Cook's Country Magazine

www.cookscountry.com

This is a sister magazine to Cook's Illustrated, and part of the American Test Kitchen family. It has slightly easier recipes which are often more streamlined. It is a more colorful and fun magazine, but lacks the serious discussion of technique. I only subscribe online, and don't use as much as CI, but I have liked what I have tried so far.

See all Cook's Country recipes I've tried by clicking here: Cook's Country Recipes

Oatmeal Scones

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12-14 minutes
Cool Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Recipe Source: Baking Illustrated

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (September 2003)

Part of the prep time, (5-10 minutes) was spent waiting for the toasted oatmeal to cool and for the oven to finish preheating to higher temp. This is a pretty easy recipe and very good.

Sloppy Joes

Prep Time: minutes
Cook Time: minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (October 2005)

I liked the flavor of this as leftovers more than when I first tasted it. I didn't have any tomato puree, so I used tomato sauce instead, which worked fine and was nice because I have 8 oz cans, so didn't have to freeze or waste any.

Strawberry Shortcake

Prep Time: 20-25 minutes
Cook Time: 12-14 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Baking Illustrated

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (May 1997)

Yellow Cupcakes

Prep Time: 12 minutes
Bake Time: 20-25 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Baking Illustrated

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 2003)

These are super easy to make - you dump everything into mixer bowl and mix, almost. Just make sure butter gets incorporated all the way. The biggest trouble I had was getting into muffin tin in an even manner. A smaller ice cream scoop would work well, I think.

Ice Cream Cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes (spread out)
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Cool Time: 8-9 hours

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (May 2005)

This is very simple recipe requiring little work, just time to thaw and freeze the ice cream. The cake could be even cuter, but the recipient only likes ice cream, so I didn't add more things to it.

Quick Cheese Bread

Prep Time: 16 minutes
Cook Time: 45-50 minutes
Cool Time: 45 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (May 2004)

This is a truly quick recipe for a pretty good loaf of bread. It freezes well if toasted when reheated.

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (October 2003)

This was the original Tortilla Pie recipe in Everyday Foods. They came up with a new one this year with ground beef and Spinach, which is also very good. This one is nice for a vegetarian meal. I should try my own version of this. The idea of using the tortillas in a spring form pan is a good one, and there are lots of variations that could be developed.

I skip chopping a jalapeno and just add crushed red pepper. It saves time and adds a more consistent heat, since jalapenos are not always very hot lately. I used 1/2 teaspoon instead of 1 jalapeno, and it worked well. I could use more, for more heat.

This took me a little bit longer to make than it was supposed to, because the beer took a long time to evaporate. I might use a little less next time.