Drink Recipe: Paris Between the Wars

Paris Between the Wars 

Food & Wine Magazine, Dec 2020, p. 72

4.5 stars

You have to like Campari or semi-bitter drinks to enjoy this lovely restaurant-worthy cocktail that's not hard to make but tastes complex (how I like it!).

Ingredients: Campari, blended Scotch whisky (such as Dewar's), lemon juice, simple syrup, dry sparkling wine such as brut Cava, ice cubes, lemon peel strip for garnish

Recipe: Quinoa Grain Bowl with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Chile-Marinated Tofu, Kale and Lemony Tahini-Miso

Quinoa Grain Bowl with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Chile-Marinated Tofu, Kale and Lemony Tahini-Miso

BobbyFlay.com

5 stars!!!!

I was more than pleasantly surprised by how good this dish turned out, but should I be surprised? It's a Bobby Flay recipe where he's all about great flavors. This is easier to make than our Ancient Grains Buddha Bowl which we also LOVE. Very easy to make especially on a weekday, despite the recipe looking long.

Quinoa Ingredients: quinoa, olive oil, water, salt

Sweet Potato Ingredients: sweet potatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper

Chile-marinated Tofu Ingredients: extra-firm tofu, sesame oil, soy sauce, chili paste

Kale Ingredients: kale, celery, olive oil, lemon juice, Kosher salt

Lemony Tahini-Miso Dressing: lemon juice, honey, white miso paste, tahini, toasted sesame oil, water, garlic ginger

Toppings: sliced avocado, sunflower seeds, celery leaves, cilantro

Tips:

• Sauteed the kale a little bit
• Left out the sunflower seeds and celery leaves

Recipe: Pizzettes

 

Pizzettes

Bon Appetit Magazine, Dec 2020/Jan 2021, p. 96

4.7 stars

The photo in the magazine looked amazing, but I wasn't sure how these were going to turn out. They were so delicious and turned out like the photo! As I'm typing this, I'm thinking I need to get a pizzette (not to be confused with pizzelles) right now to have with my coffee. The soft brownie-like texture with the glaze on top, along with the winter spices, citrus and texture of the almonds makes this a new winter cookie favorite for me. I love that this cookie isn't too sweet either.

Cookie Ingredients: raw skin-on almonds, flour, baking powder, Kosher salt, unsalted butter, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, sugar, Dutch-process cocoa powder, egg, egg yolk, bittersweet chocolate chips, lemon zest, orange zest

Glaze Ingredients: bittersweet chocolate, powdered sugar, unsalted butter, Kosher salt

Tips:

• For our oven, we baked these for approx. 11 minutes (5 min + 6 min)
• Because the cookies were on the softer side, we didn't dip them into the glaze but instead, poured the glaze on top

(Find recipe under: Dessert - Pretzel and Potato Chip Moon Pies)

Recipe: Cauliflower and Cheese with Spicy Breadcrumbs

 

Cauliflower and Cheese with Spicy Breadcrumbs

HalfBakedHarvest.com

4.9 stars

We had this wonderful side dish with steak and the Charred Focaccia and Steak Salad (without the steak in the salad). The flavors were so unique -- I'd not had a dish like this with flavors of smoked paprika, chipotle chili, gouda, cheddar, thyme, oregano and prosciutto. We loved it and will definitely be making it again. It's not a hard dish to make at all...and is relatively quick!

Ingredients: cauliflower, ciabatta or sourdough bread, prosciutto, smoked paprika, oregano, red pepper flakes, salted butter, flour, whole milk, cheddar cheese, gouda cheese, thyme, chipotle chili powder, onion powder, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips:

• The cauliflower head was more than 3 cups -- maybe 5 cups. I made 1.5x the amount of cheese sauce which actually wasn't needed in the end.
• Used panko breadcrumbs and toasted it on the side in a pan with the extra virgin olive oil, oregano and salt
• The prosciutto didn't crumble (didn't want to overcook/bake it) so chopped it up

Recipe: Pretzel and Potato Chip Moon Pies

Pretzel and Potato Chip Moon Pies

Bon Appetit Magazine, Dec 2020/Jan 2021, p.96

4.3 stars

These cookies were good, but I'd make some changes if I make them again -- see tips below.

Ingredients: pretzels, potato chips, marshmallows, semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coconut oil, flour, sugar, unsalted butter, Kosher salt, Pretzel salt or flaky sea salt

Tips

• Don't wait for the cookies to turn golden brown (which means they're overdone)
• Don't use organic marshmallows as I don't think they melted as well. May make my own marshmallows!
• Instead of coconut oil, make a ganache or glaze with oil so the the chocolate actually hardens.

Recipe: Tofu with Rice and Miso-Maple Dressing

 

Tofu with Rice and Miso-Maple Dressing

Bon Appetit Magazine, Dec 2020/Jan 2021, p.43

4.4 stars

A light, flavorful, healthy dish! Only problem was that I didn't feel very full after eating it so I'd recommend serving this with gyoza or maybe another item.

Ingredients: tofu, ginger, scallions, carrots, shelled edamame, garlic, white miso, unseasoned rice vinegar, soy sauce, maple syrup, toasted sesame oil, cornstarch, red pepper flakes

Serve with steamed white rice, cilantro, toasted sesame seeds

Tips:

• Make about 60% of the marinade. There was a lot of extra marinade that became a little bit gelatinous.

Recipe: 30 Minutes Coq Au Vin Chicken Meatballs

30 Minutes Coq Au Vin Chicken Meatballs

HalfBakedHarvest.com

4.6 stars

My new favorite chef is Tieghan Gerard from HalfBakedHarvest.com. Her recipes are for one, GREAT, and they just all look incredibly delicious (see her Instagram account). I've been going to her site more often than Bon Appetit or Food and Wine's magazines and sites.

We had ground chicken in our freezer so this recipe caught my eye especially during these semi-cold winter days. Loved this dish -- good flavor!!! While it took a little bit more than 30 min, it doesn't taste like a simple, 30 min dish.

Ingredients: ground chicken, egg, carrots, mushrooms, Panko bread crumbs, bacon, yellow onion, garlic, tomato paste, red wine, chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, Parmesan cheese, Kosher salt, pepper

Serve with mashed potatoes.

Tips:

• Because I was craving polenta, we made polenta instead of mashed potatoes; we'll do mashed potatoes next time. 

Recipe: Smoky Potato and Kale Soup

Smoky Potato and Kale Soup

HalfBakedHarvest.com

4.6 stars

Not a great photo of the soup above since it's covered by Manchego cheese (yum!) that we decided to use to top the soup. This was so flavorful and not hard to make. Another HalfBakedHarvest delicious recipe!

Ingredients: Yukon gold or russet potatoes, kale, whole milk, chorizo, yellow onion, chicken broth, lemon, garlic, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper, Manchego

Recipe: Pork-and-Brisket Chili

Pork-and-Brisket Chili

Food and Wine Magazine, Nov 2017, p.101

4.5 stars

Found this recipe in my huge stash (I have a mountain of recipes I've collected over the years, pulling out pages from magazines). We were in the mood for chili, and this sounded good and complex compared to what we've made before. It was delicious, and made enough to feed a crowd (but we're not having any parties during these pandemic times so had leftovers that we froze for a later date!).

The recipe took quite some time -- the recipe says that the active time is 1 hr 45 min, but I think it took longer.

Beans ingredients: dried pink beans, yellow onion, carrot, celery, garlic, Kosher salt

Chili ingredients: boneless pork shoulder, brisket, yellow onions, green bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, light brown sugar, mustard powder, ground cumin, jar of Hatch chiles, crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, oregano, vegetable oil, Kosher salt, pepper

Serving/topping ingredients: sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced scallions

Tips:

• Cut the boneless pork shoulder into 3/4" pieces instead 1.5" inches
• Used 2 yellow onions instead of 3
• Used 5 garlic gloves instead of 10
• Add crushed red pepper if the green Hatch chiles are mild
• When making the beans, cook for 1.5 hours instead of 1 hour

Recipe: Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Burrata

 

Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Burrata

HalfBakedHarvest.com

4.2 stars

This salad was good, not amazing compared to some others we've made. However, it's pretty fast to make and uses up pesto (which we usually have on hand) and has burrata as the cheese (one of our favorites!). The dressing tastes almost like a Caeser dressing but without the umami that comes from anchovies.

Salad Ingredients: chicken breasts, basil pesto, ciabatta bread, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, burrata cheese, garlic, red pepper flakes, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper, fresh herbs like chives, thyme and basil

Parmesan Tahini Dressing: tahini, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, grated Parmesan, lemon, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper

Recipe: Picadillo

Picadillo

Bon Appetit Magazine, Sept 2020, p. 60

4.8 stars

Easy weeknight taco dish. I love that it includes poblanos and potatoes! This was one of blog contributor the grandcruman's favorite leftovers this past week. The dish was a tad watery (from the chicken stock), but we think that's the way it's supposed to be.

Ingredients: ground beef chuck, Yukon gold potato, onion, tomatoes, poblano chile, cilantro, garlic, chicken stock, cumin, vegetable oil, Kosher salt, pepper; tortillas and Mexican cheese

Tips:

• Used less salt -- instead of 1 Tbsp, use about 5/8 of a Tbsp.
• Broiled the poblanos so we could easily remove the skin.
• Added jalapenos!
• Need to add red pepper next time for a little heat.

Recipe: Alsatian Potato Pie

Alsatian Potato Pie

Martha Stewart Living, p. 133

4.3 stars

This "side" dish will wow a dinner party. Plus, who doesn't love puff pastry? If you like things like puff pastry, potato-leek soup, Gruyere and souffles, this recipe is for you. I'm always pleasantly surprised by how so few pretty basic ingredients can come together to make such a delicious dish.

Ingredients: puff pastry, Yukon Gold potatoes, leek, egg, Comte or Gruyere, parsley, garlic, all-purpose flour, heavy cream, unsalted butter, nutmeg, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips:

• Instead of pouring the cream mixture into the pie vents into the funnel, next time we're going to layer the cream on top before the final layer of puff pastry.
• Really nice with a Chardonnay.

Recipe: Tater Tot Egg Bake with Bitter Greens Salad

 

Tater Tot Egg Bake with Bitter Greens Salad

Bon Appetit Magazine, Nov 2020, p. 74

Salad: 5 stars

Tater Tot Bake: 2 stars

I was SURE that this dish was going to be delicious, but surprisingly, it was mediocre. The tater tot had little flavor, but the SALAD was amazing -- definitely make this salad again!

Salad Ingredients: sliced almonds, mixed greens, arugula, Manchego cheese

Salad Dressing Ingredients: shallot, orange juice, sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt

Tater Tot Ingredients: tater tots, onion, eggs, Kosher salt, pepper

Recipe: Chipotle Shrimp Cobb Salad with Jalapeno Corn Vinaigrette

 

Chipotle Shrimp Cobb Salad with Jalapeno Corn Vinaigrette

Half Baked Harvest

5 Stars

This is one of the best salad recipes we've made. Restaurant-worthy. We altered this a little bit as we don't eat much shrimp unless we know it's clean. This salad has some of my favorite things including avocado, bacon, eggs, jalapeno (for some spice) and corn.

Salad Ingredients: shrimp (or corn), mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, peach or nectarine, feta cheese, avocado, bacon, eggs, chipotle chili powder, ground cumin, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt

Jalapeno Corn Vinaigrette Ingredients: corn, cilantro, jalapeno, limes, honey, apple cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt

Tips:

• Forgot to add peaches but don't think it needs that added ingredient.
• Replaced the shrimp with corn.
• Made farro and basically built the salad on top of the farro to make it a hearty one-dish meal.
• I prefer soft boiled or over-easy eggs so made an over-easy egg instead of hard-boiled.
• Didn't blend the dressing.

Recipe: Molten Chocolate Crackle Pie

Molten Chocolate Crackle Pie

Half Baked Harvest

4.5 stars

We made this for Thanksgiving and I think it's one of the best chocolate pie recipes ever. It was chocolatey, RICH and had a nice complexity to it because of the hazelnut liquor and also the texture of the chocolate chunks. I'll definitely be making this again. No need to ever buy pie from other places like Emporium Pies. This beats it hands down.

Tips:

• We used Frangelico for our liquor.
• Definitely make the Hazelnut Whipped Cream! It's a nice balance to the richness of the pie.
• Make sure to let the pie cool; otherwise, it'll be a molten mess when you serve it, and you won't get the texture of the chocolate chunks.
• Half Baked Harvest's recipe didn't have instructions on how to best braid the pie crust so I got the help of blog contributor the grandcruman who has watched many a British Baking Show episodes who was able to help me.

Recipe: Butternut Squash & Fettuccine Alfredo

Butternut Squash & Fettuccine Alfredo

Better Homes & Gardens Magazine, Oct 2020, p.80

5 stars

We had this as our main for Thanksgiving -- sooo good (I'm not a turkey fan), and I can't wait to eat the leftovers. What made the dish was the fresh pasta. . . I just love the texture of fresh pasta.

Ingredients: fettuccine noodles, butternut squash spirals, onion, smoked sausage, whipping cream, fresh sage, parmesan cheese.

Tips:

• Made fresh pasta
• Added some red pepper
• Used a combination of butternut squash spirals and butternut squash cubes -- will use just the spirals next time and will double the amount
• Will add a clove of garlic next time

30 Minute Spicy Sesame Noodles with Ginger Chicken

30 Minute Spicy Sesame Noodles with Ginger Chicken

HalfBakedHarvest.com

5 stars

This is the first recipe I've made from Half Baked Harvest -- a site my co-workers recommended to me. Her dishes for one, look amazing... and from reading the recipes themselves, they look GOOD (meaning flavorful).

This dish was just that, flavorful! Despite forgetting to buy green onions and hubby not realizing that I'd bought pomegranate juice and pomegranate seeds, this was a dish that while it doesn't look super amazing in my photo, tasted great. We'll definitely be making this again.

Ingredients: Chinese egg noodles or ramen noodles, ground chicken, kale or green cabbage, shiitake or cremini mushrooms, low sodium soy sauce, pomegranate juice (optional), honey, raw sesame seeds, peanuts, peanut or sesame oil, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, orange or clementine peel, green onions and pomegranate for serving

Tips:

• Double the amount of kale
• Used marcona almonds instead of peanuts
• Used Rotisserie chicken instead of ground chicken
• Used 1/2 shiitake and 1/2 baby bella mushrooms

Recipe: Steve's Layered Cornbread

Steve's Layered Cornbread

Martha Stewart Living Magazine, Nov 2020, p.70

5 stars

It's Thanksgiving week! Instead of "regular" rolls or cornbread, try this super EASY and incredibly delicious recipe.  It's beyond flavorful, and once you've made this, you won't go back to regular 'ol cornbread.

Ingredients: corn oil, fine yellow cornmeal, whole milk, cream-style corn, cheddar cheese, shredded cooked chicken, cilantro, pickled jalapenos, eggs, baking soda, Kosher salt

Tips

• Used vegetable oil instead of corn oil
• Used fine white cornmeal instead of fine yellow cornmeal
• Used Rotisserie shredded chicken
• Used sharp cheddar cheese
• The cilantro didn't impart much flavor in the cornbread but it's nice to include for color
• The pickled jalapenos added a spicy, flavor (a wow!) to the dish. Only used 1/4 c (or less!) and chopped them up
• Didn't think it needed salsa served on the side

Recipe: Tomato and Roasted Garlic Pie

Tomato and Roasted Garlic Pie

Bon Appetit Magazine, Aug 2020

4.5 stars

This was a fun and delicious dish to make but took at least an hour to prep. It's also a very RICH dish -- cheese and lots of butter. As the recipe notes, Taleggio is a smelly cheese, but it has a very mild flavor. It worked so nicely with the tomatoes and tad of sweetness from the Wheat Thins. While this was good, we likely won't make it again as it's such a heavy, rich dish (and not healthy...).

Ingredients: heirloom tomatoes, Wheat Thins, eggs, Taleggio cheese, Parmesan, mayonnaise, thyme, shallot, garlic, butter, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper

Tips

• This used quite a bit of thyme, more than I thought would be needed
• It took a full 60 min to bake
• We didn't let it cool ~ so the cheese was really gooey; curious to see how leftovers will be
• Don't think the extra butter brushed on top of the tomatoes was necessary

Recipe: Vegetarian Enchiladas Suizas

 

Not a beautiful photo but it sure was delicious

Vegetarian Enchiladas Suizas

MarthaStewart.com

4.8 stars

We've made many different enchilada recipes. This one was great; we'll be adding it into the rotation. I love that it uses zucchini and poblanos and that we were able to use up ingredients we had in the fridge. We just made this recipe, but it was so good I want to make it again soon.

Ingredients: corn tortillas, zucchini, poblano, mozzarella, green salsa, red onion, vegetable oil, salt, pepper; sour cream or Mexican crema, lettuce, radishes, cherry tomatoes

Tips

• Make double the recipe so you have leftovers which are so good
• Broiled the poblano
• Added cumin and chili powder to give more flavor
• Used Central Market's Hatch Green Salsa
• Used a mix of corn and flour tortillas
• Added black beans on the top
• Rolled enchiladas instead of layering the tortillas and vegetables

Recipe: Barbecue Chicken Pizzas

 

Barbecue Chicken Pizzas

Us Weekly, 8/31/2020, p.34

5 stars

This is a Rachael Ray recipe that was in Us Weekly a month ago. Wow on flavor -- my mouth is watering as I think about this restaurant quality pizza. I couldn't find the recipe online to link to so if you need the recipe, contact me via the comment box. Can't wait to make this again.

Main ingredients: chicken, combination of cheeses, green onions, basil, cilantro, jalapenos, pickles

BBQ Sauce Ingredients: onion, tomato sauce, garlic, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, light brown sugar, hot sauce, mustard, olive oil or canola oil, salt, pepper

Tips:

• We made 2 pizzas using Tyler Florence's pizza dough recipe (that we've made many times)
• Sauteed chicken to put on top vs. using it as the base of the pizza
• Used smoked cheddar and mozzarella - YUM!
• Didn't put pickles on top

Recipe: Enfrijoladas

 

Enfrijoladas

Bon Appetit Magazine, Sept 2020, p. 34

5 stars

This is not a pretty dish but is delish. I was excited about making it because it used up ingredients that we had in our pantry and fridge. It was just so good (with our additions)!!!

Ingredients: corn tortillas, chorizo, cans of black beans, chicken broth, white onion, garlic, vegetable oil, Kosher salt

Topping: Cotija or queso fresco, cilantro, avocado

Tips:

• Need to use less than 1/2 of the liquid (chicken broth) -- the beans were a little too liquidy
• Add cumin and chipotle chile for some oomph a
• Add shredded lettuce on top
• Could also add radish next time
• The tortillas were hard to cut while eating, and they took a bit of time to crisp. Could use tostadas or chips next time so the dish is like nachos!

Recipe: Hobo Pack Bibimbap

 

Hobo Pack Bibimbap

Food and Wine Magazine, Aug 2017, p. 64

4.7 stars

I loved this dish -- we had it with Crispy Tofu Steaks.

We haven't been going out to eat during these pandemic times, so this filled my Korean food craving. Some kimchi on the side would be amazing next time! Note that we didn't crack an egg on top since I'd had enough eggs earlier in the day. 😀

Note: Gochujang is definitely needed for flavor and to bring the dish together.

Ingredients: sushi rice, ground pork, eggs, spinach carrots, cucumber, ginger, scallion, gochujang, canola oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, Kosher salt, pepper

Tip:

• Cook the spinach separately. It wilted much too much.

Recipe: Summer Vegetable and Burrata Salad

 

Summer Vegetable and Burrata Salad

Food and Wine Magazine, Sept 2016, p. 64

4.7 stars

This was the perfect salad for us to use some mint and basil from our herb garden -- plus who doesn't love burrata!!!  Such an easy salad to put together and incredibly flavorful and complex from the herbs, creamy burrata, bitter arugula, crunchy corn, acidic dressing and tomatoes. The only ingredient we didn't include was fava beans as I couldn't find them in our local grocery store.

Ingredients: arugula, burrata cheese, mixed cherry tomatoes, corn, mint, basil, fava beans, extra-virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips:

• Make sure to let the corn cool so it doesn't wilt the greens

Recipe: Leek and Potato Galettes

Leek and Potato Galettes

Edible Dallas & Fort Worth, Spring 2017, p. 24

4.6 stars

These galettes were so flavorful even without the two sauces. It's a great side dish that reminded me of latkes. Instead of making small patties (the recipe says it makes 30 3" galettes), we made half the recipe and it resulted in two large pan-sized patties.

Ingredients: red-skinned potatoes, leeks, cilantro, shallot, jalapeno, lime, Greek or full-fat yogurt, flour, canola oil olive oil, sea salt, pepper

Recipe: Spicy Sausage Pasta with Tomatoes and Squash

Spicy Sausage Pasta with Tomatoes and Squash

Food & Wine Magazine, Sept 2020, p. 44

5 stars

Wow. Really delicious, complex, restaurant-worthy dish. In a restaurant, this would be $16 per serving; I would serve this at a dinner party.

I'd had harissa before in restaurants but had never purchased it -- I love the condiment! Our grocery store had the Mina brand which was noted in the recipe.

Super fast to make. Great for a weeknight meal. We'll DEFINITELY be making this one again.

Ingredients: orecchiette or small shells pasta, fresh merguez or spicy Italian sausage, spicy harissa, zucchini, mint, feta cheese, dry white wine, multicolored cherry tomatoes, olive oil, Kosher salt

Recipe: Ricotta and Roasted Grape Crostini

 

Ricotta and Roasted Grape Crostini

Food and Wine Magazine, Dec 2014, p. 88

5 stars

This was so simple and definitely a restaurant-worthy, dinner party appetizer.  So flavorful. We've made crostini before, but this is the best so far. 

Ingredients: baguette slices, ricotta, grapes, balsamic vinegar, pine nuts, rosemary, extra-virgin olive oil, honey, lemon zest, flaky sea salt and pepper

Tip

• Used walnuts instead of pine nuts (don't think pine nuts are actually right for this dish!)

(Find recipe under: Salad - Celery, Fennel and Apple Salad with Pecornio and Walnuts)

Recipe: Heirloom Tomato BLT Tart

 

Heirloom Tomato BLT Tart

Today Show

5 Stars

I was watching The Today Show and saw the New York Times food editor (or maybe critic?) make this. It looked so easy, and I thought it was a great way for us to use up the puff pastry we've had in our freezer.

It was so good but messy (because of the super flaky puff pastry). It would be great for an appetizer at a dinner party. Next time, we may try this but using Tyler Florence's pizza dough recipe.

Ingredients: puff pastry, baby lettuces or arugula, heirloom tomatoes, bacon, mascarpone or creme fraiche, grated Parmesan, light brown sugar, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper, flaky sea salt

Recipe: Tomato & Prosciutto Tartines

Tomato & Prosciutto Tartines

Better Homes & Gardens, Sept 2020, p. 78   

5 Stars

So simple yet so incredibly delicious -- AND we were able to use up pesto (we've had lots of pesto in the house as our basil has gone gangbusters this year!).

This recipe would be great as a lunch item or appetizer, but hey, we had it as our entree for dinner and loved it.

Ingredients: French bread, pesto, tomatoes, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, arugula, garlic

Tips/Notes:

• We toasted the bread instead of broiling it and didn't brush the bread with olive oil and garlic -- there's enough oomph and flavor from everything else that we didn't think it was necessary to take this extra step
• Didn't broil the assembled tartines -- may do that in the future but wanted a "cold" dish this time

Recipe: Chopped Kale Salad with Prosciutto and Figs

Chopped Kale Salad with Prosciutto and Figs

Food and Wine Magazine, May 2014, p.150

5 Stars

I've been seeing figs in the grocery store and then found this recipe I'd torn out of the magazine back from 2014. So glad we made this salad as it's now one of my FAVORITE! Definitely restaurant-worthy. I can see this easily being a $16 salad in a high-end restaurant. We had this with Savory Cheese Souffles.

Ingredients: Tuscan kale, Belgian endive, radicchio, figs, prosciutto, Gorgonzola cheese, walnuts, mascarpone cheese, apple cider vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, walnut oil, salt, pepper

Notes/Tips:

• I'm not a radicchio fan and raw kale in salads is just, eh... so we substituted mixed greens & arugula
• Made half the dressing -- which still made a lot! Make 1/4 next time
• Didn't want to buy walnut oil so substituted extra-virgin olive oil
• Used Gorgonzola crumbles

Recipe: Frittata-rama

Frittata-rama

Bon Appetit Magazine, May 2018, p. 132

4.8 Stars

I personally LOVED this frittata. Partner-chef-hubby-non-blog contributor the grandcruman prefers other frittata recipes that are baked. 

Regardless, the ingredients in this dish were delish: bacon, potatoes, cheese, eggs ... the perfect lunch/brunch frittata!

Ingredients: eggs, sharp cheddar, chopped bacon, onion, Yukon Gold potatoes, Swiss chard, olive oil, salt, pepper

Notes/Tips:

• Used kale instead of Swiss chard; had to cook the kale separately first
• Because we used more leafy greens (for us, kale) than was called for, we should have added more eggs than just the 8 

Recipe: Cauliflower Soup with Hazelnuts and Bacon

Cauliflower Soup with Hazelnuts and Bacon

Bon Appetit Magazine, Dec 2017/Jan 2018, p.14

4.3 stars

I think this soup was good, but I like Grant Achatz's Silky Zucchini Soup better; now non-blog-contributor the grandcruman liked this soup more than me and more than the zucchini soup (but he's not writing this blog entry!).

My reason for selecting this recipe -- it's not that it sounded that appetizing, but it used up the fennel bulb we had in the fridge. 

The recipe is from a couple of years ago when Bon Appetit Magazine had the "r.s.v.p." section in each issue where readers could ask for the recipe of their favorite dish at a restaurant. This is from Waterfront Wines in Kelowna, British Columbia.

Ingredients: cauliflower, fennel bulb, onion, bacon, blanched hazelnuts, garlic, dry white wine, chicken broth, heavy cream, bay leaves, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper

Notes:

• Couldn't find hazelnuts so used almonds -- I think hazelnuts next time will definitely add another layer of complexity/dimension to the soup
• The recipe took at least an hour to make (active time)

Recipe: Chicken-and-Gnocchi Bake with Broccolini

Chicken-and-Gnocchi Bake with Broccolini

marthastewart.com

4.4 Stars

Really good easy weeknight GNOCCHI dish! We've had some gnocchi fails so this was an "in-a-pinch" gnocchi dish using pre-made (fresh/frozen ones) -- with Gruyere, one of my favorite cheeses. The dish was bubbling (as you can see) coming out of the oven. Great ski dinner recipe!

Ingredients: Broccolini, fresh or frozen gnocchi, cooked chicken, Gruyere, Parmigiano-Reggiano, butter, garlic, all-purpose flour, chicken broth, Kosher salt, pepper

Notes:

• Used Rotisserie chicken

Recipe: Basil Ravioli

Basil Ravioli

Food & Wine Magazine, Jun 2019, p. 110

Need to make again; Flavor was 4.8 stars

Now this was a new technique for making ravioli that didn't actually work. As you can see from the photos, it involved adding basil leaves between two sheets of dough and then putting it through the pasta rollers. The pasta sheets fell apart due to the wetness and thinness of the dough (yes, we did dry the basil). Instead of this extra step, putting a leaf or two on top of the ravioli filling may work better next time.

The filling was delicious but a little bit on the salty side so go light on the salt!

I liked the raw "fresh tomato sauce" but home chef partner/blog (now, non-)contributor the grandcruman was not a fan.

We'll try this recipe again at some point again but using our notes above.

Ingredients: homemade dough sheets, ricotta, mozzarella cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, heirloom tomatoes, basil, flour, extra-virgin olive oil, Balsamic glaze (optional), water, Kosher salt, black pepper

Recipe: Smoky Tofu Chili

Smoky Tofu Chili

MarthaStewart.com 

4.7 Stars

You're probably thinking . . . tofu chili?!?!? Yes, we were skeptical too but were willing to try this out based on the ingredient list which looked flavorful. It was definitely flavorful, GOOD and healthy. Anytime I see chipotle in adobo and fire-roasted tomatoes, the dish has an extra punch. Loved the texture of the tofu in this with the red bell pepper.

Ingredients: extra-firm tofu, red bell pepper, red onion, chipotle in adobo, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, black beans, tomato paste, cilantro, ground cumin, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt

Notes:

• Added cheddar cheese (like you add to regular chili!)
• Had tortilla chips on the side

Recipe: Sheet-Pan Chicken Meatballs and Charred Broccoli

 

Sheet-Pan Chicken Meatballs and Charred Broccoli

Bon Appetit Magazine, p.16, March 2019

4.7 Stars

This recipe had so much flavor -- just take a look at the ingredient list (ginger, garlic, honey, soy sauce and more). It was delicious! Generally, ground chicken is a bit dry, but these meatballs were incredibly moist. Also, although it looks like a lot of sauce, make it all as the sauce goes great on the broccoli and rice.

Meatball and Assembly Ingredients: rice, ground chicken, broccoli, egg, scallions, garlic, ginger, panko, toasted sesame oil, vegetable oil, Kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes

Sauce Ingredients: ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, rice cooking wine, honey, soy sauce, ginger, black pepper