Culinary Goods

Yep, you bet I made that title up all by myself. I don’t know the official title because I had these at my cousin’s house when we did our monthly cousin dinner. Anyway, the picture looks crappy because I was famished and tired and in a hurry. But, I like these a lot. I give them an 8.5, but keep in mind that I love sandwiches. Also, some of the ingredients may look gross, but they come together really well. Roasted Turkey Sandwiches of Awesome 1/2 cup coarsely chopped olives 1/2 tsp. chili powder 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 cup mayo 1/2 cup sour cream (I used light) 1/2 cup sliced green onions (2 bunches) 4 large slices of artisan bread (I used ciabatta rolls, cut in half) 1 large tomato 2 avocados, sliced 3/4 cup shredded cheddar 3/4 cup monterey jack 1 lb. thinly sliced deli smoked turkey (I just bought a nitrite-free deli turkey from Costco, and it was really good. We didn’t use anywhere near a pound though) Preheat oven to 350. Combine olives, chili powd...

Tortilla Casserole w/ Swiss Chard off of My Recipes. Ingredients: 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 2 cups thinly sliced onion, divided   3 garlic cloves, finely chopped                  1/2 teaspoon salt 2 (8-ounce) packages button mushrooms, sliced 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped 4 cups finely chopped Swiss chard (1 bunch) 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided 1/4 cup water 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained             ...

I have made this twice in the past two weeks because I love it so much. Jared and I both gave it a 9, which is rare for us. I would recommend doubling this if you're feeding more than two adults, because it was barely enough for me and Jared. The second time I made it, I threw some spaghetti noodles into the pot since Melissa was eating with us, and they tasted fine and are cheaper than tortellini. If you add more noodles, be sure to either double the sauce or "one and a half" it. I put my changes in bold. Tortellini Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce Recipe by Our Best Bites 12 oz bag Barilla Cheese & Spinach Tortelini (find them in the dry pasta aisle) 4 oz bacon or pancetta, (about 4 strips bacon)* I didn't add bacon  3 cloves garlic, pressed in garlic press or finely minced 2 Tbs flour 2 C milk ¾ tsp kosher salt ⅛ tsp black pepper 1 1/2 tsp dry basil ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (1/2 tsp or more if you like spicy) 1 medium lemon 2 C loosely packe...

This recipe came from Our Best Bites, and my friend Jenny made it when we were visiting her in St. George. It was really good. I give it an 8.3. The only thing I think that she did differently is she added 1/4-1/2 jalapeno pepper. Oh, and I don’t think she added lime zest.   Southwestern Brown Rice Salad Recipe from Cook’s Illustrated Ingredients: 1 recipe of this brown rice 2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons) Zest of 1 lime 2 teaspoons honey 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 10 ounces grape tomatoes, halved 1 medium avocado, diced 1 jalapeno, diced (seeded if you want; I pretty much always want) 1/4 cup chopped cilantro 5-7 green onions, chopped Instructions: Cook the rice according to the directions. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, honey, garlic, and cumin. Set aside. In a large bowl, gently toss together the rice, tomatoes, avocado, and jalapeno. Add the cilantro and green onions a...

I got this recipe off of ourbestbites.com and though it was terrific. I, however, did add sausage from our pig, which gave it awesome flavor. As Melly pointed out, though, it is no longer minestrone soup if it has meat in it, which is stupid and lame, so you can call it whatever you want. Jared and I both gave this a 9. My revisions are in bold. Minestrone Soup Ingredients 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 1 small/medium onion, chopped 1 large carrot, thinly sliced 1-2 stalks celery, diced 1 small zucchini 4-5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed 1 cup frozen french cut green beans 2 15-ounce cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed I didn't add these because I don't love kidney beans 2 15-ounce cans white beans like Great Northern or Canalini 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried basil 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 32 ounces vegetable broth (that’s 4 cups) 3 cups hot ...

I love this recipe because it's fast, easy and healthy. I add celery, zucchini and yellow squash to mine to pack in more vegetables and also add fresh Parmesan. I would give this an 8. I got both the recipe and pic off of thegardengrazer.com. Tortellini Soup  Ingredients 10 oz. package fresh tortellini (spinach, cheese or other) 1 small onion 4 cloves garlic 2-3 carrots 28 oz. can diced tomatoes 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth 1 tsp. basil 1 tsp. thyme 1 tsp. parsley Salt/pepper Directions Dice onion and carrots, mince garlic. In a large pot, saute onion and carrots with a bit of salt over med-high heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes. Add broth, 1 cup water, diced tomatoes with juice, basil, thyme, and parsley. Bring to a light boil. Add tortellini and simmer for 10 minutes, or until tortellini is fully cooked. Salt/pepper to taste.  

I got this recipe off of ourbestbites.com and I took this beautiful picture. These were pretty good, but have room for improvement. My brain wasn't working well tonight and I accidentally put white sugar into the frosting instead of powdered sugar, so it ended up being grainy. It also would have been better with some baking chocolate or chocolate chips in it, so I'll play around with it in the future and see if I can improve it. As is, I would give them a 7.I put my changes in bold. Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Whipped Peanut Butter Frosting Yield: 12-16 brownies Ingredients For the brownies: 10 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup sugar I used 3/4 C. sugar ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder ¼ tsp. salt ½ tsp. vanilla extract 2 large eggs, cold ½ cup all-purpose flour For the frosting:  6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature ¾ cup creamy peanut butter 1 cup confectioners’ sugar Pinch of salt To finish:  Additional sea sal...

So, these also come from Fine Cooking magazine, and I quite liked these. I didn’t buy kalamata olives, so we skipped the relish and instead used pesto as a spread and added mozzarella cheese. I also added avocado, and it did not clash at all. Next time, I will do everything the same except have tomato to top them with. I rated these as a 7.5 and Stef and John (who prefer spicy flavors like cumin) gave them a 7. White Bean Burgers with Tomato-Olive Relish 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, plus 12 small leaves 1 large clove garlic 1 oz. finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup using a rasp grater) 1 15-oz. can navy beans, drained and rinsed 1/2 cup plain panko 1 large egg Kosher salt 1 medium tomato, finely diced 8 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped 2 Tbs. finely diced red onion 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar 2 Tbs. olive oil 4 whole-wheat hamburger buns, toasted In a food processor, pulse the 1/4 cup basil and the garlic until finely chopped. Add the Parmigiano, 1/2 cup of the beans, 1/4 cup ...

This recipe came from fine cooking magazine, and as always, it didn’t disappoint. I give this a 9.8.  I followed the recipe almost exactly, although I cut 1 Tbs. of sugar out of the meringue. Also, I would not chop my chocolate next time. It melted too fast and kind of seized up on me and so my texture was a bit off, as well as the size (mine was about 75% of this height), but the taste was fantastic. Chocolate-Hazelnut Semifreddo 1 cup cold heavy cream 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature 1/2 cup granulated sugar 3 Tbs. whole milk 4 oz. dark chocolate (70% to 85%), finely ground in a food processor (1-1/4 cups) 1/2 cup Nutella 2 large egg whites, at room temperature 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar 1/4 tsp. table salt Thoroughly chill a large metal bowl and the beaters of an electric hand mixer. Line the bottom and long sides of a 9x5-inch loaf pan with a 12x20-inch piece of plastic wrap, leaving 4-inch overhangs on the long sides. Smooth the plastic along the sides and into the c...

Thai Coconut Soup from the "Food Matters" recipe book. Ingredients: 4 cups of homemade stock ( vegetable , chicken, or fish) 1 tsp finely grated ginger 1 small bunch of cilantro (coriander) roots finely chopped, leaves reserved for garnish 1 stem lemongrass, halved lengthways (zested Lemon peel as alternate) 3 tbsp. naturally fermented fish sauce (purchased in the oriental section of local grocer) Juice of 2 limes 1 1/2 cups coconut milk or organic canned coconut milk 1 red or green chili, seeded & finely sliced Tamari or unrefined sea salt for seasoning Method: In a saucepan, put the stock, ginger, cilantro roots and lemongrass, and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat & simmer for 10 minutes.  Turn heat off. Discard the lemongrass, and stir through the coconut milk, lime juice and fish sauce.  Add tamari or sea salt to taste. Ladle into bowls or mugs and garnish with chopped chili and cilantro leaves. We love this soup at Thai restaurants ...

Avocado & Black Bean Taco's from Whole Living Magazine Ingredients 1/2 avocado 1/4 Mango chunked 1/2 minced clove garlic 1 Tbsp lime juice Dash cumin Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper Two corn tortillas 1/2 cup thinly sliced kale 1/4 cup cooked black beans 2 Tbsp Mexican style shredded cheese 2 Tbsp toasted sunflower seeds roasted Directions In a medium bowl, mash avocado with garlic, lime juice, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper. Toast tortillas over a gas burner, turning, until lightly charred.  (I don't have a gas burner so I warmed them up in a pan. Divide avocado mixture between tortillas and top with kale, ...