November 8 Meal: Spiced Salmon

Salmon is good on its own, but the recipe in the November issue of Bon Appetit makes salmon somehow twice as good.  The spices and yogurt sauce really work well together.  Along with the Spice-Crusted Salmon with Ginger-Cilantro Yogurt Sauce, I made  Parsnip, Potato, and Turnip Puree, Iron-Skillet Succotash, and Blood Orange Champagne Cocktails.

Spice-Crusted Salmon with Ginger-Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

I used frozen salmon from Trader Joe's.  As I've mentioned before, they have really good prices on frozen fish and the quality is good.  The spice mixture that goes on the meat is fennel seed, coriander, salt, and pepper.  The fish is cooked for just a few minutes on each side.  The sauce is a great addition.  I didn't have plain yogurt like I thought I did, so I used sour cream.  Just add cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, fresh ginger, and garlic.  I even started scooping up the extra sauce with the puree and succotash.

Yumminess: 10 out of 10
Cost: Approx. $7.25 for 2 servings.
Time: Bon Appetit said 30 minutes for prep and total.  It took me about that long.
Was it worth it?: Yes, I'll put this on my list of regulars.

Parsnip, Potato, and Turnip Puree
This was a good mellow side for the salmon.  Sauteed onions, parsnips, potatoes, and turnips are cooked in chicken broth until soft.  The puree gets an added boost of richness with cream cheese and a kick of flavor with dill.  There's also a topping made form butter and panko breadcrumbs.  Everything is baked for 15 minutes.  This is another good alternative to regular mashed potatoes.

Yumminess: 9 out of 10
Cost: Approx. $6.50 for 4 servings.
Time: Bon Appetit said 50 minutes for prep and 1:20 hours total.  It took me about 20 minutes of prep and 1:05 total.
Was it worth it?: Yes, it is different and cheap.

Iron-Skillet Succotash
Succotash is the best.  A bunch of chopped up vegetables sauteed together, usually featuring lima beans.  Lime beans have such a great texture, especially in combination with the other vegetables.  This one has corn (frozen from local corn, in our case), onion, zucchini, bell pepper (calls for red and orange, but I used red and green), and a bit of marjoram.  It's all sauteed together in stages and you have a great side dish.  The marjoram is key, such a great spice!

Yumminess: 10 out of 10
Cost: Approx. $5 for 5 servings.
Time: Bon Appetit said 45 minutes for prep and total.  It took me about 15 minutes of prep and 30 minutes total.
Was it worth it?: Yes, great side and cheap.

Blood Orange Champagne Cocktail

This is a really easy cocktail.  I got the champagne for only $6 a bottle at Trader Joe's.  The blood orange was from Whole Foods.  It is really dark red, so my cocktails came out a lot darker then the ones in the picture.  Maybe I used too much juice in them?  Along with the orange juice and champagne is a little bit of Cointreau or another orange liqueur.  I used orange Patron.  Overall, it's very easy and relatively inexpensive to make.

Yumminess: 8 out of 10
Cost: Approx. $11 for 4 servings.
Time: It only takes a minute to juice the orange.
Was it worth it?: Yes, it was easy and different.

November 5 "Meal": Berry Pie

We were going to head down to Shaun's grandparent's cabin in the mountains in Georgia.  As a thank you I decided to bake the Cranberry and Wild Blueberry Pie.  It was the first pie I'd ever made a lattice top on.  Therefore, I made the whole Pie Crust recipe, which makes two disks of crust.  Like most crusts, this one uses flour, salt, sugar, and equal parts butter and non-hydrogenated solid vegetable shortening.  The shortening gives it more flakiness.  The filling is to-die-for, with blueberries (frozen, which we picked back in July), cranberries (frozen), sugar, corn starch, cinnamon sticks, lemon juice, and lemon zest.  It all gets simmered together until the mixture thickens.  The recipe asks you to remove the cinnamon sticks before pouring the filling into the crust, but I was a bit preoccupied and left them in.  See the picture of Shaun's grandfather showing off his cinnamon "cigar" that he found in his pie.  Fortunately, I was able to excavate the other stick before anyone else got to it.

The lattice top turned out alright, but the crust was a bit dry, making it fall apart some as I tried to weave the pieces together.  In the end, the outcome was delicious.  This ranks as one of my new favorite pies.

Yumminess: 10 out of 10
Cost: Approx. $9 for 1 pie
Time: Bon Appetit said 1 hour for prep and 4 hours total (not including the crust).  It took me about 30 minutes of prep and 4 hours total (including the crust).
Was it worth it?: Yes, definitely!

November 4 Meal: On the Side

The November issue has lots of side item recipes, therefore we will be having a few nights of just sides.  This isn't Shaun's favorite way to eat dinner.  In his eyes, a meal isn't quite complete without meat, or at least a hearty veggie entree.  This night I made Sauerkraut with Gin and Caraway and Fennel Gratin with Pecorino and Lemon and we had a few leftovers from nights before.

Sauerkraut with Gin and Caraway
I know I've said recipes are simple before, but this one is about as easy as it gets.  Just use jarred sauerkraut and simmer with gin and caraway seeds for a while until the the liquid reduces.  At the end, add some butter.  I used half of what the recipe called for.  The finished product was a milder-tasting sauerkraut.  I like the regular stuff, so I wouldn't say it was necessary to use the gin, but if you need to cut the sour quality, this recipe is good.

Yumminess: 7 out of 10
Cost: Approx. $5.50 for 3 servings.
Time: Bon Appetit said 10 minutes for prep and 40 minutes total.  It took me about 2 minutes for prep and 22 minutes total.
Was it worth it?: Not really.  It was good, but not necessary.

Fennel Gratin with Pecorino and Lemon

Fennel is a great vegetable.  I'm all about adding more fennel recipes to my repertoire.  This one was good, but I'm not sure if I made it correctly because it looks nothing like the picture in the magazine.  Don't you hate that?  Maybe if I walk through the steps again I can figure out where it went wrong... Saute onion and garlic, then fennel.  Next, add broth, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper.  I think so far, so good.  The topping is Panko breadcrumbs sauteed with butter with Pecorino, parsley, and lemon zest added at the end.  Everything goes in a glass baking dish and gets baked.  I feel like I did all that correctly.  My gratin turned out a lot less creamy than the one in the magazine looks.  It almost looks like they added cream to the fennel mixture.  It still tasted alright, but not as good as the picture made it look.

Yumminess: 7 out of 10
Cost: Approx. $7.50 for 3 servings.
Time: Bon Appetit said 1 hour for prep and 1:30 hours total.  It took me about 20 minutes for prep and 55 minutes total.
Was it worth it?: Yes, I'll try it one more time to try to improve.

November 3 Meal: Odd Combinations

I never tried shrimp and grits until I moved to North Carolina.  It sounds like such a strange combination, but it's oh so good.  This recipe was for Shrimp and Grits with Tasso Cream Sauce.  I also made the Celery and Pear Bisque (another strange-sounding combination) and Chocolate-Caramel Sandwich Cookies (a very normal combination).

Shrimp and Grits with Tasso Cream Sauce

If you need some comfort food, this recipe should be in the running.  Saute raw, peeled shrimp in butter for a minute.  Then, saute peppers, andouille sausage, and garlic.  Later, add wine, cream, parsley, thyme, and the cooked shrimp.  Meanwhile, cook the grits.  Be careful not to overcook.  A little bit of butter and cream gives that all-important edge of unhealthiness necessary for comfort food.  Top with the shrimp mixture.  I'm glad I chose to use the sausage rather than the other option of ham.  It had a nice little hint of spice.

Yumminess: 9 out of 10
Cost: Approx. $10 for 3 servings.
Time: Bon Appetit said 45 minutes for prep and total.  It took me about 10 minutes of prep and 30 minutes total.
Was it worth it?: Yes, great comfort food.

Celery and Pear Bisque

This is another combination that doesn't sound right.  Celery and pear, really?  However, the pear adds just a little sweetness and celery is a great soup flavor.  Just saute a lot of celery, pears, leek tops (I've never had a use for these before!), bay leaves, and thyme.  Then, add broth and simmer for 20 minutes.Once everything softens you can puree in the food processor.  When it's served add a little diced pear and celery leaves.  Surprisingly good.

Yumminess: 8 out of 10
Cost: Approx. $7.50 for 4 servings.
Time: Bon Appetit said 30 minutes for prep and  50 minutes total.  It took me about 15 minutes of prep and 40 minutes total.
Was it worth it?: Yes, this is a good Fall soup. 

 Chocolate-Caramel Sandwich Cookies

Ugh, the dreaded caramel.  Caramel is my nemesis in this cooking challenge and I'm determined to master it in the next year.  There is no picture in the magazine, but I'm pretty sure the caramel isn't supposed to run out the sides of the cookie.  I had high hopes for this recipe.  The cookie part is great, just a plain chocolate cookie, soft with just a little bit of a crunch.  It gets rolled out and cut into 1.5-inch rounds.  The caramel is made with sugar, cream, honey, corn syrup, vanilla, and butter.  I think my problem was that I couldn't get it to the right temperature when it was cooking.  I usually burn it, so I went the opposite way this time.  After it's cooked it goes into a baking dish to solidify.  Unfortunately, this caramel never really solidified.  I was supposed to be able to use a 1-inch cookie cutter to cut it out, but all it did was ooze.  I just smeared some on and sandwiched the cookies together.  At least it tasted alright. 

Yumminess: 7 out of 10
Cost: Approx. $7.50 for 30 cookies.
Time: Bon Appetit said 1:20 hours for prep and 6 hours total.  It took me about an hour for prep and 5:30 hours total, including cooling time.
Was it worth it?: It was nice to try, but I'll attempt my caramel again elsewhere.

November 2 Meal: Penne Please

This was a night of surprises.  I was excited about making Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges with Smoked Chile Cream, but not so much about Penne and Cauliflower with Mustard Breadcrumbs.  Pasta and cauliflower doesn't exactly stand out as a yummy main dish.  Sweet potatoes with cream sounded delicious!  This is a good lesson in trying things that don't strike me as good.

Penne and Cauliflower with Mustard Breadcrumbs

This is one of those quick meals for a weeknight.  Cook up some pasta and add cauliflower part-way through.  While that's cooking make the breadcrumbs by toasting crumbs with butter and Dijon mustard on the stove.  When the pasta and cauliflower are done add Parmesan, lemon zest, and a little cream.  The lemon zest is the key.  It adds quite the zing to what could be dull and bland cauliflower.

Yumminess: 8 out of 10
Cost: Approx. $4.50 for 3 servings.
Time: Bon Appetit said 30 minutes for prep and total.  It took me about that long total, but less for prep.
Was it worth it?: Yes, for an easy dinner.

Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges with Smoked Chile Cream

First off, part of the problem with this one was that I didn't read the recipe carefully enough.  I peel the sweet potato instead of leaving the peel on, so the wedges didn't really hold up to the roasting.  They are tossed with olive oil and cumin and roasted for a while.  It took me less roasting time that Bon Appetit called for.  The cream is made of sour cream, green onions, hot pepper sauce, and lime juice.  I'm not sure what was missing, but the cream just wasn't what I expected.  I liked the potatoes, but the cream just didn't add anything.

Yumminess: 6 out of 10
Cost: Approx. $2.50 for 3 servings.
Time: Bon Appetit said 30 minutes for prep and 50 minutes total.  It took me about 10 minutes for prep and 30 minutes total.
Was it worth it?: The potatoes, yes.  The cream, no.

November 1 Meal:

Alright, back to day 1.  I decided to start with the first recipe in the magazine, Panang Chicken Curry, along with the Roasted Carrots and Parsnips with White Balsamic.  It was a nice slow start to the month.

Panang Chicken Curry

This was a quick and easy chicken curry recipe.  The chicken is simmered in coconut milk, Thai red curry paste, Kaffir lime leaves (or lime juice/peel), onion, basil, red bell pepper, bamboo shoots, tamarind paste, fish sauce, and sugar.  With all of that you'd think the flavor would be really strong, but it was actually quite subtle.  The tamarind paste stayed in one little clump and never really broke up until I prodded it with a spoon.  In the end, it was a good recipe, but a little low on flavor.

Yumminess: 7 out of 10
Cost: Approx. $11 for 3 servings.
Time: Bon Appetit said 25 minutes for prep and total.  It took me about that long.
Was it worth it?: Yes, for an easy dinner.



Roasted Carrots and Parsnips with White Balsamic

This is a simple combination of carrots and parsnips dressed up with olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, rosemary, salt, and pepper.  The vegetables are roasted for a while.  However, the roasting time I needed was a lot less than what Bon Appetit suggested.  Seems to be a trend, especially with roasted things.

Yumminess: 7 out of 10
Cost: Approx. $4 for 4 servings.
Time: Bon Appetit said 40 minutes for prep and 1:30 total.  It took me only about 10 minutes for prep and 45 minutes total.
Was it worth it?: Yes, this was an easy way to make carrots and parsnips differently.

November 13 Meal: Pre-Thanksgiving

Who says turkey is just for Thanksgiving?  There are 3 turkey recipes in the November issue of Bon Appetit.  It sounds like a lot, but I was nervous that there would be a lot more.  The last week and a half of October I anxiously checked the mailbox every day to get the November issue and find out my turkey fate.  I'm writing this entry out of order so that any of you who are interested in a few good turkey recipes can read about these.  We had some friends over the other night to test out the Malt-Beer-Brined Turkey with Malt Glaze and Salt-Roasted Turkey with Lemon and Oregano, along with Roasted Cranberry Sauce with Herbed Candied Walnuts, Mixed-Mushroom and Tarragon Gravy, Greek-Inspired Fresh Oregano and Giblet Pan Gravy, and Pumpkin Pie with Pepita, Nut, and Ginger Topping. 

Malt-Beer-Brined Turkey with Malt Glaze and Mixed-Mushroom and Tarragon Gravy

Both of the turkeys are brined, but in different ways.  This one sits in a bath highly-salted water, Guiness, and barley malt syrup (I used molasses instead).  It takes a very large bowel and two turkey brining bags (shown to the right).  After brining overnight it gets stuffed with onions, garlic, thyme, and sage, then roasted for several hours and basted with a glaze, made with similar ingredients as the brine, toward the end.  The turkey came out very tender and juicy.  Everyone seemed to like it.

To go with this turkey the magazine suggests the mixed-mushroom gravy.  The mushrooms I used were dried porcini and fresh cremini.  Additionally, there are the usual suspects: butter, shallot, garlic, thyme and sage.  The unique ingredients are creme fraiche, vermouth, and tarragon.  Unfortunately, I completely forgot the tarragon.  I was trying to do too many things at once.  I thought it still tasted great, though.

Yumminess: 9 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $28 for 11 lb. turkey; $16 for gravy

Time: Turkey: Bon Appetit said 20 hours total and it took that long with the brining.  Gravy: Bon Appetit said 45 minutes prep and 1:45 total.  I took me about 25 minutes prep and 1 hour total.

Was it worth it?: Yes, this was a surprisingly good turkey.  It had just a mild flavor of the malt and beer.  Just enough to enhance the flavor of the meat.

Salt-Roasted Turkey with Lemon and Oregano and Greek-Inspired Fresh Oregano and Giblet Pan Gravy

The brine for this turkey was a salt rub with oregano, lemon peel, garlic, and pepper.  Before roasting it is stuffed with a mixture of lemons, onion, celery, oregano, pepper, thyme, and salt.  It went in the oven with just enough room next to the malt-brined turkey.  Every once in a while you add chicken broth to the pan.  The outcome was good, just a little bit under the malt-brined turkey.  

The gravy for this turkey was my favorite of the two.  It was supposed to use the "ultimate turkey stock" recipe in the magazine, but I hadn't made it yet.  I just used chicken broth.  Of course, you scrape up all those delicious brown bits under the turkey and cook with the  chicken stock, onion, flour, white wine, oregano, and lemon juice.  It was great with both turkeys.

Yumminess: 9 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $23 for 11 lb. turkey; $5 for gravy

Time: Turkey: Bon Appetit said 21:45 hours total and it took that long with the brining.  Gravy: Bon Appetit said 35 minutes prep and total and it took me that amount of time.

Was it worth it?: Yes, this was a great turkey.  I especially loved the gravy.

 

Roasted Cranberry Sauce with Herbed Candied Walnuts

This was a very popular cranberry recipe with our friends.  I used frozen cranberries.  They were roasted with lots of sugar, walnut oil, rosemary, thyme, sage, sea salt, and red wine.  The nuts were mixed with sugar, red wine, rosemary, thyme, and sage, then roasted.  I did both recipes in the morning.  The nuts kept really well and were crunchy in the cooled-off cranberry sauce.  Even with a lot of sugar this was still very tart.  Sure beats the can though!

Yumminess: 9 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $10.25 for 3 cups

Time: Bon Appetit said 40 minutes of prep and 3:40 total (including cooling).  It took me about that long.

Was it worth it?: Yes, this was a great recipe to showcase the cranberries. 

Pumpkin Pie with Pepita, Nut, and Ginger Topping

My favorite part of Thanksgiving - pumpkin pie!  This one has a special topping that gives that extra little kick.  The pumpkin filling was also especially creamy, probably because of the whipping cream.  Instead of using pumpkin from a can I've learned that I really enjoy using fresh pumpkins.  You know those little pumpkins that are about as big as your head?  Not really big enough for carving, but those are the ones you want for pies.  Just steam them until the flesh is soft and mush up.  There's your pumpkin filling.  For this pie, it gets mixed with brown sugar, sugar, molasses, flower, cinnamon, ginger, ground clove, salt eggs, and cream.  It ended up being just a bit too much to fit in the crust that I pre-baked.  Last, the topping is added.  It is a combination of pepitas (pumpkin seeds), almonds, pecans, butter, brown sugar, salt, and crystallized ginger.  To be honest, it wasn't my favorite part of the pie.  I think I may try the same pie again in the (near)future without the topping.

 Yumminess: 9 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $9.50 for 1 pie

Time: Bon Appetit said 40 minutes of prep and 5:40 total (including cooling).  It took me about that long, maybe a little longer for prep with the fresh pumpkin I used.

Was it worth it?: Yes, I will definitely use this recipe again. 

Finally November

It has taken me a long time to finish off the October blog posts and we are already half-way through November!  I'll try to catch up on the November blog posts over the next few days so that I'm not perpetually behind. 

The other day Shaun totalled up our October food bill.  I won't share the total, but it was crazy high.  There were lots of special meats and a couple jars of maple sugar that accounted for a lot of the total.  November has a lot less specialty meat, so I think it will be more reasonable.  However, moving forward I have to do a better job of keeping tabs on our food bills.  If I start getting too high I will need to cut back somewhere.  In November, that may mean cutting back on one or two of the cocktail recipes.

Happy November!

October 31 Meal: Halloween Feast

Time to play catch-up.  I had five recipes to complete before the end of the month: Heirloom Squash Farrotto, Raw Cepes Salad, Root Vegetable Tagine with Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Turnips, and Spice-Roasted Chickpeas, Wild Mushroom Risotto, and Halloween Peanut Butter and Toffee Candy Bark.  It was a busy night and there were lots of leftovers.  Maybe not surprisingly, the leftovers barely got eaten.  There's a reason some of these were saved for last.

Heirloom Squash Farrotto

The problem with this recipe was that I couldn't find semi-pearled farro anywhere.  I thought my last chance was a Washington D.C. grocery store (they should everything up there, right?), but I had no luck.  I ended up with wheat berry.  It looks the same as farro, so we decided it was an OK substitution.  The outcome was good, except I forgot to add the butternut squash back into the mixture at first.  The sauce was especially good, made with toasted cumin seeds, yogurt, lemon juice, and garlic.  The leftovers were less impressive.

Yumminess: 7 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $8 for 4 main course servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 50 minutes for prep and 1:15 hours total. It took me about 30 minutes of prep and 55 minutes total.
Was it worth it?: It was good, but I might not make it any other time soon.

 

Raw Cepes Salad

This was one of the recipes I'd been avoiding, but it really ended up quite tasty!  However, the search for fresh (reasonably priced) porcinis was fruitless.  I just ended up using cremini mushrooms.  It was simple to make, just thinly slice the mushrooms and mix up the dressing of lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil.  Add a little bit of Parmesan to the top and that's it!

Yumminess: 8 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $3.75 for 4 small servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 20 minutes for prep and total. It took me about the same amount of time.
Was it worth it?: Yes, I probably won't make it often, but it was a unique salad and pretty cheap.

Root Vegetable Tagine with Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Turnips, and Spice-Roasted Chickpeas
October had been filled with root vegetables, so by the time we got to this we had OD'd.  I had high hopes for the flavor, but I think we just couldn't see past the vegetables.  Also, I'm not a huge fan of cous cous, so it was a little less appealing because of that.  I even burned my first batch of cous cous since I was doing too many things at once.  The flavor was decent and I think this would be a good vegetarian main dish, just not for me.

Yumminess: 6 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $11 for 6 big servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 45 minutes for prep and 1:45 total. It took me about the same amount of time.
Was it worth it?: No, I didn't really care for this dish much.

Wild Mushroom Risotto

This was a good dish, especially when it was fresh.  I've enjoyed learning that risotto isn't too challenging to make.  This risotto had re-hydrated porcini mushrooms and I also used some fresh stemmed shiitakes.  Another interesting ingredient was vermouth, but I couldn't quite pinpoint the flavor in the outcome.  Parmesan cheese makes the risotto extra creamy. 

Yumminess: 7 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $13.50 for 6 big servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 1 hour for prep and total. It took me about 40 minutes.
Was it worth it?: Yes, it was good and creamy.

Halloween Peanut Butter and Toffee Candy Bark

We weren't procrastinating on this recipe, we just wanted to make it on Halloween.  It was a great combination of different Halloween candies.  I used Ghirardelli chocolate for the base.  On top of that are Butterfingers, Heath bars, Reese's peanut butter cups, and honey roasted peanuts.  Next was supposed to be white chocolate drizzle, but I couldn't get the Nestle white chocolate to melt after three tries.  I ended up using the same dark chocolate as the base to "glue" the peanut M&M's on.  The outcome was great.  Only a small piece could cure any chocolate craving.

Yumminess: 10 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $8.50 for 2 pounds

Time: Bon Appetit said 20 minutes for prep and 1 hour total. It took me about the same.
Was it worth it?: Definitely, this was a great Halloween treat!

October 29 "Meal": The Coffee Bar

I'd been putting of the Capuccino Cheesecake Bars because Shaun's isn't a big fan of coffee and I needed someone to help me eat this dessert.  Finally, just in the nick of time, we had someone.  We were going to head to Washington D.C. for the "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear," and our friends Sarah and Jeremy were hosting us.  I decided I'd make these bars as a thank you for their hospitality. 

When I started making this recipe I made the crust for the full-size recipe.  However, when I went to make the filling I realized I didn't have the correct amount of cream cheese since I'd originally thought to make just half the recipe.  After a trip to the store for more cream cheese (I used Neufchatel, which has 1/3 less fat) I was ready.  A little bit of espresso powder, whipping cream, and an egg.  Everything is baked, but that's where I ran into trouble.  When I got back form the grocery store I thought I remembered the temperature the oven was supposed to be set at, so I just turned it to 400.  It was actually supposed to be 350 and I didn't figure that out until the bars were half-way baked.  They ended up tasting OK, but were very crumbly.  In fact, Shaun even liked the flavor!  Fortunately, we brought a bottle of wine us as a better thank you for our friends.

Yumminess: 7 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $7.50 for 215servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 30 minutes for prep and 3 hours total. It took me about about the same amount of time.
Was it worth it?: Yes, this is a pretty cheap dessert and I think if I bake at the correct temperature it would be much better.

October 28 Meal: Cheap and Yummy

There have been a few Asian-inspired recipes in October, none of which have disappointed.  This main course: Soy-Braised Pork Country Ribs with Carrots and Turnips was a great cheap option and had lots of flavor.  I wasn't such a fan of the dessert: Maple-Pecan Sundaes with Candied Bacon.  Bacon isn't my favorite dessert ingredient.

Soy-Braised Pork Country Ribs with Carrots and Turnips

Pleasantly, the boneless pork shoulder was on sale at Fresh Market.  Only $4 for 1.5 lbs.!  First, cut the meat into strips.  Then, mix soy sauce, dry Sherry, chicken broth, brown sugar, and hot chili paste in a bowl.  I've learned that I will love anything with hot chili paste.  Next, cook the meat until brown in peanut oil, remove the meat and add onion, then green onion, garlic, and ginger.  Add the chili paste mixture, star anise, and orange peel and bring to simmer.  Add the pork and cook for 30 minutes.  Finally, add carrots and turnips and cook until tender.  I served it with basmati rice.  This recipe was pretty easy and has a lot of great flavor!

Yumminess: 10 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $9.50 for 4 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 1 hour for prep and 2 hours total. It took me about 30 minutes of prep and 1:15 total.
Was it worth it?: Yes, I loved the flavor!

 

Maple-Pecan Sundaes with Candied Bacon

 

Part of my problem with this recipe is that I have yet to master the making of anything close to caramel.  I'm just not patient enough, I guess.  The first step of this recipe was to candy the bacon.  Somewhere along the line I'm convinced Bon Appetit got the timing wrong on this one.  I used my toaster oven, so I decreased the time, but the bacon burned to a crisp in about half the time recommended.  The raw bacon is coated with maple sugar and baked, then more maple sugar is added and it's baked more.  I at least salvaged enough small pieces to get the taste in the sauce, but as you can see from the picture, it wasn't pretty.

 

The sauce is made by first boiling maple syrup with cinnamon sticks.  Then, mix in candied ginger and lemon juice.  Finally, add in pecans and the candied bacon.  Pour the mixture of vanilla ice cream.  My mixture wasn't the right consistency, more gloppy than liquid.  Not only did I dislike the bacon, but the ginger just gave it a strange flavor.  However, Shaun liked this combination, so I guess it depends on your tastes.

 

Yumminess: 4 out of 10 (me), 6 out of 10 (Shaun)

Cost: Approx. $6 for 2 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 30 minutes for prep and 50 minutes total. It took me about 20 minutes of prep and 30 minutes total.
Was it worth it?: No, I won't be repeating this one.

October 27 Meal: Bring on the Beef

This as another meal that required company to help us eat it all.  I planned Horseradish-Glazed Brisket and Short Ribs with Root Vegetable Mash, Apple Fritters with Bourbon Ice Cream , and Celadon Mojitos. 

Horseradish-Glazed Brisket and Short Ribs with Root Vegetable Mash

Even after making this recipe I'm still not sure why the ribs were included.  It just seems a little excessive.  One good thing is that the two different meats suit different pallets.  I liked the drier brisket, while Shaun liked the juicier ribs.  I got the meat from Meadow Lane Beef at the Durham Farmer's Market.  earlier this month I decided to buy most of the meat I'd need for the month all at once.  I felt like I needed to explain myself to the farmer when I bought $60 of meat.  She was very friendly!

First, the meats get boiled for several hours with a packet of different herbs that includes celery leaf, whole clove, Turkish bay leaves, cardamom pods, garlic, and black peppercorns.  The meat-cooking liquid is then used to cook the root vegetables (celery root, rutabaga, and potato) for the mash.  Last, the horseradish glaze.  It includes horseradish, Dijon mustard, and brown sugar and gets spread on the meats before the are cooked in the oven.  The outcome is so very tasty meat with a side of a unique vegetable blend.

Yumminess: 8 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $32 for 6 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 50 minutes for prep and 6 hours total. It took me bout that amount of time.

Was it worth it?: Yes, but I wouldn't do it too often.  I felt like I was in a beef coma afterward.

Apple Fritters with Bourbon Ice Cream

 Yes, it was as good s it sounds.  I was a bit worried that the Bourbon flavor would overwhelm the ice cream, but it was perfect, and I'm not even a liquor fan.  I made the ice cream the day before.  It starts with a combination of heavy whipping cream, half and half, and non-fat dry milk powder.  Those last two ingredients can make you feel like maybe this ice cream isn't so bad for you, but don't be fooled.  Next, there's egg yolks, sugar, brown sugar, and salt.  It heats up and creates a custard.  Next add the bourbon and vanilla extract.  Cool the mixture and freeze in an ice cream maker

For the fritters, use Pink Lady apples.  They were actually not available at Harris Teeter, even though they have close to 10 types of apples.  Fortunately, Shaun got the last one from the co-op market.  The apples are combined and cooked with butter, sugar, cinnamon, apple cider (I used Shaun's homebrew), and apple cider vinegar.  The fritter base is typical, but highlighted with lemon peel, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  The tough part was getting the peeks to form on the egg white I was beating.  It never really got to the point I thought it should, but the fritters didn't seem the worse for wear.  The apple mixture gets folded into the batter, then fried in safflower oil.  The final step is rolling the fritters in cinnamon sugar.

Yumminess: 9 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $14.50 for 4 servings, plus extra ice cream

Time: Ice Cream: Bon Appetit said 30 minutes for prep and 9:30 hours total. It took me about that amount of time.  Fritters: Bon Appetit said 50 minutes for prep and total. It took me about 30 minutes.
Was it worth it?: Yes, great recipe for a small dinner party.

Celadon Mojito

Mojitos are one of my favorite cocktails.  This take on the mojito uses basil instead of mint.  Fortunately, we had a large amount of basil left in our garden still.  However, as I write this, now in November, our poor plant has been killed by the season's first frost.  It sad and brown now.  First, muddle lemongrass with sugar.  Then, add in lime slices and basil and continue muddling.  Add in ice, rum, and club soda to top it off.  This drink was good, but not quite as refreshing to me as a mojito with mint.  The longer it sat the better it got, but it's still second-best.

Yumminess: 6 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $7 for 4 drinks
Time: Bon Appetit says 15 minutes prep and total, which is what it took us.
Was it worth it?: It was nice to try, but I won't be making it very often.

October 25 Meal: Becoming a Lamb Lover

It was time for another lamb dish.  This time Grilled Lamb Speidini with Eggplant, Red Bell Pepper, and Arugula and Figs with Honey-Orange Mascarpone and Pistachio Brittle.  Something about eggplant and lamb together didn't really sound that great to me.This would have been a recipe I'd pass up in the magazine.  However, I thought it was quite successful.  The dessert was good, too, although you have to like raw figs.  Shaun's not a fan.

Grilled Lamb Speidini with Eggplant, Red Bell Pepper, and Arugula

The recipe calls for quite a complicated-sounding piece of meat, "lamb shoulder blade chops, fat trimmed, deboned, meat cut into 3/4-inch cubes."  I didn't pay close enough attention to the "deboned" part and ended up with a whole lamb shoulder.  It was a challenge getting the meat off, but I ended up with enough to fill 5 skewers.  I used the leftover bone and meat that I couldn't get off to make a lamb broth.  Before it goes on the skewer, the lamb is marinated with garlic, oregano, and olive oil.  Then, it is simply grilled.  That night it was cold, dark, and rainy, so we just used the grill pan.  The meat was super juicy and flavorful.  I was happily surprised at how much I liked it.

For the eggplant, you start out by salting it and placing it in a colander to drain out some of the bitterness. Meanwhile, char the peppers in a broiler, then peel and seed.  later, the eggplant is cooked in a skillet with some oil, then lemon juice, capers, oregano, the peppers, and some oil go in.  I didn't use the capers because I couldn't tell if they had been opened before.  Don't you hate it when you can't tell if a seal is broken on a brand new food item?  Not a problem though, the eggplant was still really good, much to my surprise.

Yumminess: 9 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $19 for 3 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 40 minutes for prep and 2:35 hours total. I spent about the same for prep and 2:10 hours total.

Was it worth it?: It was very flavorful, but next time I'd be sure to get the boneless meat.

 

Figs with Honey-Orange Mascarpone and Pistachio Brittle

This was an easier and fresh-tasting dessert to make.  First, make the brittle, the most challenging part. Mix sugar and water in a saucepan until it becomes dark amber.  It's a really challenging thing for me to not burn the sugar mixture.  Take it off the heat and add salt and pistachios.  Quickly pour out onto tin foil to cool and harder.  Then the cream is just a combination of mascarpone, orange peel, a little whipping cream, and some honey.  Cut up some fresh figs, top with the cream and broken-up pieces of brittle and you are done.

 

Yumminess: 7 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $8 for 4 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 30 minutes for prep and 40 minutes total. I spent about 20 minutes for prep and 30 total.

Was it worth it?: Yes, I probably won't make it very often, but for the right audience (say, non-chocolate-lovers) it's a good dessert.

October 24 Meal: Rubbery Cod

This meal was a contrast to our great halibut a few nights before.  I made Moroccan-Style Cod with Green Olives, Lemon, and Cauliflower and I had been pretty excited about the sound of it.  Unfortunately, it turns out that cod is about as exciting as tilapia.  I got the fish frozen from Trader Joe's, but I don't think that was the problem since I liked the frozen swordfish.  It was such a colorful dish, but just didn't deliver on the flavor I expected.  First, I sauteed cauliflower, garlic, turmeric, and cumin, then added vinegar, sugar, thyme, and a little more garlic. For the cod, I sprinkled turmeric, paprika, cumin, garlic, and olive oil and set to rest.  The fish is cooked in a pan with oil, then green olives and lemon juice are added to the same pan to make a sauce.  The cauliflower part was pretty good, but the fish was just a bit rubbery.  It's not that it tasted bad, but I wouldn't make it again.

Yumminess: 5 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $9 for 2 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 40 minutes for prep and 1:40 hours total. I spent about 20 minutes for prep and 1:10 hours total.

Was it worth it?: No, even though it was cheap it wasn't something I'd look forward to cooking again.

October 23 Meal: Eating Opposites

Time for the NC State Fair.  Like all state fairs, this is a smorgasbord of deep fried and sugar-filled foods.  Despite the fact that we were hosting friends for dinner that night, Shaun and I went with some friends to sample the new dishes.  This year we tried Texas Frito chili pies (amazing!), fried mashed potatoes (eh), deep fried Oreos (my favorite!), fried banana pudding, and fried pumpkin pie.  Then it was time to head home and cook up some Eggplant Marinara Flatbread, Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter, and Maple-Apple Pie with Walnut Streusel  for some friends coming over for dinner.  It was definitely opposite ends of the eating spectrum in one day from fried to gourmet.

Eggplant Marinara Flatbread
For an appetizer I made the eggplant flatbread.  Cook up the eggplant with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Toast some ciabatta on the same skillet.  Top the ciabatta with marinara, eggplant, goat cheese, basil, and mozzarella and bake.  I'm usually not a huge eggplant fan, but this dish had great flavor.  It was a great vegetarian appetizer, and could even be a main dish with some salad.

Yumminess: 10 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $10 for 4 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 30 minutes for prep and 45 minutes total. I spent about 15 minutes for prep and 30 minutes total.

Was it worth it?: Yes, great appetizer.

Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter

This was probably not the right dish to take on for a day that I wasn't home to prepare, but I thought it turned out alright, considering.  I prepared the butternut squash the night before by steaming and pureeing it.  The morning of, I cooked the potato and "riced" it through my pasta strainer.  These two vegetables are mixed with nutmeg, egg, Parmesan, salt, and flour to make the dough.  The dough is divided into 8 sections, rolled into a thin rope and cut into the little bits.  Each bit is supposed to be rolled over the tines on a fork to make ridges, but I was running late so only half of mine were ridged.  I don't think it changes the flavor.

The bits are chilled for a while.  Later, they are cooked in boiling, salted water and set aside.  Lastly, they are sauteed with lots of butter and sage.  I loved the texture, which was dumpling-like, but I'm not sure if it was right.  I might try this one again in the future when we have a snow day and there's nothing else to do but concentrate on the process.

Yumminess: 8 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $8 for 6 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 1:45 hours for prep and 4 hours total. I'll say I spent about the same amount of time in prep, but I'm not sure about total.

Was it worth it?: Yes, I'd like to try to perfect this one.

Maple-Apple Pie with Walnut Streusel

I have to confess, I didn't plan this one very well.  Fortunately, I have a husband who is very capable in the kitchen, so he took this dish over completely.  I only made the crust the night before.  The crust is just a combination of flour, sugar, butter, salt, and water.  The filling is sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, coriander, allspice, salt, Golden DDelicious apples, and butter.  The topping is a streusel with maple sugar, flour, butter, salt, and walnuts.  Unfortunately, even with the amount of maple sugar used (remember, an expensive ingredient), I completely forgot that there was maple in the pie when I was eating it.  It tasted delicious, but I don't think the maple was a necessary addition.  We ate the pie with Alden's Vanilla Ice Cream, the best vanilla we know.

Yumminess: 9 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $14 for 8 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 1 hour for prep and 3:20 hours total. Shaun spent about 30 minutes in prep and 2:15 total.

Was it worth it?: Yes, but I think it would be just as good without the maple sugar, and therefore less expensive.

October 22 Meal: Great Friday Night

The day had finally come.  I didn't have too much longer to put it off.  It was time to cook the lobster.  The recipe was Lobster Bruschetta and I also planned to make Mac and Cheese with Sourdough  Breadcrumbs.  It ended up being a great night of cooking and hanging out with Shaun.  A little bit of classic rock in the background, good food, and no work.

Lobster Bruschetta

The first task was to locate the live lobster.  I called Fishmonger's in downtown Durham and they quoted me $20.99 a pound.  Yikes!  At that time I was thinking that I may just cancel the live lobster and go with a tail.  However, as an omnivore, I feel it's my responsibility to come to terms with killing the animals I eat.  This would be the first time I'd actually killed an animal I planned to eat.  Sure, I'd been fishing, but the closest I came to actually killing the fish was putting it into the live well on the boat.  My Dad did all the dirty work.  So, I called the next place on my list, Squid's in Chapel Hill.  They would give me live lobsters for $13.99 a pound.  Much better!  I needed a 1 1/2 pound lobster, so it was still a bit pricey, but worth the experiment.  PETA members, do not proceed.

Mr. Lobster came home in a cardboard box.  I'm not sure how I never noticed before, but lobster look strangely like cockroaches of the sea.  I hate roaches.  That made it a bit easier to do the job.  I boiled up a big pot of salted water and put him in.  It was somewhat anticlimactic.  I've heard stories of "screaming" lobsters, which is just air escaping their shells.  This one didn't scream.  However, his antennae didn't want to stay in the water and I was a bit concerned that he didn't die right away.  I definitely didn't want him to suffer.

After a few minutes in the boiling water the lobster had undergone a great makeover, coming out pretty in pink.  It was pretty hot, so it hung out on a baking sheet for a few minutes before I cracked into the shell.  I didn't get a picture, but I was so excited when I got the claw meat out and it was claw-shaped! 

No for the actual recipe.  It was pretty simple, just a combination of red onion, balsamic vinegar, tomato, celery, shallot, garlic, Madeira (found in the supermarket wine section, I learned), basil, and olive oil.  Everything hangs out in a bowl with the lobster meat to marinate.  Then, it is placed on toasted sourdough bread that is rubbed with garlic.  Unfortunately, the taste was somewhat disappointing.  The lobster got lost in all the flavor and could have very well been some other shellfish.  At least it was a learning experience.

Yumminess: 5 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $26 for 2 huge servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 1 hour for prep and 1:50 hours total. I spent about 45 minutes for prep and 1:15 total.

Was it worth it?: No, except for the experience.  The taste wasn't worth the cost.

Mac and Cheese with Sourdough  Breadcrumbs

Now this was not a failure of a recipe.  There's really nothing you can do wrong when it comes to pasta mixed with lots of cheese.  It was pretty easy, too.  Cook up some ziti and mix with butter, nutmeg, whole milk, cheddar, Fontina, and Pecorino Romano (I used Parmesan, it's similar and cheaper).  Meanwhile, cook up the breadcrumbs with olive oil, shallots, rosemary, and parsley.  The breadcrumbs go over the mac and cheese mixture and covered with foil.  Bake for a while, remove foil, then back a little longer.  Done.  What you have is a mac and cheese with great flavor.  No "blue box blues" here!

Yumminess: 10 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $17 for 5 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 50 minutes for prep and 1:45 hours total. I spent about 30 minutes for prep and 1:15 total.

Was it worth it?: Yes, definitely.  It was my favorite mac and cheese I've made, Shaun's second favorite to Alton Brown's recipe.

October 21 Meal: Finally Found the Sunchoke

Earlier this month I made a recipe that required Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes), but I couldn't find them anywhere.  Well, finally later in the month they appeared at Whole Foods.  This dish utilizes them as "croutons."  The Celery Root and Potato Puree with Roasted Jerusalem Artichoke "Croutons" is a dressed-up version of mashed potatoes. The celery root adds a lot of flavor to the mixture.  The potatoes and celery root are cooked with chicken broth and whole milk, then mashed.  The Jerusalem artichokes are baked with some oil, salt, and pepper and added to the top of the vegetable mash.  This is definitely an easy way to make a new version of a popular side.

October 20 Meal: Working out those Thighs

Chicken thighs are never on my repertoire of cooking, but I might be adding them after this meal.  I cooked Roasted Chili-Citrus Chicken Thighs with Mixed Olives and Potatoes and Roasted Parsnips, Turnips, and Rutabagas with Ancho-Spiced Honey Glaze.  Another good comfort meal full of flavor.

Roasted Chili-Citrus Chicken Thighs with Mixed Olives and Potatoes

The chicken thighs are flavored with lime juice, salt, and a mixture of orange juice, chili powder, paprika, orange peel, cumin, and dried oregano. The chicken is baked with potato wedges for 30 minutes, then chicken broth, cilantro, and parsley are added and baked for another 10 minutes.  After the chicken is done cooking you make a sauce to top it with the crispy bits and juices from the pan and some green olives.  The potatoes are such a great addition to the chicken, making it a more filling dish.

Yumminess: 9 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $8.50 for 3 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 40 minutes for prep and 1:40 hours total. I spent about 25 minutes for prep and 1:15 total.

Was it worth it?: Yes, it was good and easy to make.

Roasted Parsnips, Turnips, and Rutabegas with Ancho-Spiced Honey Glaze

Another easy dish.  The glaze is a combination of melted butte,r honey, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, ancho chile (although I used Serrano), cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper.  It is poured over the parsnips, turnips, and rutabagas.  The vegetables are roasted until browned slightly.  The recipe calls for 50 minutes, but my oven might be a bit hotter because the roasted vegetables tend to cook much faster.  I'll have to get an oven thermometer.  The glaze really livens up what could be some boring root vegetables.

Yumminess: 8 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $5 for 3 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 30 minutes for prep and 2:20 hours total. I spent about 20 minutes for prep and 50 minutes total.

Was it worth it?: Yes, great way to eat veggies.