Polenta with sausage and spiralized butternut squash

Details here: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016103-butternut-squash-polenta-with-sausage-and-onion Our modifications: first, for the polenta, we used 5 oz spiralized butternut. We also added about 1/3 cup water slowly over time while simmering to make sure the polenta mixture wasn’t too viscous. Second, we used a mix of hot and sweet Italian chicken sausage (2 links each). We also sautéed the… Continue reading Polenta with sausage and spiralized butternut squash

Simple chocolate pudding

We tried this recipe because it required only pantry ingredients and did not call for whipping or heavy cream: https://cookiesandcups.com/easy-chocolate-pudding/ We garnished with fresh spearmint. (May 2018) Note: For a spicy variation, add a dash each cayenne (1/8 to 1/16 tsp) and cinnamon (1/8 tsp) to the dry ingredients. You also can garnish with the… Continue reading Simple chocolate pudding

Korean sweet and sour cucumber salad (oi muchim)

We tried this recipe from A Korean Mother’s Cooking Notes by Sun-young Chang. First, clean 3 Persian cucumbers by rubbing with slightly wet coarse salt, then rinse and dry. Trim off ends, then slice on a diagonal to 1/16” thick (we used a mandolin). Stir in 1 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp rice vinegar (we use… Continue reading Korean sweet and sour cucumber salad (oi muchim)

Sheet pan lemon rosemary butter chicken thighs with Korean sweet potatoes

We converted this Pioneer Woman whole roast chicken recipe into a weeknight meal: http://piglettedc.tumblr.com/post/159735500171/roast-chicken-coated-with-lemon-rosemary-butter Our weeknight modifications: first, preheat oven to 425 and spray a baking sheet with oil. Second, cut 4 small (or 2 medium) Korean sweet potatoes into 2x3” chunks (keeping skin on), slice 1-2 shallots into 1/2” slices along the grain (see… Continue reading Sheet pan lemon rosemary butter chicken thighs with Korean sweet potatoes

Japanese pork meatball and shredded daikon soup (mizoreni)

We tried this recipe: https://web.archive.org/web/20160222075731/http://www.dreamsofdashi.com/mizoreni-pork-meatball-and-daikon-soup/ Our modifications: first, we increased the dashi broth from 4 to 6 cups. We made dashi using this recipe: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/dashi-japanese-sea-stock-103413 Second, we used a combination of 3 Chinese chives and 1 scallion in lieu of 4 minced scallions. Third, based on our pantry, we used thick Korean sweet potato cellophane… Continue reading Japanese pork meatball and shredded daikon soup (mizoreni)

Avocado chicken salad

Thanks to my friend Cheryl, we decided to try this recipe: https://natashaskitchen.com/2017/07/28/avocado-chicken-salad-recipe/ Our modifications: first, instead of two cooked chicken breasts, we used half of a rotisserie chicken, shredded and mainly without skin. Second, for the bacon, we used half of a 2.1 oz package of precooked bacon (about 6 strips), which we microwaved for… Continue reading Avocado chicken salad

Apple, leek, and gruyere frittata

This was a lighter version, using 4 egg whites and 4 whole eggs. We generally followed this recipe but made ingredient and method modifications: http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/apple-and-leek-frittata-114432 First, we preheated the oven to 425. Second, we used a large (9-10”) cast iron pan. Third, we added ¾ cup shredded gruyere cheese at two steps: (1) we sprinkled… Continue reading Apple, leek, and gruyere frittata

Quick spaghetti bolognese

We tried this recipe: https://www.recipetineats.com/spaghetti-bolognese/ We used 1 lb minced bison instead of minced beef. To reduce sodium, we omitted the beef bouillon cubes. At the end of seasoning, we added a splash each of fruit-flavored white balsamic and traditional balsamic vinegar; we also added a dash of crushed red pepper. We recommend increasing the… Continue reading Quick spaghetti bolognese