Make Ahead Meat Lasagna

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cool Time: 30 minutes
Assemble: 15 min
Finish: 5
Cook Time: 45-80 min (fresh or frozen)

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Make Ahead Cook (book)

This was from the "Freezer" section of the book. I haven't really tried any America's Test Kitchen lasagna recipes (at least in a while) so I can't compare the recipe. I assume it is similar, but tweaked for putting in the freezer.

Instead of making 2 lasagnas in 8" square pans, I made 4 small lasagnas for 2 people in  4.5x8 pans. I used the foil pans and they were actually a little too small to fit the noodles in, so I softened 8 of them first in hot water so they would bend. The noodles fit in when I got higher up.

The lasagna was very good, although maybe could have used a little more salt. It was not as stable as I would like. That might be because of the pre-softened bottom noodles. Next time I will make sure to buy pans that are wide enough to handle the noodles. The pans I bought were weird loaf pans with scallops, so hopefully I can find something better that is a bit wider on the bottom.

But I probably won't make this again for a while since I have 3 frozen mini lasagnas in the freezer now. That is of course the best part of it all.

I haven't tried from frozen yet, but I have to assume it will be good. If not, I'll come back and update.

Make Ahead Sesame Noodles and Shredded Chicken

Prep Time: 50 minutes
Finish Time: 5 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Sources:

• Cook's Illustrated (September 2004)
• Make Ahead Cook (book) 

I made this recipe from the Make Ahead Cook book. It was in the "From Fridge to Table" chapter. That means it is something you can make the night before and serve the next day. And these are recipes that are designed to taste good cold or at room temperature. 

It turns out that this recipe was already featured in Cooks Illustrated (Sept 2004) and I've reviewed the recipe already. 

I've compared the recipes and the ingredients are exactly the same. The instructions are mostly the same, but the way to "Make Ahead" is to store the dressing in a separate container from the rest of the ingredients. Then when you want to serve, you can add some hot water to the dressing to loosen it up and mix with the salad (noodles, chicken, vegetables). 

I don't mind that this recipe is one I've had before. I like that they are really examining the best way to prepare food ahead of time and testing how to store, etc. 

For this specific recipe, I never minded the leftovers, even though the sauce does get clumpy and it does get absorbed in to the noodles a bit. I actually ate some of this for dinner when I first made it, kept the sauce separate for making for dinner last night and had some leftovers for lunch today. The leftovers were still great. I do think I will keep this as a make the night before meal and keep the sauce separate, because it probably does help the texture some. 

Making things for the next day works out pretty well for me because I am usually quite hungry when I want to eat dinner after doing a workout after work. I never want to spend the time to prepare something then, but if I prepare the next nights meal after dinner, I am less rushed and it isn't as annoying. This is a strategy I've tried to use in the past with success, and I should employ it more often. 

Make Ahead Beef and Bean Burritos

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cool Time: 20 minutes
Assemble/Wrap: 20 minutes
Finish Time: 6 minutes

Grade: A

Recipe Source: Cooks Country April 2013,
Make Ahead Cook (book)

I actually had tried the recipe from Cook's Country last year but never added it here. We liked it, but I forgot about it.

The recipe in the Make Ahead Cook is almost exactly the same except the ingredients were increased in a mostly proportional way (although not exactly) to make 8 burritos instead of 6. This larger version is more logical since it uses a pound of beef and 8 tortillas instead of 12 oz and 6, which leaves you with some waste.

These freeze nicely and the recommended way to serve is to microwave for 5 minutes and then bake in over for 5 minutes with some cheese sprinkled on top. That works really well.

This recipe may become a staple since these are so easy to pull out of the freezer and prepare quickly. They taste great too, and I'm sure the individual ingredients could be substituted easily for different variations. (The beans, meat, etc.)

Grilled Boneless Chicken Breasts with Spicy Hoisin Sauce

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Brine Time: 60 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: America's Test Kitchen (Season 14)
Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (Sept 2013)

You can get the recipe at the TV show website (if you register and read this within a year or two), but the Hoisin Sauce recipes is not there unless you are a paying subscriber.

So here are the ingredients:

2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 – 2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder

Basically you just whisk them together (it helps to do the cornstarch into the vinegar first) and then boil it for a minute or two to thicken. 

This recipe is very simple and it was delicious. The chicken turned out perfect. I used 1T of the Sriracha sauce and my picky eater complained it was too spicy. He said he might have liked it with less spice. I will try again with 1/2 T because it was so good. 

And of course a very simple meal if you plan for the brining time before hand.  

Also, I didn't have five-spice powder or all the parts to make a substitute. I used a pinch of cinnamon and a pinch of cloves. 

Sauteed Chicken Cutlets With Vermouth, Leek, And Tarragon Pan Sauce

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (September 2007)

This was a nice simple recipe. I may have finally learned the lesson of the importance of prepping ingredients before I start cooking. I have a bad habit of assuming I can prep ingredients while initial parts of recipe are cooking. It rarely turns out well for me. I end up rushed, mess things up and usually make a disaster of my kitchen. It may take me longer as well.

I looked at recipe and realized the chicken breasts cook in just minutes, since they are cutlets. So I did the "mise en place" today and cooking was a breeze.

The sauce in this is fairly light, just 1T of butter, and 2 t. of oil in terms of fat, which is pretty good for Cook's Illustrated. So for once, I didn't cut the fat. :-)

I like the sauce a lot and it was nice serving this chicken with rice. My picky eater liked this, even though I couldn't give him any of the leeks. It wasn't hard to serve him some sauce and avoid the leeks.

Nut-Crusted Chicken Cutlets

Prep Time: 38 minutes
Cook Time: 20 -25 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes


Recipe Source: America's Test Kitchen TV Show (Season 12) 
Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 2011)

There is a video of the recipe available for free at the ATK link above, and it was helpful to watch the video before making the recipe. The tv version is with almonds and lemon and thyme. The CI version I linked to uses chipotle and southwestern spices.

This recipe is definitely a winner. It took a little longer than I wanted, but that was partly because I had a lot of chicken trimming to do this time. I could probably get it done in 30 minutes if I make this a few more times.

It is a baked dish (on top of a wire rack in jelly roll pan). To get flavorful crust you toast the finely chopped nuts and panko breadcrumbs in browned butter for the coating instead of pan frying. I love that aspect of the recipe. It is less messy, and you don't mess up the breading when you flip the meat in the pan. Also, it is nice to have the dish finish in the over, so you can clean up while it is cooking.

The breading really adhered to the chicken, really better than any other breaded meat recipe I've ever tried. I had leftovers tonight (cold) and it was still really sticking to the chicken. The leftovers were also delicious. They would make a really nice spinach salad.

The only possible problem with the recipe was that the chicken was close to being too salty. It wasn't, but I felt it was on the edge. I should have used a little less salt on each breast I think. It was probably because the kosher salt I was using was Morton's which is not as "fluffy" as others.

I made 3/4 of the recipe since I had 3 breasts. I cut the breading by 3/4, and I still had lots left over.

Braised Spanish Lentils and Sausage

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cover & Bake (There is no on-line version of the recipe) 

It has been a while since I've posted. Life has been busy, but also, all the new recipes I tried were not worth blogging about. There was also one disaster with a coffee cake recipe I tried from America's Test Kitchen TV show. It was totally my fault, so I want to try it again, to see if I can do better. 

I made this a long time ago (pre-blog) and really liked this. It didn't turn out quite as tasty this time, probably because of my substitutions with what I had on hand.) But it was still decent. This took me longer to make that it probably should have. I used regular lentils not the small green ones, so that made it longer. But it was fairly easy prep with some of the 25 minutes hands-off.

I also used Turkey smoked sausage instead of lentils, to make the dish a little lighter. I used regular paprika instead of smoked, but I bet smoked is better.

Overall, a decent simple recipe.

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.

Ground Beef Pie

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.

Southwestern Skillet Pie

Prep Time: 15 - 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20-30 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (November 2004)

I love this easy recipe. It is very flexible, fast, and usually can be made with ingredients you likely have on hand.

It came from Everyday Food, but I have changed it a little. Really, this is so flexible, you can substitute in a lot of ways.

The original recipe called for a red pepper chopped up. Although I love red peppers, I never felt like it added much with all the salsa, so I skip. It also called for mixing 1/2 c of the cheese in the biscuits. I feel the cheese doesn't add to the biscuits, so I skip that too. It doesn't even really need any cheese at all, but I use if I have some on hand.

Southwestern Skillet Pie

1 lb ground meat (preferably a lean beef or turkey)
4 cloves garlic minced
16 oz (2 cups) your favorite Salsa
1 15oz can beans (black, pinto, kidney), drained and rinsed
1/2 - 1 t. salt (to taste)
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 c. water
1 c. (or less) shredded cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, etc.)

Biscuit:
1 c. unbleached flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t. salt
3 T. butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 c. milk or buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425.

NOTE: Use a pan that can be put in a hot oven while the biscuits cook.

1) Brown meat over medium heat in ovenproof skillet. Drain if too much fat.
2) Add garlic, salt and pepper and saute for 30 sec
3) Add salsa, beans and water, stir and heat to a simmer
4) In a medium bowl, mix the dry biscuit ingredients. Cut in butter with pastry cutter or knives until butter is mixed in fairly well (but not completely)
5) Stir in milk with a fork.
6) Sprinkle cheese over meat and bean mixture
7) Drop 8 evenly sized (as well as you can!) spoonfuls of the biscuit dough on top. The dough will spread so leave some space.
8) Bake 20-25 minutes until the biscuits are cooked and starting to brown.
9) Remove from oven and serve.

Best Beef Stew

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 2.5 hours

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 2010)

Between Cook's Illustrated, Cook's Country, the ATK tv show and all the cookbooks, I'm sure ATK has a LOT of stew recipes. They are all good, if you like beef stew. I really liked this one also. It was rich tasting and perfect comfort food for a very cold day.

It does take a while to make, of course, but I love dishes where you can get all the work done early and don't have to do much work after that. There is a tiny bit of work in the last 15 minutes, but it is pretty negligible, so I don't even count it in my time.

I did make a few substitutions. I used some frozen wine, and it was probably a Merlot, instead of Pinot Noir. I also used a tiny bit of anchovy paste instead of chopping anchovies (yuck!) I skipped the pearl onions. The biggest sub was to just put a few rinsed off pieces of bacon in the stew instead of the salt pork. I just didn't feel like trying to find it, and wanted to use the ingredients I had on hand. It worked fine, but I didn't use 4oz. I think it added a little taste in a good way.

This one got a thumbs up from the somewhat picky eater in my life, so I will definitely be making this one again.

Chicken and Dumplings

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Assemble Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (Jan 2005)

Yes, this takes awhile to make. And actually, I used chicken breasts (not recommended by CI, but recommended by me!) so it was quicker. The hardest part for me is pulling the skin off the chicken (after browning) and then pulling the chicken off the bone after cooking. However, it is necessary to do this steps to get the non-greasy, yet full-flavored broth. And I think it is worth it (every once in a while) for such a yummy recipe.

I made a little bit lighter, by using half the fats call for in the recipe (less oil for the chicken, less butter in the stew, less fat in the dumplings.) Using breasts makes is lighter also. But the dish was still very rich and delicious.

I have made this once before and froze the leftovers, and I remember they were still good. I will do that again, which is nice allowing for a quick delicious meal another evening without any work.

Spaghetti Pie

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (February 2006)

This one is really easy to put together. The prep isn't quick because you have to make the "crust" first after boiling the pasta, and then make the filling, but there is plenty of downtime and not much cutting going on with this one.

I did skip the ricotta layer, because I didn't have any on hand, and just used more ground beef in the sauce. It was really good, and a nice change of pace from regular pasta with sauce. An easy recipe for something a little different that still gives you traditional Italian flavors.

Beef and Broccoli with Oyster Sauce

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 12-15 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (September 2003)

This isn't as great as the Thai-Style Beef recipe, but it is a good stir fry. I have finally learned to clean up between the prep and cooking when I do stir fries and it makes a huge difference. My kitchen doesn't look like a disaster when the food is ready to eat and I feel less stressed when I'm cooking. I think it goes faster too.

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.

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 Cabbage Rolls

Prep Time: 60 minutes
Cook Time: 90 minutes

Grade: B

Make Again: ?

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (February 2005)

Recipe Source: The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

These taste very good and the sauce was quite tasty with the gingersnaps added. But they are a lot of work, so I'm not sure that I would make them again, since it is kind of a simple meal. However, it does make quite a lot, so I have a lot of frozen leftovers, which may mean I do this recipe again sometime in the future.

If I do, I think I will try mixing the crumbled gingersnaps in with the sauce at the beginning. I found they clumped a bit on the top and it was too hard to redistribute without messing up the rolls.

Parmesan Chicken

Prep Time: 18 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (March 2007)

American Chop Suey

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Recipe Source: Cover & Bake

This recipe is so easy, it is kind of a homemade hamburger helper. It isn't the most exciting dish, but it is so effortless and good comfort food, so I like to make this on occasion in the fall and winter.

Zucchini Beef One Pot Meal

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Me

This recipe was inspired by an idea I read on the Cook's Illustrated bulletin board. It is very flexible and could be used with other spices and flavors. I like it because it is super easy and is a nice way to use up zucchini.

I liked this served over rice, but it also good on its own.

1 T. olive oil
1 small onion diced
1 teaspoon salt
3-4 medium zucchini 1" dice
1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon chipotle powder (or minced chipotle in sauce)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 lb lean ground beef (or turkey)
15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
cilantro, 2-3 Tablespoons minced (optional)
2 oz pepper jack cheese, grated (optional)

1. Heat olive oil in dutch oven over medium heat and saute onion, for about 5 minutes.

2. Add zucchini and salt. Saute another 5 minutes.

3. Add meat and cook, breaking up with spoon, until brown.

4. Add spices and saute about 30 seconds.

5. Add tomatoes with juice and stir. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes until flavors are combined.

6. Stir in chopped cilantro if desired.

7. Serve topped with cheese if desired.