Recipe: Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken

Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken
Food & Wine Magazine, Sept 2018, p. 68
4.5 stars

Easy weeknight Asian stir-fry meal. This recipe comes from Charles Phan, the chef at The Slanted Door (been there!) in San Francisco. We had the chicken for dinner with steamed rice and broccoli. The sauce was amazing drizzled over the broccoli -- it had a really nice heat from the Thai chiles.

This recipe was in the "40 Years of Food & Wine" issue back from September 2018 (they selected this has a top recipe from 40 years of recipes!)

Ingredients: chicken, shallot, fresh Thai chiles, cilantro, dark brown sugar, fish sauce, canola oil, water, rice vinegar, garlic, fresh ginger, ground pepper

Tips/Notes:

• Fish sauce has a strong flavor so we used less than the 1/4 cup
• Used chicken breast instead of chicken thighs

(Find paper recipe under: Entree - Pasta with Sausage, Mustard and Basil)

Drink Recipe: Sarah's Garibaldi

Sarah's Garibaldi
Martha Stewart Living, Nov 2019, p.74
5 stars

You have to like Campari for this cocktail! I loved it, but I like bitter drinks with a lot of complexity. The bitterness of the Campari is definitely smoothed out by the orange juice.

This drink is so simple to make -- basically shake up the following in a cocktail shaker and strain into a coupe or martini glass:

• 2 oz Campari
• 1 oz fresh orange juice
• A few dashes of orange bitters
• Garnish with an orange twist

Notes:

• I used 2 oz of orange juice
• Next time, top off with sparkling water or club soda to give it some fizz

Recipe: Salsa de Arbol

Salsa de Arbol
Bon Appetit Magazine, p. 58
4.5 stars

There's fresh, bright non-roasted salsa and then there's fresh roasted salsa with a deeper flavor like this recipe. It's so easy to make and the ingredients are items we (can) always have on hand.

Ingredients: can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes, dried chiles de arbol, lime juice, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, Kosher salt

Tips:

• Add jalapeno!

(Find recipe under: Entree - Pork Volcanes al Pastor)

Recipe: Salpicon Tacos

Forgot to get a photo of it in a tortilla

Salpicon Tacos
Food & Wine Magazine, May 2019, p.14
4.5 stars

Fresh, easy and satisfying dish especially for a weekday meal!

Ingredients: tortillas, skirt steak, plum tomatoes, radishes, red onion, cucumber, avocado, habanero chiles, cilantro, orange juice, lime juice, fine sea salt

Tips/Notes:

• Sprinkle queso fresco on top
• Substitute a jalapeno for the habanero
• Make sure to put leftovers in a sealed tupperware container -- otherwise, the vegetable smell (especially the onion and cucumber) will invade your fridge!
• Consider making 1/2 the recipe as leftovers will have lots of water/juices coming out of the vegetables

Recipe: Spicy-Sweet Sambal Pork Noodles and Blistered Green Beans with Fried Shallots

Spicy-Sweet Sambal Pork Noodles
Bon Appetit Magazine, May 2020, p. 30
5 stars

Ingredients: ramen or spaghetti, ground pork, ginger, tomato paste, basil, hot chili paste (sambal oelek), garlic, soy sauce, unseasoned rice vinegar, sugar, butter, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt

Blistered Green Beans with Fried Shallots
Bon Appetit Magazine, May 2020, p.74
5 stars

Ingredients: green beans, oyster sauce, shallot, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, vegetable oil, Kosher salt

I loved this meal so much! Packed with flavor and relatively easy to make.
The noodles were like an Asian bolognese, and the the green been dish is now a new favorite to add as a side for the other Asian dishes we make.

Notes:

• The noodles were pretty spicy but we halved the overall recipe and forgot to half the sambal oelek.
• This meal would be great with a side of simple tofu.

Recipe: Farro-Vegetable Hash with Chermoula

Farro-Vegetable Hash with Chermoula
Bon Appetit Magazine, May 2020, p.86
5 stars

Great, healthy recipe that we'll add to our recipe repertoire. I love this recipe as an alternative to the Ancient Grains Buddha Bowl and Farro Salad with Walnuts and Raisins.

Hash Ingredients:  farro, sweet potatoes, bacon, brussels sprouts, eggs, sweet onion, thyme, garlic, sesame or benne seeds, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper

Chermoula Ingredients: cilantro, parsley, mint, lemon zest, lemon juice, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, extra-virgin olive oil, red pepper, Kosher salt

Tips/Notes:

• Definitely needs the bacon for the umami flavor -- double the amount
• Didn't add the egg, but it needs the egg for creaminess
• Add more red pepper, in general
• Use a mini food processor instead of a blender (the blender wouldn't blend as the herbs kept getting stuck)
• Next time will add balsamic mushrooms from the Ancient Grains Buddha Bowl recipe
• Made half of the chermoula which is more than enough
• Added Parmesan on top 

Recipe: Savory Cheese Souffle Recipe

Savory Cheese Souffle Recipe
seriouseats.com
5 stars

I've made quite a few different souffle recipes, but this one has the best flavor and texture for a basic cheese souffle -- and it was a relatively easy recipe!  Can't wait to make this again.

Ingredients: 4 egg yolks, 5 egg whites, Gruyere or other semifirm cheese, flour, whole milk, Dijon mustard, cayenne pepper, butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano, cream of tartar, Kosher salt, black pepper

Tips/Notes:

• Baked for 35 min
• This recipe was for one large 48 oz souffle; however, next time will test the bake time in small ramekins

Recipe: No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
livingsweetmoments.com/no-bake-chocolate-peanut-butter-bars
5 stars

This is a crazy-good, restaurant-worthy dessert.  Believe me as I've eaten a lot of dessert.  There are 5 layers to it: 1) a graham cracker crust, 2) a cereal crunchy layer, 3) peanut butter mousse, 4) chocolate ganache and  5) peanuts on top as a garnish.  It's the mix of textures and salty/sweet from the chocolate with peanut butter that makes this a top dessert for me.

There not a lot of ingredients, but it does take a little time to make because of all of the layers.

Ingredients: graham crackers, butter, Honey Bunches of Oats cereal, peanut butter, semi-sweet chocolate, cream cheese, confectioners sugar, heavy cream, chopped peanuts

Tips:

• Definitely use Honey Bunches of Oats cereal as it gives the right amount of crunch and also imparts a nice complexity from the honey flavor
• Used regular crunchy peanut butter (not unsweetened)
• Next time, will try beating the peanut butter mousse much less as it looked like the mixture was breaking up
• Sprinkled sea salt on top since our peanuts for the garnish were unsalted
• Forgot to line the pan with aluminum foil!

Recipe: Creamy Baked Pasta with Gruyere and Prosciutto

Creamy Baked Pasta with Gruyere and Prosciutto
Food & Wine Magazine, Feb 2020, p. 43
5 stars

This is a restaurant-worthy, guest-serving worthy, delicious mac & cheese. We made half the recipe because I wasn't quite sure how it was going to turn out as there aren't that many ingredients, and it looked so easy ... too easy to make.  It was incredible! We had this as a side dish with steak and a wedge salad.  I have two other favorite mac & cheese recipes, and this is in the top 3.

Ingredients: a short pasta, Gruyere cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, heavy cream, nutmeg, Kosher salt; can serve with sliced prosciutto

Recipe: Chocolate-Olive Oil Crisps

Chocolate-Olive Oil Crisps

Martha Stewart Living, Mar 2020, p. 102

3.5-4 stars?

I'm not sure if I'll make these cookies again. I liked their texture and depth of chocolate flavor, but to me, they tasted like there was a bit of sesame oil in it. Not sure why or if the honey, vanilla or extra-virgin oil was imparting some odd flavor -- or maybe my tastebuds!

Ingredients: all-purpose flour, Dutch-process cocoa powder, egg, honey, vanilla extract, extra-virgin olive oil, granulated sugar, baking soda, Kosher salt, turbinado sugar

Recipe: Easy Polenta

Easy Polenta
Food & Wine Magazine, Mar 2020, p.36
4 stars

Honestly, I wasn't quite sure about this recipe especially when we started making it and I realized that we literally just needed to boil the broth, whisk in the polenta and then remove the pot from the heat and let it stand for 45 minutes.  Overall, for a no stir polenta, it was pretty good.  Some lumps, but not bad (we could have whisked more "vigorously" to break up the lumps).

Had this with a salad and also Magic Crispy Chicken!  Such a great meal.

Ingredients: polenta, chicken broth, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, butter, Kosher salt, black pepper

Tip:

• Made half the recipe (2 cups of uncooked polenta expands and serves a lot of people -- 8)
• Next time, use 10% less broth

Recipe: Spicy Baked Pasta with Cheddar and Broccoli Rabe

Spicy Baked Pasta with Cheddar and Broccoli 
Bon Appetit Magazine, Mar 2020, p. 27
4.5 stars

I was really curious about this recipe as the heading for the article/recipe was "A Very Persuasive Pasta -- Alison Roman couldn't find a baked pasta she liked. So she made one she did."  I would say she did a great job creating this dish. So good and flavorful. I liked the use of the sharp white cheddar and especially loved the crispy topping.

Ingredients: rigatoni, leeks, broccoli rabe or broccolini, sharp white cheddar, chives, fresh breadcrumbs or panko, heavy cream, extra-virgin olive oil, black pepper, Kosher salt

Tips

• Used penne instead
• Used kale instead of broccoli rabe

Recipe: Black-Bean and Sweet-Potato Stew

Black-Bean and Sweet-Potato Stew

Marthastewart.com

5 stars

Super healthy, satisfying, flavorful vegetarian Mexican-style stew.  You won't even miss that there's no meat in this dish, and the leftovers are great!  What "makes" the dish is the chipotle in adobo which again and again proves to add a nice layer of flavor and heat.

Ingredients: black beans, sweet potato, quinoa, white onion, poblano pepper, chipotle in adobo, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, cilantro, shredded cheddar

Tips:

• Added sour cream as you can see from the photo
• Can also add chopped avocado
• Serve with tortilla chips for crunch

Recipe: Cheesy Spinach-Potato Egg Casserole

Cheesy Spinach-Potato Egg Casserole
Martha Stewart Living, Apr 2020, p. 109
4.5 stars

Breakfast for dinner! This casserole was great -- it has my favorite combination of ingredients.  We basically made the recipe but included more potatoes, cheese and spinach than what it called for.   

Ingredients: eggs, fontina cheese, spinach, onion, milk, thyme, nutmeg, butter, Kosher salt, pepper

Recipe: Weeknight Beans on Toast

Weeknight Beans on Toast
Bon Appetit Magazine, Feb 2019, p.24
4.5 stars

This is a nice alternative to the Skillet Bruschetta with Beans and Greens (that we've made many times that goes with toast) -- incredibly delicious and overall healthy!  As noted within the recipe, I can see the leftovers being repurposed and used on top of pasta.

Ingredients: bread, sweet or hot Italian sausage, crushed tomatoes, baby spinach, white beans, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, extra-virgin olive oil, butter, Kosher salt, Parmesan, parsley

Tips:

• Use 2-3x the amount of spinach (recipe also notes that kale could be used)
• Measure the salt
• Use cannellini beans
• Did not make the garlic butter or broil the bread -- simply toasted the bread and buttered it

Recipe: Pork-Meatball Skillet Bake

Pork-Meatball Skillet Bake
MarthaStewart.com
4.5 Stars

I have decided that I am not a sausage and peppers fan (this recipe is essentially that recipe).  However, the dish was good, and I'm recording our thoughts here so that when I, thetaster, is out of town, then blogger the grandcruman can make and enjoy this!

This was a tasty recipe, despite me not loving the combination of sausage and peppers (and onion).  It was very easy to make, and I always love how the addition of fennel seeds can make pork taste like a spiced sausage.

Ingredients: crusty boule, fresh mozzarella, basil, ground pork, red and/or yellow bell peppers, onion, tomato sauce, fennel seeds, Parmigiano-Reggiano, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips/notes/changes:

• 1 pound of pork made 13 meatballs
• Add garlic to the meatballs
• Add red pepper flakes to the sauce
• Toast the bread before putting it in the broiler
• Use shredded mozzarella instead of fresh (fresh has too much water)
• Next time, cut the bell pepper slices in half so it's easier to eat
• Next time, sub the 1/4 cup water for white wine to add depth of flavor

Recipe: Crispy Baked Chicken Flautas

Crispy Baked Chicken Flautas
MarthaStewart.com
5 stars

This dish was so delish.  And easy, easy, easy, easy for a weeknight meal.
The chipotle in adobo always adds complexity to dishes we've made and takes this recipe to the 5 star level.

Ingredients: tortillas, ground chicken, chipotle in adobo, cilantro, Monterey Jack cheese, tomato paste, lime juice, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper; pico de gallo and sour cream for serving

Tips:

• Use 2.5 Tbsp of chipotle in adobo next time
• Great with chips and also guac on the side too

Recipe: Polenta Dutch Baby with Ham and Swiss

Polenta Dutch Baby with Ham and Swiss
Food & Wine Magazine, Jan 2020, p. 81
4 stars

This was an interesting dish -- considered a "large-format pancake" if you read about it at foodandwine.com. This recipe is from 2015 Food & Wine Best New Chef Jonathan Brooks who owns the Indianapolis restaurant, Milktooth.

I love polenta, so I really liked the texture which was a bit unexpected -- it's not a light souffle and not an eggy dense frittata but something in between with polenta's grainy texture.  Surprisingly, the entire dish only used three eggs.

The SALAD was absolutely delicious and one that we'll definitely make again.

Polenta Dutch Baby Ingredients: all-purpose flour, sugar, uncooked polenta, whole milk, eggs, unsalted butter, deli ham, Swiss cheese, Kosher salt

Salad Ingredients: baby arugula, red grapes, Dijon mustard, Champagne vinegar, pure maple syrup or honey, grapeseed oil

Tips:

• Use a non-sweet ham (not a honey ham, for example) because there will overall be too much sweetness in the dish
• Used extra-virgin olive oil instead of grapeseed oil

Recipe: Grain Salad with Greens, Cherries and Crispy Bacon

Grain Salad with Greens, Cherries and Crispy Bacon
Better Homes & Gardens, Feb 2020, p. 66
5 stars

YUMMMMMMM... this dish was so delicious and easy for a weeknight meal.

Farro = LOVE! (I just love its texture)
Kale = Healthy
Blue cheese = what can you not love?  Creamy!
Bacon = really, what can you not love?  Crispy!
Sweet dried cherries (we used raisins) = Sweetness
Dressing = Acidity

We'll definitely be making this again.

Ingredients: farro, bacon, kale, sweet dried cherries, blue cheese, red wine vinegar, coarse-grain mustard, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper

Tips:

• At least double the amount of kale

Recipe: Charred Vegetable Ragu

Charred Vegetable Ragu
Food & Wine Magazine, Jan 2020, p. 45
5 stars

We love bolognese sauce, but after trying this recipe, we think this beats out all the bolognese recipes we've ever made (and there's no meat in this dish!).  The char of the vegetables, including the whole roasted garlic head and umami from the mushrooms, all add a deep, complex flavor that was just so mmm mmm good. This is a restaurant-worthy dish.

Ingredients: dried pasta, portobello mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, garlic, yellow onion, celery, carrots, tomato paste, dry red wine, dried oregano, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper

Tips:

• Slice the cremini mushrooms instead of quartering them
• Even though this was so good without any meat, this dish could be taken to the next level with the addition of a 1/2 pound of hot Italian sausage