Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Prep Time:  17 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes per 2 pans
Cool Time: 30 minutes
Filling Time: 5 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (March 2012)
Recipe Source: America's Test Kitchen TV
Recipe Source: D.I.Y. Cookbook

The recipe and video available for free on TV website right now.

I only made a half recipe, since these cookies are big, so the time will take longer for a full recipe with 24 sandwich cookies, but probably not too much longer.

These are fairly simple to make. The hardest part is processing the chopped nuts, and that isn't really hard. They are nice, but a little dry (filling excepted of course), so not my favorite type of cookie. But they were fun to make. I might make again, but since I have a niece and a nephew with a peanut allergy and they are who I like to make cookies for, I may not.

Morning Glory Muffins

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (April 2011)
Recipe Source: Cook's Country TV (same link)

I was starting to write my review in my head while I was baking these, assuming they would get a grade lower than an A. The prep on these muffins takes quite a while. Grating carrots, peeling grating an apple, squeezing liquid from the apple and pineapple, toasting the walnuts and coconut, then processing in food processor! That is a lot for a muffin. And because I always try to multi-task I burned some of the coconut when toasting. I tried taking the burned pieces out and toasted a bit more. There was a burned coffee smell in my kitchen and I was sure these wouldn't taste good.

But I was really happy when I tasted one. The texture was perfect. One of the best I've ever made. These are not super sweet, so really a good muffin for breakfast. I have never tried to make these muffins before because all recipes I saw had walnuts and raisins which I don't like. But since these walnuts are ground up, I thought it would be ok, and it was. I think they added nice flavor to the muffin.

These are definitely some work, but I think they are worth it to have in the freezer for a quick breakfast that is a little less sweet than most muffins, but still very tasty.

The only change I made to the recipe was to replace 1 cup of the all-purpose flour with 1 cup of white wheat. I still used 1 1/4 of regular flour. It worked well.

This recipe is currently available for free on Cook's Country website since it was feature during the current season of Cook's Country TV, so grab it now if you are interested.

Graham Crackers

Prep Time: 33 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes per pan

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: D.I.Y. Cookbook

I wasn't too interested in this cookbook when I saw it announced by ATK, but I saw it at the library and decided to check it out. I actually really like the book, and am considering purchasing it. Their new layout of cookbooks is much improved over earlier cookbooks, which I hated for many reasons. Also it is a fun read.

Many of the DIY recipes are on the ATK Feed website but the graham crackers are not. These are delicious. Much better than store bought. And very easy to make. The 33 minutes of prep was mostly taken up by the rolling out of the crackers, cutting (or scoring them) and docking them with a fork. I started baking the first pan while still having more to roll out, and it worked fine. I was done with the full recipes in under an hour.

The flavor comes from graham flour, which I found at my store with the Bob Mill's flours. It used 1 1/2 c. of the flour, so I have enough to make the recipe probably 2 more times. Considering graham crackers are so expensive, it may be cheaper to make your own. But really, they taste so much better, I don't think I would want to buy them again. Even for making them just to break up into a crust. (Although if I was going to that, I would skip the scoring step.)

I haven't tried anything else from the book yet, but I will definitely be trying at least a few more recipes. I also would like to try the cinnamon graham cracker recipe as well.

Sour Cream Muffins

Prep Time: 12 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 23-26 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Whole Grain Baking

This is not my favorite blueberry or muffin recipe, but it does use white whole wheat flour and tastes pretty good. The reason I will make these again is that it uses up 1 c. of sour cream. I have a tendency to throw away sour cream because I don't use it enough. This is a good recipe to use it up. Also, the batter can be made up to 4 days in advance, so if you want to have fresh muffins in the morning, this is a good one to use.

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

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!

Classic Gingerbread Cake

Prep Time: 18 minutes
Cook Time: 35-45 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (May 2011)
Recipe Source: America's Test Kitchen (Season 12)

Note: Video and recipe available at 2nd link without subscription, probably for the rest of the year.

I have always been disappointed with gingerbread cakes. They are always too moist and gummy and the flavor isn't what I was looking for. This one was the best I have ever tried. It does have quite a kick though, and my picky eater didn't care for it. I liked the texture however. If I do make again it will be with a tiny bit less ginger. I'm not sure I will make again though, since I was the only what that liked it.

Speaking of the ginger, I came very close to forgetting the dried ginger. (There is also some fresh in the recipe.) I had my 2T measured out, but never mixed it in with the dry ingredients. Instead, after I put the cake in the oven, and started cleaning up, I noticed the ginger on the counter! Thankfully it was in time, and I tried to sprinkle it somewhat evenly over the cake, and then I whisked it in the pan. Because the batter was so thin, I was able to do this and avoid a disaster.

Unfortunately, this forgetting of ingredients is becoming a habit of mine. One I need to break. I made some cupcakes a few months ago with no sugar. Today I made rolls and forgot both the sugar and the salt. They were horrible. I also forgot the salt when I made gnochhi. (Notice none of these recipes have been reviewed yet, because I made such bad mistakes.)

I need to work on better prep, so I don't forget things anymore. It is such a bummer when you put all this effort into something and then realize you messed up too late!

Popcorn Cookies (from Smitten Kitchen)

Prep Time: 24 minutes
Cook Time: 10-12 minutes

Grade: C

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

I only read one blog, and that is Smitten Kitchen. I enjoy her writing and the food looks good. But I have never really tried a lot of her recipes before. So I decided to get the book from the library before I buy.

The first recipe I wanted to try was popcorn cookies. Such a clever idea and part of the reason I enjoy reading her blog. She is a creative cook, but not overly fussy.

These take a bit longer because you need to make the popcorn first. But it is otherwise a simple recipe.

The first cookie I ate (still quite warm) was good. Not amazing or anything, but good. The soft dough with the popcorn was good, and slightly reminded me of caramel corn. But the cooled cookies were not as good. I ended up not liking the texture of the popcorn with the cookie. I tried some again today, and my feelings are still lukewarm on them. No need to eat a cookie if doesn't taste great I think.

I am not ruling out the cookbook based on one recipe. I will definitely be trying some more before I fully judge. Regardless, it is an enjoyable easy read. (If you like reading cookbooks!)

Twice Baked Potatoes with Cheddar and Scallions

Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Cool Time: 10 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes (while shells bake)
Cook Time: 10-15 minutes
Cool Time: 10 minutes

Grade: B-

Make Again: Maybe, with more seasoning

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 1999)

These are not hard to make, but take a lot of time. I did shortcut the cooking time a bit by using the microwave to kick-start the potatoes.

The mixture tasted very delicious before I baked the potatoes the second time. But the final product tasted a bit bland for some reason, like it was under-seasoned. I was a little disappointed after the work. They weren't bad at all, but I'm not sure the effort is worth it. I might just prefer adding all the good stuff to a regular baked potato.

Glazed All-Beef Meatloaf

Prep Time: 34 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Glaze Time: 10 minutes
Rest Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 2006)

Any previous meatloaf recipe from CI called for Meatloaf mix (pork, veal and beef). I never used it, and always just used beef. This recipe was specifically created to only using beef. I would say it is better than their regular version (if you only use beef, that is.) However, it does call for two types of beef - a pound of ground sirloin and a pound of ground chuck.

It also calls for quite a lot of other ingredients: gelatin (to replace missing quality from veal), crushed saltines, paprika, celery, onion, soy sauce, tomato juice and more. Then there is a tasty glaze on top.

It was really a little bit more work than I want to do for a meatloaf, however, the flavor and texture was very good. Since it wasn't a terrible amount of work, I probably will make this version again.