Recipes

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound vacuum-packed gnocchi
1 onion, chopped fine
6 cloves garlic, minced
¹⁄₈ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
¹⁄₂ cup fresh basil, chopped
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475*F. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large ovensafe nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook gnocchi, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes; transfer to plate.

2. Add remaining oil and onion to empty skillet and cook until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and water and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

3. Add basil and browned gnocchi to pan. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until gnocchi is tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella and bake until cheese is well browned, about 8 minutes. Serve. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2008 Cook’s Country Annual and, overall, it was very tasty.  The one problem we all found with the recipe is that the gnocchi to sauce ratio was out of whack, when I make this again I’ll be increasing the gnocchi to a pound and a half, if not two pounds.  The flavors were great, though, and I’m loving these vacuum-packed gnocchi. 

Shown here with Mom’s Chicken.

Cook’s Country 2008

Ingredients
20 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 ¹⁄₂ cups beef broth
1 (10-ounce) can Ro-Tel tomatoes
2 pounds ground beef
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped fine
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
4 cups colby-jack cheese, shredded (I used the reduced fat variety.)
1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced (The jalapeños at the store were HUGE, so I ended up just using one of them.)
¹⁄₂ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1-3 teaspoons hot sauce (I used Sriracha.)
Salt and pepper

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450*F. Grease 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Toast 3 tortillas in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until they bubble and turn spotty brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to plate and repeat with remaining tortillas.

2. Tear 8 toasted tortillas into rough pieces and transfer to food processor. Add ³⁄₄ cup broth and Ro-Tel tomatoes (with juice) and process until smooth; transfer to large bowl. Add beef to empty skillet and cook over medium-high heat until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain beef in colander, the transfer to bowl with tortilla mixture.

3. Add oil and onion to empty skillet and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, chili powder, and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce and remaining broth to skillet and simmer until slightly thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir half of tomato sauce mixture, 1 ¹⁄₂ cups cheese, jalapeño, cilantro, and hot sauce into bowl with tortilla mixture to finish filling. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Arrange 6 toasted tortillas in bottom of baking dish. Spread filling evenly over tortillas. Arrange remaining tortillas over filling and top with remaining tomato sauce mixture. Bake until casserole is bubbling around edges, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over casserole. Bake until cheese is browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes before serving. 

Comments
The goal for this recipe, which is from the 2009 Cook’s Country Annual, was to get good corn tortilla flavor throughout the dish and to ensure that the tortillas were sturdy enough to hold up to the other ingredients.  I’d say that it was a resounding success.  The pulverized tortillas in the filling added great flavor and texture.  All three of us enjoyed this quite a bit and Art felt that it compares favorably to his beloved Chicken Enchiladas.  That’s high praise coming from him!

Cook’s Country 2009

Ingredients
2 ¹⁄₂ pounds Yukon gold potatoes, rinsed and cut into ¹⁄₂-inch slices
Table salt
5 tablespoons olive oil
Ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack and heat oven to 450*F. Place potatoes and 1 tablespoon salt in Dutch oven; add cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to boil over high heat; reduce heat and gently simmer until exteriors of potatoes have softened but centers offer resistance when pierced with paring knife, about 5 minutes. Drain potatoes well and transfer to large bowl. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt; using rubber spatula, toss to combine. Drizzle with another 2 tablespoons oil and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt; continue to toss until exteriors of potato slices are coated with starchy paste, 1 to 2 minutes.

2. Working quickly, remove baking sheet from oven and drizzle with remaining tablespoon oil over surface. Carefully transfer potatoes to baking sheet and spread into even layer (skin-side up if end piece). Bake until bottoms of potatoes are golden brown and crisp, 15 to 25 minutes, rotating baking sheet after 10 minutes. (Do be careful when putting the potatoes on the baking sheet since the oil has the potential to splatter.) 

3. Remove baking sheet from oven and, using metal spatula and tongs, loosen potatoes from pan, carefully flipping each slice. Continue to roast until second side is golden and crisp, 10 to 20 minutes longer, rotating pan as needed to ensure potatoes brown evenly. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately. 

Comments
I love roasted potatoes and I’ve tried out a few different recipes over the past few years.  This one is from the 2009 Cook’s Illustrated Annual. At the first bite, Lance said “Wow, these are great!”  Tossing the potatoes in order to get a starchy coating built up really does help with the crisping process. These were fantastic, super crispy and delicious.  The recipe says that it serves four, but we gobbled them all up during the course of dinner.  I would make these again in a heartbeat. 

Shown here with Marinated London Broil.

Cook’s Illustrated 2009

Ingredients
4 (6 to 8 ounces each) skin-on salmon fillets
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 ¹⁄₂ cups kettle-cooked potato chips (I used Lay’s kettle cooked original.  Be sure to measure the chips in their uncrushed state.)
1 slice white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Instructions
1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat broiler. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Pat fish dry with paper towels, rub all over with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Arrange salmon, skin-side down, on prepared baking sheet and broil on upper-middle rack until fish is lightly browned and edges flake when gently pressed, about 8 minutes.

2. Pulse chips, bread, dill, and lemon zest in food processor until coarsely ground. Remove salmon from oven and brush evenly with mustard. Sprinkle chip mixture evenly over fillets, pressing gently to adhere. Transfer salmon to lower-middle rack and broil until crust is golden brown and crisp, about 2-4 minutes. (Watch it as it cooks, since it can burn in a matter of seconds.) Serve. 

Comments
I always try to take advantage of Art being gone by making fish.  Since salmon is one of my favorites, I thought this recipe from the 2008 Cook’s Country Annual looked interesting enough to try.  Lance and I both thought it was delicious.  I did make the mistake of smooshing the chips down while measuring them and, as a result, I had way too much coating left over and the dill and lemon zest flavors weren’t super strong.  So don’t make that mistake.  In spite of my mistake, this was still delicious and I’ll definitely be making it again in the future.

Cook’s Country 2008

Ingredients
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ³⁄₄ cups sugar
³⁄₄ teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tablespoons plus ³⁄₄ cup sour cream, at room temperature
¹⁄₃ cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 ¹⁄₂ cups all purpose flour
¹⁄₂ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 ¹⁄₄ teaspoons baking soda
1 ¹⁄₃ cups water
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400*F. Line 2 standard muffin tins with cupcake liner for a total of 24 cupcakes. 

2. With mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, ¹⁄₂ cup sugar, and ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt until smooth, about 30 seconds. Beat in egg whites and 2 tablespoons sour cream until combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and set aside.

3. Whisk remaining sugar, remaining salt, flour, cocoa, and baking soda in large bowl. Make well in center, add remaining sour cream, water, butter, and vanilla and whisk until just combined. Divide batter evenly among 24 cupcake liners and top each with 1 rounded tablespoon cream cheese mixture. Bake until tops of cupcakes just begin to crack, 23 to 25 minutes. Cool cupcakes in tins for 10 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely. (Cupcakes should be refrigerated in airtight container for no more than 2 days.)

Comments
Since Art is a lover of both cheesecake and chocolate, this recipe from the 2007 Cook’s Country Annual seemed like it would be a huge hit for a Game Day dessert.  And it was!  With everyone except Art.  Woe is me.  The chocolate was extremely rich and the cheesecake was lovely.  I wasn’t expecting there to be quite so much cheesecake per cupcake, but it worked out very nicely.  I’ll make these again in the future… just not when Art is home! ;)

Cook’s Country 2007

Ingredients
For the meatballs
1 large egg
¹⁄₄ cup half and half
1 large slice white sandwich bread, torn into 1-inch pieces (I use Arnold Country White.)
8 ounces ground pork
1 small onion, grated or pureed in a mini processor
¹⁄₈ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¹⁄₈ teaspoon ground allspice
¹⁄₈ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon brown sugar, packed
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
8 ounces ground beef
1 ¹⁄₄ cups vegetable oil

For the sauce
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 ¹⁄₂ cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
¹⁄₂ cup half and half
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
Table salt and ground black pepper

Instructions
1. For the meatballs: Whisk egg and half and half together in medium bowl. Stir in bread and set aside. Meanwhile, in mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat pork, onion, nutmeg, allspice, pepper, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder on high speed until smooth and pale, about 2 minutes, scraping bowl as necessary. Using fork, mash bread mixture until no large dry bread chunks remain; add mixture to mixer bowl and beat on high speed until smooth and homogeneous, about 1 minute, scraping bowl as necessary. Add beef and mix on medium-low speed until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl as necessary. Using moistened hands, form generous tablespoon of meat mixture into 1-inch round meatball; repeat with remaining mixture to form 25 to 30 meatballs. (The meat mixture will be very wet, as a result my meatballs weren’t very ball-like. They were quite lump-like.)

2. Heat oil in large straight-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat until edge of meatball dipped in oil sizzles, 3 to 5 minutes. Add meatballs in single layer and fry, flipping once halfway through cooking, until lightly browned all over and cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. (Adjust heat as needed to keep oil sizzling but not smoking.) Using slotted spoon, transfer browned meatballs to paper towel-lined plate.

3. For the sauce: Pour off and discard oil in pan, leaving any browned bits (fond) behind. Return pan to medium-high heat and add butter. When foaming subsides, add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until flour is light brown, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in broth, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits. Add brown sugar and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce is reduced to about 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in half and half and return to simmer.

4. Add meatballs to sauce and simmer, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Note: Serve the meatballs with mashed potatoes, boiled red potatoes, or egg noodles. 

Comments
Once upon a time, when I was a young child, I had Swedish Meatballs at some potluck type thing and thought they were the most delicious meatballs ever.  Years passed and I had them again, and the actuality in no way lived up to my memory.  They were heavy and the sauce was goopy, and not at all tasty.  I pretty much forgot about Swedish Meatballs.  Then I found this recipe in the 2009 Cook’s Illustrated Annual and thought “Ah-ha!  Cook’s Illustrated never steers me wrong so I should try these and maybe they’ll be as delicious as the ones I tried so very long ago!” 

Are they the same as the Swedish Meatballs of my youth?  I have no idea, I just remember that I enjoyed them, and not at all what they actually tasted like.  Regardless, this recipe was delicious and the results were great.  I opted to serve them with egg noodles but Lance tells me that potatoes would be a more traditional accompaniment.  I’ll make these again someday, so thanks Cook’s Illustrated for redeeming the Swedish Meatball.

Cook’s Illustrated 2009

Ingredients
¹⁄₄ cup olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 (16-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (8.8-ounce) package Uncle Ben’s ready rice
1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded into bite-sized pieces (about 3 cups)
2 teaspoons chipotles canned in adobo sauce, minced
1 cup Mexican cheese blend, shredded
¹⁄₂ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
6 large (burrito size) flour tortillas (Thanks to the snow, my store only has spinach flour tortillas.  Those worked just fine.)

Instructions
1. Place rimmed baking sheet in oven and heat oven to 450*F. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook onion until just softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in beans, rice, chicken, and chipotle and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in cheese and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Stack tortillas on plate and microwave until pliable, about 1 minute. Top warm tortillas with chicken mixture, leaving 2-inch border at bottom. Fold in sides and roll up tightly. Brush wrapped tortillas with remaining oil and arrange, seam side down, on preheated baking sheet. Bake until crisp and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2009 Cook’s Country Annual and I picked it because I love chimichangas.  However, the fried ones are sort of a pain to make at home, so this seemed like it would provide a nice alternative. 

I often pick recipes based solely on the name and picture, so I was a bit worried when I saw that this recipe contains so many prepared foods, but I felt committed to give it a try. 

I was actually very pleased with the results!  The oven baking made the tortillas nice and crispy and the assembly was extremely easy thanks to all of the packaged ingredients.  I think that, next time, I’d want to toss the rice and beans with some lime juice and I might add some salsa as well for extra flavor, or maybe some chopped green onions.  This method certainly has lots of potential, and I look forward to tweaking it in the future.

Cook’s Country 2009

Ingredients
1 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 medium head green cabbage
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to upper middle position. Place rimmed baking sheet on rack and heat oven to 450*F. Combine salt, pepper, and sugar in small bowl. Quarter cabbage through core and cut each quarter into 1-inch wedges, leaving core intact. You’ll have about 16 wedges. (I had 12.)  Brush cabbage wedges all over with oil and sprinkle with salt mixture.

2. Arrange cabbage on hot baking sheet and roast until cabbage is tender and lightly browned around edges, about 25 minutes. Drizzle cabbage with vinegar. Serve. 

Comments
Cabbage is a vegetable that I don’t have a lot of experience with, but this recipe from the 2009 Cook’s Country Annual looked promising.  I did forget to preheat the baking sheet, so I’ll have to try it out again at some point.  Even with my mistake, I still thought the cabbage was fantastic.  The flavor was great, the texture was lovely, and the balsamic added a nice finish.

Shown here with Tourtiere.

Cook’s Country 2009

Ingredients
1 ¹⁄₂ pounds russet potatoes, cubed
³⁄₄ cup half and half
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 pounds ground pork
1 onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried sage
¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup beef broth
Salt and pepper
2 9-inch pie crusts (I use Pillsbury, since I like them.) 

Instructions
1. Put potatoes in large pot and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain potatoes, return to pot, and mash with half and half and butter. Set aside.

2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425*F. Cook pork, onion, garlic, thyme, sage, and nutmeg in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until pork is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, about 10 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to medium-high, and cook until most of liquid evaporates, about 10-20 minutes. Off heat, stir in prepared mashed potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and let cool completely, at least 30 minutes.

3. Line deep pie plate (or a deep, round casserole dish) with 1 pie crust. Fill with pork and potato mixture and top with second pie crust, crimping edges to seal. Cut 4 vent holes in top and bake until crust is golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack 15 minutes. Serve. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2009 Cook’s Country Annual and it’s a fairly basic meat and potatoes pie.  It was very tasty and extremely simple. 

Shown here with Roasted Cabbage Wedges.

Cook’s Country 2009

Ingredients
1 pound penne pasta
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¹⁄₂ cups white wine
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup half and half
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat and cook penne as directed by packaging.  Drain and set aside. 

2. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and cook until done, 5-10 minutes.  Remove from skillet and set aside. 

3. Add remaining butter and oil to skillet and melt.  Sauté onion and garlic until onion is soft.  Add wine and simmer for 3-5 minutes, or until most of the wine has evaporated, stirring occasionally. 

4. Add tomato sauce and half and half, stir until combined.  Add chicken and reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add penne, parsley, basil, and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir to combine and serve. 

Comments
This recipe is based on Pioneer Woman’s Penne a la Betsy.  The original contains shrimp, which is a no go in my home.  Chicken, however, is always a go.  Lance enjoyed the dish, but I felt that it was lacking something and I have no idea what.  I’d definitely like to make the dish again, and I’ll try to figure out what it needs the next time!

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