Three Recipe Day (again!)

Brunch: Southwestern Scramble

I've made this recipe once before and I remember it being okay. I had leftover tofu from dinner the other night so it was a perfect time to give it another ago. As I was following all the steps I was pretty sure I must've half-assed the recipe last time because everything felt new. The salsa was amazing and the turmeric seasoning really added something to the eggs and tofu. It's super easy to make and definitely better than okay!

Things I learned from this recipe:

Turmeric can stain a bamboo spatula.

Would I make this recipe again:

Yes

The recipe

Dinner: Fried Rice

This was cooking opportunity number two with my mother. I believe she could cook fried rice (as well as the yakisoba we made last week) with her eyes closed so yet another day of not having an actual recipe - cue my nervousness. We cooked the egg first in the wok with sesame oil and then set aside when slightly runny. Next add the turkey bacon (make sure the wok is cleaned of residual egg), frozen rice*, and mystery Japanese vegetables. Salt, pepper, and soy sauce were the only seasonings used. Add the egg back in, and top with green onions. I would estimate the cooking process between 5 -10 minutes tops.

Delicious fried rice

Scrambled egg

Things I learned from this recipe:

Make sure the wok has enough oil in it.

Have all ingredients chopped and ready to go.

Fried rice cooks fast and needs to be served immediately.

Asian moms add ingredients that do not have English translations. This is a fact of life.

The men in my family prefer to add white pepper after cooking which I did not have.

Lastly, there are 100 & 1 ways to make fried rice and none of them are wrong. 

Would I make this recipe again?:

Of course

*Frozen rice: A few years ago I started cooking larger batches of rice and freezing what we did not eat in one cup increments at the encouragement of my mom. I was perplexed. We never ate frozen rice growing up. Or did we? When I first started doing this I didn’t tell Eric. Done correctly, you really can’t tell the difference. I really couldn’t contain the “lie” and after a few times of serving it I told him what I had been doing. He said he didn’t notice. In all honesty, if I had noticed a difference I wouldn’t have served it. I’m picky about my rice and how it is cooked.

A tip on reheating the frozen rice: add a little water to the tuperware container and place a breathing lid over it before heating in the microwave. I usually heat it in 30 second increments and flip the rice over to make sure there are no frozen chunks left. Properly cooking it through and serving it immediately are key.

Finally, I have been known to use frozen rice when making chirashi which horrifies my mother (picture her saying: “You CAN’T do that!”). I can and I have and it’s fine when I don’t want to wait for the rice cooker. The recipe will appear sometime this year. 

Basic fried rice recipe

Dessert: PB&J Bars

These bars seemed like the perfect next step on my baking journey. There was nothing surprising and the directions were very straightforward. They were definitely very peanut buttery, although if you ask my parents all they could taste were the raspberries. To me, they were slightly rich in peanut butter taste so I couldn't eat more than a small square at a time, but I am happy to report they came out as they should!

Base layer w/jam & berries

Top layer prior to baking

Things I learned from this recipe:

I think the bottom layer could have been just a little thicker. 

Would I make this recipe again:

After having some friends try the bars, yes. 

The recipe

Turkey, Provolone & Sprout Sandwich

Lunch only today.

Problem number one with this sandwich: Sprouts are not attainable in this area. I remember years ago there was an outbreak of E.coli related to sprouts and it turns out there were many instances of bad things happening to a lot people. So much so that my local grocery stores are not carrying them anymore. In keeping with the spirit of trying to follow the recipe exactly as listed, I was a little disheartened at having to switch out the sprouts for frisse. Other than that, toasting the bagel with provolone cheese and rotisserie chicken was delicious. I somehow decided that based on what the instructions said that I wasn’t supposed to toast the top of the bagel, strange in retrospect, but it was totally fine. The bagel was fresh and I enjoyed the contrast. Eric noted he really like how moist the chicken was and that it was an interesting addition to a sandwich.

Things I learned from this recipe:

Don’t eat sprouts?

Rotisserie chicken on sandwiches cooked in the toaster oven for leftovers the next day is amazing.

Would I make this again?:

Sure

The recipe

Thai Tofu Noodle Soup with Snap Peas

This was a fairly simple recipe with a reasonably tasty broth. It marks the first time using a Thai chili (I only started actively using jalapeños in cooking last year). I ended with thinking: it’d be easier and tastier to purchase pho from my favorite local restaurant.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I hate working with Thai noodles – specifically the thick ones. There must be a trick to making them not stick that I haven’t read. I followed the cooking instructions of the recipe for cooking the noodles and found it comical there were no instructions on the noodle packaging.

Would I make this again?:

Maybe?

The recipe

Three Recipe Day

After two so-so dinners I thought it’d be great to have my sister-in-law and her husband over for dinner to try out three new recipes. If I’m being honest, the manicotti served six and I really didn’t want to adjust the recipe and I thought these two would be good test subjects. Honesty is the best policy. Besides, I couldn’t have three dinners in a row be so-so, could I?

Appetizer: Artichoke Nibblers

The number one reason I chose this recipe is because of the use of a 10” cast iron skillet. I cannot lie. Reason number two was the use of artichokes. Reason number three quickly became the use of two cups of shredded cheese (thank you Eric for your arm). I served it with a thin salt & pepper cracker. Absolutely delicious. It tastes best warm, but really room temp wasn’t bad either.

Things I learned from this recipe:

 I will never feel hesitant about making someone’s “all-time favorite recipe”. A reader of Sunset originally submitted this recipe in 1971 and the magazine decided to re-print it in their "Best of" January 2014 issue.

Would I make this again?:

Definitely.

The recipe

 

Dinner: Creamy Spinach-Ricotta Manicotti

I’m pretty sure we never ate manicotti growing up. I’m positive I’ve never made it myself, and I’m almost positive I’ve never eaten it at a restaurant. Strange? No time like the present to try the recipe. This very simple looking dish required many pots – something I’m not a huge fan of but decided to put it in my “to make” pile of recipes. I’ve also had no experience using ricotta cheese and found the texture quite interesting. The recipe says the hands-on time is an hour and it definitely felt like it. I was busy the entire hour doing something, but I didn’t really mind. Bottom line, this is what I like about cooking. There is a task. There are steps. Those steps lead to a result. I like instructions and I like being told exactly what to do. I like the reward of taking this beautiful cooked dish out of the oven and eating it. While this dish wasn’t anything special, I liked it. The ricotta and spinach where indeed creamy and the shells where nice. I have a feeling my white sauce from step three wasn’t quite spot on but I don’t think it made a huge difference in the overall effect of the dish. Everyone seemed to enjoy the taste.

Things I learned from this recipe:

Read through recipe instructions ahead of time. No matter how many times I remember to do this it seems like I skim over them instead of actually reading them word-for-word. In this instance I forgot to add the garlic and oregano in their respective steps. I ended up throwing the oregano on top before putting t in the oven, but the garlic was a lost cause.

Would I make this again?:

Probably, but it’s way too much effort for two people. 

The recipe

Dessert: Molten-chocolate Mousse Cups

I was drawn to this recipe because I could make 12 at a time and freeze them. I have almost zero positive experience baking and thought this would be a good first step. I was right. It was fascinating watching butter and chocolate melt in a pot over a pot. Eric was fascinated by the use of one cup of sugar. “What is that? Sugar?!” He grew up not eating refined sugar. Everyone seemed to enjoy this little cup of chocolate. My initial reaction after the first bite was “eh, it’s okay.” While I think I may have cooked it a minute or two longer than necessary (it wasn’t as oozy in the middle as I would’ve liked), I’m still sticking with it’s just okay. I was left feeling like it was missing a flavor even though I love chocolate. The consensus on the missing ingredient was vanilla ice cream.

Things I learned from this recipe:

Try cooking on the low end of the recommend time.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Would I make this again?:

Maybe...I will definitely be eating the eight additional ones in the freezer, but after that I’m hoping to have found something even better.

The recipe

Two Recipe Day (again!)

Lunch: Spicy Peanut, Carrot and Snap Pea Wraps

I have been making this recipe for over a year now. It is super easy, quick to make and quite filling. I use whatever veggies I have. In this case, shredded carrots, cucumber, snap peas and cilantro. I also tend to make it after having tacos when I have tortillas on hand.

Fun tip: Soft taco shells freeze easily and thaw within minutes. I generally have a few frozen at all times. These were almost thaw by the time I was done preparing the sauce and washing the veggies.

Things I learned from this recipe:

Don’t skimp on the peanut butter. Properly measuring the chili paste and the soy sauce and being slightly off on the peanut butter can turn it a little more Asian than what I like. Sounds funny, I know, but for lunch I really want peanut butter with a hint of soy sauce. Not the other way around.

Would I make this again?:

Absolutely.

The recipe

 

Dinner: Classic Chicken and Dumplings

I was excited to make this recipe. Any excuse for me to get more use out of my cast iron Lodge Dutch oven is good in my book. Steps one and two were long but came out looking great. The chicken smelled good and the soup looked tasty even though I was hesitant of the 10 cups of water vs. using any amount of broth for flavor. Step four called for making dumplings. I’ve never made dumplings before. I’m pretty sure I’ve never eaten this type of dumpling. In fact, it’s strange for me to call this lump a dumpling. I did as the recipe said and “dropped the mixture” in the soup and waited for it to firm. And wait I did. And then there was more waiting. I’m pretty sure I gave them an additional 10 minutes of firming time and I don’t believe they ever got as firm as they were supposed to. We eventually ate the soup and chicken and I didn’t serve the dumplings. The soup was bland and the chicken was okay. The spices were okay but there could’ve been more. We went back for seconds because we were eating nothing else and I decided to serve the dumplings (they had been cooking on low the whole meal). Eric thought they were fine (code for: It’s not my favorite but I’ll eat it). I on the other hand thought they were gross. It tasted like dough. I was left feeling hungry for the second night in a row. Perhaps this is my new weight-loss plan?

Things I learned from this recipe:

There is a real reason to use bone-in skin-on chicken: much needed flavor. I watched this episode of Top Chef after making this meal. Thank you Tom Colicchio for enlightening me.

Read the reviews of what you're cooking. Even though I’m making a concerted effort to follow all recipes step by step if it is the first time I’m making them, some of the reviewers made extremely valid points about lack of taste and dumpling texture. Both things I had issues with (they suggested using chicken broth and more spice).

Would I make this again?:

Maybe

The recipe