OK, today I’m trying something new. I call it Anatomy of a Failed Recipe. I think it’s good to admit that not every recipe we try is going to work out great, even if we have been cooking for a long time. It might be the recipe isn’t great. It might be that you are trying a new technique. It might be that you substituted ingredients that did not work out. And it might be that you didn’t have much patience, so you ...
Ok, so since we are all cooking at home a lot, I thought I would go ahead and share some recipes. Canal House Cook Something: Recipes to Rely On by Christoper Hersheimer and Melissa Hamilton is one of those basic recipe cookbooks that are great gifts for anyone who is just starting to cook. A lot of the recipes are just variations on a simple recipe. The one I tried out, Pimiento Cheese, is about as basic as it gets. This is something m...
I guess I have Food Network nostalgia, because here’s another TV star cookbook. Everyday Italian: 123 Simple and Delicious Recipes by Giada De Laurentis is true to its name. These recipes are Italian-American dishes that are quick and easy. She’s not trying to be super authentic or artisnal in her cooking, but she is trying to create dishes that are inspired by her Italian heritage that are easy for home cooks. I think she ...
Whatever happened to Emeril? I remember when he was super popular on the Food Network, and I was a big fan. I lived in Louisiana for a little bit, and I learned to love Cajun food. It’s become a lot easier to get pretty decent Cajun food in the Midwest, but it’s still fun to try some of these dishes at home. I have several Emeril cookbooks, and they are all good. But Emeril’s Potluck: Comfort Food with a Kicked-Up Atti...
It’s a new year, and I should be posting about a new cookbook. But right now I have been pretty stuck on The Fresh and Healthy Instant Pot Cookbook. I even bought my own copy, which is rare. I already posted the Crunchy Lentil Salad, which I’ve been making a lot. The recipes in this book are simple, healthy, and tasty! So if you have an Instant Pot, I highly recommend you get a hold of this book. Korean Chicken Bowls Serves ...
I made this cake a few weeks a go, so I wanted to get a short post out about it. The cookbook that this comes from is Simple Cake: All You Need to Keep Your Friends and Family in Cake. The concept is great; it includes ten basic cake recipes, and then variations on those basic cakes. I really want to try out all the recipes! This may be one of those cookbooks I actually purchase, which is high praise. I wanted to try the basic Cinnamon ...
Serves 6 1 1/2 cup lentils 2 cups water 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 1/2 teaspoons salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard 1 tablespoon maple syrup 1 clove garlic, minced 1/4 cup minced shallots 1 English cucumber (about 2 cups, diced) 1 red bell pepper 1/2 cup parsley 3/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries 3/4 cup sliced almonds (optional) Combine the lentils and water in th...
Thanks to Amazon Prime day, I finally got an Instant Pot. So far I mainly use it for cooking rice and making hard boiled eggs. I have to say it may be worth it just for the eggs! Oh, and I made some really delicious pork chops. The only thing I don’t like about the Instant Pot is the directions. It took some You Tube videos for me to really understand how it works. Now that I’m getting the hang of it, I am looking forward to...
Serves 2 1 1/2 cups canned chickpeas, drained 1/2 cup pumpkin or winter squash seeds 1 teaspoon butter, melted 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons any combination of ground spices* Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, better, salt, and spices in a bowl. Mix to coat every chickpea and seed with the spices. Spread the chickpeas and pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the bak...
Many of my friends and family have heard me complain about how hard it is to feed two teenage boys without going broke. Recently I found a couple of good sources for inexpensive recipes. I have been regularly using budget meal plans from the Budget Meal Planner. You can sign up for a free weekly email plan that includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack ideas for $5 per person per day. I especially love this because it plans out the me...