Quick method for making bread stale

We needed sliced stale bread for a recipe, but we had only fresh bread. We prepared as follows: line a baking sheet with foil, then place a baking rack on the foil. Place a variety of sliced artisanal bread (we used 3 types of Whole Foods bread: pain de campagne, olive, and pumpernickel, each presliced… Continue reading Quick method for making bread stale

Cauliflower parmesan

We tried this NYT recipe, with modifications: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017170-cauliflower-parmesan First, instead of dredging the cauliflower in egg and breadcrumbs and deep frying it, we oven-roasted the cauliflower florets (tossed in a little olive oil and sprinkled with a little salt and pepper) at 425 for 30 mins, tossing midway. Second, to mimic the breading, we lightly… Continue reading Cauliflower parmesan

Mini-frittata with veggie sausage, mushroom, spinach, and cheese

We loosely followed two recipes: https://cafedelites.com/breakfast-egg-muffins-3-ways/ and https://www.williams-sonoma.com/m/recipe/frittata-sausage-wild-mushrooms-cheddar.html. Here is the recipe: first, preheat oven to 350 and prep the ingredients: chop 2-3 shallots (we used an electric handheld chopper). Roughly chop 6 veggie sausage patties so that they are crumbled (we used a 8 oz package of 6 Morningstar original sausage patties, which we… Continue reading Mini-frittata with veggie sausage, mushroom, spinach, and cheese

Chipotle chili sauce

We tried this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/3506-chipotle-chili-sauce To make 2 cups (16 oz) of while peeled tomatoes, we used a 14.5 oz can of no salt whole peeled tomatoes plus 3 small Roma tomatoes (peeled). We also used 3 chiles in adobo sauce. We found the sliced onions intrusive; the next time we will mince them (or… Continue reading Chipotle chili sauce

Fire-roasted tomatoes, broiler version

We tried this method for a recipe that called for 28 oz canned fire-roasted tomatoes: https://www.thekitchn.com/quick-tip-roasting-tomatoes-un-59853 We lined our rimmed baking sheet with foil. To maximize exposure to the flames in our gas oven broiler, we cut our Roma tomatoes in half lengthwise. For 28 oz canned, we substituted with 1 ½ lb Roma tomatoes… Continue reading Fire-roasted tomatoes, broiler version

Mexican-style wild mushroom quesadillas

We tried this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016137-wild-mushroom-quesadillas Our modifications: first, we used a mix of yellow oyster (8 oz) and cremini mushrooms (8 oz), which we finely chopped before sautéing (rather than mincing after cooking). Second, for the cheese, we used 6 oz each of freshly grated muenster and fresh mozzarella. Finally, we added a pinch (¼… Continue reading Mexican-style wild mushroom quesadillas

Greek-style braised cabbage with chickpeas and bulgur

We tried this NYT recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013499-cabbage-with-tomatoes-bulgur-and-chickpeas Our modifications: first, we used about half a medium head of cabbage, julienned into ¼ inch width. Second, we used 2 cups unsalted chicken broth instead of water (see Note below). If you use water or vegetable broth, this is a vegetarian dish. Third, instead of 14.5 oz canned… Continue reading Greek-style braised cabbage with chickpeas and bulgur

Lentil stew with butternut squash and carrot

We tried this NYT recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013357-lentil-stew-with-pumpkin-or-sweet-potatoes We used 1 lb butternut squash (the smallest we could find) (see Note below) and 1 carrot instead of ½ lb squash and 2 carrots. We finished the soup (after turning off heat) with juice from half a lemon. We also found this recipe took about 2 hours to… Continue reading Lentil stew with butternut squash and carrot