Farmhouse Panna Cotta, p. 316

I made this panna cotta on Friday, 1/1/10, for Bruce, Kathy, and Jen. But then we went out for Indian food and no one was very hungry for it...
I made the basic recipe, exactly as directed. It could not be easier, it basically involves some stirring. I put it into 8 cups, about equal portions.
It was really tasty - creamy and smooth and rich. Like really rich.
I would totally do this again, but I would make much smaller portions and serve it with something else, like fruit or fruit sauce or cookies or something.
Two other comments: Bruce and Kathy - post the green beans! and, this isn't my picture, I "borrowed" it from flickr.

Marinated Tofu

I made the Edamame and Smoked Tofu Succotash again. This time I bought extra-firm organic tofu and followed the following recipe:

http://hubpages.com/hub/How_to_Cook_Tofu_Like_the_Pros

I used the first marinade. I bought the Bragg's Liquid Aminos from Wegman's. It was much better than the smoked tofu I had used the first time.

Edamame and Smoked Tofu Succotash, p.139

I used smoked tofu, frozen edamame, frozen corn, and a fresh, locally grown tomato. I agree

with Jody, it did come together quickly.

The flavors were good, but next time I will try a different tofu.

Oven-Roasted Chicken Cacciatora, p. 202

On Saturday, Kathy and I made this recipe. After reading the ingredients, we realized Kathy needed to go out and buy just a few things--the chicken (key!), cacciatore (key, but not really?), and a pepper. When she was out, I turned on the oven , started the rice in the rice steamer, and started prepping the other ingredients. It took a little more than the stated 10 minutes. Kathy called from the grocery store and said she could buy bone-in, skin-on thighs for a lot of $$, or skinless, boneless thighs on sale. We opted for the latter. She came home with hard salami (an option for the cacciatore), the pepper, and 14 thigh pieces (lots!). I cleaned up the thighs a little more, and finished the sauce preparation by cutting up the peppers and salami. I used a jelly roll pan as you see in the first picture. I rolled up the thighs so they wouldn't cook too quickly and topped with the sauce. Popped it in the oven, basted after 30 minutes and you can see the result at about 40 minutes in the pan. I plated two thighs each on the rice, squeezed on some fresh lemon juice, and served with our favorite summer salad--whatever fresh veges we have on hand (from the choices of cucumber--English hot house in this case, tomatoes--our own home-grown yellow cherry tomatoes in this case, onion--red in this case, and pepper--none in this version), mixed with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. It was super tasty. The rice absorbed the liquid from the pan. Kathy thought we could have had even more vegetables and less chicken. I thought it was about right. I was worried about the fennel seed since I don't love that taste, but with only teaspoon, there seemed to be just a hint of that licorice flavor. We have a ton of fresh rosemary and sage right now, so it was fun to use that as well. Kathy is out of town, so I am going to have some leftovers tonight--I may update with a comment to let you know how it survived the fridge for two days. We froze two meals for the two of us as well, so this made a lot.

Comments: I would definitely make this again. Variations--for Jody, I think you could leave out the salami, or find a turkey salami. I actually didn't notice it very much. Maybe I would miss it if it wasn't there. For Elyn, leave out the salami, bake the topping about 25 minutes on its own in the jelly roll pan, then add a meaty white fish, like cod, and bake another 10-15 minutes. I want to try that next. We loved the topping and think it would work really well on fish. But you can't bake fish 40 minutes.

Slightly Less Lame

Well, at least we each had one post in August. Better than July. Here's an idea for September: Let's pick one recipe and all make it and then compare notes. Something none of us have made yet. Any suggestions?

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.

Supper Tart of Red Onions, Greens, and Grapes, p. 131

E & M were visiting, so we thought we better make something from the book. We decided on this tart. We bought the best little red grapes at Rainbow. We left out the thyme, because I'm too cheap to pay $3 for a sprig of herbs. Our most creative move was to make some extra of the topping - greens, red onion, grapes, garlic, olive oil, etc. and served it as a side salad.

E & M will pitch in with their opinions and a picture of the finished product, but here's my take. I loved the topping - it was nice and fresh tasting, and a slightly unexpected combination. I felt the puff pastry was a bit rich to use as basically a pizza crust - I'd like to try it again on something like regular pizza crust. I'd also say that the topping makes a great little salad.

8/4: Finally got the pictures from E. Pretty, isn't it?

Edamame and Smoked Tofu Succotash, p. 139

I made this for dinner tonight. I was a little concerned that it would be a bit bland when I was putting it together, but it turned out to be really tasty. I used savory tofu from Trader Joe's. This dish was really quick - it was basically done 10 minutes after the time it to me to chop the onion and tomato. Much less than half an hour total. I highly recommend this quick, tasty, and healthy dinner. I'm soy-riffic!

Guest Posting: Ginger Spiked Coconut Macaroons, p. 319

I gave Reva the book for her birthday, and here's her first foray:
"They're very yummy if you're not one of the many people who have an aversion to coconut and/or ginger. The "batter" was a bit messy to work with, and it was hard to get them to be pretty and round, and the sugar juice kind of spread so I probably shouldn't have put them so close together on the cookie sheet. But they're moist and kind of candy-like, and as directed, most of them are in my freezer now."
p.s. from Jody: I love that the cookies are cooling on the washing machine! They look fabulous.

Plumped Ginger-Caramel Shrimp p.227

I've made this dish at least four times at this point and it has never disappointed.

I usually use thawed shrimp so as suggested, I marinate them in the refrigerator.

I've tried fresh-caught shrimp versus farm-raised and I really can't tell the difference.

Sweet Yams in a Ginger-Stick Curry, p. 281 and Dressing-in-a-Bowl Simple Salad, p. 9

I made these two dishes for dinner tonight. I followed the directions almost exactly for both. I bought two huge garnet yams for the curry. It was plenty for both of us for a main dish (I thought we would have leftovers, but Kathy had a second helping--unexpected--and then I finished what was left). We are not sure why it is a "curry" except that it is possible that the savory bits (ginger, garlic, jalapeño, shallots, green onions, basil and lime) may be components of a curry paste. It was pretty hot--you could cut that back with less ginger and less jalapeño, but then it might be boring. Kathy and I like hot food, so it was perfect for us. You could easily cut this in half for one or double for four. 

The salad was a great find. Somehow, I always thought I had to make a dressing, then pour it over the salad. This is an instant salad--done in less than a minute if you use a bag of greens (we did--a mix of baby greens and baby spinach). Put the greens in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle on a little olive oil (I used a lemon olive oil tonight), toss that, then drizzle on a little vinegar (I used a lemon balsamic tonight). Serve and eat immediately! It was so good, I made another serving for myself to finish the meal.

The authors have meal suggestions in the front and back covers of the book. This one is at the bottom of the second page of the front. It suggests to serve mango iced tea with the meal, so I made some of that today, too. But then I found a light and fruity Spanish rosé at Whole Foods. It went well with the meal. 

21st-Century Mac'n'Cheese (p.182) and Smothered Broccoli with Peppers, Onions, and Raisins (p.273)

Jody, Bruce, and Jen G. made these for Saturday night dinner. Yum!

We didn't believe that the directions on the mac'n'cheese were accurate - it said to blend the milk/egg/garlic for 3 seconds (!), then add the cheese/onion/cream cheese and blend for 10 seconds more. Turns out that it was enough time for it to be all blended together. The sauce was thinner than we expected, but when baked it had a great thick consistency.

This is Bruce. The macaroni and cheese was really good. It had egg and cream cheese and got nice and thick. There was a lot of onion in the flavor (it only baked for 25 minutes or so) so it was a bit oniony--perhaps E would not like it. The vegetables were very flavorful. It made me want to eat broccoli--not a small feat.

This is Jen. I even ate the vegetables - onions, red peppers and all! The two dishes were very nice together. (I think there were too many ingredients in the delicious mac & cheese for it to be made in my own kitchen.)

Jody agrees - I was surprised by how well these dishes worked together - the richness of the mac'n'cheese contrasted really well with the healthy crispness of the fresh veggies. The veggies were really healthy - only a little bit of olive oil, and no other "bad stuff". And they were sooooo pretty!

Pasta with Chopping Board Pistachio Pesto

I made this Sunday night. I followed the recipe quite closely, or at least I tried to. When I went shopping at Rainbow, they had NO basil. Not plants, not in packages, not organic, none. So I ended up using the little frozen basil cubes I had from Trader Joe's. Oh, and I put the cheese on top rather than stirring it in.
It didn't take long, about 30 minutes, and tasted quite good. My only comment is that Lynn Rosetto Kasper likes pasta a lot - lots of pasta, very little sauce or other stuff. Which I guess is common for pesto, but with the onions and nuts and all I thought there would be more stuff. I think you could make this recipe and use half a box of pasta instead of the whole box.

Green Beans with Preserved Lemon and Black Olives, p. 271

Kathy and I had some green beans to use up last night for dinner. We also had some preserved lemon left from the chicken recipe a while ago (it is preserved, so like a pickle, almost). So, we made this dish--a perfect fit for our ingredients. The original recipe on p. 270 is green beans with gremolata. We followed the variation very closely. I was suspicious of the length of cooking time--15 to 20 minutes, but the beans did turn out really tender and melty--not crisp like I usually like them. My mom would be proud of them! I did not add salt to the beans as they cooked since the preserved lemon and the olives are both salty. Turned out just right. 

We served these as a side dish along with something I made up--sauteed turkey cutlets with a wine, mustard and dried cherry sauce. Kathy liked it better than I did, but it was fine. I also served baby "confetti" potatoes--small potatoes--including the purple ones (I just love purple potatoes, just for the fun of it!). 

We also had a good dry white wine with dinner--Floria, a French varietal from Gascony. It was in a box of "12 wines under $12" that I bought at a wine bar/restaurant in Virginia. We are going to look for it again--at least the same region of France.

Little French Fudge Cakes, p. 313

I made these for a dinner at Lori's Saturday night. They we expensive, but really good. I modified the chocolate used a little bit. I used one bar of the Lindt Excellence they recommended - half for melting and half for the little bits of chocolate happiness. I then used the unsweetened as directed, as well as some Baker's bittersweet. Because (a) I'm kind of cheap and (b) I didn't really want leftover Lindt. So all that chocolate was pricey, but these would be at least $3 each if you tried to buy them anywhere, so totally worth it.
Anyhow. The chocolate and butter melted up beautifully - I did the "double boiler" version instead of the microwave. That's the first picture. I added the extra sugar "for the kids" because not everyone at the party was a hard core bittersweet chocolate fanatic. I didn't find the result too sweet at all. I baked them in this old cast iron Griswold popover pan. That I actually took out of a dumpster from Steve's neighbor's house when they were cleaning it out. It worked really really well for this purpose. (And yes, it's been washed several times.)
I served the cupcakes with Cool Whip (not Reddi Whip, which is fake). They were just yummy. The only thing that I'll change when I make them again (which I plan on doing) is to use a little less cinnamon next time, but that is probably because I used my Vietnamese cinnamon from Penzey's, which is quite potent.
Okay, kids, this is the only posting in March. Get to it!

Almond Chutney Chicken in Lettuce Roll-Ups, p. 113

Me again. With no picture again. Okay, here's a picture of a chicken, since I don't have one of the dish. Anyhow.
I made these for our family Oscar party. They weren't quite what I expected - the lettuce wraps I've had at restaurants (or bought at Trader Joe's) have hot cooked ground chicken, with some kind of sauce and crispies. These are more like a chicken salad, that you roll up with veggies and herbs. But they were really good. The braver Sorensens really enjoyed them. They were a bit messy to eat, though. I had torn the lettuce leaves in half, maybe I wouldn't do that next time.
Some alterations: I didn't buy radishes as an accompaniment, and I had cilantro but not basil. I think that was fine - they still had a really nice fresh bright taste. Also I use 2 lemons instead of the 3 suggested, and it tasted very lemony. (There was more than enough acid, as they say on Top Chef). I learned that "Major Grey's Chutney" seems to be a type of chutney, not a brand.
I'll definitely make these again as a party hors d'oeuvre/appetizer.
p.s. Elyn - post the stuff you've made!!

Tomato Cheddar Packed Turkey Burgers

Lori and I made these last Thursday for dinner, and they were really good. As predicted, the mixture is really soft and messy to get in the pan, but they cooked up so moist and flavorful. I love the concept of using the onion/tomato mixture both in the burgers and as a condiment. I'll definitely be making these again. Although I don't think that they'll work on the grill in the summer.