Italian Rice and Peas (Risi e Bisi)

This is a dish I'd been meaning to try for a while, and it was additionally a good use of leftover Thanksgiving ham.

Verdict: Homey, comforting, and not hard to make though it was a bit time consuming. If I had the ingredients on hand I'd make it again.

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RECIPE: Risi e Bisi (Hank Shaw, Simply Recipes)

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.

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RECIPE: Unstuffed Mushroom Casserole (Smitten Kitchen)

Grim Reaper Galette

I saw pictures of this in the spring and couldn't get it out of my head. I knew it would be a lot of work but had to try it anyway, and what better occasion to make it than Halloween?

Notes:

• I used store-bought raspberry jam instead of making the one in the recipe. (I want to be clear that this was a MISTAKE, a BAD MOVE.) It was too sweet and messed with the texture.
  
• I used a different raspberry liqueur from the one suggested because that's a lot of Chambord and I don't think I like it? Chambord would probably be best for intense color though. I went with Mathilde Framboise.
  
• If you don't want or can't have alcohol (though the great majority of it will likely cook off because you cook it for a long period of time), I did soak one of the pears in a dark red fruit juice mixed with some red food coloring. I used a cranberry-pomegranate blend. I successfully made syrup out of the soaking liquid. The pear skull did not get as intensely colored but it otherwise worked well. See the bottom right skull in the top photo for an idea of the difference.
• The amount of filling might have been too much or the pears too juicy. The filling was very liquid and it look much longer to cook than the recipe said and never quite completely set. The filling also leaked and caramelized on the pan and the bottom of the tart and negatively affected the taste (deeply caramelized raspberry jam is not a pleasant flavor).
  

Verdict: I probably won't make this again given the amount of time required. I wasn't happy with how mine turned out but I think it's probably mostly my fault for not making my own jam like the recipe said. I'm also finding that I'm not very fond of the combination of chocolate and pear. (I thought the raspberry and wine flavors might make it a little better.) The chocolate crust was tasty by itself, as was the raspberry liqueur and red wine syrup reduction. If I did make it again, I would absolutely make sure to make my own jam since it's likely softer set and less cloyingly sweet than the kind you can buy in a jar at the store.

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RECIPE: Grim Reaper Galette (Lori Castellon, Ghoul at Heart)

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)