North American

Array

Hot Cocoa Cookies

Makes 20-24 cookies

  • 1½ cups AP flour
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cayenne (optional)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (optional)
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1½ cups light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Mini marshmallows, frozen, ~100

  • ¼cup granulated sugar and 1 t cinnamon for cinnamon sugar step at baking

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and optionally cayenne and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.

0
Your rating: None

Chicken and Dumplings

Broth

  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 1 chicken cut into pieces
  • 1 onion
  • 3 large carrots cut into thirds
  • 3 stalks celery cut into thirds
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • bay leaf or a pinch of poultry seasoning optional

Dumplings

  • 1 ¾ cups flour plus extra for dusting
  • ⅓ cup shortening
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ cup milk
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Broth Instructions

Combine chicken, onion, carrots and celery in a large pot. Season to taste.

0
Your rating: None

Peanut Brittle

  • 1 cup white sugar
  • ½ cup light corn syrup
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup peanuts (ideally raw peanuts with the skins, but roasted is ok, and if salted, omit the salt)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

Preparation:

Have all ingredients measured out before starting.

Grease a large rimmed baking sheet. Set aside.

Instructions

Combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt in a heavy, 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil, about 5 minutes.

0
Your rating: None

Summer Pizza

CornPizza.jpeg

This Kitchn recipe was a nice way to use up some leftover summer produce, and tasty to boot. We don't usually grill our pizzas, and this turned out just fine using our standard Neapolitan pizza cooking process.

Ingredients
1 ball pizza dough (about 1 pound), store-bought or homemade
2 to 3 tablespoons tomato sauce, store-bought or homemade
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, or to taste

4
Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

Mincemeat Pie

Mincemeat pie written recipe

1/2 jar Crosse and Blackwell's mincemeat pie filling
2 apples, cored, peeled and chopped
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c pecans, lightly chopped

Put in unbaked pie shell with a lattice crust top

Bake at 400° for 15 min, then at 350° for 45 min

0
Your rating: None

Ham Sliders

Ham Sliders

Wow. Thank you, Kitchn, for introducing this into our lives.

Makes 12 sliders

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
~ 4 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 (12-ounce) package Hawaiian sweet rolls, such as King's
~ 12 slices Swiss cheese (about 7 ounces)
~ 12 slices deli ham (about 10 ounces)
1 teaspoon poppy seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.

5
Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

Corn Chowder

Corn Chowder

A mash-up of two recipes was quite delicious and easy. A great late summer / early fall dish for when corn remains but days begin to cool.

Ingredients
4 cups chicken broth
2 1/2 cups total of milk/cream/half and half
4-6 ears of corn, kernels cut off cobs and cobs reserved
4 oz (4 slices) bacon, chopped
1 large onion, finely diced (1 1/2 cup)
¼ cup all purpose flour

4
Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

Corn, Halloumi, and Grain Salad

Corn and Halloumi Salad

This Bon Appetit recipe would be a great side to bring to a summer BBQ or to have as a light weeknight meal. It's also easy to prep in advance.

1 cup almonds
1 cup fregola, Israeli couscous, or whole grain of your choice
3 ears of corn, husked
2 tablespoons plus ¼ cup olive oil, divided
16 ounces Halloumi cheese, sliced lengthwise ¾-inch thick
3 scallions, thinly sliced
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup basil leaves
¼ cup mint leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3
Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

Salmon with Couscous and Arugula

Salmon with Couscous

This New York Times cooking recipe was a nice combination of flavors and textures. We did what many reviewers suggested and served it decomposed for assembly tableside. Each component of this dish could easily be made ahead and served a day or two later.

Ingredients
~1.5 lb salmon fillets
Olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin, divided
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
2 limes, 1 zested and juiced, the other quartered for garnish

3
Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

Lemon Chicken Breasts

LemonChicken.jpeg

This New York Times cooking recipe was very easy (as promised), and seems easily adaptable. Want SW flavors? Replace herbs with peppers and lemons with limes. Looking for Levantine? Try oranges, cloves, and cinnamon! (Disclaimer: we used fresh herbs; I'm not sure which dried spices would be okay if you decide to mix it up.)

3-4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 ounces each)
½ cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
1 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds, seeds discarded

3
Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

Spicy Shrimp Roll

Courtesy of Washington Post.

Serves 4

2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise, or more as desired
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
2 tablespoons horseradish
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
A few dashes of hot sauce
1 pound medium shrimp, boiled, peeled, deveined and roughly chopped (see NOTE)

3
Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

Cucumber and Peach Salad

CucumberPeach.jpeg

A delightful Bon Appetit summer side.

Serves 2

2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 large, ripe peach, pitted and thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lime
Flaky sea salt
Aleppo pepper

Combine.
Toss.
Eat.

5
Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

Crispy Gnocchi with Cherry Tomatoes and Cheese

Crispy Gnocchi.jpeg

Courtesy of The New York Times

Serves 4

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
2 (12- to 18-ounce) packages shelf-stable or refrigerated potato gnocchi
¼ cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 pints small tomatoes, such as cherry, grape or Sungold
¼ cup thinly sliced or torn basil leaves (optional), plus more for serving

4
Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

Pumpkin Lasagna

Pumpkin Lasagna.jpg

I wouldn't necessarily make this again if I didn't have pumpkin puree in need of a home. But it was a great use for a bag of frozen pumpkin puree! Mildly adapted from Food and Wine.

1 pound lasagna noodles
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for tossing
1 onion, finely chopped
2 pounds Swiss chard, stems discarded and leaves chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Three 15-ounce cans pumpkin puree (or whatever is lying around in your freezer!)

2
Your rating: None Average: 2 (1 vote)

Bourbon Chicken

Bourbon Chicken.jpg

Billed as Cajun-Chinese fusion, we found this recipe to fit more with Chinese than the American south.  But, tasty either way.

Ingredients

<

ul>

  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger
  • 1/2 cup apple juice
  • 1/4 cup low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup bourbon
  • 1/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

    Creamy Macaroni and Cheese (w/ Ham)

    MacNCheese.jpeg

    This is a delightfully easy and delicious rendition of a creamy (vice baked casserole style) macaroni and cheese. I will admit that it is reminiscent of boxed mac n' cheese, but it is one of the few hot dishes our toddler will share with us. And although I have included ham here, it is entirely optional (and frankly just a great way to use up leftover Christmas ham). A tweaked version of this Southern Living recipe.

    5
    Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

    Cobbler

    This can work with berries or stone fruit. Adapted from https://www.savingdessert.com/wprm_print/22737

    • 1 double pie crust
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 1 to 2 tablespoons cornstarch (see notes)
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1 cup boiling water
    • 4 cups blackberries
    • juice of ½ lemon (if needed to add tartness)
    • 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
    • 1 egg, lightly beaten
    • coarse sugar for topping

    Instructions

    Prepare a double crust pie pastry and refrigerate until needed. (See link in notes)
    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Creamy Corn Pasta

    Creamy Corn Pasta.jpg

    A tasty summer pasta recipe, courtesy of The New York Times.

    Fine sea salt
    6 ounces dry orecchiette or farfalle
    1/2 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
    1/2 bunch scallions (about 4), trimmed and thinly sliced (keep the whites and greens separate)
    2 large ears corn, shucked and kernels removed (2 cups kernels)
    1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, more for serving
    2 tablespoons unsalted butter
    1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, more to taste
    1/4 cup torn basil or mint, more for garnish

    5
    Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

    Easy Shrimp Scampi

    Shrimp Scampi.jpeg

    Based on this New York Times recipe, this dish was a snap. Use peeled frozen shrimp for an even easier dish that can be made almost entirely of pantry staples.

    Serves 2

    2 tablespoons butter
    2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    4 garlic cloves, minced
    ½ cup dry white wine or broth
    ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
    ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
    Freshly ground black pepper
    3/4 pounds large or extra-large shrimp, shelled
    ⅓ cup chopped parsley
    Freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Sephardic Charoset

    Sephardic Charoset

    A few years ago I started making sephardic-style charoset for Passover... and I never stopped. Although it is not the classic apple and walnut dish of my youth, I like the flavors better and I find it easier to manage on a piece of matzah with horseradish.

    This year, I discovered this Serious Eats recipe, which I found not only tasty but also easy to make. Win win!

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Chicken Pot Pies

    ChickenPotPie.jpeg

    This recipe is built off of The Kitchn's review on The Pioneer Woman's recipe. We doubled the recipe and used most of two rotisserie chickens, but it scales further up also. Highly recommend par-baking and freezing.

    • salt-only Pie crusts (we like bottom crusts as well as on top) - for 12 small baking tins we needed 4 full crusts.
    • 4 Tablespoons Butter (or chicken, duck fat)
    5
    Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

    Menu for the week of Mardi Gras (Feb 24)

    Sat: Shrimp and grits (use Shrimp and Grits Recipe instead of Shrimp a la plancha and Grits with Creole Chutney) w/ salad
    Sun: Fried Chicken w/ Dill Cucumber Salad, Deviled Potato Salad or Deviled Egg Potato Salad {Creamy & Chunky!}
    Mon: Fried chicken cobb salad (lettuce, tomato, red onion, avocado, bacon, hard-boiled egg, fried chicken)
    Tue: Gumbo w/ white rice, green veg
    Wed: Sloppy Joe on hamburger buns w/ pickles and onions, potato salad, green veg
    Thus: Gumbo and/or leftover sloppy joes
    Fri: Out or leftovers

    Fried Chicken

    Menu for the week of June 22 (Mexican)

    Sat: Team BBQ: carne asada, pollo asado, flour tortillas, red onion, portobellos, poblanos, sour cream, queso fresco, black beans, rice, hatch peppers, salsa (J make hot sauce in AM)
    Sun: fish tacos
    Mon: Nachos (carne asada, cheese, pickled jalapenos, black bean leftovers; diced tomato, avocado)
    Tue: Taco salad with chicken, avocado, queso fresco, fried tortillas
    Wed: Breakfast tacos (eggs, chorizo, potatoes, cheese, fixins)
    Thus: Steak fajitas (and leftover fish?) with corn on the cob
    Fri: Fajitas again

    Summer Squash and Basil Pasta

    Summer Squash Pasta

    A tasty and easy (if somewhat time-consuming) Bon Appetit recipe. Bonus - our toddler loved it!

    Ingredients
    ¼ cup olive oil
    8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
    2 pounds assorted summer squashes and zucchini, quartered lengthwise, sliced
    Kosher salt
    1 teaspoon Aleppo-style pepper, plus more for serving
    8 ounces paccheri, fusili, or other non-noodle pasta
    2 ounces Parmesan, grated (about ½ cup), plus more for serving
    1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    ½ cup basil leaves, divided

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

    Menu for the week of June 15

    Menu for the week of apr 27: let’s pretend spring is here

    Sat: out to 7th Hill pizza; [make https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/elaines-lemon-meringue-pie]{Lemon Mergingue)
    Sun: tuna chunk sammies (buns, tuna, avocado, spicy mayo, LTO) with sweet potato fries (from freezer)
    Mon: salmon / salmon spread with baguette, pickles, cheese (TJ brie), cherry tomatoes, etc. (https://audreyandjon.com...)
    Tue: https://audreyandjon.com... with asparagus
    Wed: https://audreyandjon.com... and veg
    Thus: gnocchi w/ garlic scape pesto; veg

    Menu for the week of Mar 2: Mardi Gras

    Sat: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/gumbo with rice and green veg
    Sun: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/fried-chicken with collard greens and https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/simple-biscuits
    Mon: shrimp louis salad (greens, fried shrimp, avocado, tomato, onion, cucumber, creamy dressing)
    Tue: gumbo with rice and green veg
    Wed: fried chicken with cheesy grits and green veg
    Thus: boudin blanc and/or fried chicken and/or fried shrimp 3poboys

    Menu for the week of Christmas

    Sat: Out for steak
    Sun: something with chicken , brussels sprouts, biscuits?
    https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/skillet-fried-chicken
    https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/reduced-guilt-fried-chicken
    https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/chicken-breasts-with-mushrooms...
    Mon: Ham, corn pudding, rolls, kale salad, cranberry sauce
    Tue: [sausage, orange bread breakfast] Smoked salmon with cheeses, baguette, etc.
    Wed: chicken caesar salad
    Thus: Ham leftovers
    Fri: order in pizza

    Fried Chicken

    Fried Chicken
    • 2 tablespoons kosher salt, divided
    • 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
    • 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
    • 1 3–4-lb. chicken parts (just boneless breasts worked fine)
    • 1 cup buttermilk
    • 1 large egg
    • 2-3 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
    • 1 qt Peanut oil (for frying)
    5
    Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

    Menu for the week of October 20 (something easy)

    Sat: Chiles rellenos
    Sun: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/butternut-squash-farrotto
    Mon: Chili with corn chips, sour cream, onion, and cheese with green salad
    Tue: Fall kale salad with roasted butternut squash, apples or pears, dried cranberries, candied pecans
    Wed: macaroni and cheese party!!!!!!!!!!!
    Thus: Baked potato (butter, cheese, sour cream, chives) and chili with romanesco
    Fri: Order in

    Menu for the week of Jul 15: BBQ’d tomatoes

    Sat: Tomato tart (use pie crust in freezer?); https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/fruit-cobbler? grainbowl prep
    Sun: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/stone-fruit-salad [take picture!] with goat cheese round and baguette
    Mon: Tummy troubles
    Tue: BBQ leftovers (sausage, ribs, some brisket), coleslaw, https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/deviled-potato-salad, sliced tomatoes, sliced onions
    Wed: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/panzanella-salad with leftover baguette
    Thus: BLTs
    Fri: Order in / eat all the leftovers

    Menu for the week of June 25

    Sat: hamburgers, grilled veg, corn, baguette, [smoke salmon, grill chicken breast]
    Sun: pizza
    Mon: salmon, cheese, baguette
    Tue: Chicken salad
    Wed: pizza leftovers
    Thus: Smoked Salmon Salad
    Fri: salmon 2

    Neapolitan Pizza

    Menu for the week of June 18: Americana

    Sat: Steak, grilled veg, corn, baguette, [smoke salmon, grill chicken breast]
    Sun: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/crab-cakes with coleslaw [prep salmon fixins, caesar]
    Mon: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/hot-smoked-salmon with creme fraiche sauce, https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/dill-cucumber-salad
    Tue: Chicken https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/caesar-salad w/last of baguette as croutons
    Wed: Leftover crab cakes in sandwich form w/slaw and pickles
    Thus: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/savory-summer-salad (use caesar dressing?)

    Crab Cakes with an Avocado/Yogurt sauce

    Menu for the week of May 28: maybe spring or summer is kind of sort of here?

    Sat: Grill steak, charred spring onions, baguette, smoke salmon
    Sun: grill burgers, asparagus, sweet potatoes
    Mon: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/green-gazpacho with salad
    Tue: panzanella salad with last of baguette
    Wed: Salmon and/or steak leftovers w/ salad, https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/bloody-mary-tomato-salad [take picture!]
    Thus: J out/ISC -- leftover green gazpacho
    Fri: Eat all the leftovers!!!

    Green Gazpacho

    Menu for the week of May 21: Tex-Mex

    Sat: Turkey leftovers
    make salsa, grain bowls
    Sun: BBQ: Fajitas
    Mon: Mexican Salad with fajita meat
    Tue: Fish tacos
    Wed: Fajita leftovers
    Thus: Out to new taco place or DT
    Fri: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/huevos-rancheros

    Fish Taco

    Corn Pudding

    Corn Pudding

    A terribly delicious Midwestern staple. Recipe by way of my coworker Kat.

    1/2 cup butter, softened
    1/4 cup sugar
    2 large eggs
    1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
    1 package (8-1/2 ounces) corn bread/muffin mix
    1/2 cup 2% milk
    1 can (15-1/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
    1 can (14-3/4 ounces) cream-style corn
    1 small can green chiles (optional)
    Pepper jack cheese (optional)

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Menu for the week of May 14: Audrey lives her secret bachelorette life while Jon is away

    Sun: Smoked turkey, (kale) cole slaw, corn bread/pudding (use VA corn), corn [grill all the things]
    Mon: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/strawberry-almond-and-pea-salad
    Tue: Turkey sandwich
    Wed: Order in?
    Thus: Turkey sandwich
    Fri: Pick-up from Whole Foods?

    Smoked Turkey

    Menu for the week of April 8

    Sat: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/posole
    make ranchero sauce, hot sauce, bloody mary mix
    Sun:
    Brunch: OJ, GJ, baguette, cheeses, quiche, fruit
    Dinner: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/fish-tacos
    Mon: Chicken, rice and pinto beans
    Tue: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/huevos-rancheros
    Wed: Vegetarian Taco Salad
    Thus: Chicken Enchiladas
    Fri: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/chilaquiles-with-blistered-tom...

    Posole

    Menu for the week of March 24: Cabin!

    Fri: smoked salmon, baguette, cucumber dill + tarragon creme fraiche; green salad
    Sat: Steak, baguette, asparagus, green salad, blue cheese, chimichurri
    Sun: Duck confit w/ baguette,veg, green salad
    Mon: big salad
    Tue: Garlic scape pesto pasta (mushrooms, peas?)? With green beans
    Wed: Neapolitan pizza with salad
    Thus: Arancini with veggie marinara, salad, green beans

    Menu for the week of March 17 (Early Spring + St. Patty’s Day)

    Sat: Corned beef
    Sun: Garlic Quiche w/ salad https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/caramelized-garlic-quiche (make x3), prep salmon
    Mon: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/strawberry-almond-and-pea-salad
    Tue: salt-cured salmon, bagels https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/citrus-cured-salmon
    Wed: Corned beef hash w/ fried eggs, green veg http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/corned-beef-hash-2
    Thus: salt-cured salmon w/ chevre + avocado on toasts w/ salad

    Corned Beef Hash

    Menu for the week of Feb 26 (Gumbo)

    Sat: Spicy Shrimp and cheesy grits with green veg https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/shrimp-grits-367141
    Broth, bell pepper, onion, garlic, bacon fat, “Cajun seasoning”, beer?
    Sun: Tuna steak sandwiches w/ fresh shucked oysters and green veg
    Mon: Gumbo, baguette, rice, salad and/or veg
    Tue: Oyster Po Boys (use sweet/spicy pickles) - buy TUE: oysters, bread https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/po-boy-salad
    Wed: [Po’boys for lunch] Out to Union Market

    Savory Bread Pudding

    Courtesy of Cowgirl Creamery. Could easily be made vegetarian.

    Ingredients
    1 lb. Andouille Sausage - small diced
    1 medium Onion - small diced
    3 stalks Celery - small diced
    1 lb. Cremini Mushrooms - small diced
    1 Tbsp. Garlic - minced
    2 Tbsp. Thyme - chopped
    1 lb. Stale Bread - large diced
    6 Eggs
    2 cups Heavy Cream
    1 cup Chicken Stock
    4 oz. Cowgirl Creamery Crème Fraiche (plus more for serving)
    8 oz. Cowgirl Creamery Wagon Wheel - grated
    Salt & Pepper - to taste
    1/8 lb. Butter
    1 bunch Chives - thinly sliced

    0
    Your rating: None

    Menu for the week of Dec 23

    Sat: Leftover Indian: Saag paneer, naan, chana chaat, rice
    Sun: Xmas eve - smoked salmon, cheeses, olives, mushrooms, baguette, moroccan carrot salad
    Mon: Xmas - Duck leg confit, artichoke, salad, baguette, https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/pur%C3%A9e-freneuse-rice-and-tu... apple tart from Blue Duck tavern with leftover caramel sauce and whipped cream
    Tue: Chili w/ baked potato
    Wed: Seventh Hill
    Thus: Salad (beets?) (bake sweet potato, beets) w/ Apple tart from Blue Duck Tavern
    Fri: Chili w/ baked potato, green beans (A: Work, J: Trader Joe’s?)

    Duck Leg Confit

    Menu for the week of Dec 10

    Sat: Chicken and stars soup
    Sun: Out to Ambar
    Mon 12/11: Out to Acqua al 2
    Tue 12/12: Turkey sandwiches, latkes, big salad, apple pie
    Wed: Bernice’s Brisket with red potatoes, salad
    Thus: Pimento Mac, asparagus, green salad
    Fri: Chicken and stars soup

    Menu for the week of Dec 3

    Sat: Take-out (pizza)
    Sun: Steak [smoke salmon], potatoes, beets, green salad, baguette
    Mon: Smoked salmon on baguette, cheeses, yogurt sauce, dill pickles, pepper jelly
    Tue: Caramelized garlic quiche, asparagus, and green salad
    Wed: Salad night (apple, cheese, beets, nuts) with any remaining baguette
    Thus: Caramelized garlic quiche, green beans, green salad
    Fri: Salmon and bagels for lunch; ChiKo for dinner with Dean

    Caramelized Onion Quiche

    Menu for the week of Nov 19

    Sat: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/clam-potato-leek-soup-or-clam-c...
    Sun: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/duck-confit-spicy-pickled-raisins w/ brussels sprouts
    Mon: Fall Salad (apples, cranberry cheese, spiced pecans)

    Thanksgiving:
    * Defrosted turkey
    * Dressing
    * https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/raw-kale-and-brussels-sprouts-s...
    * https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/pumpkin-pie
    * Baked sweet potatoes with marshmallows
    * Cranberry sauce
    * Dinner rolls
    * Pumpkin Pie

    Fri: Smoked salmon, cheeses, pepper jelly, veg plate, salad

    Smoked Turkey

    Menu for the week of Oct 1

    Sat: Grill Steak, romanesco, green salad (lunch: leftovers)
    Sun:Burgers + pattypans; Smoke salmon (lunch: leftovers)
    Mon: Salmon Salad
    Tue: Pizza
    Wed: Steak salad?
    Thu: Leftover pizza

    Menu for the week of Sept 24 Tex-Mex

    Sat: fish tacos , prep fajitas
    Sun: Fajitas? http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/06/the-food-lab-how-to-make-best... , prep ceviche
    Mon: Ceviche https://www.laylita.com/recipes/fish-ceviche/
    Tue: Chiles Rellenos
    Wed: Fajita salad
    Thu: Fajitas 2
    Fri: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/tex-mex-style-beef-enchiladas

    Chiles Rellenos

    Menu for the week of Sept 10 (Early Thanksgiving)

    Sun: Smoked turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, corn, grilled veg, sweet potato https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/dinner-rolls
    Mon: Fall salad (greens, peach, spiced pecans, goat cheese)
    Tue: Turkey leftovers
    Wed: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/fresh-tomato-tart-chevre and salad
    Thu: Tomato tart and salad
    Fri: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/berber-eggs

    Tomato Tart

    Menu for the week of Sept 2 (Mexican BBQ)

    Sun: Brisket, pinto beans, cole slaw, sliced tomatoes
    https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/texas-smoked-brisket
    Mon: BBQ w/
    https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/corn-chili-and-cheese-salad
    Tue: Corn salad with tomato/avocado salad and beans on the side
    Wed: Brisket leftovers (sammies?)
    Thu: Huevos rancheros (half order) with side salad or veg?
    https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/huevos-rancheros
    Fri: Barbacoa tacos (meat, hot sauce, onions, cilantro, avocado, sour cream)

    Brisket

    Easy Hanger Steak

    Hanger steak

    A simple, quick-marinating but tasty and hip steak recipe, Bon Appetit photo-shoot ready, serves 4.

    • 1½ pounds hanger steak, center membrane removed, cut into 4 pieces
    • 3 sprigs ea thyme, rosemary, chopped
    • 1 Fresno or mild jalapeno, finely diced
    • 6 garlic cloves, smashed
    • ¼ cup dry red wine
    • 2 Tbsp olive oil
    • Smoked salt, grill spice mix, and extra freshly ground black pepper

    1-2 hours before grilling, take hanger steak from the fridge, remove center membrane, and salt with smoked (or just kosher) salt and a salt/pepper/spices grilling mix. Let sit for 15-30 minutes.

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Menu for the week of August 7

    Sat: sushi
    Sun: ribs and corn, make green sauze
    Mon: gazpacho with tomato toast and https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/blistered-padr%C3%B3n-peppers
    Tue: ribs leftovers
    Wed: weeds salad
    Thu: tortilla
    Fri: tapas
    Sat: Hangar steak w/ green sauce; grilled veg/corn,
    Sun: Smoked Salmon + corn/grilled veg + tomato and baguette
    Mon: smoked salmon Salad
    Tue: Leftovers

    Ribs

    Stone Fruit salad

    Stone Fruit Salad
    • 1 1/2 cups pitted and sliced mixed stone fruit (peaches, plums, apricots, cherries)
    • 1 shallot, thinly sliced
    • ¼ cup marcona almonds or hazelnuts
    • sharp greens (watercress)
    • mint
    • 6 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
    • 3 Tbs. Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
    • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
    • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
    • ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese cheese

    http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/stone-fruit-salad-with-toasted-a... http://whatsgabycooking.com/summer-stone-fruit-salad/ https://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/watercress-and-stone-frui...

    0
    Your rating: None

    Bloody Mary Tomato Salad

    Bloody Mary Tomato Salad
    • cherry tomatoes halved or heirloom tomatoes, sliced
    • chopped red onion
    • diced celery, optional

    • 3 tablespoons Sherry vinegar, divided

    • 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
    • 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    • Juice of 1 lime
    • 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
    • 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
    • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

    Based loosely on http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/flank-steak-with-bl...

    5
    Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

    Menu for the week of June 10

    Sat: Grilled Tuna steaks w/pimento fresh tomato sauce? w/ veg
    Sun: ????
    (make tart crust (make extras? Try w/ whole wheat?) and cheese mixture, make gazpacho)
    Mon: Gazpacho https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/spanish-gazpacho
    Tue: Salad + ”tapas”
    Wed: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/fresh-tomato-tart-chevre
    Thu: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/fried-chickpeas-chorizo-and-spi...
    Fri: Tapas night / gazpacho / salad

    Tomato Tart

    Menu for the week of May 13

    Sat: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/meat-lasagna [make 2!]
    Sun: Grill: Burgers, corn, veg [smoke salmon!]
    Mon: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/shrimp-saganaki
    Tue: Composed salad: salmon, peas, asparagus, other spring veg, greens
    Wed: Lasagna
    Thu: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/panzanella-salad
    Fri: Out/Seventh Hill

    Meat Lasagna

    Menu for the week of Easter / Apr 16

    Sat: Out
    Sun: [Prep garlic for quiche] Steak, green salad, and asparagus
    Mon: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/poached-salmon-peas-and-mushrooms w/ http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/stir-fried-asparagus-with-bacon...
    Tue: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/caramelized-garlic-quiche (x2, freeze one) w/side salad
    Wed: Big Salad
    Thu: Pasta
    Fri: leftover Quiche w/ side salad

    Poached Salmon with peas and mushrooms

    Matzah Brei

    Matzah Brei

    Based on a kitchn recipe, this was one of the best matzah brie batches I've ever made.

    Serves 2

    4 eggs, divided
    splash milk or cream
    1 dash salt
    1 dash sugar, optional
    2 sheets matzo
    2 tablespoons unsalted butter

    Crack all but one of the eggs into a large bowl; add the milk, salt, and sugar, if using; and whisk very well to combine.
    Break the matzah into 1/2-inch pieces or smaller and add to the egg mixture.
    Let stand for at least 10 minutes, or until matzah is soft and pliable.

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Menu for the week of Apr 9 (Passover)

    Sun: Grilled chicken breast http://amazingribs.com/recipes/chicken_turkey_duck/buxom_chicken... sandwiches w/veg and sweet potato fries; smoke salmon, make https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/bernices-brisket
    Mon: Seder w/ brisket, charoset, potatoes, and https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/raw-kale-and-brussels-sprouts-s... (+ parsley, horseradish)
    Tue: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/strawberry-almond-and-pea-salad
    Wed: Matzah tart: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/
    carrot-ricotta-tart w/ carrot and parsley
    Thu: Brisket leftovers w/ brussels sprouts

    Pumpkin Recipes Galore

    Some untried pumpkin-based recipes from one of our local farmer's market vendors.

    0
    Your rating: None

    Menu for the week of Feb 12: Seafood

    Sun: Crab Dynamite with cucumber salad [make shrimp; shred cabbage] http://momofukufor2.com/2010/04/leftover-fridays-baked-seafood-d... http://rasamalaysia.com/seafood-dynamite-recipe/2/ https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/dill-cucumber-salad
    Mon: Raw Bar: shrimp cocktail, oysters with cole slaw and hot rolls http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-a-perfect-shrimp-cocktail-2... https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/audreys-cole-slaw
    Tue: (Vday) cheeses / smoked salmon with baguette, cucumber salad +dill !, veg, green salad

    Crab Cakes with an Avocado/Yogurt sauce

    Mushroom Frittata

    Mushroom frittata

    ½ lb mushrooms
    1 leek
    2 cloves garlic
    kale or spinach
    1 medium white potato
    grated cheese
    5-6 eggs, well beaten

    Pre-heat oven to 375°

    Slice the white part of the leek, combine with diced garlic.

    In a large, oven-safe sautee pan or cast iron, sautee in olive oil until soft and lightly browned. Add in muchrooms and more olive oil as needed, continue until mushrooms are cooked, soft, and reduced in size. Add in balsamic vinegar kale an continue sauteeing until fully wilted and reduced. Remove from pan and set aside.

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

    Menu for the week of Nov 26

    Sat: Ethiopian/out
    Sun: Smoked salmon + creme fraiche, pepper jelly, veg/broccoli
    (roast beets, sweet potatoes)
    Mon: Leftovers!
    Tue: Spinach salad with beets, pecans, and goat cheese
    Wed: Dinner out at events
    Thu: Salmon salad (greens, salmon, avocado, goat cheese, red onion, tomato)
    Fri: Pineapple and pearls (Early!!!)

    Sweet Potato Pecan Casserole

    sweet.jpeg

    Courtesy of the internet and tweaked to address some errant sweet potato purchases. The tweaked version was a big hit!

    Fills a ~9x13 oval dish.

    Base
    1 pound purple or white sweet potatoes (about 2 medium)

    Filling
    2.5 pounds orange sweet potatoes (about 4-5 medium)
    1 egg
    1/4 cup butter, melted
    1/3 cup brown sugar
    1 tsp salt
    1/4 cup milk or heavy cream

    Topping
    1/8 cup brown sugar
    2 Tbsp flour
    1/4 cup melted butter

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Menu for the week of Nov 19

    Sat: Out
    Sun: Ricotta ravioli w/ pesto and salad
    Mon: Composed salad (pepper cheese, tuna / anchoas, olives, cherry tomatoes, red pepper x2, pepperocini)
    Tue: Salmon / cheese / etc
    Wed: (Ambar)
    Thu: THANKSGIVINGGGG
    Fri: Leftovers!

    Persimmon with Burrata

    Persimmon with Burrata

    2 ripe Fuyu persimmons (wide, tomato/pumpkin shaped)
    3 tablespoons Roughly Chopped Toasted Hazelnuts or walnuts
    2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
    extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
    balsamic vinegar or pomegranate molasses, for drizzling, optional
    Maldon sea salt or other flaky sea salt, for garnish
    1 piece fresh burrata cheese

    Thinly slice persimmon and distribute on a plate. Serve with burrata (or sliced fresh mozzarella), and nuts, pomegranite seeds sprinkled on top, lightly drizzle with olive oil.

    Via http://saltandwind.com/recipes/417-persimmon-carpaccio-burrata-r...

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

    Smoked Chicken

    SmokedChicken.jpeg

    1 ~4lp spatchcocked chicken
    Salt
    dry rub

    2 hours before grilling, rinse and dust the chicken with salt, let sit uncovered in fridge.

    When ready to start, rub on the dry rub of choice - we used a rosemary/thyme/HdP/sage/pepper/smoked salt rub for a classic roast-chicken flavor.

    Prepare the grill for 2-zone cooking, raising the ambient temperature to ~325-350°F

    Add smoking chips; Place chicken off-heat, with the dark meat towards the fire, and roast until the breast reaches 135°F

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Menu for the week of Oct 16

    Sat: Smoked chicken + broccoli; smoke salmon, grill veg (sweet potato, sunchokes, beets, carrots)
    Sun: Chiles rellenos w/ (defrosted) beans, (poblano rice), corn tortillas, pico, sour cream [make ravioli]
    Mon: Roasted root vegetable salad with tahini dressing https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/roasted-vegetables-quinoa-and-g...
    Tue: Salmon w/ http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/crunchy-turnip-apple-and-brusse... and broccoli
    Wed: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/beet-and-arugula-salad-with-qui... with salmon

    Huevos Rancheros

    Huevos Rancheros

    A tasty and relatively easy recipe with a great classic red sauce. The original recipe linked below uses canned chipotles, but this has been adapted to use more dried chiles, as the heat from the canned chipotles overpowers the eggs.

    Sauce
    * 3 whole dried ancho and/or pasilla peppers
    * 1 canned chipotle chile
    * 1/4 cup canola oil, divided
    * 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
    * 4 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
    * 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
    * 1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted (such as Muir Glen)

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Menu for the week of Sept 10

    Sat: Office BBQ (bring tomato salad)
    Sun: Tacos!!
    Mon: steak + corn, bread, veg for grainbowls
    Tue: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/neapolitan-pizza
    Wed: Salad w/leftover Mex Gazpacho + tortilla
    Thu: [Jon out] Fried eggplant w/ quick tomato sauce or go out
    Fri: Pizza leftovers

    Menu for the week of Sept 3

    Menu for the week of Sept 3
    Sat: Out?
    Sun: Grilling? + corn
    Mon: BBQ !!
    Tue: Mexican Gazpacho
    Wed: Salad
    Thu: BBQ Leftovers w/cole slaw, corn
    Fri:Leftover gazpacho

    Upside-Down Nectarine Cake

    Nectarine upside-down cake

    A recipe I've been wanting to make for a long time, with some tips from Martha.

    3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, DIVIDED
    3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
    4 cups nectarines cut into very thin slices or pieces (about 4 medium)
    1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    2 teaspoons baking powder
    a little over 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    3/4 cup granulated sugar
    3 large eggs
    1/2 cup buttermilk or Greek yogurt

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

    Menu for the week of July 23

    Sat: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/hot-smoked-salmon with https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/dill-cucumber-salad a la http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/hot-smoked-salmon-with-tarragon...
    Sun: Steak with https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/tomato-salad-shallot-vinaigrette and corn and squash
    Mon: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/corn-chili-and-cheese-salad with black beans, tortillas, sour cream
    Tue: BLT
    Wed: Smoked salmon salad with pickled red onion, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, dill yogurt dressing
    Thu: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/neapolitan-pizza
    Fri: out

    Menu for the week of July 9

    Sat: Ribs and leftovers / cottage cheese and fruit with salad
    Sun: Pimiento Mac and Cheese with tomato/corn salad
    Mon: [home early] Smoked salmon pinwheel crepes with green salad
    Tue: Zucchini fritters with corn
    Wed: Pimiento Mac and Cheese with salad
    Thu: Panzanella salad
    Fri: [drinks with Carissa] Eat all the leftovers!!

    Panzanella Salad

    Zucchini-Herb Fritters/Latkes With Garlic Yogurt

    Zucchini Fritters

    Garlic Yogurt
    ½ cup plain yogurt (not Greek)
    2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
    2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    1 teaspoon honey
    1 garlic clove, finely grated
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

    Fritters And Assembly
    2 small zucchini, ends trimmed
    1 small russet potato, peeled
    ½ medium onion
    2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more
    2 large eggs, beaten to blend
    1 garlic clove, finely grated
    ½ teaspoon ground cumin
    3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, plus more for serving
    2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint, plus more for serving

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Menu for the week of July 4th

    Sat: Out to Whaley's
    Sun: Ribs with potato salad and dill cucumber salad [grill veg for grain bowls, etc.]
    Mon: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/zucchini-herb-fritters-with-gar...
    Tue: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/corn-chili-and-cheese-salad
    Wed: Leftover ribs with cole slaw
    Thu: Stone fruit salad http://aperiodictableblog.com/?p=2268
    Fri: Eat all the leftovers!!! (ribs, zucchini fritters, corn salad)

    Zucchini Fritters

    Menu for the week of June 18

    Sat: Grill: Tuna Chunk Sammies
    Sun: Grill: Choripan w/ https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/tomato-salad-shallot-vinaigrette (prep tart, crab cakes)
    Mon: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/crab-cakes w/ tomato corn salsa/chutney (a la https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/southwest-salmon)
    Tue: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/savory-summer-salad (bacon, avocado, egg, corn, onion, cherry tomato)
    Wed: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/fresh-tomato-tart-chevre w/ side salad
    Thu: Leftover crab cakes
    Fri: Leftover Tart
    Sat br/lunch: BELTs

    Summer Salad

    Dill Cucumber Salad

    Dill Cucumber Salad

    A cool, refreshing side dish. Inspired by these two recipes, but mostly a notional recipe.

    1 large English cucumber, sliced on a mandolin to 1/8" thick
    1/2 small red onion, also sliced on a mandolin to 1/8" thick (optional)
    1/2 cup sugar
    1/2 cup water
    1 cup mix of your favorite vinegars (I used mostly white vinegar + cider vinegar + red wine vinegar)

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Chile-Corn Custard Squares

    Chile Corn Custard

    A nice side for a BBQ, courtesy of Bon Appetit.

    3 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
    1 large onion, finely chopped
    Nonstick vegetable oil spray
    1/4 cup all purpose flour
    1/4 cup cornmeal
    1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1 large egg
    2/3 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend or 1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese mixed with 1/3 cup crumbled queso fresco, divided
    1/2 cup sour cream (plus additional for garnish, optional)
    1/2 cup canned creamed corn
    2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chiles

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

    Grain Bowls

    Middle Eastern Grain Bowl

    • grains and greens
    • hard boiled egg or leftover chicken
    • chopped tomato, cucumber
    • pickled onion, pepper
    • fried halloumi
    • yogurt, cumin, lemon sauce

    New American Harvest Grain Bowl

    • grains
    • hard boiled egg
    • root veg: sweet potatoes, pumpkin/squash, pickled beets, etc.
    • green veg: broccoli, green beans, etc.
    • fried halloumi (or cheddar on side)
    • green sauce

    Caribbean Grain Bowl

    • grains and greens
    • chicken leftovers
    • roasted sweet potato
    • pickled onions and peppers
    • mango
    • fried halloumi
      * spicy green sauce
    0
    Your rating: None

    Menu for the week of April 9

    Sun: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pickle-brined-fried-chicken  w/ biscuits (https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/simple-biscuits) , asparagus
    Mon: https://audreyandjon.com/recipes/poached-salmon-peas-and-mushrooms 
    Tue: (Out)
    Wed:  Leftover chicken
    Thu: Salad night 
    Fri: leftover salmon

    Fried brined chicken

    Menu for the week of Dec 19 (Brunch for dinner!)

    Sat: Carol Sing
    Sun: Skate w/ pasta, artichoke, romanesco, baguette
    Mon: Smoked salmon with latkes [sour cream + apple sauce], cheeses, baguette, green salad, etc.
    Tue: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/marinated-beets-with-potatoes-and-horseradish + leftover salmon + grains  
    Wed: 2nd caramelized garlic quiche + romanesco
    Thu: Xmas eve party
    Fri: [Xmas] Ham + dressing waffles + salad

    Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows

    • 6 medium sweet potatoes (more or less, depending on size) Skin-off or on per choice
    • 1 cup light brown sugar
    • 1/2 cup water
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1/2 lemon, juiced
    • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • Marshmallows

    Do-ahead option: pre-roast the sweet potatoes: Wrap them in foil and bake them whole for 1 hour at 400 degrees before slicing them - this provides a softer texture.

    Alternatively, slice the raw potatoes thin and add them directly to the casserole; this method results in a firmer texture.

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

    Hot Smoked Salmon

    Smoked Salmon

    Based on this recipe.

    • 1 tablespoon sugar
    • 1 tablespoon kosher salt (ideally use ½ kosher, ½ smoked salt)
    • 1-2 lbs Salmon, center/thick cut is best

    • Cedar plank(s) to put salmon on

    • Wood chunks (Alder or other mild wood - apple, cherry)
    • Leave-in thermometer
    5
    Your rating: None Average: 5 (2 votes)

    Cheesecake Brownies

    Cheesecake brownies (halloween edition!)

    Makes 16, 2-inch Brownies -- add food coloring (like yellow and red) to make it seasonal!

    Cream Cheese Filling

    • 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
    • ½ cup sour cream
    • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

    Brownie Batter

    • ⅔ cup (3 1/3 ounces) all-purpose flour
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine (Giaredehli or Hershey's)
    • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 1 ¼ cups sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Butternut Squash Farrotto

    Butternut squash farrotto
    • ½ tablespoon cumin, divided
    • 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
    • 2 tablespoona fresh lemon juice, divided
    • 3 garlic cloves; 1 minced, 2 thinly sliced
    • 2 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled butternut squash
    • 1 cup semi-pearled farro (can add in barley and other whole grains)
    • 1 tablespoons chopped Fresno chile or red jalapeño chile with seeds, divided
    • ½ cup 1/2-inch cubes red onion plus 1/4 cup thinly sliced
    • ½ 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
    • ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
    • Extra-virgin olive oil

    Yogurt Sauce

    5
    Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

    Carrot Ricotta Tart

    Carrot Ricotta Tart

    Via http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/carrot-tart-with-ricotta-and-herbs

    2 cups ricotta
    ¼ cup heavy cream
    Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
    3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
    1 small onion, thinly sliced
    4 large carrots (about 8 ounces), scrubbed, thinly sliced into coins
    1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
    1 large egg, beaten to blend (optional)
    ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh chives
    2 tablespoons small dill sprigs

    Preheat oven to 425°. Whisk ricotta and cream in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper.

    2.5
    Your rating: None Average: 2.5 (2 votes)

    Savory Summer Salad

    Summer Salad

    Inspired by something I saw on a menu, I created this nice summer salad.

    Lettuce
    Cherry tomatoes
    Red Onion
    Red pepper
    Corn
    Avocado
    Hard-boiled egg
    Bacon (sub: shredded brisket, fried onions)

    Dressing:
    Mayo
    Grated parmesan
    Lemon juice
    Salt and pepper

    or vinaigrette thickened with a little mayo

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

    Green Sauce

    Green Sauce

    This sauce was AWESOME, and I made it all by myself.

    Makes about 1 cup:
    2 cups unpacked parsley
    1 cup unpacked mint
    1 cup unpacked basil
    1/4 cup olive oil
    1/4 cup white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
    Juice of 1 lemon

    Blend all ingredients, preferably with an immersion blender, until smooth.
    If needed, add more oil (and/or vinegar, to taste) to help blend.
    Alternatively, double (or triple!) the ingredients to make it easier to blend in a conventional blender. Trust me, you'll eat it all.

    5
    Your rating: None Average: 5 (2 votes)

    Grilled Turkey

    Smoked Turkey

    Dry brine turkey for at least one day, uncovered, in the fridge. See http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-dry-brine-a-turkey-cooking-lesso... for guidance, we used:

    • Salt (1/4 cup)
    • sugar (1.5 Tbsp)
    • sage
    • ground rosemary
    • thyme
    • black pepper
    • garlic powder
    • Smoked paprika
    • smoked salt

    Rub all over and under breast skin.

    Prepare bird:

    1-2 hours before grilling, remove turkey from fridge to bring up towards room temperature
    Place pats of butter under skin

    Prepare grill:

    5
    Your rating: None Average: 5 (2 votes)

    Weeks of September 6th and September 13th

    Sat: Grilled grain bowl: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/corn-and-fregola-with-grilled-halloumi-cheese with http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/grilled-green-tomatoes-with-bur..., avocado, scallions, squash
    Sun: Tgiving - pepper jelly/cc/crackers, turkey (14-16lbs), dressing balls, cranberry sauce, cole slaw, tomato salad + brussels sprouts salad, corn casserole, sweet potatoes, peach pie, apple pie
    Mon: Turkey Leftovers
    Tue: Out to Taberna del Alabardero
    Wed: Summer salad (corn, cherry tomatoes, red onion, avocado, bacon, egg, fried onions)
    Thu: Turkey Sammies!!

    Weeks of August 2nd and 9th

    Sat: Burrito "grain bowl" with black bean sauce, hot sauce (J makes?) - rice/beans, avocado, tomato, corn, red onion, queso fresco, mango salsa
    Sun: Steak? with Tomato/Shallot salad, grilled corn, green salad
    Mon: Cured meats, tomato tart, baguettes, green salad, corn
    Tue:  Out with Dylan and Family (Hank's, Cava, Matchbox, 7th Hill, Belga, Ethiopic, BlueJacket, Union Market)
    Wed: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/corn-and-zucchini-salad-with-feta + rice/beans?
    Thu: Argentina Wine Dinner
    Fri: Fish tacos
    Sat: Big BBQ!
    Sun: Chiles rellenos with rice/beans, green salad

    Menu for Week of July 4th

    Fri: Off! http://www.audreyandjon.com/recipes/texas-smoked-brisket, http://www.audreyandjon.com/recipes/audreys-cole-slaw, http://www.audreyandjon.com/recipes/deviled-potato-salad 
    Sat: 4th! Brisket Sammies / leftovers, corn on the cob, Portuguese cornbread?
    Sun: Pimiento Mac&Cheese + Green Salad
    Mon: Stone fruit salad with corn on the cob
    Tue: Brisket Leftovers (potato salad, cole slaw)
    Wed: Grain bowl (grains, halloumi, tahini dressing, corn, cherry tomato, avocado, herbs, scallions) 
    Thu: (A late) Brisket + Mac&Cheese leftoverssssss
    Fri:  I'm sure there will still be brisket left

    Grain Bowl

    Caramelized Garlic Quiche

    Caramelized Onion Quiche

    For Crust (enough for two crusts - note, Jon finds this recipe difficult to work with, especially when doubled, and would consider using a different crust recipe next time)
    2½ cups all-purpose flour
    1 teaspoon kosher salt
    1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
    2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

    For Quiche:
    5 large eggs
    3 heads of garlic, cloves peeled
    Kosher salt
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
    1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
    1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
    1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
    dash nutmeg
    Freshly ground black pepper

    5
    Your rating: None Average: 5 (2 votes)

    Menu for Week of March 15th

    Sat: Carmelized Onion Quiche ; make corned beef, cure salmon
    Sun: Grill
    Mon: Leftover quiche +  salad w/ salmon and chevre
    Tues: Corned beef hash  http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/corned-beef-hash-2 
    Wed: Out
    Thus: leftovers

    Caramelized Onion Quiche

    2015 Cleanse Menu

    Sun: Mahi Mahi with smashed white beans plus sauteed chard stems ... the white beans were really good. The rest...

    Mon: Barley Risotto (a favorite from last year) with roasted celery root

    Korean Kale Slaw

    Menu for Week of January 4th

    Sat: Chili w/ corn, tortillas, (soak pintos)
    Sun: ceviche w/popcorn, sweet potato, pintos
    Mon: Posole w/ salad (chili for lunch)
    Tue: ceviche tacos http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/mexican-ceviche-tacos (posole for lunch)
    Wed: Chili
    Thu: Mexican Salad (chili for lunch)
    Fri: Posole w/ salad

    Chili

    Homemade Applesauce

    Why didn't I do this sooner? These proportions make about a quart.

    6 medium apples (honeycrisp are a good choice)
    1/4 cup brown sugar
    1/2 cup apple juice/cider (substitute water)

    Core apples.
    Slice into wedges.

    In a large saucepan, combine juice, sugar, and apples.
    Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for approximately 30 minutes, until apples are soft.
    If necessary, allow to cook with cover off for a few minutes to reach desired liquid level (remember it will leech a little liquid when pureed).

    Allow to cool.

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Wine Jelly

    Makes four 1-cup jars

    Something full-bodied and fruity works best here.

    1 (750-ml) bottle red wine
    3¼ cups sugar (amount already minimized)
    1 (3-ounce) envelope liquid pectin
    3 tablespoons lemon juice
    ⅛ teaspoon butter (to reduce bubbling)

    Bring 1¼ cups wine to boil in small saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook until reduced to ⅓ cup, 15 to 20 minutes; set aside. This reduction helps improve the wine flavor.

    0
    Your rating: None

    Berry Pie

    Berry Pie

    Merging some thoughts and recipes from http://www.audreyandjon.com/recipes/fruit-cobbler , http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/marilyn-batalis-blackberry-pie , and http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/02/mixed-berry-pie-made-... :

    2 discs of Pie crust
    4 cups fresh or frozen berries
    ½ cup sugar
    2 T cornstarch
    1 T lo/no sugar pectin (modify thickener choices to your preference)
    1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

    Preheat oven to 425°F.

    4.5
    Your rating: None Average: 4.5 (2 votes)

    Parmigiano Gelato

    Courtesy of The Washington Post Magazine.

    2
    Your rating: None Average: 2 (1 vote)

    Menu for Weeks of November 16th + November 23rd

    Sat: Fondue
    Sun: Tuna Stew
    Mon: leftover tuna stew w/ veg [cook chickpeas]
    Tue: big Salad w/feta, fried chick peas...
    Wed: leftover tuna stew w/veg
    Thu: carrot salad, dolmades, yogurt dip, pita, olives, dry sheeps cheese, feta,
    Fri: Out
    Sat: http://www.audreyandjon.com/recipes/lamb-vindaloo w/ http://www.audreyandjon.com/recipes/saag-paneer + naan
    Sun: http://www.audreyandjon.com/recipes/shahi-paneer w/ http://www.audreyandjon.com/recipes/chana-chaat + naan
    Mon: Indian big salad with chana chaat
    Tue: Out with Jon's parents
    Wed: Indian leftovers + naan + rice

    Saag Paneer

    Barley Risotto

    Barley risotto with spinach

    1 cup pearled barley
    8 cups vegetable or chicken broth
    3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
    1 medium onion, finely chopped
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
    2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
    1 bay leaf
    2 cups baby spinach
    1 cup parsley, thick stems removed
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    1 garlic clove, finely grated
    1 teaspoon finely lemon zest
    1 tablespoon lemon juice
    1 cup finely grated Parmesan
    ⅓ cup chopped tender herbs (such as tarragon and/or chives)

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Menu for Week of October 12th

    Fall Welcome Week (Chili, duck confit, truffle cream sauce w/rolls, pumpkin/gourd dish...)

    Sat: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/toasted-barley-risotto-with-spi...
    Sun: Butternut soup (http://www.audreyandjon.com/recipes/roasted-butternut-squash-soup ) w/ rolls and romanesco
    Mon: Duck w/ green salad http://audreyandjon.com/recipes/duck-confit-spicy-pickled-raisins
    Tues: Fall Salad night
    Wed: Duck w/ romanesco
    Thus: Soup (J late)

    Duck Leg Confit

    Hot Sauce

    Green Salsa

    A Saveur recipe, modified by Merl and sent by Sharon.

    1 lb. mixed medium-to-hot fresh chiles, stemmed and seeded if very hot (Merl recommends 1/2 jalapeños and 1/2 serranos; Saveur recommends red peppers like fresno, holland, or cayenne)
    3 garlic cloves, peeled
    1.5 tbsp. or more kosher salt, to taste
    1/2 cup or more distilled white vinegar to taste

    2
    Your rating: None Average: 2 (2 votes)

    Corn, Chili, and Cheese Salad

    Grilled Corn Salad

    Easy and delicious Bon Appetit recipe. Also keeps well in the fridge for several days and, in some ways, improves over time.

    4 ears of corn, husked
    1 large shallot, thinly sliced into rings
    1 red chile (BA recommends Holland or Fresno, but a Jalapeño will do), optionally deseeded, thinly sliced into rings
    ¼ cup fresh lime juice
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
    4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
    2 oz. fresh Cotija cheese or queso fresco, crumbled
    ¼ cup cilantro leaves with tender stems

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Corn Fritters

    IMG_3124.resized.JPG

    2 large eggs
    ¼ cup all-purpose flour
    2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
    ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
    2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears' worth)
    2 scalliona, thinly sliced
    1 jalapeño, seeded, finely chopped

    2 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying

    Sour cream and lime wedges (for serving)

    In a food processor, pulse eggs to blend. Add flour, Parmesan, and ½ tsp. kosher salt and pulse until combined. Add corn, scallion, and jalapeño; pulse 3-5 times until a consistent, oatmeal-y texture.

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

    Green Gazpacho

    Green Gazpacho

    A really nice alternative summer gazpacho. If you don't like vinegar as much as I do, feel free to reduce the vinegar and/or lime juice proportions to taste. Courtesy of Bon Appetit.

    ¼ cup white wine vinegar
    2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
    1 cup plain Greek yogurt, plus an optional ½ cup or serving
    ½ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
    4 oz. ciabatta or country-style bread, crust removed, bread torn into 1” pieces (about 2½ cups)

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

    Menu for week of Jun 29 / July 4

    Sun: Ribs, corn, potato salad
    Mon: Salmon with peas and mushrooms
    Tue: Rib leftovers
    Wed: Salad
    Thu: Steak
    Fri (July 4th): Burgers

    Ribs

    Beef Satay

    Beef Satay Skewers

    Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated. Easy and delicious!

    Beef
    4 Tbsp vegetable oil
    4 Tbsp packed dark brown sugar
    2 Tbsp fish sauce
    1 (1.5-1.75 lb) hangar or flank steak, cut against the grain into pieces that are approximately 4"x2"x1/4"

    Basting Sauce
    3/4 cup coconut milk
    3 Tbsp packed dark brown sugar
    3 Tbsp fish sauce
    2 Tbsp vegetable oil
    3 shallots, minced
    2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed to bottom 6 inches and minced
    2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
    1.5 tsp ground coriander

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

    Mustard-Crusted Branzino

    Mustard Crusted Branzino

    For some reason, Bon Appetit recommends using a whole butterflied fish, but that just presents you with many small bones to deal with. This dish will be equally good with filets. Serves 2 and can easily be doubled.

    2 branzini/ Mediterranean sea bass filets
    1/8 cup olive oil
    1 tablespoons whole grain mustard
    1 small garlic clove, finely grated
    1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
    1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (or fresh coarsely chopped breadcrumbs, preferably sourdough)
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

    Red Velvet Cake

    Red Velvet Cupcake

    Makes 6 cupcakes (I hope)
    http://www.bakingisascience.com/red-velvet-cupcakes/

    1¼ cups cake flour
    ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
    ½ teaspoons salt
    ¾ cups granulated sugar
    1 teaspoons baking soda
    dash tsp. espresso powder (optional)
    2/3 cups canola oil
    1/3 oz. red food coloring
    ½ teaspoons vanilla
    1 teaspoons red apple cider vinegar
    1 large eggs
    ½ cup buttermilk

    Cream cheese icing: http://www.joyofbaking.com/RedVelvetCake.html

    2.5
    Your rating: None Average: 2.5 (2 votes)

    Cajun and Creole Menu for Feb 9 2014

    Sat: Gumbo w/ white rice
    Sun: Shrimp Étouffée
    Mon: Blackened Red Snapper w/ dirty rice
    Tues: Po Boy Salad
    Wed: Leftover gumbo
    Thus: Shrimp and Grits
    Fri: Leftovers Etouffee

    Etouffee (served)

    Shrimp or Crawfish Étouffée

    Shrimp Etouffee

    1 lb shrimp
    2 Cups shrimp or seafood stock (you can make it from the shells of the shrimp)
    4 Tbsp lard/fat/unsalted butter
    1/4 Cup Flour
    1/2 Cup Onion, Finely Chopped
    1/4 Cup Celery, Finely Chopped
    1/4 Cup Bell Pepper, Finely Chopped
    1 Cup fresh Tomatoes, diced
    1/2 Cup Green Onions, thinly sliced
    3 Tbsp minced Italian Parsley
    2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
    1 bundle of Fresh Thyme
    2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
    4 T Creole seasoning (I added extra cayenne, Herbs De P, oregano, and smoked salt)
    salt and pepper to taste

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

    2014 Food Lover's Cleanse: Week 2 (New American Theme)

    As a follow-on to Week 1 of the Bon Appetit Food Lover's Cleanse, we did a New American-focused menu. Again, we really only incorporated a few of the cleanse recipes, but those we did were really delicious this week! Also, by the end of these two weeks, I have taken off the ~4 pounds of holiday weight I had gained. Hooray!

    Sun: Grilled Rib Eye with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
    Mon: Roasted Root Vegetables with Quinoa and Green Tahini Sauce (vegetables roasted ahead on Sunday with the sweet potatoes)
    Tues: Roasted Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Oregano (not a cleanse recipe, and really not a winner…)
    Wed: Root Vegetable Salad (with leftovers from earlier in the week)
    Thus: A somewhat decent pasta dish (a recipe of Audrey's creation) made from leftover chicken thighs
    Fri: Out to Table to finish off the week

    Roasted vegetables with green tahini sauce

    Roasted Vegetables with Quinoa and Green Tahini Sauce

    Roasted vegetables with green tahini sauce

    From Bon Appetit 2014 Food Lover's Cleanse

    This combination and modification of three Bon Appetit recipes goes excellent together and produces a follow-up salad for lunches or a dinner later in the week. The Tahini sauce needs to be done at least 1 day in advance, and the vegetable roasting can largely be done ahead as well.

    Serves 2 with leftovers for a salad (see below).

    3.5
    Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (2 votes)

    Kale Chips

    Kale Chips

    Take flat-leaf kale and cut the leaf only parts into chip-sized pieces. Toss lightly with olive oil, and spread out on a ceramic plate.

    Sprinkle lightly with salt and spices (garlic powder works well), microwave for 3-5 minutes until crisp.

    http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/super-quick-video-tips/20...

    2.5
    Your rating: None Average: 2.5 (2 votes)

    Duck Confit with Spicy Pickled Raisins

    Duck Leg Confit

    Bon Appetit comes through with another winner. We made this for Christmas 2013, and it was great. While total cooking time (roughly 5 hours) is a bit steep, most of that is hands off, and all but the last 30 minutes can be done ahead of time and frozen. Serves 8. Great for a dinner party.

    • 8 skin-on, bone-in duck legs
    • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
    • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more freshly cracked
    • 2 tablespoons plus 1 tsp. kosher salt
    • 10 sprigs thyme, divided
    4.5
    Your rating: None Average: 4.5 (2 votes)

    Maurine's Chocolate Sheet Cake

    Maurine's Chocolate Sheet Cake

    Cake Ingredients
    2 cups sugar
    2 cups flour
    1/2 tsp salt
    1/2 cup buttermilk*
    1 tsp baking soda
    1 stick butter
    1/2 cup Crisco
    4 Tbsp cocoa
    1 cup water
    2 eggs
    1 tsp cinnamon**
    1 tsp vanilla**

    Frosting Ingredients
    1 stick butter
    4 Tbsp cocoa
    1/3 cup milk
    4 cups powdered sugar
    1 tsp vanilla

    Making the Cake

    Preheat oven to 350/375 (depending on your oven).
    Grease and flour a 11 x 16 inch shallow pan or 9 1/2 x 14 x 2 1/2 inch pan.

    Sift together sugar and flour.
    Add salt.

    Mix together buttermilk and soda.

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

    Dinner Rolls

    Dinner Rolls

    These rolls from the The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook are deceptively easy to make and great par-baked and frozen. We make these for Thanksgiving - they're one thing we can check off our list a few weeks in advance.

    Dough Recipe

    <

    ul>

  • 1 cup plus 1 Tbsp milk
  • 3 Tbsp honey
  • 2 large eggs
  • 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 4 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 4.5
    Your rating: None Average: 4.5 (2 votes)

    Cranberry Sauces

    Cranberry Sauce

    Each recipe makes 2-3 half-pints, depending on how long you let the cranberries break down for. If you want to preserve these, process for 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

    Basic Cranberry Sauce

    1 (12-oz) bag fresh cranberries
    1/2 to 1 cup sugar
    3/4 cup water

    Bring water and 1/2 cup sugar to boil. Add cranberries and cook over medium heat until berries have broken down to your desired level (15-20 mins). Stir occasionally and, if desired, mash with a potato masher to break berries down further. Add additional sugar to taste.

    3.5
    Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (2 votes)

    Double Layer Pumpkin Bourbon Cheesecake

    Makes one 9-inch cake, serving 12 to 16

    Cribbed from a co-worker's recipe:

    This has been adapted from a few recipes. I made a bourbon glaze, but you can also just put
    the bourbon into the batter as described here.
    !
    Also, two points from Cooks Illustrated:
    !
    - For a smooth and creamy texture, we blotted the canned pumpkin puree with paper
    towels to remove excess moisture before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients. (see
    step-by-step instructions below)
    !
    - Baking the cake in a water bath in a moderate oven also helped give our pumpkin

    0
    Your rating: None

    Raw Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad

    Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad 2013

    This recipe from Bon Appetit uses raw kale and brussels sprout to make a delicious, nutty salad.

    Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side.

    For the salad:

    1/2 bunch of Tuscan or lacinato kale (about 1/4 lb), center stem discarded, leaves thinly sliced or shredded in food processor
    1/2 pint of brussels sprouts, trimmed, finely sliced or shredded in food processor
    1/2 cup almonds with skins, coarsely chopped
    1/2 cup finely grated Pecorino

    For the dressing:

    1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
    1/2 cup olive oil
    2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
    1 tablespoon minced shallot
    1 small garlic clove, finely grated
    1/4 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning
    Freshly ground black pepper

    4.5
    Your rating: None Average: 4.5 (2 votes)

    Smoked Salmon Dip

    Smoked Salmon Dip

    My goodness was this delicious. You have to give Martha credit where credit is due.

    8 oz smoked salmon, roughly chopped, divided
    8 oz cream cheese, softened
    1/3 cup mayonnaise (for texture; can be omitted if you don't like mayo)
    2 Tbsp diced red onion
    1 Tbsp capers
    1 tsp prepared horseradish
    Juice of half a lemon

    5
    Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

    Deviled Eggs

    Deviled Eggs

    For some reason, I always get compliments on my deviled eggs. They're really not that hard to make. I typically go to deviledeggs.com for advice on cooking, peeling, etc. the eggs, but their tricks don't always work that well. I usually find inspiration in one of their recipes, but frankly it's not that difficult. This here is what I call a "notional" recipe because you can and should adjust the proportions to your liking.

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Granny's Tea Cakes

    Tea Cakes

    1 large egg (or two medium)
    1 tsp. soda
    1 tsp. baking powder
    1 tbsp. vinegar
    ½ c. milk
    1½ c. sugar
    1 c. shortening
    Flour (see below, but about 3 cups in the mix)

    Mix all ingredients except flour. Gradually add flour until the shortening is mixed in and the dough is stiff enough to roll out. Roll on floured surface. Cut cookies out and bake at 400 degrees until brown, 10-12 minutes. Top with sprinkled sugar or icing:

    Black And White cookie style frosting:

    (Let cookies cool completely before starting)

    4 cups confectioners' sugar
    1/3 cup boiling water

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

    Cheese Snappy Wafers

    Cheesy Snappy Wafers

    From M. Egan via S. Camfield

    2 sticks (1c) butter, softened
    2c flour
    1.5 cups sharp cheddar, shredded and at room temperature
    1/2 t cayenne
    1/2 t salt
    2c rice krispies

    Cut butter into flour until texture resembles chunky cornmeal. Mix in cheese, spices. Fold in rice krispies.

    Mold small pices, place on ungreased cookie sheet.

    Bake at 350F for 45 minutes

    3.5
    Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (2 votes)

    Lobster Roll

    Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated.

    0
    Your rating: None

    Peach Pie

    Peach Pie Slice

    Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated, with our pie crust.

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

    Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated.

    0
    Your rating: None

    Beets with Citrus and Nuts

    Beets with citrus and almonds

    1 ½ pounds beets, trimmed and halved horizontally
    1 ¼ c water
    salt and pepper
    3 T light brown sugar, packed
    1 shallot, sliced thin
    1 t grated lemon zest
    ½ c whole almonds, toasted and chopped
    2 T chopped fresh mint
    1 t chopped fresh thyme

    Place beets, cut side down, in a single layer in an 11-inch saute pan or dutch oven. Add water and 1/4 teas salt; bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce to low; cover and simmer until beets are tender, 45-50 minutes.

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (2 votes)

    BBQ Chicken Kebabs

    Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated.

    0
    Your rating: None

    Naked Grilled Chicken

    Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated.

    0
    Your rating: None

    Gingersnaps

    Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated.

    0
    Your rating: None

    Poached Fish

    Oil-poached fish

    Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated.

    1
    Your rating: None Average: 1 (1 vote)

    Bean Dips

    Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated.

    0
    Your rating: None

    Deep Dish Pizza

    This recipe is courtesy of our friends Sarah and Jason. They gave us a wonderful wedding gift set of a deep dish pizza pan, italian spices, and a great cookbook. Helpfully, they included this recipe as well!

    0
    Your rating: None

    Tomato Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette

    Tomato Salad

    A nice Bon Appetit recipe that is a great summer side.

    1 tablespoons minced shallots
    2 tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar
    1/2 teaspoon sugar
    1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
    2-3 ripe beefsteak or heirloom tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch slices
    Freshly ground black pepper
    3 fresh medium basil leaves, torn into approximately 1/2-inch pieces

    Combine shallots, vinegar, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil to blend. Set vinaigrette aside.

    4.5
    Your rating: None Average: 4.5 (2 votes)

    Sloppy Joe

    Sloppy Joe

    This was one of the first recipes I learned to make while living on my own. Not the fanciest thing in the world, but it is quick, easy, and not terrible for you. It is Rachel Ray's. A full recipe (shown here) easily serves 4, but it can easily be halved to serve 2-3.

    1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
    1 1/4 pounds ground beef sirloin
    1/4 cup brown sugar
    2 teaspoons steak seasoning blend
    1 medium onion, chopped
    1 small red bell pepper, chopped

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

    7-Layer Bean Dip

    IMG_8471_resized.JPG

    No real recipe here; we used, from the bottom up:

    1. leftover refried pinto beans
    2. Shredded cheese
    3. guacamole
    4. sour cream
    5. pico de gallo
    6. Olives (optional)

    ...and layered them in a flat-bottomed glass dish. The pico counts as two layers. Really.

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (2 votes)

    Corn Fritters

    Corn Fritters

    Via WhatIHaventCookedYet, a recipe for corn fritters (not unlike Venezuelan cachapas):

    This is a slightly modified, and halved, version of the recipe.

    1/4 Tbsp salt
    1/2 Tbsp baking powder
    1/4 cup flour
    1/2 cup corn meal
    1 egg, lightly beaten
    1/2 cups buttermilk
    1/8 cup melted butter
    1 Tbsp honey
    2 ears corn, kernels removed
    1/4 cup cheddar cheese
    Olive oil for frying

    Mix together dry ingredients – salt, baking powder, flour and corn meal – in a large bowl.

    2
    Your rating: None Average: 2 (2 votes)

    White Nectarine Compote

    Nectarine Compote

    In our area, white nectarines have two seasons - an early and a late. While most people prefer the perfumed, very sweet white nectarines of August/September, I prefer the tart and slightly sweet white nectarines of July. My fruit man thinks I'm crazy.

    2.5
    Your rating: None Average: 2.5 (2 votes)

    Fruit Cobbler

    Peach Cobbler with Ice Cream

    Make two pie crusts: http://www.audreyandjon.com/recipes/pie-crust

    Mix together:
    6 cups fresh fruit (blackberries, sliced peaches...)
    1/2 cup sugar
    1/4 teaspoon appropriate spice (i.e. cinnamon for peaches, cardamom for apricots, lavender for blueberries, lemon zest for blackberries, etc.)
    2 tablespoons lemon juice

    Let stand for 15-30 minutes, or until fruit is juicy. Add 6 tablespoons tapioca.

    Lay a bottom crust down (no side crust!) in a 9x9 square pyrex, then add in the fruit mixture. Place a lattice of the rest of the crust on top.

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

    Strawberry, Tomato and Fennel Gazpacho

    Strawberry Fennel Gazpacho

    Recipe in progress, using these two as guides:
    http://www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org/recipes/strawberry-fennel-g...
    http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/strawberry-tomato-and-fennel-...

    2.5
    Your rating: None Average: 2.5 (2 votes)

    Garlic Scape Pesto

    Garlic Scape Pesto

    Garlic scape pesto is a wonderful thing. It is delicious, easy to make*, easy to use, and freezes well. We try and make a big batch of this when garlic scapes appear at the farmer's market in late spring. Freeze in ice cube trays for easy use later.

    2 cups garlic scapes, cut into ½" pieces (stringy and blender-killing otherwise!)
    ⅔ cup olive oil
    1 cup shredded parmesan (or substitute) cheese
    ⅓ cup pine nuts
    ⅓ tsp salt

    Blend all ingredients in food processor until a pasty consistency.

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Strawberry, Almond, and Pea Salad

    Strawberry Salad

    A delightful spring salad from Bon Appetit. We didn't feel the peas added much, so they are listed here as optional.

    1/2 cup Marcona almonds
    2 tablespoons white wine or rice vinegar (or pomegranate vinegar if you have it)
    2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
    1 teaspoon poppy seeds
    1 teaspoon sugar
    1/4 cup olive oil
    2 cups baby arugula or watercress, thick stems trimmed
    2 cups pea vines
    8 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled, halved or quartered if large (about 2 cups)
    1 cup shelled fresh peas (Optional, can also sub in blanched asparagus)
    1 ounce Parmesan, shaved

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

    Pea Pancakes

    Pea Pancakes

    Audrey was really excited about this recipe. Unfortunately, it sucked.

    1 cup shelled fresh peas (from about 1 pound pods)
    1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more
    3 large eggs
    1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
    1/4 cup all-purpose flour
    2 tablespoons vegetable oil plus more for skillet
    4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for serving
    1/4 cup (1/2 stick) salted butter, melted

    Optional: If using fresh peas, cook in a small saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 3 minutes, Drain

    1
    Your rating: None Average: 1 (2 votes)

    Blueberry Muffins

    Blueberry Muffins

    A great and easy blueberry muffin recipe that doesn't need milk - perfect for the weekend. Also, the raw batter is addictive.

    3 cups flour
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    2 teaspoons baking powder
    Heavy pinch of salt
    Dash of Nutmeg

    1 cup sugar
    1/2 cup vegetable oil
    1 egg
    1 generous cup plain, unflavored yogurt (throw in extra if you want)
    Vanilla Extract

    2 cups fresh blueberries
    Softened Butter, for muffin tins
    Turbinado sugar (optional)

    Preheat oven to 385 degrees.

    In a medium bowl sift flour, baking soda, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

    Fennel Citrus Salad

    Fennel Citrus Salad

    1 Grapefruit
    1 Lemon
    (other citrus as desired)
    1 bulb fennel, thinly sliced, and some fronds
    1 cup dried chickpeas, rehydrated and cooked
    greens (optional)
    5 oz feta, crumbled (optional)

    Cut peel and pith from citrus; cut between membranes to release segments. Squeeze juice from membranes into a medium bowl; whisk in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

    Toss in citrus, chickpeas, fennel, greens and feta, and a handful of fennel fronds.

    Via http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2013/03/chickpea-fennel-and-ci...

    2
    Your rating: None Average: 2 (2 votes)

    Shrimp and Hearts of Palm Rémoulade

    Shrimp Remoulade

    Rémoulade

    1/2 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
    1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
    1 small shallot, coarsely chopped
    1 garlic clove, peeled

    1 cup mayonnaise
    2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
    1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
    1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    1/2 teaspoon paprika
    1/2 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce

    Pulse the first four ingredients in a food processor until finely chopped. Add mayonnaise, mustard, horseradish, lemon juice, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce; process until smooth. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.

    Shrimp

    2
    Your rating: None Average: 2 (2 votes)

    Beet, Rhubarb and Citrus Salad

    Beet, Rhubarb and Citrus Salad

    Serves 2

    Pickled beets (or 1 large beet, roasted or boiled until tender, peeled, and cut into wedges)
    1 large orange
    Watercress or arugula (approx 2-3 cups)
    1/2 cup coarsely crumbled feta cheese
    1/2 lb rhubarb (about 3 stalks), trimmed and cut into 1/2" slices
    1/4 cup sugar

    2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
    1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    1 tablespoon minced shallot
    1 teaspoon sugar

    Prepare rhubarb (can be made ahead):

    3.5
    Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (2 votes)

    Baked Ham

    Ham

    This recipe yielded our best ham results yet: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a58445/best-... :

    • 1 (10-lb.) fully cooked whole ham (boneless or bone-in)
    • ½ c. packed brown sugar
    • ¼ c. Dijon mustard
    • 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
    • 1½ c. apple cider

    Preheat oven to 325º. Place ham cut side down on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan and score diagonally.

    Cover with foil and bake until warmed throughout, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

    2.5
    Your rating: None Average: 2.5 (2 votes)

    Juniper Cured Salmon

    Salmon Curing

    This recipe is a modified version of one from the Mitsitam Cafe Cookbook, using a salt-cooking/curing method from the Pacific North-west:

    1/2 lb of raw salmon is one serving of cured salmon for lox/sandwich/in a salad.

    For under 1lb salmon: 1.5 cups each of plain, fine-grain kosher salt and sugar
    For a 1 lb salmon: 2.5 cups each salt/sugar
    For a 2 lb salmon: 3 cups each salt/sugar

    <

    ul>

    4.5
    Your rating: None Average: 4.5 (2 votes)

    Po-Boy Salad

    Oyster Po-Boy salad

    For the salad, toss lettuce, avocado, diced red bell pepper, onion, and tomato with a sour-cream or mayonnaise based dressing spiked with a bit of tabasco sauce.

    Mix 1:1 flour and cornmeal with salt, cayenne and cajun seasoning to taste. Toss in pre-shucked, drained oysters and shake until coated. If using shrimp, toss shrimp first in a scrambled egg, then in the breading.

    Fry in hot oil until golden brown, drain and cool slightly, serve on top of the salad.

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

    Menu for the week of Feb 10

    A busy week, in the culinary-options world. Audrey's traveling, so no need to go crazy on valentine's themed meals, and we've just done a lot of Chinese and Asian themed weeks, so the Chinese New Year is out as a theme as well. That leaves simply Mardi Gras:

    Saturday - Baked Oysters with Bacon and Leeks

    Gumbo and bread

    Smoky Chocolate Crackers

    Via http://www.bhg.com/blogs/delish-dish/2013/02/05/dorie-greenspan-... , see also http://discoveringblog.com/httpdiscoveringblogcom/discoveringsmo...

    ingredients
    1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
    1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
    1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
    1 teaspoon salt
    3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
    1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
    3 tablespoons granulated sugar
    2 egg whites
    1/2 cup finely chopped almonds, toasted

    In a medium bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder, smoked paprika and salt; set aside.

    0
    Your rating: None

    Butternut Squash Mascarpone Agnolotti

    Agnolotti

    We had a butternut squash and some mascarpone in the fridge, and I was feeling like pasta. We've done ravioli before, so I thought we should try something new.  So I googled "butternut squash and mascarpone agnolotti" and came up with this recipe. We shamelessly copied it, and it turned out great. You absolutely must go to their site to watch the videos showing how to create the agnolotti.

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (2 votes)

    Goose

    Goose

    We primarily used this extensive guide at Simply Recipes, with some tips from Bon Appetit and with consultations to the WaPo article, Julia Child, and my vintage Joy of Cooking from the 60s.

    1 Goose (8-10 lbs, ours was 8.77)
    salt, pepper, thyme and sage for rubbing
    1 lemon
    1 head of garlic, unpeeled, with the top cut off to expose cloves
    1/2 medium onion, peeled and quartered

    2
    Your rating: None Average: 2 (2 votes)

    Maurine's Orange Peel Bread

    Orange Bread

    Heat oven to 350 degrees.

    Blend together:

    • 1 c. sugar ( a little less if you are using the syrup from the rinds)
    • 2T. butter, melted.

    Then add

    • 2 eggs and mix well.

    Stir in

    • 3 ¼ c. flour
    • 3 t. baking powder
    • ½ t. salt
    • 1 c. chopped pecans (or more)
    • 2c candied orange peels (recipe follows, but can chop up candied mandarin oranges from Trader Joe's, or candied orange peel meant for baking)

    Mix well then add

    4.5
    Your rating: None Average: 4.5 (2 votes)

    Turkey Brine

    This is our default brine recipe for turkey.

    • 1.5 cups kosher salt
    • 1.5 cups sugar
    • 1 large onion, peeled, diced
    • 1/4 cup diced celery
    • 1 sprig rosemary
    • 2 large sprigs thyme
    • 3 bay leaves
    • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns

    Bring salt, sugar, and 1 quart (4 cups) water to a boil in a very large (16-qt.) pot, stirring until salt and sugar are dissolved. Add remaining ingredients to brine base. Turn off heat.

    Refrigerate, uncovered, until cold.

    Add 7 quarts cold water to pot.

    0
    Your rating: None

    Jennifer's Hot Rolls

    Hot Rolls

    Jon's cousin-in-law Jennifer makes these delicious biscuity rolls.

    In a stand mixer bowl, mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1.5 tsp salt, and 2 cups warm water.

    Sprinkle on 2 packages yeast. Let it sit for a few minutes until it "blooms."

    Add 1 egg and 1/4 cup shortening.

    Mix in 5 1/2 cups flour using stand mixer with dough hook. Make sure to scrape down sides occasionally to ensure all flour gets mixed in.

    Let rise until doubled (~1 hour or so).

    Punch down.

    3.5
    Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (2 votes)

    Pinto Beans / Frijoles

    Chiles Rellenos

    1 lb dried beans, soaked overnight
    1 hamhock
    2 hatch peppers, roasted and sliced
    bacon grease
    pepper, smoked salt

    I'm not sure it's possible to really make beans without a hamhock.  I've tried. 

    Soak the beans overnight; rinse.  Place back in large pot and cover with water. Bring to a simmer. Add hamhock, bacon grease, and peppers.  Let simmer for as many hours as possible.  Add pepper and smoked salt close to the end to taste.

     

     

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

    Chiles Rellenos

    Blistering the peppers

    Dad tells the story of his first experience with Chiles Rellenos, with tears running down his face from the heat of the peppers, but loving every bite.  He worked long and hard to re-create that moment, and settled upon this recipe.

    • 12 Anaheim peppers, skin removed (see note)
    • 3 whole eggs
    • 2 egg whites
    • 1 Tbsp Flour
    • 1 dash salt
    • Queso Chihuahua (or Monterrey Jack) cheese cut in long "fingers"
    4.5
    Your rating: None Average: 4.5 (2 votes)

    Nan's Bread and Butter Pickles

    Bread and Butter Pickles

    Courtesy of Nan.

    I use the recipe that is on Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime container. It can probably be found at the grocery store with the canning good--like jars, lids, etc. You'll need that lime.

    Briefly (as can be) I cut them up a tad LESS than 1/4 inch thick into a large non-reactive pot or big bowl--something that will fit in your frig. (with a plate on top you
    can put other stuff on top of it).

    Mix 1/2 cup lime with a gallon of water and pour over them. If you are doing a huuuuuuge amount in biiiiig bowl you can make more or this. Let this sit in frig overnight.

    4.5
    Your rating: None Average: 4.5 (2 votes)

    Pasta Salad with Melon, Pancetta, and Ricotta Salata

    Pasta Salad with melon, ricotta, pancetta and mint

    Not really hearty enough for a meal, but a nice (non-vegetarian) pasta salad to bring to a party or have as a side dish. Courtsey of Bon Appetit, but slightly modified.

    Ingredients

    2 ounces thinly sliced pancetta (Italian bacon)
    4 ounces orecchiette (ear-shaped pasta)
    3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar, white wine vinegar, or rice vinegar
    1 1/2 cups 3/4" square diced pieces peeled cantaloupe
    1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (2 votes)

    Crab Cakes

    Crab Cakes with an Avocado/Yogurt sauce

    Adapted from The Santa Monica Farmers Market Cookbook.

    Makes 10 large crabcakes or as many small ones as you can roll

    1 lb lump crabmeat
    1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs (can sub regular)
    2 eggs, beaten
    4 Tbsp mayonnaise
    2 Tbsp lemon juice
    Few drops hot sauce (like Tobasco)
    Generous dash of Old Bay seasoning
    Generous dash of Garlic Powder
    Generous dash of Onion powder
    Salt and pepper to taste

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

    Basil Citrus Shortbread Cookies

    Basil Citrus cookies

    A great, refreshing cookie from Bon Appetit, with some slight modifications:

    1 cup all-purpose flour
    1/2 cup powdered sugar plus more for pressing cookies
    1/2 cup (1stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
    3 tablespoons sliced fresh basil leaves
    Zest of one lemon (preferably done on microplane)
    Zest of one lime (preferably done on microplane)
    Juice of one lemon
    1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
    Sanding sugar (optional)

    Preheat oven to 375°.

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

    Steak

    IMG_1458.JPG

    I basically don't eat steak out anymore. It's just... I can make it better, reliably.

    Quick guide: Sear :30/:30; Near heat: 3/3m Smoke 1.5/1.5, Sear :30/:30, Rest 3

    Sourcing

    I only buy the "Natural" (no antibiotics, grass fed, grain finished) prime, bone-in delmonico (ribeye) steak from Canales Quality Meats in Eastern Market here in DC. Grass fed beef is much leaner than grain, but with an amazing taste - and, it's better for you, with a much better balance of Omega fatty acids. Get the most marbled cut you can find, but realize that it'll still be about half as marbled as a grain-fed steak. And for the love of all things tasty, get the bone in.

    Preparation

    Up to four days ahead, but ideally at least 24 hours, rinse the steak and pat dry. Wrap in cheesecloth (~1 layer per day). Place it on a rack in the top back of your fridge. This is an at-home method to dry-age your cut, and it tenderizes the meat and deepens the flavor. Watch a video on the technique here: http://lifehacker.com/5865849/dry+age-steak-at-home-for-steakhou... . Vary the smoke/indirect heat time by the aging length - the more aged the meat, the closer to 1.5mins/side you want. For a steak you bought today, I'd move that to 2-3 mins/side.

    Two hours before you're going to put it on the grill, take it out and unwrap the steak. Plop it down on some waxed paper and salt both sides (I like using a bit of alderwood smoked salt and some kosher salt, about a teaspoon or two per side). Let it sit - it will juice and then re-absorb, bringing in the smoke and salt flavors deep into the meat.

    5
    Your rating: None Average: 5 (2 votes)

    Grilled Marlin with a lime-butter sauce

    Grilled Marlin, roasted cherry tomatoes and asparagus

    Blue Marlin steaks, salted and with lemon pepper. Spritz with lime juice a few minutes before grilling.

    Lime caper butter sauce, per steak:

    3 T butter
    1/4 red onion or 1/2 shallot, chopped. Sub in garlic scapes for part of this.
    1/4 cup white wine
    2 limes, juiced
    1 T capers, drained

    Chili/lime powder for serving.

    Sautee the onions/shallots in the butter while grilling the marlin. When soft, add the lime juice and wine, reduce by half and add in the capers, continue reducing until no liquid remains. Serve on top of the marlin with chili/lime powder.

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (2 votes)

    Pickled Garlic Scapes

    Pickled Garlic Scapes

    Adapted from Tart and Sweet:

    Yield: 4 half pints

    Some amount of garlic scapes, cut ends trimmed (I have no idea how many garlic scapes yielded this - it was about a medium-sized bowl full, not packed tightly; maybe 2 pounds?)

    1.5 cups apple cider vinegar
    1/2 cup water
    1 Tbsp kosher salt

    Per half-pint jar:
    1/2 Tbsp minced shallots
    1 bay leaf
    2 teaspoons brown mustard seed
    1/2 tsp black peppercorns

    2
    Your rating: None Average: 2 (2 votes)

    Texas Smoked Brisket

    Brisket

    Planning/Purchasing

    • Brisket -- Splurge. Get a high-quality point cut. In the DMV, The Organic Butcher sells them. (you will need at 60-90 minutes per pound to cook it so...)
    • A whole bag of Mesquite chunks, plus ideally some other wood that will be ok for smoking
    5
    Your rating: None Average: 5 (2 votes)

    (Spicy) Pimiento Mac and Cheese

    Spicy Mac and Cheese

    I made a tweaked version of this Bon Appetit recipe. It was good, especially from a mac and cheese perspective - gooey and all the rest of that. I'm not sure how I actually felt about the spicy pimiento cheese aspect of it. Perhaps next time I will downplay the spicy pimiento and just use the basic recipe as a base for a more traditional mac and cheese dish.

    Ingredients
    3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
    1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

    3.5
    Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (2 votes)

    Poached Salmon with Peas and Mushrooms

    Poached Salmon with peas and mushrooms

    This recipe, modified from a Bon Appetit recipe, was an instant spring hit.

    2 6–8-ounce center-cut wild king salmon fillets (each about 1 1/2-inch thick)
    1 cup dry white wine
    2 tablespoons kosher salt plus more for seasoning
    2 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter
    4 ounces fresh morels; sliced, or oyster or shiitake
    ½ cup shelled fresh peas
    ⅓-⅔ cup heavy cream
    Freshly ground black pepper
    2 tablespoons minced fresh chives or finely chopped garlic scapes

    4.5
    Your rating: None Average: 4.5 (2 votes)

    Pound Cake

    Pound Cake

    This is Jon's Mom's Sour Cream Cake recipe

    1 cup butter (softened)
    3 c. sugar
    Cream together until well blended.

    Sift together in a large bowl:
    3 c. flour
    ¼ t. baking soda
    ½ t. salt

    6 eggs (may be separated, beat egg whites until almost stiff and fold in last) Or just add one whole egg at a time (this is what I do)
    1 c. sour cream
    1 t. vanilla

    Add one egg at a time to butter/sugar and beat well after each.

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

    Party Pasta Salad

    Pasta Salad

    I was inspired by a few online recipes, but pretty much made this up as I went along. It turned out delicious and was a big hit!

    1 lb pasta (orecchiette or some other smallish one preferred)
    1 medium-sized jar of sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained, chopped and olive oil reserved
    1/2 small red onion, finely diced
    1 small tomato, finely diced
    ~1/2 lb feta, crumbled.

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

    Curry Chicken Salad

    Curry Chicken Salad

    A recipe of my own creation, but inspired by this one.

    I don't have measurements, but sort of just made this using the following ingredients until it tasted right and balanced.

    Cooked chicken, chopped or torn into smallish pieces (I always start with a rotisserie chicken from Eastern Market, but any chicken will do)
    Apple, diced into small pieces
    Red onion, diced into small pieces
    Raisins (I'm partial to golden raisins, but it doesn't matter; dried cranberries could be used here too)
    Cilantro, finely chopped

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

    Good Stuff Eatery

    Cost: 
    $ - Cheap

    Location

    Good Stuff
    303 Pennsylvania Ave SE Capitol Hill
    Washington, DC
    United States
    38° 53' 12.3828" N, 77° 0' 6.1992" W

    Meh.

    1
    Your rating: None Average: 1 (1 vote)

    Mio

    Cost: 
    $$$ - Pricy

    Location

    Mio
    1110 Vermont Ave NW McPhereson
    Washington, DC
    United States
    38° 54' 15.2424" N, 77° 1' 59.6496" W

    Happy hour cocktails are great - with amazing and speedy service, and a good combination of normal and more unusual drinks (the cactus pear drink is great. fuscia, but great).

    The appetizers are really small for the price, IMHO. I haven't eaten there (and the restaurant is often practically empty during the HH rush).

    Great for a quick drink after work, but you may want to move the HH to a place with more affordable munchies quickly.

    0
    Your rating: None

    Central Michel Richard

    Cost: 
    $$$ - Pricy

    Location

    Central
    1001 Pennsylvania Ave Metro Center
    Washington, DC
    United States
    38° 52' 59.106" N, 76° 59' 33.5724" W

    (202) 626-0015
    www.centralmichelrichard.com

    We had the moz and tomato and cheese puff appetizers, both of which were interesting, but at the end of the day, overpriced for what's really just tomatoes and mozzarella and cheese with bread. The dinner was fine, and well executed, but if I'm paying $18 for a burger, I expect something a bit more exciting, honestly. Nothing was wrong, the service was fine and the decor great, but there was no spark, at least in our menu choices.

    2
    Your rating: None Average: 2 (1 vote)

    Red Stag SupperClub

    Cost: 
    $$ - Average

    Location

    Red Stag SupperClub
    509 1st Ave NE
    Minneapolis, MN
    United States
    44° 59' 25.0836" N, 93° 15' 13.0608" W

    (612) 767-7766
    www.redstagsupperclub.com

    Modern American localvorish cuisine. Amazing smelt fries, and the duck pate that comes with the confit is out of this world. Live music, great beer and wine.

    0
    Your rating: None

    Hill Country BBQ

    Cost: 
    $$ - Average

    Location

    Hill Country
    410 7th St NW Chinatown
    Washington, DC
    United States
    38° 53' 42.7668" N, 77° 1' 19.2288" W

    (202) 556-2050
    www.hillcountrywdc.com

    They tried really hard to reproduce the Texas BBQ pit in downtown DC, and went the extra mile to serve Tito's vodka and ship in the Blue Bell ice cream. For that, well done.

    0
    Your rating: None

    Ashby Inn

    Cost: 
    $$$ - Pricy

    Location

    Ashby Inn
    692 Federal St Front Royal
    Paris, VA
    United States
    39° 0' 16.4088" N, 77° 57' 5.6304" W

    Amazing serving, great locally sourced food and creative, tasty, whimsical meals. We had a beautiful lunch here on the way out to the Shenandoahs for the weekend. A bit out of the way, but definitely worth it.

    0
    Your rating: None

    Proof Restaurant

    Cost: 
    $$$ - Pricy

    Location

    Proof
    775 G St NW Gallery Place/Chinatown; Downtown
    Washington, DC
    United States
    38° 53' 54.9888" N, 77° 1' 21.8892" W

    (202) 737-7663

    Proof might be best known for their amazing wine selection and top-notch bar-tending, but not taking the opportunity to sit down and have a meal there is almost a sin. Their seasonal menu changes weekly and doesn't pull punches. Crispy pigs head (thankfully, not in head form)? Tasty. Perfectly grilled hangar steak with roasted bone marrow? Hits the spot. The serving sizes, even for the larger plates, are reasonable - which means you'll have room leftover for their somewhat insane cookie plate or some selections from the expertly curated cheese board.

    5
    Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

    Staunton Grocery

    Cost: 
    $$$ - Pricy

    Location

    Staunton Grocery
    105 W Beverley St
    Staunton, VA
    United States
    38° 8' 57.8616" N, 79° 4' 26.2416" W

    (540) 886-6880
    OpenTable: http://www.opentable.com/the-staunton-grocery

    Great quality, seasonal menu from local producers. Great wine list, fantastic cocktails, warm and friendly staff. Everything we ate was amazing, but the appetizer portions are a bit stingy. Eight dollars for a smallish beet cut into quarters for a table of six? I mean, charge $2 or throw another beet or three on the plate. The entree portions were much more reasonable.

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

    Hank's Oyster Bar

    Cost: 
    $$ - Average

    Location

    Hank's Oyster Bar
    1624 Q St NW Dupont; Dupont East
    Washington, DC
    United States
    38° 54' 39.906" N, 77° 2' 17.88" W

    Great deal for high-quality, well-respected oysters. I could sit back and drink their awesome custom cocktails and slurp down oysters for hours - especially with the great people watching that the expanded space allows. That being said, don't stray too far from, well, the oyster bar part of the name. The lobster roll was passable, but nothing special, and the rest of the food was merely OK, and a bit pricey (especially in comparison to the oysters). However - the mac and cheese was top notch, if you just really need some non-oyster, non-cold food to complete your meal.

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

    Baked Oysters with Bacon and Leeks

    baked oysters

    We had some leftover pre-shucked oysters and used them to make this Bon Appetit recipe. The recipe here originally used an entire 16-oz jar of pre-shucked oysters, but we halved it; serves two.

    Ingredients
    1/2 tablespoon butter
    1/2 tablespoon all purpose flour
    1/2 cup whipping cream

    2 slices thick bacon (preferably applewood-smoked), chopped
    1 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese

    2 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only; from 2 large leeks)

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

    Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs

    Beef Short Ribs

    We merged a Bon Appetit recipe with a (strikingly) similar recipe from my canning book (which recommends topping the finished product with pickled red onions) and sprinkled it with input from Tom Colicchio.

    Makes about 4 servings.

    Ingredients

    2
    Your rating: None Average: 2 (1 vote)

    Ian's Corn Casserole

    This recipe, courtesy of our friend Ian (though we promised to keep it a secret...thus not promoting it on the Recipe Box) is really tasty. I mean, it's made from cans (which is sort of anti our whole food philosophy), but it's good... really good. So, I collect the recipe and will one day make it on some turkey-centric holiday and take credit for making it from scratch!

    Makes a 9 inch by 9 inch glass baking pan.

    • 1 16oz can of corn (with liquid)
    • 1 16oz can of cream corn
    • 2 eggs, beaten
    • 1 box of Jiffy corn muffin mix
    • 1 cup sour cream
    • 1/2 cup butter (melted)
    0
    Your rating: None

    Caesar Salad

    Caesar Salad components

    For the Cæsar salad dressing:

    • 1 clove garlic, chopped
    • 2-3 anchovy fillets
    • 1 egg yolk
    • 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
    • 1 lemon, juiced
    • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1/8 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
    • Freshly ground black pepper

    Blend together garlic, anchovies, egg yolks, dijon and lemon juice until smooth. Slowly add in the olive oil and emulsify. Stir in pepper and parmesan.

    For the salad, combine chopped romaine and croutons (toast diced baguette cubes tossed with olive oil)

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Corn Soup

    Corn Soup

    With a hat-tip to Bon Appetit

    butter
    2 medium leeks, white and light-green parts only, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups); can substitute yellow onions
    5 ears shucked corn, kernels cut from cobs, cobs reserved
    1 cup coarsely chopped peeled potato (about 1 medium)
    4 cups good-quality vegetable stock
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
    1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (optional)
    1/4 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
    1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

    Bernice's Fried Eggplant

    Fried Eggplant

    ... with just a little tweaking.

    Serves 8.

    Ingredients:
    2 medium-large eggplants
    1.5 cups breadcrumbs (panko or regular)
    1/2 cup freshly-grated parmesan cheese
    Spices from your pantry (such as garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper)
    2 eggs
    1/2 cup or more of all purpose flour
    Vegetable oil
    [Note: halve these proportions for a medium-sized eggplant]

    Pre-prep:

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Lamb Chops with Mint Something

    Lamb Chops

    Made delicious and easy lamb chops tonight. Basically combined these two</a href> recipes and served it with this mint jelly.

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (2 votes)

    Jalapeño Mint Jelly

    Adapted from epicurious.

    Yield: 3 half-pints

    ingredients

    7/8 cups finely chopped fresh mint, divided
    3/4 cups water
    1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
    3/8 cup cider vinegar
    1 tbsp (25 mL) strained fresh lemon juice
    2 jalapeño peppers, finely chopped
    1 pouch liquid fruit pectin

    preparation

    0
    Your rating: None

    Blueberry Bagels

    Bagels done

    I love blueberry bagels and cream cheese. They're probably ... no ... definitely my favorite food. If I was stranded on a desert island and could only take one food with me (nutritional value aside), I would take blueberry bagels and cream cheese. I've often joked (only somewhat kidding...) that I could go on an all-bagel diet (with some proteins beyond cream cheese thrown in for delicious bagelwiches). In fact, I'm eating a blueberry bagel with cream cheese right now (not even one I made in this recipe... while making this recipe, I ate a storebought blueberry bagel with cream cheese).

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

    Fruit Jam

    Many Jams

    This is my basic jam recipe. It can be used for just about any type of fruit jam (strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, apricot, peach, blueberry, etc.).

    Yield: 4 half-pints

    4 heaping cups of fruit
    1/2 to 1 cup water (depending on natural juiciness of fruit)
    1 package no-sugar pectin (= 3 Tbsp no-sugar pectin)
    sugar to taste (probably about 1/4 cup)
    Pinch of spices, if desired (things like allspice, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, lemon peel can be a nice addition, depending on the fruit)

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

    Pickled Beets

    Beets

    Yield: 5 pints

    ~12 medium sized beets (ideally, your beets are the same diameter as your jars)
    1 cup water
    1 cup white vinegar
    1 cup sugar

    Wash beets well. Trim roots, but leave attached to vegetable so the beet doesn't bleed too much when cooked.

    Put beets in boiling water for 30-45 minutes (until they peel easily).

    Peel beets. Put in cold water to cool.

    While beets are cooling, mix water, vinegar, and sugar. Warm on stovetop until hot, but not boiling.

    Meanwhile, warm jars and lids. Use mandolin to slice beets ~1/8-1/4" thick.

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

    Sweet Pickles

    Sweet Pickles

    This is the recipe I used for our annual batch of canned sweet pickles.

    Yield: 3+ pints (I saved some in the fridge for a quick pickle with dinner)

    • ~6 small Kirby (pickling cucumbers), sliced 1/8" thick
    • 1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
    • 2 cups vinegar (split between white vinegar and rice vinegar)
    • 1 cup sugar
    • Salt

    Sprinkle sliced cucumbers with salt. Let stand for 5 minutes. Wash off salt and drain.

    Heat jars and lids.

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Shrimp and Grits

    Shrimp and Grits.jpg

    This was adapted from a NYTimes article in search of an improved shrimp and grits recipe:

    For the grits:

    • 1/2 cup grits
    • 2 1/4 cups water
    • 2 T unsalted butter
    • 1 t salt
    • 1 t minced garlic
    • 1/2 cup grated cheese (a 50/50 mix of cheddar and jarlsberg works great)
    • dash paprika
    3.5
    Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (2 votes)

    Pancakes

    Pancakes, plain

    Perfect pancakes are like perfect rice - the secret shibboleths of the kitchen. Smitten Kitchen has a great read on making amazing pancakes, adapted here:

    For 6 large pancakes:

    • ½ cup wheat flour
    • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • 2 teaspoons sugar
    • dash teaspoon kosher salt, or slightly less table salt
    • 2 medium eggs, separated
    • 1 cup buttermilk, or mix in 2 T yogurt to plain milk
    3.5
    Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (2 votes)

    Seared Scallops with Pommes

    Seared Scallops

    This was in response to our taking advantage of a recent livinggrouponsocial deal with Arganica, and opting for one of their more CSA-like "give me a box of random local, organic goodies." We're already, honestly, pretty damned tired of kale and brussel sprouts, and hoped this would provide something slightly different. We got... chard and turnips. Well, OK. The dinner turned out quite good, and is somewhere between classic French and New American. We made the chard into a warm salad by wilting it and steaming it with a bit of apple cider, then tossing it with vinegar and adding pecans.

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (2 votes)

    The South by SouthWestern Enchilada (with Verde Foam)

    South by Southwestern Enchilada

    This is a tribute to the Southwestern Enchilada at Chuy's, with a twist of classic Mexico add on - hence - the South by SouthWestern stacked enchilada. It is also the ultimate recipe to use up the leftover yummies from a week of Mexico/TexMex eating. Random weird elements from that mole recipe? Let's find a place for it. Make some verde sauce from those lonely leftover tomatillos, and you're on your way.

    Per Enchilada:
    2-3 corn tortillas
    1 egg
    1 Tbsp crema
    1/2 cup chicken, partially shredded - dark meat preferred
    1/4 cup salsa verde

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (2 votes)

    Caramelized Onion and Apple Flatbread

    Caramelized Onion and Apple Pizza

    Adapted from a recipe we found online, this flatbread or pizza is easy to make and tasty. Cut it into small squares to serve at a party.

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (2 votes)

    Eggnog cheesecake / pumpkin pie bars

    Pumpkin eggnog cheesecake bars

    1. Make a pie crust

    Preheat oven to 325F .
    Partially bake a double batch of pie crust spread out in a 9x13" casserole or baking dish. (Note, you'll only need 2/3rds of the crust here, but a single batch is not enough.

    2. Make a pumpkin pie filling

    3. Make the cheesecake layer:

    16 oz cream cheese, softened
    1/2 cup sugar
    1 egg
    1/3 cup eggnog
    1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

    3.5
    Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (2 votes)

    Clam Potato Leek Soup (or ... Clam Chowder)

    DSCN3176.JPG

    This recipe was in this week's Washington Post express. It wasn't explicitly cited, but I think its from a book about new Brooklyn restaurants. The recipe is called Clam Potato Leek Soup, but really it's clam chowder. It was quite tasty.

    I've replicated the recipe as we first made it here, but I've made some notes at the bottom about how we would modify the recipe next time to improve it.

    3.5
    Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (2 votes)

    Rugelach

    Rugelach: in progress

    For some reason, I got on a baking kick this week. And I decided to make rugelach. Rugelach is a jewish pastry, sort of. Like all "jewish" foods, its a European thing, brought to America first by Jews, and adopted into Jewish culture. I like them, and I thought I'd try and make them.

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

    Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

    Butternut Squash Soup

    This recipe was super-easy and really delish! Courtesy of Yasmeen.

    1 medium butternut squash
    2 cups vegetable broth
    1 cup low fat Organic Greek Yogurt
    1/2 a medium onion(about 1/4 cup), finely chopped
    1/2 teaspoon of hot chili powder
    1 clove garlic,peeled and finely chopped
    third-inch fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
    1/2 teaspoon sea salt
    few leaves of fresh herbs, sage or rosemary
    Few toasted pumpkin or squash seeds for garnish
    2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

    Foams

    Raita Foam

    A holding place for all things foam, thanks to my iSi Creative Whip.

    First up, a blue cheese foam to top steak with:
    1 oz blue cheese (Roquefort)
    1 oz cream
    1 T milk
    blend until perfectly smooth, whip, chill, serve.

    Next up, a raita-yogurt foam
    1.5 oz raita (yogurt, raita spices, lemon juice)
    1.5 oz cream
    mix, whip, chill, serve. Great on cucumber slices.

    Chimichurri foam
    oil/vinegar mix from chimichurri, strained
    a tad of Stubbs mopping sauce (or other vinegary BBQ sauce)
    apple cider vinegar for volume

    3.5
    Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (2 votes)

    Southwest Salmon

    SW Salmon

    This recipe just sort of happened one day. We had some miscellaneous items we wanted to use up, and it turned out delicious! The amounts used here served 2.

    Ingredients
    Salmon (1/2-2/3 lb)
    Southwestern seasonings (blend of salt, chipotle, dash chili powder, cumin, dash of coriander, lime juice)

    Corn (1 ear)
    Tomato (1 med, chopped)
    Onion (1/2 small, chopped)
    Cilantro (about 1/2 cup, separated from stalks)
    Salsa / hot sauce (about 2 tbsp)
    Lime (juice from 2 limes)

    5
    Your rating: None Average: 5 (2 votes)

    Elaine's Lemon Meringue Pie

    Lemon Meringue Pie

    My grandmother makes the best lemon meringue pie. She swears by the My-T-Fine brand of lemon pie filing mix, though I've decided that Jell-O brand is an acceptable substitute. Her secret is the lemon juice.

    To make this into a pie, we use a one of Jon's pie crusts, pre-baked. However, you could just as easily fill bowls, ramekins, etc. and have as a tasty pudding treat.

    Filling Ingredients
    1 box lemon pie filling
    1/4 cup sugar

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Banana Ice Cream

    Banana Ice Cream

    A simple way to make a custard-like dish from frozen pieces of banana, plus optional nut-butter and honey: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/02/frozen-banana-ice-cre...

    Ingredients
    1 large, slightly over-ripe banana
    1 teaspoon peanut butter
    1 teaspoon honey

    Peel banana. Slice it into about ten chunks. Freeze the chunks. Once frozen, put them in a food processor with peanut butter and honey. Puree until creamy, like soft serve ice cream, stopping the processor to scrape the sides when necessary.

    3.5
    Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (2 votes)

    Simple Biscuits

    Biscuits

    The vintage Joy of Cooking book I have had always held the answers to almost any question in the kitchen - the last stop before a call to Mom, basically. I've always found its biscuit recipe lacking, though. So when I stumbled across this one when trying to make a biscuit-topped cobbler, I wanted to keep it for posterity:

    Biscuit Dough

    1 tablespoon shortening
    1 cup flour
    2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
    1/8 teaspoon salt
    1/2 cup milk

    Mix dry ingredients; cut shortening in with pastry blender or knives. Add milk gradually to make a soft dough. If too soft, add a little more flour.

    3.5
    Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (2 votes)

    Deviled Potato Salad

    Potato Salad

    Because of my awesome cole slaw recipe, whenever BBQ season rolls around I always forget that I also have an awesome (borrowed) potato salad recipe.

    I have unabashedly used Rachel Ray's recipe and added eggs (in my opinion, a must!).

    Ingredients
    6 all-purpose potatoes, peeled and diced
    3 eggs, hard boiled and diced
    Coarse salt
    1/4 onion

    3.5
    Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (2 votes)

    Pepper Slaw

    Pepper Slaw

    1/4 lb. shredded green cabbage
    2/3 red bell pepper, cut into slivers
    1/3 green bell pepper, cut into slivers
    1/3 poblano pepper (or similar moderate heat pepper), cut into slivers
    1/2 c. apple cider, rice, or red wine vinegar (or a mix of all three!)
    2 Tbsp sugar
    Salt and celery seed (or celery salt) to taste
    Pepper

    2.5
    Your rating: None Average: 2.5 (2 votes)

    Maraschino Cherries

    Cherries

    Running recipe work:

    Based from Drink Dogma's version of the Art of the Bar recipe with suggestions from The Cupcake Project and canning and liqueur/simple syrup additions, as well as the idea for using strawberries for coloring from the comment thread on Blogher:

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

    Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

    Makes 1 large pie or 1 small (storebought-sized) pie and 2 ramekins worth of pie.

    Adapted from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-challenge/grandm...

    Pie Crust

    Filling

    4 cups strawberries
    2 cups rhubarb (finely chopped)
    1 cup sugar
    3 tablespoons minute tapioca
    1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
    2 teaspoons lemon zest
    1 tablespoon lemon juice
    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    3.5
    Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (2 votes)

    BBQ'ed Ribs

    Ribs
    • 1 rack of Pork Spare Ribs (not the "country style" which are thicker and harder to cook thouroughly)
    • Salt and pepper
    • Sauce (recipe follows)

    Salt and pepper (with smoked salt, if available) a rack of ribs as it comes up to room temperature, 30 minutes to an hour ahead of BBQing.

    Over a medium flame, sear the ribs on both sides. Move away from direct heat, add wood chips, and let cook via smoke and indirect heat at 250° for ~4 hours (2-3 for baby back ribs, more if you're smoking multiple racks). This brings in the smoke flavor and slowly cooks the rack.

    4.5
    Your rating: None Average: 4.5 (2 votes)

    Maurine's Strawberry Shortcake

    shortcake

    In a stand mixer, beat together for 15 minutes on high speed (or a little lower if using a higher-speed handheld mixer) :

    5 eggs (large, whole eggs - not super yolky / not farmraised)
    1 cup sugar (add gradually as eggs are being beaten)
    pinch of salt

    Then fold in, carefully,
    1/2 teaspoon vanilla
    1 cup flour

    Line 2 cake pans with parchment (or waxed) paper...*do not grease pans*
    Spoon batter equally into pans

    Bake 18-20 minutes at about 350 degrees.

    5
    Your rating: None Average: 5 (2 votes)

    Jalapeno Jelly

    Jalapeno Jelly

    <

    p>Audrey's homemade jalapeno jelly is always a huge hit at parties. The fact that Jon grows the hot peppers that go into the jelly impresses people even more. The secret is that this is actually one of the easiest canning recipes I have. Even though this is made with hot peppers (and trust me, the ones coming out of our garden are very spicy), its actually very mild when finished. To kick it up a notch, substitute a few habaneros or other spicy chilis. Three to four habaneros will make a medium heat jelly.

    5
    Your rating: None Average: 5 (3 votes)

    Blackened Red Snapper

    Blackened Red Snapper

    4 (6 ounce) fillets red snapper
    1 cup butter, melted
    4 Tablespoons cajun seasoning

    Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat for 10 minutes, or until extremely hot.

    Dip fish into melted butter, and crust each fillet generously with the seasoning mixture. Place the fish fillets in the hot skillet.

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (2 votes)

    Louisiana Dirty Rice

    Dirty Rice

    Adapted from RecipeZaar

    2 cup brown rice (or 1 cup brown rice and 1 cup white rice)
    4 cups water or broth
    1 Tbsp butter

    1 bell pepper, finely chopped
    1 onion, finely chopped
    2 celery ribs (tops and all), finely chopped
    1 clove garlic, minced
    2 tablespoons bacon drippings

    1/16lb andouille sausage, crumbled
    2 tablespoons pecans or walnuts

    Tabasco sauce
    Worcestershire sauce
    salt
    cayenne
    black pepper

    2.5
    Your rating: None Average: 2.5 (2 votes)

    Gumbo

    Gumbo and bread

    Prep the Trinity

    Chop the onions, bell pepper, and celery and mix together. Pull of 1/4 to preserve for the final step.

    Make the Roux

    Heat oil in heavy 6-quart pot (or dutch oven) over medium-high heat until very hot and almost smoking. Add flour and stir constantly until mixture is a deep, clay red - well past "peanut butter", but not burnt/dark red/dark brown either. Reduce the heat as you go -- 15-30 minutes.

    Add the Trinity

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

    Bacon-wrapped Scallops with mushrooms

    Prosciutto wrapped scallops

    6 Large (1" diameter) Scallops
    3 slices Polyface bacon (or prosciutto)
    3 T Rendered bacon fat (or butter)
    2 T butter
    2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
    8 Cremini or wild mushrooms, thickly sliced
    1 t tarragon
    1/4 C white wine or dry vermouth

    If using prosciutto instead of baking, use this approach: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes-menus/how-to-cook-scallops-wit... (hot pan with oil, 3 mins, add butter and flip, 3 mins while basting; add wine to make a pan sauce while scallops rest.

    Preheat oven to 375F

    3.5
    Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (2 votes)

    Jon's Chili

    Chili

    There is no "real" recipe to Jon's chili beyond the base set of ingredients and improvisation with spices and available ingredients. If there are fresh peppers, they go in. If there's homemade salsa, it definitely goes in. Beer (Shiner Bock I find is best) cuts the spice level nicely without removing the flavor.

    I sautee the onion/garlic/jalapenos until tender, then add the meat and brown it. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, then add whole habaneros and the first spices (salt, pepper, first group of spices). Add 4 cups of water and some beer and bring to a boil.

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

    Kale with Bacon, Cranberries, Onions, and Cheese

    Kale and Bacon

    Makes a nice side dish for two. Any type of kale will do, Very easy to double, triple, etc until pan size becomes limiting factor.

    Courtesy of the Washington Post Express (page 36).

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

    Sharon's egg and chile souffle

    Hatch Souffle

    3 large Hatch green chiles; roasted, chopped and seeded (or 2 small cans chopped green chiles)
    1 can corn (optionally briefly blended with hand blender to break down)
    1 small zucchini, sliced into half moons and salted for 10-30 minutes to release excess water
    1/2 lb. Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack Cheese, grated
    6 Eggs
    8oz sour cream

    Serves 4

    Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

    Mix chiles, corn, and zucchini in a bowl.

    Layer chile mix with the grated cheese in an buttered or greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish.

    3.5
    Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (2 votes)

    Audrey's Cole Slaw

    Cole Slaw

    I learned to make this by watching my mom, so I don't really have an exact recipe. But, this is my best guess:

    1/2 green cabbage, shredded with "slicer" disk in food processor
    1/2 cup mayonnaise
    1/8 cup of sugar
    2-3 Tbsp apple cider or red wine vinegar
    1/2 tsp of horseradish (red or white, doesn't really matter)
    Fresh-ground black pepper to taste
    Optional: slivers of apples, raisins, or halved grapes - for a little extra sweet explosion

    4.5
    Your rating: None Average: 4.5 (2 votes)

    Pumpkin Saffron Bisque

    Pumpkin Saffron Soup

    An adaptation of the recipe from The Food Network. We've used marina di chioggia and speckled hen pumpkins from our favorite farmer at Eastern Market. A butternut squash can also be used.

    2.5
    Your rating: None Average: 2.5 (2 votes)

    Pumpkin Pie

    Pumpkin Pie

    We tried making pumpkin pies from scratch (like, starting with a pumpkin scratch), but we never quite got it to come out right. We've reverted to Jon's grandmother's closely-guarded recipe, which comes from the side of a Libby's can:

    1 can Libby's pure pumpkin
    1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
    2 large eggs
    ¾ cup sugar
    ½ tsp salt
    1 tsp cinnamon
    ½ tsp ginger
    ¼ tsp cloves
    ¼ tsp allspice (optional)
    1 pie crust

    Mix together sugar and spices in a small bowl.

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (2 votes)

    Pumpkin Ravioli

    ravioli.

    With the arrival of the fall gourds, we decided to make a pumpkin ravioli. We really enjoyed this recipe. The first time, we didn't have enough ricotta cheese, so we added some creme fraiche as a substitute (seemed to work fine...). We used egg pasta sheets (available from the Eastern Market Grocery), though wonton wrappers are a good substitute. We put the dollops of batter evenly spaced on the pasta sheet (4x6 = 24 ravioli), laid a second sheet on top, and then cut into individual raviolis using a pasta cutter. A little water on the fingertips and squeezing the edges seemed to seal them just fine. This recipe yielded 144 ravioli and used 12 pasta sheets.

    We used a marina di chioggia pumpkin the first time (greenish color, oval shape) and a peanut pumpkin the second time (orangish color with white "peanuts" all over the outside.

    The original recipe came from http://theunemployedcook.blogspot.com/2006/03/pumpkin-ravioli-with-sage-...

    3
    Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

    (Lightly) Candied Pecans

    CandiedPecans

    Jon's grandmother has a pecan tree in her yard. Two years ago, it was very prolific and we received a huge bag of pecans to bring back to DC. Having now waited two years for Jon to make a pecan pie, I decided to candy some of them. Note these are not the heavily sugared pecans you would have as a dessert, but more like a salad topper.

    From http://www.slashfood.com/2006/10/24/candied-pecans-easy-and-addictive/

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Jon's Garden Salsa

    Salsa and chips

    I began making my own hot sauce during Peace Corps - peppers were plentiful, but good, non-tabasco-style sauces were hard to find (and generally bad). It's always a big hit, but actually really easy to make.

    You can also see this recipe in a much more amusing flowchart form (PDF)

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (3 votes)

    Chicken Enchiladas

    Chicken Enchiladas - mixed

    After many tries, we've settled on this yummy chicken enchiladas recipe. Makes about 4 big enchiladas.

    Ingredients:
    Non-breast parts of a rotisserie chicken (bought at Eastern Market), torn into pieces
    Green chiles (hatch/anaheim chiles, canned works)
    1 Onion, chopped
    Flour tortillas
    Enchiladas Sauce (see below)
    Jack Cheese (Pepperjack, if you want a little kick)

    Make Enchilada Sauce
    Mix together:

    1/2 cup of you favorite salsa / hot sauce (use Salsa Verde for a "suizas" enchilada)
    1 cup sour cream

    4.5
    Your rating: None Average: 4.5 (2 votes)

    Stuffed Mushrooms

    Stuffed Mushrooms

    Audrey's family's stuffed mushrooms. A vegetarian (but not vegan) treat. Always a hit at parties and holiday meals.

    3.5
    Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (2 votes)

    Potato Latkes

    Latkes

    Audrey's family's latke recipe with a few process tips taken from Cook's Illustrated and the Los Angeles Times.
    See also the kitchn for an actual recipe. Closer to hashbrowns than pancakes. Serve with applesauce and sour cream.

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

    Bernice's Brisket

    Bernice's Brisket

    This is Audrey's family's brisket recipe. Sort of like a potroast, but made on the stovetop. It has a sweet and savory sauce. It's really easy to freeze leftovers and reheat - almost better that way!

    2.5
    Your rating: None Average: 2.5 (2 votes)

    Pecan Pie

    Pecan Pie

    Originally from Dear Abby / Houston Post, via Mom

    1c white Karo syrup
    1c dark brown sugar
    1/4t salt
    1/4c melted butter
    1t vanilla

    Mix above together. I found that using an immersion blender got the consistency to a pleasantly creamy texture, but I was also using block-style brown sugar, instead of granulated. Regardless, it should be well mixed together and not lumpy.

    Add:
    3 eggs (slightly beaten)
    1 heaping cup pecan halves
    squeeze of lemon juice

    Stir together.

    5
    Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

    Turkey and Dressing

    Turkey and Dressing 2013

    This is a modified version of the turkey and dressing recipe that Jon got from his Mom, who learned from hers. We buy a fresh (non-frozen), free-range turkey and dry brine it for 2-3 days. In years past, we have also wet-brined it for three days, but this is much messier (though it can save fridge space if you use a cooler). We have recently been doing simple injections to improve the juiciness of the breast meat

    4.5
    Your rating: None Average: 4.5 (2 votes)

    Pizza

    Pizza

    Makes 2 12" round pizzas.

    This was the first recipe Jon learned from his Mom, because, damn it's good pizza!

    Dough

    make about 2 1/2 hours before serving

    • 1 package active dry yeast (2.25 tsp)
    • About 4 1/2 c. all purpose flour (have 6 c available for kneading/rolling)
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 1/2 c. water

    In large bowl, combine yeast, 2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt. In small saucepan, heat water until very warm (120 to 130F.).

    4.5
    Your rating: None Average: 4.5 (2 votes)

    Veggie (TVP) Chili

    TVP Chunk can often be found in Caribbean markets

    3 cups TVP beef Chunk or mince
    1 bag (4 c) Brown Lentils
    1 cup red peas, soaked overnight, or 1 can (optional)
    1/4 cup chili powder
    1/4 cup cumin
    1 tbsp sage (if fresh, finely chopped)
    1 scotch bonnet or habanero pepper
    4 jalapenos
    2 limes worth of juice
    2 c cheddar cheese
    black pepper
    2 smallish medium onions, diced
    6 cloves garlic, minced
    32oz crushed or diced tomatoes
    1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
    1/2 Bottle Beer (Shiner Bock, Red Stripe both work well)

    1.5
    Your rating: None Average: 1.5 (2 votes)

    Baked Potato Soup

    Potato Soup

    Adapted from @MikeCotton's famous potato soup. Full instructions for that are at the end. This recipe can (and usually should) be halved!)

    5 lbs baking potatoes
    ¾ lbs (3 sticks) butter
    1 lb applewood smoked bacon, chopped
    1/2 lb sharp cheddar, grated or finely diced
    5+ cloves garlic
    1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
    sea salt, black pepper to taste

    Optional: Sour cream and chives.

    Kitchen needs: a large pot, another pot, and a lot of large prep bowls

    Prep

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Turkey Carcass Soup

    Turkey Soup

    This soup is a great way to use up some of the leftover shreds from turkey and dressing.

    1 onion
    1 rib of celery, chopped
    1 carrot, sliced
    Other veg: mushrooms, bell pepper (optional, chopped)
    pearled barley, rice, or noodles (if using barley, ~¼ cup per quart of broth)

    Make broth from the turkey bones, and take out as much as you want for soup - chill and skim off the fat.

    Saute chopped onion, celery and pepper in a soup pot with olive oil. Add broth and bring to a boil, reduce, add grain, simmer for 10 minutes.

    2
    Your rating: None Average: 2 (2 votes)

    It's Bean a Long Thyme soup

    Soak overnight: 3 cups dried black beans 2 cups dried black-eyed peas 2 cups dried pintos Other beans as available

    Rinse and cover with 2" of water add 32oz of veg stock salt port (4 slices of fatty bacon work well!) 2 cans diced tomatoes 2 jalapenos, chopped (or 1 scotch bonnet or habanero, left whole) 2 medium onions, diced 4 cloves garlic, minced
    spices to taste (use a LOT, beans soak it all up):

    salt
    pepper
    rosemary
    thyme
    cumin
    chili powder or (better) powedered chipolte peppers
    a dash each of:
    allspice
    paprika

    bring to a boil, add:
    1 cup green lentils

    0
    Your rating: None

    Sunchoke Bisque

    Sunchoke Bisque

    (serves 6)
    3 tbsp olive oil
    1 lb sunchokes, unpeeled (about 4 medium/large sunchokes
    2 waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold
    1 celery rib (optional)
    1 onion
    5 cups stock
    3 cloves garlic, minced
    1 bay leaf
    3/4c milk or cream
    salt and pepper to taste
    croutons or toasted pumpkin seeds, hazenut oil or pumpkin seed oil (optional toppings)

    2.5
    Your rating: None Average: 2.5 (2 votes)

    Cornbread

    Cornbread

    Cornbread from scratch. The "one kit" recipe is for one normal-sized loaf. The "three kit" recipe is for Turkey and Dressing. When making cornbread for dressing, do not use stone ground cornmeal for the cornbread...although it makes great cornbread, it makes lousy dressing, it absorbs too much liquid.

    One Kit
    1 c. yellow cornmeal (Not stone ground)
    1 c. flour
    1 T sugar (optional if you are not feeding Yankees)
    4 t. baking powder
    1/2 t. salt
    1 c. milk
    1/4 c. shortening
    1 egg

    Three Kits
    3 c. yellow cornmeal (Not stone ground)

    4
    Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

    Grilled Salmon with Peach-Bourbon BBQ Sauce

    From Emeril via Food Network. The glaze was awesome, the fish could be replaced by pork.

    2 tablespoons unsalted butter
    1/2 cup diced onions
    1 teaspoon minced garlic
    1/2 serrano pepper, halved and thinly sliced
    4 cups peeled, pitted, and diced peaches
    1/2 cup ketchup
    1/4 cup fresh orange juice
    1/2 teaspoon orange zest
    2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
    2 to 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
    2 tablespoons peach bourbon liqueur (recommended: Southern Comfort)
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
    4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skinned

    1.5
    Your rating: None Average: 1.5 (2 votes)

    Home >> Category >> Cuisine >> North American

    Syndicate content