Journal

2015 - Week 53 Cooking Results

Pork Chops and Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes (had on Christmas day at the Matta's, so good)

So I didn't use the herbed goat cheese like the recipe called for, but did use a very good goat cheese to do this (probably to a note of the ridiculous), but this made the kitchen area of the house smell amazing while it was baking.  It is an amazing combination, though clearly something that should only be had once in a while.

Lamb Burgers

Good stuff.  I don't have enough lamb.

Pasta with Hot Italian Sausage

Quick, emptied out some leftovers from the fridge.  Good things.

Pizza (Saturday or Sunday)

Never made the dough, so no pizza to be had.

2015 - Week 52 Cooking Results

Pork Cutlet Cuban Sandwiches  or Pork Cutlet and Corn

These turned out really good.  I was happy with the pork and ham and the reduced sauce for it.  Good things.

Bangers and fingerling potatoes

Om nom nom nom.  Even added some cheese curds.

I made some Baked Beans (thanks to Holly, for lending me her smaller slow cooker) and some peppermint brownies.  So I sent them off with Shannon to her work party and she came back with an award.  Feels good.  For me the peppermint brownies are incomplete, there is something not quite right about them.  The process reminds me of being very similar to Nuclear Brownies, but there's a little roughness to the texture.  Anyways I think I may work on them a bit to see if I can get them to where I like them.  The candy canes were added to early, because instead of being crumbled, they clearly melted.  So it will be a balance of getting them into them while the brownies are still accepting, but before they'll melt.  Anyways, thanks for the commendation.

2015 - Week 51 Cooking Results

Egg in the hole open faced w/ bacon and cheese

So maybe I forgot to put the cheese on there and instead of digging out my forming rings, to have nice round circles, I just widened the air bubbles a bit.  Either way, this was a semi-throw back to Shannon's childhood (her grandpa would make these).  Good stuffs.

Cheesy Corn Casserole  with Jalapeños and Cilantro

This was surprisingly good.  I looked at this and had my doubts, but it sounded interesting, but eating it and the next day.  Good things, I'd make this again.  It's easy, and most of the time doing it is while it is baking in the oven.

Pork Cutlet Cuban Sandwiches 

I didn't have all the ingredients for this, so hopefully we'll have this early next week.

Red Lentil Soup with North African Spices

Simple, tasty, kind of wish it was colder outside.

Penne Arrabbiata

This has a nice underlying savory flavor with a nice spicy flavor on top.  Good things.

2015 - Week 50 Cooking Results

Turkey Risotto (tried to do this last week, didn't have enough Arborio rice)

This used most of the last of the turkey stock, and the last of the turkey.  I think this is my second favorite thanksgiving turkey leftover usage (sandwich remaining at the top of the list).  It came together well.  The thing here is that I didn't follow a recipe, per se, but the process.  Though this I added quite a bit more salt...however the turkey stock didn't have any salt in it, so it was like adding the salt that was missing.

Turkey Soup (tonight)

Things come together really quickly when they're almost done anyways.  Turned out pretty good.  Only made a bit, not a full pot, though.

Buttermilk Pancakes (Leftover buttermilk)

Om nom nom.

Sausage, Red Beans & Rice (leftover (frozen) sausage)

One of those things that I should make more often.  a little light on the sausage, but still a good meal.

Pasta e Ceci

This was quite good.  I even used a really good anchovy filet.  I also used some of the La Quercia pancetta (big hunk cut off a bigger piece.

2015 - Week 48 & 49 Cooking & Thanksgiving Results

Buttermilk Pancakes

doubled, quick and good.

All Pork hot dogs (Crooked Gap)

nom nom

Bangers and Butter Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

tomato bangers and I believe wabi sabi fingerling potatoes.  Good stuffs.  Maybe a bit less tomato in the banger...

Burgers (trying vendor from Iowa Food Coop, Bear Creek Acres)

needed more fat.

Ground Pork and Beans Taco Salad

quick, the point.

For Week 49 we ate mostly leftovers, some takeout and some I feel like making this now type of food.

Thanksgiving

Preperation

Cooking

Results

The pie was a complete and utter failure.  I missed the part bout withholding a bit of the gelatinized part for the pumpkin top, so the texture of white chocolate part was just...wrong.  Even before this the crust, which was nicely put of the sides, collapsed to the base so there was a super thick part in the middle and nothing on the sides.

The apple crisp was a bit lemony, but not as lemony as the last time I didn't an apple crisp.  I think I'm going to the next one, more like what Joseph does at work, where you just have to finish it off for individual servings.

Other then that, we were ready at almost exactly the time we said.

I cannot express the amount of help that Joseph provided and how thankful I am for it.  We ripped through the day off prep, he offered to make extra things.  He did the ice cream, he ran off to get his apple corer, which just zipped through the apple prep.  He even wore a beard net (even though I didn't ask, nor would expect it).

So thank's Joseph, I really appreciate it.

Another Thanksgiving in the bag.  Now to start thinking about next year.

2015 - Week 48 Cooking

Going simple to prepare for more cooking.  Good things.

  • Buttermilk Pancakes
  • All Pork hot dogs (Crooked Gap)
  • Bangers and Butter Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
  • Burgers (trying vendor from Iowa Food Coop, Bear Creek Acres)
  • Ground Pork and Beans Taco Salad