October 17 Meal: Cold Kale is Just Alright

Our friends planned a crab-picking for Sunday night and all we had to bring was a side.  I decided on the Kale and Smoked Bacon Salad with Zinfandel Vinaigrette.  How could I go wrong with bacon?  Everything about this salad is something I like, but when it all came together it was somewhat disappointing.  The kale is cooked and then quickly cooled in an ice bath.  I've never had cold kale before, but I think this may have been the aspect of the dish that I didn't enjoy.  I even purchased a salad spinner for this part of the recipe so that the excess water could be spun off.  Shaun had agreed to the purchase because we were both jealous of friends every time they pulled the contraption out when we were over for dinner.  The salad is completed with crispy bacon and a dressing made from diced shallots, Dijon mustard, olive oil, and a bit of the drippings from the cooked bacon.  In total, the salad was edible, but nothing I really enjoyed eating.  I heated up some of the leftovers the next day and I actually enjoyed that a lot more.  So, maybe a good variation would be a hot kale salad.

Yumminess: 5 out of 10 (cold)

Cost: Approx. $15 for 12 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 50 minutes for prep and total and I spent about the same amount of time.

Was it worth it?: Probably not, unless I try the hot-dish variation.

October 16 Meal: Camping Cuisine Day 2

After a day of hiking all we wanted to do when we got back to the campsite was relax.  Unfortunately, Penny (our youngest dog) had other plans.  She couldn't stop whining in the general direction of the dear she had seen in the morning.  With all the whining we decided to pack it in early and head home, but not before we made some dinner.  On the menu was Rustic Spinach and Cornmeal Soup from the Lidia's Friuli article and Bulgur, Garbanzo Bean, and Cucumber Salad from the Fast Easy Fresh section.  I didn't really think about the fact that it was a meal of many grains until it was too late.

Rustic Spinach and Cornmeal Soup

This was a very easy and hearty soup.  First, warm the broth, then start adding it to the cornmeal and flour slowly.  Once the broth is incorporated add garlic and butter. Keep adding the broth and stirring.  Finally, stir in spinach.  That's it!  The finished product is creamy and rich.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yumminess: 8 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $7 for 4 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 40 minutes for prep and total, but I spent about 25 minutes in prep and total.

Was it worth it?: Yes, this was easy and tasty.

 

Bulgur, Garbanzo Bean, and Cucumber Salad

Another make-ahead salad.  The only cooking involved was boiling the bulgur.  Just add chopped peppers from a jar, canned garbanzo beans, whole grape tomatoes, chopped cucumber, and dill.  I forgot the dill when we went camping, but added it to the leftovers when we got home.  The dressing white balsamic vinegar, ground cumin, and olive oil.  I added that at the campsite.

Yumminess: 6 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $9.25 for 8 side-dish servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 20 minutes for prep and 35 minutes total and I spent about the same.

Was it worth it?: Maybe for a beach day.  It wasn't really something I loved, but it was easy to make and store in the cooler.

October 15 Meal: Camping Cuisine Day 1

Shaun and I went camping to celebrate our 10-year dating anniversary.  We knew that we couldn't take a night off from the cooking challenge, so we planned ahead for some camp-friendly meals.  There was an easy make-ahead salad and a stir-fry that were on the menu the first night.  We pulled into the state park and our campsite around dusk, so as Shaun pitched the tent I got dinner started.

Beef, Shiitake, and Snow Pea Stir-Fry

This recipe was from the Fast easy Fresh section.  In order to make things easy I prepped all the vegetables and the meat ahead of time.  First mushrooms and fresh ginger are sauteed, then the sliced sirloin steak is added to the skillet.  The snow peas, green onions, and cilantro are added.  The small started to remind me of something, then when I added the hoisin, chili-garlic sauce, and Chinese five-spice I realized it... I was back in Vietnam!  We went there this summer for a two-week vacation.  All around Vietnam you smell amazing aromas wafting from the skillets that ladies use on the sidewalk to cook up Vietnamese favorites.  One taste and I was back in a hot and sticky Hanoi restaurant. Even with an unruly skillet and gas burner this recipe was super easy!  I even attempted rice.  The water boiled almost instantly and by some miracle I didn't even burn it.

  

Yumminess: 10 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $13 for 2 very large servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 30 minutes for prep and total and I spent about the same amount of time.

Was it worth it?: Definitely.  This will be a go-to easy recipe. 

Beet and Carrot Salad with Coriander and Sesame Salt

 This salad went really well with the stir-fry because of the Asian ingredients.  It was from the Back to Our Roots section.  Also, this is one of the few recipes in this month's issue that doesn't require any cooking.  There's a lot of flavor in this salad from shallots, apple cider vinegar, orange juice, white miso, fresh ginger, orange peel, coriander, and sesame seeds.  All is combined with grated beets and carrots.  I grated the vegetables ahead of time and stored them separate from the dressing, coriander, and sesame seeds.  Once the dressing is in the salad it becomes one bright red mixture because of the beets, but it still tastes great as leftovers. 

Yumminess: 8 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $6 for 4 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 30 minutes for prep and 1:10 hour total and I spent about the same amount of time.

Was it worth it?: Yes, this was a pretty cheap and easy side dish. 

Apple Torte with Breadcrumb-Hazelnut Crust

This was the cover recipe this past month and was from the Lidia's Friuli article.  I actually made this the night before we went camping.  The crust is made from fresh bread crumbs that are toasted and chopped in the food processor with toasted hazelnuts.  These are folded in with sugar, lemon peel, salt, and a combination of heated whole milk and butter.  The combination sits for a while to absorb the liquid.  One problem I realized I was having was that I didn't finely chop the breadcrumbs, so I think I didn't quite add enough.  The mixture is pressed into a disk and cooled.  The apple filling is a simple combination of Granny Smith apples, sugar, and hard apple cider.  These are cooked together until the apples are very soft.  Finally, the crust is pressed into a tart pan with a removable bottom, the apples are added, and the other half of the crust is added on top and baked.  A little bit of fresh whipped cream on the side and yum!

Yumminess: 9 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $17.50 for 8 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 1:15 hours for prep and 5 hour total and I spent about the same amount of time.

Was it worth it?: It was good, but I'd only make this once every other year or so because it took a little extra work for the crust than an average apple pie. 

October 14 Meal: Easy with Zucchini

I slowed down the pace after that last night of hard work, especially since we were preparing to go camping the next day.  The easier, quick dish I chose was Ziti with Roasted Zucchini from the Sunday Suppers section.  I especially liked this recipe because Zucchini is one of my favorite vegetables.  They are so plentiful in the summer, so it's nice to have another recipe to add to the repertoire.  The zucchini are thinly sliced, then roasted with garlic, shallots, salt, and pepper.  Cook up some ziti, reserving a little of the pasta water for later.  Add the zucchini to the pasta and toss with some of the pasta water, basil, and Parmesan cheese.  That's it... super easy!  It was enjoyable and flavorful.  One of those rare recipes in Bon Appetit with only 8 ingredients.  That left plenty of time to prep our food for camping.

Yumminess: 9 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $8.75 for 4 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 1 hour for prep and 2 hours total, but I spent about 15 minutes in prep and 50 minutes total.

Was it worth it?: Yes!  This was super easy and tasted great for the amount of time and number of ingredients.

October 12 Meal: Winey Chicken

Another night for a fast meal from the Fast Easy Fresh section: Quick Coq Au Vin.  I've actually only eaten coq au vin once before and really enjoyed it.  It was super rich and was served with mashed potatoes.  This one didn't quite live up to that experience, but was still a nice way to eat chicken.  Coq a vin means "cock of the wine" and is traditionally made with wine, lardon, and mushrooms.  This one started with a saute of the bacon.  Then the chicken breasts are added to the pan with the bacon drippings and sauteed until cooked.  The chicken breasts are kept warm in the oven while mushrooms and shallots are sauteed in the same skillet.  Add a bit of garlic, chicken broth, red wine, bacon, and parsley and boil.  Mix some flour and chicken broth in a separate bowl and add to the whole mixture to thicken.  This all gets put on top of the chicken breasts.  Since it wasn't as rich as I'd hoped at least it was a pretty fast meal.

Yumminess: 7 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $13.50 for 3 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 45 minutes for prep and total and I spent about the same amount of time.

Was it worth it?: Probably not.  There are other dishes that would taken the same time that I would prefer.

October 13 Meal: Long Night's Work

The first of the two lamb meals for the month was Braised Lamb Shanks with Lemon Risotto, Lemon Risotto with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, and Maple-Gingerbread Layer Cake with Salted Maple-Caramel Sauce for dessert.  The lamb shanks and risotto are the first two recipes in the October issue in the RSVP section.  These three recipes took a while to make, but the outcome was delish.

Braised Lamb Shanks with Lemon Risotto

Another shank recipe (see veal shanks earlier this month).  These were at least a little cheaper than the veal shanks.  I'm learning that bones in meat, plus long cooking times, equals a very tender piece of meat.  The shanks are first browned and then removed from the pan.  Then, carrots, onions, and celery are sauteed and broth and wine are added.  Another set of ingredients are added to bump up the flavor: chopped tomatoes, honey, garlic, clove, bay leaf, cinnamon, allspice, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and fresh lemon juice.  The shanks are added back to the pot and then everything is put in the oven.  The shanks are braised for two and a half hours.  As the picture shows, the meat just falls off the bone, no need for a knife! The unfortunate part was that I forgot to really pay attention to how much time this dish would take, so we didn't eat the meat until about 8:30 at night.  Fortunately, the risotto was ready first, so we ate that separately.

 

Yumminess: 9 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $19.75 for 4 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 1 hour for prep and 3:15 hours total. I spent about 45 minutes in prep and a total time of of about 3 hours.

Was it worth it?: Yes, but not very often.  The outcome was tasty, but it was a bit of work.

Lemon Risotto with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

I have never made risotto before and all I knew was that it took a bit of work and could be a challenge.  This was a great recipe for a first-time-risotto-cooker.  The cherry tomatoes are roasted for a few minutes to wrinkle the skins.  Onion is sauteed with butter (never a bad step), then you add rice an garlic.  The first liquid added is wine, which is cooked until absorbed.  Then just continue to add chicken broth by cup fulls until all liquid is absorbed.  The rice ends up very creamy.  Arugula, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, Italian parsley, thyme, rosemary, lemon peel, and the roasted tomatoes are all folded in to complete the the dish.  All the ingredients create a rich but                     fresh-tasting side dish for the lamb shanks.

Yumminess: 8 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $10 for 4 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 50 minutes for prep and 1 hour total. I spent about 15 minutes in prep and a total time of of about 30 minutes.

Was it worth it?: Yes, it was a good side dish.

Maple-Gingerbread Layer Cake with Salted Maple-Caramel Sauce

This is one of those desserts that looks so good in the magazine picture and I'm never quite able to match it.  There are actually 4 different parts to the recipe.  First, the maple-coated pecans, which were the easiest part.  Just combine maple syrup with the pecans halves and cook in a skillet.  Cool on foil, making sure the pecans don't touch.  They are very sticky!  Next, work on the cake.  The batter is really unique, like a cakey gingerbread.  The stand-out ingredients are Chinese five-spice powder, crystallized ginger, maple sugar, and molasses.  I think I've had the same jar of molasses for the past 2 years and thought I'd never use it all.  Well, this is the recipe to clean out your molasses with a whole 2/3 cup!  Next, the frosting.  The unique aspect of the frosting is creme fresh, which is combined with chipping cream and sugar.  At first it wasn't my favorite, but after a day or so it took on some of the cake flavors and was really good.  Last, the salted maple-caramel sauce.  I think I botched this one by heating it too high, too fast.  It came out a bit too solid to be dripped over the cake.  So, I had to put it in a Ziploc bag and cut a hole in the end to get lines of the caramel on the cake.  The taste was actually good, just not the consistency.  Overall, this was a good cake, but probably one that should be reserved for a night when you have an easier dinner to deal with.

Yumminess: 8 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $20.50 for 10 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 1:15 hours total for prep and 3:15 hours total. I'd say that was about the right amount of time.

Was it worth it?: Yes, it was a yummy dessert, but I won't make it very often because of the more challenging process and the cost.

October 11 Meal: Mad for Maple is Making Me Mad

We took a few days off from cooking to visit family in Florida and caught an early flight back to Raleigh on Monday morning.  I thought this may not make for an easy meal prep day, but I went ahead and planned big: Swordfish with Olive, Pine Nut, and Parsley Relish, Skillet Turnips and Potatoes with Bacon, and Maple Pots De Crème with Almond Praline. 

 

Swordfish with Olive, Pine Nut, and Parsley Relish

I found some really great prices on frozen swordfish at Trader Joe's and was pleasantly surprised with how quickly it thawed.  This recipe, from the Fast Easy Fresh section, is quick.  Just season the fish with a little salt, pepper, and red pepper flake, then cook for 4-5 minutes per side.  Meanwhile, you can prep the topping, which had my favorite ingredient again - olives!  Chop up some shallots, garlic, green olives, and Italian parsley.  All of it gets cooked in the same pan that the fish cooked in, along with some white wine.  For such a quick dish this really had a lot of great flavor.

Yumminess: 9 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $10 for 2 servings (however, the swordfish steaks were large, so we had some left for lunch)

Time: Bon Appetit said 35 minutes for prep and total, but I spent maybe 15 minutes in prep and 25 minutes total.

Was it worth it?: Yes, this was a flavorful fish recipe.

Skillet Turnips and Potatoes with Bacon

This issue of Bon Appetit utilizes turnips in several recipes.  It's certainly not a vegetable I am very familiar with, so it's nice to try some new things.  The skillet turnips and potatoes recipe comes from the Lidia's Friuli article, so it's also interesting to learn more about Italian food that has nothing to do with pasta or red sauce.  You start by cooking some bacon until fat is rendered, then add onion and garlic.  Take a moment to smell how amazing that aroma is... Next add cubed turnips and potatoes, cooking until tender.  The next part is interesting, and sounds a bit strange.  Combine red wine vinegar, sugar, and water, then put that mixture into the pan with the vegetables.  I still am not sure what kind of chemical reaction this creates, but it adds a a good depth of flavor.  Keep cooking until crispy, then top with fresh parsley.  This is probably a good recipe for a cold night when you want some comfort food.

Yumminess: 10 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $7.40 for 4 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 1 hour for prep and total, but I spent about 20 minutes in prep and 30 minutes cooking, for a total time of 50 minutes.

Was it worth it?: Yes!  This is a great side.  Probably not too often because I felt a little guilty with the bacon.

Maple Pots De Crème with Almond Praline

I ended the night with a dessert I thought was going to be easy from the Mad for Maple article.  The custard is simple enough.  Just whisk together egg yolk, sugar (granulated and maple), maple extract, and salt, then add in the heavy whipping cream.  Divide among ramekins and bake.  Easy enough, right?  Well, the other part is making the praline topping.  First you toast the almonds.  Then, you mix water, sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a saucepan on low heat.  When the sugar melts you bring the heat up until it gets to be a dark amber color.  But, oh no!  It went from dark amber to dark brown really quickly (see picture below).  I tried to make it work, but it just tasted burnt.  Into the garbage it went.  So I re-toasted more almonds, but burnt them.  Third time was a charm.  I finally got both almonds and sugar mixture right.  The sugar mixture goes over the almonds.  Once it hardens and cools, just break it up and put over the maple cream once it is chilled.

 

Yumminess: 10 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $7.20 for 2 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 40 minutes for prep and  4 hours total. I spent the same amount in prep and 2:30 hours cooking and cooling, for a total time of 3:10 hours.

Was it worth it?: Yes, however this is one of the maple desserts that requires maple sugar, which is quite expensive.  Make sure you have another maple dessert planned so that you make use of the whole jar.

October 6 Meal: Conquering the Duck

Cooking all the recipes from Bon Appetit has been a lot of fun so far, but blogging about it is a challenge.  Of course, I should have realized this.  Most of the recipes take at least an hour, so after work I come home and get right to cooking.  Recently, I've needed to do some extra work at night, so the blog has taken a back seat.  Please be patient with me as I catch up on this past week and a half.

It was time for the roasted duck and we were having friends over to share in the feast, so I decided to go all out.  The menu was Bruschetta with Kalamata Olives, Braised Greens, and Ricotta, Roasted Beet and Feta Gratin with Fresh Mint, and Roast Duck, Butternut Squash, Cepes, and Green Beans, plus the Maple and Chocolate Chip Shortbread from the night before (see October 5 post).  My mouth is watering just reading those recipe titles!

Bruschetta with Kalamata Olives, Braised Greens, and Ricotta
This is one of the recipes I would have regularly dog-eared in the magazine because it has the word "olive" in it.  I typically ignore whatever else is in a recipe and just start salivating at that word.  This is a fun and farely easy appetizer to make from the At the Market section.  First, you boil some broccoli rabe (or rappini) in salted water.  I laugh every time I hear the words "brocolli rabe" because it reminds me of The Office when Andy refers to his acapella group's nicknames, one of which is that vegetable.  The wilted rapini is sauteed with some garlic and red pepper flakes, which give it the slightest little kick, and then cooled.  Slice up some baguette and toast in the oven, then top with ricotta, cooled rapini, fresh oregano, and (angels singing) Kalamata olives! 

Yumminess: 9 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $9.40 for 6 servings (although 4 of us ate the whole thing)

Time: Bon Appetit said 40 minutes for prep and 1:10 hrs.total.  I spent maybe 30 minutes in prep and 1 hour total.

Was it worth it?: Yes, this was a great appetizer.  If you have several other things your could probably even feed more than 6 if you just want a couple pieces per person.

 

Roasted Beet and Feta Gratin with Fresh Mint

We love beets at our house, so any new recipe for beets is great, but adding in feta just brings it to another level.  This one is a farely easy side from the Back to Our Roots article.  First, the beets are baked in a little water.  Then they are peeled, sliced, and placed in a baking dish.  The only real work is making the cream for the gratin.  This requires simmering heavy whipping cream with fresh mint and garlic and letting it set to steep for 15 minutes.  The cream is then strained, removing the chunks of garlic and mint.  What's left is a mint and garlic-infused cream that is baked with the beets.  Crumble some feta on the tope and pop it in the oven.  The flavor of the gratin is really intersting, almost like the mint from a York peppermint patty.  The beets remain somewhat crisp, not at all mushy like I thought they might.

 

Yumminess: 9 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $5.75 for 4 servings (we had about 1.5 servings left)

Time: Bon Appetit said 35 minutes for prep and 2:20 hrs.total.  I spent maybe 20 minutes in prep and 1:45 hours total.

Was it worth it?: Yes, this was a great side.  A very intereseting, new way to eat beets.

 

Roast Duck, Butternut Squash, Cepes, and Green Beans

Here it was, the recipe I was kind of afraid of.  The only time I ever ate duck was on a cruise ship and it seemed a little oily to me.  Shaun was very excited.  Apparently he's a big duck fan.  I guess you learn new things even after being together for 10 years.  The first job was finding a duck.  I was thinking of ordering one from the co-op market, Weaver Street, but got a clue that I could find a cheap one at Compare Foods.  I'd never been there, but decided to give it a try.  Interestingly, Compare Foods carries a large variety of Latino foods, with a great selection of meats you may not normally find in your standard grocery store.  I called ahead to make sure they had duck.  After going through four people I was assured that they had whole ducks for $2.49 per lb.  Great deal!  When I stopped in I asked the butcher to show me where the ducks were.  They were in the freezer section, so he pulled one out for me to see.  It was a bit large, but the smaller ones were more expensive.  He gave me a 5 lb. bird and said, "I remember talking to you on the phone and I told you the price was lower.  Let me go change this tag for you."  That was really nice of him!

 

The duck hung out in the refrigerator for a day and then on the counter to thaw, but was still a bit icey.  I had to cook it for a few minutes in order to pull the neck and jiblets out.  The duck is roasted until the skin browns.  Then, butternut squash and shallots are added and roasted with it for another hour and a half.  Meanwhile, the green beans and mushrooms are cooked seperately and then roasted together.  The recipe calls for cepes, also known as porcini mushrooms (in fact, that's what the whole article is about: The Great French Mushroom Hunt), but I couldn't find them at Whole Foods.  The only porcini mushroom I found was $49 per lb. from Oregon, yikes!  I settled for creminis.  As a side note, I have since found dehydrated porcinis and will use them in the 2 other recipes in that article.

 

 

The final task was making the gravy.  I'm not usually a gravy person, but this was definitely worth it.  The whole roasting pan is placed on the ovens burners and cooked with chicken broth.  The brown bits from the duck make this sauce deliciously rich. 

 

 

Alll in all, this recipe was like making two sperate dishes.  The payoff was very tasty, though.  It also makes for a beautiful dish on the table.  One roasted bird with veggies surrounding it means no work for presentation.

 

Yumminess: 10 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $25.50 for 4 servings (we had about 2 servings left that we ate as leftovers the next day)

Time: Bon Appetit said 1:15 hrs. for prep and 3:35 hrs.total.  I spent maybe 50 minutes in prep and 3 hrs. total.

Was it worth it?: Yes, if you have the time it was worthy of a meal for a family get-together or just for great friends, like we had.

October 5 Meal: Rest Stop

This night was kind of a rest stop in the week.  We just had spaghetti the night before and were planning a full roasted duck the next day.  The recipe was Trout Fillets with Mint Pipian from the Fast, Easy, Fresh section.  It promised to be a quick dish.  In preparation for the next night's feast I also prepared Maple and Chocolate Chip Shortbread from the Mad for Maple section.

Trout Fillets with Mint Pipian
 This was the least impressive dish so far, but that may be my fault.  Last week I went on a reconnaissance trip to a few grocery stores to figure out where I was going to get everything for the month.  Whole Foods had trout fillets, so I went back there the day I made this dish.  Unfortunately, they didn't have any trout because the farm was cleaning their tanks over the next two weeks.  I was too lazy to stop at another store, so I went for tilapia.  I think that may have been a mistake.  The fish didn't have a very good texture once it was cooked, however the flavor was OK.

The mint pipian was just alright, as well.  A pipian is a ground Mexican sauce characterized by pumpkin or squash seeds.  This one had pumpkin seeds, poblano, onion, tomatillo, mint, and lime juice.  After the ingredients were sauteed I blended them in the food processor.  The sauce ended up pretty thick and the predominant flavor was mint.  Shaun and I just aren't huge mint fans with main dishes.

Yumminess: 5 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $9 for 2 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 30 minutes for prep and 40 minutes total, but I spent maybe 15 minutes in prep and 5 minutes cooking, so my total time was around 20 minutes.

Was it worth it?: The price wasn't bad and the taste wasn't bad, either.  Trout would probably be better.

Maple and Chocolate Chip Shortbread
Even though I made this one for the next night, we snuck a little slice.  The maple in this recipe cuts the saltiness of the butter really nicely.  Ground maple sugar gave the maple flavor in this recipe.  Maple sugar is "what remains after the sap of the sugar maple is boiled for longer than is needed to create maple syrup or maple taffy."  Buying maple sugar is a bit of a commitment.  Whole Foods has a jar that contains about a cup and half of the large granuled sugar for $12.99!  With an entire article on maple desserts, looks like I'll have to get a couple jars... and maybe substitute some regular sugar.  However, for the shortbread I used the right amount of maple sugar, no substitutions.

Putting together the batter was easy, just beat butter with maple sugar, salt, and flour.  You spread that in a tart pan with a removable bottom and then press chocolate chips on the top.  My favorite chocolate chips are the Ghirardelli bittersweet big chips.  Last, just spread a little maple syrup (Grade B) on the top and bake.

Yumminess: 10 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $5.50 for 16 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 25 minutes for prep and 2 hrs.total, but I spent maybe 15 minutes in prep, 55 minutes cooking, and 30 minutes cooling, so my total time was around 1:40 hrs.

Was it worth it?: Yes!  This was a great dessert and easy to make.  I wouldn't buy maple sugar just for this, so have a plan for what you want to do with the rest of it since it's expensive.

October 4 Meal: A Little Butter Never Killed Anyone, Right?

Mmm, I was really looking forward to this night.  Nothing can get your through a Monday like the thought of Spaghetti and Meatballs and Caesar Salad with Sourdough Croutons.  Spaghetti is one of the best comfort foods.  Meat, red sauce, and some pasta and you are good to go.  This recipe wasn't quite that easy, but packed the same comforting punch.  In fact, this recipe may even be considered more comforting because of the addition of butter...yes, butter....to the sauce.  When I told Shaun that this recipe (which said it would be for 6 main-course servings) had 1 stick of butter in it I got some push-back.  I told him that it was less butter per serving than most desserts we eat, but he said "This is dinner, not a dessert."  Still, I pressed forward, reminding him that it was his idea that I follow the recipes exactly how they are printed.

Spaghetti and Meatballs
The first order of business was the sauce.  I've been storing away tomato products and fruits for the winter like a squirrel, so I had plenty of diced tomatoes ready to go.  The tomatoes went into a large saucepan with 4 onion halves, salt, and the stick of butter.  That combination simmers for 45 minutes.  The onions are discarded (again with this "wasting" of food!  See October 3 Meal post.) and the rest is blended in the food processor.  The color ends up being a reddish-orange, not like the typical red sauce I've made before.

Meanwhile, I prepared the meatballs.  These are really the purpose for the meal, since they come from the commentary article "In Search of the Perfect Meatball."  This particular meatball has a combination of pork and beef, fresh bread crumbs soaked in milk, Parmesan cheese, Italian parsley, salt, pepper, eggs, and garlic. Once everything is combined the mixture gets chilled for a while.  Then the meatballs are formed and cooked in the pureed sauce.  Cook a little spaghetti up al dente, toss with the sauce, and viola!

Yumminess: 8 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $13 for 6 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 1:30 hours of prep and 2:45 hours total.  It took me about 45 minutes of prep, 20 minutes of chilling time, and 30 minutes of extra cooking time for a total of 1:35 hours.  I'm beginning to not pay attention to Bon Appetit's suggested times.

Was it worth it?: Yes!  These were really flavorful meatballs.  I will change-up the sauce next time, though.

Caesar Salad with Sourdough Croutons

I'm a Caesar Salad fan, but I feel like restaurants get it wrong usually with too much dressing and Parmesan.  This is a great solution for those of you like me.  The dressing is refreshing and delicate, not overpowering.  It contains anchovies, garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Parmesan, and olive oil.  As I'm writing this I realize it sounds anything but delicate, but somehow these things combine to make a lovely little dressing.  Add it to some chopped romaine, a little extra Parmesan, and sourdough croutons (store-bought or not, I made mine from a loaf of sourdough bread and froze the rest for later).  Another yum!

So there we had it, the perfect comfort meal.  It was delicious, but as we neared the end the richness of the butter in the spaghetti sauce was somewhat overpowering us.  I felt like I needed to go walk a few, or two or three.  Thus, I've decided that I will keep the meatball recipe, which was great, but swap out the sauce for something lighter.  The one nice thing about the sauce was that the fat made the noodles stickier and much easier to eat.  Also, to be fair, when I ate smaller portions for lunch afterward it was a lot more pleasant.

Yumminess: 10 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $5.50 for 3 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 25 minutes of prep and 1 hour total.  It took me about 20 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cooking time (including making the croutons), for a total of 35 minutes.

Was it worth it?: Definitely!  I loved this salad.

October 3 Meal: A Labor of Like

There are several recipes in October's Bon Appetit that require a significant time commitment. I've tried to strategically place those meals on weekends. This particular meal was Chicken, Vegetable, and Dumpling Soup with Fresh-Herb Dumplings from the "Soup and the Single Girl" article. My one memory of chicken and dumpling soup is from childhood, when my mom made it a few times. I loved the dumplings because they were huge, plump, biscuit-like mounds. The soup and chicken were just a backdrop for those dumplings. In the recipe I made here, the soup plays the lead.


First, you start out chopping a lot of vegetables. This is my favorite part. The first summer after we were married, Shaun didn't have a job lined up here in North Carolina yet. I was working my summer internship, so he was nice enough to start dinner out before I got home. He'd have all our vegetables chopped and ready to go into whatever we were making that night. It was a really sweet thing to do, but I finally had to tell him that I missed all that prep work. There's just something relaxing to me about chopping. 

So, for the stock of this soup there's a lot of chopping involved - carrots, parsnips, celery, onions, leeks, parsley, and thyme. All of this goes into a large stock pot with chicken wings, chicken breasts, and chicken broth (see photo). The whole thing simmers for a few hours, but the chicken breasts get taken out when they are done. The sad part to me was that when it is all done you strain the whole thing, discarding all those great veggies and the chicken wings (see photo)! The broth then gets cooled for a few hours.




Meanwhile, I worked on the dumplings. Whole eggs, egg yolks, milk, flour, and butter are combined with the herbs: parsley, celery leaves, and chives. I had just gotten through chopping all those vegetables listed above, so I must have still been thinking I needed to press hard on my knife when cutting the chives. Of course cutting the most delicate of the ingredients I ended up chopping my finger. Ouch (don't worry, not pictured)! The mixture is cooked in boiling salted water. At first, my mixture wasn't quite solid enough, so it dissolved into the water. I added some extra flour and it was OK, or at least stayed together. As the picture shows, these little dumplings look nothing like the ones I described above that my mom made.

Finally, the fat is taken from the top of the chilled stock, added to a pan, and made into a roux. The roux is added to the pot of stock, along with some cubed carrots and parsnips, the shredded chicken breasts, dumplings, and more herbs. It all simmers for a bit and then your done, phew!


All that work was fun, but we weren't that impressed with the outcome. Don't get me wrong, it tastes good, but without those fluffy dumplings it just didn't seem worth it. The broth was very rich and thick and the vegetables were great.  The parsnips add a little something different than your average chicken and vegetable soup.  If you are going for the soup, then this recipe s for you, but if you are a bread-lover like me, you may want to take a pass.

Yumminess: 7 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $30 for "6 servings," which ended up being about 8.  I used chicken from the farmer's market, so that's a more expensive.

Time: Soup: Bon Appetit said 2:45 hours of prep and 7:45 hours total.  It took me about 1:15 hours of prep, 1:45 of cooking time, and 2 hours to cool for a total of 5 hours.  Dumplings (which were done while the soup cooked): Bon Appetit said 40 minutes of prep and 40 minutes total.  It took me about 30 minutes of prep and total.

Was it worth it?: Meh... probably not.  It was good, but not really one of my favorite things.  I can certainly see why people would enjoy it though.

October 2 Meal: The Case of the Missing Sunchokes

Saturday was the big game, Florida vs. Alabama.  That called for a big meal to prepare to cheer on the Gators.  Never mind that they lost in a rather depressing game, the meal was great.  We had Roast Chicken with Parsnips, Golden Beets, and Jerusalem Artichokes with Beer Pan Juices, Peel-and-Eat Spiced Shrimp with Chipotle Remoulade, and German Chocolate Brownies.  To complete the meal I steamed some kale and heated up the leftover braised red cabbage (see yesterday’s post).

Roast Chicken with Parsnips, Golden beets, and Jerusalem Artichokes with Beer Pan Juices

Roast chicken is a pretty common meal at our house.  I usually pick one up from the farmer’s market and do something with it once a week.  My favorite chicken farmer is Harland’s Creek Farm.  They are always very friendly and say something like, “I watched this chicken grow up and it was just butchered this week.  Enjoy!”  I picture happy little chickens running around the farm.  I’ve promised them I’d take good care of it so that it didn’t die in vein.  The recipe calls for a 4- to 4½ lb. chicken, but for just the two of us I used one that was 2½ lbs.

You start by placing herbs under the skin on the breasts and in the chest cavity and let it hang out on the counter for 2 hours with its wings tucked under.  I’m not sure why the wings need to be tucked, but as the picture here shows, it makes for a bird that really looks like she’s enjoying herself (despite the herbs protruding from her rump and not having a head).  After the resting period, the chicken is placed in a roasting pan with the parsnips, golden beets, and Jerusalem artichokes that have been mixed with oil and herbs.  However, this chicken only got beets and parsnips with it.  I was not able to find Jerusalem artichokes (also known as sunchokes) anywhere.  The season doesn’t start until the very end of October.  You might be wondering why I couldn’t just substitute artichoke hearts from a jar.  Well, despite the name, sunchokes aren’t really artichokes at all.  They are actually a species of sunflower and the part that is eaten is a tuber that resembles a ginger root.  While I’d love to try them, if they aren’t available, the show must go on without them.




After an hour or so of roasting and a few stirs of the veggies the chicken was done.  The juices get poured from the chest cavity and all meat and vegetables are taken from the pan.  Next, the pan is placed on burners and beer is added to make a juice with the brown bits at the bottom of the pan.  The recipe called for a lager or pale ale and I assume that my husband, an aspiring brewmaster, had one of those sitting around.  We had an IPA, which is close enough.  It turned out alright, but didn’t really improve the taste of anything.  Overall, this was a good chicken, but not my favorite of the roasted chickens I’ve made before.  I thought that all the herbs would provide a lot of flavor, but was a little disappointed with their subtlety.  The chicken itself was very moist and we had about half the bird left for lunch for the next couple days.

Yumminess: 6 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $17 for 4 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 1 hour of prep and 4:10 hrs. total. I spent maybe 20 minutes in “prep,” 2 hrs. with the chicken on the counter, and about an hour of cook time, so my total time was around about 3½  hours.

Was it worth it?: Yes, it was not any more expensive than other roast chickens I make, but I’d probably only do it once in the fall when the vegetables are in season.

Peel-and-Eat Spiced Shrimp with Chipotle Remoulade

This is a recipe that I would have just passed over usually.  Even though I like shrimp I can’t remember ever making a peel-and-eat recipe.  This one is definitely the best I’ve ever tasted.  The recipe was for 12 servings, but I cut the number of shrimp in half.  A brine of salt and spices gives the shrimp a slight spiciness after their quick cook of 3 minutes.  The shrimp were great by themselves, but amazing when dipped into the chipotle remoulade.  A remoulade is a French sauce generally characterized by aioli or mayonnaise and can contain a number of different things.  This remoulade contains mayo, chipotle chilies, cilantro, and lime and provides a great contrast to the shrimp.  The lime is the star of the sauce.  I felt like my mouth had been asleep and was just woken up.  This recipe provides a great bang for the small amount of time it takes to prepare.  I don’t have any pictures because we were too busy eating to remember to get a shot.

On a side note, I purchased the shrimp from Whole Foods and chose the more “local” North Carolina-caught shrimp instead of the farmed shrimp from Nicaragua.  This made the shrimp twice as expensive.  Depending on your priorities, you can cut down the cost by a lot if desired.

Yumminess: 10 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $9.50 for 2 servings

Time: For shrimp, Bon Appetit said 30 minutes of prep and 45 minutes total and for Remoulade 10 minutes prep and 10 minutes total.  For shrimp, it took me about 15 minutes to heat the water and make the brine, then another 10 minutes of cooking for a total of 25 minutes.  For the Remoulade, it took about 10 minutes total.

Was it worth it?: Definitely!  This is a great recipe for dinner parties or a week(end) treat.

German Chocolate Brownies

Wow, these things are amazing!  The recipe is in the R.S.V.P. section from a restaurant in St. Augustine, FL named The Bunnery Bakery & Café.  I made 1/3 the recipe in my 8x8 glass pan.  The brownie part has vegetable shortening and corn syrup, not usual brownie ingredients for me, but I think they made the difference.  On top is a topping like what’s on German chocolate cake, hence the name.  Shredded coconut and pecans are mixed with a combination of half and half, sugar, butter, egg yolk, and vanilla that has been cooked on the stove.  The mixture is cooled and then smeared on top of the cooled brownies.  As long as you like brownies and coconut this dessert is sure to be one of your favorites, too.

Yumminess: 10 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $7.50 for 16 servings (depending on how big you like your brownies and if you can get free eggs from your boss)

Time: Bon Appetit said 50 minutes of prep and 3 hours total.  It took me about 30 minutes of prep, 30 minutes of cooking time, and 1 hour to cool for a total of 2 hours.

Was it worth it?: Definitely!  This will be one of my go-to brownie recipes, but it is a lot more involved than the regular chocolate ones I’ve made.

October 1 Meal: A Little Bit of Italy

Last night was the first night of my Bon Appetit for a year challenge.  On the menu were: Roasted Veal Shanks with Rosemary, Braised Red Cabbage with Vinegar, and Warm Pear Buckles with Tangerine Cream.  To round out the meal I made a sauté of corn and potatoes with oregano and our friends brought a fabulous bottle of wine and roasted garlic bread.  So, let me tell you a little about these dishes.

Roasted Veal Shanks with Rosemary

The first lesson learned during this challenge is that some meat is very expensive.  The recipe, which came from an article about the Friuli region of northeastern Italy, calls fortwo 2- to 2 ½ lb. veal shanks and makes 6 servings.  We decided to halve it, which was fortunate for our pocketbooks!  Shaun picked up 2 lbs. of veal shank from our friendly butcher, Cliff, in Carrboro.  He was shocked to find it totaled $26!  Also, the meat was cut into smaller portions, rather than one large shank.  That did not end up being a problem, though.

If you’re like me, you may not know what exactly a veal shank is.  Chow.com told me it is the lower portions of both the front and rear legs.  This was a slow-cooking dish and started with browning the meat on the stove.  Alongside the veal, a sauté of carrots, celery, and onions makes the kitchen smell amazing!  Everything goes in the oven with some white wine and chicken stock and pretty much takes care of itself.  After the meat is done all the vegetables get put into the processor, making a thick sauce.  Unfortunately, I over-salted the sauce a bit, so by itself it was a bit much, but was nice combined with the veal.

Overall, this dish was delicious.  The meat was fall-off-the-bone tender and had a buttery, rich quality.  That being said, for a lot less money I could make a pot roast with the same qualities.  We also tried eating the marrow inside the bone.  Anthony Bourdain always makes it look so delicious, but to us it was a bit like eating plain butter.  Here are our ratings:

Yumminess: 7 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $33 for 4 small servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 1 ½ hrs. prep and 3 ½ hrs. total, but I spent maybe ½ hr. in what I’d call “prep” and 2 hrs. cooking, so my total time was around 2 ½ hrs.

Was it worth it?: It was definitely worth trying something new, but this won’t be in our regular repertoire.

Braised Red Cabbage with Vinegar

This dish was also from the article about Friuli, Italy.  It may not sound that exciting, but it was the star of the night in my opinion.  One head of red cabbage, some onion, garlic, caraway, chicken broth, and red wine vinegar and voila, a plain vegetable turned into a tangy tongue-pleaser.  The cabbage starts out purple and white (picture below) and ends up all one royal purple color.  The recipe claims that it is for 6 servings, but those would need to be very large servings.  After the four of us ate second helpings we still have 4 servings left.  Not a problem though, because it will make a great side to some of the other dishes coming up soon.

Yumminess: 9 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $4.50 for 8+ servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 45 minutes prep and 1 hour total. I spent maybe 20 minutes in “prep” and 42 minutes cooking, so my total time was around about 1 hour.

Was it worth it?: Absolutely!  It was economical and great-tasting.  This one’s going in the recipe book.

Warm Pear Buckles with Tangerine Cream

This recipe came from the R.S.V.P. section from a restaurant called Ford’s Filling Station in Culver City, CA.  It creates individual desserts for everyone in your own personal ramekin.  Even after doing some Google research, I’m not sure what a “buckle” is defined by.  The most common characteristic is a fruit mixture with a crust.  This crust tasted like a combination of a sugar cookie and pie crust, which I believe is the result of a combination of cream cheese, a lot of sugar, and butter.  How could that be anything but good?  Instead of regular cream cheese I used Neufchatel to save a few grams of fat.  You’ll have to forgive me some substitutions like this since the amount of butter and cream I’ve totaled for this coming month is embarrassingly high.  I learned a lot about the number of pear varieties when shopping at Whole Foods for this dessert.  I think there were at least 6 different kinds!  The recipe recommends Anjou or Comice, and the latter was the one I found.  The addition of ginger made the mixture spicier than I expected.  While Shaun appreciated that spiciness, it wasn’t really something I enjoyed.  The ruling at the table was that the crust was amazing, but maybe a different fruit would enhance the experience.  Perhaps peaches? 

Then there was the Tangerine Cream, which deserves its own description.  It was simple to make and refreshingly citrusy.  Tangerines were not available at any of the 3 markets we checked, so I went for a tangelo.  It tasted close enough to what I remember tangerines to be.  I put a dollop of cream on top of each buckle and it contrasted nicely with the spicy pears.

Yumminess: (Me) 5 out of 10 (Shaun) 7 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $8.75 for 4 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 1 hour for prep and 3 ¾ hrs. total. I spent maybe 20 minutes in “prep,” 2 hrs. chilling dough, 30 minutes cooking, and 15 minutes cooling, so my total time was around about 3 hours.

Was it worth it?: I would love to try a different fruit with the same crust.

These three dishes are a great example of ones that I would usually pass over without trying.  I’m glad that we tried something new with the veal and was pleasantly surprised by the cabbage.  It was certainly a great start to the challenge and excites me for what’s to come.  Today’s meal was Roast Chicken with Parsnips, Golden beets, and Jerusalem Artichokes with Beer Pan Juices, Peel-and-Eat Spiced Shrimp with Chipotle Remoulade, and German Chocolate Brownies.  I’ll let you know how they were tomorrow.