December 2017 Hits & Misses (1,395 views)
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Post by erin elizabeth on Dec 30, 2017 10:31:00 GMT -5
I don't really know if I am done cooking for this year, but I think so! We'll see. No wild NYE plans and no meals planned either. Such is the tail-end of the holiday season! Happy 2018, folks! Make Again 12/10 Applesauce Oatmeal Loaf (KAF/applecrisp) Changed a lot of things, but a good quick bread. Used Bob’s Measure-for-Measure and good day-of then a bit of an off taste the next day. 12/3 Baked Manicotti (Best Make-Ahead) I am on the fence with these because of the sauce as it was more tomato chunky. Manicotti were excellent and the taste was great. Made Friday to serve Sunday. Extra filling with each batch. 12/3 Marinated Feta Cheese with Lemon and Shallot (Best Make-Ahead) Very good—a little too salty on its own, but fine when tamed with a cracker. Was the TJ sheep’s milk feta. Def. make again. Made 3 days ahead. 12/3 Everyday Meatballs (SK) Liz liked these and she doesn’t like meatballs  Good, regular meatball. A litle lighter density than my normal recipe. Quick, easy sauce, but a little too between chunky and smooth for me. Froze a week ahead. 12/3 Dark Chocolate Sheet Cake (Food52) Made with amaretto cherries in the center, not rasp/almonds. Hard to cut and flip. Batter migrated to back of oven. Still, makes a lot of cake and is good! Used 2 1/2 – 2 3/4 c whipping cream. Good 12/23 Chocolate Ganache Tart with Sea Salt and Espresso Beans (Saveur 12/16) Good. Crust had excellent texture. Filling fudgy. Needed a more generous sprinkle of salt and whipped cream did need some sugar or flavoring. 12/16 Chickpea and Spinach Spread (manjulaskitchen) Again, gobbled up. Keep processor on to achieve good texture. 12/16 Samosas with Quick, Flaky Pastry (KA) Good, but need to work on filling/dough ratio. How do you make them look like the picture? These were gobbled up though. |
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Post by soupandstew on Dec 30, 2017 18:31:08 GMT -5
I have a very short memory but two winners today, one new and one old.
12/30 Lamb Shanks Braised with Tomato (Cooking Light years ago) - T&T for delicious no-fail recipe.
12/30 Instant Pot Black-eyed Peas (rosebakes.com) - my first try at beans/peas in the Instant Pot. Just as tasty and creamy as my slow-simmered stovetop classic in 30 minutes cook time without pre-soaking. I subbed 1 cup smoked ham for the bacon because I had it and added one cup diced onion because we like it. Made ahead for New Years Day
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applecrisp1
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Post by applecrisp1 on Dec 30, 2017 19:58:46 GMT -5
Off the top of my head... very good Spinach and Tortelini Soup/budgetbytes -- easy, subbed orzo for the tortellini since that is what I had, carrots instead of onion, upped spices, added some chicken stock for some of the water, Great that uses ingredients I almost always have and very few at that. I would add other veggies too and perhaps try with fresh spinach but great way to use up the frozen spinach that usually is in the freezer for a long time. www.budgetbytes.com/2012/09/spinach-tortellini-soup/Roasted Cauliflower with Pumpkin Seeds, Brown Butter and Lime/smittenkitchen -- made some changes using what I had, smittenkitchen.com/2016/11/roasted-cauliflower-with-pumpkin-seeds-brown-butter-and-lime/Udon with Chicken and Garlicky Peanut Dressing/Bon Appetit -- made a few changes, added some cucumber/red pepper, left out the bean sprouts after reading about risk of E coli (and don't see anyway) ..... www.bonappetit.com/recipe/udon-with-chicken-and-garlicky-peanut-dressinggood Spinach and Chickpea Rice Pilaf/budgetbytes -- good, upped the spices, just missing something, liked other similar recipes more t&t Chicken Fajitas/iowa girl eats thanks to Sallyt Baked Zucchini Sticks/skinnytaste Easy Layered Beans and Rice/CLBB Wishing all of you a very happy 2018! |
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Post by karenw on Dec 31, 2017 20:19:20 GMT -5
My list:
Excellent:
Pan seared Scallops over White Bean Tomato Ragu with Gremolata-me
Cauliflower Red Lentil Potato Curry-C.L.
Spiced Roasted Salmon with Cauliflower-C.L.
Turkey Pumpkin Chili-C.I. Delicious and Nutritious
Very Good/Good:
"Tuna Noodle Casserole" Soup-BHG modified a bit by me
Potato Roesti with Havarti Cheese-C.I.
Peanut Butter Banana Granola
Lentil Pilaf with Spinach-C.I. Nutritious and Delicious
Mushroom Poblano Posole Verde-Pinch of Yum blog
Hearty Frittata with Potatoes and Cheese-C.I.
Tuscan Sausage Bean Soup-Savory Nothings blog
Manicotti with Crepselles-skinny Taste
T & T:
Yogurt Cheese Spread with Smoked Salmon and Capers-C.I.
“Knorr” Spinach Dip without the Mix
Mini Turkey Meatball Vegetable Soup-skinny Taste
Seeded Multigrain English Muffins-Bread in 5
Latkes-me
Broccoli Chicken Noodle Soup-C.L. modified a bit by me
Dijon Chicken Stew-C.L.
Prakas-me/mom
Cinnamon Rolls-C.I.
Tuscan Bean Soup-C.I.
Happy Healthy New year to all!
Karen
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Post by PattiA on Jan 1, 2018 11:31:51 GMT -5
Here's my list of December things that were hits Peppermint Bark www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/almost-famous-peppermint-bark-recipe-2120609 this bark was super easy to make. I made 5 batches for gifts. But made all but one of them "upside down" in a silicone mold shaped like old fashioned Christmas light bulbs. I sprinkled the mold with crushed candy canes, did the white choc layer, more crushed candy cane, then the chocolate layer so when I flipped them out, the crushed candy cane and white choc was the top layer. These were very well received and easy to make. The one I made as a flat slab of bark was difficult to break up. I will continue to do this in molds instead of as traditional bark. I also used 1 drop of peppermint oil rather than peppermint extract because I have the oil on hand. Pine Nut Macaroons www.pbs.org/food/recipes/pine-nut-cookies-amaretti-con-pignoli/ These cookies are the cookies of my childhood. My first time making them. Everyone loved them. I could not find canned almond paste and the stuff in tubes was not recommended had wheat starch added to it, so I made my own using this recipe. Super easy. www.daringgourmet.com/how-to-make-marzipan-almond-paste/ These are going to be a staple for family gatherings. Barbecue Chicken Kebabs carlsbadcravings.com/bbq-chicken-kebabs-recipe/ I didn't thread these onto skewers, just laid the chicken pieces out on a baking sheet and cooked in the oven. They are easy and delicious. Shrimp Scampi Dip damndelicious.net/2014/08/01/shrimp-scampi-dip/ I made this for one of my clients for a holiday party. It was a huge hit. It is super rich. I doubled the shrimp in the recipe to give the shrimp more of a starring role. Chicken with Mixed Mushrooms and Cream cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/7391-chicken-with-mixed-mushrooms-and-cream So good. I had boneless, skinless thighs on hand, so that is what I used. I also cooked it on the stovetop. We had it with lightly toasted sourdough bread. You need something to soak up the sauce. Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs nomnompaleo.com/2017/03/27/20170327instant-pot-pressure-cooker-korean-short-ribs I did these with 2 1/2 pounds of boneless short ribs Sheet pan Mongolian Beef www.aspicyperspective.com/sheet-pan-mongolian-beef/2/ - I made this for two clients and for us. Easy, fast, delicious. Thai Coconut Chickpea Stew www.bookofyum.com/blog/gluten-free-pressure-cooker-recipes-thai-coconut-chickpea-recipe-2554.html I make this with canned chickpeas on the stovetop. My changes to this recipe are in the comments on this blog post. |
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gobluem82
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Post by gobluem82 on Jan 4, 2018 14:15:28 GMT -5
I finally got some time to post today due to the snow. Most new recipes this month were holiday-related: Excellent: Pistachio Cardamom Butter Cookies (Epicurious) Beautiful, easy to make, and a unique taste from the standard holiday cookie. Vegan Chocolate Dipped Toasted Coconut Macaroons (Heather Christo) Vegan and GF, but these are the best macaroons I've made, and many non-vegans have agreed. Not as cloyingly sweet as many macaroons tend to be. Very Good: Decadent Hot Chocolate Mix (Smitten Kitchen) Very easy to make, and a great gift! Feta Tapenade Tarte Soleil (Smitten Kitchen) I made this for New Year's Eve. I used pesto for the filling since I don't like olives, and I skipped the dip. It was remarkably unfussy to make, beautiful, and delicious! Spicy Red Curry Cauliflower "Wings" (Minimalist Baker) Very flavorful, nice vegan/GF appetizer option. Mini Gingerbread House Mug Huggers (Summer Adams) Pretty time-intensive, but they did get lots of oohs and aahs from the recipients! The gingerbread cookie recipe is highly spiced and delicious. Watercolor Christmas Ornament Cookies (Epicurious) I used my standard sugar cookie recipe here, but it was fun to decorate these using the watercolor/splatter technique as described in the recipe. Good/OK: 5-Minute Macadamia "Cheese" (Minimalist Baker) It's not really fair to call this a cheese, but a nice spread to have if you're vegan. I think hummus is tastier, though. Vegan GF Pumpkin Pie (Minimalist Baker) It's probably not fair to judge it against conventional pumpkin pies. DD enjoyed it, though. T&T: Bolognese Sauce (NYT) Baker's Croissants (KAF) It's a holiday tradition to make these with DS each year over the holidays; he's graduating from college in the spring, so I hope this won't be the last year  |
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Varaile
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Post by Varaile on Jan 7, 2018 10:03:00 GMT -5
I'm not sure where my first week of the year went...if you find an extra week floating around, I'd like it back.  Anyhoo, busy start to the year aside, I had a decent December meal-wise. Only one bomb, which is really unusual for me. I'd make any of these again: Ckng Lght Nov 17 Quinoa and Roasted Pepper Chili Ckng Lght Nov 17 Hamburger Steak with Onion Gravy Ckng Lght May 17 Chicken and Poblano Stew Polenta Ckng Lght Oct 17 Creamy Chicken Quesadillas ATK Slow Cook Revolution Slow Cooked Bolognese ATK Ckbk Smothered Pork Chops Ckng Lght Jan 18 Slow cooked creamy lentil stew Ckng Lght Jan 18 Sesame Noodles Bleh (and I don't that that very often...): Ckng Lght Oct 17 Beer Cheese Soup (NOT! – Squash soup) As usual, full reviews and most recipes can be found here: Scifi with a Dash of Paprika |
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charley
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Post by charley on Jan 9, 2018 22:29:00 GMT -5
tttt
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Post by Catbatty on Jan 16, 2018 4:07:35 GMT -5
Cat alone with computer? (I know it's so tempting for her--she just wants to talk to OUR cats, I betcha.) LOL  |
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Tina
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Post by Tina on Jan 21, 2018 15:29:20 GMT -5
I'm late but I can play because I actually tried new things last month and kept track! Good, make again:Maltese Lemon Christmas Cookies - fairly easy, dough a bit sticky and hard to cut, nice flavor Turkey Congee with Crispy Shiitake Mushrooms - used instantpot, 2 qts frozen turkey broth from T-Day & 1 cup rice, tasty and easy Tahini Halva Brownies - rich cocoa taste, sophisticated mix of flavors, easy to eat fast! Tangerine Carrots with Ricotta & Walnuts - easy, tasty, nice combo of flavors Brown Butter Butternut Rolls - forgot to mix some butter into batter but still quite tasty and relatively easy Honey Turmeric Tonic - easy, tasty, decided to make a 2nd batch with more water (from the Essential Instant Pot cookbook) Instant Pot Mushroom Stroganoff - fairly easy to make, pasta was a bit undercooked, a bit watery - use less water for cashew cream to make thicker Red Lentil Soup - pretty easy, could use more flavor punch (try adding mint oil next time) (from Dinner in an Instant cookbook) wouldn't make again:Pistachio Shortbread - wouldn't form into a roll to chill, ended up pressing into a pan. add more cardamom (from Ottolenghi cookbook) Beet Ravioli with Poppyseeds - filling was pretty good, needed to roll the dough a lot thinner, got tough and hard to work with and didn't cook through Mint Chocolate Pave - tons of coconut oil, weird texture Chestnut Cauliflower Soup w/ Parmesan & Pepper - not enough chestnuts used? really thin and watery |
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applecrisp1
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Post by applecrisp1 on Jan 23, 2018 13:05:52 GMT -5
Tina,
Thx for posting your list, that carrot recipe sounds really good and different. I love carrots but usually just eat them raw. I'm going to give that recipe a try with some changes ..the recipe uses a pressure cooker etc.....
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Tina
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Post by Tina on Jan 23, 2018 19:42:19 GMT -5
You're welcome! for what it's worth, both my mom and husband liked the slightly different spin on carrots and I think definitely adaptable to stovetop or oven.
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Good, regular meatball. A litle lighter density than my normal recipe. Quick, easy sauce, but a little too between chunky and smooth for me. Froze a week ahead.
