Culinary Goods

These were really tasty and get a 7.5. I served them with pepper jack cheese, feta, black beans, and cilantro. The recipe came from gimmesomeoven.com. 4-5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts* 1 bottle beer  (or chicken stock, if you do not like to cook with alcohol) I used chicken stock 1 small white onion, diced 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 1 tablespoon chipotle powder (or 1 chipotle in adobo sauce, minced) I used 1/4. tsp 2 teaspoons cumin 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 2-4 fresh limes Here's the link:  http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/slow-cooker-crispy-chicken-carnitas/

Don't mind the weird bubble-looking thing in the soup- it's just an ice cube. Anyway, this was good and gets a 6.5. The recipe came from vegetarianventures.com 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 white onion, diced 1 green bell pepper, diced small 1 jalapeno, diced 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 Tbsp cumin ¼ cup all-purpose flour 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth 3 15-ounce cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed 1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies ¾ cup frozen corn 2 cups warmed whole milk (use non-dairy if wanting to make the recipe vegan) I used half and half  Salt / Pepper, to taste Lime juice, to taste garnish options: cilantro, avocado, tortilla chips, pickled jalapenos, radish slices, hot sauce 1 tsp chili powder 1/4 tsp. chipotle chili powder Here's the link:  http://www.vegetarianventures.com/creamy-vegetarian-white-chili/

These were amazing and I loved them. Granted, I love peanut butter and chocolate together, but they were a fantastic, moist, dense brownie. I've had a lot of cakey brownies lately, so this was a nice surprise. Both Jared and I gave them a 9 and the recipe came from melskitchencafe.com. INGREDIENTS 12 tablespoons (6 ounces) butter, softened 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter 2 cups (15 ounces) granulated sugar I used 1 1/2 C. 4 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup (2 ounces) Dutch-process cocoa powder (see note above) 1 3/4 cups (8.75 ounces) all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chunk or chocolate chips Here's the link:   https://www.melskitchencafe.com/chocolate-peanut-butter-brownies/

This was a good start, but needed a zillion times more flavor. The capers and kalamata olives need to be doubled or tripled, and some feta or red wine vinegar would be good in it. As is, it gets a 5 and came from Fine Cooking. 1 medium spaghetti squash, halved, seeds removed 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted  1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil 1/2 cup finely grated Grana Padano I used grated Parmesan 3 Tbs. chopped dry-pack sun-dried tomatoes I left these out 2 Tbs. drained and rinsed capers 2 Tbs. chopped Kalamata olives 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil Freshly ground black pepper Kosher salt Here's the link:  http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/neapolitan-spaghetti-squash.aspx

Yes, I know this looks like a cat shat onto my plate. But it's not true. That's the peanut sauce. I paired this meal with Mormon funeral potatoes (because why not?) and garlic green beans.  I've meant to make this recipe for about 10 years. I got it from the chef I worked for at Kitchen Kneads. I remember trying the recipe during one of his shows and I loved it. But I just never got around to making it. Blargh. Oh well, it's as good as I remembered so it deserves an 8. It's like having your chicken with a side of really fancy good peanut butter. But not really. I think I put in too many peanuts so it tasted more like peanuts than anything else. The recipe isn't kidding when it says so make it fresh and don't let it sit. I let mine sit for about 15 minutes before dinner was ready and it wasn't as creamy and smooth; as soon as you make it, eat it.  Balsamic Peanut Chicken (2003 Cuisinart Scholarship recipient) chicken 4 oz. peanuts

Does this bread taste as good as it looks? Yes, yes it does. It’s a brown molasses bread, and it has great flavor and great texture (even though I was almost all out of wheat gluten). I would bake it a bit longer than I did, but other than that, it was great. It’s dark inside as well, and some recipes called for food coloring or coffee to darken it, and I would not try food coloring. I am a total bread girl, so I would give this an 8, and the recipe came from melskitchencafe.com.   Molasses Bread 2 1/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees) 1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon unsulphured molasses 2 tablespoons unsweetened, natural cocoa powder 3 tablespoons oil (see note above) I used olive 1/3 cup honey I left this out 2 teaspoons salt 3 tablespoons vital wheat gluten (optional - see note) I only had about 1/2 tsp. left 3 cups white whole wheat flour I increased this to 4 cups 3-4 cups all-purpose flour This was closer to 3 cups 2-3 tablespoons butter, mel

If you want to be a drunk Irishman for the day, this is your cake. It's flavorful and tastes like a distant cousin to Tiramisu because of the espresso grounds (I used decaf). I've eaten this for a few days now but I don't think you're supposed to hold onto it for that long. Apparently I do because I'm a gross person. I give this cake a solid 8 for sure. It was tasty and the two people I served it to loved it. To start this is what it was supposed to look like: And this is what my cake looked like: Obviously, I have cake image failure. My sad lumpy cake doesn't look as pretty. If you have any suggestions on how to make a prettier layer cake, tell me because my current layers have an identity crisis. They're too mishapen and heavy to look even. I didn't make any changes to the recipe except I used decaf because I didn't want the caffeine buzz. It's online at fine cooking: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/chocolate-irish-whiskey-cak

I first made these about 10 years ago and they've been my favorite lemon dessert ever since. I actually hadn't made them in about 5 years, so it was nice to have them again. Jared gives them an 8, I give them a 9, and the recipe came from Fine Cooking. I don't change anything, and they must be served with whipped cream. Softened butter for the ramekins 2 oz. (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly 1 cup granulated sugar 3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature 1-1/8 oz. (1/4 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour 1/4 plus 1/8 tsp. table salt 1-1/4 cups whole milk, at room temperature 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, at room temperature 1 Tbs. finely grated lemon zest Lightly sweetened whipped cream for serving (optional) Here's the link:  http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/lemon-pudding-cakes.aspx

This was awesome and had great flavor. I gave it an 8, Jared gave it a 9, and Jared's dad said that it was the best beef stew he's had in a long time. I used extra stout Guinness beer, and while you could just substitute beef broth if you're anti-cooking-with-alcohol, the awesome flavor came from the Guinness. Also, I omitted the mashed potatoes and just added one chopped russet potato to the stew instead. Next time I will add more potatoes, celery, and carrots. Also, this only fed 3 adults, so definitely double this for a larger group. This recipe came from damndelicious.net. 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 pound stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 onion, diced 1 leek, thinly sliced I left this out 2 carrots, peeled and diced 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 cup beef broth I used 2 1/2 C. 1 cup dark stout beer* I used  Guinness 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves I used dried 1 tea

These were pretty good, but I think I cut the sugar down too much. Next time, I will put either 3/4 C. or 1 C. sugar in the filling, but stick with 1/2 C. in the glaze. As is, they get a 7 and the recipe came from thekitchn.com. Also, be careful with the amount of lemon juice that you put in the cream cheese glaze since it gets pretty runny very quickly. I used the juice from about 1 1/2 lemons, but you could easily get away with only 1. Makes 12 large breakfast rolls For the dough: 2 1/2 teaspoons (1 envelope or 1/4 ounce) active yeast
 3/4 cup milk, warmed to about 100°F, warm but not hot on the inside of your wrist I proofed my yeast first in 1/4 C. water and then just added 1/2 C. warm milk to the mixture 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature for an hour 2 large eggs 1/4 cup white sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 lemon, zested 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour I ended us ing about 3 1/2 C. 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg For the sticky lem

I was a little bit nervous about this, but since I love both dill and brats, I thought I'd give it a shot. This was actually surprisingly good and gets a 7.5. I will probably leave the pickle juice out next time and just use fresh dill (since I only used dried). Other than that, I wouldn't make anymore changes. The recipe came from theviewfromgreatisland.com. 1 yellow onion, chopped extra virgin olive oil 1 carrot, grated 1 cup finely chopped dill pickles 3 large red potatoes (skins on), cut in 1/2 inch dice I peeled these  32 ounce carton chicken broth 1/2 cup pickle juice I will leave this out next time 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped I used 1/2 TBS dried, but will use fresh next time 3 cooked brats, grilled and sliced (you may want to cut each slice in half, for smaller pieces) I used jalapeño and cheddar brats 3/4 cup sour cream 3 tablespoons flour Salt & pepper, to taste garnish fresh dill thinly

So. these are good. I give them an 8. I saw these in Sundance, and so I replicated them, and they turned out well.  I took my original recipe for peanut butter cookies, tweaked it a bit, and then made them large. I dipped them in melted dark chocolate.   Peanut Butter Cookies 1 1/4 cups flour I sift this first before I measure 1/2 tsp. salt 3/4 tsp. soda 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed I think I used 1/3 cup 1/3 cup white sugar I think I used 1/4 cup 1/2 cup peanut butter I was very generous with this and used Skippy natural 1 large egg 1/2 tsp. vanilla   Bake at 375 for 8-12 minutes.

So, these were fast and good. I would give them a 7. I like that they are kind of a blank slate and you could make them more impressive quite easily. Here is what I did: Cook a corn tortilla in a little oil until it is a bit crispier than normal Spread refried beans (we flavor ours with salsa, sour cream, and taco seasoning) over the warm shell, and then cheese of your choice (we did pepperjack). From there, I spread on guacamole, shredded lettuce, olives, and then pico de gallo (just chop up a couple of tomatoes with a bit of onion and cilantro and lime juice).

So, this was good, but different. I had a hard time transitioning to a soup version of lasagna, and I did vegetarian, but I would give this a second chance. It tasted like exactly what you would think—I would rate this as a 7. This came from carlsbadcravings.com, and she had a white lasagna soup that looks better. Anyway, here it is: One Pot Lasagna Soup 1 pound lean ground beef or half Italian sausage I left this out and used mushrooms, carrots, and zucchini instead 1 yellow onion, diced 4-5 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 24 oz. jar Prego Traditional Italian Sauce   We used just some random brand 8-10 cups low sodium chicken broth, divided 1 14 oz. can can crushed tomatoes 2 tablespoons tomato paste 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar I left this out 1 tablespoon dried basil 1 tsp EACH dried parsley, dried oregano, salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 whole bay leaf 10 uncooked lasagna noodles broken into approx. 1-2

So, I just threw this together one day, but I liked it a lot. Here is what I do:   In the bottom of the blender, put 1 cup of the Wawona organic tropical daybreak fruit blend (I buy this at Costco, and it contains peaches, mangoes, strawberries, and pineapple) 1/4 cup canned coconut milk 1/4-1/2 cup coconut almond milk 1/2 cup plain yogurt   Blend.   It tastes like coconut and tropical fruit and it’s thick and creamy. I’m a fan.

I give this version a 6.5 but it has the potential to be a 9 for sure. I've wanted to make this lasagna forever. And then I was sad when I cooked it and I was like, "Meh, there are so many improvements I could make." I once had this in Rome and I thought I would die from happiness and starches because it was probably one of the best meals in my life - easily in the top five. They just know how to cook over there. This was nowhere near the same thing. And by that I mean, it was like trying to use the carcass of a goat on my couch to convince people I paid millions of dollars for a fancy-ass, silk fabric couch. THEY WILL SEE RIGHT THROUGH YOU. And just for fun, here are a few throwback pics of me in Italy looking rather like I don't ever eat food because my pants are falling off my ass. Remember, this is because I suffered from massive anxiety at the time because Zane was cheating on me and I didn't know, like a sad little lass. Also, I am making fun