Category: Uncategorized

Japanese chicken meatballs (tsukune)

My husband loves meatballs of all kinds. So we tried this recipe: https://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2019/09/japanese-chicken-meatballs-recipe-tsukune.html As written, the recipe calls for 14 oz ground chicken, but we had 16 oz (1 lb) from the supermarket. We adjusted the recipe by slightly tweaking the other meatball ingredients (e.g., mounded), but we left the sauce amount the same as…… Continue reading Japanese chicken meatballs (tsukune)

Honey-soy chicken drumsticks and wings

We bought a lot of chicken drumsticks and wings preparing for a dinner party later this week, so we decided to use some extra pieces (5 drums, 5 wings) for this recipe: https://alexandracooks.com/2013/02/26/honey-soy-chicken-drumsticks-thighs-or-wings/ Our modifications: first we slightly reduced the soy sauce to 1/3 cup (down from 1/2 cup) and honey to 7/8 cup (down…… Continue reading Honey-soy chicken drumsticks and wings

Black bean puree with chipotle en adobo

We made this recipe, but with significant modifications: https://vanillaandbean.com/chipotle-black-bean-dip/ Our modifications: first, we omitted the cilantro from the puree, using it only as garnish. Second, instead of pureeing the raw ingredients, we first heated the black beans (no-salt canned, rinsed and drained), garlic, chipotle en adobo, cumin, and a sprinkle of salt (1/4 tsp) in…… Continue reading Black bean puree with chipotle en adobo

Pico de gallo

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We made this recipe from Cookie and Kate: https://cookieandkate.com/classic-pico-de-gallo-recipe/ We prepared this condiment to season the bean filling for bean and cheese burritos: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022532-bean-and-cheese-burritos?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share. We used 3 vine-ripened tomatoes (seeds and liquid removed, then finely diced) plus about 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes from our garden (finely diced). We reduced the cilantro to 1 Tbsp. At… Continue reading Pico de gallo

Split pea soup, Instant Pot version

We had a craving for split pea soup, and we wanted to give our new Instant Pot another spin. We tried this recipe: https://www.acouplecooks.com/instant-pot-split-pea-soup/ We followed the recipe closely, except that we tossed in a few sprigs of thyme along with the peas (picked over and rinsed), 1 tsp salt, and 8 cups broth. We…… Continue reading Split pea soup, Instant Pot version

Greek-style lemony fish and orzo soup

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We love avgolemono (Greek lemony chicken soup), and we tried this version using cod and orzo: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023805-lemony-fish-and-orzo-soup?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share To our surprise, the recipe didn't call for any dill. We found the soup needed more brightness, so we added more lemon juice at the end (we ended up using one entire medium lemon for the entire recipe).… Continue reading Greek-style lemony fish and orzo soup

Mexican vegetable soup with chipotle (caldo tlalpeño)

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We were in search of a plant-forward soup with Mexican flavors, so we tried this recipe: https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2023/01/mexican-vegetable-soup-with-chipotles.html We found the blogger's recipe frustratingly incomplete (for example, she called for "some chicken broth" but did not specify the amount). Regardless, this soup was very tasty. Note: this recipe easily could be vegetarian if you use vegetable… Continue reading Mexican vegetable soup with chipotle (caldo tlalpeño)

Chinese congee with smoked fish and spinach

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We were craving a light, broth based soup with rice, so we tried this recipe: https://www.recipetineats.com/chinese-rice-soup/ This was a quick and easy pantry recipe that yielded surprisingly complex flavors. Our modifications: first, for the protein we used 4 oz Trader Joe's smoked trout (i.e., 1 fillet), which we soaked in water for about 20 mins… Continue reading Chinese congee with smoked fish and spinach