We tried this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016498-celery-and-potato-soup?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share For the 7 cups liquid, we used 1 quart (4 cups) unsalted chicken stock, 1 cup chicken broth (salted), and 2 cups unsalted beef stock. We found straining the soup challenging, and we found the broth lacked viscosity afterwards. We garnished each serving with julienned celery, some celery fronds, and… Continue reading Celery and potato soup
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Vegetarian dan dan noodles
We adapted our beloved meat-based dan dan noodle recipe to create a vegetarian version. We kept the noodle seasoning the same, but we changed the topping from minced pork (or minced turkey) to freeze-dried tofu crumbles and dried shiitake mushrooms. Here’s a breakdown of the topping and the noodles. 1) The topping: Inspired by Andrea… Continue reading Vegetarian dan dan noodles
Lemon sour cream bundt cake
We had leftover creme fraiche and sour cream, so tried this recipe: https://bakingbites.com/2019/03/lemon-sour-cream-bundt-cake/. We used ½ cup creme fraiche and ½ cup sour cream. For the sugar, we used a 2:1 ratio of citrus-infused sugar to plain white sugar. For the batter, we used zest from 2 lemons and juice from 1 ½ lemons (which… Continue reading Lemon sour cream bundt cake
Handheld chicken pot pie
We tried this NYT recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019188-flaky-chicken-hand-pies?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share As a shortcut, we used a 2 ¼ lb rotisserie chicken, which we pulled apart into bite-sized pieces (instead of cutting into chunks), discarding skin and bones. Because we weren’t able to roll out the single sheet of puff pastry to reach 15x15", we were able to fit only… Continue reading Handheld chicken pot pie
Winter vegetable soup
We tried this NYT recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017928-winter-vegetable-soup-with-turnips-carrots-potatoes-and-leeks?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share Our modifications: first, we added 3 small shallots (cut into ½ inch cross-wise rings) and increased the garlic to 4 cloves. Second, using a low-walled Dutch oven, we sauteed the following ingredients in 2 Tbsp unsalted butter and 1 tsp olive oil: leeks, shallots, garlic, and celery. Third, once… Continue reading Winter vegetable soup
Black bean and sausage stew
This recipe is courtesy of my MIL. In a low-walled Dutch oven, heat 2 Tbsp neutral vegetable oil on medium heat. When the oil is hot, add 1 Tbsp ground coriander, 1 Tbsp ground cumin, 2 tsp smoked paprika, and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Saute until fragrant, then add: 3 celery stalks (including… Continue reading Black bean and sausage stew
Creamy lemon bars with graham cracker crust
We tried this recipe from Yummly: https://www.yummly.com/recipe/CREAMY-LEMON-SQUARES-9125801 The ingredients are simple: 1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs, 4 Tbsp melted unsalted butter plus 1 ½ tsp for buttering the casserole dish, ¼ cup sugar (we used vanilla-infused), 14 oz sweetened condensed milk, 2 egg yolks, and ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice. We found the crust… Continue reading Creamy lemon bars with graham cracker crust
Peanut butter and jelly roll-ups
This is a recipe from my childhood: a home economics class in middle school. I tracked down the same recipe here: https://dancingthroughtherain.com/peanut-butter-and-jelly-rollups/ We used leftover slices of whole wheat bread, room temperature unsalted butter, smooth peanut butter, and homemade Concord grape jam. Because we didn’t have toothpicks, we placed the roll-ups seam-side down and slightly… Continue reading Peanut butter and jelly roll-ups
Roasted sweet potatoes with smoked paprika
We were looking for a way to use up our leftovers - two raw sweet potatoes already peeled and cut into large, uneven chunks. We cut the potato chunks to make as uniform cubes as possible, and then we tried this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018993-roasted-sweet-potatoes-with-smoked-paprika?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share The recipe called for 4 sweet potatoes, so we halved the ingredient… Continue reading Roasted sweet potatoes with smoked paprika
Concord grape jam
Our friend Leah gifted us kyoho grapes, a type of Concord grape commonly found in Japan and Korea. We tried this recipe: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/09/concord-grape-jam-recipe-grape-jelly.html Our modifications: because we had 3 ½ cups grapes (not 8 cups), we roughly halved the recipe. For the sugar, we reduced to 1 cup citrus-infused granulated sugar and 1 ¼ cups… Continue reading Concord grape jam
Cooking Adventures 