Penne with asparagus and bacon

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fettucine-with-Peas-Asparagus-and-Pancetta-358490

I just noticed epicurious.com spells fettuccine with one c, while BonAppetit.com uses two. Fettuccine has two c's, just so you know.

Anyway. I used penne instead. And left out the peas, of course. (You must know I hate peas.) And then I used bacon instead of pancetta.

This was AWESOME. yeah. The asparagus I bought was the slender kind. It worked really well. Use fresh parmesan cheese too. The Kraft kind is very inferior and pointless in my opinion...

Rice and corn salad

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/southwest-rice-and-corn-salad-with-lemon-dressing

This was so good. I used medium grain white rice and frozen yellow corn. I used an entire poblano pepper as well as a whole yellow bell pepper. And used green zucchini. I've only seen yellow zucchini once earlier this year.

The poblano pepper hardly added any heat at all. It was very mild. So don't be afraid. The cilantro was lovely as well. But only if you like cilantro. Apparently some people don't. Weird people.

The sweet corn mixed with creamy avocado was a nice combination. Loved it!

Chicken with tarragon

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/2010/05/chicken_with_tarragon_and_quick_roasted_garlic

I adore tarragon. And it was SO good in this. Fresh is best. Actually, fresh is all I know. I've no idea how dried tarragon would turn out. It could be nasty.

Pappardelle with lamb ragu

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/2010/05/pappardelle_with_lamb_ragu

I did not like this very much. It tasted ok, but that's all. Ok is not enough for me. Plus it was purple. And the flavor did not redeem the purple color. Maybe the red wine I used was too dark? I used a Pinot Noir, same as I use in beef stew.

There are better uses for lamb.

DH liked it though. He is weird.

Indoor Pulled Pork

This is from the Jan/Feb issue of Cooks Illustrated. Or, here: http://thebittenword.typepad.com/thebittenword/2010/01/indoor-pulled-pork-and-other-superbowl-food-ideas.html

I made the lexington vinegar sauce because it has the least amount of sugar. This pork was SOO good. The texture is best when you don't over pull the pork--make sure it is still in big chunks.

The one and only time previous to this that I attempted pulled pork it turned out SUPER NASTY (it was a crockpot recipe... usually crockpots work well but not for this!)

This recipe is a winner. I used a 5 lb pork shoulder and tried to cut it in half (slabwise..is that a word?) but there were some bones that made it uneven. But it worked. There was way too much sauce. Easily half a recipe for sauce would be sufficient. We ate this for two meals and then froze the rest. It will last another couple meals I think.

I highly recommend this if you are at home for the day. I had to start dinner at 11 am, but most of that time it was in the oven and I was doing something else. Eat it on hamburger buns.

Mac and Cheese

http://www.dailyunadventuresincooking.com/2010/04/smoked-cheddar-chorizo-and-green-onion-macaroni-and-cheese.html

This is awesome. I used kielbasa sausage and regular cheddar and it was really good. I even used whole wheat macaroni and it tasted great.

1 3/4 cups dry macaroni (or 4 servings)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

salt and pepper

8 oz smoked applewood Cheddar (or regular), grated and divided

1 teaspoon sriracha, or other hot sauce

1 smoked chorizo sausage (or kielbasa) (about 1 cup chopped), cut lengthwise then thinly sliced into half moons.

1 small bunch green onions, finely sliced (about 1 cup chopped)

Preheat oven to 350F. Cook macaroni until al dente, drain and set aside.

In a small saucepan add butter and heat to medium low. Whisk in flour and cook for 2 minutes, whisking regularly. Slowly whisk in milk and turn the heat to medium high. Bring to a simmer and whisk regularly. Simmer for 2 minutes or until starting to thicken. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in cheddar (reserve a small about 1/4 of the cheese) and hot sauce until sauce is a uniform texture.

Stir in sausage and green onion and season to taste. Gently fold in cooked macaroni and pour into a casserole dish. Top with freshly ground pepper and remaining cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until browned on top and bubbling.

Spanish Rice

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Betty-Crocker-1950s-Spanish-Rice-266461

This recipe is from my Betty Crocker cookbook. It's one DH used to make a lot back when I worked full time. Very easy and good.

Butternut Squash Soup

http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com/2010/02/butternut-squash-soup-recipe-that.html

So this is the same recipe featured on an episode of Americas Test Kitchen. But their recipes aren't accessible without subscription.

This soup lacks umph. It was bland and boring. Sure it tastes like squash, but it wasn't enough flavor for me. Maybe if you used twice the amount of squash it would be better? Not sure, but it needed something more. And something chunky. David hates silky soups that don't have chunks. (well, moderately hate)

the end.

Lentil Soup with and without ham bone

I have made this lentil soup before: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/lentil-soup-recipe/index.html

and it was great. I think I included sausage last time too and swapped chicken for vege broth.

With Ham bone (4/28/2010):

So I used the same recipe but replaced the chicken broth with broth from boiling a ham bone for a few hours.

The result: bland. The ham bone (from a ham shank) was not enough flavor to spread over 2 quarts. There was still some meat on it too, but that didn't make enough difference.

-----

Without ham bone (10/25/2010):

I made this recipe again tonight, but used leftover black bean broth from cooking black beans (salted with garlic) combined with beef broth instead of the 2 qts of chicken broth the recipe calls for. I also added 1/4 lb hot bulk sausage, which I would increase to 1/2 lb next time. It turned out extremely flavorful, if a bit salty. (I'd forgotten the bean broth was already salted.) But it was the best version of lentil soup I've made so far.

Kale and White Bean Stew

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/healthy/nutritiousdishes/lowcholesterolhearthealth/recipes/food/views/Kale-and-White-Bean-Stew-351254

This was pretty good considering how healthy it is. DH lamented the lack of meat (at which point I said I had planned on adding ham but he had eaten it). I swapped chicken broth for the vege broth. The fresh thyme is important for flavor. I put fresh tarragon in at the end and that made for a great flavor as well. Tarragon is awesome, by the way. It is great in yogurt sauce for gyros.

Ham with brown sugar and mustard glaze

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Old-Fashioned-Ham-with-Brown-Sugar-and-Mustard-Glaze-241636

This was very good. I'm don't get why it tells you to wrap the ham with parchment paper though. Seems pointless.

Pan Rolls

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Buttery-Pan-Rolls/Detail.aspx

These were ok. I made half the recipe and crammed them all in an 8x8 square pan. A 9x9 would have been perfect, but alas. I have not that size dish. They were good fresh, but made for unsavory leftovers. I did 50/50 white & wheat flour. I might give this one another chance someday though. Maybe I didn't knead it long enough. I kneaded it in my kitchen aid stand mixer. I'm always afraid it's going to break when I do that though. (Even though I'm using the recommended speed setting... of 2.)

Apple Matzoh Kugel

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/passover/sederdinner/recipes/food/views/Apple-Matzoh-Kugel-104862

I made this on Easter. It tasted like something you'd eat for breakfast, and wasn't that great for dessert. It would have been better with some vanilla ice cream, but that would be cowardly (and we didn't have any). And the dried apricots were overkill. It liked it better when I picked them out. I will not make this again. There are far better uses for apples...

Korean Rice Bowl with steak and asparagus

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Korean-Rice-bowl-with-Steak-Asparagus-and-Fried-Egg-358210

This is way awesome. I ended up steaming the asparagus because the stalks were so fat. I didn't have any fleur de sel so used table salt in the sesame seed/chili powder mixture. Just omit the salt altogether. It was too salty, but was good on the asparagus. It was good with a fried egg. The steak marinade really made a good flavor in the meat. Highly recommend!

PS. Use white rice. It will be weird with brown.

Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Southern-Buttermilk-Biscuits-26110

These are amazing. DH loves them. The dough should be very rough. I wish I had a food processor, it would have sped things up. I spaced mine on the cooking sheet so the edges did not touch.

They are crispy and good. DH thought they were pillsbury biscuits. But, no. They are BETTER! Eat them all while they are fresh, if you can. Once you seal them in a bag their resale value plummets.

Chicken Noodle Soup

So, I sort of don't have a recipe for chicken noodle soup. This is what I do (approx):

Chicken broth. A quart maybe? Leftover chicken drippings from baked chicken are good to throw in as well.

A few carrots. 2-3.

A few celery stalks. 3-4.

Onion. 1.

Some noodles. I used 4 oz of bowtie pasta. But, whatever. My super fave noodles (hard to find depending on your location) are from the freezer section--Grandmas frozen noodles. They are awesome and swell up really fat.

leftover cooked chicken (a cup or two?)

Boil chopped veges in the broth. Then add pasta. You could put in some thyme or sage or something. If you've got it.

the end.

P.S. Every time I make chicken noodle soup the broth seems to get all absorbed. So, maybe put in extra broth:)
If grandma's noodles are not to be found, Mrs. Weiss' Kluski Enriched egg noodles are fantastic. I just put in the whole 8 oz bag and it works well for ~4 qts (or less) of soup. I like to add a can of cream of chicken soup sometimes too to make it creamy like my turkey noodle soup recipe.

Libby's Black Bean Soup

So, I made black bean soup using this recipe from my friend libby:

http://grandmasrolls.blogspot.com/2010/03/super-quick-black-bean-soup.html

It was ok. I used from scratch black beans, and used 1.25 cups dry to equal 2 cans. I soaked them overnight and then pressure cooked for 20 minutes. Then I let the pressure slow release (takes 20 min). I think the cooking time could be decreased by 5 minutes, but it didn't matter since I was pureeing the beans anyway. The soup was good so long as you have avocado, cheese, and chips to eat with it, but it doesn't stand as well on its own (sour cream would have been good too, but we were out). Plus, David doesn't like soups that don't have chunks. (nice visual there...)

I think some spices, meat, and veges would make this better.

Deep Dish Pizza-Chicago Style

http://www.thefoodspot.com/2010/03/02/deep-dish-pizza-chicago-style/

This recipe is the same as the one in the January 2010 issue of Cooks Illustrated.

The crust wasn't that great, not worth the effort. It was good, but regular crust is better. Or go out to eat and get real Chicago style pizza.

Ham and Potato Soup

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Delicious-Ham-and-Potato-Soup/Detail.aspx

This was good. DH really liked it.

Notes 11/2/2016: I made this again with chicken broth, and did not add extra chicken bouillion. I put in more like 1.5 cups ham too. Also, I used 1 T butter for the roux with 2 T flour, and mixed it with 1 cup milk.

I let the soup simmer for 20 or 30 minutes and I used a masher to gently mash up some of it. Then I added the thickened milk/flour/butter mixture after it was removed from heat.

I served this with biscuits (cheddar and dill added!).

(the end)