn Sugar Cookies - I made the Chocolate version and they were even better than the original recipe. (Replace 1/4 c. of flour with cocoa.)
• Whole Wheat Pasta with Kale and Fontina
• Tortilla and Black Bean Pie - a nice recipe if you have some large tortilla leftover
• Fennel and Potato Bake - a rich and delicious side dish

October Everyday Food recipes I still want to try:

• Chicken Barley Soup
• Turkey and Stuffing Bake
• Pear Custard Pie
• Asian Style Pork and Noodles
• Glazed Chocolate Cake Recipe
• Red and Black Bean Pies 
• Manchego Crackers
• Roasted Pork Loin with Balsamic Gravy
• Applesauce Cake
• Chocolate Custard Cups

Chicken and Kale Casserole

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (November 2011)

I love cooked kale, so I wanted to try this recipe. I used the leftover chicken from my Chicken and Brown Rice which worked out well. I did modify the recipe slightly, and don't think I would have liked as much if I had made it as is. I used less lemon zest and a lot less ricotta. The recipe called for 48oz, and because I'm cheap, I only bought a 15oz package. It was plenty creamy enough for me with that amount. However, I should mention, I cut back the other ingredients slightly also. I think if I was making a full recipe of this 24oz would be good.

I think this recipe would benefit from a crunchy topping on top, like some breadcrumbs with the parmesan. It would add a little bit of work, but would be nice.

I'll try to come back and link to the recipe when it gets added to Martha's site.

Chicken and Brown Rice

Prep Time: 28 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Grade: B-

Make Again: No


Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2005)

This was almost really good, but I really didn't like the roasted red peppers in this. They got quite soggy.  Maybe using regular diced peppers would have been better.

I think this recipe as potential as a one pot meal, but I probably won't tweak it anymore, since there are too many good recipes to try! 

Stovetop Chili Mac

Prep Time: 28 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: B

Make Again: Maybe
Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2011)

I liked this, but it wasn't anything special. Just a non-tomato meat sauce on top of pasta. It was simple enough, but not super simple so I probably wouldn't make it again.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes

Grade: A-
Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2011)

I haven't done a stir fry in a while, and I miss them. This is a simple and light version of sweet and sour (no frying).

It differs from Cook's Illustrated stir-fries in that you dump the veggies and chicken into the pan at once. That makes it easier, but it also resulted in green beans that were a little overcooked. Not bad, but not as bright green and crisp as they could have been.

When I first tasted the chicken, I was unimpressed, and thought that it was more bland because there was no marinating of the chicken. But when I tasted the full dish with veggies and sauce, I liked it more, and overall I found the dish very satisfying.

I think CI/ATK stir-fry recipes are a bit better, but a little more work, so this one will do in a pinch when there is less time. I could have shortened the time more by overlapping the cooking with prep, by at least heating up my pan while still prepping. However, I have found cleaning the kitchen before I start cooking with stir fries is a very good idea, otherwise I end up with a disaster.

Chili and Cornbread

Emeril's Turkey Chili
Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: B
Make Again:No

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2011) 



Cornbread
Prep Time: 6 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Grade: A
Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (October 2011) 

The cornbread recipe is not on Martha's website yet, but I will check back later, but most of the recipes end up there.

The chili was fine, but nothing special. I think I will stick to the Cook's Illustrated version, which takes longer to cook, but isn't anymore effort.

The cornbread was very good. It should be with a stick of butter and 1/3 c. of sugar in it. As much as I love cornmeal, I don't always love the cornbread recipes I try, so I will probably make this one again.

Barley Risotto with Corn and Basil

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes

Grade: A-
 
Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food(October 2005)

Well, this wasn't exactly creamy like risotto, but it tasted very good, and was a nice side dish. I used a fraction of the called for basil, and don't think I would have liked the full 2 c. The barley and corn together was a very nice combination with a good texture. I don't always have barley on hand, but maybe I should use it more, because I like the taste.

I give it a "-" because I'm not convinced the effort (although small) of adding the broth in small batches was worth it, since it didn't have a risotto like consistency. 

Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts

Prep Time: 30 minutes (total including sauce)
Cook Time: 30-40 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (March 2010)
Recipe Source: The America's Test Kitchen TV Show

I could not have been more bored when I saw this recipe in the Best of 2011 ATK last Spring. It seems like something they have done a lot already. However, I tried it one night when I wanted to use some defrosted boneless chicken breasts.The recipe is a little strange, but fairly simple, and very good!

The chicken if first covered with salt and sort of steamed in a low temp oven covered with foil until chicken reaches 145-150. Then you put a coating on the chicken of butter, flour, and cornstarch and pan-search for a few minutes on each side to finish it off. This keeps the chicken moist but gives it a really delicious coating.

Half of the prep time comes from adding a pan sauce which is is also very tasty. Without that, the recipe would be even less work. I have made this recipe 3 times and each time I cook the sauce too long, and it gets too thick. I need to remember next time to cook it less.

I modify the recipe to use less fat. I use just one t. of oil for cooking the chicken and I replace 1T of the butter for the coating mixture with 1T of chicken broth. That works fine. Just don't make the mixture until you are ready to brush it on. I tried making it early last night, and it got too gloppy and didn't spread well.

I also use just a pat of butter in the final pan suace instead of a full T. and that is fine too. It is still rich.

My picture is not good. I had a nice one from the previous time I made it with some sauce, but lost it when I broke my laptop last month. The chicken isn't always as homely as I made it look last night.

This is a great recipe. The recipe is available on the TV website right now, so make sure you print it out because it will eventually be behind the pay wall. The video is there too, and should be available through the end of 2011, I think.

Candy-corn sugar cookies

Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (October 2004)

These are cute little cookies that are simple to make, and very good. There are very, very sweet though, so good for a tiny dessert, but not satisfying any hunger.

The recipe says to use a teaspoon for each cookie and you should get 36 cookies. I tried, but the dough was a bit dry, and hard to get out of the teaspoon, so I used my cookie scoop instead, making sure it was level. I think that is 2t or a little more instead. So, I got 16 cookies out of the recipe. They were still small and cute, just not as tiny.

There is a chocolate version of the recipe also where you switch out 1/4 c. or flour with cocoa. I will probably try that also, since I have the candy corns now, and didn't use very many for these cookies.

Ginger Pumpkin Bread

Prep Time: 12 minutes
Bake Time: 50 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes


Recipe Source: Everyday Food (October 2006)

This quick bread recipe is of course easy. But it is also very yummy. I made a half recipe since I only have 1 8x4 pan. The only thing that didn't halve properly was the eggs, and I just used one. It leaves some pumpkin for another recipe to try and review in the future.

It has been a few years since I made pumpkin bread, so I can't necessarily compare this recipe. I really liked that it cooked all the way through and wasn't too moist in the middle, which is problem I have sometimes with my quick breads. I think the smaller pan size helped with this.

I loved the crust. It was a little bit crunchy and sweet. I almost wish I hadn't halved the recipe, but hopefully I'll find another good use for the rest of my pumpkin puree. It also has a nice ginger flavor.

Sloppy Joes

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes
Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2005)

Of course, Sloppy Joes is a simple recipe, and fairly predictable. I made the "kids" version because of my picky eater, but I'm sure the adult version is even better, if you like a little spice. My picky eater BF ate seconds of this, so I will be making again. I used 96% lean beef and it was very good. I think that has about the same fat as 93% lean turkey and tastes better for this meal. 

Tamale Pie

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: C
Make Again: No  

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2004)

This was kind of a disaster. I don't know if I can blame the recipe, or if it was just me. The recipe had good reviews on Martha's site, and it was something I have wanted to try since I saw the recipe in the magazine in 2004.

I have made tamale pies before, but in the past, I put the cornmeal crust on the top, instead  of on the bottom of the dish, as this recipe calls for. I guess I didn't cook the cornmeal enough and let it get thick enough. It was entirely runny in the finished dish. There was nothing crust like about it, and it was somewhat unappetizing looking look a cornmeal mush, which mixed in with everything else.

The topping of the dish was good and tasted fine, if not exciting. I made another mistake by not using tomato sauce, instead of crushed tomatoes, because that is what I had in my pantry.  So the top was a little more runny also.

The problems with this recipe were probably from me, both bad substitutions and execution, but I think I will just go back to my old way of making Tamale pie. I don't know if I can find that recipe, but I can probably improvise.

Black Bean Tortilla Casserole

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe
  
Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2011)

This was just a simple recipe to use up leftovers. The original recipe uses mushrooms and black beans, but I don't like mushrooms, so used some chopped up leftover chicken breast. I also used a trick learned from Cook's Illustrated, to spray the corn tortillas with olive oil spray and then back for a few minutes at 300. This makes them more pliable (and tasty!) 

This tasted quite good, but was not too attractive. I won't go out of my way to make this again, but would certainly do it if I have these ingredients on hand and wanted something quick to make for dinner.

Spicy Black Bean Soup

Prep Time: 20 minutes?
Cook Time: 1.5 hours 

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2011)

This is not quite as flavorful as Cook's Illustrated Black Bean Soup, because it doesn't have the ham. But it was still quite good and easy. I ended up making double the beans, and they were good on their own also.

The recipe says to save 1.5 c of black beans for another recipe, which I did do, and will review in my next post. That is one reason I like cooking from Everyday Foods, because it helps remind me of ways to make cooking easier and to reuse things.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Cool Time: 1+ hours

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2011)

I really liked these. I hadn't been in love with America's Test Kitchen version, but that may have been because of the low sugar jam I used. This recipe was slightly different. It doesn't have any peanut butter in the recipe, but it added peanut butter chips to the topping. It also had chopped peanuts, which I didn't mind at all. I used a strawberry preserve for the jelly and it was all very good.

I froze them after baking, and so far I've had one, and it was still good. 

Harvest Vegetable Pancake with Salad

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: B

Make Again: maybe

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2011)
(no recipe at link yet, but ingredients listed below)

This is supposed to be pancake made from Beets and Carrots (along with some chickpeas and potato). It is also supposed to be purple. I thought it would be good recipe for me to try beets for the first time since it includes a lot of other ingredients I do like.

When I went to go buy the beets, I was frightened by the thick looking dirty skin and shapes, so I didn't buy any. It seemed like they would be hard to peel. I don't know if they were good ones or bad. So, I decided to just try the recipe without them.

That wasn't a bad decision, but I used almost half the salt, because I thought a lot of the volume would have come from the beets. That was a bad decision. The pancake needed more salt. I also tried to get away with only 1/2 T of oil on the pan, and that made it harder to flip. The taste was decent, but it probably would have been much better if I had used the proper amounts of oil and salt. The salad and goat cheese on top was good. I am toying with the idea of making this again, but mixing in some goat cheese instead of putting it on the top.

3 beets, shredded
3 carrots, shredded
1 russet potato, cooked, diced
1 can chickpeas, chopped
1/2 c. flour
1 t. salt

Mix together and heat in pan coated with 1 T olive oil over medium heat for 10 minutes until crispy on bottom. Use plate to help you flip pancake over. Cook other side 10-12 minutes.

Top with Mesclun mix, dressing and some crumbled goat cheese.

Spaghetti Fritatta

Total Time: 25 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes
  
Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2004)

This recipe was inspired by the EF Sept 2004 Cooking for One article. The actual recipe called for Jarlsberg cheese and peas, but I used up what I had on hand, and it was delicious. I also used Healthy Harvest Spaghetti which I liked in there. I didn't have leftover pasta, which is the idea for this recipe, but it cooked while I prepped and cooked the spinach so the timing was fine.

I will definitely make this again. It is nice to have one serving only and I like the added carbs to eggs from the spaghetti. It makes it more substantial and filling. 

Spaghetti Fritatta

• 2oz spaghetti cooked
• 3 oz baby spinach, chopped
• 1-2T minced onion
• 1 t. olive oil
• 2 T shredded cheese (I used Pepper Jack) 
• 2 eggs
• 2 T milk
• salt and pepper

1. Turn on broiler to high. 
2. Start your water boiling for the pasta if you don't have leftovers. I broke pasta in half so I could cook in a smaller pan and heat up less water to save time.
3. Heat oil in an 8" ovensafe skillet and saute onions for a few minutes. 
4. Add spinach and saute until wilted and moisture dries up a bit. You may need to add it in batches because of lack of room.
5. Wish eggs and milk in a medium bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add grated cheese. Add pasta and stir to combine. 
6. When spinach is cooked, add egg mixture to pan, and stir well to combine. Cook for 5-7 minutes until eggs start to set, but are still runny on top.
7. Put pan in broiler and broil up to 4 minutes till eggs are cooked through. 

Serves 1. 

Old Favorites - Everyday Food (September 2004, 2005, 2006)

Reviewing my Old Favorites from EF last week inspired me to cook more even though I was quite busy, so I'm doing it again this week. Not sure how long I'll keep this up, but for now I'm continuing.

• Spaghetti Frittata (a new favorite that I just tried this past weekend) 
• Peanut Butter Granola Bars - I've made this recipe 100 times, but not once in 2011. I'll make again soon. My version is yummy, but I'm sure the original is good too.
• Orecchiette with Sausage and Roasted Peppers (This is similar to a Cook's Illustrated Recipe which I also really like) 
• Blackberry Cornmeal Cake - I LOVE this cake. I wish I had made it this summer.  One of my all-time favorite simple cake recipes.
• Molasses Turkey Breast with Acorn Squash

Recipes to try still:

• Tamale Pies 
• Pork Chops with White Beans
• Tortilla Soup for one 
• Sloppy Joes
• Chicken and Brown Rice
• Barley Risotto with Corn and Basil
• Molasses Sandwich Cookies
• Caramelized Apple Tart

I hope to try the ones on this list above soon. At least most of them.

Ground Beef Pie

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Probably Not

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2003)

I've wanted to try this recipe for 8 years, but since phyllo is not something I keep in the freezer (although maybe I should) I just never made it and then forgot about it.

I really liked this recipe, it was quick and easy to make and tasted great. I was slightly concerned that I wouldn't like the cinnamon with the beef, but it was good. They phyllo crust was delicious.  Also, I made it the night before allowing me to have an effortless dinner. Finally, it was something a little bit different and unique which I like.

So why wouldn't I make it again? The BF was horrified by this meal. He can be very picky and sometimes I feel like I am feeding a child when I cook for both of us. What bothered him is hard to say. He said it was runny. It wasn't. I assume he was looking at the slightly moist part at the top of the pie (you can see it in the picture) and thought it was uncooked eggs. They were completely cooked, but he couldn't get past it. He really didn't taste it. He is more bothered by textures than anything else and when I cook new things he is always looking for the cooked onions to pick out. This may explain why I haven't been cooking as much since we met :-) (I am going to keep him, because otherwise he is mature and normal.)

Despite all of that, this is a really good recipe. It is a simplification of a Greek recipe which is typical thing to find in Everyday Food. There Prep time was 35 minutes, but mine was only 25. Instead of brushing the olive oil on the phyllo I use Olive Oil spray. I think this was my time saver. It worked very well. It is probably more expensive this way, but worth it.

I did freeze my leftovers, and I'll see how they are. If good, I may make this again, but otherwise this isn't a recipe I would make for myself only.

NOTE: There is a video on the recipe link. I always like watching videos before I make the recipe.

Mini Mocha Cheesecakes

Prep Time: 13 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Cool Time: 2+ hours
 
Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2011)

This recipe (link above) uses cottage cheese instead of cream cheese. It called for non-fat, but I like to eat 2% which only has 10 more calories and a few grams of fat per serving, so I went with that instead. Otherwise the only fat comes from the egg. (Although I also use Penzey's cocoa, which has a little too.)

The batter was more runny than the pictures showed in the magazine. I made a half recipe and filled 5 cups (original full recipe should make 9 cups). I stilled had some of the batter left over.

These were really good. It didn't taste exactly the same as a cream cheese cheesecake, but the tangy taste was there and I liked it.

I don't like coffee, so I cut the amount of espresso powder in half (but didn't eliminate) to make the chocolate taste better without the mocha taste. That always works well for me.

The neatest part of the recipe is that you make these in muffin tins with muffin papers. You don't have to grease any pans and they are easy to get out. The other great part of this recipe is that you use Chocolate Wafers for the crust. You fill the cup with the batter then place a cookie on top. The Famous Chocolate wafers fit perfectly if you your cups are filled to 1/4 of the top.  There is the issue of only using a few of these wafers for this recipe and they are fairly expensive and not found at all my local grocery stores. However, I froze the extra cookies, and hopefully I can find another use for them.

All in all, I think this is a very clever recipe and it is pretty light. Part of that comes from the petite sizing which is easy since they are single serving cakes. I also like that these have a decent amount of protein which fills me up more than sugar, certainly. I will definitely make these again.

Old Favorites - Everyday Food (September 2003)

I really need to get in the habit of cooking again, even when I am super busy. I find I actually eat less when I am cooking good food, because it satisfies me more. To help me get back into the mood, I'm looking at my old Everyday Food magazines for the current month (September) and reminding myself of the old recipes that I used to love and haven't cooked in a while. Many of them I've already added to the blog, but a few I haven't.

I was planning on looking at all 4 previous September Issues that I own, but just looking at year 2003 had quite a few recipes I want to use again, so I'll just do one issue at a time.

Here are some of my old Favorites. I'm linking to my blog post (if available), but you can get to the actual recipes on the Recipe source link. If I didn't blog it, I'm liking to the original recipe.

• Turkey and White Bean Chili - not the most exciting chili ever, but very quick and easy for fast Fall meal.
• Almond Fruit Bars - A good bar cookie recipe
• Grape Tart - I never blogged on this recipe, but did try it and really liked it because it is unique with an oatmeal tart crust. I should make it again sometime!
• Outrageous Chocolate Cookies - simple and delicious. I've made more than most other cookie recipes
• Beef Skewers with Peanut Dipping Sauce - I didn't put this in the blog, but I remember liking this one
• Sauteed Corn, Bacon and Scallions - I altered this recipe to include green beans and I make this a few times every summer. I have even made it once this year in my non-cooking summer. 

I also found a few recipes that I always meant to try but haven't yet:

• Ground Beef Pie
• Roasted Vegetable Soup
• Chicken Enchiladas - I love Cook's Illustrated Chicken Enchilada recipe, but this one is simpler, so I will try it for my busy times 
• Blueberry-Lemon Bundt Cake 

I don't really need to focus on desserts right now when I'm so busy and want to eat a little healthier, but I hope to try all the other recipes this month. 

I hope to get back to Cook's Illustrated Recipes when I have more time, but this should get me motivated to get cooking again.

Spicy Tuna Melt

Prep Time: 8 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

Grade:B+

Make Again: Yes
  Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2011)

(I cut recipe in half and modified slightly. I can't find the original online yet.) 

Mix:   5/6oz can tuna with 1/3 c. salsa and 2T light mayo and salt and pepper. Spread on baguette that is sliced in half lengthwise. (May only need half of baguette, depending on the size.) Sprinkle 1-2oz of shredded pepper jack cheese. Broil for 5 minutes (not too close to broiler, so it won't burn in that time.)

This one isn't so much a recipe, as a good idea for a quick meal. This is what I like about Everyday Food. It has simple recipes that encourage you to try combinations you haven't tried before like Salsa and Tuna.

Very good for a quick lunch.

Slow-Cooker Spicy Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours

Grade: A-
Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2011)

Wow, I haven't cooked anything, not even old standbys for a month. I was working at a client very far from home and just didn't have time. I've had more sandwiches in the past month, than I care to admit, but finally this is a sandwich that involved some effort (but not too much) and felt like real cooking.

This is a lightened recipe from the January issue of Everyday Food. I need to start cooking from that magazine more now that I'm busier than I used to be. My success rate with these recipes is not quite as high as Cook's Illustrated, but the recipes are usually pretty easy and sometimes are quite good.

I don't think this sandwich probably stands up next to a full-fat version of other pulled pork or chicken sandwiches, because the sauce is pretty light. However, it is was still very good.

The best part of the recipe (see link above) is that after prepping the ingredients (which does involve the stove, this isn't a dump raw ingredients into the slow cooker recipe) you are done for 4 hours. The recipe included the tip of using a Potato masher to shred the chicken and it worked great. I was skeptical, but it worked as well as using a fork and was so easy.

I altered the recipe slightly, using all breast meat, and used 3 T of a Chipotle sauce instead of 4. It could have handled 4 T, but of course it depends on the sauce you are using. It is 8 servings so makes a lot, and the leftovers can be frozen, which is another bonus as well.

Grilled Stuffed Chicken Breasts (Lighter)

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Rest Time: 60 minutes 
Cook Time: 25 minutes
(These times may be off, I didn't write it down and I no longer have the cookbook.)

Grade: B-
Make Again: No
Recipe Source: Light & Healthy 2010 (originally from Cook's Country?)

This wasn't a bad recipe, but it wasn't my favorite chicken recipe and the process of stuffing things is a pain for me. I don't think I cut my chicken holes big enough so couldn't get all the stuffing in. The basil flavor was very strong, and I would have liked a little less, even though I love basil. The cheese got a little rubbery.

Some of the other flavor options may taste better, but I'm not sure I would try. There are just too many good chicken recipes, for me to make something that I didn't love, unless it is super easy.  This is mostly easy, but stuffing the chicken is not.

Tall and Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits

Prep Time: 12 minutes
Bake Time: 22 minutes
Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (July 2004)

Other bloggers have the full recipe here or here.

These biscuits are probably the ones I  have made the most out of all biscuit recipes. They are a little lighter than most biscuits with less butter (4T per 12 biscuits). They almost end up like dinner rolls, but they are extremely easy to make. The only negative is that it can get a little messy tossing these in the flour before you put them in the pan. The recipe calls for adding 2T of butter to the top. I always add just 1T, which seems enough. This recipe without any butter at all on top, was put into the Best Light Recipe, and I think each biscuit has about 125 calories, which is pretty good for a biscuit!

I've made this recipe so many times, I'm shocked I haven't reviewed it yet. It is definitely a good way to use up buttermilk and because these are a little bit lighter (at least for biscuits) it is a good recipe to have.

A brief break from recipe reviews

This has nothing to do with recipe reviews, but I am sharing a link to my on-line Photoshop course. It is a beginner's course and deals with the professional version of Photoshop CS5 (or earlier), not the consumer version Photoshop Elements.

I don't do much photo processing on the photos on this blog, simply because I am usually rushing to get these posts completed and don't have any moments to spare. But the techniques learned in the class could help improve your photographs and will also introduce some techniques for graphic design. I have a more advanced class coming out soon on how to make better selections in Photoshop.

For only $19 you get access to 5 hours of on-line instruction, all photographs used in the course, and reference sheets for most of the tools that we learn in the class.


Introduction to Photoshop

Now back to our previously scheduled reviews.

Strawberry Cake

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Maybe
Recipe Source: Martha Stewart

I was alerted to this recipe from the Smitten Kitchen blog. I don't read a lot of food blogs, but I do enjoy that one. She suggested using some barley flour, which I actually had in the freezer so I did that (1/2 c only) and it was fine.

This was good, and super easy to make. It is almost like a coffee cake. It uses a lot of strawberries which is nice. I thought it was a tiny bit dry the first day (perhaps I baked too long). But the second day it was better.

It isn't a beautiful cake. I didn't even take any pictures of it when it was done. It is a nice simple tasty cake. Even though it isn't the best ever, I might make it again because it uses up a nice amount of strawberries and it was good. 

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara (Lighter)

Total Time: 44 minutes
Grade: B
Make Again: Maybe?

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (October 2008)
Recipe Source: America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2010

This was good, but maybe more work than I wanted. My bacon always takes longer to cook than they say it will. I may have used thicker bacon though.

I did add some boneless chicken breast to this to add some more protein. It was a good addition, IMO.

Also, I didn't have any evaporated milk on hand, so just used a tiny bit of cream instead.

I was surprised that the leftovers were still good. I thought it would be a gloopy mess, but it wasn't bad. Not as good as fresh, but still quite edible.

Philly Cheesesteaks (Lighter)

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: B
Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (October 2006)
Recipe Source:  Light & Healthy 2010 (The Best of America's Test Kitchen)

Ingredients
1lb. top round steak, cut into strips and partially frozen (25-50 minutes), then shredded with food processor
1 onion chopped (I sliced so I could pick them out later, for my picky eater)
2 teaspoons oil
salt and pepper
5 slices reduced-fat provolone deli-style provolone cheese
4 sub rolls, toasted

Saute the onions over low heat, covered, then add the beef, and cook at higher heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Lower heat and put cheese on top. Serve on bun.

Yum!

I'm a little bit excited about this recipe, which may seem a little strange, since I only gave this recipe a B. However, the concept of the recipe is what is great, and it tasted really, really good, and it is "light".

The fact that I couldn't make the cheese gooey and melt nicely like the recipe suggested it would is why I don't give this recipe an A. The recipe suggests you should be able to add a lower fat provolone cheese (I used Sargento) to the top of the beef over a low heat, and stir it in after it melts. I've tried this two times, trying to stir at different times, and both times the cheese became very rubbery and never stirred in well. I would assume a higher fat cheese would work fine.

But I don't have a problem with just laying the cheese on top and letting it melt, and skipping the stirring phase. Even the beef without the cheese is very tasty, so that is an option also.

Really the best thing about this recipe is the idea of cutting up the beef (Top Round) into finger pieces that will fit in your food processor tube. Then you freeze them for 30-60 minutes, to make them firm, but not frozen through. After that, you can slice with a thin slicing disk on the food processor.

You don't even really need a recipe for this (although I've linked to the non-light version of the recipe above at the paid Cook's Country site.)

I plan on using this technique for the beef to make these sandwiches also. I've always made that recipe with Shaved Beef from Trader Joe's which is somewhat expensive and full of fat. I was able to get 1.25 lbs of Top Round for a little over $4 on sale, which is much cheaper, and also much leaner. I ended up freezing half of my shaved beef and using a week later to make this recipe a second time. In the future, I may even buy a bigger piece of meat, especially if on sale, and shred a whole bunch at once, and freezing in batches. This will make a super fast dinner when I don't have a lot of time.

Lemon Yogurt Mousse

Prep Time: 43 minutes
Cool Time: 6-24 hours 
Grade: A

Make Again: Yes
Recipe Source: The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2011


I was kind of disappointed with the best of 2011 book when I first looked at it after borrowing it from the library last week. There are several recipes from the Light & Healthy 2010 in there, and it seemed like there were other repeats in there. The only CI books I get anymore are these yearly annuals, so I expect to not have repeats.

It seems like a strange assortment of recipes, and I'm not sure how many I will try. However, this Lemon Yogurt Mousse looked good to me, so I decided to try it first. This one recipe may be enough to convince me to buy the book. I don't think it is on-line anywhere. I am guessing the recipe comes from this book but I don't know for sure.

It is a perfect summer recipe. Light, and refreshing. There is a berry sauce at the bottom of the dish, which is a nice little addition and complements the lemon nicely. (Strawberry, blueberry or raspberry - I used strawberries.)

After making the sauce, you make the mousse with egg whites, sugar, greek yogurt, lemon and some heavy cream. I was previously annoyed at having to purchase heavy cream for a light recipe earlier, so I was happy to be able to use some up with this recipe.

The most difficult part of the recipe is whipping the whites and sugar by hand while the bowl is over simmering water to get the eggs to 160 degrees. That takes almost 10 minutes. Otherwise the rest of the recipe is not too bad.

This one is really good. I will definitely make again. It would be good for summer entertaining, because it is a cold dessert and can be made ahead.

Thin-Crust Pizza

Dough Time: 20 minutes (including 10 minutes rest)
Rise Time: 24+ hours
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Bake Time: 12 minutes


Grade: A-
Make Again: Maybe
Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 2011)

This was good, but I struggled to shape the dough. I just couldn't get it to 13". I used Trader Joes' pizza sauce because I hated the sauce from the Veggie pizza a few weeks ago and this one was similar.

I think I prefer the really, really thin crust recipe from 2001 or the Pan Pizza recipe from Cook's Country, which I have made many, many times, because it is fast and really good.  So, even though I liked this, I'm not sure how often I will make it.

Soft Chicken Tacos

Prep Time: 17 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Grade:C
Make Again: No
Recipe Source: Light & Healthy 2010 (The Best of America's Test Kitchen)
Cook's Country TV (registration required, but free - at least for 2011) 

This wasn't horrible, but still disappointing overall. The sauce which consists of Orange Juice, chipotle, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic and cilantro, almost could taste like a spicy, sweet sauce. However, the flavors of the orange juice and chipotle never married, and they were very distinct in the sauce and didn't go together. I cooked the sauce even longer than suggested, but it didn't help.

The recipe is easy and fast, so I was a little disappointed that I didn't love it.

Chicken Florentine (Light)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Grade: B+
Make Again: Maybe
Recipe Source: Light and Healthy 2010

It may not look all that appetizing, but this was pretty good. The sauce was very tasty. I wish it was quicker though. I could have done more prep while things were cooking, but when I have time I like to prep first because it is less stressful.

One annoying thing about this recipe is that is calls for 2T of heavy cream. When trying to cook lighter, that isn't an ingredient I'm going to use up a lot. I will have to try to figure out a way to use up the rest.

I only put spinach on half, because I was cooking for someone who doesn't like his spinach cooked. It was good though. The sauce mixed with the spinach is a good lighter sub for creamed spinach.