Strawberry Shortcake

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes
Cool Time: 20 minutes
Assemble: 5 minutes

Grade: A+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (June 2003)

(I'm a bit behind, and strawberry season is pretty much over in the midwest, but this is great for next June!)

I recently did a run-off between Everyday Food and Cook's Illustrated blueberry cake recipes.  I can't really do that with Strawberry shortcake, because I don't have a recent recipe from CI or ATK. However, I don't feel like I need another recipe, because this recipe is a winner. It was even declared a "top recipe" from the picky eater in my life, so that is good.

This is a more rustic dessert with craggy biscuits. The biscuits are pretty big. I think you could make them smaller and still have a very filling dessert. It did help to have perfectly ripe June strawberries to make this with of course. I would not make this with grocery store strawberries (but maybe frozen would work.)

Blueberry Bundt Cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 - 70 minutes
Cool Time: 60 minutes

Grade: B-

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2003)

As I mentioned in my last post, this was part of an experiment to try to similar recipes (one from Cook's Illustrated and one from Everyday Food) and pick the best one. I made these two cakes within one week of each other and was able to really compare.

This was a perfectly fine cake and easier to make. But the CI version of this recipe was truly much better and special. I even added a lemon glaze to the top to try to make sure the playing field was level, but it didn't make up for the difference in the cakes.

If I wanted a simpler blueberry cake recipe, I would go with this Coffee Cake instead which doesn't have lemon, but it very good.

But for a truly great Blueberry Lemon go with the ATK/Cook's Illustrated version. It is worth the extra 20 minutes of work.

Apple Pie Cake

Prep Time: 22 minutes
Bake Time: 70 minutes
Cool Time: 2 hours

Grade: B+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2003)

Note, my prep time is based on making a half recipe and only using 2 pounds of apples. Making a full recipe would take longer since there are more apples to peel and cut.

The half recipe should have used 2.5 lbs of apples, but 2 pounds was plenty. I could barely fit them in my tall 7" springform pan. And the end result still felt heavy on the apples.

This is one of the very first recipes I tried from the first issue of Everyday Food and it made me a fan. It is a fun recipe using the same mixture for the crust and topping and it was very tasty. The only complaint is the apple to crust ratio is a little high.

It is more pie like than a cake, even though it ends up looking like a cake. I will probably make again sometime in the Fall.

Two Quick Pork Tenderloin Dinners

Recipe 1: Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Fall Vegetables

Prep Time: 15 minutes each
Cook Time: 30+ minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (November2011)

You start with this recipe and you save 1/2 of one of the pork tenderloins. Actually, since I cut recipe in half, I only used one tenderloin.

This was my first time trying parsnips (as far as I know) and brussels sprouts since I was kid. I loved the parsnips, but was neutral on the brussels sprouts. I should probably try a recipe with bacon and then I'd probably like them more. :-)

It made two meals for me and had lots of vegetables which was nice. There was very little effort to the meal, and I liked knowing I had a head start on a 2nd meal later that week. 

Recipe 2: Lo Mein with Pork

Total Time: 15 - 20 minutes 

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (November2011)

 

I subbed a bit in this recipe using vegetables I liked. It isn't the most amazing stir-fry in the world, but for a real quick dinner it was great. I will definitely use this technique again - roasting some protein and saving it for a later stir-fry. 

Pork and Apple Stew

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes
 
Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2003)

I've been trying to make some of my original favorites from Everyday Food. Recipes that I tried when the magazine first came out and that made me love the magazine. This is from the very first issue, and I remember loving this recipe, even though I was skeptical of the apples. I made it several times, but I haven't made it for years.

So, I made it again, and I only used one Granny Smith apple. Unfortunately, the apple part was very unappealing to me this time. I'm not sure why. I cooked it the 10 minutes called for, but I may have cut the pieces too small, because it was very soft.

I'm not sure what I will do the next time I make this. Maybe skip the apples (the potatoes, pork and cabbage are enough) or maybe just use a smaller apple with small pieces that I add at the last moment with the pork so the pieces stay crisp and are just an accent.

Regardless, I will make this again on occasion, because I do like it overall. 

Baked Shells and Winter Squash

Prep Time: 40 minutes (25 minutes hands on). 

Bake Time: 15 minutes 

Grade: A 

Make Again: Yes 

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (October 2003) 

I made this probably 10 years ago when this issue of the magazine was published. I remembered that I liked it but I wasn't reviewing recipes then. I really wanted to make it again to make sure. 

 

I actually don't like winter squash all that much, but since I remembered liking the finished product, I decided to make it. I couldn't find the pureed squash in the freezer section (I did the first time), so I bought some already cubed squash in a bag. I had to cook it in the microwave and then puree in my food processor. That probably added 5 minutes of work (but not to total time, because cooking the onions, takes the most time.) 

I hated the smell of the squash. I tried a taste, and didn't care for it. I was feeling skeptical. But I forged on and completed the dish. I did cut back on the olive oil, by 1 T, but still used 2 T for the onions and used the full amount of cheese. I wanted to make sure I could make the squash taste good.

One fortuitous thing was that I had leftover Rosemary Focaccia in the freezer, so I used that for my topping instead of crusty bread with oil and rosemary added. It worked perfectly.

The final dish was very, very good. I didn't taste the squash at all, and the smell of the squash was gone, overpowered I suppose by the Rosemary and caramelized onions. 

I am not sure how the leftovers will freeze, but I think it won't be too bad, because it wasn't too 'saucy' so there isn't a lot to soak up. 

I hope I can find the pureed squash in a different grocery store, because I would love to make this again. I really isn't too hard, you just need some time for the onions to cook. 

Rhubarb Crumb Cake

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 45-50 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (May 2009)

There isn't too much to say about this, but it is nice cake with rhubarb and a crumb topping. At first I thought it was just so, so. But after having the frozen pieces later, I decided it was pretty good. Since I have lots of rhubarb growing in my yard, it is a good recipe to have.

Stir Fried Beef with Garlic and Rosemary

Total Time: 30 minutes

Grade: B-

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Everyday Food

I  didn't love this as much as I thought I would. It was an Italian twist on stri-fry served on top of polenta.

I guess part of the problem was having trouble getting the broccoli cooked properly. It tasted ok, but I don't think I will make again. The picky eater liked it, and it was easy, so maybe I'll change my mind, but I would cook the broccoli separately probably, then mix it in at the end.

January/February Everyday Food Favorites

I posted this list of Favorites from January/February last year, but I'm posting again because I wanted to bring up again and try to remind myself to review some of these recipes in more detail this month. I'm using my favorites list to create meal plans for the month, and it is good for me to use recipes that I've already tried and are successful!

I've reviewed these recipes:

• 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
• Triple Chocolate Lighter Brownies - one of those "black bean" brownies (just a little) that is pretty good 

Not reviewed yet:

• 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.

Want to try still:

• Heart-Glazed Cornmeal Cookies
• Cheddar Biscuits
• Denver Omelet Cups

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2008)

I am not a fan of raisins, but I had some dried blueberries that are about to get too old, so I tried those and that was a delicious combination. I am now interested in the idea of substituting these blueberries in anything that calls for raisins.

I should have used parchment paper, the bottoms were getting too dark, before they were cooked through. (When will I learn.)

They ended up a little flat, even though I did not forget the baking soda. They were still delicious and very chewy. Overall, these are just as good as the other Oatmeal cookie recipes that I love. The King Arthur Flour recipe and the recipe from the Best Light Recipe.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Prep Time: 40 minutes (sweet potato mash - can be done ahead)
Prep Time: 22 minutes
Bake Time: 18-24 minutes

Grade: A+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (November 2003) 

I have made these biscuits many times and they always turn out good. They are a little more work because you have to cook the sweet potato first.

I usually get 11-12 biscuits out of these instead of 8 by making a little smaller. My picture isn't great, but they looked good.

Pepperoni Pasta Bake

Prep Time: 27 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes
  
Recipe Source: Everyday Food (October 2012)

I liked this recipe because I made it ahead and then was able to put in the oven later. Also, I happened to have some leftover pepperoni and ricotta that needed to be used up, so this was perfect.

It was relatively simple to make considering I thought filling the shells would be a pain. I could probably make this quicker if I started boiling water sooner.

I used only 15oz ricotta which was plenty to fill the shells. I also used frozen spinach instead of the zucchini. It all worked well. I didn't have fresh basil, which would have been nice.

It got a thumbs up from my picky eater. He didn't realize that there was spinach in the shell filling.

Blueberry-Orange Cornmeal Muffins

Prep Time: 13 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes
  
Recipe Source: Everyday Food  (Video with recipe)

I tried a "healthy" blueberry muffin recipe from Everyday Food a month or two ago and was underwhelmed. But this seemed quite different, so I tried it and really liked them. I used lemon instead of orange because I didn't have an orange. Not surprisingly, that worked fine.

The mixture is quite thick, but I was warned in the video (from link) that this would be the case, so I didn't worry. I did skip adding the flour to the blueberries for that reason though.

These have a nice little glaze on top and a slightly crunchy texture. These are not the "best" blueberry muffin, but good if you want something different and like cornmeal.

Summer Beef and Rice Casserole

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2012) video at link
 
The prep time on this is based on having the sauce already made. It uses this Quick Meat Sauce which is nothing special, but fine for a "quick" sauce with meat. The nice thing about it is that it makes enough for two recipes, the original, and this one.

I had one small problem with this recipe and that was that the rice was a tiny bit crunchy still. Next time I will pour the rice in while I am heating up the sauce, so it gets a head start.

Other than that, it was delicious and very easy.  I will make again. I love meals that include the veggies in the main dish like this.

Glazed Citrus Doodles

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Glaze Time: 5 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes
  
Recipe Source: Everyday Food (May 2012)

These are nice cookies that are a take-off on snickerdoodles, which I have never made. I liked them. They are a tiny bit of work because of glazing, but not too bad.

The recipe had a video, which is helpful to watch first. I am enjoying the daily videos from Everyday food.

Pork and Potato Meatloaf

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

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2012)

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

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

Triple Chocolate Brownies (Lighter)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2012)

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

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

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

Tuna Casserole

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


Grade: B+/A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (October 2011)  

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

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

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

Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies

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

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

The online version of the recipe is not available yet.

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

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

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

December Favorites

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


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

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