Midnight Asparagus (aka Broccoli) with Creamy Eggs (p. 110)

This was Jody's dinner tonight. I was shocked by how quick it was - like maybe 12 minutes start to finish. So, you turn on the broiler and put in a skillet with olive oil. Then you add the veggies, onion, and salt and pepper. I substituted broccoli for asparagus, so I cooked the veggies a bit longer than in the instructions. Then you crack in the eggs and cook for 1 minute - I did that a bit longer as well. Then you squeeze half a lemon over that top and eat it with bread. It was quick and tasty, but not anything that I'll crave. But it is a good way to eat your veggies.

Bonus picture: The cupcakes I made for the family birthday party last weekend!

Coconut Macaroons p. 319

At Jody's suggestion, I tried a dessert. This one was very simple, very quick and very good! The recipe calls for sweetened coconut, but I used the finely shredded, unsweetened, organic coconut that I had in my cupboard. I made half a recipe using 1 egg, 1/3 cup sugar (to compensate for the coconut being unsweetened), 1/2 tsp almond extract and a pinch of salt. I should mention that normally I'm not a fan of shredded coconut, but these macaroons were moist on the inside, crispy on the outside, and not too sweet.

Warm White Bean Salad with Fragrant Garlic and Rosemary, p. 116

We are the first in with a post to meet the challenge! I finished working today at about 7 and thought, "I wonder if there is a quick, easy meal in the 'How To Eat Supper" cookbook?" I flipped open the book right to the warm bean salad. I always keep a bunch of beans on hand and had a bag of baby greens and fresh rosemary growing outside. The other ingredients are staples. Easy as pie. I went downstairs to my pantry and found that I only had one can of cannellini beans, so I chose a can of butter beans for the second can (Kathy loves butter beans). I prepped all the ingredients in bowls (mise en place). I used my little Cuisinart for all the chopping. I didn't bother with the crushing of the garlic with salt--just added the salt to the garlic in the Cuisinart. Then I got cooking. The bread crumbs toasted in the pan nicely. The garlic and rosemary smelled great in the olive oil (I used about half the oil). The beans heated easily and I tossed in two big handfuls of greens (I think Lynne skimps on the greens in all these dishes). I plated the whole thing in just two bowls--we eat a lot of beans--and topped with the crumb mixture. You can see what it looked like at the end. I loved the flavor and would definitely make it again. Kathy thought it was dry and could use a sauce. I could have used the whole amount of oil, but I don't think that would have been what she wanted, either. I loved that it was quick, easy, and flavorful.

Jerry Traunfeld's Tarragon Chicken Breasts with Buttery Leeks, p. 200

First of all, we suck. No posts at all in July. 2 posts, both by me, in June. Let's go for two postings each in August. Go team! Sis Boom Bah!
I made this for myself for dinner Saturday. I had fresh tarragon, so it seemed like a good one to try. It might look a bit bland, but it didn't taste that way.
I bought organic, free range, hand bathed, champagne fed chicken breasts from Trader Joe's. Okay, some of that was made up. But I have decided that I want my chicken to taste like chicken, and I cook meat so rarely that I can splurge on the organic when I do.
The recipe, no surprise, went more quickly than I expected. Perhaps someday I'll get used to that with this cookbook. You "melt" the leeks in butter and broth for a while, then put the chicken right on top of them and cover. Then you remove the chicken and finish the leeks with lemon, tarragon, and a little bit more butter, then pour that over the chicken.
It had a nice, fresh taste, and there were enough leeks that you could put some on your bread - toasted TJ's english muffin in this case - I highly recommend them. A side salad would be nice as well. I'd make this again, and I think it might be a good technique for cooking fish as well. You should try that, E.