Napa Cabbage Stir Fry

I had a bunch of napa cabbage languishing in my fridge and was looking for something that would use a lot of it in one go, and this sounded good to me.

Notes:

• I used dried rehydrated shiitake mushrooms because I did not have fresh.

Verdict: I liked it and would consider making it again, especially if I found myself with all the ingredients.

------------------------ 

RECIPE: Napa Cabbage Stir Fry (Namiko Chen, Just One Cookbook)

Roasted Cabbage with Walnuts and Parmesan

I *finally* located some Savoy cabbage to be able to make this and I was very excited to try it.

Verdict: It was all right, but I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to make it again, especially because my partner wasn't a big fan of it.

------------------

RECIPE: Roasted Cabbage with Walnuts and Parmesan (Deb Perelman, Smitten Kitchen)

Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce

This is the easiest way I've found so far to make this dish and had to note it here. The Chinese name for it is 蚝蠔芥蘭.

Notes:

• I had less vegetable to start with so I scaled down the recipe to fit what I had.

Verdict: This was really tasty! I knew before making it that I like this dish, and thought this version was really nice and easy to make. I would definitely make it again and this particular person really makes me want to learn more about Chinese cooking techniques. His father apparently worked in the restaurant business for most of his life as a cook/chef, and a big part of this person's reason for making a blog and videos is to document and share his father's extensive knowledge.

-------------------

RECIPE: Perfect Chinese Broccoli w/Oyster Sauce (Made with Lau)

(Video version)

Potato Kugel

This is another recipe I had on the "try" list for quite some time, and I thought it would go well with Christmas dinner (salmon and vegetables).

Notes:

• I learned to use the slicer disks on my food processor for this and there was a bit of a learning curve so the potatoes ended up different sizes.
• I served it with sour cream and fresh dill.
• I sliced leftover pieces of this lengthwise and pan fried it to go with breakfast eggs (and it was tasty).
  

Verdict: I would like to try making this again with a bigger grate on the potatoes (use the larger holes on the food processor, or maybe a box grater) and in a shallower pan. I think mine may have been too thick because it didn't get very crispy, and it also turned a little gray/brown so it didn't look as nice as the recipe author's.

---------------------

RECIPE: Potato Kugel (Deb Perelman, Smitten Kitchen)

Unstuffed Mushroom Casserole

I saw this pop up in the Smitten Kitchen newsletter and it sounded good and nice for cooler fall weather.

Verdict: Partner loved it. I thought it was good even though I am not a mushroom lover. If someone I know loved mushrooms and asked me to make them something I would definitely make it again.

---------------------

RECIPE: Unstuffed Mushroom Casserole (Smitten Kitchen)

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.

----------------------

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

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.

------------------

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

Napa Cabbage Tofu Soup

This sounded really good to me when it scrolled by on Instagram so I decided to try it.

Verdict: It was quite good! I think I would serve this as a side dish unless you specifically wanted a very light meal.

-----------------------

RECIPE: Napa Cabbage Tofu Soup (Omnivore's Cookbook)

Parsley Leaf Potatoes

My partner doesn't like mashed potatoes so I am always looking for other ways to prepare potatoes, especially for holidays. This recipe appealed to me because it looked really easy but still fancy.

Notes:

• If I have it, I use duck fat.
• I make as many potatoes as will fit on the pan (so there isn't an empty spot just spitting grease in the oven). I have used gold potatoes and Russets and both work nicely.
  
• One time I made it without the parsley leaves because I didn't want to go to the store. They tasted great anyway.
  

Verdict: Absolutely wonderful and not fussy in the least. These are probably going to be my go-to special occasion potato.

---------------------

RECIPE: Parsley Leaf Potatoes (Smitten Kitchen)

Spinach with Sesame Dressing

I have a similar experience to this recipe's author in that this is one of the first vegetable dishes I discovered in Japan that I went wild over. I always got excited when I saw this on the dinner table. It took me several different recipes for it and attempts to make it at home before I got it to taste good, but this particular recipe has worked well for me. I strongly recommend this for children or people who might be unsure whether they like spinach -- I refused to eat spinach any way my mom prepared it, but I loved this immediately.

Notes:

• Please please please do not skip toasting the sesame seeds. It makes a big difference.
  
• The biggest key to this recipe working correctly is making sure that you thoroughly squeeze out the water from the spinach after it is cooked. Any excess water will dilute the dressing and it will not taste as good.
• I saw my host mother make the dressing entirely in the mortar bowl (adding the soy sauce and sake to the ground sesame and sugar, mixing it, and then pouring over the spinach) but I have a feeling that the soy sauce could stain the inside of the mortar and it can be harder to scoop out of the grooves when it's wet because it's fairly thick.
  

-------------------

RECIPE: Horenso no goma-ae (from Let's Eat Japanese Food, by Amy Kaneko)

Focaccia and Pizza Dough

I make this with a bread machine from a cookbook that my mom got with a different bread machine in the 90s. Something's wrong with the heating element on mine so I only use it for doughs (because anything that's supposed to be baked inside the machine doesn't turn out right).

Verdict: Absolutely delicious. I would love to make it again. I will have to find another way when my bread machine finally gives out, but until then this is how I'm going to do it.

-----------------

RECIPE:

Pizza Dough / Focaccia
from Salton/MAXIM Housewares bread machine cookbook, 1998
makes 1-2 lb

for 1 lb (makes 12" pizza):
3/4 cup warm water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp yeast

for 1.5 lb (makes 15" pizza):
1 1/8 cups warm water
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp yeast

for 2 lb (makes two 12" pizzas):
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
4 1/4 cups (531 g) all purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp yeast

All purpose flour, for dusting

For pizza (per 12" pizza; you'll need slightly more of everything for a 15" pizza)
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce
- 1 to 1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Toppings of your choice (suggestions: cooked Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, spinach, bell peppers, sliced olives, chopped fresh tomato, cooked bacon)

For focaccia (per 1 lb dough)
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil
- 2-3 tsp fresh or dried herbs of your choice (suggestions: Italian seasoning, rosemary, oregano, basil)
- 2-3 tbsp grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional)
- Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Place liquid ingredients in bottom of bread machine pan, then add flour and other dry ingredients on top. Set machine to Dough cycle and let run until done (mine takes 1 hr 30 min). If using immediately, transfer dough to a floured board. If saving for later, place in a bowl greased with olive oil, turn dough over to coat it in the oil, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

For pizza dough: Heat oven to 400°F. If you made 2 lb dough, divide it into two equal pieces. Pat with your hands or roll the dough with a floured rolling pin into a 12 in or 15 in circle (depending on the size of your batch of dough). Transfer to a baking sheet or pizza peel/stone dusted with cornmeal or flour. Spread pizza sauce over dough, leaving at least 1/2" at the outer edge. Sprinkle cheese in an even layer over the top of the sauce. Place toppings over the cheese. Bake for 13-17 minutes or until edges are lightly golden brown and cheese is bubbly.

For focaccia: Heat oven to 400°F. On a board or other surface dusted with flour, pat the dough into a circle about 1/2 in thick. Place on a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal or flour. Spread 2 tbsp olive oil on the top surface of the dough with your hands and dimple the top of the dough with your fingertips (deep enough so that oil will pool in the indentations). Once done, drizzle 1-2 more tbsp of olive oil over the top and sprinkle herbs, cheese, salt, and any optional toppings over the top. Let rise for 15-20 minutes. Bake until golden brown (this took about 20-22 minutes for 1 lb dough in my oven). Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Chinese Greens with Mushroom Sauce

I bought yu choy and shimeji mushrooms and needed to use them up, and I wanted to give it this kind of treatment so I was happy to find this recipe.

Notes:

• The batch pictured above used only half the amount of sauce in the recipe because I didn't have very many mushrooms.
  
• I didn't use the dark soy sauce.
• I did mix in some oyster sauce as the sauce was cooking and thickening in the pan.
  

Verdict: True to its title, this recipe was easy, as well as quick and delicious, and also looks attractive. I'd love to make it again.

---------------

RECIPE: Easy Chinese Broccoli (Omnivores Cookbook)

Corn and Cherry Tomato Salad with Basil

Every year I buy corn when it's fresh (in August where I live) and then am not quite sure what to do with it besides boil it and eat it off the cob. This year I tried to find something a little different and settled on this. I love that you don't even have to cook the corn. It's good without the feta cheese but I think I prefer it with (it's a little more salty and I like the extra texture).

Notes:

• I made this more by feel with the amounts of ingredients I had than anything else.
• I used Tropea onion instead of red onion (the farmer I bought them from described them as "like red onion but sweeter and sharper", and they're delightful here).
  
• Used lime juice instead of cider vinegar.
  
• Added some ground chipotle powder for some heat (but you don't have to).
• You can make it vegan if you leave out the feta cheese.
  

Verdict: The first time I made it, it was so good I made it again right away after it was gone. It has a lovely mix of flavors, textures, and colors. Definitely keeping this one to make again.

--------------

RECIPE: Fresh Corn Tomato Salad (Basil and Bubbly)

Corn Pudding

This is the first year that neither my partner nor I have been severely ill over Thanksgiving in 4 years (! an unexpected silver lining of having to stay away from other people I suppose) so I cooked a fancy dinner. I saw this recipe and got very excited to include it in our meal because I wanted corn and I'd had something like this before, but felt better about this recipe because it didn't use any boxed mixes. My partner was very skeptical because of the name, but because I made it he said he would try it. I assured him it was going to be more like bread than what he would typically think of as pudding.

I made it as written, didn't change a thing, and used the honey butter. I even had the same dish as the one the author photographed it in (and promptly broke while washing it after cooking this in it, sad face).

this year's feast. pies are just out of view :)

Verdict: We both loved it. It was served with ham, cheesy potatoes, steamed green beans, and kale and apple salad. I would love to make it again.

---------------

RECIPE: Corn Pudding (Smitten Kitchen)

Cilantro Lime Rice

Chipotle is a go-to place for burritos when my partner and I don't feel like cooking. I decided to try making rice like theirs at home for a Mexican style meal.

Verdict: It's not *exactly* like Chipotle's, but it's tasty! I would definitely make it again.

---------------

RECIPE: Chipotle Style Cilantro-Lime Rice (Epicurious)

Acorn Squash with Herbs and Parmesan

I was recently introduced to Carnival squash, which is a lot like acorn squash but is a little sweeter and colored differently on the outside. But since I haven't eaten acorn squash much either, I went looking for recipes to make with it, and settled on this.

Notes:

• I used olive oil instead of ghee/butter.
  
• The second time I made it, the skin took on a really unappetizing texture (might depend on how fresh/large your squash is; this one was kind of big and had a more stringy texture compared to the one I used the first time). I peeled the cooked slices, threw away the skins and mashed the flesh to eat instead. Yum.
  

Verdict: I loved it and would absolutely make it again.

-----------------

RECIPE: Herb-Roasted Parmesan Acorn Squash

Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles

 

I only remember going down there once as a kid, but in my grandma's basement there were shelves lined with jars full of pickles, and whenever we came to visit (usually once a year) she would send us home with a few. They were my favorite pickles, and I was always sad when they were gone. I was always a little weirded out by the spidery looking heads of dill in the jars, but I knew that was what made the pickles taste good.

Fast forward to being an adult and developing a taste for the refrigerated, non-shelf-stable kind (because it's the only thing that came close to tasting like the ones my grandma made), and then finding myself with an overabundance of cucumbers in the summer (not sure what possessed me to buy an entire ice cream pail full of pickling cucumbers at the farmer's market, but I did). I was really excited when I found out I could make pickles without having to can them, and they were the kind I liked the most!

It feels good to pick up and carry the pickle torch forward into the future (ha).

Notes:

• You want to pack the jars tightly enough that the cucumbers don't move around much (they will float if they're not packed tightly), but not so tightly that there's not enough brine in the jar to flavor them.
• I don't leave them at room temperature for a couple of days like the recipe instructs; I wait until they cool to room temperature, then transfer directly to the fridge. They still taste great.
  
• Sometimes the garlic will turn blue in the brine as it sits in the fridge, but this is harmless!
  

Verdict: I love them. This is my first time posting about them, but I've made this recipe for quite a few years and it has become my go-to when I'm not in the mood for sweet pickles.

-----------------

RECIPE: Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles (The Creekside Cook)

Stuck-Pot Rice with Lentils

I had this recipe from Smitten Kitchen saved for quite a while. Now that people seem to be freaking out a little less about hoarding dry beans during the pandemic, we were finally able to find lentils at the grocery store so I could try making this. I served it with yogurt marinated chicken.

This is the first time I've tried to cook a tahdig type rice dish, and I was worried that it would be undercooked when I flipped it onto the serving plate, but it worked! I'm so pleased with how it turned out, and it tasted wonderful too. I would absolutely make this again. Below it is pictured with a garlic lemon yogurt that I thought made it taste especially good (using a scaled down version of this recipe: 1/3 cup yogurt, 1 clove smashed and chopped fresh garlic, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice).

 

Notes:

• I had a shallot lying around and cooked that with the onions.
• I added ~ 2 tbsp butter to the pot when it was time to slowly fry the rice and I think it helped to both keep it from sticking and add a bit of extra color.
• I added 1/4 tsp turmeric to a batch once and it made the rice a pleasant yellow color.
  
• Note to self: I set the burner to 4 ticks on the back burner with 2 parts, and the bottom rice part was ever so slightly burned in the middle after 35 minutes. Either 4 ticks for less time or 2 ticks for 35 minutes on the back burner. I think I cooked it on the front burner on 2 ticks last time and it did not get browned or crunchy.
  

----------------------

RECIPE: Stuck-Pot Rice with Lentils

Sour Cream and Onion Biscuits

I made these because my friend Molly posted about how good they were and included pictures and enough information for how to find the recipe she used. It turns out I had everything I needed already so I was able to make them for breakfast the next morning.

Notes:

• I used 2% Greek yogurt thinned out with some milk instead of sour cream because it was what I had.
• I cut them into 12 smaller biscuits instead of 8 large ones, and reduced the baking time.
• I served them as part of biscuits and gravy but they are also delicious on their own with some butter.

Verdict: YUM. I would definitely make these again. Biscuits are not all that good for you but they do taste amazing.

---------------

RECIPE: Sour Cream and Onion Biscuits

Mushrooms with Garlic and Sherry

I'm not the biggest fan of mushrooms but my husband is. I tried this recipe because I had a bunch of them I needed to use up quickly, and the one type of mushrooms I do kind of get excited about are the garlic mushrooms at the Renaissance faire. I wanted to make a fancier version of those. I liked these reasonably well but he LOVED them.

Notes:

• To make this dish vegetarian, you can use vegetable stock instead of beef stock. Mushroom stock would be particularly appropriate.
• I used about 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes and still found it a little too spicy for my liking, but I'm decidedly not a fan of spicy heat with my mushrooms. I will probably leave it out from future batches.
• If you don't have sherry, a dry white wine would also work.
• Someone in the original recipe's comments mentioned wanting to add thyme and I rather like that idea.

-----------------

RECIPE:

Mushrooms with Garlic and Sherry
adapted very slightly from Leite's Culinaria
Serves 4

2 tbsp (1 oz) butter
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 lb (~450 g) button or other mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp (30 ml) Fino, Amontillado, or Manzanilla sherry
3/4 cup (180 ml) beef or vegetable stock
1/4 tsp hot red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, for garnish

Place a skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add butter. When the butter is melted, add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds), then add mushrooms. Cook for approximately 7-10 minutes, or until they release their liquid and begin to brown. Add lemon juice, sherry, stock, and pepper flakes (if using) and stir briefly to mix. Bring the pan to a boil, then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer uncovered until the liquid has reduced significantly and become syrupy, about 10 minutes. Add salt and black pepper, and sprinkle parsley on top.