Corn Chowder

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Assemble Time: 35 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (July 2011)

I've been wanting to make this for a long time. I finally remembered to do it this weekend, towards the end of corn season.

This recipe is for a "lighter" corn chowder but it still includes 1 cup of half and half, which does not seem that light to me. I decide to make it without that and just add some milk if it was needed. I ended up adding a splash of milk to thin the soup out a bit, and it worked great.

I used a little less butter and cut off some of the fat from the bacon also. So overall, my version was lightened even more. The taste was rich and delicious without the added dairy and just the fat from the bit of butter and bacon.

I did not squeeze my pulp in a towel and just used a fine mesh strainer. That worked fine and it was easy to clean.

I probably won't make this again real soon, since the corn will be gone in a few weeks, but it is a great recipe for September when the corn is good but the nights are getting cooler.

Make Ahead Macaroni and Cheese

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cool/Assemble Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 70 minutes (from frozen)

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Make Ahead Cook (book)

This recipe is from the Freezer chapter, so the cook time is from frozen. The prep time could be faster if you used two pans instead of one. If you do use one, start boiling the water before anything else. You will have time to brown the bread crumbs and do other prep while waiting.

I adjusted the quantities a bit with this recipe. Having made various Test Kitchen macaroni and cheese recipes before (here and here) I am well aware that they like casseroles to be more saucy than I do. I have had good luck cutting the sauce recipe in half and using the full amount of noodles. I was afraid to go that far this time because they say that the sauce is supposed to be very loose so it can stand up to being held in the freezer. So I did half a recipe of the sauce to 75% of the noodles. I really could have used the full 100% pasta to 50% sauce I think. Next time I will do that.

To make things more complicated, I did a 100% of the topping, even though I knew that I would have less servings. That was a good idea. I actually could have increased the bread crumb topping amount, because I would not have minded a little more coverage.

Oatmeal Muffins

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Rest Time: 20+ minutes
Cook Time: 18-22 minutes
Cool Time: 10 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Maybe

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

I have made this recipe two times and I have not had the perfect expected results either time.

The batter is very loose and you need to let it rest so the oatmeal gets hydrated. The first time I made it I found that the topping ended up falling into the batter, so I didn't get the nice crisp topping I wanted.

This second time I watched the video again (it is still there as of today) and I noticed that Dan said the reason the batter is so runny is because the oatmeal flour (that you make yourself with a food processor) is not as fine as regular flour. So you need to rest the batter to make it thicker. That prompted me to process the oats for a longer time to make sure they were as fine as could be. I think that really helped. Even before resting, the batter was much thicker than last time.

After the 20 minute rest, the batter was even thicker. However, when I was filling the cups, by the end, the bottom of the batter seemed runnier. I think I should have given it a good stir before filling the cups. Also, I think I should have let it rest another 10 minutes or so. I still had some sinking crumb topping.

This time was not as bad as the first time, however, the tops ended up running into each other. They also started to burn a bit before he insides of the muffins were fully cooked.

The end result is quite delicious, but the process was a bit frustrating. Also, I like to make muffins for a quick breakfast/snack, but these really are little cakes with quite a bit of sugar and fat. Of course, that is why they taste so good.

Last time the frozen muffins were not as great as right out of the oven. They got just a bit gummy. I'm not sure if that will be the case this time or not.

So in the end, I'm a bit conflicted about these muffins. They are not a simple quick bread recipe, so not sure it is worth the trouble to make these when I can't get them to turn out like they should. They would be great for a brunch to share with others, but since they end up a bit ugly, it might not be my first choice.

Glazed Meatloaf

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Rest Time:  20 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (February 2009)

This meatloaf is good, but I think I like this version of meatloaf better. They both take a similar amount of time to prep and cook, so I'd probably choose the All Beef version. I still always feel like a meatloaf should take very little time to prep, but it always takes at least some time. The beauty of a meatloaf though is that the cooking part is easy and the kitchen is always clean by the time you serve dinner (other than the pan the loaf is on.)

Slow Cooker Meatballs

Prep Time: 34 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes (microwave)
Slow Cooker: 5 hours on low

Grade: B+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Slow Cooker Revolution book

These were not my favorite meatballs, but they were good. They take about the same amount of work as any meatball, unless I pan fry them (which I rarely do). Pan frying them takes longer. The sauce was delicious, it was the meatballs that didn't wow me. The Meatballs for a Crowd are better.

But it is nice to cook them in the slow cooker. I actually made them in the afternoon and let them cook while I was gone teaching a class all evening. Then we had them the next day for dinner, reheated.

It was a nice way to get dinner done ahead of time.

There is another Slow Cooker Meatball recipe from Cook's country, that is similar but not exactly the same. The main difference is instead of using a panade of bread and milk, they use cream and mozzarella cheese. I'll probably try that one eventually just to compare.

Weeknight Beef Chili (Slow Cooker)

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 3-5 hours on high 6-8 on low 

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Slow Cooker Revolution

I got a new Crock Pot for Christmas. The one ATK recommends, so I can finally make more of the recipes from this book. The new one is larger, and making the older recipes always involved cutting recipes in half.

This chili is good, but for a Weeknight recipe it took more prep than I wanted. Of course, the prep isn't done at night anyway. For me, cooking all the beef took some time, more than they suggested it should. You also have to saute the onions and spices and make a panade with bread and milk to keep the beef tender with the long cook times.

The nice thing about the recipe is that it makes lots and chili freezes quite well.

Easy Egg Casserole with Boursin and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: 6 Ingredient Solution

This was the simplest thing I've made so far from the book. It relies on three ingredients that are not always pantry staples and one is processed, so some may not like this one. But I had the Ritz crackers, Boursin cheese and sun-dried tomatoes so making this recipe was quite easy. I didn't have fresh basil so used a little rosemary.

This is a pretty rich recipe, so I only used half the cheese called for. The Boursin cheese packs a lot of flavor and I knew it would be fine. Plus it is a slightly expensive ingredient, so that is another reason to use a bit less.

This was very good, but I felt it needed a little salt. The recipe called for none (salt, pepper and water don't "count" towards the 6 ingredients) and I assumed that was because of the crackers. But it needed maybe 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon I think.

The only problem I had was that 15 minutes wasn't enough time. My middle was a little runny. I made it in individual gratins, so I thought it would cook a little faster.

I would make this again for a brunch or if I had the ingredients on hand. It might be a nice thing to make for Christmas morning.

Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Rest Time: 8+ hours
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Rise Time: 90 minutes
2nd Rise: 60-90 minutes
Bake Time: 40-50 minutes
Cool Time: 2 hours

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (March 2011)
Recipe Source: ATK TV (Season 12)

(There is a video on the TV website for this one.)

I never have good luck with making sandwich bread. Wheat or white. It smells good, but I never love the flavor. Until now. This one had amazing flavor. It may have something to do with the butter, whole milk, and honey. Although, to be fair, the amounts were not huge considering this makes two loaves. The wheat germ probably helps the wheat flavor as well.

This recipe takes some forethought and planning because you have to start the night before, and there are many steps. But none are hard, and the results are worth it I believe.

Gooey Cinnamon Squares

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

I don't post recipes from cookbooks here, for various reasons, but you can find this recipe on-line at David Lebovitz's blog.

After not liking the first recipe I tried from the cookbook, it has redeemed itself. This recipe is Deb's take on Snickerdoodles + Gooey Butter Cake. It was listed in the cookie section of the cookbook, but for me it seemed more like a cake.

I had a very tough cooking day on Sunday, making two things I had made before and messing both of them up (one in a small way, and the other in a huge way, rendering it unfit to eat!)

Dinner, which I was hoping would be great, was a bust. I felt the need to try something fairly simple with a high probability of success. My picky eater likes cinnamon, and this sounded good. As long as I didn't forget any ingredients, I thought it would be good.

It probably would take less than 30 minutes to prepare, but I had two things going against me: 1) I was re-reading the directions multiple times to make sure I didn't miss anything and 2) the picky eater was supervising, also making sure I didn't mess up. It probably could be put together in 20-25 minutes for sure.

Anyway, this recipe was a total success. I have never made a gooey butter cake, and it seemed weird putting it together. The bottom layer looked very similar to the gooey layer, and I wondered how it would work. But it worked great. The top of the cake was gooey, but not too gooey. The cinnamon sugar on top was awesome.  This one definitely gets a thumbs up from me and the picky eater!

Crescent Rolls

Prep Time: 19 minutes
Rise Time: 3 hours
Chill Time: Overnight
Shape Time: 15 minutes
Chill Time: 2 hours or more
Rise Time: 1 hour
Bake Time: 22-26 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes


Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (November 2001) Note: If you don't subscribe online to Cook's Illustrated, you can find the recipe with Google fairly easily.

I brought these to Thanksgiving dinner that someone else was cooking, and finished up the rolls while the turkey was resting. It worked out great.

This recipe is quite old. It was from 2001 – the year I discovered Cook's Illustrated – and I've wanted to try this recipe ever since then. The instructions are fine, but I would have liked a little bit more detail on the shaping and how the dough should feel. Maybe if I read the original article, I would get more info. I think I have really become used to having videos from ATK PBS show or Everyday food, and I missed that with this one.

The dough rises initially with a 3 hour rise, then chilling overnight, then shaping, then chilling some more. Finally you set them out to warm for 1 hour before you can bake. That may sound complicated, however, you can leave the dough in the refrigerator for long periods of time (up to 3 days), and you can even par-bake the dough, allowing you to finish them with shorter bake time after freezing.

So, despite the long time these take overall to make, the recipe is quite flexible to fit into your schedule, if you give yourself enough time for all the steps. They are really fairly simple and worth the effort. I did try the par-bake method, and it worked out well. I was able to bake them while the turkey was resting at 350, and the timing was perfect. To try to bake them fully with one oven for a holiday meal with a turkey or roast might be difficult because they start at 450 and you need a preheated pan in the oven where you can add hot water.

Next time I make these, I will try to shape my initial rectangle better before first the chill. It would have made rolling out into a larger rectangle easier. I had lots of scraps from trimming because my rectangle was not great. I decided to use them to make "practice" rolls so I could try them before serving to larger group. That was fine. The 16 real rolls were still large, and I had 4 rolls from practicing.

Overall, this recipe is a winner, and I will use again.

Simple Italian-Style Meat Sauce

 Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Grade:B-

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (March 2008)
Recipe Source: Best of ATK 2009


This was a fairly simple recipe but it did involve getting out the food processor to chop some mushrooms, which are there to add meatiness. I don't like mushrooms, but can handle them when processed this way. I don't mind their flavor, just the texture. The sauce was fine, but just not incredible, so I probably won't make again. I think if I want meat with my sauce, I'd like some meatballs instead. I am coming to the conclusion that I just don't love pasta sauces with ground meat.


I will not make this again, but if you like ground meat sauces, you might still want to try this one. It is more a personal taste issue for me, not that the recipe is bad.

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.

Parker House Rolls

Prep Time: 20 minutes total

RiseTime: 3+ hours 

Bake Time: 30 minutes  

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (November 2011)  

These rolls are nice but they took too long to rise (at least according to magazine times). Reading the reviews, it appears everyone had trouble with the rise. The iPad version of the recipe said 1t of yeast, but the website says 1 packet (2 1/4 t.). At the time I thought it was because my kitchen was cold, so I heated my oven to 200 for a while and then put the dough in there for the final rise.

It has been a while since I made the CI version of these, but I think I probably like that version better. I should make them again soon and compare and pick which recipe I want to keep. 

The effort is small. Well, as long as you have a mixer with a dough hook. 10 minutes of the prep is kneading in the mixer. The only real effort is rolling out the rolls into balls and putting in the pan. The recipe called for brushing the tops with 4 T. total of butter (2 before, and 2 after.) As usual, I cut that in half. You still get the buttery top though, which is nice. The recipe also calls for a sprinkle of salt on the top after final brushing of butter and that was a nice touch. 

The rolls are pretty baked in the 13x9 pan. They all end up nice and uniform, which I liked. These would be good to serve for a Christmas dinner, and not too much effort.  However, I would try the recipe from the website instead of magazine and read the reviews first. Cook's Illustrated version or Cook's Country are probably a more reliable choice.

Lighter Spaghetti and Meatballs

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cool Time: 1 hour 
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2010

These meatballs were some of the best Turkey meatballs I've ever made.  What I didn't love was the sauce.  It wasn't the recipe's fault.  I have come to realize (finally!) that I don't really like chunky sauces, and I should just stick with a more smooth and thick sauce.   From now on I'm going to sub my own favorite tomato sauce when I try out these recipes.

Anyway, the recipe is not terribly different from CI's regular meatball recipe, but uses 93% turkey.  I will definitely make these again with my own sauce, and probably make a double batch to freeze some for later.

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.

Slow Cooker Meatballs in Marinara Sauce

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 4-5 hours

Grade: C+

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (August 2009)


The meatballs were good, but I didn't love the sauce.  I didn't dislike it, but I felt like there should have been more flavor, with all the ingredients that are in this.  The wine slightly overpowered the rest, even though I was careful to cook it down before putting in slow cooker.  

This made a huge amounts of sauce.  More than I think you need for 1.5 pounds of pasta.   I am saving the meatballs with some sauce, in individual containers to freeze, and then I saved almost a quart without any meatballs for use another time. 

I have a medium size slow cooker and it was filled to the brim almost.  The recipe was probably developed in a larger cooker.

I think I have other meatball recipes I would use before making this one again, because it still was a decent amount of effort - especially for a slow-cooker meal.

NOTE: I didn't actually test the Cook's Country recipe.  I used the one from the Best of 2010 book, which contains the recipe from Best Slow and Easy Recipes.  (Did you follow that?)   The recipes are similar, but there are a few differences - the one I used had milk and bread instead of the  mozzarella cheese, less tomato paste and no cream.  Everything else looks the same. 

Popovers

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Rest Time: 1 hour
Bake Time: 50-60 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (December 2008)

Recipe: Cook's Country TV (Season 2)

I assume the Cook's Country TV show is just like America's Test Kitchen and they won't keep those recipes up there for ever (wanting to people to go to paid site instead.)  So, print it out if you are interested. :-)  You need to register with an email but don't need to pay. 

These are very, very good.  I have made popovers lots of times before, and I love them when they are eggy and moist on the inside but crispy on the outside.  These fit the bill, and they are more flavorful than the others I've tried. 

The main differences are as far as I can tell are using more eggs and butter, but a lower fat milk.  It also uses Bread flour for more structure.

I think going forward, this will be the recipe I use, when I make popovers. (Which isn't that often, but it is a good way to use up milk.)

Baked Ziti

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Cool Time: 20 minutes

Grade:B-

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (March 2009)
Recipe: America's Test Kitchen TV Show (Season 10)

This was  nothing special in my opinion.  I do have to admit, however, that I used an inferior cheese which definitely affected the taste.  I chose the store brand (Safeway) cheese because it was cheaper, and then, even worse, accidentally purchased the low-fat version.  It was too salty and not creamy at all.  Now I have 8 oz left of this crappy cheese, which I won't use, just to save $1.  Oh well.

However, even without that issue, I still don't think this recipe would have been all that better than the very simple baked pasta dishes I've used before.  It uses cottage cheese, which I like, but I usually don't include ricotta in my baked ziti anyways, so it didn't solve any problems for me.  It just seems like more effort than I want for a simple pasta dish, so I probably won't make again.

Savory Bread Pudding with Spinach and Feta

Prep Time: 17 minutes
Rest Time: 20 - 30 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Best of 2010


This was in The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2010 book, and appears to originally come from The Best Slow and Easy Recipes cookbook.

This is definitely an easy recipe with very little effort.  I'm not exactly sure what the difference is between a strata and a bread pudding.  I guess bread puddings are a little richer.  You only use yolks, and the recipe called for 3c. heavy cream and 2c. whole milk.  I usually make my stratas with low-fat milk.  There was no way I was making this with all that cream - too heavy for me.  I ended up using whole milk and about 1/3 c. cream (for a half recipe) instead.  It still was plenty rich.


I did really like this, but guess I will probably just stick to making stratas which I do quite often.  They are lighter and I can basically make them from memory with whatever leftovers I have on hand.

Broccoli Soup

Total Time: 35 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (November 1996)

There are still a lot of recipes from the January 2010 Cook's Illustrated magazine that I want to try (and March was just put online!), but I am very, very busy at the moment. I'm also trying to clean out my freezer, pantry and fridge before buying any new ingredients as much as possible.

So, I had a huge bag of broccoli florets that needed to be used up. I remembered a pureed broccoli soup that I used to make from a Jane Brody cook book that I no longer own. The Cook's Illustrated recipe looked similar (as far as I can remember) so I tried it. It is very simple to make and I thought it tasted very good. The only minor flaw was that I didn't probably puree long enough, and the little pieces of florets created a texture that wasn't always the most pleasing (when they clumped up.) But it wasn't too much of a problem.

It was still very good 2 days later. It is a great way to use up broccoli before it goes bad. I sprinkled with a little cheddar cheese when serving which you may see in the picture.

In my cooking time, I also made some home made croutons from two pieces of almost getting stale wheat bread. They were a delicious addition to the soup. I'll do that again since it was so easy.

I can't post the recipe, but here are the ingredients. You basically just saute the onions, add the wine or sherry (I used Vermouth) and then cook the broth and broccoli until very tender (but not army green.) Then puree in a blender with the milk. I used less salt than called for and it was plenty.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, or olive oil (you could get by with less)
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons dry sherry or white wine (I used Vermouth which I always have on hand)
5 cups broccoli florets cut small
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or low-sodium vegetable broth
1 teaspoon table salt (I used half)
ground white pepper (I forgot this)
1/2 cup milk (I used 1%)

The original recipe calls from fresh basil which I am sure is great, but I skipped.

For the croutons, I did a 1/2" dice with a serrated knife on two slices of wheat bread. I sprayed with Olive Oil spray and tossed in a bowl with a few shakes of salt. I was pretty generous with the spray and sprayed more than once after tossing, so I wouldn't say it was 2 calories. :-) However, it is a lot lighter this way than tossing with oil. The spray is nice because you can add evenly without needing so much.

Then I baked for abou 10 minutes at 350, tossing once halfway through. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don't burn.