Culinary Goods

So, I loved these. I give them a 9. I realize I am a peanut butter fiend, but still. And, I made the chocolate cookie recipe up originally, so I always feel awesome about that.  I always do a double batch and I get 60 small cookies out of a double batch. Also, I love the originals, but side by side, I don't think I would ever choose an original after I ate a peanut butter one. Chocolate Cookie--single batch, 30 small cookies 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup olive oil 2/3 cup cocoa I use Callebaut Dutch-process 2/3 cup brown sugar I did scant 1/4 cup white sugar 2 eggs 2 tsp. vanilla 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 2 cups flour, scant (I do 3 3/4 cups for a double batch) You put them on the sheet (15 to a sheet for the small ones), flatten them slightly (not too much), and bake at 350 for 7 1/2- 8 minutes. Do not bake them longer than 8 minutes. Trust me. They won't look done sometimes, but they are, even when I have 2 pans in at a time. The following frosting recipe is enough fo...

So, this tastes like a barely sweet Italian biscotti, so I like it. It's a great first effort, and I would absolutely  make this again. I combined the recipe from my "Cook's Illustrated Baking Book" cookbook with some tips I read on sallysbakingaddiction.com. If I made them for company, I would at least 3/4 cup of sugar.  Almond Biscotti 1 1/4 cups (6 25. oz) whole almonds, lightly toasted 1 3/4 cups (8.75 ounces) flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp salt I also did 1 tsp. of anise seed, ground and next time I would do at least 1 1/2 tsp. 2 eggs, plus 1 egg white for glazing that is beaten and mixed with pinch of salt 1 cup sugar I did 1/2 cup, 50% brown, 50% white, and I would do all white next time 4 T. butter, melted and cooled I did 3 T butter and 1 T canola oil 1 1/2 tsp. almond extract I would go generous 1/2 tsp. vanilla I would go generous So, you toast the almonds in a 300 degree oven for about 11 minutes. They will barely be toasted. Take them out and reserve ...

  So, I didn't include an actual picture because Stefani HATES this and I didn't want her to throw up on her keyboard. This is tuna noodle casserole. It isn't spectacular or amazing, but every so often, I make it. It's definitely better from scratch, so if you ever need to make it, here you go. I'm going to figure out how to transition this to a pressure cooker version at some point, but for know, this will work. This version came from ourbestbites.com  Tuna Noodle Casserole   8 ounces medium shell pasta, cooked al dente according to package directions (I used egg noodles) 4 tablespoons butter, divided 1 medium stalk celery, thinly sliced or diced I used 3 stalks ¼ cup diced onion I did a whole onion 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced or diced olive oil, as needed 4 tbs flour 1 14.5 ounce can chicken broth (just under 2 cups), warmed 1 cup milk, warmed ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper ⅛ teaspoon dill 2 tsp fresh lemon juice, more if desired (I ...

  I finally made Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon because I'm old enough to not mess it up by cutting corners and not paying attention. I started early since it needs at least six hours in the crockpot. The red wine really gives it a deep taste. Once you get done with the half hour or so of prep and cooking before it all goes into the crock pot, it's pretty easy. I paired it with squash and steamed spinach because I'm amazing. I also used mashed potatoes as the bottom portion (you basically pour the bourguignon on top of the potatoes). Overall, it was pretty tasty. I give it an 8. I got the recipe here and they show a helpful video as well: https://cafedelites.com/beef-bourguignon/ A few notes: It needs a bit more salt. A better red wine will make this sing. When you mix in the flour as a thickener, make sure to mix the flour first with a tiny bit of water or wine. Then, dump it into your pot. I also had to double the thickener and it still wasn't thick enough. Maybe ...

This was good. Emma loved it, and it was healthy and filling and I would absolutely make these again. I looked online and then did my own thing.   Salmon Buddha Bowl We used honey garlic glazed salmon, put this on top of rice, and then added: Sautéed mushrooms sliced cucumbers julienned carrots red onions cilantro edamame avocado Dressing 1 Tbs. gochujan sauce 3 T. rice vinegar 1/4 cup oil 1 tsp. salt 1 clove garlic, minced 1 T. soy sauce squirt of fresh ginger paste

I looked online and combined some ideas and made this up  Honey Garlic Glazed Salmon In a big cast iron skillet, add: 1 T. butter 1 T. olive oil Heat in skillet and then add 6 cloves garlic, minced 4 T. soy sauce 4 T. honey 2 T. water 2 T. Olive Garden dressing Warm this, and then put salmon ( we did 3 pieces) in pan. Spoon sauce over salmon periodically. After about 6 minutes on medium, put it under the low broiler for about 4-5 minutes (watch carefully!)

 So, this was better than I thought it would be. It really did taste like an old fashioned donut. I would absolutely make this again, and I think it would actually be a good breakfast cake because it is not overly sweet. This is a simple cake, so we served it with cream and caramel, and next time, I am not even sure I would do the butter and cinnamon/sugar crust. This is like a cake version of shortbread, so if you don't like simple (good, but not bold) flavors, you likely won't enjoy this. Doughnut  Bundt Cake 1   cup/225 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus 1/2 cup/115 grams, melted, for finishing I did 50% high quality olive oil in the cake, and then 1/4 cup of butter for the glaze part. I would do 100% olive oil 1 ½   cups/300 grams plus 2/3 cup/135 grams granulated sugar I did a scant cup of sugar in the batter and then maybe 1/3 cup of sugar in the cinnamon sugar part. This could easily go down to a scant 3/4 cup of sugar 4 ...

 This was fine. It was more like taco casserole, so I have no idea where the stupid title came from. I wouldn't make this again because it's just not that special. It's tacos with tater tots on top. It's not bad, by any means, but if I'm going to make a tater tot casserole, I am going to make the really good kind with mushrooms, etc. CHEESEBURGER TATER TOT CASSEROLE By Sarah Fennel, Broma Bakery Ingredients For the bottom layer: 2 tablespoons butter ½ large onion, diced 1 pound 90% ground beef 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons taco seasoning 3 tablespoons tomato paste 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 cup half and half ½ cup tomato sauce ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes For the top layer: 1 ½ cups Mexican blend shredded cheese 1 (32-ounce) bag frozen tater tots Sour cream, for garnish Wild cherry tomatoes, for garnish Green onions, for garnish Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large skillet over medium heat, h...

 This recipe is something Stef blogged already, but I changed it up enough that I think it deserves a re-blog. It's fantastic, by the way. LOVE IT. This is the original melskitchencafe.com DIVINE CARAMEL PEAR CRISP EASY CARAMEL SAUCE: I used my sauce below ·    8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter ·    1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar ·    1/4 teaspoon salt ·    1 cup heavy whipping cream ·    1 tablespoon vanilla PEAR FILLING: ·    4 pounds (about 8 medium) ripe pears, peeled, cored and diced (see note) ·    3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice ·    3 tablespoons flour ·    1/2 teaspoon cinnamon I did 1 tsp. TOPPING: I used my own topping, see below ·    1 cup packed light brown sugar ·    1 cup all-purpose flour ·    1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats ·    1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon ·    1/2 teaspoon salt ·    12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butte...

 Ok, so this recipe has lots of promise. It came from melskitchencafe.com It is too dry as it is written (except for the very second it is done), but I think with some tweaks, it could be really quite good. Next time, I will make the noodles as noted but add 1/2 cup diced onion, and then redo the sauce to be 10 oz. smoked gouda, 2 oz. cheddar, 1-2 cup half and half, 1/2 cup evaporated milk, and then 1/2 tsp. chipotle. I'm not sure if you could just add the liquid without a roux, but I think it might work so this is what I will try. THE BEST PRESSURE COOKER MAC AND CHEESE NOODLES: ·    3 3/4 cups water (see note) I would do 4 cups next time ·    2 tablespoons butter ·    1 teaspoon salt I would increase this by at least 1/2 tsp. ·    16 ounces elbow macaroni (about 3 cups) ·    1 cup milk (not skim) or evaporated milk We did evaporated milk CHEESE + SAUCE: ·    1/2 cup milk (not skim) or evaporated milk · ...

  I realize these look like cow turds in muffin tins, but I'm very much not a photographer. These had good flavor, but they needed to be sweeter, which is something I don't say about many foods. We poked some chocolate chips into these when they were still warm, and that helped quite a bit, so I would recommend adding chocolate chips to the batter. With the chocolate chips these get a 7 and the recipe came from gimmesomeoven.com 1 1/2 cup s all-purpose flour 1/2 cup  unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 cup  granulated white sugar 1 1/2 tsp . baking powder 1/2 tsp . salt 3/4 cup  milk 1/2 tsp . almond extract 1/3 cup  olive oil 1  large egg, beaten 2/3 cup  sliced almonds, divided https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/chocolate-almond-muffins/#comments

So, this caramel was really good--we used the recipe from sallysbakingaddiction.com. You need to let it cool before you dip them, and mine had some bubbles, but the taste overall was awesome. Also, if you use store apples, you have to clean t hem super thoroughly, like soak them for 10 minutes in hot vinegar water and dry them completely. Pain in the butt! We used farmer's market apples.  Homemade Caramel Apples 8 – 9  cold  apples We used 6 big apples 1  and 3/4 cups (420ml)  heavy cream 1 cup  (240ml)  light corn syrup 2 cups  ( 400g ) packed light or dark  brown sugar 1/4 cup  ( 4 Tablespoons ;  60g )  unsalted butter , at room temperature 1/2 teaspoon   salt 1/2 teaspoon   pure vanilla extract So, you melt everything together except the vanilla, and as soon as things are combined and the butter melts, stop stirring it. It will boil forever, like 15-20 minutes, and then when it reaches 240, it's done. Let it cool f...

So, these were fine, but I would use the other recipe I blogged from the Bouchon Bakery. Mine were super craggy compared to her picture. We didn't do the glaze because we added chocolate chips.   Pumpkin Muffins ·            3 large eggs ·            15-ounce can pumpkin puree/canned pumpkin ·            1/2 cup neutral flavored oil (like canola, vegetable, avocado) ·            1/2 cup no-sugar added applesauce ·            1 cup (7.5 ounces) granulated sugar I did 2/3 cup, half brown, half white ·            2 1/2 cups (12.5 ounces) all-purpose flour (see note) ·            2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (see note) ·    ...