Gingerbread Muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 18-22 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (Dec 2006)

Yes, I've been baking a lot lately. My freezer is getting full. But there will be a time coming up where I won't have time to bake as much and it will be good to have my stash then. I especially like to have muffins for a quick breakfast I can take to work or a snack before a workout.

I don't usually like gingerbread, even though I love ginger and spicy cookies. It is just my non-love of cake, I guess. But I do like muffins, so I tried these. And they were very good, moist and flavorful with all the spices. I like that they are made with dark brown sugar and you don't need to get out the molasses. These are not light, 1 1/2 c. of brown sugar and a full stick of butter for 12 muffins. I'm sure that is part of the reason why they are so good!

Crisp Goat Cheese Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes (without potatoes)

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (March 2003)

I love goat cheese, and I really like this salad. CI has a goat cheese salad recipe too, but it is more complicated, and I'm not sure it is worth the extra effort.

This recipe calls for red potatoes, to make more hearty, I guess, but I don't always include them. I usually put it on baby spinach, which is my favorite for salads.

As usual, I made this a little lighter with less oil - less for brushing on cheese disks and less in the dressing. I use about half the oil in the dressing and usually use some water instead, to cut the dressing otherwise it is too strong.

Savory Cheese Muffins

Prep Time: 16 minutes
Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (May 2005)

These are pretty good. I used gorgonzola cheese for the blue cheese, because it is one that I like that doesn't seem too strong to me. I forgot the scallions, but they were still pretty good. I don't know that I would go out and buy the cheese to make these again, but I might try with other cheese on hand. This recipe is similar to the Quick Cheese Bread recipe from CI.

I froze the leftovers and I am really enjoying them reheated in the microwave. They are definitely best warm, when the cheese is a little gooey.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (Whole Wheat)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Whole Grain Baking

The prep time included 10 minutes of waiting for the butter sugar mixture to cool, so was still pretty easy.

This recipe is not quite as good as a cookie made with white flour, but it is pretty close. I do occasionally taste a bit of the wheat flour of notice a tiny bit of crunch. If I think about how these are made with 100% whole wheat, I am kind of impressed.

I don't know that I need to make my cookies with 100% whole wheat, but I would make these again, if I was wanting to use up some wheat flour, like I am at the moment. I don't love these as much I the Nutter-Oat cookies I made earlier though, so if I were choosing a quick cookie with chips, I would make those instead.

Cream Cheese Biscuits

Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Whole Grain Baking

Really, this recipe was Cream Cheese Spelt Biscuits, but it called for Spelt flour (or whole wheat pastry flour) which I do not have. It also called for white whole wheat flour, which I also do not have. So, I used 7 oz white flour and 3 oz of whole wheat flour instead. The original recipe called for a total of 9 oz and 2 1/2 cups of the other flours, but at 9 oz I was only at 2 cups of the flour, so I added another ounce and hoped for the best.

These were much tastier than the honey-whole wheat biscuits I tried last weekend. I would definitely make them again. Of course, they were only about 30% whole wheat, but I think with biscuits, for me, that is the way to go.

Nutter Oat Cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10-12 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Whole Grain Baking

This is another cookie that doesn't use any flour, just oatmeal (some ground, some not.) I liked this cookie, because it combines the texture of an oatmeal cookie with the peanut butter and chocolate flavor combination that I love.

My cookies didn't take the recommended 11-13 minutes to cook - they were probably a little bit smaller than

Black Bean Soup

Prep Time: 5 minutes (beans)
Cook Time: 75 minutes
Prep Time: 20 minutes (soup)
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 2005)

I make this soup fairly often, because it is easy (although it does take a while) and very flavorful. Today, I forgot to add the salt to the beans while cooking, which was a shame, but adding it later helped. I find the beans cooked with the ham very delicous and usually think I would happy just eating the beans - but I always make the soup.

Double Corn Cornbread

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (October 2006)

This is good, but I might pick the CI/ATK version over this one - I'm not sure. I actually like the CI version with cheese and jalapeno in it the best.

Steak and Onion Sandwich

Total Time: 15 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (November 2003)

This a barely a recipe, it is so easy, but it is good. Basically, onions, shaved steak (from Trader Joe's) and some Worsteshire sauce and you have a yummy hot sandwich. I slice my onions real thin and cook over higher heat for a real quick meal. Using the shaved steak and just adding it to the onions make this even quicker than Martha's recipe suggests.

Turkey Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (March 2003)

I like this for a quick meatball recipe. There is no browning of the meatballs, which I never feel is necessary for my tastes. You just simmer the meatballs in the sauce that you make. I like to make my meatballs fairly small and they cook quickly. This recipe goes with pasta, of course, but I really like to pair it with spaghetti squash. I don't like the squash on its own, and wouldn't try it with a meatless sauce, but with meatballs, I think it is great.

I usually cook the spaghetti squash whole, because then I don't have to cut it. I prick it with a knife and cook it at 400 for 50-60 minutes. Enough time to do everything else.

Honey-Whole Wheat Biscuits

Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 20-22 minutes

Grade: B-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Whole Grain Baking

At first when I tasted these, I wasn't sure if I really liked them. The one thing that bothers me is that the butter flavor is not very pronounced, and since this recipe calls for a full stick of butter, I want to be able to detect it. I had even brushed the tops with a little melted butter. But the taste of the wheat was stronger, so the butter flavor was not as strong.

But these do really taste good - just different than what I was expecting. I'm freezing the leftovers, and I will try to report back on how they taste.

I was impressed with the ability of these to create those flaky layers that I love in biscuits.

Update: I didn't love the reheated biscuits as much, and when I do other biscuits (with regular flour) I do usually still like them almost as much as the orignals. So, I probably won't make these again. I think I want a lighter texture and flavor with biscuits.

Hearty Beef Stew

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 6-7 hours

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (October 2005)

A lot of people would groan knowing that this recipe (a slow cooker recipe) takes 40 minutes to prep. But it is necessary to prebrown the beef and the onions to get the best flavor, and I think it is well worth the time. For me, the beauty of the slow cooker is the long cook time and time to get a lot of things done before serving dinner. If you want to make something, (like biscuits) you have the time. Plus, it is nice to have the smell of dinner all afternoon to whet your appetite.

This is a very tasty stew. I made a half recipe, remembering that they create huge recipes for very large slow cookers. It got 4 good size servings out of this, and I am freezing the leftovers. I was skeptical that the vegetables would end up as flavorful as I like, since they are cooked separately on top in a foil packet. But when stirred in with the beef, the tasty sauce flavors them enough, in additional to their own seasonings.

Salted Cashew Crunch Cookies

Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 12-14 minutes per pan

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Whole Grain Baking

These are good, and don't use any flour at all, so might be interesting to someone who doesn't tolerate wheat well. They are salty-sweet which is a combo I like. To simplyfy the recipe a bit, I chopped the cashews briefly with the oatmeal in the food processor, after processing the oatmeal in there.

Whole Grain Baking

I finally found a new recipe source that is different from ATK/CI or Everyday Food. I have checked this book out of the library, and I think there is a good chance I will purchase it. I need to see how the recipes turn out first though. This is the first time in a long time that I have looked at a cookbook other than ATK and the recipes appealed to me enough to want to cook or bake from the book.

So far, after trying 4 and looking through much of the book, I am pretty happy. It also makes me really want to check out their other cookbooks. I only have two baking cookbooks right now - Baking Illustrated, which is great, but mostly includes only basic standard recipes, and Baking with Julia, which does have some interesting ideas in it, but many that don't suit my tastes, or that are too fancy for the type of baking I like to do. This Whole Grain book has all sorts of interesting recipes of things I haven't baked before that sound really good to me.

To see any recipes I review see the label "wgb" or click here.

Almond Fruit Bars

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2003)

This is really nice little bar cookie that is easy to make but somewhat impressive with it's layers. It calls for sliced almonds, but I used slivered, that I processed a bit in the food processor, so they were smaller.

There is a Cook's Illustrated recipe for Raspberry bars that is maybe better, but it is a more complicated recipe. This is very quick, and very tasty, so this is usually my choice when I want to make this type of cookie.

Stuffed French Toast

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (February 2006)

I definitely will be using this recipe again. I often have some unused cream cheese leftover from other recipes, and this is a perfect way to use some up. (I found that I had too much filling, so I think 1 oz per serving is all that you would need.) The nice thing about this recipe is that the coating uses water instead of milk, which is an ingredient I don't always have on hand. So if I have some cream cheese I want to use, I will likely have all the other ingredients that I need and can make this.

These did take longer than the 3 minutes per side that was suggested - perhaps my pan was not preheated enough, although I did start it early.

I lightened up just a bit by using less filling (and I felt there was plenty) and half the butter, and it was fine. This was very satisfying, but not overly rich. A nice quick recipe for something a little different - so a winner!

Glazed Pork Chops with German Flavors

Total Time: 30 minutes

Grade: B

Make Again: Probably

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (March 2006)

This was not a terribly exciting recipe, but it was good, quick and easy. It probably would have been even better if I didn't use pork chops that were 1 year old! (I'm cleaning out the freezer.)

I skipped the caraway seeds, because I didn't have any. The glaze had plenty of flavor without them.

Cheesy Potato Casserole

Prep Time: 28 minutes
Cook Time: 70 minutes
Rest Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (October 2005)

This is really very good, but a little bit heavy with all the cream. I would like to try using a little less cream next time, which I think would probably work. But it makes a large amount, so this recipe would work well for a large family meal. I included the crusts on the bread topping because I dind't want to waste them, and I think that was fine.

Parker House Rolls

Prep Time: 20 minutes
1st Rise: 45 minutes
Assemble: 15 minutes
2nd Rise: 45 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (2007)

Recipe Source: Baking Illustrated

These were quite delicious, but I'm not sure if I will make again. The main reason being that I did a horrible job of shaping them, and I'm not sure if I would do better next time. Maybe I would just use the dough, but a different shape. Mine didn't stay folded over like they were supposed to and just ended up as ovals. I think they don't need to be cooked as long when shaped this way either, because mine got quite brown.

So, if I do make again, I will try a different shape and cooking less. They were very tasty with the butter brushed on, and butter in the dough, so I might try again.

Pecan-Crusted Chicken Cutlets

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Grade: A+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (October 2006)

Wow, this was really delicious. (And I don't even really like pecans!) Well, when they are ground up finely in things, I don't mind them, so this dish works for me. It is very flavorful and the crust was really crispy and good.

The one think I will note is that if you make this with 4 large breasts you may run out of crust, or it will be close. I only used one breast, and included the tenderloin, and used up most of the pecans/bread mixture with a half recipe.

I believe if I made this for others, I would assume a package of 3 breasts will easily feed 4 peoples, because the cutlets were quite rich. I used less oil to fry in, but it soaked up all I used.

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Muffins A to Z

This recipe called for 1 c. vegetable oil, which seemed like it might be a misprint. Most of the other muffin recipes call from 1/3 to 1/2 c. of fat, so I only used a 1/2 cup. The batter was very liquidy that way, so maybe it really was a misprint. These are really delicious muffins - cinnamon and apple flavors with a touch of maple syrup.

I would definitely make these again, but next time I need to make sure I use paper cups, because I had a hard time getting these out of the pan.

Chicken with Bacon and Rosemary

Total Time: 32 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (October 2005)

I use boneless chicken a lot cut up in various things or with stir-fries, but rarely do the full breasts. But this is a recipe that works really well, and produces delicious breasts with lots of flavor. Mine took longer than the suggested 8 minutes to cook, but it was still a quick dish to make. I will definitely make these again, if I have some rosemary on hand.

The sauce called for a little bit of lemon which I forgot to add, and I don't think it suffered. I served on egg noodles which was very good with the sauce.

Almond Crumb Cake Muffins

Prep Time: 17 minutes
Cook Time: 22-25 minutes

Grade: B-

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Muffins A to Z

These muffins were good, but just not my favorite, because the base of them, was rather plain and more cake-like than muffin like for me. I did like the topping though, and I had forgotten about the idea of using melted butter for the crumb. It allows you to use less butter and makes the topping easier to put on top of the muffins. I first saw that idea in the Best Light Recipe (from Cook's Illustrated) and I should use it more often.

Polenta with Sausage and Peppers

Prep Time: 55 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cover & Bake

Mmmmm, I love this recipe, it is very good comfort food. I have made several sausage and pepper recipes lately, but this one is the very best. (It is also the most time consuming, but freezes well and is worth making on occasion. It almost ends up being like a polenta lasagna.

The recipe calls for instant polenta, which I didn't have, so it would probably be quicker if you used that. Also, I use 1 lb of sausage instead of 1.5 pounds, and I think 1 pound is plenty. The only other adjustment I made was to use orange and yellow peppers, because I think it makes a prettier dish than using the red peppers. You are getting the red from the tomotoes, so this makes it more colorful.

Sugar-Glazed Roasted Carrots

Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: B

Make Again: ?

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (February 2006)

These were fine, but not caramelized enough for me even though I cooked a little longer and my oven was at correct temp. I think I might prefer a stove-top glazed version more.