Recipe: Summer Squash Gratin

Before baking

After baking

Summer Squash Gratin
Food and Wine Magazine, July 2017, p.92
5 stars

Ratatouille-like, this is an impressive and delicious side-dish year round despite the name.  Yes, I know, squash is a summer dish, but this has worked well as a fall side dish in recent months.  It looks complex to make, but isn't, and check out the short ingredient list!

Ingredients:  leeks, zucchini, yellow squash, plum tomato, Gruyere, dry white wine, EVOO, Kosher salt, pepper

Tip:

• After baking and before serving, drain excess water/juice so the bottom of the vegetables don't get soggy.

Recipe: Cheesy Grits with Poached Eggs, Greens and Bacon

Cheesy Grits with Poached Eggs, Greens and Bacon
Bon Appetit Magazine, Feb 2016, p. 28
5 stars

This is one of my favorite dishes -- combining some of my favorite food items including grits, bacon and poached eggs.

Ingredients:  white grits, Fresno or red chile, bacon, Swiss chard leaves, eggs, cheddar cheese, shallot, Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar, unsalted butter, Kosher salt, black pepper

Tips:

• Used yellow grits instead of white grits since we had yellow grits in the pantry
• Couldn't find a red chile so left that out
• Sauteed mushrooms on the side to top the dish
• Double or triple the amount of Swiss chard

Recipe: Brussels Sprouts with Grapes and Walnuts

Brussels Sprouts with Grapes and Walnuts
Kristen Bell recipe for Whole Foods
4.5 stars

We enjoyed this dish during Thanksgiving, and I forgot to take a photo!  Will update this post with a photo the next time we make this dish.  Super simple side dish that's a crowd pleaser.

Ingredients:  Brussels sprouts, red seedless grapes, walnut pieces, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, fresh thyme, sea salt, black pepper

Recipe: Broccoli Bolognese with Orecchiette

Broccoli Bolognese with Orecchiette
Bon Appetit Magazine, Nov 2017, p. 48
3.75 stars

I didn't rate this super high and am not adding this to our 'What Not to Make' blog post because this dish was good (not amazing) and easy to make in a pinch for a weeknight meal.  We usually have all the ingredients that this recipe calls for.

By the way, I can't understand why they call this a bolognese?!?

Ingredients:  broccoli, Italian sausage, orecchiette, unsalted butter, Parmesan, garlic, EVOO, Kosher salt

Tips:

• Used frozen broccoli instead of fresh
• Didn't have orecchiette pasta so use any pasta shape you have on hand!

Recipe: Green Corn Soup

Green Corn Soup
Food and Wine Magazine, Aug 2017, p.92
5 stars

Silky Zucchini Soup was our go-to "easy," healthy soup to make until this one came along.  This dish has great flavor (especially with our changes to the recipe) and was just as simple to make -- and just as creamy (without any cream added!) as the zucchini soup. 

Ingredients:  corn, medium onion, garlic, baby spinach, jalapenos, lime juice, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips/Changes:

• Used frozen corn instead of fresh corn
• Added a pinch of chipotle powder for added heat and complexity
• Added a dollop of sour cream and finishing salt on top
• Served it hot instead of cold

Recipe: Vegetable Tortilla

Vegetable Tortilla
Food and Wine Magazine, Sept 2017, p. 118
4.5 stars

This dish took me back to Spain where we ate a lot of "tortillas."  For those that live in Texas and the Southwest, tortilla here is not the flour or corn type that we get at the typical Mexican or Tex-Mex restaurant -- this is a Spanish tortilla that is like a frittata. I gave this 4.5 stars and not 5 because this is a dish where I have to be in the mood to eat it because of the saffron flavor.

Ingredients:  eggs, Yukon Gold potato, small onion, zucchini, red bell pepper, baby spinach, saffron, boiling water, EVOO, mayonnaise, garlic, Kosher salt, pepper


Tips:

• Even if you don't like mayonnaise, make the aioli-like sauce.  It complements the tortilla perfectly and makes the dish (but go light on the garlic); without it, the tortilla is missing something.

Recipe: Lumaconi with Prosciutto and Lemon Breadcrumbs

Lumaconi with Prosciutto and Lemon Breadcrumbs
Bon Appetit Magazine, Sept 2014, p. 129
5 stars

This recipe is from Tosca in San Francisco, and the dish is one of the best cream-based pastas we've made.  While there are a few steps to this, it was not a difficult recipe.  This will be a go-to dish for when we cook while on our next ski trip!

Ingredients:  pasta, parsley, prosciutto, breadcrumbs, radicchio (we used spinach), shallot, garlic, brandy, thyme, bay leaf, lemon zest, lemon juice, heavy cream, olive oil, Kosher salt

Tips/Changes:

• Chopped the prosciutto instead of putting it in the food processor
• Used spinach instead of radicchio (note: use a huge box of spinach next time)
• Used fusilli shaped pasta instead of lumaconi (snail shell shaped) pasta
• Added red pepper to the prosciutto cream
• Did not strain the prosciutto cream through the fine-mesh sieve (no need to!) -- but we did remove the sprigs of thyme and the bay leaf
• Be careful to not oversalt the dish since the prosciutto provides saltiness

Recipe: Mini Chocolate Chip Scones

Mini Chocolate Chip Scones
Sugar Spun Run Blog
5 stars

Inspired by the Great British Baking Show, we decided to make scones, mini ones.  I found this recipe on the Sugar Spun Run blog while Googling for 'scones' in general.

These scones were a-maz-ing!!!  So flaky.  Flavorful.  Great amount of chocolate chips.  The perfect size.  One night I had 2 scones (they were THAT good) and really shouldn't have since I felt stuffed afterwards.

Tips:

• Freeze the butter and instead of using a box grater which takes a long time (and the butter starts to melt), use a food processor.
• Put the grated butter and also the dough in the freezer for a minute or so to ensure the butter doesn't melt.
• The dough will be very shaggy but will eventually come together.  Just make sure not to overwork the dough.

Scone ingredients:  flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, butter, heavy cream, vanilla extract, chocolate chips

Glaze ingredients:  powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract

Recipe: Polenta and Sausage Stuffing

Polenta and Sausage Stuffing
Gourmet Magazine, Nov 2005
4 stars

I found this recipe from a 2005 issue of now defunct Gourmet Magazine that we had saved.  Really delicious dish and quite simple to make -- there were just some steps like cooling the polenta, broiling half of it, and baking it for 35 min which takes a bit of time altogether.

Tip:

• Make sure to broil the polenta until crispy!  We were trying to speed up the process and get dinner on the table and didn't brown it enough.
• Also, we made half the recipe which was more than enough for 2 people with leftovers for a couple of days.

Ingredients:  polenta, sweet Italian sausage, onion, garlic, chicken broth, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley, olive oil, butter, water, salt

Recipe: Bucatini with Tomato, Guanciale and Chile

Bucatini with Tomato, Guanciale and Chile
Bon Appetit Magazine, Sept 2014, p.130
5 stars

This is a restaurant-worthy dish (in fact, it's from the restaurant Tosca in San Francisco) and a quick, weekday meal.  We've made similar dishes before, but the layers of flavor from the salty prosciutto (umami!) to the underlying barely-there rosemary and the heat of the red pepper -- and then the garlic and Pecorino. . . yum!  This is one we'll be serving to guests for sure in the future.

Tips:

• Used prosciutto instead of pancetta
• Added garlic
• Topped with parsley

Ingredients:  guanciale or pancetta, red onion, crushed tomatoes, bucatini, rosemary, red pepper flakes, salt, Pecorino, olive oil

Recipe: Corn Cake Stacks with Aged Cheddar and Arugula

Corn Cake Stacks with Aged Cheddar and Arugula
Country Living, Jun 2014, p.105
4 stars

A nice main or side dish.  The corn cakes didn't get as crispy as I thought they would; they were a bit soft, but the flavor was good especially with the aged Cheddar cheese.  We made refried beans on the side with the extra diced red bell pepper as well as onion, garlic and cumin.

Tip:

• Instead of baking in the oven as the last step, we'll try the broiler next time.

Ingredients:  corn kernels, red bell pepper, aged Cheddar cheese, baby arugula, cornmeal, eggs, olive oil, sugar, kosher salt, baking powder

Recipe: Omelet Souffle

Omelet Souffle: An Experiment
Food and Wine Magazine, July 2010, p.36
4 stars

I love souffles, but sometimes there just isn't enough time to make them especially on a weekday.  This is a quick 'omelet souffle' recipe that works in a pinch, but it doesn't have the depth of flavor as a regular souffle as the ingredients in this recipe are few.  I'd definitely make this again; however, do prefer regular souffles.

Ingredients:  eggs, butter, Gruyere cheese, salt, top with herbs

Recipe: Lamb Larb

We turned this into a salad

Lamb Larb
Bon Appetit Magazine, Feb 2017, p. 97
4.5 stars

This was a fast and healthy dish to make with a lot of complexity in flavor -- and yet with not many complex ingredients to prep.

Ingredients:  ground lamb, white rice, Bibb lettuce leaves, cucumber, mint, shallot, cilantro, garlic, red Thai chiles, lime juice, fish sauce, demerara sugar or dark brown sugar, lemongrass stalk, salted roasted peanuts, vegetable oil

Tips:

• Add red pepper to the lemongrass mix
• I'm not a huge fan of peanuts in dishes so didn't top mine with peanuts
• Add basil
• Make extra fish sauce to top the dish
• Add sriracha on top
• Didn't have large enough leaves to make lettuce cups, so turned this into a salad!

Recipe: Chocolate Torta Soffice

Right out of the oven without the powdered
sugar and mascarpone whipped topping

Chocolate Torta Soffice
Food and Wine Magazine, May 2017, p. 107
3 stars as a regular chocolate cake;  4 stars as a chocolate tea cake

This is a chocolate tea cake, not very sweet and not suitable for a celebratory dessert.  However, as a tea cake or a non-so-sweet chocolate cake, it's good.

We had some ganache from another recipe I made;  topping the cake with the ganache, mascarpone whipped topping and a little ice cream was delicious.  We did not top it with the pistachios.

Ingredients:  flour, unsweetened cocoa, salted butter, baking powder, eggs, granulated sugar, whole milk, mascarpone, heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, chopped roasted unsalted pistachios

Recipe: Toasted Orecchiette with Veal Meatballs

Toasted Orecchiette with Veal Meatballs
Bon Appetit Magazine, Jan 2016, p. 11
4 stars

This recipe would be GREAT with some changes.

Tips/Changes:

• Definitely need to cook the bacon first to render off the fat!
• The meatballs were not done after 20 min of cooking in the broth.  We ended up sauteing them in a pan.
• Double the amount of kale next time.
• There wasn't a need to fry the orecchiette -- I mean, it might have been good, but it wasn't necessary (saved the calories here).
• Used ground beef instead of ground veal.
• Used baby bellas instad of maitake mushrooms.
• The recipe called for 8 garlic cloves.  We used 6 (afraid that it would be too garlicky which it wasn't), so will use all 8 next time.  

Ingredients:  smoked bacon, ground veal, ground pork, garlic cloves, onion, breadcrumbs, milk, broth, orecchiette, olive oil, maitake mushrooms, kale, Parmesan, ground coriander, red pepper flakes, allspice, hot smoked Spanish paprika, kosher salt, black pepper

Recipe: Crusty Baked Shells & Cauliflower

Crusty Baked Shells & Cauliflower
Food and Wine Magazine, Nov 2016, p. 80
5 stars

This is my new favorite cauliflower dish!  TASTY, and I can't wait to eat the leftovers today.  I love the cheesiness of the dish along with the 'crunch' of the panko and cauliflower.

Ingredients:  cauliflower, medium shells, fresh sage, capers, olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, crushed red pepper, grated Fontina cheese, fresh ricotta, panko, Italian Pecorino cheese, parsley, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips:

• Instead of capers, used peppadew peppers instead -- we like the flavor better
• Used a little extra Fontina since we had more than was called for

Recipe: Farro-and-Sausage Parmigiano

Farro-and-Sausage Parmigiano

Food and Wine Magazine, Jan 2017, p. 48

4 stars

I was looking for a hearty dish that uses farro, and I found this recipe that I had saved from a few months ago.  What sold me on the dish was the addition of the Italian sausage and the fresh mozzarella on top.  You can't see the mozz in the image above (I topped it with a lot of panko), but it really 'made' the dish.  

This recipe isn't hard to make and didn't take long (we didn't cook the farro for 2.5 hours;  we have 30-min farro) so this is good for a healthy, weekday meal where you'll definitely have leftovers!

Ingredients:  farro, crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, hot or sweet Italian sausage, scallions, yellow onion, garlic, panko, Parmigiano-Reggiano, fresh mozzarella, parsley, lemon zest, fresh oregano, dried oregano, crushed red pepper, fennel seeds, white wine vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper

Tips:

• Make half of the topping
• Use quick cook farro
• Use mini balls of mozzarella

Recipe: Lentil and Egg Stew

Lentil and Egg Stew
Bon Appetit Magazine, Feb 2017, p. 79
4 Stars

I thought we'd give this recipe a whirl as we had almost all of the ingredients listed -- plus the recipe photo in the magazine looked delicious!  However, this was one where I was skeptical of the recipe based on the ingredient listing and the name of the dish;  I was thinking this might turn out very bland (it's basically lentils and vegetables and no herbs), but it wasn't.  It was a nice, flavorful, healthy stew.  Just make sure to add enough salt and to cook it with the umami-laden Parmesan rind.

Ingredients:  lentils, onion, fennel bulb, carrots, garlic, tomato paste, Parmesan rind, spinach, eggs, red wine vinegar, grated Pecorino, olive oil, Kosher salt, bread for serving

Tips:

• Used grated Parmesan instead
• Added celery since we had that in the fridge
• Didn't fry the bread
• Next time: Mixing in Andouille sausage would be a nice addition

Recipe: Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with Lots of Kale

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with Lots of Kale
Bon Appetit Magazine, Feb 2017, p. 34
4.5 stars

For such a simple recipe, this was flavorful and is now a go-to weekday meal.  Nine ingredients and about 20 minutes is all you need.  I was a little skeptical (kale with spaghetti???), but it works!

Ingredients:  kale, garlic, spaghetti or bucatini, olive oil, Parmesan, red pepper flakes, Kosher salt, black pepper, flaky sea salt

Tips:

• Used bucatini -- I consider it a "fun" pasta(!) since it's tubular/hollow
• Make sure to use all the kale the recipe calls for;  like spinach, it shrinks down to nothing as it cooks

Recipe: Rise No.1 Souffles

Rise No.1 Souffles

A souffle = my favorite dish.  They're generally light, delicate and full of flavor -- and because of the multiple steps to make them (and the myth that they're hard to make), are special . . . kind of like French macarons.  Souffles are actually not hard to make; however, the recipes I've made have not cracked the code on how to keep the souffles from "falling" so fast.

Rise No.1 in Dallas, TX makes amazing souffles that are beautiful (perfect!) and don't fall.  They offer a souffle cookbook that I was going to purchase, but the reviews were, well, not great.  However, I searched online to see if I could find one of their recipes to test, and I found one:

Rise No.1's Jambon & Gruyere Souffle

The recipe was significantly different from others I've followed (the ratio of egg whites to eggs and the mixing process), but I decided to give it a try.  The recipe turned out wonderfully!  As you can see from the photos, the souffles rose, and they didn't fall right away!  I overfilled the ramekins a bit too much which is why the top of the souffle looks like it has shifted to the right.  The recipe from here on out is my go-to.  Give it a try along with the following accompaniments for the perfect dinner:

• bread
• salad made up of mixed greens, Granny Smith apple, bleu cheese, candied pecans and a light vinaigrette
• glass of Pinot Noir 

Recipe: Grits Aligot

Shrimp and grits and salad

Look how thick and cheesy these grits are!

Grits Aligot
Bon Appetit Magazine, Sept 2016, p. 144
5 stars

The recipe is from Buxton Hall Barbecue, one of Bon Appetit's 10 Best New Restaurants of 2016.

This recipe should be called Cheese with Grits.  These are the richest, cheesiest grits we've made. . .  and we WILL make these again!  It's perfect with shrimp and a simple side salad.  Note:  This dish is not for those on a diet.  As blog contributor (or non-contributor now) the grandcruman said to me, "They're over the top!"

Ingredients:  coarse-grind grits, butter, heavy cream, mozzarella, Gruyere, extra-sharp cheddar, Kosher salt

Recipe: Pappardelle with Summer Squash and Arugula-Walnut Pesto

Pappardelle with Summer Squash and Arugula-Walnut Pesto
Food and Wine Magazine, Aug 2015 p. 122
4 stars

I love when I find recipes that use up ingredients that we have on hand.  We had a bunch of basil leftover from another pesto dish that we made; and while this dish doesn't call for basil, we added it to the arugula pesto -- it was great!  This is a restaurant-worthy dish that we'll serve to guests in the future.  Great presentation (lovely ribbons of pappardelle and also zucchini) and a pasta/veggie dish all in one.  Plus, it's super simple to make.

Ingredients:  papparedelle, zucchini, arugula, walnuts, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, lemon juice, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips:

• Added basil to the pesto

Recipe: Pocho Taco

Pocho Taco
Bon Appetit Magazine, Mar 2017, p.77
5 stars

Amazing tacos with so much flavor!!!  Definitely restaurant-worthy;  however, this is not a quick weekday meal as preparation of all the ingredients takes a bit of time.

Picadillo Ingredients:  ground beef chuck, russet potato, yellow onion, shallot, pine nuts, Kosher salt, ground pepper, vegetable oil, dried pequin chile or crushed red pepper flakes, ground cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, chicken broth

Salsa and Assembly Ingredients:  tomatoes, red onion, garlic, serrano, jalapeno, white wine vinegar, Kosher salt, shallot, creme fraiche or sour cream, chives, lemon zest, lemon juice, hard taco shells and grated cheddar for serving

Tips:

• Added avocado and lettuce
• Add cilantro next time
• The salsa was quite strong so would recommend cooking it a bit on the stove to cook off some of the garlic and chile compounds

Recipe: Coffee-Flavored Belgian Waffles

Coffee-Flavored Belgian Waffles
Bon Appetit Magazine, Mar 2017, p. 14
2 stars for waffles, 4 stars for pancakes

This was a 'r.s.v.p' recipe that someone requested from Kapnos in Washington, D.C.  The flavor of the waffle was good, but it was SOGGY coming out of our waffle iron.  I'll try making it again, but the batter actually was perfect for pancakes.

Note:  We used a regular waffle iron.  Be careful not to overfill it as the batter is light and fluffy and will overflow and seep out of the sides and all over your counter!

Ingredients:  flour, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, eggs, whole-milk ricotta, buttermilk, espresso powder, butter, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt;  maple syrup and whipped cream for serving

Recipe: Weeknight Mapo Dofu with Ground Pork

Weeknight Mapo Dofu with Ground Pork
Bon Appetit Magazine, Nov 2016, p. 52
5 Stars

My new favorite Asian dish!  I love Mapo Dofu (tofu), but it's generally not the healthiest dish to make or eat.  Lots of oil and few to no vegetables.  For this recipe, we added vegetables to "healthy-it-up" (and to use ingredients we had in the fridge!), and the entire dish used only 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil.  My mouth is watering now just thinking about this.

This is an easy weeknight dish -- the recipe notes it at 25 min total time which is about right.

Ingredients:  ground pork, jalapeno, tofu, garlic, ginger, scallions, tomato paste, Sichuan peppercorns, chicken broth, Chinese black bean garlic sauce, cornstarch, vegetable oil, basil, white rice

Tips:

• Used medium firm tofu as we like them in chunks and didn't want the tofu to fall apart
• Added broccoli and kale (cooked/wilted kale in a separate pan and added to the dish near the end)
• The key to this dish is the Chinese black bean garlic sauce which I've found at many regular/standard grocery stores

Recipe: Black Bean and Chorizo Soup

Black Bean and Chorizo Soup
Food and Wine Magazine, Dec 2016, p.74
5 stars

This soup recipe, from Kathy Gunst's cookbook Soup Swap, rivals (in a different way) the America's Test Kitchen Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe which we love.  The soup offers a punch of flavors in every bite and is SUPER easy to make!

Ingredients:  black beans, onions, Spanish-style dried chorizo, garlic, chicken stock, cumin, bay leaf, thyme sprig, parsley sprig, Mexican crema, avocado, radishes, cilantro, lime wedges, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper, tortillas

Tips

• Used 2 cans of black beans instead of dried beans (next time, use 3 cans of black beans)
• Used 1 onion instead of 3
• Used fresh chorizo instead of dried
• Used creme fraiche (instead of Mexican crema) since we had it in the house
• Reduced cooking time by a lot since we used canned beans

Recipe: Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Food and Wine Magazine, Nov 2016, p. 128
5 stars

This Anthony Bourdain recipe has just 6 ingredients!  As the recipe notes at the top, 'Forget a salad . . . this is the only green thing you need on the table!'

Ingredients:  bacon, brussels sprouts, butter, lemon juice, salt and pepper

Tips:

• We didn't follow the directions exactly. . .  so will need to report back the next time we make this.  We cooked the bacon in a skillet (without water) and roasted the brussels sprouts in the oven.

Recipe: Mashed-Potato Casserole with Sage and Fontina

Mashed-Potato Casserole with Sage and Fontina
Food and Wine Magazine, Nov 2016, p.67
4.5 stars

A wonderful side dish that we're sure to make again!

Ingredients:  potatoes, unsalted butter, Fontina cheese, breadcrumbs, creme fraiche, parsley, sage, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips:

• Use about 50% more creme fraiche to make them ultra creamy
• Note: We forgot to add the sage on top in the photo!

Recipe: Green Curry with Brown Rice Noodles and Swiss Chard

Green Curry with Brown Rice Noodles and Swiss Chard
Bon Appetit Magazine, Nov 2016, p. 66
4 stars

My first green curry from scratch!  This was pretty good and flavorful but didn't quite have the oomph as other curries I've had in restaurants.  Perhaps it's because I 'healthied' it up by using lite coconut milk and I didn't add one of the ingredients (green peppercorns in brine).

I'd make this again unless I find another recipe to try out.

Ingredients:  thin brown rice noodles, cilantro, mint, swiss chard, scallions, garlic, green Thai chiles, ginger, green peppercorns in brine, ground tumeric, coconut oil, unsweetened coconut milk, lime juice, lime wedges, lemongrass stalk, coconut sugar or honey, Kosher salt

Tips:

• Couldn't find green peppercorns in brine so didn't add them.
• Couldn't find Thai chiles so added red pepper instead; will add a jalapeno or serrano next time.
• Used regular thin rice noodles instead of brown rice noodles.
• Added tofu after the swiss chard.
• Needed a bit of salt to bring out the flavor.
• Took more than 25-30 min to reduce; allow up to 45 min.
• Next time, use less water -- perhaps 2 cups instead which might cut down on the cooking reduction time.
• This makes more than 4 servings (maybe 6-8 depending on portion size?).
• Would be great over rice.

Recipe: Pork-and-Ricotta-Stuffed Jumbo Shells

Recipe:  Pork-and-Ricotta-Stuffed Jumbo Shells
Food and Wine Magazine, Jan 2017, p.92
4.5 stars

We're making this recipe the next time we go skiing and need a hearty, delicious and yet simple dish to make.

The added cream was a nice touch.  We've made a dish like this before, but this recipe is the best large pasta shell dish we've made so far.

Ingredients:  jumbo pasta shells, marinara sauce, ground pork, fresh ricotta, panko, garlic cloves, egg, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley, heavy cream, fresh mozzarella, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips

• We made our own marinara.
• Not sure about the fresh mozzarella on top.  I love the idea, but it was a little too chewy -- perhaps we baked it for too long.
• Try ground sausage next time.

Recipe: Fennel Risotto with Crispy Lamb Sausage

Fennel Risotto with Crispy Lamb Sausage
Food and Wine Magazine

I saw this recipe in Food and Wine Magazine (can't remember which month's publication - but see above for the link to the recipe) as part of a Beringer vineyards ad.  I normally don't cook recipes that are part of ads, but the photo looked so appetizing.

We made the Fennel Risotto only which was incredibly easy and FLAVORFUL -- a restaurant, quality dish -- and bought sausages to accompany it.

Ingredients:  fennel bulb, chicken broth, arborio rice, dry white wine, extra-virgin olive oil, butter, ricotta salata cheese, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips:

• Made 1/2 the recipe (2 cups of arborio rice makes a LOT of risotto!)
• Used regular ricotta cheese
• Added parmesan cheese
• Used white pepper
• Used all broth instead of a combination of broth and water
• It went great with Jalapeno cheddar sausages!

Recipe: Crispy Tofu Steaks

Crispy Tofu Steaks with Ginger Vinaigrette
Food and Wine Magazine, Mar 2016, p. 58
5 stars

Love, love, love this tofu preparation!
It's basically lightly 'fried' tofu which has been dipped in egg and panko.
The ginger vinaigrette is mild and pairs nicely with the tofu.

Very easy and fast -- with simple ingredients.  My new favorite way to eat tofu.

Ingredients:  firm tofu, egg, panko, ginger, scallions, white wine vinegar, canola oil, salt

Recipe: Baked Rigatoni with Milk-Braised Pork, Ricotta and Lemon

Baked Rigatoni with Milk-Braised Pork, Ricotta and Lemon
Food and Wine Magazine, Oct 2016, p. 120
No rating:  I need to make it again

This recipe turned out a bit dry, but it's due to 2 issues:
- I overcooked the pork!
- The organic ricotta I bought was drier than usual

The flavors were good, so we'll definitely make this again -- will just need to check on the pork earlier to make sure the pork doesn't get overcooked and that the cooking liquid doesn't reduce as much.

Note:  This is a weekend meal, taking about 4.5 hours (most of it cooking time in the oven).

Ingredients:  boneless pork roast, rigatoni, ricotta, garlic, whole milk, dry white wine, lemon, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon zest, rosemary, bay leaf, Kosher salt and pepper, fresh grated pecorino cheese

Recipe: Chicken-Barley Soup with Herbs and Egg Noodles

Forgot to take a photo of the dish!

Chicken-Barley Soup with Herbs and Egg Noodles
Food and Wine Magazine, Jan 2017, p. 91
4 stars

Nice, hearty winter dish that is really easy to make (not much to it), but just takes time to cook (over 1.5 hr) so we made it over the weekend.  I rated it 4 stars and not 5 because it's not a wow-knock-you-off-your-rocker-i'd-serve-this-to-guests kind of dish, but it was a good, solid, healthy dish that has been great for leftovers.

Ingredients:  chicken legs, leeks, celery, mixed mushrooms, garlic, thyme, chicken stock or broth, pearled barley, egg noodles, lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt and pepper, chopped parsley or tarragon

Tips:

• Used more celery than was called for
• Used chicken thighs instead of legs
• Parsley or tarragon is definitely a nice addition/garnish

Recipe: Celery Root Bisque with Walnut-Parsley Gremolata

Celery Root Bisque with Walnut-Parsley Gremolata
Food and Wine Magazine, Nov 2016, p. 132
3.5 stars

This recipe was fine but needs a little work because the soup was a bit too watery;  however, it had good flavor.  The walnut-parsley gremolata was surprisingly delicious and a necessary addition.

Ingredients:  celery root, leek, chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, chicken stock or broth, walnuts, parsley, heavy cream, garlic, butter, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt and pepper

Tips:

• Add a couple of small potatoes next time to thicken up the soup.
• Add croutons to the top for extra crunch!

Recipe: Apple Gingerbread Cake With Cream

In the springform pan before flipping it on to the baking sheet

Voila!

Apple Gingerbread Cake With Cream
Bon Appetit Magazine, Oct 2016, p.100
4.5 stars

This recipe is not for a beginner baker, and it's not a quick recipe.  Not hard, just a lot of steps and takes some time!

It's a really nice fall/winter dessert that's a bit on the sweet side primarily because of the caramel.  With vanilla bean ice cream on the side, it's perfect for a apple-gingerbread lover.

Ingredients:  unsalted butter, light brown sugar, lady apples, flour, baking powder, kosher salt, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, dark molasses, pure maple syrup, eggs, fresh ginger, baking soda, heavy cream

Tips:

• Cooked the apples all at once in a large skillet vs. in 2 batches.
• Sliced the apples differently than how Bon Appetit sliced them.
• Baked for 47 min.
• Next time, will cut the salt to just 1 tsp.  Each bite is a little on the salty side.  

Recipe: Haricots Verts Salad with Crispy Potato Chips

Haricots Verts Salad with Crispy Potato Chips
Food and Wine Magazine, Nov 2016
4 stars

I loved this dish, but blog contributor 'the grandcruman' was not a fan since this had a strong vinegar-Dijon mustard flavor.  So note: you must like that flavor profile in order to like this dish.  This dish does not lack flavor for sure!

In short, this is a haricots verts (or green bean) dish with crispy potatoes on top and a shallot/Champagne vinegar/Dijon mustard with parsley vinaigrette.

Ingredients:  baby Yukon Gold potatoes, haricots verts, thyme, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt and pepper, shallot, Champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, parsley

Tips:

• Used green beans instead of haricots verts.
• The potatoes stuck to the aluminum foil.  We'd suggest slicing them thicker next time and not using aluminum foil on the baking sheet.
• This makes a lot of dressing.  For 2 lbs of haricots verts, make just 3/4 or less of the dressing.

Recipe: Vietnamese Chicken Soup with Rice

Vietnamese Chicken Soup with Rice
Bon Appetit Magazine, Oct 2016, p. 12
5+ stars

This is one of the best dishes we've ever made -- super flavorful and a restaurant quality dish.  The recipe was in the r.s.v.p. section of Bon Appetit magazine where people request (sometimes beg for!) recipes for dishes they've had at a restaurant.  This one is from Elizabeth Street Cafe in Austin which I've dined at and enjoyed.

This will be a "go-to" recipe for us.  It's very easy; you just need to have all ingredients on hand.  AND. . .  it doesn't require hours to cook.  We've tried making flavorful broths (like for pho) before, and this one was simple and packed a punch of flavor with all of the ingredients.

Ingredients:  dried kombu, chicken thighs, ginger, star anise pods, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, chicken stock or broth, glutinous (sticky) rice or sushi rice, fish sauce, light brown sugar, scallion, jalapeno, cilantro, white onion

Tips/Additions:

• Added a garlic glove to the broth
• Added red pepper flakes to the broth
• Topped it with white pepper
• As you can see, I love jalapenos so topped mine with quite a few -- top it to taste!

Enjoy!

Recipe: Mexican Baked Eggs

Messy plating, but hey, it was delicious!

Mexican Baked Eggs
Food and Wine Magazine, Jun 2016, p. 52
5 stars

Talk about easy and quick dish to make for a weeknight meal.  We amped it up by adding a few ingredients -- see tips below.

I'm all about flavor, and this had it -- just see the ingredients.

Ingredients:  eggs, poblanos, garlic, cherry tomatoes, tomato sauce, queso fresco, cilantro, jalapeno, dried oregano, olive oil

Tips:

• Added chorizo
• Added red pepper
• Topped it with sliced avocado and radishes
• Add salt to taste

Documentary: Food Matters

The documentary Forks Over Knives changed how we eat forever.  In short, it discussed how a plant-based diet can cure all kinds of ailments and how dairy and meat are shown to have a strong correlation to cancer.  After watching that documentary, we started eating a LOT less meat and switched from regular milk to almond milk.

Last night, we watched Food Matters on Netflix, and it also is changing forever how we eat in a big way.  The documentary is less than an hour and a half and will change your life and health.  If you're reading this, I highly recommend watching it -- get the documentary from your library or buy it from Amazon or watch it on the Food Matters site.

Like Forks Over Knives, Food Matters touts the benefits of eating a plant-based, RAW vegetable diet but also provides research support about the huge benefits of taking vitamins -- and how people with chronic diseases and even cancer have self-healed by changing their diet and taking vitamins.  What's crazy is that when I was in high school, I remember my Anatomy & Physiology teacher telling me that her friend's cancer disappeared after taking high doses of vitamin C.  This documentary has all the research and support for that.

Here is more about the documentary:  Food Matters

My biggest takeaways:

• We need to eat 51% (raw) vegetables during each meal for better wellness and health.  It's definitely going to be hard for us to eat raw vegetables during each meal, but I think if we can get to a mix of 51%+ raw and cooked veggies.
• Your body is powerful and is made to self-heal, but it can only self-heal if it is nourished with all the vitamins it needs to fight off disease.
• Nutrition therapy works but the government has suppressed it and the research findings (just like they did with the sugar industry -- watch the documentary Sugar Coated) because of powerful pharmaceutical lobbyists. You will get mad at the government and the pharma companies after watching the documentary.
• You really are what you eat.

Recipe: Chocolate S'more Pie

Chocolate S'more Pie
Gourmet Magazine, Nov 2006
5 stars

Was looking for a dessert to take over to our friends' house and found this recipe we'd saved (10 years ago!) from the now defunct Gourmet Magazine.

The pie was a hit!  We were so excited to eat it, I neglected to take a photo of it.  Will update this blog post with a photo the next time I make it which will probably be soon.

It wasn't too sweet, and I think the pie was actually even better the next day after putting it in the fridge overnight.

Tips/Notes/My Modifications:

• Used a mix of 72% chocolate and 60% chips
• Took a while for the marshmallow topping to whip up and triple in volume
• Make sure to chill the pie (chocolate cream filling in the pie crust) and put the marshmallow topping directly on the pie.  We made the marshmallow topping in advance and put it in a container where the topping set and was hard to spread on the pie).
• Enjoy with your closest friends!

Recipe: Stir-Fried Sweet Potato Noodles (Jap Chae)

Stir-Fried Sweet Potato Noodles (Jap Chae)
Food and Wine Magazine, Jul 2016, p. 80
5 stars

My new favorite super healthy, vegetarian Asian dish!

Jap chae is a traditional Korean dish made with sweet potato noodles.  You might be thinking, sweet potato noodles?!?  Honestly, you would never guess that the noodles were made of the root vegetable since they taste and have the texture of a rice/glass noodle which you could substitute.

This recipe takes a bunch of ingredients, mainly vegetables.

Ingredients:  Korean-style noodles (jap chae), shrimp, garlic, red onion, carrots, broccolini, red Swiss chard, oyster mushrooms, sugar snap peas, peas, scallion, black sesame seeds, egg, mirin, soy sauce, vegetable oil, toasted sesame oil, white sesame seeds, sugar, salt

Tips/Things I Modified:

• Make sure not to overcook the noodles!
• Left out the shrimp
• Added tofu
• Stirred in the egg instead of making the strips of egg
• Used kale instead of red Swiss chard
• Added sriracha to taste at the table

Recipe: Spinach Souffle with Shallots and Smoked Gouda Cheese

Spinach Souffle with Shallots and Smoked Gouda Cheese
Epicurious.com
3.7 stars

I found this recipe in my recipe binder -- I'd printed it back in 2011 but hadn't made this souffle.  Don't know why.  I pulled the recipe and was honestly not 100% optimistic on how it was going to turn out.  I've made other souffles before, but the steps were different, and I wasn't sure if the shallots, spinach and smoked gouda were going to complement each other well.

Overall, it turned out pretty good.  The souffles didn't rise as high as other recipes that I've made, and the texture was not as light and airy as I would've liked, but flavor-wise, it was delicious.

10 ingredients:  milk, butter, flour, eggs, shallots, spinach, smoked Gouda cheese, nutmeg, salt, pepper

Tips/What I did:

• Made half the recipe which yielded 3 large individual portion ramekins
• Instead of frozen spinach, sauteed fresh spinach and then drained off the water and chopped it up
• Used onion instead of shallots because, well, I forgot to buy shallots

I'd make a spinach/shallot/smoked gouda souffle again, but perhaps use another souffle recipe's steps.  Will update this blog post with tips when I make it next time.

Recipe: Instant Chocolate Cake (5 min Chocolate Cake when you're craving cake at 8pm)

Instant Chocolate Cake

Food Network

5 stars!!!

I often crave dessert after dinner and we'll have nothing, no dessert at all, in the house!  Sometimes we'll go out to get dessert, but last week I didn't want to go anywhere.  It was 8pm, and I just wanted to sit on the couch and hang out after a long day at work.  I thought about looking at UberEats or Postmates to see if I could get dessert delivered but instead. . . 

Instant Chocolate Cake recipe to the rescue.

8 ingredients, 2 minutes in the microwave.  Voila.  Dessert enough for 2 people!

See link above to the simple recipe from the Food Network.

Ingredients are things we almost always have in the house:  flour, sugar, cocoa powder, egg, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, salt.

The cake has a bit of a souffle-like texture which I loved.  I'd seen e-mails and Facebook posts about 'microwave mug cakes' and turned my nose up at those recipes.  Not anymore.  This is my 'in a pinch' chocolate cake recipe that I'm filing away.  Next time:  I'm adding chocolate chips (and maybe some peppermint extract) and pouring a chocolate ganache on top.  

Recipe: Spaghettini with Warm Bacon-Mushroom Vinaigrette

Spaghettini with Warm Bacon-Mushroom Vinaigrette
Food and Wine Magazine, Oct 2016, p. 120
4 stars

This was the cover recipe on the Oct 2016 issue of Food and Wine Magazine.  Nice dish that calls for only 9 ingredients excluding salt and pepper.

Ingredients:  spaghettini, bacon, onion, mixed mushrooms, garlic, balsamic vinegar, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper, basil

It's a pretty quick weeknight meal.  When serving, make sure each portion gets enough mushrooms and bacon.  The bacon adds the umami to the dish and helps the dish come together.  Without the bacon, it would be bland!

Tips/What We Did:

• Used regular spaghetti
• Left out the white truffle oil

Recipe: Alton Brown's Chicken Parmesan Balls

Alton Brown's Chicken Parmesan Balls
The Today Show (link above)
4.5 stars

I was watching the Today Show last week.  Alton Brown was on showing how to make his Chicken Parmesan Balls -- I had to make them after watching the clip.

Great recipe that we'll definitely make again.  This could be served with pasta, but we decided on bread.

We didn't make the herb oil but I'm sure that adds a whole other dimension to the balls.  (I guess he doesn't call them meatballs since the recipe doesn't use red meat?)  Also, we made our own spaghetti sauce recipe.

The chicken parmesan balls themselves only had 11 ingredients:  panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, ground chicken, egg, oil, dried basil, garlic powder, dried parsley, dried oregano, Kosher salt and mozzarella cheese.

For an alternative to 'red' meatballs, this was great!

Different Cheeses from Mexico

Sometimes I can't remember the difference between the various common Mexican cheeses.  For my quick reference, I took a photo of the image above from Bon Appetit Magazine - p. 104 from the Feb 2016 issue.  I found the descriptions super helpful!

Recipe: Sour Cream and Scallion Drop Biscuits

Sour Cream and Scallion Drop Biscuits
Bon Appetit Magazine, Feb 2016, p. 27
5 stars

Can I just say YUM?!

These are now my favorite biscuits that I've ever made.  They're so flavorful and moist.  It might sound odd to put scallions in them, but that's what differentiates them and gives them a unique flavor.  Definitely something I'd made for guests.

It doesn't take very long to prep the 9 ingredients.

Ingredients:  all-purpose flour, melted butter, scallions, sour cream, baking powder, kosher salt, sugar, baking soda, hot paprika.

Tip:

• The biggest tip is to bake them longer than the 12-15 min that's called for in the recipe.  Make sure the tops of the biscuits get brown (don't get fooled by the paprika that is also reddish brown), and make sure the bottoms get a little brown as well.  It took me about double the bake time.

Recipe: Barley with Walnuts and Bacon

Barley with Walnuts and Bacon
Food and Wine Magazine, p. 44
3.5 stars

We made this dish because, frankly, we had all of the ingredients in the house and needed dinner!  It's a solid, flavorful and filling dish -- more of a "peasant" dish than something gourmet that I'd serve to friends.

Also, it's quite easy to make with only 9 ingredients.  As noted in the recipe (see link above), this is a very hearty grain dish which can stand alone or be an accompaniment to a dish like roast chicken.

Ingredients:  pearled barley, bacon, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, chicken broth, toasted walnuts, extra-virgin olive oil

Tips:

• Added thyme and red pepper as well as some salt
• Next time, we'll try farro instead of barley

Recipe: Kale-and-Shitake Fried Rice

Kale-and-Shitake Fried Rice
Food and Wine Magazine, Feb 2016, p.94
5 stars

Love, love, loved this dish.  This is going in our Asian dish rotation.  It's basically a somewhat healthy 'fried' rice especially if you follow my tips below. . . and it's easy to make!  Just a little bit of chopping of vegetables.

Ingredients:  shitake mushrooms, kale, white rice, eggs, ginger, garlic, scallions, rice wine vinegar, oyster sauce, Kosher salt, vegetable oil

What we changed in the recipe:

• Used half the oil
• Used baby bella mushrooms instead of shitake since the shitake didn't look fresh in the store
• Used triple the amount of kale
• Used freshly-cooked basmati rice
• Added red pepper
• Added ground pork sausage (cooked it separately and added it to the top)
• Added sriracha to taste at the table

Recipe: NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted on Bakelikeachamp.com
4.5 stars

I'm on the quest to test and find the best chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I've tried out recipes including Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery, Cook's Country, and of course the Tollhouse recipe on the back of the chocolate chip bag.

This NY Times recipe was really good, a solid recipe.  However, it requires refrigerating the dough for 24 or up to 72 hours, so this is not for those who have issues with immediate gratification.  Must plan ahead with this recipe!

Interestingly, this recipe uses bread flour;  and I like the use of chocolate chunks and the touch of sea salt flakes on top.

My favorite recipe so far; however, is still the Cook's Country recipe that requires browning the butter which gives the cookies a nice depth of flavor.  I just realized I haven't blogged about that recipe so. . .  looks like I'll need to make those cookies again and post about it!  Who wants some chocolate chip cookies?