Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Apple Pie


With some apples still leftover from apple picking and unexpected leisure time, I had the perfect conditions to make my first apple pie. I followed the Double-Crust Apple Pie recipe in How to Bake, by Nick Malgieri. Unfortunately, my lack of experience with pie dough made for a rather crumbly crust. It was flaky and tasted fine, but had the texture of shortbread. K didn't mind, but I wanted it to be a little more doughy. Another reason why it was drier than expected may be because I extracted the juice from the filling before it was baked. The author warned that Granny Smiths have a lot of moisture, so they need to be cooked first. Half of the apples were Granny Smiths and the rest were some non-baking apples from the farm. I will remember to leave more of the juice for the filling next time and add more water or vodka to the pie dough. I'm not going to post the recipe here since it wasn't successful, but will include an ingredient list with amendments for future reference.


Chicken Breasts with Mustard-Cider Sauce


According to JS Online, the site where K found the Chicken Breasts with Mustard-Cider Sauce, this recipe hails from America's Test Kitchen: Let's Get Cooking. It's good as is. Frankly, I don't know how you can go wrong with a sauce containing: apple cider, apple cider vinegar, whole-grain mustard, butter, and shallots. K served it with some angel hair pasta with olive oil and cheese, which complemented the vinegary sauce. 

To see the chicken recipe in outline form, click on the link below.

Congee


K made this Basic Congee Recipe from About.com: Chinese Food yesterday, when we decided to make some extra rice in case of a power outage. I forgot how much I love this simple dish. It was the only food I could stomach when I was sick, so my mom used to prepare it for me then. I had no idea that it's a breakfast food in China growing up. Either way, it's a one bowl meal that we can eat at any hour. It's especially good with cilantro, scallions, sesame oil, chile oil with fried garlic, and dried seaweed. 

Braised Greens

Both K and I appreciate slow-cooked foods, so it's pretty common for us to have braised vegetables as a side. It began with leeks and then we moved onto kale, and then celery when we had some sitting in the fridge for weeks. You can pretty much do the same for most bitter green vegetables such as Swiss Chard and collard greens. They're all prepared in a similar fashion, so I'm just posting one recipe for all. K uses this Swiss Chard Recipe from Simply Recipes, but substitutes chicken broth for water and adds much more garlic. If you want it to be strictly vegetarian, feel free to stick to the original. If you want to see his version, click on the link below.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Celery Root Purée "Soup"


Thanks to Hurricane Sandy, I can finally catch up on the blog and post some old recipes. This celery root purée soup is comforting and provides a nice break from the typical cream of __ soups. The recipe from Epicurious is actually for a purée, but K added an extra cup of milk so that it'd be more like a soup. For those of you with little ones, you may want to stick to the original recipe and serve it as baby food. Find the recipe with K's modifications after the jump.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Lasagna with Turkey Sausage


Our friend Aaron prepared the Barefoot Contessa's Lasagna with Turkey Sausage for us several years ago, but we were so impressed with the recipe, that K has only made this version since. We can't find any flaws with the recipe. It has the perfect balance of cheese and sauce, not to mention four different types of cheeses to satisfy your taste buds.


Thursday, October 4, 2012

Peruvian Roast Chicken with Garlic and Lime


K attempted beer can chicken last year, using a Cook's Illustrated recipe for Peruvian Roast Chicken with Garlic and Lime found on the blog, Salt and Serenity. He had the good sense to test this particular recipe as it has garlic, lime, and spicy mayonnaise. Ingredients that always make me salivate. All I can say is that it was super moist and flavorful. Click on the following link for the chicken and spicy mayonnaise recipes.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Chicken Cutlets with Warm Green Olive and Shallot Vinaigrette


These Chicken Cutlets with Warm Green Olive and Shallot Vinaigrette from Epicurious are perfect for those who want a rather simple and healthy meal without spending much time in the kitchen. I forgot how easy and good it was! Read on for the recipe.

Garlicky Shrimp Pasta


If you've been following this blog, you've probably noticed that there aren't too many seafood dishes. I've slowly been incorporating seafood back into my diet, so when I do eat it, it has to either be bland or smothered in a sauce like the Garlicky Shrimp Pasta. Thanks to blogger, Jackie Reeve at The Orange Room, K made this America's Test Kitchen recipe about a year ago. He finally made it again for his friends this past weekend, but am thinking it should become a staple in our home.

Beef, Mushroom, and Barley Soup


This hearty Beef, Mushroom, and Barley Soup from Epicurious is exactly what you'll want for dinner now that it is fall. K used some dried porcini mushrooms we had onhand and swapped in some beef broth to add more flavor. Needless to say, this soup was delicious! The short ribs were also a nice touch. Find the recipe with K's modifications after the jump.