Lisa Cooks

Pork and Potato Meatloaf

2012-01-17T18:38:00.000-06:00

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)

2012-01-15T19:31:00.000-06:00

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

2012-01-12T19:28:00.000-06:00

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.)

Saute onion, garlic and pepper in 1 T of oil (they suggest 2T) till softened.
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.
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.
Pour into bowl. Repeat with second batch.
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

2012-01-09T20:47:00.000-06:00

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

2012-01-02T13:57:00.000-06:00

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:

Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies

2011-12-28T11:15:00.000-06:00

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

2011-12-27T11:56:00.000-06:00

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

2011-12-26T11:49:00.001-06:00

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

2011-12-26T11:05:00.001-06:00

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

2011-12-21T23:03:00.002-06:00

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

2011-11-28T22:42:00.001-06:00

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

2011-11-26T10:17:00.001-06:00

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

2011-11-10T14:15:00.000-06:00

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:

Buttermilk-Thyme Drop Biscuits

2011-11-08T22:23:00.000-06:00

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

2011-11-06T22:10:00.000-06:00

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

2011-11-05T18:00:00.001-05:00

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 and Kale Casserole

2011-11-03T20:41:00.000-05:00

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

2011-10-30T19:41:00.000-05:00

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

2011-10-27T19:48:00.000-05:00

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

2011-10-18T19:31:00.000-05:00

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

2011-10-16T23:33:00.000-05:00

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

2011-10-15T15:23:00.000-05:00

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

2011-10-13T15:14:00.000-05:00

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

2011-10-11T19:19:00.000-05:00

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

2011-10-09T16:40:00.000-05:00

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

2011-10-07T20:05:00.000-05:00

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

2011-10-05T10:48:00.000-05:00

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

2011-10-03T10:38:00.000-05:00

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

2011-10-02T10:31:00.001-05:00

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

2011-09-25T15:37:00.000-05:00

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

2011-09-23T15:26:00.000-05:00

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

2011-09-21T15:06:00.000-05:00

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

Turn on broiler to high.
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.
Heat oil in an 8" ovensafe skillet and saute onions for a few minutes.
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.
Wish eggs and milk in a medium bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add grated cheese. Add pasta and stir to combine.
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.
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)

2011-09-19T18:07:00.000-05:00

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:

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

Ground Beef Pie

2011-09-17T10:46:00.000-05:00

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

2011-09-10T15:05:00.000-05:00

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)

2011-09-09T18:15:00.000-05:00

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

2011-09-08T14:15:00.002-05:00

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

2011-08-31T14:23:00.000-05:00

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)

2011-07-26T14:44:00.000-05:00

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

2011-07-24T12:00:00.012-05:00

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

2011-07-23T15:07:00.001-05:00

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

2011-07-22T23:03:00.002-05:00

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)

2011-06-26T18:45:00.000-05:00

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)

2011-06-14T12:28:00.003-05:00

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

2011-06-10T18:36:00.002-05:00

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

2011-06-06T21:34:00.000-05:00

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

2011-06-03T14:05:00.003-05:00

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)

2011-05-27T20:13:00.000-05:00

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.

Banana Bread (Lighter)

2011-05-25T15:20:00.000-05:00

Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes

Grade: A
Make Again: Yes
Recipe Source: Light & Healthy 2010

The ways this recipe is "light" is by roasting the bananas to bring out their sweetness. It adds time to prep work, but is easy enough. It cuts the sugar by 1/4 c. from CI's more recent banana bread recipe. They also use only 1 T. oil and 2 oz cream cheese (yeah, I can finish using up the cream cheese I opened for the biscuits and the cookies). It called for fat-free cream cheese, but I used Light, since that is what I had.

Roasted Vegetable Pizza

2011-05-22T17:25:00.007-05:00

Dough: 90 minutes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Grade: C-
Make Again: No
Recipe Source: Light & Healthy 2010

The picture of this looked so good to me. (In the book, not mine!)

But I really didn't care for it. The dough was fine and I liked the crust of the pizza, which is why the recipe still gets a C. But I hated the no-cook sauce. It made the top of the dough crust a little soggy and it also made my roasted veggies soggy too, so the awesome-ness of roasted veggies disappeared.

I will probably use the dough recipe again and experiment with my own toppings, but I won't be using this light and healthy recipe again.

Cuban Inspired Black Beans and Rice

2011-05-17T15:00:00.002-05:00

Soak Time: 8-24 hours
Prep Time: 13 minutes
Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
Prep Time: 27 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: B-
Make Again: No
Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (March 2011)

I was sure I'd love this recipe, but it fell a little flat with me. I think the cumin taste overpowered everything else. It calls for 4 teaspoons of cumin, and I think half of that would have worked better.

It wasn't bad, but not something I think was worth the effort. This past winter when I had no time to cook at all, I discovered a quick beans and rice meal. (Boil in the bag Brown Rice, plus canned black beans, plus some salsa with a little bit of cheese on top.) That takes about 3-4 minutes of effort and 12 minutes of cooking time, and was almost as satisfying as this dish.

This dish isn't hard to make, but you do have to soak the beans and cook in stages, so there is some effort involved.

I should add that I used bacon instead of salt port. I used 2 thick slices instead of the 6 regular they suggested. Maybe more bacon or salt port would have tempered the cumin.

I will say the beans after cooking initially were very good, but the final recipe was were things fell flat.

Chewy Sugar Cookies

2011-05-13T15:00:00.000-05:00

Prep Time: 22 minutes
Cook Time: 11-13 minutes per pan

Grade: A
Make Again: Yes
Recipe Source: America's Test Kitchen TV (Season 11)
Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (November 2010)

I wrote a post about this yesterday, and it isn't here anymore. :-( So, I am going to keep this short and sweet. These are very, very good. Nice and chewy, even when not warm anymore.
I had already opened some cream cheese, so this helped use up some of the open package. I didn't sprinkle the extra sugar on top at the end, and didn't miss is.

There is a video on the ATK TV show link, and you can get the recipe their also.

Cream Cheese Carrot Muffins

2011-05-12T10:29:00.008-05:00

Prep Time: 23 minutes
Cook Time:20 minutes

Grade: A-
Make Again: Maybe
Recipe Source: King Arthur Flour

These are nice muffins with a cream cheese filling. They are not too sweet, and the filling is very good. I guess I skimped on the filling, because I ended up using only 1/2 - 2/3 and had a lot left over. Also, I probably should have put less batter on the bottom of the pans.

Despite having to grate carrots (it's only 2), and put the batter in the pans in the 3 steps, these are fairly easy to make. I may make again if I have carrots on cream cheese on hand and need to use them up.

Chicken Piccata (Light)

2011-05-11T18:30:00.014-05:00

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Grade: A-
Make Again: Yes
Recipe Source: Light & Healthy 2010

This recipe is somewhat similar to the one from the magazine (from 2001) or the Lighter version they did in 2007. But it is definitely not exactly the same. I can't find a link anywhere online to this, so I guess you need the book to try it.

I had never tried capers before, and thought I wouldn't like them. I didn't. But I do think they added to the sauce flavor, so would make this again, and just not eat the capers. I may try it without them also to see if I notice a difference.

The sauce was very flavorful. I used less lemon, because I don't like things too lemony. You add just a bit of butter at the end, and it tasted very nice. It takes a while to reduce the sauce, but otherwise, this recipe is pretty easy and quick.

Buttermilk Biscuits (Lighter)

2011-05-10T18:47:00.000-05:00

Prep Time: 75 minutes (1 hour from freezing some ingredients)
Cook Time: 17-20 minutes

Grade:B+
Make Again: Maybe
Recipe Source: Light & Healthy 2010

These were good, and very pretty, but I probably won't make them again. They were very flaky, I guess thanks to freezing the light cream cheese and butter. But I missed the buttery flavor from the other biscuits I make. And with 10,000 other biscuit recipes, I think I will just use one of the others. The Tall and Fluffy biscuits are lighter than most biscuits and I will use those when I want something light. (I just looked for a link to my review of that recipe and can't find it. I can't believe I wouldn't have reviewed this one. Coming soon, hopefully.)

One interesting thing from trying this recipe. The recipe tells you to arrange them upside down. The tops looked much nicer and smoother, and I thought they would be prettier, so I only turned about half upside down. It turns out there is a reason. The upside down biscuits rose considerably higher. (See photo above - the one on the left was turned upside down, the right one was not.) I guess I should know that they don't tell you to do something if there isn't a reason.

Update: I froze the leftovers, and reheated some today for dinner. I liked them better today. Not sure why that is. I may or may not make these again. So many biscuit recipes, and so many that I probably prefer over this one.

I'm back

2011-05-09T22:05:00.000-05:00

After a very grueling year as a full-time student (my posts from last fall were mostly queued up over the summer), I am hoping to get back to cooking and blogging.

I was studying Graphic Design so I can transition my programming skills into creating web sites. I hope to move this blog to WordPress over the summer and redesign it myself. If I have time.

In the meantime, I have Light & Healthy 2010 from the library, so I will be reviewing some of those recipes soon. And I haven't even looked at Cook's Illustrated all year, so there are probably at least a few recipes there I want to try also.

Rosemary Focaccia

2011-01-27T08:09:00.000-06:00

Prep Time: 30-35 minutes (mostly hands-off time)
Rise Time: 2 hours (shape after 1 hour)
Bake Time: 23-25 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Baking Illustrated
Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (May 1997)

I just noticed when looking for the link to the recipe on CI's website that they have a new recipe that they published this past summer. I will have to try that one later. This was good, but I'm not sure I'm compelled to make again soon, so it will be interesting to try the other one.

I used no oil on top, but the oil from pan added enough richness. This was an easy recipe, but you do need to boil a potato which adds to the complexity a touch.

Soft Pretzels

2011-01-18T20:15:00.001-06:00

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Rise Time: 2+ hours
Assemble Time: 15-20 minutes
Bake Time: 12-16 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Baking Illustrated

These are not the most attractive pretzels. I never get the salt to stick, and I am not great at shaping them, but they are delicious.

I made these years ago when I first got Baking Illustrated, but it has been at least 3 years. I forgot how good they are.

These are pretty easy to make. The only trouble is rolling them out and boiling them, but even that isn't too hard. My dough didn't rise well (it is cold) and the dough a little tight, so I had trouble rolling some pieces out to 20" like I was supposed to. I just left the hardest pieces to roll in shorter logs, and they still came out great. Next time I may just make them that way instead of rolling to keep the recipe even simpler.

I did burn the bottoms though, so I will have to watch that next time also.

Quick and Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

2011-01-15T08:52:00.028-06:00

Stock Prep Time: 23 minutes
Stock Cook Time: 50-55 minutes
Soup Prep Time: 8 minutes (I prepped some with the stock)
Soup Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: America's Test Kitchen TV Show (Season 10) (Recipe at link)
Recipe Source: Best of America's Test Kitchen 2010

Note: This is on the TV show website, so click link above and print, if you would like the recipe. It will probably be available through this year only.

I rarely make homemade chicken noodle soup, because dealing with chicken parts grosses me out. This recipe is pretty simple though, and most of the stock flavor comes from using ground chicken. That is nice and easy. You do have to cut two chicken breasts (on the bone) in half and simmer them in the stock for 30 minutes which also provides some of the flavor (and the meat for the soup.) Cutting the breasts was the hardest part for me. (I'll skip the details on why, because I don't want this to be an unappetizing read!)

The recipe ends up taking about 2 hours from start to finish, but there is really only 35-40 minutes of hands on time, so it is not a lot of work.

The soup was really, really good. The man in my life, who just really doesn't care that much about food (much to my dismay) said after his first bite "Wow, this is good." To elicit that response means it really was good. The broth was very flavorful and potatoes and carrots were perfectly cooked, along with the chicken. I used a frozen thicker Egg Noodle. Mrs Reames (I think.) It was my first time with them, and I think I would use them again, because they are more substantial. I didn't have parsley, so I added some peas at the last moment for a bit of green. I would definitely do that again. I also cut the chicken instead of tearing it, because I hate tearing the chicken.

Next time I make this, I might try doing the stock the day before and letting everything cool down first, so that removing the fat is easier (and you can get more of it.)

I'm not going to make this an A+ recipe yet, but it may get upgraded if after my second attempt I still like it as much.

Chocolate Truffle Tart

2011-01-12T08:42:00.012-06:00

Crust Prep Time: 9 minutes
Crust Chill Time: 1 hour
Crust Assemble Time: 10 minutes
Crust Chill Time: 30 minutes
Crust Bake Time: 30 minutes
Chill Time: 2+ hours

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes
Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (December 2006)
Recipe Source: Best of 2007

This is quite delicious, but pretty rich. It takes a while to put together, but it really is not difficult. I struggle with rolling out dough, but did ok with this one. I made a half recipe and used 8" tart pan. I used the extra scraps to make a mini tart, seen above.

I would definitely make again, but will serve with ice cream next time to cut the richness, I think.

Scoop and Bake Dinner Rolls

2010-12-30T08:45:00.001-06:00

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Rise Time: 45 minutes
Bake Time: 14-18 minutes
Grade: A-
Make Again: Yes
Recipe Source: Cook's Country (October 2007)

This was the easiest yeast bread I've ever made, however, these things are a little odd, because they ended up looking like muffins. They did taste like buttery dinner rolls, though. I didn't think the leftovers were as good.

To make you whisk the ingredients in a bowl, let rise in a warm oven for 30 minutes then scoop into a muffin tin, followed by another short rise. That's it.

Since they are so incredibly easy to make, I might even try a half-batch in the future.

Simple Turkey (or Beef) Chili

2010-12-29T22:22:00.001-06:00

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Grade: A
Make Again: Yes
Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 2008)
Recipe Source: Best Light Recipes

CI originally did this recipe with beef several years ago (or more than several.) The turkey recipe was developed for the Best Light cookbook after that and was the same, but used turkey and less oil basically.

I can't believe I haven't added this recipe to the blog yet, because I make it at least a few times every year. It is so simple and exactly the kind of chili I like. It reminds me of the chili I had a kid and it hits the spot on cool days.

With the turkey version they suggest adding the 2nd pound of ground turkey for the last hour of cooking so it stays more clumpy. Sometimes I do that, sometimes I don't. It seems fine when I don't, but the texture it a little smoother I guess.

This is a go to recipe for when I don't have time to cook, but I am at home and can have this cook a while.

Chicken Pesto Salad

2010-11-14T23:24:00.002-06:00

Total Time: 53 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Light & Healthy 2010

The pesto in this recipe was very nice. It was made lighter by skipping the pine nuts and using just a tiny bit of olive oil, and replacing some of that with a light mayo. It works really well. I actually didn't have half the ingredients I needed on hand (mostly veggies), so my actual salad was very different than intended. But it was still tasty and I enjoyed the leftovers the next day.

The biggest problem I had was the time it took to make. I like my salads to be quicker. I probably will use the pesto recipe again though. I didn't miss the pine nuts at all, which surprised me.

Steak Salad

2010-11-10T11:22:00.004-06:00

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: minutes
Grade: A-
Make Again: Yes
Recipe Source: America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2010

I actually made this recipe over a month ago, and forgot to write my post until now. I did like this, it was simple and good. However, I would have been happier if it took a little bit less time to make. I may make again though.

I'm not sure if I kept it light and healthy, because I don't know my beef cuts very well, and picked a higher fat steak at Trader Joe's accidently. It had tip in the name, so I thought it was what I wanted, but I was wrong.

The dressing was mustard-y and tangy. I liked it and it paired well with the potatoes and meat.

Lighter Spaghetti and Meatballs

2010-10-20T07:34:00.010-05:00

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cool Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2010

These meatballs were some of the best Turkey meatballs I've ever made. What I didn't love was the sauce. It wasn't the recipe's fault. I have come to realize (finally!) that I don't really like chunky sauces, and I should just stick with a more smooth and thick sauce. From now on I'm going to sub my own favorite tomato sauce when I try out these recipes.

Anyway, the recipe is not terribly different from CI's regular meatball recipe, but uses 93% turkey. I will definitely make these again with my own sauce, and probably make a double batch to freeze some for later.

Cheesy Broccoli and Rice Casserole

2010-10-17T17:27:00.011-05:00

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Bake Time: 15 minutes
Cool Time: 5 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again:Maybe

Recipe Source: Light & Healthy 2010

I believe this is makeover of a recipe that originally appeared in Cook's Country and is in the Best of 2010 book. I wanted to try the recipe from the Best of book, but I see no reason to use that recipe when this one is lighter and plenty good.

This is good, but more work than I really want for a side dish. I think I might use the recipe for just a cheesy rice and then serving steamed broccoli on the side, which people can mix in if they want.

The recipe uses low fat evaporated milk (I only found non-fat) and lower fat cheese (I used regular, but less). The recipe was very flavorful, but probably not super low calorie, when you remember that it is a side dish.

Black Bean Burgers

2010-10-14T17:04:00.005-05:00

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2010

I have no idea if this recipe originated somewhere else. I didn't find it from searching on the various Cook's Illustrated web sites.

These are good. I subbed roasted peppers for the fresh and also scallions for the shallot. It all worked well. The one problem with the recipe was that it said that the breadcrumbs should cook for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees. That would be way too long for me. They started to burn within 7 minutes. I prepped other ingredients while they toasted, so this was a pretty quick recipe.

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce

2010-10-11T00:14:00.009-05:00

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cool Time: 10 minutes
Assemble Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minute

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (May 2003)
Recipe Source: Cover & Bake

I first made these years ago and I really liked the recipe. I've made them several times since then, but have never added my thoughts here. I do prefer a red sauce over a green sauce, so I love this recipe much more than my last enchilada attempt.

I lightened the recipe by using half the cheese and boneless breasts instead of thighs. I also used less sauce because I made it too spicy this time.

The one tip I took from the green sauce recipe, which is somewhat similar in many ways, was to cook breast whole, then tear the cooked then cooled chicken in larger pieces first, then chop more with a knife. I liked that method.

These are really good and I will continue to use this recipe.

Dream Bars

2010-10-07T20:19:00.015-05:00

Crust Prep Time: 8 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes
Topping Prep Time: 8 minutes
Bake Time: 35-40 minutes
Cool Time: 2 hours

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Best of America's Test Kitchen 2010

I'm not sure where this recipe first appeared. The author was from Cook's Country but I don't find this on that website. It may be from this Baking book.

I found a copy of the recipe here: Dream Bars

Anyway, these were absolutely delicious. You must like coconut to enjoy these. They are rich and delicious. I have to admit to skipping the pecans in the topping. I did add them to the crust. I don't love pecans and I actually burned them during toasting, since I left the kitchen and forgot! They were fine without, but the nuts probably added a little structure.

The recipe is super simple. It takes a bit of time to go through the steps, but only 16 minutes of work. (Although probably actually more if want to toast the pecans and not burn them.)

I'm not sure how well these freeze yet, but if that works, this might go to an A+ recipe.

Chicken Francese

2010-10-01T12:56:00.003-05:00

Total Time: 50 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (September 2005)

This is really good, but breading chicken cutlets always is messy. Otherwise I would make these more often. The sauce takes up a good portion of the cooking time here (may 1/3), and it is pretty lemony. I might even skip the sauce in the future, and try for something simpler.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

2010-09-28T10:51:00.023-05:00

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Bake Time: 22-25 minutes
Cool Time: 20 minutes plus more out of pan

Grade: A-

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (June 2007)

I just made blueberry muffins recently, but I'm still trying to use up frozen blueberries that I have from last summer. I never even bought any this year.

If I were grading on taste alone, these would get an A+. They are delicious. However, there was way too much streusel and I ended up using only about 2/3 of because I knew it was going to fall off the muffins and be wasted anyway. I love streusel, but hate the mess when it falls off. And also it just adds calories that aren't necessarily appreciated. I think enough to cover in one layer is enough to give the textures and flavor, but more isn't worth it.

Here is only part of the mess. There is more on the counter and floor. It just seems like a waste to me when it all falls off.

I have another recipe for a coffee cake with blueberries that I will stick to because it ends up being less messy, and probably easier to make, even though this one was very, very good.

Mexican Rice

2010-09-25T10:10:00.004-05:00

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (September 2004)

This is a yummy simple recipe. It calls for 2 fresh tomatoes, but I make this sometimes with canned tomatoes, which works fine.

The easy part of the recipe is that you put the tomatoes and onion into the food processor to puree instead of needing to dice. I actually add the jalapeno in there too, and it works fine. (I leave some out for adding in later as the recipe instructs.)

The only time consuming part is "frying" the dried rice for 6-8 minutes before adding any liquids. The recipe calls for 1/3 c. of oil. I used 1.5 T. instead, and that was just fine.

This is definitely a good recipe to use when making any Mexican food.

Enchiladas Verdes

2010-09-24T10:50:00.017-05:00

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cool Time: 20 minutes
Assemble Time: 10 minutes
Cook: Time: 20 minutes

Grade: C- (only because I don't like Tomatillos)

Make Again: No

Recipe: Amercia's Test Kitchen TV Show (Season 9)
Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (July 2008)

I've always made or ordered a red sauce when I've had enchiladas, so I wasn't sure if I would like this one. Well, I didn't like it.

The recipe itself is good. Although somewhat time consuming, the work was fairly easy (other than peeling the roasted poblanos.) I was cleaning my kitchen all along, and I enjoyed making these. But I just don't like the green sauce. I used the canned tomatillos, and maybe fresh would have been better, but I will stick to the red sauce version in the future.

The chick part of the recipe was very delicious though, and I used the leftover broth to make Mexican rice which I will report on next.

Spaghetti with Egg and Breadcrumbs

2010-09-20T20:02:00.004-05:00

Total Time: 30 minutes (half recipe)

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Best International Recipe

Recipe Source: The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2008

I overcooked my egg, but this was still delicious. I wimp out sometimes when it comes to runny eggs, and I should have taken this egg off the burner sooner.

The recipe called for 10T of oil for 4 servings. I cut that down to 4T (or 2T for a half recipe) and it was plenty. I also only used 1 clove of garlic for my half recipe (instead of the 2) and that was also plenty for me. The end result was still very garlic-y but not too much.

I used wheat bread for the crumbs, and they were delicious. The salty bread crumbs with the garlic pasta was a great combo. Even without the egg the dish would be very good. But I like the idea of that added protein on the pasta, so I'm going to make this again and hope to do better with the eggs. Especially because this is a fairly simple dish to make.

Ultimate Banana Bread

2010-09-17T15:03:00.020-05:00

Prep Time: 27 minutes (when using frozen bananas)
Bake Time: 60-75 minutes
Cool Time: 1 hour+

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (July 2010)

Sometimes I moan when I see Cook's Illustrated redo a recipe when I already liked the first recipe. I liked the previous CI version of Banana Bread but I like this one better.

This recipe is really different from the first. It uses 6 bananas, which is a lot more than most. You have to heat them up to release liquid, drain it, then reduce the liquid. This is why the prep time is pretty long for a "quick" bread. However, much of that time is not involved, so you can do other things. It is still a simple recipe.

The 6th banana goes on top, and it makes a very pretty loaf. Slice the bananas thin or the cooked slices won't be that appealing. You also sprinkle some sugar on top, which makes it nice and crunchy. I used a Turbinado sugar which is very large, and works great.

I have to say, the bread doesn't taste any more banana-y than other banana breads. I'm fine with that, but I was surprised. I do like the flavor and texture of this bread. I also like that I don't need to have plain yogurt on hand (which isn't normally in my fridge). And since I often have frozen bananas waiting to make banana bread, the 6 bananas isn't a problem (the 6th one should be fresh though.) So I will definitely use this recipe again.

Pizza Bianca

2010-09-14T08:34:00.001-05:00

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Rise Time: 2.5 hours
Bake Time: 20-30 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (September 2008)
Recipe: America's Test Kitchen TV (Season 9)

The prep time includes 20 minutes of rest time, and 10 minutes of kneading time with mixer at the end. It was very simple with very little hands on work.

I didn't make this perfectly, even though I weighed my flour and water. My dough was too wet. It is supposed to be wet, but mine was really, really wet. I really don't know why. It still worked though. The dough rose, and then I poured it into the pan.

I ended up baking a little too long and the bread was more crispy than it probably should have been, but it was still really good.

I definitely want to try this again and see if I can get it closet to what it is supposed to be.

7 Up Pound Cake

2010-09-10T18:24:00.000-05:00

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 70-90 minutes (half recipe took 60 minutes)
Cool Time: 2 hours
Glaze Time: 10 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (June 2009)

This was very good. A nice pound cake with a little citrus flavor. I used Ginger Ale which they said was fine to sub for the 7Up. I also only made a half recipe and used my 6 cup bundt pan instead of a tube pan.

The main reason I wouldn't make this again is just because it uses the soda, and it isn't something I often have on hand. (Diet Coke, probably wouldn't work here.) Also, I have two other very good recipes I like if I wanted a lemon pound cake. The Cook's Illustrated recipe, which I have never blogged on, and the one from Baking with Julia.

Slow Cooker Meatballs in Marinara Sauce

2010-09-07T18:12:00.028-05:00

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 4-5 hours

Grade: C+

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (August 2009)

The meatballs were good, but I didn't love the sauce. I didn't dislike it, but I felt like there should have been more flavor, with all the ingredients that are in this. The wine slightly overpowered the rest, even though I was careful to cook it down before putting in slow cooker.

This made a huge amounts of sauce. More than I think you need for 1.5 pounds of pasta. I am saving the meatballs with some sauce, in individual containers to freeze, and then I saved almost a quart without any meatballs for use another time.

I have a medium size slow cooker and it was filled to the brim almost. The recipe was probably developed in a larger cooker.

I think I have other meatball recipes I would use before making this one again, because it still was a decent amount of effort - especially for a slow-cooker meal.

NOTE: I didn't actually test the Cook's Country recipe. I used the one from the Best of 2010 book, which contains the recipe from Best Slow and Easy Recipes. (Did you follow that?) The recipes are similar, but there are a few differences - the one I used had milk and bread instead of the mozzarella cheese, less tomato paste and no cream. Everything else looks the same.

Skillet Ramen with Beef and Spinach

2010-09-05T18:02:00.004-05:00

Total Time: 19 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: The Best Skillet Recipes

I don't have The Best Skillet Recipes, and those recipes are not online. But I do have the Best of America's Test Kitchen 2010, and this is one of the featured recipes.

I loved it. So simple and fast. It just happens that I found a small piece of flank steak in my freezer (single serving size) and I had one package of ramen noodles, so I cut the recipe in 1/4. It worked out perfectly (although it did involve more math than I wanted while cooking.)

I skipped the Shiitake mushrooms, since I don't like them, and that was fine. The broth made from garlic, ginger, chicken broth, sherry and soy sauce was very flavorful. (You throw away the seasoning packet.) I wasn't sure about having baby spinach wilted in the broth (I don't love it wilted) but it tasted good.

I will definitely have to purchase some more ramen noodles and cut up some flank steak into smaller pieces and freeze so I can make this quick dinner when I am eating along and short on time.

Popovers

2010-09-02T19:09:00.006-05:00

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Rest Time: 1 hour
Bake Time: 50-60 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (December 2008)

Recipe: Cook's Country TV (Season 2)

I assume the Cook's Country TV show is just like America's Test Kitchen and they won't keep those recipes up there for ever (wanting to people to go to paid site instead.) So, print it out if you are interested. :-) You need to register with an email but don't need to pay.

These are very, very good. I have made popovers lots of times before, and I love them when they are eggy and moist on the inside but crispy on the outside. These fit the bill, and they are more flavorful than the others I've tried.

The main differences are as far as I can tell are using more eggs and butter, but a lower fat milk. It also uses Bread flour for more structure.

I think going forward, this will be the recipe I use, when I make popovers. (Which isn't that often, but it is a good way to use up milk.)

Pan Fried Pork Chops

2010-08-28T18:14:00.016-05:00

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (February 2009)

I found some 2 year old pork chops in my freezer last week when I was cleaning it out. They weren't even wrapped well, just frozen in the thin plastic they were wrapped in at the grocery. I've only cooked pork chops once or twice before, and I forgot about them. I didn't have much hope for them, but they seemed ok after they were defrosted and I didn't notice much freezer burn, so I decided to try this simple recipe.

I was pleasantly surprised. It was super easy and fast. The biggest time suck was waiting for the bacon to cook. But you have to wait 10 minutes in between flour dredging the chops the two times, so it works out well. I used less oil and it worked fine. The chops are seasoned first before they go in the flour with garlic powder, paprika, and salt and pepper (and a little cayenne.)

I was starting to not want to try them though because of their age. When they were resting some blood started to seep through the flour from the bones and as an ex-vegetarian this grossed me out! Then I really didn't want to try them.

But I did anyways, and they tasted really good. The crust was perfect on them and they were still moist. I may have to try them once more with fresher meat.

Baked Ziti

2010-08-23T06:38:00.012-05:00

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Cool Time: 20 minutes

Grade:B-

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (March 2009)
Recipe: America's Test Kitchen TV Show (Season 10)

This was nothing special in my opinion. I do have to admit, however, that I used an inferior cheese which definitely affected the taste. I chose the store brand (Safeway) cheese because it was cheaper, and then, even worse, accidentally purchased the low-fat version. It was too salty and not creamy at all. Now I have 8 oz left of this crappy cheese, which I won't use, just to save $1. Oh well.

However, even without that issue, I still don't think this recipe would have been all that better than the very simple baked pasta dishes I've used before. It uses cottage cheese, which I like, but I usually don't include ricotta in my baked ziti anyways, so it didn't solve any problems for me. It just seems like more effort than I want for a simple pasta dish, so I probably won't make again.

Savory Bread Pudding with Spinach and Feta

2010-08-20T14:11:00.013-05:00

Prep Time: 17 minutes
Rest Time: 20 - 30 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Best of 2010

This was in The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2010 book, and appears to originally come from The Best Slow and Easy Recipes cookbook.

This is definitely an easy recipe with very little effort. I'm not exactly sure what the difference is between a strata and a bread pudding. I guess bread puddings are a little richer. You only use yolks, and the recipe called for 3c. heavy cream and 2c. whole milk. I usually make my stratas with low-fat milk. There was no way I was making this with all that cream - too heavy for me. I ended up using whole milk and about 1/3 c. cream (for a half recipe) instead. It still was plenty rich.

I did really like this, but guess I will probably just stick to making stratas which I do quite often. They are lighter and I can basically make them from memory with whatever leftovers I have on hand.

Hermits

2010-08-17T14:04:00.016-05:00

Prep Time: 25 minutes (10 of it waiting for butter to cool)
Cool Time: 90 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes
Cool/Icing Time: 30 minutes

Grade: B

Make Again: probably not

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (October 2008)

I have two complaints about how this recipe was written. 1) It starts off saying to preheat the oven to 350 in step 1. Then by step 4 (or something like that) it tells you to wrap dough and stick in refrigerator for 1 1/2 hours! That is a long preheat. 2) They tell you to put dough in 10" logs, but don't tell you how wide or how tall the dough should be. One measurement is not enough. I need two. I had to guess. I made my bars about 1/2" high which seems fine.

These are good, but a little more effort than many other spice cookies that I love. I hate raisins so I tried them with chopped dates, which I do like. That worked out well. I love the ginger in them also. Again, these are just fine, but if I was craving a spicy cookie, I think I would choose this or this.

Cornmeal Biscuits

2010-08-14T07:14:00.009-05:00

Prep Time: 23 minutes
Bake Time: 13-15 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (February 2009)

This taste great, although most biscuits do. I've never had cornmeal biscuits before, but I love cornmeal, so I knew I would like these. However, even though you soak the cornmeal, I still found the biscuits to be a tad gritty.

Also, I feel like 12 T of butter is a lot, even for biscuits. Most biscuits use 8 T per 2 c. flour, and still taste quite buttery.

I did struggle with the dough a bit - it was too sticky for me to knead. I'm guessing that is the reason these didn't rise as much as they should have.

I may make these again, but since they take a little longer than my other biscuit recipes, I'm not sure if it will happen or not. Maybe if there is something that I think would really go well with the cornmeal flavor. They would probably be great with Chili, of course, so maybe then.

Chicken Spiedies

2010-08-12T21:57:00.014-05:00

Prep Time: 16 minutes
Marinade: 30 minutes - 3 hours
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (June 2009)

This is a nice simple recipe and it tasted good. The sauce (which looks a little like cheese in the picture) was a nice addition. It is basically just a grilled chicken kebab.

Best Blueberry Muffin

2010-08-10T21:52:00.025-05:00

Prep Time: 32 minutes
Bake Time: 16-18 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (May 2009)
Recipe: America's Test Kitchen TV Show (Season 10)

I have to say once more that I really like the ATK TV show website. (It's free but you must register first.) It is really nice to go watch the video before I start the recipe. The videos are usually around 8-10 minutes, and well worth the time since it will answer many questions you might have while following the recipe. Not that CI's recipes aren't complete - they are. But they can be long with small print, and I sometimes miss things!

Anyway, the video helped me know how the sugar and eggs should look, how the jam should look, and how to really get the jam into the muffin.

Yes, these take a little longer than many muffin recipes, because you have to make a little blueberry jam, and then swirl it in. However, I feel that these are worth the effort. I love the lemon sugar topping.

I do think they could handle a few more blueberries in the regular batter. Not a lot more, but maybe 1/4 c. more total.

I froze these and took some out for a road trip last week. The crunchy sugary topping (made from sugar and lemon zest) wasn't all sparkly like it was when they were fresh, but it was still crunchy and very good.

Swedish Meatballs

2010-08-08T19:04:00.006-05:00

Total Time: 45 minutes
Grade: C+
Make Again: No
Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 2009)

NOTE: I didn't make the cucumbers, and I my times reflect that fact, and the fact that I doubled the meatball recipe.

I never had Swedish meatballs until I tried a bag of meatballs from Ikea this summer. I liked them quite a bit, even without the sauce. Since it was a large bag, it provided quite a few quick dinners.

Since I've been using the Best of 2010 cookbook recently, I saw the recipe for Cook's Illustrated Swedish meatballs. I wanted to try to see if they compared, and if it would be cheaper.

I ended up doing something I never do the first time with a recipe, and I doubled the recipe. Since it called for 8oz of both pork and beef, it seemed like a good idea to just double and not refreeze the leftover meat.

I also made one major change - instead of pan frying the meatballs, I decided to bake them. That was not a problem. I turned them midway through the baking. (About 15 minutes at 450). They still browned, and there was plenty of fat.

The taste ended up being similar to the Ikea meatballs, however they were way too salty. The recipe calls for 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. I didn't actually double that amount, because it seemed like it would be too much. I used 2 teaspoons instead - maybe a little more. Besides the saltiness, these were good and tasted similar.

I am going to freeze the leftovers (without sauce) and I am sure they will be fine, because usually leftovers need a little more seasoning.

But would I make these again or buy the Ikea meatballs. I'll get them at Ikea. They are $8 for a 2.5 pound bag. I spent just about that amount for the ingredients, and didn't like them quite as much so there is no benefit to making them myself.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

2010-08-06T13:21:00.023-05:00

Prep Time: 13 minutes
Cool Time: 30 minutes
Roll Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 10-11 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 2009)
Recipe: America's Test Kitchen TV Show (Season 10)

This recipe is available during 2010 at the America's Test Kitchen TV show website (along with video). Print it out now if interested, because it will probably be gone by 2011.

These are very good, with an intense chocolate flavor. My nephew enjoyed licking the bowl, but he didn't really like the final cookie because it tasted too rich for him. That wasn't a problem for me.

They are simple, but since you need to roll them, take a little longer than regular drop cookies. I would definitely make again, but who knows if I will, since I have lots of good chocolate cookie recipes.

Hummus Bread

2010-08-02T22:57:00.049-05:00

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Rise Time: 2 hours
Bake Time: 35-40 minutes
Cool Time: 30 minutes
Grade: C+ (B, when you eat it really fresh)
Make Again: Maybe
Recipe Source: Whole Grain Baking
Recipe: Hummus Bread

The link to the recipe above is not exactly the same as in their Whole Grain Baking book. The ratio of Whole Grain to regular flour is flipped. There is no bread improver called for in the book, and it uses olive oil instead of garlic. The amounts are slightly different on some of the ingredients, but otherwise the ingredient list looks pretty similar.

This one didn't start out too well. I weighed the flours and hummus but my dough was super soft and sticky. I have been having this problem on the last few doughs, so I'm wondering if I am not doing a good job of measuring the liquids - I should probably weigh those also.

Sometimes this book gives good instructions, but usually not as thorough as Cook's Illustrated. This one wasn't too explicit and didn't say how long I should need or if it was okay for the dough to be so sticky. It said a soft dough. Well, the dough never got very "soft" in my mind because it was using a whole grain flour (with a little all-purpose included.)

I ended up adding another 1/4 c of flour. The dough still wasn't anything that I could shape really well into a loaf, so after the first rise I poured/pulled it into the pan. I couldn't tell if it had doubled and I wasn't sure if it would rise 1.5" above the pan so I used 8x4 instead of 8.5x4.5 to be safe. I didn't want a shorty loaf. It ended up tall enough. It smelled really good while baking.

This recipe uses 1 cup of hummus. It also calls for toasted sesame seeds which I skipped. Mine was really garlicky and I would probably try to avoid that next time although I still liked how the bread tasted. There was a more crusty version of the recipe in the book and I can see why. The crust on this bread is delicious.

The bread has a unique taste and I did like it. I wanted to eat more when it first came out of the oven. However, it has more of a quick bread feel to me, and I don't feel like it was quite special enough that I will long for this in the future. Since I made it right around the time I made the Rustic Rolls, which I loved, it does not live up to those high expectations. I may make again if/when I have leftover hummus.

Taco Salad

2010-07-30T10:42:00.000-05:00

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Grade: B
Make Again: Yes
Recipe Source: Best 30-Minute Recipes

This was a simple (and not terribly exciting) recipe. You make a taco filling and add the extras. It was good and I'd make it again when I had the ingredients on hand. I baked up tortilla chips instead of using fried chips. I also made a lighter dressing with salsa.

Housekeeping - America's Test Kitchen TV Show

2010-07-29T08:13:00.004-05:00

I have been doing some housekeeping. I'd love to redesign this blog, but don't have the time right now. Hopefully someday.

But what I did do, was add the label "atktv" for the America's Test Kitchen TV show. They have updated their website in the last year or so, and it is fantastic now. For the current season (10) they have the recipe available. Also, if the show has aired, they have the entire video of the recipe from the show. This is such a nice feature, and is so helpful when you are trying a new recipe.

The previous season (currently season 9) also has the recipes available. Previous seasons just list recipes, but send you to one of their paid site.

This new label "atktv" is added to every recipe that I've tried featured in Season 9 or 10. I also added the link to the recipe at the bottom of the score care before my notes. Once season 11 starts, I assume the season 9 recipes won't be available anymore. Print those recipes now, if interested. (Since I don't reprint the recipes here.)

Click on the atktv label below (or here) to see a list of all these reviews.

You do need to register at the TV show website to see recipes and videos, but it is free. If you try to access recipes from season 8 or earlier they also try to get you to register. This part is not free.

Currently there are only 14 or so recipes, but there are more coming. I'm not updating anything that was featured in a previous season, because there is no recipe link.

Rustic Dinner Rolls

2010-07-28T12:17:00.025-05:00

Prep Time: 7 minutes
Rest Time: 30 minutes

Knead Time: 5-7 minutes

Rise Time(s): 1 hour + 30 min + 30 min + 30 (folding and shaping in between)

Bake Time: 25 minutes

Cool Time:1 hour

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (Nov 2008)
Recipe: America's Test Kitchen Show (Season 10)

The recipe is being featured on the TV show website right now. They do not remain up there forever, so if you have any interest in the recipe, grab it now. If not, you can get it with a paid subscription to Cook's Illustrated. The nice thing about the CI website is it includes mini-videos. So you can see a 3 minute video of the recipe, which is extremely helpful - you see things you won't pick up from reading the recipe - especially helpful when working with dough. Actually, in my recipe link above, they are also including a longer 9 min video from the TV show on this recipe, which is even more helpful. I assume that is temporary though.

Unfortunately, I watched the video after I started the recipe and realized that I was supposed to wait to add the salt until after the 30 minute rest. I'm not sure how that effects things, but I have to assume there was a reason.

Another problem I had was that I missed the part in the recipe about how to place the rolls with cut side up. I didn't do the best job of putting these in the pan, or cutting them, so they are all different sizes and shapes, which you may notice from the picture.

I could not wait for the oven to get to 500 degrees and put them in around 475. It is too hot out and I needed the oven to make dinner, so I went for it. The high heat makes the rolls higher, and mine are not too high. Oh well. They are still delicious.

Despite the long time these take to make, this recipe is super simple. Lots of rest periods, and occasional turning, so you need to be home for a while to make these, but it isn't hard.

I came up with what I think is a good idea for avoiding a messy counter. I took my 18x13 jelly roll nonstick pan and sprinkled flour in it. I poured the dough in there, and did my cutting and shaping without having to worry about the counter. It contained the flour and since you are supposed to make two 16" long logs with the dough, it was easy to make almost as long as the pan.

These rolls are delicious. If you like crusty bread, you will probably like this recipe. It always amazes me when just flour, water and yeast (with a tiny, tiny bit of honey and a tiny bit of whole wheat) can make something so flavorful.

Hoisin Chicken Salad

2010-07-26T22:25:00.003-05:00

Total Time: 35 minutes

Grade: C+

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Best 30-Minute Recipes

I know I took a picture of this, but I can't find it. So much for my new photo organization.

This salad was fine, and simple, but not quite worth the effort. I think there are other chicken salads I would go for first before this one. I did adjust the dressing to use less oil and that probably made it less tasty. It was a little too vinegar-y.

Texas Chili in a Slow Cooker

2010-06-19T19:43:00.001-05:00

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Grade: A-
Make Again: Yes
Recipe Source: Cover & Bake

I made this several months ago, but forgot to add it here, so some of my details might be off a little. I remember I tried to cut back the spices, but it was still really spicy. I added some frozen corn from last summer, and the sweetness it added was really nice.

Chicken with Rice, Broccoli and Cheddar

2010-06-19T12:00:00.002-05:00

Total Time: 40 minutes
Grade: A-
Make Again: Yes
Recipe Source: Best 30-Minute Recipes

I got The Best 30-Minute recipes from the library in hopes that I would start cooking more again since I have a little bit more free time this summer.

All the recipes I've tried previously have been pretty good, and so far the two I tried this week are good options also.

This took longer than it should have because I was just being slow. But it still would probably take a little more than 30 minutes. I used fresh broccoli instead of frozen.

It was really good.

Beef Teriyaki

2010-06-18T19:04:00.004-05:00

Total Time: 30 minutes
Grade: A
Make Again: Yes
Recipe Source: Best 30-Minute Recipes

I steamed some broccoli and white rice at the same time as this dish and it all was done within 30 minutes. This was very good and super easy to make. All you need to do is cut the meat in thin slices, and stir the sauce ingredients together. Then cook. To only make the Beef could probably be done in under 20 minutes.

The only ingredient you may need to buy for this is Mirin, which is at most grocery stores in the Asian cooking section. (It is cheaper though if you can get it at an Asian grocery store.)

Lighter Pulled Pork

2010-03-10T16:04:00.003-06:00

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes

Grade: B

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (March 2009)

This was not bad, but the sauce was pretty bland for me. I would make again but try to spice up a bit more. (I didn't make the slaw from the recipe, just the sandwich.) It is definitely a leaner pork sandwich, so that is nice, but maybe not the best use for pork tenderloin. I had some I had to use up, though, and no time, so this recipe is a good one for that situation.

Cacio e Pepe (sort of)

2010-03-03T22:36:00.004-06:00

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (May 2007)

I guess there is some debate as to whether CI should have called this recipe "Cacio e Pepe", since it is really not authentic. Actually, they named it: Spaghetti with Pecorino Romano and Black Pepper (Cacio e Pepe). I have no clue about that - I'd never heard of this dish before. I guess the cream makes it not really true, or something.

Anyway, this is very, very simple. And it tastes delicious. The nice thing is that it actually isn't a heavy sauce, which is surprising since I just mentioned cream, and then there is the cheese. However, there is only one ounce of cheese per serving, and only 2T of cream for the entire dish, so this is much lighter than a creamy sauce you might think of. The ingredients are mixed with pasta water, so the sauce is actually not heavy at all.

The only problem I had was that my cheese did get clumpy, which their technique is supposed to prevent. It may be that I didn't grate properly - I used my rasp-type grater (seen above), instead of the bumpy side of a box grater.

I think I will worry less about that next time, and just throw all the ingredients on the pasta next time, and not worry if I get a perfect sauce.

It is funny that shortly after trying this, I saw this at Smitten Kitchen: Cacio e Pepe/ This recipe is similar but uses more oil, so probably a little richer. I might combine the two techniques next time.

I'll definitely make again for a very quick and tasty pasta dish -- as an alternative to tomato based sauces.

Oh I should mention the 2nd time I made it, I used wheat-blend pasta and it was very goood.

Chewy Brownies

2010-02-22T16:43:00.002-06:00

Prep Time: 18 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: C

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (March 2010)

This is a first - I have never not liked a brownie recipe before. The problem for me is that I could actually taste the oil used in the brownie. I guess it is the combination of the oil and butter that makes them chewy - and they were chewy.

These aren't horrible, and they did taste better then 2nd day. However, the taste was not as good as I've had, and I found the recipe a bit fussy since you had to add both butter and oil. I can use any other brownie recipe from America's Test Kitchen, King Arthur Flour or Everyday food, so these will definitely not be made again.