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COTM (Cookbook of the Month) Recipes So Good You've Made Them at Least Three Times: Quick and Easy/Weeknight Edition
- The Dairy Queen Mar 25, 2014 07:20 AM
About a hundred years ago, I posted this thread, "Recipes so good you've made it at least 3 times--COTM Edition* " http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/9262... asking for everyone's "tried and true" favorites from our growing archive of Cookbooks of the Month (see COTM archive here: http://www.chow.com/cookbook_of_the_m...).
Now I ask the same question, years later with many more COTMs under our collective belt, with a wrinkle:
Which COTM recipes are your tried and true WEEKNIGHT FAVORITES? Those you can get out on the table quickly?
Please mention the name of the recipe, the cookbook, and anything particularly memorable about the recipe including the secret, if there is one, to getting it out on the table quickly. Pantry stocked a certain way? Marinate in advance? Start with certain leftovers? That sort of thing, if applicable. Links to recipes, previous COTM reports, photos, whatever entirely welcome but not in any way essential.
I've been paging through my old COTM notes and I realize that when I started participating in COTM 6+ years ago (sadly I was not a COTM'er from inception), I had oodles of time to shop for ingredients, prep, whatever. That was before I became a Mom. And cooking was really my primary hobby. Now, looking back at my favorites, I realize I often tackled a recipe specifically because it was a challenge and I wanted to learn. My husband and I could sit down for dinner at 9pm and it wouldn't be a problem. This kind of leisurely cooking just doesn't suit my lifestyle at the moment as keeping my child from bouncing off the walls during the coldest winter on record is my current hobby. (Someday I can do more leisurely cooking again, I hope?)
Anyway, please help me look at my cookbooks in a fresh new light. Which COTM recipes have become a part of your weeknight repertoire?
Also, for your reference just because I worry about losing track of these kinds of round-up threads, BigSal has been soliciting everyone's favorite COTM recipes annually since 2011: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/9262...
And EAH recently asked everyone to chime in with their top five cookbooks from COTM. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/9686...
* My original query of "recipe so good you've made it at least 3 times" was inspired by Katie Nell's non-COTM-edition query here http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/3903... and here http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6164... which are two of my all-time favorite chowhound threads, even though not COTM related.
As for me, I remember having particularly good luck with Vietnamese month, lots of Casas recipes, Italian Easy, and Gourmet Today. Several of Grace Young's recipes, too, though I'm a person who is slowed down by a lot of chopping sometimes. I'll have to dredge my mind for favorites from those books and report back.
Upon reflection, my list is so much shorter than I hoped and not necessarily drawing from the books I expected. Plus, I'm finding so many "quick and easy " favorites are concentrated in the summer when we can use our grill and when local produce is abundant. I guess this is partly why I can never think of anything to cook this time of year.
Anyway, I need some more inspiration and am hoping the rest of you have a chance to chime in with your favs.
FOREVER SUMMER-- The watermelon, feta and black olive salad is a summer staple at our house: http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/w... Can't get quicker than a no-cook recipe, I say and I love the sweet/salty/briny combo of the ingredients of this dish.
THE FLEXITARIAN TABLE-- Tofu with Lemon, Soy, White Wine, and Butter Sauce. Tofu is always speedy. This dish requires a little stove-top time (enough to bring your pan to a boil) and 10 mins oven time. At our house, the time to heat the oven is the most significant. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/4341... http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/4341...
INTO THE VIETNAMESE KITCHEN, Grilled Garlicky Five-Spice Pork Steaks, marinate in advance, but otherwise super fast on the grill. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/5538...
OTTOLENGHI Crushed new potatoes with horseradish and sorrel, http://lissalovedit.blogspot.com/2012... No tricks or tips, just deliciousness.
COOK WITH JAMIE; Proper Blokes Sausage Fusilii http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo... No secrets, really, except this comes together quickly partly because the proportions are very forgiving. You just "bash" it out and it's going to be delicious either way.
ITALIAN GRILL Italian Grill - Waxy Potatoes in Chianti Vinegar--The key here is parboiling the potatoes before grilling them.
Corn as Italians Would Eat It --grill the corn, then add the delicious toppings.
MOLTO GUSTO-- Broccoli with Pecorino Romano The only hitch with this one is that you chill it for 1/2 hour afterwards. We often just dig in right away anyway.
IN THE KITCHEN WITH A GOOD APPETITE: Roasted Broccoli with Shrimp love this sheet pan recipe! http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/14/din...
EVERY GRAIN OF RICE Silken Tofu with avocado. Healthful and delicious and no cooking! http://www.foodgal.com/2013/06/silken...
re: The Dairy Queen
I'm a VERY sporadic COTM participant, but I do have a few that fit the mold.
JERUSALEM: I make the Shakshuka (I slightly prefer this version to the one in Plenty), the Turkey Zucchini Burgers (these are a real favorite), the roasted cauliflower salad and the spinach and date salad.
HOW TO EAT: I used to cook out of this more than I have recently, but the Sugar and Spice Salmon (a marginalia recipe), the Beef Stroganoff, and the Sunday Night Chicken Noodle are all go-to recipes for me.
AROUND MY FRENCH TABLE: The Cauliflower Soup! Oh, the cauliflower soup. That might be my favorite soup recipe. The Supermarket Garbure is great - not last minute, but it does reheat well. The Cinnamon Crunch Chicken is another favorite (and the kids love it)
ZUNI CAFE COOKBOOK: The roast chicken (duh), the eggs fried in breadcrumbs, and Madeleine's omelet (or something like that - omelet with gruyere and mustard croutons).
FOREVER SUMMER: Love the zucchini fritters, and I've made the Thai Style lettuce wraps loads of times.
I love that broccoli and shrimp recipe, too.
re: Savour
Those all sound great. We're always looking for more ways to use zucchini in summer, so glad to hear about the turkey zucchini burgers and the zucchini fritters. I'm so glad someone finally mentioned AMFT and Zuni!
Must investigate the Cinnamon Crunch chicken.
re: The Dairy Queen
Cinnamon Crunch chicken is basically chicken cooked with butter and cream and those speculoos biscuits, but it's SO good.
I forgot - I also make the Corsican omelet from Forever Summer all the time.
We eat a lot of eggs, if you can't tell.
re: Savour
Had to go look up the Cauliflower Soup after your raves. Definitely going on my list!
re: Caitlin McGrath
Thank you! It was harder to come up with a list than I thought, although my participation has been pretty minimal lately so maybe, in my imagination, there are more opportunities for me to have discovered "quick" dishes than is realistic...
Great question. I'm going to just go with a few off the top of my head and come back to add to it.
Flexitarian - has a recipe that calls for bulgar, but he says you can substitute couscous, which I always do - it is basically couscous, red onion, chickpeas, parsley (this is just from memory - it may well have more). It is so easy, and has so many pantry staples (yes, I've made it without the parsley and it is still really tasty).
In the same book the fennel salad. Huge favorite, and easy to make. We happen to love fennel, but of course not everyone does. If you do, this is worth making again and again.
The Italian Easy/Two Easy books - That roast chicken with the lemon and thyme (or rosemary) inside. This one means you need to have 90 minutes to put it in the oven, but aside from that there isn't any work involved. You put it in, turn it over an hour later and then let it go another 30 minutes. My favorite roast chicken. Gets made fairly often around here.
Radicchio, walnut and gorganzola salad. Penne, tomato and dried porcini penne. Orecchiette, tomato and ricotta. Savoy cabbage, parsley and caper salad.
Jamie Oliver: I echo your love of Proper Bloke's pasta, and add the pasta with pangritata (sp?).
Forever Summer - The Za'atar chicken and fattoush, and her rhubarb fool.
The Complete Asian cookbook - Indonesian grilled chicken (I don't think this is the exact name for it, but that is what it is and it should be fairly easy to find in that chapter in the chicken section). This one is really easy - marinate the night before and then put on the grill the next evening. And so much flavor.
Into the Vietnamese Kitchen - The ginger chicken. Sometimes I sub tofu for the chicken.
Vegetarian cooking for Everyone - I'm a broken record on the pasta with tomatoes (can be canned), capers, olives but that is because we really do have it probably once a month. Lulu's absolute favorite pasta (bloke's is a close second). In the past year I've also become very fond of the pasta with salsa verde with zucchini (the zucchini is a variation she suggests, and it makes it into a one dish vegetarian meal.
Gourmet Today - the one that immediately springs to mind is the Southeast Asian Turkey burgers. Oh, and the chocolate whiskey bundt cake.
I'll be back ...
re: LulusMom
re: The Dairy Queen
I can't recommend those turkey burgers highly enough (especially if you do the whole thing as written with the fresh herbs, etc.).
I want to make the point that everything on this list is really pretty easy and high in flavor. Some of it takes planning (as in marinating the night before) but not a single thing on the list (so far) is in any way difficult.
re: LulusMom
LLM, I'm working on the excel spreadsheet, but I'm unsure which Indonesian chicken you mean!
Can you please have a peek when you have a minute? There's one called Grilled Chicken with Hot Spices? (Ayam Panggang Pedis) that is salt, pepper, sambal ulek, grated onion, garlic, dark soy sauce, palm sugar, lemon juice, peanut oil. Is that the one?
Here's the complete asian cookbook chicken thread... http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/616572
re: The Dairy Queen
Not LLM obviously, but yes that's the one -- a huge favorite around here as well.
re: LulusMom
Just popping in to say that we found rhubarb at the market this week, and so made our annual batch of Nigella's rhubarb fool. And it was every bit as delicious as we remembered. Decadent and fattening, and worth every bite.
re: LulusMom
That sounds great. Totally off-topic of COTM but I love this rhubarb crisp. Although not from a COTM, it is quick and easy and I have made it more than three times, which brings it remotely within the bounds of this thread.
re: Westminstress
OK, that looks super easy and delicious. Have you ever tried doing a half rhubarb/half strawberry? We don't eat all that much dessert around here, maybe twice a month max, but this looks so good, and rhubarb season is so short. I had sort of figured my next dessert would be that cardamom cake. Decisions, decisions.
re: LulusMom
Yes, I've done it with rhubarb and strawberry and that's good too. I tend to add strawberry for color if the rhubarb doesn't have enough red. But my preference is for pure unadulterated rhubarb. It's a bit scary putting it together because the rhubarb is completely unsweetened. But the topping has quite a bit of sugar, enough to sweeten the rhubarb deliciously as it cooks.
re: Westminstress
I was wondering about that, thinking, really, no sugar in the rhubarb? But sounds like it works.
re: Westminstress
Funny - my rhubarb this time around for the fool was weirdly unred (in the store it looked fairly red, but by the time I cleaned and cooked it not so much). I missed the red in the fool.
re: LulusMom
Yeah I hear you on the dessert. I enjoy baking but rarely do it. Having too much dessert around is not good for my waistline! But every now and then I do make a treat.
re: Westminstress
Exactly. I find baking to be so calming, and I really enjoy it. One piece of cake is great, but when it sticks around for a couple days I start desperately passing slices along to delivery men, babysitters, etc.
re: Westminstress
Of all the weird things, I found frozen, pre-cut rhubarb at my local grocery store. How do you think it would do in this crisp? Crisps seem so autumnal to me, so perfect for the next month or two.
re: LulusMom
I've never used frozen rhubarb so I'm not really sure. But the fresh rhubarb basically cooks down to mostly mush anyway. So I'd say give it a try!
The only COTM recipe I've made multiple times is the Marcella Hazan tomato butter onion sauce for pasta. Online copy of the recipe is here
It's ready in under an hour, most of that simmering-time while you prep anything else for the meal, is excellent even when made with canned tomatoes, and uses ingredients readily on-hand.
My comments on the reporting thread for Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking during the November 2013 re-visit are here
re: MidwesternerTT
So nice to find reliable recipes that work with canned tomatoes!
re: MidwesternerTT
I've also made this one a couple of times and it is FABULOUS. One of my favorite tomato sauces ever.
Shakshuka from Plenty- I probably have this for dinner at least once a week in summer when tomatoes and peppers are abundant. With some crusty bread, it is a great meal.
Gong Bao Chicken from Land of Plenty - a favorite
Beef with Cumin from Every Grain of Rice - there is something addictive about the cumin
Camargue Red Rice and Quinoa with Orange and Pistachio from Ottolenghi - Not quick, but this is good made ahead (only add the arugula at serving time so it doesn't get soggy)
Provencal Vegetable Soup from Around My French Table - another dish that makes good use of summer vegetables. Not so quick to make on the first night, but great the next day.
Roast Chicken from The Barefoot Contessa - stick lemon, garlic, and herbs in the cavity and roast
and kind of embarrassed to admit this last one...
Kentucky Mule from Smoke and Pickles
re: stockholm28
Oh honey, don't be embarrassed about that Kentucky Mule - I've gone through at least 3 makings of the ginger syrup for that, and am desperately in need of another one. That is one fine drink. And it works well with vodka and tequila too.
re: stockholm28
I love that Beef with Cumin recipe from Dunlop, too, great reminder. And I keep meaning to try that quinoa recipe from Ottolenghi!
re: stockholm28
For those who don't have the Ottolenghi cookbook handy, here's a link to the Camargue red rice and quinoa recipe: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/re...
(I am one of those who don't have the cookbook, so please correct if needed!)
re: stockholm28
Ha ha you shouldn't be embarrassed about that. If it's right, it's right!
Great thread, TDQ! Off the top of my head...
The steamed Bass with ginger and scallions from Gourmet Today. (I actually usually sub NC flounder which is good around here) A family favorite, quick and healthy. Almost makes me want to buy a steamer, but I always just rig up a steamer with a big pot and a pie plate.
Yucaton Fish with Crisp Garlic from ENYT cookbook. Great in the summer. We also love it made into fish tacos with fresh corn tortillas
Kimchi and Collards from Smoke and Pickles. The kids do not love this but my husband and I can make dinner out of just this and rice and be very happy. Make this a lot in the winter when the collards are good around here and not much else looks appealing.
WIll have to think about what else might fit those criteria. Will report back when I think of some more. Need to try some of these other favorites.
re: greeneggsnham
I'm always needing more fish recipes, thank you!
By far, the Chipotle Meatballs from Mexican Everyday. Having them tonight actually! http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/chipot...
I have made as a meatloaf to save time, and you could mix everything up in advance as well. They reheat so so well, that's probably one of the main reasons I love them so much.
re: juliejulez
I have and love that book but hadn't seen that. It sounds super. Thanks for the heads up.
re: c oliver
re: juliejulez
We grind our own pork so using that is appealing.
re: c oliver
There ya go, I'm sure that would be great! I do the turkey because it's a good way to use up the 20oz (odd size) package of ground turkey you can get at Costco. I also forgot to mention I skip the step at the end where you add the chicken broth to the sauce. I like the thicker sauce.
re: juliejulez
If you have the KA stand mixer, the grinder will be the best $50 you ever spend.
re: juliejulez
Chipotle meatloaf sounds like a great idea!
re: The Dairy Queen
I made the Chipotle Meatballs this weekend in meatloaf form - subbing in ground pork rinds for the breadcrumbs. I was also too lazy to make the sauce, so Chipotle is probably a misnomer, though I did glaze it with Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup, which was a great pairing with the bacon and mint. I also formed it into a flattish "cake" instead of a loaf, and it cooked in 25 minutes.
re: Savour
Awesome! I've never heard of using pork rinds for breadcrumbs!
re: The Dairy Queen
re: Savour
I sympathize with both sides.
re: Savour
Speaking of chipotle, I made awesome sticky chicken (with chipotle) from Pati's Mexican Table :) And very nice refried beans - both will be repeated many times no doubt!
re: juliejulez
If you were going to make this as a meatloaf, at what temperature what you cook it and for how long? I'd like to try to make this one tonight.
re: dkennedy
Not JJ... I'd cook it at 350F for 45 min
re: dkennedy
Please come back with the report :) I am thinking about making these meatballs with turkey if I get myself over to Costco tomorrow.
re: herby
I'm curious, too, although my latest obsession is that I want to try to make a sheet pan meatloaf. You don't have to take the time to form the meatballs and the cooking time should be shorter than a loaf, only about 15 minutes. Then you can slice it like bars. Like this: http://www.twincities.com/recipes/ci_...
Also, slightly OT for this thread, but if you're going to make a turkey chipotle meatloaf, check out this recipe of Gio's. I've only made the bison version, but she says later in the thread that it was one she adapted from a turkey version: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/526852
re: The Dairy Queen
Interesting method, TDQ. I bet you could use this method with any old meatloaf recipe and it will work fine. I am not a big fan of meatloaf and was thinking about making turkey meatballs that JJ was speaking about up-thread. I have an open can of chipotle that needs using up. Thank you for pointing me to Gio's recipe - sounds delicious too and I love bison.
re: herby
OK, I'm re-reading the recipe I linked to and it's not what I remembered at all. That's what I get for linking to a recipe (that I haven't tried) without re-reading it. I was imagining that you'd make meatloaf bars by say, laying the meat mixture thin, maybe an inch, all the way across the sheet pan. This recipe, that I linked, merely has you make smaller and thinner free form loaves. Hmmmm...maybe my meatloaf "bars" theory is just a theory.
re: The Dairy Queen
I've seen on numerous occasions small loaf pans, maybe 1C capacity, some loose and some attached to each other in sixes. I always wanted to have a set of loose ones for a meatloaf (I think I will like it better if it was small) or a sweet bread i.e. banana, cranberry. Would that for you instead of actual "fingers"?
re: herby
Oh, I'm sure it would. I was just imagining something that has all of the quick-cooking properties of something small (like meatballs) but something that required little time for shaping (like meatloaf.) Individual loaves such as what you are suggesting would be a pretty good compromise, I think.
re: The Dairy Queen
re: Westminstress
Yes, that's a good idea, too!
re: herby
Ok, I think I need a little additional guidance. I am not a meatloaf person and so I don't have a lot of intuition as to what steps to keep in and which to leave out. For those of you who are familiar both with these meatballs and meat loafs in general, tell me if I am on the right track.
In his meatball recipe, he instructs to cook in oven at 450 for 15 minutes, until brown. Then, the meatballs come out briefly, then they are submerged in the sauce and cooked again, this time until the sauce looks like tomato paste. After that, the sauce is supposed to be thin out with chicken broth.
Right now I have my free form meatloaf in the oven at 450, not 350, attempting to get that original browning, and presumably to cook off much of the bacon fat. When it comes out, I plan on transferring it to my smallish sauce pan, along with the sauce, in the hopes that this will allow the sauce to cover it entirely. Then, I will let it cook down to a paste, only to reconstitute it later with chix broth.
Any feedback?
re: dkennedy
Gah! My husband is the meatloaf and meatball chef at our house... and I've never made the Bayless meatballs. But, gosh, wow, I'm not sure I would do all of that with the sauce. Maybe toward the end you can baste the meatloaf with the sauce somehow and ultimately serve it with some sauce on the side?
But, in the meantime, I'd bring the temp down to 350 or 375, I guess.
Maybe make an outside post because time is of the essence here?
re: dkennedy
DK, I do not think this will work with the meatloaf. Meatballs are usually partially cooked before saucing - either browned in the pan on stove top or in the oven. Meatloaf, on the other hand, goes into the oven and cooks there at pretty much constant temperature in order to cook it through and not to toughen up the exterior too much. It is often sauce over top to keep it moist. So, turn the temp down and cook maybe 30 min or so longer. In the mean time make the sauce as instructed on the stove top, reduce and serve with the meatloaf. Maybe brush the meatloaf with the sauce now if it is already semi-done.
re: dkennedy
I think most people have mentioned skipping the chicken broth step -- in your case I would definitely do that.
re: Westminstress
Thank you all for your input. So I went ahead and baked free form for 15 minutes at 450. Then put in the sauce and cooked around another 15 minutes at same temp. Then I read everyone's input and pulled it out. I sliced it, and it seemed to still be undercooked at the 1/2 point so I put it back in the oven, this time draining off most of the sauce. Probably spent another 15 minutes this time around. Meanwhile, I reduced the sauce on the stove top. Won't serve it until tonight but I will say it tastes pretty yummy tasting from the pan. The meatloaf itself has a wonderful balance of flavors. However, I am not in love with the sauce. I think it needs something to round it out. This is the way I have felt with the majority of recipes from his "Quick meals" book. The sauces seem unfinished. I was hoping reducing would make a difference but it didn't. Maybe adding the stock will do the trick.
re: dkennedy
Reporting back re the Chipolte Meatloaf:
The meatloaf itself was fantastic. Despite cooking it at 450, it came out moist and so flavorful. My whole family proclaimed it the best meatloaf I've ever made.
Re the sauce, it was a little too hot for my taste and not as well balanced as I would have liked. I served it on the side. Next time I would tweak it by adding a sweet element to balance it out. I did find the chicken stock really made a difference.
re: dkennedy
On the sauce, I would say I do like it better in the following days versus fresh out of the oven.
re: dkennedy
Sorry I just now saw this. I cooked at the 450 that's in the recipe for maybe 25 minutes? I checked the middle w/ a thermometer to make sure it was done. I did the sauce the same as the recipe calls for (putting it on and letting it bake for 15 minutes). I don't do the chicken stock step.
I should say I do it as a freeform loaf in a pyrex pan. In a loaf pan would take longer I think.
re: juliejulez
Juliejulez, thank you for your feedback. I am so glad you suggested making this into a a meatloaf. As I reported above, the meatloaf itself was the best tasting (and most tender) I've ever eaten. Ever. I have been looking for such a recipe for some time. It reminds me of a meatloaf I will buy from time to time that that make at my local Bristol Farms. It is sold in a broth which keeps it meltingly tender. I used Berkshire pork and TJs bacon. I would encourage you to try the chicken stock step next time, it really kicked up the flavor nicely and rounded things out plus the meatloaf itself was so tender. This one is going on my list to make again.
re: juliejulez
For chipotle meatball fans, what do you usually serve them with?
re: Westminstress
I served mine with a salad (arugula, radicchio, and fennel, and a lemony caesar like dressing.
re: Westminstress
I serve them in a quick marinara sauce ladled on grilled garlic bread w minced parsley, and a simple tossed salad. Just greens, chopped tomato, thinly sliced sweet onion, maybe sliced cucumber if I have it, w a RWV dressing.
re: Westminstress
Brown rice and whatever veggie I have around.... usually broccoli or green beans.
re: juliejulez
I had an unbelievable disaster with Chipotle Meatballs yesterday and still get upset every time I think about it... I did serious shopping at Costco on Friday evening since I run out of coffee and a number of other things that I like to buy there. Since I had everything for the meatballs but turkey, I bought ground turkey there as well. Huge quantity for me but I thought I'll make 2lbs worth of meatballs and freeze the other 2lbs for later - no biggy. On Saturday I spent good part of the morning making chicken stock (bought organic chicken at Costco too) and the meatballs. As I was forming and dropping them into the sauce, very unpleasant chemical smell started to emerge.... It got worse as the balls were cooking to the point that I couldn't bring myself to taste them. So, took the uncooked turkey back and got the full refund - but what about my time and the cost of other ingredients?!
Any of you ever had a similar experience? I know that in US poultry is routinely washed in bleach but it wasn't bleach I was smelling. It was a chemical for sure but do not know what. I am also under the impression that in Canada Costco sources Canadian products but turkey was their brand - Kirkland.
Now I am seriously considering getting a meat grinder!
re: herby
I have not had that kind of experience but that is really scary. We have recently made the decision to buy meat more consciously and so we are now only sourcing our meat from the farmer's market. It is a hard decision to make, especially when you have to live within a budget, and esp. when you hear everyone else discussing how they buy this or that on sale or at Costco, etc. and then I think to myself, well, no wonder I can't seem to live within our budget! But the more I read and learn about how meat you buy at the supermarket is treated (chlorine, meat glue, etc.) I know it is the right choice for us.
I was also thinking it could have been something from the sauce. Maybe the chipoltes can was tainted?
re: dkennedy
No, it was not the sauce. I made sauce first and as it was simmering I mixed the meatballs. I tasted the sauce to make sure that the seasoning was OK and it tasted wonderful.
I would love to completely switch to pasture raised meats from a local farm but having difficult time sourcing. I live alone and in apartment - 1/4 cow just won't work. Some farmers require you to buy a "cow" share. I am going with a friend to a new market that specializes in local meats and have great hope.
My budget is not large but I would rather eat good expensive protein in smaller quantities and not as often. Completely supportive of your choice.
re: herby
Yes, the pastured meats are certainly more expensive. We accommodate that by eating meat less often and choosing less expensive cuts. Certain items that many people rely on like boneless skinless chicken breasts and pork tenderloin are just not in my budget. I'm also thinking about joining a meat CSA, I think that would allow me to get a greater variety (including some better cuts) for the same amount of money. You might want to search online and see if there is something like that in your area.
re: herby
Herby, I really feel for you. It was an experience just like that with pork chops that put me off factory-farmed meat for good. I'd been wanting to make the break for a while, and that pushed me over the edge.
Best wishes for success in sourcing; it's gotten a lot easier in my area, but is still a real struggle in many places. Every little bit helps, and provides real encouragement to the farmers who are raising animals right.
re: herby
We've not uncounted that dramatic happening with meat of any kind we've bought, Herby. What a shame on so many levels. Frankly, we've moved on to only organic meat, and sustainable seafood. No supermarket meat/poultry/seafood any more. The more I read the more paranoid I get.
The other side of this is I'm beginning to think that more meatless meals make more sense.
OMG! I'm just loving everybody's responses. I'll try to respond more later. I'm just taking a quick CH break before putting a tot to bed.
Tomatillo-sauced spinach and mushroom enchiladas from Mexican Everyday. I usually use Swiss Chard and I adore them!
Also the Ad Hoc at Home Brownies. AMAZING!
re: Njchicaa
I'm getting this book back out :)
re: Njchicaa
My husband loves the quick Cowboy Beans.
M.E. also has a number of pretty good slow cooker dishes, too, some even of the dump and go variety. (I hate that expression dump and go, but you all know what I mean...) Not as good, I'm sure, as if you did them in a dutch oven but not bad for a crock pot. I've personally come to the conclusion that I don't like chicken from a crock pot, but it was Rick Bayless who made me realize I totally had been overcooking my chicken. I still prefer his pork slow cooker recipes to the chicken ones, but they are all pretty good considering how easy they are. We've tried them all multiple times, except the lamb one which we've never tried. They are good for weeknights if you do the prep in the morning:
Slow-cooked Pueblan chicken tinga (dump and go)
Slow-cooked chicken with tomatillos, potatoes, jalapeños and fresh herbs (pretty much a dump and go if you used jalapenos and tomatillos from a jar)
Slow-cooked achiote pork (pretty much dump and go although I'll admit, I don't find achiote paste something that is super speedy to work with--takes a little patience) http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/5464...
Smoky Pork Tinga Tacos with Avocado & Fresh Cheese
Chicken a la Veracruzana (dump and go)
Tomatillo Pork Braise with Pickled Chiles (you have to make a sauce in your blender at the end)
Guajillo-spiced pork and potatoes (NOT quite dump and go)
Slow-braised lamb (or goat) jalisco style (we've never tried this one).
HOMESICK TEXAN On the slow cooker front: we love this Texas Pulled Pork from H.T. in the slow cooker (her recipes is not written as a slow cooker dish, but that's how I've always done it): http://www.homesicktexan.com/2010/05/... I make the rub in batches in advance and then it truly becomes a dump and go. We've always used commercial bbq sauce (I just try to read the labels and choose one that generally uses the same ingredients she does) , but I'm sure you could make hers in advance if you wanted.
re: The Dairy Queen
Those cowboy beans are a favorite at our house too - so delicious! We also really loved the Chipotle Meatballs from Mexican Everyday - I've made them at least four or five times.
re: biondanonima
We love the Cowboy Beans too!
re: The Dairy Queen
Hi TDQ, I'm very new to the world of slow cooking but am planning to try it this year. I don't exactly have a slow cooker, but my stove has an insulated kettle that maintains a constant temperature of 172 degrees, and now that I have finally found a pot that fits the kettle, I am planning on using my stove as a slow cooker. Since I can't adjust the temperature, I am looking for things that will do well cooked at 172 degrees for about 10 hours. I'm thinking some of these recipes would be good candidates? Would all the Bayless recipes work or should I stick with just the pork ones? For the Lisa Fain recipe, do you put the rubbed pork in the slow cooker on its own, with no additional liquid? THANKS!
re: Westminstress
Hi there,
Honestly, I think pork is best of all meats in the slow cooker, but lots of people are perfectly satisfied with chicken, and the Bayless chicken ones are pretty darn good for how low-effort they are. I'd go ahead and experiment with a couple of the Bayless slow cooker chicken recipes, too and see what you think.
For the Lisa Bain recipe, I add just a splash of coffee. Maybe 2-3 tbsp?
re: The Dairy Queen
Thanks, much TDQ! I will report back when I try it....
re: Westminstress
If you end up liking the Lisa Fain recipe enough to want to make the rub in advance in big batches, let me know and I can post a scaled up version that tells you not necessarily how many tbsp and tsp you need of each spice, but scales the recipe so that you're using standard sized spice jars, if that makes any sense. That way, you don't end up with a bunch of half-used spices.
re: Njchicaa
The Ad Hoc brownies are my favorite brownie recipe by far. I can't say that I was as impressed with most of the other recipes I made from Ad Hoc, though. Most of them were fine but not repeaters, especially not for weeknight cooking.
re: biondanonima
I had forgotten AHAH was a COTM! I shall put the brownies on my list. I've made a couple of other recipes from AHAH, which thankfully all totally delicious and "worth the effort" (including some ribs we did on the grill) but none I would call a quick weeknight dish, sadly. I think we tried some spiced nuts from AHAH that you could certainly do on a weeknight, but it would be for a snack or a cocktail party or something, not anything that would help you get dinner on the table quickly, I don't think. My husband really loved the spiced nuts, though.
re: The Dairy Queen
Au contraire - Use the spiced nuts as the appetizer for the meal while you prep the rest. Lifts your own energy up, and may keep the plaintive "is dinner ready yet?" cries a bit quieter (from both of you, grin).
re: MidwesternerTT
You are very devious. I like the way you think. :)
Actually, I often like to leave a pan of roasted vegetables sitting out while I'm cooking dinner. Everyone picks at the veggies while I prep, and then begs my forgiveness for doing so. I don't actually give a hoot if there are no vegetables left when it's time to sit down for dinner. I've already accomplished the most difficult task, which is coaxing them to eat their vegetables. :)
re: The Dairy Queen
re: The Dairy Queen
I read "Bringing Up Bebe" which offered the idea of French kids eating in courses, with the vegetable course being served first. It works brilliantly whenever I remember to do that.
re: The Dairy Queen
For me it was Crudités w/o dipping sauce: matchstick carrots, celery, and any other similar vegetable. Setting out vegetables to nibble on was the one thing I did to keep everyone happy while I finished dinner when the family was still here.
re: Gio
Funnily enough, I had a crudite platter leftover from an event I had on Weds night and I set it out on the table last night while I was cooking dinner. I was pleasantly surprised to see my preschooler just dug right in! I might have to add the crudite strategy to my bag of tricks!
re: The Dairy Queen
Oh yes! I got in the habit of steaming some broccoli, or putting out frozen peas or carrot slices and the young one would eat them in great quantities. Funny, she is 28 now, and still enjoys her vegetables as an appetizer.
re: biondanonima
I liked everything I made from Ad Hoc but those recipes require some major planning as they are very time and labor-intensive. I still am happy to have the book, though.
Dunlop - the avocado and tofu from EGOR; Dry-fried chicken and Shrimp with Chinese Chives.
re: LulusMom
Made the Stir Fried Greens with Dried Shrimp the other night. Quick and good.
And here is an old post of JoanN's where she's talking about Dunlop's Land of Plenty and Revolutionary Chinese weeknight quick dishes:
And beetlebug's list and tips from the same pair of books: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/4946...
Surprisingly, I find that a number of recipes from 660 Curries are weeknight friendly if you have the spice blends and pastes already made in your pantry or freezer. Some of my favorites:
Cashew Chicken with Cilantro Sauce, pg. 155
Roasted Cashew Chicken with Fenugreek Sauce, pg. 124
Spicy Banana Peppers with a Coconut-Sesame Seed Sauce, pg. 538
Cinnamon-flavored black-eyed peas (I use canned black beans) pg. 323
Nutty Rice with Cashews, Almonds and Fresh Mint, pg. 712
Spicy Ground Beef with Peas and Chiles, pg. 182
Lamb stew with a spinach sauce, p.196
Saag Paneer, pg. 295 (if you use purchased paneer and skip the frying step, this comes together very quickly. I use methi instead of mustard greens)
re: biondanonima
Could you paraphrase the Saag Panner recipe?
re: italy531
Here is an adaptation - http://www.acalculatedwhisk.com/2014/...
re: italy531
Here's the actual recipe: http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/spinac...
I use frozen methi (fenugreek) leaves instead of the mustard greens, and yogurt+a little half and half instead of the cream (I really like the tang of the yogurt). I don't bother frying the cheese - just cube it up and chuck it in. Also, a good commercial garam masala will do - no need to make the special spice blends unless you want to. It's really fabulous.
Oh, I love the idea for this thread! I am compiling a list and will report back.
Without hesitation, no need to consult my books, the Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes from Zuni Cafe takes top billing. Probably made it a hundred times.
re: dkennedy
Yum! Those buttermilk potatoes sound delicious! Good call on 660 Curries, too! I can't wait to hear what else you come up with!
I just figure that we all own and/or are super familiar with some combination of about 110+ books (can you believe it!?!) in common from the past eight or so years of cooking from and talking about them. I figure we all have every interest in getting the best use out of them we can! Sometimes, I look back at what I cooked from these books and realize these books are so underutilized, even if I cooked from them a lot during COTM, because my memory of these books is often warped to the extent it reflects something peculiar that was going on for me personally at the time which influenced which recipes I chose to try.
For instance, maybe it was the dead of winter when a certain book was COTM so I didn't cook a lot of the recipes that called for fresh produce. Or I was on a weight loss diet. Or whatever. Also, I've grown a lot as a cook over the past 6+ years. Anyway, I figure collectively we have a much better perspective on these books. Crowd-sourcing, I guess.
I don't have time right now to review all the COTM's, but off the top of my head, these are the items we cook often. Often enough not to pull the book off the shelf anymore:
Sahni: Spiced Meat, Everyday Lentils with basmati rice, 45 minutes
Moonan, Fish Without A Doubt: the broiled technique for fish. Throw together with a quick slaw or salad and either rice or potatoes and you are eating within 1/2 hr
Mexican Everyday: if you already have the salsas sitting in the freezer, any of the enchiladas, quesidillas, etc are very fast
Stir Frying to the Edge & Breath of the Wok: Any of these stir fries are fast and easy as long as you don't need to have variety. One stir fry with meat and veggies or veggies alone with rice is a meal.
Around My French Table: Potatoes Dauphine. The family adores this dish though it does take about 55 minutes start to finish.
My Calabria: tomato sauce. Now that is fast. Sauce plus pasta can be ready in under 20 minutes.
Soups: a lot of these books have really tasty soups and are very fast if you already have some stock on hand. Sorry can't be more specific, but the Hazan soups really stood out.
re: smtucker
My Calabria is the one book mentioned so far I don't have. But, here's a link to breadcrumbs description of the quick tomato sauce that includes a link to the recipe. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8661...
Thank you smtucker!
re: smtucker
Fish without a Doubt - I make the Asian slaw a *lot* - goes with so many of the things we like, and is easy to make (especially if you buy already shredded cabbage) and can be done ahead of time.
re: smtucker
I love the idea of making the salsas ahead for a quick weeknight dinner. This is really genius, thank you.
Good timing on this thread because I just purchased a cheap copy of Mexican Everyday and I can see from this thread that it is filled with weeknight favorites that I have yet to try! Chipotle meatballs definitely coming up soon. Personally I love the quick cowboy beans, but I think I have only made them twice.
re: smtucker
smtucker, sorry to be such a space case, but I can't find the everyday lentils or spiced meat recipes in EYB. This is a book I don't have so I'm sort of dependent on the "precise" title. Do you recall the name of the recipe?
ETA: nevermind! I found this comment in EYB: Lentils with garlic butter (Masar dal)
smtucker on September 30, 2011
Maybe the best lentil recipe ever made in this house. Add cumin with the garlic/butter mixture. Tends to be soupy on night one, then leftovers tighten up. Perfect over rice for quick meal. LM loves this with samosa meat recipe.
re: smtucker
Raising the Salad Bar: To add to this, lately I have been using the dressing formulas from Raising the Salad Bar and have been very pleased. A cut above my usual eye-balling some vinegar, aromatics and then drizzling olive oil until the color is right. Again, making the dressings is fast and easy. Washing and prepping the veggies always takes more time than anticipated.
Fish: Without a Doubt: Salmon Burgers. I buy larger sides of salmon and then trim so that the resulting fillets are almost the same thickness from side to side. The trimmings are turned into salmon burgers. The extra egg white leftover from making the mayo is used as the binder, and the mayo gets whirred in a food processor with all the herbs and cornichons for a quick tartar sauce. I gave up on his pita bread idea; just not robust enough, and instead pull out my homemade hamburger buns from the freezer or serve on a bed of lettuce.
Ottlenghi: Green Bean and Manout with Hazelnuts has become a make ahead favorite in this house. Half the time, I don't even bother with the hazelnuts, just using the oil. Even toddlers eat this salad with glee. Total time, including bringing the water to a boil has to be less than 10 minutes.
Ad Hoc at Home: Not as fast but worth every moment is the potato pancake with scallions. This is really a rosti without the cheese. Crispy, creamy, scallion-y, a potato dish that has it all. Plus it reheats in a toaster oven really well so having too much isn't a problem. I would guess 40 minutes start to finish, 15 minutes attended once you have made a few.
Chipotle shrimp - Mexican Everyday p.252 and online at http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/chipot...
Made a variation that's in the online recipe but not the cookbook: saute zucchini (or any veg of choice) and cook with the sauce before adding the shrimp, for a one-pot meal, over rice. There were leftovers, with just two of us.
Wow, the list of quick and easy COTM recipes made at least three times is pretty short in my case! But it includes:
From Cook This Now:
Buttery Garlicky Spicy Calamari (usually served over quinoa)
Roasted Blackfish with Olives and Sage
Corn Salad with Tomatoes and Avocados
Cabbage Salad (accompanies the vietnamese steak)
Quinoa with Brown Butter, Black Pepper and Arugula (I find this to be a really convenient side dish)
From Marcella's Essentials:
Broccoli and Anchovy Sauce
Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onion
From Seductions of Rice:
Tofu with Tomato and Coriander
From How to Eat:
Soba Noodles with Beet Greens
From Mediterranean Harvest:
Ricotta Frittata with Herbs
Pasta with Raw Tomato, Beans and Feta
And some of the ideas already mentioned are on my list as well -- the tofu with lemon, soy and butter, the cabbage salad with capers and parsley, the melissa clark roasted broccoli and shrimp dish.
Oh, and the Shakshuka from Jerusalem would definitely be on the list if I could get my kids to eat it!
Cook This Now is definitely a go-to weeknight book for me. There are many recipes in there that I have made twice and fully intend to make again, just haven't gotten around to it yet.
re: Westminstress
Sooo many Melissa Clark recipes that I found it daunting to even start. I can't keep straight which book they're from without going to look, but here are some that I've made again and again:
Dahlia's chicken fingers - these are not at all what you expect, but more like little meatloafs made with ground chicken or turkey with vaguely middle-eastern spices. we love these, they're super easy, and any leftovers are great in lunchboxes.
Turkish swordfish with brown butter sauce - super easy, very tasty.
Pasta with broccoli rabe and sausage - this is one of the "other idea" type things she adds to her broccoli rabe recipe, and we do it a lot.
The roasted shrimp and broccoli.
So many of her salads. The orange/chile/mint goes well with the swordfish and the chicken fingers.
I've had the Tofu with Tomato and Coriander that Westminstress mentions on my list of things to make for ages - really need to get around to that one!
re: LulusMom
I re-made the turkish swordfish for dinner last week. I forgot how easy and delicious it was. LLM reminded me of the recipe in one of the recent Clark threads. Thanks for the heads up.
FYI, the turkish swordfish is the "alternative" recipe to the halibut poached in olive oil. I mention this because both of Clark's books have horrible indexes. I don't even think swordfish is in the index. I think I found it under fish or butter or something not intuitive to me.
re: beetlebug
Melissa Clark is a very seasoned cookbook author. I continue to be shocked at how many complaints there are about the index to her books. Whose responsibility is the index, I wonder? The author's? The editor's? A good index is so important!
re: The Dairy Queen
A post at Dianne Jacob's pro food writing blog makes it appear that who pays for indexing is one of the things negotiated in a book contract, and that either way, about $600-$1000 is spent on it. So it's extremely hard to know in any specific case who to blame (or credit; I assume that indexing is like many things in that higher quality costs more). Here's the link: http://diannej.com/2013/3-issues-to-c...
For authors whose writing is valuable but whose indexes are terrible, it's probably worth sending letters/emails to both author and publisher, praising what's good but being frank and specific about the poor indexing. One of the two is who hired the indexer.
re: beetlebug
Horrible, horrible indexing.
re: LulusMom
Would this work well with another type of seafood, do you think? Maybe shrimp or scallops?
We avoid swordfish bc of the high mercury content but the combo of brown butter and mint sounds really good.
re: Westminstress
I'm guessing it would work. I'm not a huge swordfish fan, and so we very rarely eat it, so being able to serve a different kind of protein keeps me coming back to this one. Anyone else who has made it have a different thoughts about it?
re: Westminstress
There are also sustainability issues with swordfish....
re: LulusMom
LLM, which book is the Orange/Chile/Mint salad in? I can't find it in EYB.
re: The Dairy Queen
There's an orange and olive salad in cook this now, maybe that one?
re: Westminstress
Yes! I believe you're right! "Sliced oranges with olives and red chile" and she suggests you add fresh herbs, which must be the mint LLM refers to!
re: The Dairy Queen
Exactly! Sorry to have been so confusing. I was thinking and typing without books at my side.
re: Westminstress
I think your list if quite impressive! And you mention two books I don't have (Seductions of Rice and Med Harvest) so I will track those recipes down.
re: The Dairy Queen
Here's the Tofu recipe:
I see that Martha Rose Shulman has several ricotta frittata recipes online -- none of them are exactly the same as the one from the book, but they are similar.
re: The Dairy Queen
Do you eat anchovies? If so, the broccoli and anchovy pasta is really delicious! I always make it with lots of broccoli and less pasta so there is more broccoli than pasta in the bowl, which it makes it a very healthy meal as well.
re: Westminstress
I love anchovies, though my family, not so much. Are they ground up into a paste because, if so, what they don't know won't hurt them, right? If they are visible as whole little fish, then I probably couldn't pass it off.
Thanks for the tofu recipe, too! I might have to check the book out of the library to get the ricotta frittata recipe!
re: The Dairy Queen
The anchovies dissolve into the olive oil at the beginning stage so they are not visible as whole fish. They do have a prominent flavor though. We love anchovies so I always add extra, but you could try reducing the amount (or just adding extra broccoli) if you are worried it would be too much. Oh -- this recipe calls for quite a lot of olive oil. I always reduce the amount. (I do that pretty much across the board when cooking from this book.) If you wanted to reduce the anchovy somewhat for your family, some capers or olives added near the end would add some flavor punch if needed.
re: Westminstress
So Marcella's Broccoli and Anchovy Sauce saved my bacon AGAIN last night. Such a great desperation dinner. It is fast. It is healthy (if you consider pasta healthy). It is delicious.
re: Westminstress
Funnily enough we went with the garlicky broccoli rabe with sausage over pasta from Cook this Now last night. And for us once again delicious and once again super easy.
re: LulusMom
where is this recipe in cook this now? i'm in need of a good broccoli rabe with sausage pasta recipe.
re: Westminstress
The recipe is on page 328. The original recipe is just for the broccoli rabe, but in her "What else" section she suggests making it into a full meal by browning some sausage and then adding the (for me cut up) broccoli rabe and then once that is cooked, some pasta. I always use rigatoni. Huge hit here.
re: LulusMom
How did I miss this??? I am going to try it soon.
re: Westminstress
Hope you like it!
I've been thinking about this one for a few days now and generally my repeats for weekdays are (usually they are comfortably under an hour):
Conchiglie with Yogurt, Peas and Chilli
Baby Spinach Salad with Dates and Almonds
Roasted Chicken with Clementines and Arak (this one has to be pre marinated but is a snap after that).
Every Grain of Rice
Black Bean Chicken
Stir Fried Tofu with Black Bean and Chilli
Blanched Choy Sum with Sizzling Oil
Mexican Every Day
Chipotle Shrimp
Fish Without a Doubt
Shrimp Chii
Butter Basting and Broiling Technique
660 Curries (assuming your blends and pastes are prepped)
Palak Gosht
Everyday Curry
Matter Paneer
Lamb Curry in a Sweet Onion Tomato Sauce
I know we are still in this one but I am pretty sure the Pasta with Pesto and Potatoes is going to be a weeknight repeat for me. Very simple, different, and flavourful.
re: delys77
Really nice list, Delys, thank you. It's especially helpful to me that these are all recipes from some of the more recent COTMs which tend to be the ones I personally am least familiar with.
I think these are all calling my name, starting with that Black Bean chicken, I think.
re: The Dairy Queen
I've made the black bean chicken twice and would make it again. It's a good dish. My problem is, there are so many dishes I want to try that I rarely repeat ... especially with something like chicken. I probably cook chicken three times a month, four at most--with some of those times a simple roast chicken, which absolutely does get repeated--and my list of chicken recipes I'd like to try is so long, it would probably take me years to try them all, and who knows how many more would get added to the list in all that time!
re: Westminstress
My husband sometimes complains that, while he loves the variety of foods we eat, every time he really really loves something he worries that he won't ever get it again, or that it will take months for me to come back around to it. I'm trying to do better at keeping a bunch of favorites and redoing them for him, while still being able to experiment. Tightrope walking.
re: LulusMom
Precisely the same experience at my house. In a given month if I am making dinner 24 times (we usually go out for a nice dinner once per week), I usually try a good 16-20 new dishes, which means there isn't a lot of room for even the stellar repeats.
re: delys77
We have 2 date nights a week, and he cooks one night a week. So that means on a good week (no work seminars, no late Lulu activities, etc) I cook 4 meals a week. At least one is going to be one of the types of things we're talking about on this thread - easy but very tasty. But you know how we obsessives are - we want to keep trying new stuff. I'm trying hard to learn to relax and do old favorites at least twice a week - maybe 3 times. That is one of the reasons I am so excited about this thread.
re: LulusMom
Date night, good for you guys! I have often thought the same thing, that after cooking so many new things I should start scaling back and repeat more often, but then I look at my books and the urge to cook through them returns and I am filling menus up with all sorts of new things.
I actually don't find this much harder than cooking old favourites, but I do find it requires far more planning. On that topic I'm going t start a new thread actually (menu planning).
re: delys77
With a kid, date nights are imperative for the health of a relationship - at least for us. The one thing I'm good at is planning ahead (as in I know what I'll be cooking for any next 10 days).
re: LulusMom
That's great, do you shop for all 10 days at once or do you have to space it out?
re: delys77
I space it out - there are quick trips to the grocery store during ballet lessons, etc.
re: LulusMom
re: delys77
Delys, menu planning is a great idea for a thread - count me in! Cooking for one, I am not very good at menu planning but when I do plan, my work week is so much easier and I have more time to pursue my various interests in the evening.
Recently I am thinking about putting a "binder" (e- and paper) together with favourite recipes and making them over as I select them as favourites to ensure that they still are. This will help with a cookbook that I want to finally finish for my children. This will include long-time favourites when they were growing up, new favourites that I make over and over when I visit and some of my favourites that I have not cooked for them. I want the book to be small - 100-150 recipes - and all recipes to be delicious and to our current taste. Toll order, no? :)
re: The Dairy Queen
re: The Dairy Queen
and you can always add to it, right? You come across another great, easy meal that everyone likes - just add it into the notebook.
re: herby
My mom did something similar for me when I moved out. It was very sweet and helped me get comfortable in my kitchen.
re: herby
Here is the link to my menu planning thoughts.
re: LulusMom
Yes, I am trying to repeat a little more often also. In my case my kids are really at the age where they love to eat familiar foods. Being asked to try something new every night is a bit stressful for them. And then it turns out that their favorite dishes are restaurant/take-out (because those tend to be repeats) and I want them to have favorite home-cooked meals too.
re: delys77
I have a slight variation to the same problem and that is I seldom cook the same dish twice. I like the challenge of trying something new and that's what really motivates me in the kitchen. That and eating something really delicious.
My husband, on the other hand, is more than happy to cook the same dishes over and over. He finds that repetition relaxing. So, most of the dishes we eat repeatedly at our house are my husband's bachelor recipes--hearty, standard American fare. Or, anything I can get him to add to his repertoire which he is, thankfully, pretty willing to do.
But, then, when it comes time for ME to have to prepare something for dinner, in a hurry, that is tried and true, I am paralyzed. I just can't thing of ANYTHING to cook. I have bookshelves crammed with cookbooks in four rooms of my house, I have pepperplate, eat your books, and the entire internet, but I just can never think of anything to cook.
re: The Dairy Queen
I hear you TDQ, we recently rented a cabin for a weekend away and I had planned to do some impromptu cooking. I discovered I am not great at impromptu, when confronted with a new kitchen and an unfamiliar grocery shore I was at a bit if a loss. I had lots of ideas, so many that I ended up not cooking at all. Paralysis by analysis I suppose you could say.
re: The Dairy Queen
Do you keep a list handy? For instance keep a post-it next to your computer and as you read down the list of things on this thread that appeal, add them to it? Then when you have to think of what to cook in the coming week, pick a few things that aren't too similar and bingo - you've just meal planned!
re: LulusMom
I'm embarrassed to say I don't, because I always assume I can search pepperplate or something, but then I just end up overwhelming myself... But, maybe I should.
re: The Dairy Queen
I think you should (I'm so sorry if this comes across as bossy - I honestly don't mean it to - just helpful). I am always making up little lists of things that sound good/doable during the week. And then I check them and sort of see what makes sense - no, can't do pasta twice; oops, two Asians right next to each other isn't sensible - and before you know it I have a list. Salad or roasted vegetables are usually our side and those are easy.
re: LulusMom
Not to worry, I view it as helpful! You've read tons of posts from me over the years and know this meal planning thing is something I struggle with (for whatever bizarre reason...really, how hard can it be) so I appreciate the advice! I need a short list rather than, or at least in addition to, a giant database!
re: LulusMom
Really good suggestion, LLM! I write things on post-its all the time and stick them into my date book. I also started to make a starch or two on the weekends some to eat during the week and some to freeze in small portions and pull out of the freezer a week or two later. This way I have an assortment that is making a difference in meal prep and variety of meals during the week. I have black beans and farro in the freezer right now and plan to make chickpeas and quinoa this weekend. I'll probably make quinoa and chickpeas dish that I have a recipe for somewhere and freeze the rest for future dishes.
re: LulusMom
Thank you for doing that. 3M is a solidly-Minnesota based company. :) Okay, I made a short post-it note list (I had to go on a search for post-it notes--I never seem to have any at my desk) of dishes that jumped out at me from this thread. Here's how it reads, Chicken, salmon, chicken, and more chicken. HA! I will need to make another pass I think.
re: LulusMom
We are! I have three sizes at my desk at work and many colours at home :)
re: LulusMom
This is exactly what I do, LLM. I keep my list in Evernote and I am always adjusting it and often change it on the fly, but it is always there. When I go shopping on Sunday I make sure to buy ingredients for at least a few of the meals on the list, and I usually try to have some planned for later in the week that are comprised of pantry items, long-lasting veg, or things I know I can pick up very quickly during the week. Then if these meals get bumped for whatever reason, it's no big deal because there's nothing perishable to go to waste.
More recently, I have also started keeping a separate list of what we actually ate, with the most successful dishes highlighted so I can remember to repeat them. I've actually found this separate list to be helpful in terms of menu planning (I can think, hey, we haven't had ____ in a while, time to put that on the menu again, etc.)
re: Westminstress
For whatever reason, I haven't really taken to evernote. But, I really think it would be helpful if I would! Also, I've been thinking of keeping a food diary, too. I think my biggest problem is portions. I seem to always have too much food (that we either get bored with or that goes to waste) or not enough food and we're scrambling. I need to learn the perfect balance. For instance, I always feel like one roasted chicken doesn't go far enough, but two are too much. Sure, I can remember to freeze some of it, etc. but I need to start taking notes, I think, but how these meals work for us IN REALITY so I can figure out how to adapt for next time.
re: The Dairy Queen
You don't have to use Evernote -- I do because it's a way of keeping my list accessible to me whether at home, at work, at the grocery store or during my commute, but you could keep the list in any place that works for you. An Excel sheet, google doc, the notebook function on your phone, or even a piece of paper or chalkboard on the fridge could work.
re: Westminstress
Yes, I see your point, that I just have to come up with some kind of memo system that works for me. I think some kind of electronic solution is probably best as I feel like I need to be able to access it from both home and the office (different operating systems, mac vs. pc). Dumb as it sounds, I think the biggest hinderance for me is that my home and work computers are both woefully old which means that lots of technology solutions such as pepperplate, evernote, google docs, etc. are very very cumbersome right now. But, I remind myself that what I often do is email myself a list. I can check my email from anywhere, forward it to my husband if he's the one doing the shopping or cooking, etc. So perhaps I shall type the post-it note I just made into an email and send it to myself.
re: The Dairy Queen
P.S. I know this isn't rocket science! I don't know why it's something I struggle with so much! The truth is I do fine most of the time, but it's when I'm tired or stressed that my "system" breaks down. And that's what I need to help myself with. Have an arsenal to turn to so I don't have to "think" when my brain shuts down--I can just go on autopilot. But, not bore myself with food that's too simple or plain.
re: The Dairy Queen
I have finally created a google document with a list of main courses, alphabetical, note if it's easy, vegetarian, gluten free. If it's online, I link to the recipe right there. The other half of my "what to cook" planning is Pinterest: I have a board called "Things to cook" and I pin anything that looks interesting there (I've been doing a lot reading down this thread). When I finally cook something from that list, I move it to a board called "Things I've Cooked" (I'm very creative!) and write a note about how it went. I'm very disorganized in general, but this is working for me much better than files, and loose pieces of paper.
re: The Dairy Queen
I think the email system is a great solution. Easy to update, accessible from anywhere.
The other key, I think, is not to plan too rigidly or too far in advance, it's too overwhelming and you end up with wasted food if life gets in the way. So, as an example, here's my list for the next week or so (starting with tonight's dinner):
Pasta with Tomatoes, Olives and Capers, green salad
Christmas Lima bean & mushroom stew, polenta, green salad
Monkfish braised with cherry tomatoes and basil, bread, green veg
Ricotta gnudi and odd fellow marinara, salad
Ginger chicken, rice, green veg
Lamburgers, pita, cucumber salad
Sausage braised in red cabbage
As you can see, I try to indicate the starch and veg components for planning purposes. If there's a specific recipe I want to try, I will write it out, but more often I'm just choosing something simple depending on what looks best.
And here's an example of how flexibility is really the key to success:
The Pasta with Tomatoes, Olives and Capers was added to the list yesterday thanks to LLM's rec. It sounded good and easy and vaulted straight to the top of the list (displacing my other plans) because I have all the ingredients on hand vs. having to shop. I actually intended to make it last night but I had the commute from hell so we ended up ordering in. I'll make it tonight.
The bean and mushroom dish has been on the menu all week but keeps getting bumped because I haven't had time to precook the beans. But I should be able to do them tomorrow during my daughter's nap. And it must be made by tomorrow because the mushrooms are getting old and need to be used soon.
I usually buy fish once a week from the farmer's market, and I've been seeing monkfish recently -- hence, the monkfish dish. It's from All About Braising, found through EYB. I'll cook that Sunday or Monday.
And I need a cooking project to occupy my son during my daughter's nap -- that's the gnudi (from Stir, this month's COTM). We will make and freeze them over the weekend to have for a quick meal during the week.
The ginger chicken (from Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table) and lamburgers (from Cook This Now) have been on my to-cook list for literally weeks but keep getting bumped for one reason or another. And the sausage and cabbage dish (from Marcella's Essentials) is because I have sausage in the freezer and half a head of red cabbage to use. I am unlikely to make all three of these dishes this week but I will wait until later in the week to decide which to cook and which to bump.
Here's what we actually ate last week (from last night):
Thursday 3/27 -- Take-out
Wednesday 3/26 -- Chilaquiles topped with fried egg, cabbage salad w lime, scallion and cilantro
Tuesday 3/25 -- Panfried Tofu and Mushrooms with Spicy Sesame Sauce, Avocado Salsa Cruda, rice
Monday 3/24 -- Fried Flounder with Black Bean and Avocado Salad
Sunday 3/23 -- Out -- Turkish restaurant
Saturday 3/22 -- Quesadillas (leftover steak), Quick Cowboy Beans
Friday 3/21 -- Pizza Night!!! (take-out)
Thursday 3/20 -- Frittata with Mushrooms and Scallions, Kale with Bacon, olive bread
re: Westminstress
That all sounds great Westminstress. It is all good to see that you manage with a lot of flexibility.
I also have a menu but sometimes diverge because life gets in the way. For example, in the case of the green veg that is being served with your Ginger Chicken, in a case where something came up would you simply roll over to the next day as the veg in your crisper will hang on for a few more days?
In my case I find I often do this and I am often surprised about how well some of my produce keeps. For example, I had planned to serve some Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli) with a dish the other day, but when it came time to make dinner it turned out I would be alone so I opted to have left overs. Long story short, that meal ended up getting pushed back for several reasons until about a week later when I pulled the Gai Lan out to find that apart from a few that had flowered (which I just trimmed) the veggies were still looking very good.
I'm not saying we should all be eating old produce here, but I find I am often surprised by how resilient some of my produce is.
re: delys77
Yes, I agree -- luckily I find that it can hang out quite a while in the fridge. It helps that I buy a lot of produce at the farmers market so it's pretty fresh to start with. (Though this time of year the farmers market is pretty grim and I do have to rely much more on regular market produce). I have a small 24" fridge and pack my veg really tightly into the crisper drawers and am often amazed how long they last! I think the lack of air circulation helps. I do try to use up the more fragile veg first whereas something like a head of cabbage can keep for weeks - just trim off the parts that were exposed to air and the interior is fine. Also, I have found that even if they are a bit wrinkly, once cooked you don't notice that much. Sure, they are better fresher, but the difference isn't that significant.
re: Westminstress
Indeed, plus it is always good to try and cut down on waste. If it is not perfect but still edible I try to do something with it. I still find I waste more product than I would like but I am getting better.
re: Westminstress
Thanks for sharing your approach. It really helps to know what other people are doing that is working. I think you've got that perfect balance of planning ahead, but allowing some flexibility for when life gets in the way!
re: The Dairy Queen
Just FYI tonight I had the commute from hell again! We ordered pizza. Luckily my planned dinner was a pantry meal so I can come back around to it sometime next week. My mushrooms can't wait another day! TDQ, I bet we are not that different, I think you're just being too hard on yourself!
re: Westminstress
When I have those nights and my mushrooms are on the edge, I throw the mushrooms in the oven with a bit of olive oil and salt, to roast while I enjoy my pizza. Then they will keep for up to 3 additional days. Roasted mushrooms can be used for a chicken cutlet sauce, topping for polenta, gosh, almost anything at all!
re: smtucker
Oh good idea thanks!
re: Westminstress
This is very much how I do the planning.
I'm interested in the bean (I probably would use something besides lima) and mushroom stew - that over polenta sounds wonderful. Is that in a COTM or someplace else online? I just did a quick search and came up with a stew without the mushrooms.
Hope you liked the pasta.
re: LulusMom
This is the recipe I used: http://food52.com/recipes/11057-heirl...
I chose it because I actually had some christmas lima beans and was looking for a good way to use them. I made a half recipe with 1/2 pound beans and cut back on the garlic just a little bit (I used some garlic when cooking the beans so there was already some garlic flavor in the broth). I also chopped my onions v. slicing them. I think you could sub cannellini or cranberry or pretty much any other kind of large bean in this recipe, and you could probably even use canned beans for a quick meal. This was a really nice bean dish.
re: Westminstress
Thanks so much Westminstress. Lulu and I are big on beans and this sounds perfect.
re: Westminstress
This really should be in menu planning thread, but whatever ...
I made the bean and mushroom dish on Saturday (turned out good)
And l made the pantry pasta last night (also good)
There was no fish vendor at the farmers market this week so I had to scratch the monkfish
And I forgot to get the ricotta again so no gnudi
And I want to make something this week from Pok Pok, the new COTM
So my new list for this week is:
Lamburgers, pita, cucumber salad
Tuna yam, stirfried mixed veg, rice
Ginger chicken, rice, green veg
Sausage braised in red cabbage
But I can already tell I will need to adjust it as my list has two rice-based meals and nothing vegetarian. We just had beans and pasta so I will most likely bump the ginger chicken to next week and replace it with something involving eggs or quinoa. I also have some kale stems lurking in the bottom of the veg drawer so kale stem pesto is a possibility.
re: Westminstress
I'm in awe.
re: The Dairy Queen
If you obsessively keep and constantly reorganize lists of what you might cook (as opposed to, you know, actually getting something productive done at work) it's just cut and paste!
re: Westminstress
Hello Pot, my name is Kettle.
re: LulusMom
Funny! My names' kettle too!
re: Westminstress
Love the idea of past meals list! I think it will be very helpful for me too.
re: Westminstress
It works a charm doesn't it? I do the same with shopping - everything that will keep I get in my big weekend shop, and then I stop once, maybe twice during the week for things that need to be fresh.
I have a folder with print-outs of our very favorites (this was taken with us when we were gone for 9 weeks, which is why I bothered to make copies), and so I go into that and pick at least one now so that the favorites do get made. And the favorites are all pretty easy ones. It helps so much to have that.
re: Westminstress
I'm rereading this thread for inspiration, and I have to say, this tip of yours to keep a list of things I'd made during the week has been *really* helpful. I know what worked, what was easy and liked by all.
And I"m still using this thread for menu planning. Last week I made fish (unfortunately couldn't find blackfish) with sage and olives and I finally tried the tofu with cilantro relish. Both were good and easy (I'd made the fish before). I love this thread, is that obvious??
re: LulusMom
Thanks - so glad it's working for you! I have to say I'm finding it less helpful lately but I think I'm overwhelmed by back to school and have lost my cooking mojo a bit. I agree this thread is awesome! I go back to it often for inspiration too.
re: Westminstress
I go through those periods of lost cooking mojo. I hope you get over it soon, or maybe take a night or 4 off and order in pizza or something. Everyone needs a break now and then. The back to school thing - you'd *think* it would be the perfect time for a big sigh of relief, and yet somehow it isn't. Very odd.
re: LulusMom
re: dkennedy
I know - a person really needs some way of keeping track of the good and easy stuff that bowled the family over.
re: The Dairy Queen
Hope you enjoy!
Hey TDQ - this may be the best thread ever! At least for those of us who have time constraints at dinner.
re: LulusMom
I am so inspired by this thread and so grateful for everyone's enthusiastic and thoughtful comments. I want to cook every one of these recipes. I have the recipes! And I know they'll a) taste good and b) be doable in a reasonable timeline!
re: The Dairy Queen
I'm inspired too. I may have to make a spreadsheet (when in doubt, make a spreadsheet!). Or maybe a folder ... I've come to love having folders. My OCD is getting a little extreme ...
re: LulusMom
I know. I kind of want to do a spreadsheet, too! Or, at least add these all to pepperplate. I don't know, I can't quite figure out how to organize all of the info yet.
At least we know we can keep referring to, and adding to, this thread. And I think I'm beyond inspired by this thread, I'm actually MOTIVATED which is a rare thing for me lately.
re: The Dairy Queen
And we have You to thank for it!
re: The Dairy Queen
Maybe, after most people have had a chance to weigh in, I'll create and post a master list by cookbook...
re: The Dairy Queen
That would be enormously kind!
re: dkennedy
Happily, especially if it would benefit us all.
re: The Dairy Queen
OMG that would be so great!!!
re: The Dairy Queen
I'm headed away for the weekend (Lulu and I are having a ladies trip to NYC - weeee!), but I probably could find the time to go through this thread a make a list in a week or so if you're feeling overwhelmed.
re: LulusMom
OK, we'll see how everything looks in a week or so and which one of us can get to it first! I appreciate your kind offer!
re: The Dairy Queen
You're more than welcome - just let me know.
re: The Dairy Queen
I keep track of recipes from cookbooks in a spreadsheet. It gives me a place to rate them into what I would and wouldn't make again as well as what is a weeknight meal vs. weekend meal. I also want to add my own recipes so I have a working list of meal options so I can meal plan better. I tend to be more successful cooking all week if everything is planned out.
Wow, this is quite an endeavor, going through all these books! I haven't made it through all of them yet, but the ones listed so far are the ones that I refer to most often.
Ann Leblanc's Pistachio Avocado, p. 106
Mozzarella, Tomato and Strawberry Salad, p. 118 - use only the best ingredients in the peak of season or this one will be a disappointment
Quinoa, Fruit and Nut Salad, p. 138
Marie Helene's Apple Cake, p. 432 - easy to put together and a show stopper. Best on the day it is made.
Fava Bean Puree with Olives, Feta, and Garlic Toast, p. 68 - it is fava season!
Heirloom Tomato Salad, p. 153
Plum Tarte Tatin, p. 178
Chocolate Sables, p. 236
Torchio with Cauliflower and Black Kale, p. 308 - tone down the chilis on this one.
Kabocha Squash Soup, p. 323 (left chunky, it is doable on a weeknight)
Roasted Apples, p. 361
Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, p. 233
Rugelach, p. 69 - classic but why mess with perfection
Orzo with Roasted Veggies, p. 174 - I make it with a GF pasta instead or over quinoa.
Crostada dough p. 176 - comes out perfect, any filling will do.
Tequila Lime Chicken, p. 85 - great over pasta.
Banana Sour Cream Pancakes, p. 177
Frittata, p. 184 - see website for various fillings
Crispy Mustard Roasted Chicken, p. 117
Chocolate Icebox Cake (Use Tate's GF cookies for the layers)
Rabbit Tostadas, p. 197 - the beans, dressing and salad, without the rabbit, make for an outstanding weeknight tostada.
Broiled Striped Bass with Brown Butter Corn Sauce, p. 54
Smoky Tortilla Soup, p. 127 - it's the best! I use rotisserie chicken and store bought chips.
re: dkennedy
WOW! Such a great list. And I'm so impressed that you got a couple of recipes from Lucques to fit the thread! And don't worry, you can continue to add to the thread as recipes occur to you!
Great thread!! I've tried to narrow my list to recipes can be done in 45 minutes or less.
Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter
Carbonara (we use a combination of pancetta and guanciale)
Fricasseed Chicken Abbruzzi-Style with Rosemary, White Wine, Cherry Tomatoes, and Olives
Bulgur with Roasted Chickpeas, Red Onion, and Lemon (we use half the bulgur called for in the recipe)
Ginger Chicken with Caramel Sauce (making the sauce in advance makes this a quick weeknight meal)
Linguine with Clams
Gong Bao Chicken (we use less oil and peanuts)
Mapo Tofu
Xie Laoban's Dan Dan Noodles
Southeast Asian Turkey Burgers
Spiced Chicken (use less salt)
Flattened Chicken – deboning the chicken takes time, so you can just spatchcock the chicken.
Grilled Chicken with Hot Spices (Ayam Panggang Pedis)
Couscous Salad
Pasta w/ Anchovies and Toasted Breadcrumbs
Millie Chan's Chili Shrimp
Martin Yan's Genghis Khan Beef
Florence Lin's Tofu with Cilantro Relish (I make the relish using sesame oil – thanks qianning)
Chinese Burmese Chili Chicken
Bademiya's Justly Famous Bombay Chili-And-Coriander Chicken (4+ hours to marinate)
Braised Ligurian Chicken (A Jamie Oliver recipe)
Staff Meal Chicken with Salsa Verde (requires a marinade for 1 hour or overnight)
Crostini with pea and fava bean purée with pecorino
Incredible Smashed Peas and Fava Beans on Toast
Mediterranean Swordfish with Frilly Herb Salad (requires 1 hour in marinade)
Salmon and Tomatoes en Papillote
Salmon with Basil Tapenade
Royal Potato Salad
Farro and Roasted Pepper Salad (I use less honey than called for)
Marinated Rack of Lamb w/ Coriander and Honey (overnight marinade)
Roast Chicken w/ Sumac, Za' atar and Lemon (overnight marinade)
Classic Thai Fried Rice (without tomato)
Arroz a Banda (quick if you keep fish stock in the freezer)
Tuna Like Fiorentina
Chicken Under a Brick (12 hour marinade)
T-bone Fiorentina w/ Sauteed Spinach
Tagliata of Rib Eye w/ Arugula (12 hour marinade)
Tuna Steaks with Tapenade Coating
Chicken African Style with Couscous (overnight marinade)
Glazed Carrots with Olives
Miso Soup with Enoki
Simmered Snapper Autumn Rain Style
Yellowtail Teriyaki
Chicken Teriyaki (I use Tsuji's sauce, but cook it a little differently)
Kinpira Gobo (stir-fried carrots and burdock root)
Salt Grilled Sea Bass
Lamb Merguez Burgers with Harissa Mayonnaise
Champiñones al Ajillo (Mushrooms with Garlic)- good ratios, I make this without wine or lemon- Especially good with chanterelles
Moorish Style Kebabs (overnight maridae)
Garlic Green Beans
Gambas al Ajillo
Quick Tomato Sauce
Grilled Swordfish Rolls with Breadcrumb Filling (sauce needs to reset 30 minutes)
Large Pasta Tubes with Swordfish and Cherry Tomatoes
Braised Eggs with Lamb, Tahini and Sumac
Chicken with Caramelized Onion and Cardamom Rice
Mapo Doufu (I add extra stock)
Fuchsia's Emergency Midnight Noodles
Chef Chen Dailu's Spicy Sesame Noodles
Stir-Fried Eggs with Tomatoes
Mongolian Barbecued Lamb Chops (24 hour marinade)
Seared Swordfish with Olive Vinaigrette
Stir Fried Chicken with Hot Basil
re: BigSal
Wow BigSal! I'm was just sitting here putting together the excel spread sheet when I saw your post pop up. Thank you so much for taking the time to put this together.
I have to say, as always, I am just bowled over by the kindness and generosity of the home cooking hounds in general and the COTM hounds in particular.
Just wow!
There is no reason we can't all eat well, even when in a hurry!
re: The Dairy Queen
You are welcome. I know my husband will appreciate more quick weeknight meals. I have been known to bite off more than I can chew and end up having dinner later than planned.
Yes, very true about the kindness and generosity of the home cooking hounds. As I was creating the list, I was thinking of all of the hounds that shared these recipes first, gave us tips on how to execute the dishes and all the fun I had finding a new recipe.
re: BigSal
As I continue to read and enjoy this thread (SO many great dishes!), I'm regularly reminded of those who still say "I never use recipes." :)
re: BigSal
Hi Big Sal, I'm considering making the Chicken with Caramelized Onion and Cardamom Rice from Jerusalem next week and looked at the reviews from the original thread. Some seem to say that this is a bit more labor intensive than one would expect. What are your thoughts on this? I'd likely be using boneless, skinless thighs, so could likely skip the browning step (or is that a bad idea?). Thanks so much for any advice, info.
re: LulusMom
Not BigSal, but as I recall when I made this dish I caramelized the onions ahead of time (a few days ahead, actually), and that was the key to weeknight success. The onions take way longer than he says in the recipe. I think you could skip the browning if using boneless skinless thighs because part of the purpose of the browning is to make sure the chicken cooks through in the time the rice takes to cook. If I were using boneless skinless thighs, I think I would cut them into smaller pieces and add them along with the rice. Hmmm maybe I should try that! This is a really great dish but I didn't put it on my list because I haven't made it three times (yet!).
re: Westminstress
You are massively helping me with my menu planning for next week! I think cutting the chicken into smaller pieces makes tons of sense, and doing the onions earlier in the week too.
As for the Tofu with tomatoes and coriander, I'm thinking just a cucumber salad now, with a little Asian dressing. Just enough extra to keep people from wanting more.
Thank you very much Westminstress.
re: LulusMom
When I made the caramelized chicken with rice, I also made the onions ahead of time. I made a note that the onions take about 20 minutes, not the 10-15 as stated in the book.
Another note in my book is that the dish needed more salt and that I should decrease the rice next time (or increase the chicken). The chicken to rice ratio is off for our tastes (and I love rice).
re: beetlebug
Thanks beetlebug. I've noticed that I have tastes similar to yours so I will make note of these changes in my book.
re: LulusMom
I love you all. You're the best.
re: beetlebug
re: LulusMom
No problem! I hope you like the dishes! I think cucumber salad sounds like a great solution.
re: Westminstress
I just realized that I'm actually working on the week *after* next week. This thread has me energized to try new things from books I have, and to revisit some that I'd forgotten about just a bit.
re: Westminstress
Yes, I should have mentioned caramelizing the onions in advance (makes the difference between weeknight and late night). The onions always take longer for me than any of the recipes indicate.
I believe the browning of the chicken helps render the fat from the skin, crisps the skin, as well as par-cooks the chicken. I would think 20 minutes cooking time of boneless, skinless chicken thighs would cook in the time it takes to cook the rice...that is, as long as they are not super huge, but maybe cut them in half just in case.
Hope you like it.
re: BigSal
Thanks BigSal, I'm definitely going to cut the chicken into smaller bits (maybe halves or thirds) and pre-cook the onions.
Also forgot about two more from Mexican Everyday... they really need to be grilled so I haven't made in awhile but they'll definitely go back in the rotation here soon.
Grilled Chicken with Tangy Yucatecan Spices: http://robyn-cooks.blogspot.com/2011/...
Roadside Chicken: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/20... I make with BISO thighs to speed up the cooking time
So, I just listed all of the recipes out in an excel spreadsheet. There are duplicates because I listed a recipe each time it was mentioned (I figured it was useful to know if a recipe appeared on multiple people's lists, plus sometimes people had different comments on a recipe I thought were useful) and we ended up with...
258 recipes! WOW!
I'm going to try to go through and search for links before posting the full list to save everyone the trouble.
re: The Dairy Queen
258!? You are almost back where you started. :-)
re: smtucker
So true!
re: The Dairy Queen
You're amazing - thank you so much.
re: smtucker
If there are a few that stand out , could you mention them? I'm still on the fence about whether to buy this book.
Okay, here's the list. If a recipe is listed multiple times, it's before multiple people recommended it.
Cashew Chicken with Cilantro Sauce, pg. 155
Cinnamon-flavored black-eyed peas pg. 323
Everyday Curry
Lamb Curry in a Sweet Onion Tomato Sauce
Lamb stew with a spinach sauce, p.196
Matter Paneer
Nutty Rice with Cashews, Almonds and Fresh Mint, pg. 712
Palak Gosht
Roasted Cashew Chicken with Fenugreek Sauce, pg. 124
Saag Paneer, pg. 295
Spicy Banana Peppers with a Coconut-Sesame Seed Sauce, pg. 538
Spicy Ground Beef with Peas and Chiles, pg. 182
Herbed Toasted Walnuts
Seared Swordfish with Olive Vinaigrette
Ann Leblanc's Pistachio Avocado, p. 106
Cauliflower Soup
Cinnamon Crunch Chicken
Marie Helene's Apple Cake, p. 432
Mediterranean Swordfish with Frilly Herb Salad
Mozzarella, Tomato and Strawberry Salad, p. 118
Potato gratin (Pommes Dauphinois)
Provencal Vegetable Soup
Quinoa, Fruit and Nut Salad, p. 138
Salmon and Tomatoes en Papillote
Salmon with Basil Tapenade
Supermarket Garbure
Roast Chicken
Crispy Mustard Roasted Chicken, p. 117
Crostada dough p. 176
Orzo with Roasted Veggies, p 174
Rugelach, p. 69
Chocolate Icebox Cake
Banana Sour Cream Pancakes, p. 177
Frittata, p. 184
Tequila Lime Chicken, p. 85
Mongolian Barbecued Lamb Chops
Rabbit Tostadas, p. 197
Florence Lin's Tofu with Cilantro Relish
Martin Yan's Genghis Khan Beef
Millie Chan's Chili Shrimp
Lentils with garlic butter (Masar dal)
Savory meat pastries (Keema samosa)
Grilled Chicken with Hot Spices (Ayam Panggang Pedis)
Grilled Chicken with Hot Spices (Ayam Panggang Pedis)
Buttery Garlicky Spicy Calamari
Cabbage Salad (accompanies the vietnamese steak)
Corn Salad with Tomatoes and Avocados
Garlicky broccoli rabe (with pasta and sausage)
Lamb Merguez Burgers with Harissa Mayonnaise
Quinoa with Brown Butter, Black Pepper and Arugula
Roasted Blackfish with Olives and Sage
Sliced oranges with olives and red chile
Proper Blokes Sausage Fusilli
Proper Blokes Sausage Fusilli
Bademiya's Justly Famous Bombay Chili-And-Coriander Chicken
Braised Ligurian Chicken
Staff Meal Chicken with Salsa Verde
Yucatan Fish with Crisp Garlic
Chicken African Style with Couscous
Glazed Carrots with Olives
Tuna Steaks with Tapenade Coating
Broccoli and Anchovy Sauce
Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter
Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter
Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter
Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter
Beef with Cumin
Black Bean Chicken
Blanched Choy Sum with Sizzling Oil
Chef Chen Dailu's Spicy Sesame Noodles
Fuchsia's Emergency Midnight Noodles
Mapo Doufu
Silken Tofu with Avocado
Silken Tofu with Avocado
Stir Fried Tofu with Black Bean and Chilli
Stir-Fried Eggs with Tomatoes
Asian Slaw
Broiled fish filets
Butter Basting and Broiling Technique
Linguine with Clams
Shrimp chili
Bulgur with Roasted Chickpeas, Red Onion, and Lemon
Bulgur with roasted chickpeas, red onion, and lemon
Shaved fennel salad with olives/marinated sardines pg 255-256 (winter)
Tofu with Lemon, Soy, White Wine and Butter Sauce
Tofu with Lemon, Soy, White Wine and Butter Sauce
Champiñones al Ajillo (Mushrooms with Garlic)
Gambas al Ajillo
Garlic Green Beans
Moorish Style Kebabs
Corsican omelet
Rhubarb fool
Thai Style Lettuce Wraps
Watermelon, feta and black olive salad
Za'atar chicken with fattoush
Zucchini Fritters
Chocolate Whiskey Bundt Cake
Southeast Asian Turkey Burgers
Southeast Asian turkey burgers
Spiced Chicken
Steamed bass with ginger and scallions
Smoky Tortilla Soup, p. 127
Texas Pulled Pork
Beef stroganoff
Soba Noodles with Beet Greens
Sugar and Spice Salmon
Sunday Night Chicken Noodle
Broiled Striped Bass with Brown Butter Corn Sauce, p. 54
Brown butter swordfish with Turkish chili and mint
Dahlia's fragrant chicken fingers
Roasted Broccoli with Shrimp
Roasted Broccoli with Shrimp
Roasted Broccoli with Shrimp
Roasted Broccoli with Shrimp
Chicken and ginger simmered in caramel sauce
Chicken and ginger simmered in caramel sauce
Grilled Garlicky Five-Spice Pork Steaks
Chicken with Lemon
Flattened Chicken
Chicken Under a Brick
Corn as Italians Would Eat It
T-bone Fiorentina w/ Sauteed Spinach
Tagliata of Rib Eye w/ Arugula
Tuna Like Fiorentina
Waxy Potatoes in Chianti Vinegar
Orecchiette, tomato, ricotta
Penne, tomato, dried porcini
Radicchio, walnut, Gorgonzola salad
Savoy cabbage, capers, parsley salad
Savoy cabbage, capers, parsley salad
Incredible Smashed Peas and Fava Beans on Toast
Crostini with pea and fava bean purée with pecorino
Chicken Teriyaki
Kinpira Gobo
Salt Grilled Sea Bass
Yellowtail Teriyaki
Baby Spinach Salad with Dates and Almonds
Baby Spinach Salad with Dates and Almonds
Braised Eggs with Lamb, Tahini and Sumac
Chicken with Caramelized Onion and Cardamom Rice
Conchiglie with Yogurt, Peas and Chilli
Roasted Cauliflower Salad
Roasted Chicken with Clementines and Arak
Turkey Zucchini Burgers
Ants Climbing a Tree, pg. 219
Chicken Chunks in red-oil sauce, pg. 140
Chicken slices in sichuan pepper and sesame oil sauce, pg. 143
Chicken with Vinegar
Dan Dan Noodles (both versions)
Dan Dan Noodles, pg. 87 and 89
Dry Fried Beef Slivers, pg. 228
Dry Fried Chicken, pg. 243
Dry Fried Chicken, pg. 243
Dry Fried Chicken, pg. 243
Dry Fried Green Beans, pg. 289 and 290
Dry Fried Green Beans, pg. 289 and 290
Fish Soup with Pickled Greens, pg. 262
Fried eggs with tomato, pg. 305
Gong Bao Chicken with peanuts, pg. 237
Gong Bao Chicken with peanuts, pg. 237
Gong Bao Chicken with peanuts, pg. 237
Hot and numbing chicken slices, pg. 141
Pock-Marked Mother Chen's Bean Curd, pg 313
Pock-Marked Mother Chen's Bean Curd, pg 313
Pork Slivers with Preserved Mustard Tuber, pg. 213
Pork Slivers with Yellow Chives, pg. 216
Red Braised Beef with White Radish pg. 232
Salt Fried Pork, pg. 212
Spicy cold noodles with chicken slivers, pg. 95
Spicy cucumber salad, pg. 185 (I only salt it for about 30 minutes)
Steamed eggplants with chile sauce, pg. 155
Stir fried cabbage, pg. 298 (variation from potatoes)
Sweet corn kernels with green peppers, pg. 299
Tai-Bai Chicken
Xie Laoban's Dan Dan Noodles
Zhong Crescent Dumplings, pg. 100
Zucchini slivers with garlic, pg. 303
Fricasseed chicken Abruzzi-style with rosemary, white wine, cherry tomatoes and olives
Pasta with tomatoes, beans, and feta
Ricotta Frittata with Herbs
Chicken a la Veracruzana
Chipotle Meatballs
Chipotle Meatballs
Chipotle Shrimp
Chipotle Shrimp
Grilled Chicken with Tangy Yucatecan Spices
Guajillo-spiced pork and potatoes
Quick Cowboy beans
Roadside Chicken
Slow-cooked achiote pork
Slow-cooked chicken with tomatillos, potatoes, jalapeños and fresh herbs
Slow-cooked Pueblan chicken tinga
Smoky Pork Tinga Tacos with Avocado & Fresh Cheese
Tomatillo Pork Braise with Pickled Chiles
Tomatillo-sauced spinach and mushroom enchiladas
Chipotle Meatballs
Quick Cowboy beans
Broccoli with Pecorino Romano
Grilled swordfish rolls with breadcrumb stuffing
Large Pasta Tubes with Swordfish and Cherry Tomatoes
Quick Tomato Sauce
Quick Tomato Sauce
Couscous Salad
Camargue Red Rice and Quinoa with Orange and Pistachio from Ottolenghi
Crushed new potatoes with horseradish and sorrel
Marinated Rack of Lamb w/ Coriander and Honey
Roast Chicken w/ Sumac, Za' atar and Lemon
Farro and Roasted Pepper Salad
Royal Potato Salad
Stir Fried Chicken with Hot Basil
Beef slivers with coriander, pg. 104
Beef with cumin, pg. 102
Beef with cumin, pg. 102
Duck Egg and Chive Omelet
Farmhouse stir fried pork with green peppers, pg. 85
Fisherman's shrimp with chinese chives (pg. 177)
Fisherman's shrimp with chinese chives (pg. 177)
Fisherman's shrimp with chinese chives (pg. 177)
Fragrant-and-Hot Tiger Prawns
Spicy Coriander Salad, pg. 59
Steamed eggs, pg. 149 (love this for breakfast as well)
Stir Fried green peppers with ground pork and preserved greens, pg. 200
Stir-Fried Rice with Egg and Preserved Mustard Greens
Arroz a Banda
Classic Thai Fried Rice
Tofu with Tomato and Coriander
Kentucky Mule
Kimchi and collards
Pasta with Pesto and Potatoe
Chinese Burmese Chili Chicken
Chocolate Sables, p. 236
Fava Bean Puree with Olives, Feta, and Garlic Toast, p. 68
Heirloom Tomato Salad, p. 153
Kabocha Squash Soup, p. 323
Plum Tarte Tatin, p. 178
Roasted Apples, p. 361
Torchio with cauliflower, cavolo nero, currants, and pine nuts pg 308
Spaghetti with anchovies, dried chilli and pangritata
Spaghetti with anchovies, dried chilli and pangritata
Spaghetti with tomatoes, olives, and capers
Spaghettini with salsa verde (variation with zucchini)
Miso Soup with Enoki
Simmered Snapper Autumn Rain Style
Pasta w/ Anchovies and Toasted Breadcrumbs
Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, p. 233
Fried eggs in bread crumbs
Madeleine's omelette with mustard croûtons and Beaufort cheese
Roast Chicken
re: The Dairy Queen
This is incredible. I'm going to use it when planning next week's menus.
Just a quick note - the fennel salad we like from Flexitarian is Fennel with Lemon and fennel salt on page 305.
re: LulusMom
Re: Fennel Salad from Flex Table. I like it a lot as well. I find there is always a lot of leftover fennel salt. I use the leftovers when roasting chicken or vegetables or just like a sprinkle on eggs. Kind of like how I use a flavored Penzey's salt or spice.
re: beetlebug
I always make a big batch of the salt - we like the salad so much that it will never *not* be useful. And yeah, it goes well on other things too. Sometimes I add a touch to pasta sauces if they need a little zing.
re: LulusMom
Oh no! I listed the wrong one. Do you think I should email the mods and ask them to edit or do you think I should wait for the next go around (I assume, over time we'll add to this list...)
re: The Dairy Queen
Whoa. Awesome. Hopefully in the next few days I can put this into EYB for cookbooks that I own.
Thanks so much of this.
re: The Dairy Queen
A million thanks, TDQ, for starting this thread and for compiling the list. Saving the link, and offering up a little prayer of gratitude for all the chowhounds.
And here's the list with just the recipes I could find links for. I did not attempt to compare any of the recipes to the underlying books:
Cashew Chicken with Cilantro Sauce, pg. 155 http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/20...
Cinnamon-flavored black-eyed peas pg. 323 http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/20...
Lamb Curry in a Sweet Onion Tomato Sauce http://boitearecettes.blogspot.com/20...
Lamb stew with a spinach sauce, p.196 http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/mem...
Matter Paneer http://www.spiceupthecurry.com/mutter...
Nutty Rice with Cashews, Almonds and Fresh Mint, pg. 712 http://boitearecettes.blogspot.com/20...
Roasted Cashew Chicken with Fenugreek Sauce, pg. 124 http://boitearecettes.blogspot.com/20...
Saag Paneer, pg. 295 http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/spinac...
Brownies http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st...
Herbed Toasted Walnuts http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/20...
Ann Leblanc's Pistachio Avocado, p. 106 http://www.sisboomblog.com/2013/05/pi...
Cauliflower Soup http://www.seattleweekly.com/voraciou...
Cinnamon Crunch Chicken http://leitesculinaria.com/61007/reci...
Marie Helene's Apple Cake, p. 432 http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...
Mediterranean Swordfish with Frilly Herb Salad http://www.ocregister.com/articles/ta...
Mozzarella, Tomato and Strawberry Salad, p. 118 http://bernadettesgranddaughter.blogs...
Potato gratin (Pommes Dauphinois) http://www.ladygouda.com/2011/02/lets...
Salmon and Tomatoes en Papillote http://doriegreenspan.com/2007/08/coo...
Salmon with Basil Tapenade http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/S...
Roast Chicken http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/in...
Crispy Mustard Roasted Chicken, p. 117 http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cr...
Crostada dough p. 176 http://www.barefootcontessa.com/recip...
Orzo with Roasted Veggies, p 174 http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/in...
Rugelach, p. 69 http://barefootcontessa.com/recipes.a...
Chocolate Icebox Cake http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/in...
Banana Sour Cream Pancakes, p. 177 http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/in...
Frittata, p. 184 http://barefootcontessa.com/recipes.a...
Tequila Lime Chicken, p. 85 http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/in...
Mongolian Barbecued Lamb Chops http://books.google.com/books?id=szuI...
Rabbit Tostadas, p. 197 http://books.google.com/books?id=szuI...
Florence Lin's Tofu with Cilantro Relish http://books.google.com/books?id=QDCf...
Martin Yan's Genghis Khan Beef http://boitearecettes.blogspot.com/20...
Millie Chan's Chili Shrimp http://www.sptimes.com/2005/08/03/new...
Grilled Chicken with Hot Spices (Ayam Panggang Pedis) http://books.google.com/books?id=Mdfa...
Buttery Garlicky Spicy Calamari http://books.google.com/books?id=rfuY...
Cabbage Salad (accompanies the vietnamese steak) http://www.food.com/recipe/vietnamese...
Corn Salad with Tomatoes and Avocados http://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/...
Garlicky broccoli rabe (with pasta and sausage) http://books.google.com/books?id=rfuY...
Lamb Merguez Burgers with Harissa Mayonnaise http://boitearecettes.blogspot.com/20...
Quinoa with Brown Butter, Black Pepper and Arugula http://thymeandreason.com/2013/07/08/...
Roasted Blackfish with Olives and Sage http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/20...
Sliced oranges with olives and red chile http://books.google.com/books?id=rfuY...
Proper Blokes Sausage Fusilli http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...
Braised Ligurian Chicken http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/248/br...
Staff Meal Chicken with Salsa Verde http://lexiskitchensb.blogspot.com/20...
Glazed Carrots with Olives http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid...
Tuna Steaks with Tapenade Coating http://www.howdoyoucook.com/2014/02/t...
Broccoli and Anchovy Sauce http://couscous-consciousness.blogspo...
Carbonara http://labellecuisine.com/archives/pa...
Pesto http://cookbookdiaries.blogspot.com/2...
Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/101537...
Beef with Cumin http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/590595
Black Bean Chicken http://pandabytes.blogspot.com/2013/0...
Blanched Choy Sum with Sizzling Oil http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddri...
Chef Chen Dailu's Spicy Sesame Noodles http://www.laweekly.com/squidink/2013...
Fuchsia's Emergency Midnight Noodles http://craftycooknook.wordpress.com/2...
Mapo Doufu http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandsty...
Silken Tofu with Avocado http://www.foodgal.com/2013/06/silken...
Stir Fried Tofu with Black Bean and Chilli http://www.mnn.com/food/recipes/stori...
Stir-Fried Eggs with Tomatoes http://www.localgreens.org.uk/recipes...
Asian Slaw http://www.seafoodwatch.org/cr/cr_sea...
Linguine with Clams http://www.today.com/id/24985973
Shrimp chili http://www.maureenclancy.com/2010/11/...
Bulgur with roasted chickpeas, red onion, and lemon http://books.google.com/books?id=IPru...
Shaved fennel salad with olives/marinated sardines pg 255-256 (winter) http://www.scribd.com/doc/209514035/T...
Tofu with Lemon, Soy, White Wine and Butter Sauce http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/4341...
Gambas al Ajillo http://vq.vassar.edu/issues/2013/02/e...
Garlic Green Beans http://food52.com/blog/7681-penelope-...
Moorish Style Kebabs http://www.spanish-food-and-recipes.c...
Corsican omelet http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/c...
Rhubarb fool http://www.notquitenigella.com/2007/1...
Thai Style Lettuce Wraps http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/t...
Watermelon, feta and black olive salad http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/w...
Za'atar chicken with fattoush http://www.food.com/recipe/nigellas-z...
Zucchini Fritters http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/c...
Chocolate Whiskey Bundt Cake http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...
Southeast Asian turkey burgers http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...
Spiced Chicken http://seattletimes.com/html/foodwine...
Steamed bass with ginger and scallions http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...
Smoky Tortilla Soup, p. 127 http://www.chron.com/life/food/articl...
Texas Pulled Pork http://www.homesicktexan.com/2010/05/...
Beef stroganoff http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/i...
Soba Noodles with Beet Greens http://creamofthecropcsa.blogspot.com...
Sugar and Spice Salmon http://savour-fare.com/2010/04/08/sug...
Broiled Striped Bass with Brown Butter Corn Sauce, p. 54 http://books.google.com/books?id=jXWZ...
Brown butter swordfish with Turkish chili and mint http://books.google.com/books?id=jXWZ...
Dahlia's fragrant chicken fingers http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe/dahl...
Roasted Broccoli with Shrimp http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/14/din...
Chicken and ginger simmered in caramel sauce http://books.google.com/books?id=FdR1...
Chicken Under a Brick http://gourmay.net/recipes/fowl-recip...
Corn as Italians Would Eat It http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Recipes/sto...
T-bone Fiorentina w/ Sauteed Spinach http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/t-bone...
Tagliata of Rib Eye w/ Arugula http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?...
Waxy Potatoes in Chianti Vinegar http://pbdba.lfpress.com/cgi-bin/publ...
Orecchiette, tomato, ricotta http://cafelynnylu.blogspot.com/2009/...
Penne, tomato, dried porcini http://www.recipelink.com/msgbrd/boar...
Savoy cabbage, capers, parsley salad http://mattikaarts.com/blog/vegetable...
Incredible Smashed Peas and Fava Beans on Toast http://greedyguts.wordpress.com/2011/...
Crostini with pea and fava bean purée with pecorino http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/br...
Chicken Teriyaki http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes...
Kinpira Gobo http://danseats.blogspot.com/2009/11/...
Salt Grilled Sea Bass http://books.google.com/books?id=fby2...
Yellowtail Teriyaki http://books.google.com/books?id=fby2...
Baby Spinach Salad with Dates and Almonds http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/101494...
Braised Eggs with Lamb, Tahini and Sumac http://www.culinarycovers.com/2013/07...
Chicken with Caramelized Onion and Cardamom Rice http://www.turntablekitchen.com/2012/...
Conchiglie with Yogurt, Peas and Chilli http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandsty...
Roasted Cauliflower Salad http://www.loveandlemons.com/2012/10/...
Roasted Chicken with Clementines and Arak http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/S...
Shakshuka http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2013/02/...
Turkey Zucchini Burgers http://weekendtable.com/2013/05/05/tu...
Ants Climbing a Tree, pg. 219 http://nycsliceofrice.blogspot.com/20...
Chicken slices in sichuan pepper and sesame oil sauce, pg. 143 http://chefmonkey.blogspot.com/2010/0...
Dan Dan Noodles (both versions) http://www.akitcheninbrooklyn.com/201...
Dan Dan Noodles, pg. 87 and 89 http://www.akitcheninbrooklyn.com/201...
Dry Fried Beef Slivers, pg. 228 http://gourmandistan.com/2011/04/02/d...
Dry Fried Chicken, pg. 243 http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/20...
Dry Fried Green Beans, pg. 289 and 290 http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/dry-fr...
Gong Bao Chicken with peanuts, pg. 237 http://www.fuchsiadunlop.com/cooking/
Hot and numbing chicken slices, pg. 141 http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/21/din...
Pock-Marked Mother Chen's Bean Curd, pg 313 http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/pock-m...
Red Braised Beef with White Radish pg. 232 http://foodonthebrain.net/2011/10/27/...
Salt Fried Pork, pg. 212 http://nycsliceofrice.blogspot.com/20...
Spicy cold noodles with chicken slivers, pg. 95 http://ilovebutterandsugar.wordpress....
Spicy cucumber salad, pg. 185 (I only salt it for about 30 minutes) http://www.spilledmilkpodcast.com/201...
Steamed eggplants with chile sauce, pg. 155 http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid...
Stir fried cabbage, pg. 298 (variation from potatoes) http://deltakitchen.blogspot.com/2010...
Sweet corn kernels with green peppers, pg. 299 http://www.flavorandfortune.com/dataa...
Tai-Bai Chicken http://foodonthebrain.net/2011/04/25/...
Xie Laoban's Dan Dan Noodles http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/xie-la...
Zhong Crescent Dumplings, pg. 100 http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/ldquoz...
Zucchini slivers with garlic, pg. 303 http://www.npr.org/2012/08/28/1601251...
Fricasseed chicken Abruzzi-style with rosemary, white wine, cherry tomatoes and olives http://articles.latimes.com/1998/jul/...
Pasta with tomatoes, beans, and feta http://andreasgardencooking.com/2013/...
Chicken a la Veracruzana http://www.suntimes.com/news/2227186-...
Chipotle Meatballs http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/chipot...
Chipotle Shrimp http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/chipot...
Grilled Chicken with Tangy Yucatecan Spices http://robyn-cooks.blogspot.com/2011/...
Guajillo-spiced pork and potatoes http://ellysaysopa.com/2010/02/10/gua...
Quick Cowboy beans http://books.google.com/books?id=Ez1L...
Roadside Chicken http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/20...
Slow-cooked achiote pork http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/5464...
Slow-cooked chicken with tomatillos, potatoes, jalapeños and fresh herbs http://www.bowenappetit.com/2011/01/0...
Slow-cooked Pueblan chicken tinga http://www.mitchinthekitchen.com/post...
Smoky Pork Tinga Tacos with Avocado & Fresh Cheese http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/vie...
Tomatillo Pork Braise with Pickled Chiles http://books.google.com/books?id=LFDt...
Tomatillo-sauced spinach and mushroom enchiladas http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/tomati...
Chipotle Meatballs http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/chipot...
Broccoli with Pecorino Romano http://www.food.com/recipe/mario-bata...
Grilled swordfish rolls with breadcrumb stuffing http://books.google.com/books?id=86R7...
Quick Tomato Sauce http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8661...
Couscous Salad http://books.google.com/books?id=r723...
Camargue Red Rice and Quinoa with Orange and Pistachio from Ottolenghi http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/re...
Crushed new potatoes with horseradish and sorrel http://lissalovedit.blogspot.com/2012...
Marinated Rack of Lamb w/ Coriander and Honey http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/22...
Roast Chicken w/ Sumac, Za' atar and Lemon http://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/...
Farro and Roasted Pepper Salad http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/01/di...
Royal Potato Salad http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandsty...
Shakshuka http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandsty...
Stir Fried Chicken with Hot Basil http://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/...
Beef slivers with coriander, pg. 104 http://www.mnn.com/food/recipes/stori...
Beef with cumin, pg. 102 http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/590595
Farmhouse stir fried pork with green peppers, pg. 85 http://recipes.findthebest.com/l/5380...
Fisherman's shrimp with chinese chives (pg. 177) http://nycsliceofrice.blogspot.com/20...
Fragrant-and-Hot Tiger Prawns http://rachelsbite.blogspot.com/2007/...
Spicy Coriander Salad, pg. 59 http://nycsliceofrice.blogspot.com/20...
Steamed eggs, pg. 149 (love this for breakfast as well) http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/9689...
Classic Thai Fried Rice http://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/reci...
Tofu with Tomato and Coriander http://www.indiadivine.org/content/to...
Kentucky Mule http://boitearecettes.blogspot.com/20...
Kimchi and collards http://www.npr.org/2013/05/02/1805882...
Pasta with Pesto and Potatoe http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/tr...
Chinese Burmese Chili Chicken http://www.chow.com/recipes/30480-chi...
Chocolate Sables, p. 236 http://alittleyum.com/2013/12/20/holi...
Fava Bean Puree with Olives, Feta, and Garlic Toast, p. 68 http://www.thedevilsfoodadvocate.com/...
Heirloom Tomato Salad, p. 153 http://blog.williams-sonoma.com/heirl...
Kabocha Squash Soup, p. 323 http://www.kcet.org/living/food/the-p...
Plum Tarte Tatin, p. 178 http://books.google.com/books?id=F8i3...
Roasted Apples, p. 361 http://books.google.com/books?id=Z7at...
Torchio with cauliflower, cavolo nero, currants, and pine nuts pg 308 http://books.google.com/books?id=F8i3...
Spaghetti with anchovies, dried chilli and pangritata http://viethefoodamateur.blogspot.com...
Spaghetti with tomatoes, olives, and capers http://www.indiadivine.org/content/to...
Miso Soup with Enoki http://www.mamacooks.com/index.php?pa...
Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, p. 233 http://returnoftheyummy.blogspot.com/...
Fried eggs in bread crumbs http://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/reci...
Roast Chicken http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/zuni-r...
re: The Dairy Queen
re: Westminstress
re: Westminstress
Indeed, I second that. Thank you so much TDQ!
re: The Dairy Queen
YOU. ARE. AMAZING!!!!! We travel a lot and you have just provided me with something incomparable. Thanks SO much, TDQ. Just wow.
re: c oliver
Thanks all. I was really serious about putting all of this into a spreadsheet so I could always refer to it...and once I did that, it was easy to share it with all of you! I hope to keep adding to it, too!
Now, all I have to do is figure out what we're having for dinner next week! HA!
ETA--I think I'm going to start keeping a food diary/calendar/planner as several of you suggested, too.
re: The Dairy Queen
You've provided a terrific resource for us, TDQ! Thanks so much. I contributed Zllch to this thread but I did lurk & read. It's interesting to see so many of the recipes I return to are the same as others.
re: Gio
Eh, I realize not everyone is focused on the "quick weeknight" thing so no worries. And, just like any COTM thread (or any other thread for that matter), we can continue to add this one. So, who knows, maybe you'll be inspired to add something down the road when something particularly appropriate catches your attention!
re: The Dairy Queen
I am so totally using this list to make next week's menu list. I have made a word file with the original list and then all your links (so much work - so grateful!). I feel like I'll get to try new things from old COTMs, and I'll be reminded of favorites that I might not have thought of. Just extraordinary.
re: The Dairy Queen
I know other's have said it but - wow! You are amazing. Thank you!
re: The Dairy Queen
AMAZING work, thank you!
re: The Dairy Queen
Thank you!
re: The Dairy Queen
Wow! Thank you so much for putting this together. I'm sure organizing it all and finding links to the recipes was no easy feat!
re: The Dairy Queen
Many thanks TDQ! I will add my two cents when I have a chance to look through some of the books. Sometimes I have a post-it inside the book cover where I will note recipes I particularly liked or others enthusiastically recommended. I'll add those to the list if the dish is not time consuming to make.
I am amazed that with such ability to focus and organise, you are having trouble with menu planning :)
re: herby
Terrific, thank you!
Yeah, it's weird. I don't know why menu planning is such a problem for me. I just think it's not something I ever really saw my mom do and I spent most of my time as a single person eating out instead of cooking. It's just a skill I never really developed or thought about developing until I got married. And then had a child...
re: The Dairy Queen
Since you are so good at lists, maybe you should take this approach to meal planning - on a spreadsheet, days across, meals down.
re: herby
Here's the problem, since I am such a spreadsheet maven, I tend to get very rigid and perfectionist etc. And then I get overwhelmed or something changes and the whole thing falls apart because I'm just trying to keep the spreadsheet all perfect. So, I'm thinking maybe I need to approach this meal planning with a little more loosey-goosey, less rigid attitude.
I do rigid well--but I'm not so great at loosey-goosey.
I'm even thinking pepperplate's meal planner is encourages me to be too rigid.
However, I did this morning pick out a handful of recipes, put in pepperplate, added them to my pp shopping list (which I have printed out "by recipe" so I can easily strike a meal from my shopping list) and scratched in which dishes should be which days...
So, we'll see how that goes. I've also ordered a "week at a glance" type calendar I can use for planning and/or as a diary.
re: The Dairy Queen
As one rigid person to another, sometimes you can use this as a strength. Make a plan and stick to it, or something like that (obviously nothing ever works out perfectly, but if you have a plan, it sure doesn't hurt). But it seems to me that you've got a fantastic list here and you just need to decide what you'll make and make a shopping list and you're golden. I'm weirdly obsessed with the list. I may just cook from it (including my old favorites) for the next few weeks.
re: The Dairy Queen
Thanks to this list and these links I will be trying two new things next week - the Cashew Chicken Curry with Cilantro sauce (with rice and cucumber raita as my sides), and Marcella's tomato, onion and butter sauce with pasta (and the cabbage/caper salad from Italian Easy as the side). Weeee!! I had a hard time choosing - the following week I'll be looking at Tofu w/ tomatoes and coriander and shakshuka. I also had to look up a few to see if I'd made them before. Lo and behold on every one of them I had. Memory ...
re: The Dairy Queen
I found another of the recipes from the original list. From 660 Curries:
Spicy Ground Beef with Peas and Chilies (I hope to make it with ground turkey): http://www.dadamo.com/cgi-bin/Blah/Bl...
Here is my partial list of COTM dishes that are simple to make and, oh, so delicious :)
Carrot Ginger Soup p.35 (freezes beautifully)
Cucumber Celery and Pepper Salad p. 69
Mussels with Bacon p.126
Pancakes p. 235
Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Rosemary p. 133
Chinese Chicken Salad p. 98
Panzanella p. 102
Oven Roasted Fruit p. 117
Grilled Herb Shrimp p. 138
Orzo with Roasted Vegetables p.174 (or quinoa, Israeli couscous, etc.)
Lemon Bars p.200
Roasted Eggplant with Onion and Lemon p. 33
Pureed Beets p.53
Mejadra p. 120
Roast Chicken with Clementines and Arak p. 179
Turkey and Zucchini Burgers p.200
re: The Dairy Queen
Opening a can of worms with that 150 Best. I'm suddenly thinking of the chicken thighs with lemon, sage, rosemary and thyme. And the chicken fricasse w/ lemon, saffron and olives. And pasta with cremini mushrooms and chives (something like that). And that corn bread salad with sausages and chipotle dressing.
re: LulusMom
re: The Dairy Queen
I know, I know. I need to stop reading!
re: LulusMom
Nah, keep them coming! Because, you know, even though we've "whittled it" down to 300 or so recipes, once you strike the ones that don't suit your tastes, are for a cuisine or ingredient your family doesn't eat, are out of season, or whatever, you have a smaller subset to work with. So, more is always better!
I'm adding another one - Stir-fried Cilantro Chili Noodles with Egg from Stir Frying to the Sky's Edge http://myculinarymission.blogspot.com...
This is especially quick if you do the egg earlier in the day and have it ready, but either way a quick, delicious meal.
re: LulusMom
Yum, I made this today and it was fantastic! I didn't have the chiles, so I subbed sriracha. Still very tasty. I also reduced the wokking oil quite a bit... probably used less than half of the recommended and didn't miss the fat one bit. (How do I know? I still have oil-kissed lips from the way I made it.)
I realize I'm probably in the realm of changing the recipe to not be the recipe here, but next time (and there will be a next time--this comes together quickly and deliciously), I will add a squeeze of lime after plating. I also wouldn't hesitate to add leftover steamed vegs or protein. Yup, there I go. :-)
re: miss louella
Funnily enough, Lulu and I squeezed lime onto ours this time around!
OK, so I haven't made this 3 times, but I definitely should, and it very much deserves to be on this list. It is easy, and it is delicious. From "Bistro Cooking at Home" Fiona's Easy Halibut with White Wine, Shallots and Basil: http://www.recipecircus.com/recipes/C...
re: LulusMom
I think you're obligated to quickly cook this a couple more times. :) Seriously, sounds lovely, thank you!
re: The Dairy Queen
I know - I felt slightly guilty, but it was more a matter of having forgotten about it than of not wanting to make it 3 times.
re: LulusMom
I'd rather have it on the list. Don't feel guilty. I don't think the rules of this thread are really that exacting.
re: The Dairy Queen
Phew! ; )
re: LulusMom
Just saved that! Gotta say that one would feed two of us. I love that technique of putting it in the skillet first.
re: LulusMom
ALERT, ALERT, ALERT: I made Fiona's Easy Halibut (ok, Cod) tonight for dinner and it was very much not a hit with the other two members of my family. I actually still really enjoyed it, but Lulu only ate half her fish, and my husband said "this was better the first time." So ... not sure what the problem was, but I wanted to be sure to mention that here. It was a very very easy meal to cook, so it would have been great to have everyone loving it, but sadly that was not the case.
re: LulusMom
Caitlin posted cod recipe on "Cooking from DH" thread - sounds easy and very tasty. It just went on my "to make very soon" list. Maybe try that one instead? It is from Pure Cooking or something like that (I do not have this book).
re: LulusMom
Did you make it with cod last time too?
ETA: I have a cod recipe that I like very much - it is easy to make and tasty. Here is the link: http://www.food.com/recipe/roast-cod-...
re: LulusMom
I made this recipe several times and it always turns out well and people usually ask for a recipe which is always a good sign :)
re: Westminstress
I do not have Arabesque - heard many good things about it.
re: Westminstress
I love the cod from Arabesque too. And the link does say that is where this recipe comes from. Great recipe.
re: smilingal
Yep, that is what it says in the book too. And if someone is going to try it, my notes say to oil the pan and to double the chermoula (but that second part is just because we really really like the chermoula - the first is probably a good idea for anyone though).
re: LulusMom
So - you are cooking at 475 degrees for 50 minutes?
re: smilingal
I must have, since i didn't note anything in my cookbook about that being too much, but I agree that it sure sounds like a lot.
re: smilingal
You first cook the veggies while the cod is marinating in chermoula sauce - 50 min or until the potatoes are tender. Place cod over the veg and cook another 10+ min until it just starts to flake but looks moist. Cod dries out in no time, you really need to watch and not to over cook.
re: smilingal
Not for potatoes. I usually roast my veggies at 450F and the dense ones take time. Just check your potatoes as you roast them and take them out to top with cod when you think they are done - extra 10 min with cold (room temperature) cod on top is not going to over cook them :)
Give it a try, Smilingal, and let us know how it works for you.
re: smilingal
I've followed the recipe exactly as written with great results. It's an excellent recipe, really packed with flavor from the fantastic chermoula marinade. You want the potatoes and tomatoes to be well-cooked when you add the fish on top, and then you want the fish to cook quickly, so the high temp works.
re: Westminstress
Thanks all. Hoping to make it tonight or tomorrow. Will report back.
re: smilingal
GREAT recipe! Thanks. Will definitely make again. Nice enough for company!
Served with roasted brussel sprouts.
re: smilingal
Good to hear that you liked it :) I made it for company more than once.
re: smilingal
The recipe makes 4 servings and I'll use 6oz per serving or 8oz if you have big eaters. Just for myself I make a pound of cod or there about, one large filet, and have it over two meals. Last time I made it for company, six people, I doubled the recipe and used four medium fillets cut in half - no leftovers :)
Coming back to report on my first week using this thread. I ended up cooking 4 nights and each night made something from this list.
Saturday: The turkish swordfish in brown butter (M. Clark), orange, olive salad (M. Clark) and couscous with currants. Delicious meal.
Sunday was date night
Monday: Cashew Chicken with Cilantro Sauce (660 Curries) served with basmati rice and cucumber raita. The raita was a bad idea - somehow didn't go with the chicken, but we all loved this chicken. Definitely going into the "make often" folder.
Tuesday: husband had a work dinner. I realized I had everything for Stir-Fried Cilantro Chili noodles with egg (Stir-Frying to the Sky's ..) for Lulu and me. Easy, happy.
Wed.: another date night (yep, we're lucky)
Thursday: Pasta with tomato,butter, onion sauce (M. Hazan) with the Italian Two Easy Cabbage and Parsley salad with capers. Unfortunately this pasta sauce wasn't to our tastes, but hey, it sure was easy so no tears here. And the salad was as good as ever.
So - 4 nights cooking, all pretty darned easy and most made for very good, interesting meals. Doing the same with next week's menu!
re: LulusMom
Thanks for the update! So sorry Marcella's sauce didn't work for you. It's a go-to for me, one of those things I can do in my sleep (and probably have....) But different strokes for different folks and all that.
re: Westminstress
I have to try this controversial sauce! One of these days...
re: LulusMom
I will, thank you for encouragement :)
re: LulusMom
The first time I made it, it was amazing. Hasn't quite lived up to that high since then. Probably greatly depends on what tomatoes I'm using.
re: LulusMom
So inspiring. Weirdly, I haven't cooked anything yet from this thread, but I've been inspired by this thread to cook a lot more and to look at my books and recipes etc. I've also been doing more menu planning. So, it's paying off in a funny, expected, but super-helpful way. I know I'll be cooking from some of these recipes, soon, but in the meantime, I'm happy with the inspiration I've gotten.