Culinary Goods

So, this recipe barely resembles the original, but this was the inspiration, so I included the recipe below, which came from melskitchencafe.com. So, mine was awesome. It gets an 8. I didn’t have the ingredients for her homemade condensed soup, but in looking at the recipe, I realized it was almost like a basic béchamel sauce. So, I melted 1 Tbs. butter, added about 1/3 cup onions, added salt, cooked this down, put in 1/4 cup flour, added 3/4 cup milk and about 1/3 cup broth. Boiled it, and there you have it. Then, I added 1 tsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. onion powder, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, and pepper. From there, you can see my changes below in bold. Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Peppers Yield: Serves 6-8 Ingredients 4 ounces light or regular cream cheese, softened I used 3 oz. of light 1 1/3 cups (single batch) homemade condensed cream of chicken soup (the equivalent of 1 10.75-ounce can cream of chicken soup) see my recipe above 1 1/2 cups cook...

My friend Misty brought this by, and it was good. The only change she made from the recipe, which came from melskitchencafe.com and which you can find below, is she swapped out fruit (she used raspberries instead of blueberries). My only complaint is the sugar. I don’t put sugar in my oatmeal normally, but I don’t know if I would just leave it out? I am going to have to think on this. It was good as it was though. It gets a 7.8 Blueberry and Almond Baked Steel Cut Oats Yield: Serves 6 or so This recipe is so, so adaptable. Omit the blueberries and use apples or bananas. Sub in walnuts for almonds (and consider lightly toasting the nuts beforehand). Take out the fruit and nuts altogether and bake just the oats in the creamy, custardy mixture. Seriously, the options are endless. You can also try using other sweeteners besides the maple syrup (brown sugar, maybe, or agave nectar?). Also, you could certainly use regular milk for the almond, if desired. Ingredients 1 cup steel cut oats ...

I feel like I only blog recipes from my friends lately, but they have been serving me foods of awesome. This is from Misty, and it was seriously fantastic. I give them an 8.5. Here is what they did. They fried corn tortillas in avocado oil. Then, they grilled chicken (and beef, which I didn’t try) and added World Table brand Roasted Salsa Verde to the meet. Add guacamole and shredded cabbage. I’m also going to add olives next time, and maybe some Mexican cheese like queso fresco.

  My friend Lisa, who should soon be needing her own category on this blog, gave me this recipe. I LOVE it. Now, it’s not a shake, but in terms of smoothies, it gets an 8.5. I am biased because it’s low carb and anything good that is low carb automatically goes up in my rankings. Here is the recipe: 1 cup almond milk (I used a bit more) 1 banana (I freeze mine and it gives them a great texture) 2 Tbs. almond butter 1 1/2 tsp. cocoa powder (I increased this to 2 tsp.) 1/2-1 tsp. honey (I left this out completely) 8-10 ice cubes Ok, so in total, this has about 25 carbs. It’s filling, it’s good, and it’s healthy. Love it!

My fantastic friend Misty had me to dinner and she made this awesome pesto chicken: Remember, I don’t really like to eat a big chunk of meat. And I had two pieces.  It’s super good—I give it an 8.5. Here is the recipe: Pound chicken thin and grill it. Then you dump the sauce on it when it comes off the grill. So easy! Pesto sauce: 1/3 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves 1/3 cup white wine vinegar or lemon juice (she used vinegar) 1/2 cup olive oil 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper

I wish I had snapped a picture of these, but it was too crazy busy because we were having some friends over for dinner and I just totally forgot. Also, we made them into paninis. Anyway, these are good. They probably get an 8.8. The recipe came from one of our recent issues of Fine Cooking magazine. I have put my changes below I bold: Cheddar, Apple, and Pastrami Grilled Cheese by Eric Greenspan from Fine Cooking Issue 128 3 Tbs. apple butter I made my own but you could buy this 1 tsp. Dijon mustard I added a bit more than this 1/2 tsp. honey Kosher salt 4 1/2-inch-thick slices sourdough bread we used ciabatta rolls 8 oz. aged white Cheddar, thinly sliced or coarsely grated (about 2 cups) we used Swiss and Provolone 2 oz. thinly sliced pastrami 6 to 10 very thin slices of apple, preferably honey crisp 1-1/2 oz. (3 Tbs.) unsalted butter Combine the apple butter, mustard, honey, and a good pinch of kosher salt in a small bowl. Spread evenly on two slices of bread and top with ha...

My awesome friend Lisa made me this over the weekend and they are really good, and they have no sugar, which is definitely a plus. I give them an 8.2 (and, for whole wheat waffles, they get much higher than this). First, they are whole-wheat, and I have experimented with whole wheat waffles before but these were better. Secondly, Lisa gave me the recipe from memory, so some of the amounts were not exact. So, what I did is substitute what I think is probably the right amount. 3 cups whole wheat flour 3 eggs, separated 3 cups milk 6 Tbs. oil 3 tsp. baking powder 3/4 tsp. salt You make them like waffles (you need to beat the egg whites and add them in separately).  Also, when I make them I’m going to add 1/2 tsp. vanilla, I’m going to sub out a few TBS. of wheat flour for cornstarch to make it more like cake flour, and I might substitute the oil for some butter because you know, butter makes everything awesome. Just as they are though, they are really good.

My fantastic friend Lisa made this, so I wanted to blog it because it’s super good. I give this an 8. Here is what’s in it:   black beans white beans green pepper tomato avocado corn green onions (maybe, I think this is from memory, but I thought there were some in it) lime juice cilantro (or Italian parsley, which is what she used) salt I don’t have amounts because it was just the ingredients and you’ll have to be innovative and just experiment with what you like. We dipped this in chips, but it would be good with all sorts of things.

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law and really love it. This works great with Mexican food. 3-4 lb. beef roast 1 can tomatoes with green chilies 1 TBS. chipotle in adobo (I take the seeds out of this to cut down on the heat) Garlic (I added about 4 cloves) 1 chopped onion A few squirts of ketchup (I didn't add this since I'm still diabetic, but will when I'm not). Cook in a crockpot on high for 5-6 hours, shred, then serve with tortillas, lettuce, cheese, salsa, guacamole, beans, general Mexican food goodness.

We got this recipe from our issue of Fine Cooking magazine, and it was a great find. We rate this an 8.5. Along with them, we made vegetable skewers as well. John made the marinade, so I have noted his changes below in bold. Japanese Chicken Kebabs (Yakitori) by Pete Evans from Fine Cooking Issue 130 1/3 cup tamari John used soy sauce as well 1/4 cup sake we left this out 3 Tbs. mirin John increased this by 1 Tbs. 2 Tbs. coconut or dark brown sugar 2 Tbs. honey 1 Tbs. finely grated fresh ginger 1-1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces (about 36) 12 medium scallions, white and light green parts cut crosswise into 1-1/2-inch pieces (36 pieces) and dark green parts thinly sliced John used a chicken breast 36 small shiitake mushrooms, stemmed We used cremini mushrooms Vegetable oil, as needed 12 12-inch skewers (soaked in water for 30 minutes if wooden) 1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds Combine the tamari, sake, mirin, sugar, honey, and ginger in a 1-qua...

  I got this recipe from annies-eats.com, and they were great. I give them an  8.7. These would be good with other flavors as well i.e. caramel and apple, etc. They are smaller than you would think, by the way. I put my changes in bold below: Raspberry Dark Chocolate Hand Pies Yield: about 8 servings Ingredients For the crust: ¾ cup all-purpose flour ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour* I used all white, but whole wheat would actually have been good) 2 tbsp. granulated sugar Pinch of salt 8 tbsp. (4 oz.) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 4-5 tbsp. very cold water I need about 6 Tbs. to get the dough to come together For filling: 3 oz. fresh raspberries 1 tbsp. granulated sugar ½ tsp. cornstarch ½ tsp. lemon juice About ¼ cup chopped bittersweet chocolate 1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp. water Directions To make the pie crust, combine the flours, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir with a fork to blend. Add in the butter and toss gently to coat. Cut the bu...

I got this recipe from melskitchencafe.com, and Emma loved it. I give it a 7. It was good, just not as good as I thought it would be. Here is the recipe, with changes in bold: Crispy Chicken Wraps Ingredients 1/3 cup mayonnaise, light or regular 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 3 scallions, sliced very thin 2 celery ribs, chopped fine (I omitted these due to my husband’s non-celery preference) 2 tablespoons sour cream, light or regular 2 teaspoons hot sauce (this does not make them spicy but adds great flavor!) I used 1 tsp. and it was not too hot 1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded into bite-sized pieces (about 3 cups) I didn’t do the whole chicken, and there was too much sauce, so maybe this is why they didn’t turn out like I wanted 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (the sharper the better, in my book) I used a combo of sharp cheddar and pepper jack 4 (12-inch) flour tortillas I put mine on wheat, which also affected the flavor Directions Whisk the mayo...

This recipe came from my friend Kim McGill, who is a fantastic cook. I changed a couple of things, and I give it an 8. Chicken Spaghetti 1/2 pd. cooked bacon (crumbled) 4 cloves garlic 1 lb. chicken (cubed) 1/4 c. Chicken broth or sherry I used 2 T. cream and 2 T. chicken broth 1 pk. Italian dressing(dry packet) I like good seasonings I also added Italian seasoning 1/8 tsp. cayenne or to taste 1 lg. can diced tomatoes 8 oz. hot spaghetti I used more than this 1/2 c. Grated Parmesan cheese Fry bacon in Dutch oven. Remove bacon and add chicken and garlic to pan and brown. Remove chicken and add tomatoes, broth, and seasoning. Boil on high until slightly thick about 10 minutes. I add salt and pepper and chicken base to taste. Add chicken and bacon and heat through. Add cheese and noodles.

  My title sucks, I know. This is a common food that I grew up with, but never really made myself. John’s mom, Cheryl, tried this with her friends in St. George. I don’t remember exactly whose remember it was (the last name was Olsen, maybe Jan Olsen?). Anyway, these are good. I give them a 7.5. Here is the recipe: 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup oil 2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. pepper 2 sprigs fresh dill 3 cucumbers, sliced 3 tomatoes, cut into small chunks 1 walla walla onion, sliced Make the marinate and put the vegetables in it.

I tried these at Rebecca’s house, and they were amazing. I give them a 9.5. I don’t know if I just wasn’t expecting them to be this good, but they were seriously fabulous. The original recipe came from annies-eats.com. and I have put Rebecca’s changes in bold below. Caramel Apple Crumble Bars Yield: 16 bars Ingredients For the filling: 2 tbsp. unsalted butter 4 large (or 5 medium) apples, peeled and sliced I would add even more 3 tbsp. sugar ¾ tsp. ground cinnamon Dash of grated nutmeg 9 oz. caramel candies , unwrapped She made her own caramel, which I have listed below 2 tbsp. heavy cream she left this out For the dough: 1½ cups all-purpose flour 1 cup old-fashioned oats 1/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed ¾ tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon 12 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 1 large egg yolk 1 tsp. vanilla extract ½ cup chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts (optional) she left these out, but it would be awesome with them....

OK, so I had these with Rebecca, and they were good. I would give them an 8. They might have scored higher if I hadn’t just eaten the best fruit bar of all time (more on this later). But, they were definitely yummy. She found them on a website, which is listed below, and then I put her changes in bold. Blueberry Peach Pie Bars Ingredients For the Crust: 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon pinch of salt 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, and cut into small cubes For the Filling: 2 large eggs 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup plain Chobani yogurt (0% or 2%) She used sour cream 6 tablespoons all purpose flour pinch of salt 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 cups peaches, peeled, pitted, and diced 1 cup fresh blueberries ( Rebecca also added some lemon juice to the fruit, 1/2 a lemon worth) Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream: We used vanilla ice cream instead 1 cup heavy whipping cream 3 tablespoons powdered sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla...

John gave this a 10, and all 4 people at the table asked for a second piece. I guess that means it’s good. Now, that being said, I didn’t actually eat any (I had 4 desserts to choose from that day, ok?) Anyway, it turned out quite well. I got this from annies-eats.com, which is always a pretty sure bet. Also, I used 2 round cake pans instead of a 9 x 13, so decrease the cooking time a slight bit if you do that.Here is the recipe, with my changes in bold:   Lemon Poppy Seed Cakes with Raspberry Curd Filling Ingredients: For the cake: 2 1/3 cups cake flour 2 3/4 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 1 1/2 tbsp. poppy seeds (I  increased this a slight bit) 5 large egg whites, at room temperature 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest 12 tsbp. unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup whole milk For the raspberry curd: (I 1 1/2 x this. and it was too much. Just do what she says) 8 tbsp. unsalted butter 1 pint ripe raspberries or 1 12-oz. package ...

Dessert #2 from Sunday was this ice cream. It was awesome. It gets a 9: Now, one thing to note is that I didn’t add the marshmallows or nuts, which only would have made it better. But for plain chocolate ice cream, this is as good as it gets. I got the recipe from annies-eats.com, and it’s a keeper. I might increase the cocoa a bit more and the chocolate a teensy bit more, but it was still very dark and rich. More could only be better, right? I have noted my changes in bold below. Rocky Road Ice Cream Yield: about 1 quart Ingredients 2 cups heavy cream, divided 3 tbsp. Dutch-process cocoa powder I used 4 Tbs. 5 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped 1 cup whole milk I used 2 cups ¾ cup sugar Pinch of salt 5 large egg yolks ½ tsp. vanilla extract 1½ cups miniature marshmallows I left this out 1 cup honey roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped I left this out Directions In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup of the cream with the cocoa powder.  Warm over medium-h...

So, my dad has made these for years and they are awesome. However, his version of this is much more awesome than what I made. First, this gets an 8.   Here is the recipe I used: potatoes 1 onion (use two) 2 cans Cheddar Cheese soup (I know this is gross, but apparently it’s essential, and if you’re making a big dutch oven, you might need 3) 2 empty soup cans of buttermilk (we also added chicken broth, and it was too runny—mine are never thick enough, sigh!) 1 container sour cream Chicken seasoned with Lawry’s seasoned salt carrots (leave them out) My dad says he uses at least 50% Polygamy Porter, which is an ale or beer of some type and then 50% buttermilk. I did not do this and the flavor was off. He said he normally caramelizes the onions, adds the potatoes, the sauce, and then sometimes dots the top with butter. You bake it for a long time either in the fire or in an oven, you know.

This was super good. I give it an 8.3. The only problem is that it was SO spicy. But, that can easily be adjusted. John made this, and it came from our Fine Cooking magazine. I have put our changes in bold. Spicy Pan-Fried Noodles with Tofu by Matthew Card from Fine Cooking Issue 130 1/4 cup soy sauce 3 Tbs. packed dark brown sugar 2 Tbs. fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving 1-1/2 Tbs. Sriracha; more for serving     (John only used 1 Tbs. and it was so hot that it was burning our mouths. I would definitely start with 1 tsp. and then you can add more as needed) 2 large cloves garlic, minced 3 Tbs. vegetable or peanut oil 12 to 14 oz. extra-firm or pressed tofu, patted dry and cut into 3/4-inch cubes Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper 2 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced on the diagonal 1 lb. cooked Asian-style noodles, such as udon or yakisoba (we used the dry Chinese noodles we buy at Wal-Mart and then John cooked them himself) 6...