Simple Middle Eastern-style salad

We made this ad hoc: wash, squeeze dry, and chop ½ bunch parsley. Wash and dice one medium tomato. Dice ½ bell pepper. Wash and trim 3-4 red radishes, then cut into ½ inch half-moons. Place each vegetable in a row on a flat round bowl. Squeeze the juice of one lemon overtop, drizzle with… Continue reading Simple Middle Eastern-style salad

Dark chocolate gelt with candied orange peel and toasted nuts

We tried this recipe: https://www.marthastewart.com/1136696/homemade-gelt Based on our pantry, we melted ½ cup dark chocolate discs and 1 cup dark chocolate chips, microwaving in 30 second intervals. We skipped the safflower oil, instead pouring the melted chocolate into paper muffin cups lining a 12 cup muffin tin (see Note below). Before the chocolate hardened, we… Continue reading Dark chocolate gelt with candied orange peel and toasted nuts

Syrian roast cumin-marinated chicken and potatoes

We tried this recipe from Mayada Anjari’s The Bread and Salt Between Us cookbook, available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1891105639/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_4SZ-BbXE65WQZ The basic recipe is as follows: first, make several small incisions into 3 lb skinless, bone-in chicken pieces (we used drumsticks and 2 breasts, cut in half) and marinate in ¼ cup white vinegar, ¼ cup olive oil,… Continue reading Syrian roast cumin-marinated chicken and potatoes

Roast chicken noodle soup

We had about 5 lb of a 7.5 lb roast chicken leftover, so we made rotisserie chicken noodle soup, version 1: http://piglettedc.tumblr.com/post/172108547131/rotisserie-chicken-noodle-soup-version-1-this Our modifications: first, to prepare the chicken, we removed the flesh from the carcass, and we added the skin, bones, and cartilage to a large Dutch oven. To season the stock, we omitted… Continue reading Roast chicken noodle soup

Garlicky roast spatchcock chicken

We tried this recipe as a chicken alternative to Thanksgiving: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/garlicky-roasted-spatchcock-chicken Our modifications: first, we used a 7.5 lb chicken, which substantially increased the roasting time (for a total of over 2 hours) in order to achieve an internal temp of 165. We also increased the oven temp to 425 for about 45 mins to… Continue reading Garlicky roast spatchcock chicken

Classic pecan pie

My husband made this pecan pie with this recipe: https://cookiesandcups.com/easy-pecan-pie-recipe/ He made one significant modification: instead of only light corn syrup, he used a 50:50 ratio of light and dark corn syrup. For the egg, he used one large egg (lightly beaten). He used a frozen pie crust (specifically, Giant brand deep dish, which comes… Continue reading Classic pecan pie

Roasted beet and butternut salad with beet greens and fresh herbs

We tried this NYT recipe as Thanksgiving side: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12900-roasted-beet-and-winter-squash-salad-with-walnuts Our modifications: first, instead of baking the beets in a water bath, we oven-roasted them for 40-45 mins (instructions here: http://piglettedc.tumblr.com/post/114546344936/roasted-beets-this-is-one-of-my-favorite ) Second, instead of making the recipe’s vinaigrette, we whisked together 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, the juice of one medium lemon (about ¼ cup,… Continue reading Roasted beet and butternut salad with beet greens and fresh herbs

Baked eggs in tomato

We tried this for breakfast: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a58609/breakfast-tomatoes-recipe/ To create a snug fit, we lined a medium-walled quarter pan with a double-layer of parchment (with edges exceeding the height of the pan edge). We found that baking the eggs at 400 for 17 mins yielded the equivalent of medium-boiled eggs, with a creamy but not runny yolk.… Continue reading Baked eggs in tomato

Pressure cooker lasagna casserole

We tried this recipe: https://www.hippressurecooking.com/pressure-cooker-pasta-casserole-a-cheesy-meaty-mess-mezzemaniche-pasticciate/ Our modifications: first, based on our pantry we used 1 large carrot, 2 stalks celery, 1 large onion, and 3 large garlic cloves - all minced in a handheld blender. We increased the beef to 1 1/3 lb and used 15 oz tomato sauce plus 2 heaping Tbsp tomato paste… Continue reading Pressure cooker lasagna casserole