Chocolate Truffle Tart

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.

Chicken Francese

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Gougères

Prep Time: 27 minutes
Cook Time: 27-30 minutes
Cool Time: 10 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (December 2006)

These are good, but I feel like they need something else to be an appetizer. Next time, I would probably make smaller and then cut open and fill with something good. The nice thing is that they can be made ahead and frozen.

Pan Pizza

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Rise Time: 30 minutes
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (April 2006)

This was the best pan pizza I have ever made for sure. It is similar to Pizza Hut, but less greasy. Actually, the recipe calls for 3 T of olive oil on the bottom of each pan, but I use 1.5 to 2, which I think is a perfect amount, for a tasty crispy crust, but not greasy.

This recipe makes 2 9" pizzas, which is nice for making two different kinds. I cheat and use Trader Joe's Pizza sauce, which I think it pretty good. I prep the other ingredients during the 2nd rise, which lasts 20 minutes. The entire pizza is done in 90 minutes, which is kind of amazing actually.

Maple Sausage and Waffle Casserole

Prep Time: 27 minutes
Rest Time: 1 hour to overnight
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Rest Time: 5 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (December 2005)

I love breakfast casseroles and this is no exception. (Although I did make this for dinner.) I will definitely think about making this next time Christmas morning is at my house, because it was easy to prepare and can be prepared the day before. I wasn't sure if I would love it, because of the maple flavorings, which I thought might make it too sweet, but it was very good. Using waffles is a little bit different, but worked well.

The prep time involved lots of waiting, so really this is pretty easy, just not quick. I used sausage links, and cooked them whole, and cut them later, so I wouldn't have to deal with cutting or breaking up the raw meat which can be a pain.

Short Order Home Fries

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (February 2006)

This is a strange Christmas dish, but my family celebrated Christmas for the most part on Christmas Eve, and I had most of the day to myself, so I tried this recipe. It was good, but I probably should have let the potatoes brown a bit more. If I have extra Yukon Gold potatoes again in the future, I would make this, but probably wouldn't buy them for this recipe, unless I was making them for someone.

Chocolate Toffee Butter Cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Chill Time: 90 minutes
Bake Time: 12-14 minutes
Decorating: 15-30 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (April 2007)

I used dark brown sugar instead of light, and it made these cookies much darker, so they look quite different than the original. These are good, but I'm not sure how much I will make them, because they take a little bit more effort and don't necessarily taste better than cookies that take less effort. But they are a little different, so maybe.

Roasted Maple-Mustard Green Beans

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (November 2005)

These are delicious and easy. A good way to prepare supermarket green beans.

Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 7 hours

Grade: B

Make Again: probably not

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (February 2006)

This tasted good, but even with only making 2/3 of this recipe, my slow cooker (medium sized) was almost overflowing. I didn't really get a boil going, and I think it was because of being so full. I didn't LOVE the flavor, just liked it, and I think it was because of the wine I used - a cheaper Sauvignon Blanc. I think next time I'll try the Cook's Illustrated stovetop version.

Dirty Rice

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (October 2005)

This was good and since I have some other recipes that only call for 8 oz of ground pork (like this does) I will probably use this to use up the rest of the pork. I skipped the chicken livers, and don't think I missed them!

Huevos Rancheros

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 2006)

I really liked the salsa and the eggs cooked in salsa, but the tortillas didn't do it for me, because they kind of got soggy and were hard to eat. I'd rather put everything in a rolled up tortilla. I will probably make the roasted tomatato salsa again though.