I grew up eating this dish, and it always brings back happy childhood memories. Cut a 16 oz block of tofu in half vertically, and then crosswise into ½" thick slices. Blot each piece with paper towels until bone-dry; this will minimize splattering and help the tofu brown instead of steam. Heat 1 Tbsp vegetable… Continue reading Korean pan-fried tofu (goon dubu)
Roasted vegetable, rice, and cheese frittata
We made a version of frittata based on our pantry: leeks, asparagus, bell pepper, and mushrooms. First, preheat the oven to 425. Take out two rimmed baking sheets. Wash and dry 6 asparagus spears, ½ bell pepper (we prefer any color but green), and 8 oz (about 8-9) cremini mushrooms. Cut the asparagus into 1.5-2"… Continue reading Roasted vegetable, rice, and cheese frittata
Chicken with lemon and olives
We tried this recipe, but halved everything: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017258-braised-chicken-with-lemon-and-olives?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share We found that 4 large thighs nicely in a deep 2-quart glass casserole dish. We used a large regular lemon instead of Meyer, and it was fine. For the 1-hour part of baking, we covered the casserole dish tightly with foil. At the end of baking, we… Continue reading Chicken with lemon and olives
King Arthur’s gluten-free brownies
We purchased King Arthur’s gluten-free flour for a different recipe, and we now have a lot of this special flour leftover. We tried this brownie recipe: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/gluten-free-brownies-recipe Because we used dark cocoa powder, we omitted the optional chocolate chips. We did include the optional 1 cup walnuts, and we used superfine sugar (as recommended by… Continue reading King Arthur’s gluten-free brownies
Filipino minced beef with string beans (ginisang baguio beans)
I first learned this recipe many years ago from a college friend. I misplaced her recipe, so we tried this one: http://www.russianfilipinokitchen.com/2014/07/30/sauteed-green-beans-with-ground-beef-filipino-style-ginisang-baguio-beans/ Our modifications: consistent with my friend’s recipe, we used ¼ cup white vinegar instead of water. We added the vinegar at the same time as the soy sauce, salt, and black pepper. Second,… Continue reading Filipino minced beef with string beans (ginisang baguio beans)
Chocolate haystacks
We tried this recipe: https://addapinch.com/chocolate-haystacks-recipe/ We made a half-recipe: 1 cup chow mein noodles (which we eventually increased to 1 ¼ cup); ½ cup pecan pieces, pistachios, and slivered almonds (lightly toasted together); 12 oz Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips (microwave-melted in a medium-sized ovenproof glass mixing bowl); and a sprinkle of kosher salt over the… Continue reading Chocolate haystacks
Sichuan bean thread noodles with minced pork
We tried this recipe: https://www.chinasichuanfood.com/ants-climbing-a-tree/ Our modifications: first, we reduced the bean thread noodles from 200 g to 160 g dried (4 small bundles from an 8-pack). We also used ½ lb minced pork as a proxy for 1 cup. Second, we reduced the doubanjiang to 2 tsp from 1 Tbsp (3 tsp). Third, we… Continue reading Sichuan bean thread noodles with minced pork
Banana everything cookies
This is a kitchen sink recipe that uses banana as a binder in lieu of eggs and butter, plus chocolate chips, walnuts, and oats. We tried this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1012904-banana-everything-cookies?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share We used 1 large, ripe banana. Instead of spraying the baking sheets with oil, we lined with parchment, which we then sprayed with corn oil. We… Continue reading Banana everything cookies
Pasta with roasted grape tomatoes
This is a great pantry recipe. We used ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan instead of pecorino cheese and ¼ cup matzoh meal instead of bread crumbs. Details here: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1778-penne-with-roasted-cherry-tomatoes?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share When tossing the al dente pasta with the roasted tomatoes, we used about ¼ cup pasta water and 1 additional Tbsp olive oil. We also sprinkled… Continue reading Pasta with roasted grape tomatoes
Lasagna with roasted Brussels sprouts
We made this recipe: https://piglettedc.tumblr.com/post/188332589976/spinach-lasagna-we-tried-this-mark-bittman-nyt Instead of 1 ¼ lb fresh spinach, we used 1 lb Brussels sprouts that we had trimmed, quartered, and roasted. We generally followed this Brussels sprout recipe but omitted salt and black pepper: https://piglettedc.tumblr.com/post/180053950436/oven-roasted-brussel-sprouts-we-followed-this While we love Brussels sprouts, we found the flavor overpowered the overall dish. A neutral vegetable… Continue reading Lasagna with roasted Brussels sprouts