Kabocha Squash and Pork Stir Fry

Another recipe that ticked all the boxes for "sounds like I'd like this" (savory ground pork, sweet kabocha squash, Japanese style flavorings). I was a little worried the squash wouldn't get fully cooked but as long as you slice it thinly enough it shouldn't be a problem.

Verdict: I loved it (good sweet-salty-savory combination) and would definitely make it again.

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RECIPE: Kabocha Pork Stir-Fry (Namiko Chen, Just One Cookbook)

Roasted Potatoes with Dill

I went looking for a recipe for dill potatoes and tried this one because it sounded good, and because we had fresh homegrown garlic to put with them.

Notes:

• There's a lot of butter mixture to cover the potatoes and I used even more potatoes than the recipe called for. The extra just sat in a puddle in the middle of the pan so you could likely use up to 3 lb potatoes if you wanted.
  
• I used regular butter rather than vegan butter because it's what I had on hand.
  
• I did not cook the dill with the potatoes because in my experience fresh herbs taste better and more noticeable on roasted veggies when they're not cooked with the vegetables, and despite the instructions, the author's recipe photos clearly show uncooked dill on the potatoes. I instead sprinkled it over them while they were done cooking but still hot.

Verdict: Pretty good! I liked the addition of lemon juice (I don't normally put it on my roasted veggies because I thought it might taste weird but I liked it here). The garlic got very dark brown and I liked the flavor that added. If I had all the ingredients on hand I'd make it again.

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RECIPE: Roasted Dill Potatoes (Holly Gray, This Wife Cooks)

Pomarola (Tuscan Style Tomato Sauce)

Someone at my partner's work brought a giant box to share of San Marzano tomatoes they'd grown, and I ended up with a couple of pounds of them and decided to make this sauce.

Notes:

• I used fresh tomatoes rather than canned, and did not remove the skins.
  
• I didn't have fresh basil so I used dried oregano. I did put in the garlic because I had fresh garlic on hand and didn't have quite enough onion as the recipe called for.
  
• I blended the sauce at the end for a smooth texture.
  

Verdict: Pretty easy to make and tasted great! We ate it with gnocchi. If I ever found myself with a lot of the right kind of fresh tomatoes again, I would definitely make it.

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RECIPE: Pomarola (Filippo Trapella, PhilosoKitchen)

Karelian Pies (Finnish Rice Pasties)

We vacationed in Finland recently and one of the things I fell in love with is Karelian pies (karjalanpiirakka in Finnish). They were often served for breakfast (ohh the lovely hotel breakfast) but can be eaten at any time of day. I missed them enough when I got home that I decided to try making my own.

Notes:

• I used Arborio rice because I didn't think I was going to find the traditional type of rice, and with its creamy texture I thought it would work better than Japanese rice.
• I used half and half instead of milk because it was what I had on hand, and omitted the butter in the filling.
• You can make the filling ahead and chill it to make it a little easier to assemble.
  
• I added an extra splash of water into my crust dough because I thought it was a little too dry.
• I only used maybe 3 tbsp each of the melted butter and milk for brushing, didn't do the brushing step halfway through cooking, and they still tasted fine and there was mixture left over.
  
• The recipe author isn't kidding when they say heavily floured board. The dough is fairly sticky. I poured out what I thought would be too much extra flour and ended up using pretty much all of it.
• 4-5 tbsp filling per pie is a better estimate than the 3 tbsp written in the recipe. I got toward the end and realized I was going to have filling left over so I REALLY piled it in those last few.
• 500 F oven seems quite hot but please trust it! It worked just fine for me.
  
• I made egg butter with 2 boiled eggs and about 4 tbsp Irish style butter and it worked nicely.
• If the rice porridge filling is not your thing, these can also be made with mashed potatoes, fish, or meat as the filling.
  

Verdict: These are definitely bigger than the ones at hotel breakfast, and were kind of a lot of work, but they tasted really good! I would gladly make this recipe again if I had a craving for them.

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RECIPE: Karelian Pies (Inspired by Maps)

Finnish Style Salmon Soup

I recently went to Finland for the first time and was told to try this soup. I finally did try it the day before I went back home, fell in love with it, and it was one of the first things I made for myself once I was home again.

Notes:

• I used white onion because the store did not have leeks in stock when I went shopping for ingredients.
• I would add some salt when making the fish stock to get some layers of salt in the dish, rather than adding it all at the end.
  
• I did not use all 20g of the fresh dill (maybe only about 12-15g) and thought that was plenty.
• I served the soup with garlic toast and roasted Brussels sprouts.
  

Verdict: It was really nice! Finnish salmon definitely tastes better than the kind we can get in the midwestern US. I will admit that this is not my favorite way to eat salmon (salmon is expensive where I live and I prefer baking or broiling it to serve as the main part of a meal) but the soup itself was good, and I would make it again if I didn't want to bake or broil my salmon.

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RECIPE: Finnish Salmon Soup (Sue Moran, The View from Great Island)

Japanese Style Corn Rice

I like rice and corn and cooking rice with stuff in it, and the flavors of this dish sounded appealing so I wanted to give this a try.

Verdict: It was good but a significant amount of extra effort for how much I liked the taste. I think it would actually taste really good with Western style barbecue. If I had a lot of fresh corn to use up I might consider making it again.

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RECIPE: Corn Rice (Namiko Chen, Just One Cookbook)

Fresh Tomato Salad

Verdict: It was all right. I think maybe some sweetness would have made it even better, or some cheese. I'm not sure I will go out of my way to make this again but it's a nice way to use up lots of tomatoes that are best eaten fresh.

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RECIPE: Tomato Salad (The Kitchn)