Cooking Book 5

Thai Chicken Wings, The Young Thailand Cookbook

Man I wish I owned this book.

Mango Chicken Salad, Martha Stewart

Delicious! I skipped the mango chutney in the salad and used lettuce instead of spinach. I would make this again. Recipe here.

Ham and Apple Wraps with Dip, you guessed it, Martha Stewart.

These were fine, nothing thrilling.  A little different.  I didn't love the dip though.  Recipe here.

Jicama Citrus Salad, Martha Stewart

I really liked this salad. Crunchy and...citrusy. I left out the cucumber. Recipe here.

I don't know what this is.

Or this.

Or this.

Bubble and Squeak, no recipe.

So easy. Mix leftover mashed potatos with leftover cooked carrots and brussel sprouts. Heat some olive oil and butter over medium high heat, spread the veggies in and cook until brown on both sides.

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I do love to change my mind, abandon project etc, and I'm doing it again.  This will be it for now at least on Book 5.  It's too difficult to fit some of the recipes into our world full of kid, work, school etc.  There are still some I want to make, so the book will be back but now let's move on to a new one....Book 3!

Cooking Book 5

I was planning on giving you an exhaustive list of all the recipes in my Book 5 - what I'm going to cook, what I've already cooked, what I'm skipping.

Meh. Do any of us care that much? No, I didn't think so.

I've still got quite a list of recipes to try. So far this has been fun and I'm glad I'm doing it.

Here we go:

Zucchini Tart with Bacon, adapted from The Best Recipes In The World

I don't know how much this differs from the original but hot damn this was good. This was GOOD.

Pizza dough (I use my new favorite from Canadian Living's Vegetarian Cookbook)

3-4 small zucchini, shredded

3-4 slices bacon, chopped

3 cloves garlic

brie cheese (or other as desired)

Fry the bacon in a pan over medium heat until cooked but not too well done. Saute the zucchini and garlic in the bacon fat until golden.

Prebake the pizza dough until firm but not done. Top with the zucchini and bacon and sprinkle lightly with cheese. Bake until the crust is brown and cheese is melted.

Red Beans with Cheese, Martha Stewart

This was a fast, tasty dinner. Versatile too; I spooned the beans over half a baked potato. Scott rolled his in a tortilla with lettuce and tomato. The baby smeared his into his hair. Recipe here.

Black Bean and Corn Tacos, Vegetarian Times

Another keeper. Recipe here.

This was a not very good sweet and sour chicken recipe.  Enough said.

Vegetable Linguine, Vegetarian Times

This was pretty gross.  Asparagus and zucchini sliced with a vegetable peeler and cut into "noodles".  Which is good!  The problem is the recipe tells you to cook them in boiling water for 2 minutes, which is at least 1 minute too long.  These were mushy and unappetizing.  We fed them to the baby.

Spiced Shredded Pork, Martha Stewart

I think one of the best things about this project is rediscovering Martha. I've made some pretty kick ass MS recipes from this book. This one was super good. Recipe here. This is a good make ahead one too, I cooked and shredded the pork, then refrigerated it with the butter and oil and salt and pepper mixed in. The next night all I had to do was broil the pork while I cut the veggies. So fast.

Cooking Book 5 - Project Notebook.

5 more recipes from Book 5 -

Well this is annoying.  I'm not actually sure which recipe this is.  Until I figure it out, let's call this "Chicken".

Nope, not embarrassed about that all all.

Aha!  I know this dish - Thai Pineapple Fried Rice, Young Thailand Cookbook.

So very very delicious. This is a cookbook to be owned, people.

Chinese BBQ Drumsticks, source unknown

1/2 cup bbq sauce

2 tb hoisin sauce

1 tb sesame oil

12 chicken drumsticks

1 lime

Preheat the oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with foil.

In a bowl mix the bbq sauce, hoisin and oil. Add chicken and toss to coat.

Place chicken on baking sheet and drizzle with remaining sauce.

Bake for 40-45 minutes.

Squeeze lime over the chicken and serve.

Broccoli Cheese Soup, Me

1/2 small red onion, chopped

1 tb oil

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 bunch broccoli florets, chopped up

1/2 cup milk

170 g shredded cheddar cheese

saute the onion in the oil until soft.  add the broth and broccoli and simmer, covered, until the broccoli is tender.  puree with an immersion blender or a regular blender.  return to low heat and stir in the milk and cheese.  stir until the cheese is melted.  season with salt and pepper if desired. 

Thai Chicken Fried Rice, Young Thailand Cookbook

Just like the other fried rice recipe above from the same book, so good. My 2 new favorite ways to use up leftover rice.

Some recipes I'm not making from Book 5

Not that there is anything wrong with these recipes, but I'm skipping making them for reasons of time, cost, seasonality, or just general I don't wanna.

Kir Royale, Barefoot Contessa.

Mango Sorbet, Barefoot Contessa.

Canyon Ranch Guacamole

Crisp and Spicy Snack Mix from Cooking Light

Fava Bean and Pasta Toss, Vegetarian Times.

Blood Orange Bellini, Mario Batali.

Cooking Book 5 (Project Notebook)

HA! I bet you thought I'd abandoned this project like so many before. Nope. It's just that this one is a little labor intensive, with having to match up the photos to the recipes in the book and write about it. Well, it's labor intensive for me.

Here's another 5 -

Mexican Bean Dip, American Heart Association

I made this up as a filling for quesadillas. It was easy and delicious.

Mexican Bean Dip

American Heart Association

16 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped parsley and cilantro

2 tb salsa

2 tb lime juice

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp chile powder

1/2 tsp cumin

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender until fairly smooth.

Creamed Spinach, unknown source

I'm glad I don't know the source for this as it wasn't very good. I won't make this again.

White Bean and Pasta Soup, American Heart Association

I made some changes to this to use up what I had on hand. Absolutely delicious. We've made variations on this a few times in the past couple of months.

Bean and Pasta Soup

1 15 oz can beans (I use white, kidney or black beans) rinsed and drained

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup diced tomato

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

3/4 cup small pasta shapes

parmesan cheese for serving

optional ingredients:

greens (like kale or spinach)

meat (i love chorizo)

Stir together the beans, broth, tomato and herbs in a pot over high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Add the pasta and cook, covered, until the pasta is tender. If you are adding cooked greens or meat, add a couple of minutes before the pasta is done to heat them through. If adding raw kale, slice thinly and add at the same time as the noodles.

Marinated Grilled Beef, Young Thailand Cookbook

This was good, nothing spectacular. Slices of beef marinated briefly in soy, garlic, pepper and sugar, then grilled.

Shrimps with Chile and Basil, Young Thailand Cookbook

This is such an excellent recipe. I am not a huge shrimp fan (unless, sadly they are battered or breaded) but I enjoyed this very much.

Here's my version with a few changes

3 tb oil

1 tb minced garlic

1 pinch (or more) of dried chile flakes

16 good sized shrimps, peeled and deveined

1 red bell pepper, cut into squares

3 tb soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

4 tb water

1 tsp hoisin sauce

10 fresh basil leaves

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1 tb water

Heat the oil over high heat. Add the garlic and the chile flakes, shrimp and bell pepper. Stir fry for 1 minute. Add the soy sauce through hoisin sauce. Cook 1 minute more. Shred the basil leaves and stir them in. Mix the cornstarch and water and stir in. Cook until the sauce has thickened.

Tomorrow, a list of some I'm NOT making from the book.

Project Notebook - Book 5

So I've been feeling down lately. Real down. Down, down down.

I figured I needed a hobby, or a project to keep my mind a little more busy. But hobbies are darn near impossible when you've got a crawling little guy that gets into everything. And potentially expensive. So I decided to make it cooking oriented, since I have to cook anyways.

I thought about heading to the used book store and finding a new cookbook, maybe try the ole "cooking through the book" thing again. But why spend money on a book when I've got a bookshelf full? But I couldn't find one that I thought I could, or wanted to, make a dent in. And then I realized I had the perfect project. All my notebooks. I'm up to 14 or 15 now, I think.  They are all recipes that I chose to keep, that for one reason or another I wanted to make. So why not start cooking through all these recipes I've been saving for years?

I call it "Project Notebook", for lack of a more imaginative/better name.

I have given myself a few rules. I can make any changes I want to or need to. If I have previously made a recipe I don't have to make it again, unless I want to. And if there's anything I want to skip, I will.

I am starting with Book 5, because that's the first one I grabbed off the shelf. I've been working on this project for a while now (month? month and a half?) and I no longer remember what order I've made these in, but I do remember this one was first.

Tomato Tartar with Tomato Water Sauce, Jacques Pepin

This was definitely the way to get this project started.  This was AWESOME.

Diced tomato, onion and bread with a tomato juice and olive oil vinaigrette.  I made this 3 times in as many weeks and can't wait until tomato season next year to make it again and again.  Just super.

I found the recipe online, slightly changed from what I have written down.  The tartar in my notebook has 3 tb of olive oil in it, and there are no herbs in the tomato water.  Recipe.

Homemade Breakfast Sausage, Rachael Ray

Easy to make breakfast sausage with not bad flavor.

Recipe

Pasta all Checca, Canyon Ranch

I made this after our Davison Farms visit in September, with their yellow tomatos.  I liked that it was no cook and had tons of flavor. 

Recipe

Grilled Steak and Mashed Potato Wrap, Rachael Ray

I found a little steak in the freezer and had wraps and potatos, this project has actually been very helpful in using up food I have in the freezer and cupboard.  This reminds me of a restaurant I went to years ago with my friend Simon in Calgary, they did all sorts of wraps and soups.  I loved it because they had wraps I had never imagined, like steak and potatos, or turkey and cranberry.  It was a good restaurant.

Orzo with Ham and Goat Cheese, Gourmet

It turns out we have made this before. It's really good.

Beef Hoisin Mini Meatballs, Rachael Ray

I do love me a good meatball, and these were ok.  Kind of a soft texture.  Hoisin and garlic and green onions in the meatballs, browned and simmered in a sauce of hoisin, red current jelly, garlic, ginger and water.  I made these because I had some red current jelly I wanted to use up.

6 recipes down!