Tonight for dinner I made Barbara's Little Cheddar Meatloaves (p. 62) with a side of Greg's Don't Tell Your Cardiologist About These Baked Potatoes (p. 31). Since these recipes both required cooking for 45-50 minutes at temperatures 100°F different than one another, I broke out my Hamilton Beach Roaster Oven, for only the second time in 6 or so years. I had bought this oven because my sister has one and it is so useful on the big baking holidays, such as Thanksgiving. Only - I go to Thanksgiving at her house every year so rarely am I faced with a situation where I need two ovens. So glad that I had it today, though!
I mixed up the meatloaves and topping first and formed the meatloaf mixture, as directed, into eight of the cutest mini meatloaves you'd ever see. Of course I mixed the meatloaves with my hands, because that is, in my opinion, the only way to make a meatloaf, although I felt the mixture was loose enough that a more fastidious chef could mix with a spoon if desired.
Then I went for the potatoes. The directions said I should liberally smear them with butter, then wrap a strip of bacon completely around each one. I decided that for a recipe with such a title, I should use real butter. For anyone planning on making these potatoes, the easiest method for smearing on the butter is to cut thin slices, then squish and smear it on with your fingers. Messy, but effective! Then I found that each slice of bacon could be basically cut in two, with one half wrapping almost all the way around, then the other slice placed perpendicularly to cover the other half of the potato. Then I wrapped most individually in foil, leaving only a pair of two small ones in bulk wrapping (yes, those doublets looked distressingly like testicles). I popped these into the roaster oven, topped the meatloaves and put them into the real oven, and spent a delightful 45 minutes cleaning up the dishes, cutting up some cantaloupe (I didn't want my son to go to bed with no dinner and I sure didn't expect him to eat meatloaf and potatoes), and playing a rousing game of hide-and-go seek with the kids. These are my kind of recipes!
After 45 minutes, the meatloaves were bubbling in a puddle of their own fat, just as meatloaves should. The potatoes were hissing a little, and not quite as tender as I'd hoped, but it was time for dinner so it was time for them to be "done" regardless. The meatloaf was good, but my husband found the topping to be too sweet for him: "I like the taste of meatloaf, and I can't taste it." I have a much bigger sweet tooth and I liked it, and I'm not just saying that because of how adorable they were. Next time I will whip up about half the called-for quantity and paint it on in a thinner coat, rather than dolloping it on with a spoon.
My husband and I agreed that the potatoes were nothing to write home about, and much less to your cardiologist about, but I thought the bacon could crisp up more so I put the remaining potatoes back into the oven for the duration of dinner (and then at least 20 minutes of more hide-and-seek time). When I finally took them out, the bacon had indeed become crispier and the potatoes were very, very good. At long last, they were something you should hide from your doctors! And, anyone who knows me knows how much I love keeping them in the dark!
It was a delightful dinner, and I thank Greg and Barbara for their recipes!
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Saturday, January 11, 2014
This Soup Tastes Like Despair
Cooking is unlike quilting or knitting, at least for me, in that you can't approach it with sadness or negativity and expect to feel better after the experience. Tonight for dinner I made Deb's Cauliflower Cheese Soup (p. 13) which featured a white sauce that could make me take back every nice thing I've ever said about white sauces, and resulted in a broken cheese-and-cauliflower mush.
But before I started in on making dinner, I visited My Favorite Quilt Shop in Elkton, MD, which had announced it was going out of business on New Year's Day. While it is always pleasant to purchase fabric at 50% off, I consider this shop one of my favorite places. I have never taken a class anywhere else, never having liked any class or assortment of people quite so much as I did the classes and people at My Favorite Quilt Shop. This closing also comes on the heels of the announcement in November that my favorite far-away quilt shop, Generations in Pottstown, PA is also closing. Apparently I am not spending nearly enough money!
On New Year's Day, feeling rather pleased with ending 2013, which hadn't been treating me as kindly as I would have liked, I checked my email and had first the happiness of getting an email from a quilt shop, then the disappointment of reading this news. The first day of their closing sale was last Saturday, but I couldn't bring myself to go. Instead, I puttered about at home working on some already in-progress quilts, which of course made me feel better, because quilting is a much more healing type of hobby than cooking is (apparently).
Today I still didn't want to go but shored myself up with thoughts of buying some fabric at incredibly low prices to take to QS Pharma's Craft Club's MLK day pillowcase-making event next Friday. Upon arrival I discovered that there was a significant reduction of fabric, but I still managed to snag a few good fabrics for pillowcases, and a bit of Halloween fabric just for me. I talked with the owner for a bit, but left with a feeling of sadness that this would be the last time I ever shopped there.
And then I came home to the soup. First I broke up most of a head of cauliflower (until it became so much cauliflower I became leery of adding any more). I added onion and the leftover chicken broth from Cheeseburger Soup (exactly the right amount of both onion and broth!). Then I set into the white sauce, which proceeded to take forever to thicken even a little bit. And when I say forever, I mean a half hour. Eventually I decided a slight thickening would have to do and added the shredded cheese. Now, to be fair, I used reduced fat cheddar, which must have a higher melting point than regular cheddar, because it struggled to melt into the sauce. I added the other spices, then poured it into the cauliflower/onion mixture and lowered the temperature.
What I ended up with was a bowl of something that had very good spice and flavor... if you could get over the sight and texture of a broken cheese sauce. My sadness had somehow ended up cooked into the soup! I can't help being reminded of an episode of Better Off Ted in which the lab grows artificial meat:
Still, the spices included were excellent and I think they may be worth trying in a macaroni and cheese. If I ever make this one again, I will use my tried and true white sauce recipe and full fat cheese, as the good lord intended. And, I will prepare it only on the happiest of days.
But before I started in on making dinner, I visited My Favorite Quilt Shop in Elkton, MD, which had announced it was going out of business on New Year's Day. While it is always pleasant to purchase fabric at 50% off, I consider this shop one of my favorite places. I have never taken a class anywhere else, never having liked any class or assortment of people quite so much as I did the classes and people at My Favorite Quilt Shop. This closing also comes on the heels of the announcement in November that my favorite far-away quilt shop, Generations in Pottstown, PA is also closing. Apparently I am not spending nearly enough money!
On New Year's Day, feeling rather pleased with ending 2013, which hadn't been treating me as kindly as I would have liked, I checked my email and had first the happiness of getting an email from a quilt shop, then the disappointment of reading this news. The first day of their closing sale was last Saturday, but I couldn't bring myself to go. Instead, I puttered about at home working on some already in-progress quilts, which of course made me feel better, because quilting is a much more healing type of hobby than cooking is (apparently).
Today I still didn't want to go but shored myself up with thoughts of buying some fabric at incredibly low prices to take to QS Pharma's Craft Club's MLK day pillowcase-making event next Friday. Upon arrival I discovered that there was a significant reduction of fabric, but I still managed to snag a few good fabrics for pillowcases, and a bit of Halloween fabric just for me. I talked with the owner for a bit, but left with a feeling of sadness that this would be the last time I ever shopped there.
And then I came home to the soup. First I broke up most of a head of cauliflower (until it became so much cauliflower I became leery of adding any more). I added onion and the leftover chicken broth from Cheeseburger Soup (exactly the right amount of both onion and broth!). Then I set into the white sauce, which proceeded to take forever to thicken even a little bit. And when I say forever, I mean a half hour. Eventually I decided a slight thickening would have to do and added the shredded cheese. Now, to be fair, I used reduced fat cheddar, which must have a higher melting point than regular cheddar, because it struggled to melt into the sauce. I added the other spices, then poured it into the cauliflower/onion mixture and lowered the temperature.
What I ended up with was a bowl of something that had very good spice and flavor... if you could get over the sight and texture of a broken cheese sauce. My sadness had somehow ended up cooked into the soup! I can't help being reminded of an episode of Better Off Ted in which the lab grows artificial meat:
Still, the spices included were excellent and I think they may be worth trying in a macaroni and cheese. If I ever make this one again, I will use my tried and true white sauce recipe and full fat cheese, as the good lord intended. And, I will prepare it only on the happiest of days.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
The Belated Cheeseburger Soup Post
I have been remiss in writing about my other cooking endeavor this past Sunday, Angie's Cheeseburger Soup (p. 14). Since there was so much to discuss regarding the Breakfast Casserole (p. 46), I didn't have the wherewithal to continue that night.
When I decided to make Cheeseburger Soup, I was a little put off by the name of the dish. It brought to mind sort of a greasy soup (since we all know that the best burgers are intensely greasy - apologies to Grace since she hates soggy breads!). Also, the recipe requires you to make a cheese sauce using "processed cheese, cubed". While I'm not entirely certain this is what was meant, I chose to use Velveeta cheese. If that doesn't fit the definition of "processed", I'm not sure what does.
Yet again, another first for me - I have never before purchased Velveeta cheese. I found this product near actual cheese in the grocery store, but oddly not refrigerated. Incidentally, my brand-new ceramic knives proved useless against the Velveeta. Someday soon I hope to accept that they are not effective with somewhat supple cheese products (devotees will recall they were also ineffectual for the mozzarella cheese slicing for Chicken Parmesan, p. 50), but I managed to cube it in preparation for the sauce.
I browned ground beef and onions in a skillet while preparing the broth/water/celery/carrot/potato mixture in a stockpot. Once everything was cooking away, I prepared the white sauce. The recipe instructed to make a roux using significantly more butter and flour that I normally do, but I support the notion that increasing the amount of butter in a dish will only increase its appeal, so I forged ahead. I should point out at this juncture that one of my absolute favorite cooking activities is making white sauce. It's such a simple thing to make, but so useful, and so delicious when turned into a cheese sauce. I love stirring constantly, waiting for that wonderful moment, right after you've thought "I must have done something wrong because this is never going to thicken", when the sauce magically thickens! Then, stirring in the cheese, then a little more cheese, then, once there is clearly enough cheese in there, an extra handful for good measure. I enjoyed this sauce as well, although the satisfaction of adding the Velveeta was not as complete because it took longer to melt, and, of course, I was following a recipe and couldn't just add it willy-nilly.
The sauce was a light yellow, due to the natural color of Velveeta, not the rich orange of the sharp cheddar cheese sauce that I usually prepare. There wasn't anything I could do about that, so I went ahead and drained the grease from my ground meat and onions, and added the meat/onion mixture to the stockpot, then added the cheese sauce to the stockpot, making sure the temperature was low enough that it wouldn't boil (per recipe warning). To the dish's credit, it appeared more orange/cheesy than the cheese sauce itself had, which made the whole thing look similar to a more liquid cheeseburger Hamburger Helper, with potatoes in lieu of pasta.
It was delicious, and was excellent paired with the remaining slices of Jen's Whole Wheat Bread (p. 85). My husband didn't like the celery, which he said wasn't in keeping with the cheeseburger idea, but I enjoyed the little extra crunch it provided since the rest of the soup was much softer.
On Monday, we discovered there is a possibility of a Velveeta shortage this month since it is a popular ingredient in many Super Bowl dishes, so I'm glad I made this recipe early in the month, and that I have half a block leftover for another dish! Thanks, Angie!
When I decided to make Cheeseburger Soup, I was a little put off by the name of the dish. It brought to mind sort of a greasy soup (since we all know that the best burgers are intensely greasy - apologies to Grace since she hates soggy breads!). Also, the recipe requires you to make a cheese sauce using "processed cheese, cubed". While I'm not entirely certain this is what was meant, I chose to use Velveeta cheese. If that doesn't fit the definition of "processed", I'm not sure what does.
Yet again, another first for me - I have never before purchased Velveeta cheese. I found this product near actual cheese in the grocery store, but oddly not refrigerated. Incidentally, my brand-new ceramic knives proved useless against the Velveeta. Someday soon I hope to accept that they are not effective with somewhat supple cheese products (devotees will recall they were also ineffectual for the mozzarella cheese slicing for Chicken Parmesan, p. 50), but I managed to cube it in preparation for the sauce.
I browned ground beef and onions in a skillet while preparing the broth/water/celery/carrot/potato mixture in a stockpot. Once everything was cooking away, I prepared the white sauce. The recipe instructed to make a roux using significantly more butter and flour that I normally do, but I support the notion that increasing the amount of butter in a dish will only increase its appeal, so I forged ahead. I should point out at this juncture that one of my absolute favorite cooking activities is making white sauce. It's such a simple thing to make, but so useful, and so delicious when turned into a cheese sauce. I love stirring constantly, waiting for that wonderful moment, right after you've thought "I must have done something wrong because this is never going to thicken", when the sauce magically thickens! Then, stirring in the cheese, then a little more cheese, then, once there is clearly enough cheese in there, an extra handful for good measure. I enjoyed this sauce as well, although the satisfaction of adding the Velveeta was not as complete because it took longer to melt, and, of course, I was following a recipe and couldn't just add it willy-nilly.
The sauce was a light yellow, due to the natural color of Velveeta, not the rich orange of the sharp cheddar cheese sauce that I usually prepare. There wasn't anything I could do about that, so I went ahead and drained the grease from my ground meat and onions, and added the meat/onion mixture to the stockpot, then added the cheese sauce to the stockpot, making sure the temperature was low enough that it wouldn't boil (per recipe warning). To the dish's credit, it appeared more orange/cheesy than the cheese sauce itself had, which made the whole thing look similar to a more liquid cheeseburger Hamburger Helper, with potatoes in lieu of pasta.
It was delicious, and was excellent paired with the remaining slices of Jen's Whole Wheat Bread (p. 85). My husband didn't like the celery, which he said wasn't in keeping with the cheeseburger idea, but I enjoyed the little extra crunch it provided since the rest of the soup was much softer.
On Monday, we discovered there is a possibility of a Velveeta shortage this month since it is a popular ingredient in many Super Bowl dishes, so I'm glad I made this recipe early in the month, and that I have half a block leftover for another dish! Thanks, Angie!
Sunday, January 5, 2014
6 AM is Too Early for This
Today started unexpectedly early for me, when my daughter decided to wake up slightly before 6 am, which is unheard of for her. Perhaps the early hour is why Kory's Breakfast Casserole (p. 46) was such an adventure. In between getting a breakfast ready for my daughter and the TV sorted out for my son, I didn't get much chance to consume any coffee and I believe the casserole suffered. But then, this all really started to go wrong on Saturday while shopping for ingredients...
I am not a big breakfast person. That's not to say I don't like breakfast, I love it. What I don't do is cook it. Oh, I'll scramble some eggs, sometimes even getting fancy and making an "omelet" (scrambled eggs with something fun in it like feta cheese, spinach, tomatoes, etc, isn't that how omelets are made??). I am queen of the waffle iron and pancake griddle. I can pour a mean bowl of cereal and toast just about anything. That being said, I don't do breakfast meats. And, it never once occurred to me that hash browns could be a thing you make at home.
So, when I was shopping on Saturday I spent some time staring at the various sausage products and hash brown options. I also spent more than a little time looking for crescent rolls, then found them by the sausage I'd been staring at earlier. Sausage I figured out right away: tubes of 1 lb abounded, just like the recipe implied, and I couldn't think of a better way to describe it than "bulk". Then came the hash browns. The recipe calls for 1 (2 lb) package, but the small hash brown packages next to the sausages were all less than a pound. Now, I've done a fair amount of recipe-following in my life, and I'm a firm believer that, when a recipe says "1 pkg" and states an amount that should be in that package, usually there is such a package at the grocery store, I'm just not seeing it. Aha - I thought - it must be frozen hash browns! I went to the freezer section and discover that there was a 2 lb package of hash browns there, but to my horror it wasn't shredded, it was in chunks. Alongside it was a 1 lb 14 oz package of shredded hash browns. The kids and husband clearly wanted to go home and eat lunch, so I settled on that, thinking I'd just have 2 ounces less casserole to consume.
On this fateful morning, I examined the recipe's directions. the bulk sausage specifically said "cooked", so I dutifully cooked it. The recipe said nothing as to the condition the hash browns should be in when added to the casserole. Not "frozen hash browns", not "cooked hash browns" not "refrigerated hash browns", not "controlled room temperature hash browns", nothing. I examined a few other recipes...Breakfast Pizza (also p. 46) is similar but also does not specify a temperature. Cheesy Egg Bake (p. 49) is similar but uses frozen hash browns. It was early, and I was beginning to run short on time before my daughter demanded Second Breakfast, so I went with adding them frozen. At first I wasn't sure they would all fit in the pan with the other ingredients, which was my first hint that something was wrong. But, once you've put all that cooked sausage on top, the last thing you want to do is somehow extract the frozen hash browns and cook them, then put everything back, so I went boldly forward, finished the layering, and put it in the oven for 30 minutes (the low end of the required baking time). After 30 minutes, the eggs were still very loose and runny, so I put it in for an additional 5 (the high end of the required baking time).
Hmmm. Eggs still runny.
I put it in for 5 more minutes.
Then 5 more minutes.
After a few iterations of this, the sausage appeared a little worse for wear, so I decided that the eggs were probably heated to an acceptable temperature to ward off food-borne illness. People eat raw eggs all the time, right? Never mind the only time I ever had runny eggs for breakfast I wound up with food poisoning.
I took out a piece and sat down with it. The crescent roll crust was a bit browner than I am guessing it should be, but overall it wasn't badly burnt. I had it with ketchup because it contained a lot of things I would normally dip in a ketchup. It was reasonably tasty... but I couldn't help thinking, was it worth all this hassle? My son was appalled by it (it was covered with sausage and egg, not his cup of tea). My daughter had, while waiting, already had her two breakfasts, so she didn't want any either. My husband woke up and had some a bit later and said his crust was too soggy. I didn't have the heart to tell him that was probably just the runny eggs soaking in!
Overall, this isn't something I'd make again, but I'd be willing to bet my attitude is simply soured based on the issues I had in the actual making of the dish. Plus, as I alluded to earlier in this post, isn't this actually the sort of dish I like to eat only when others make it for me? Maybe someday someone will (if you're ever in the Elkton/Boothwyn corridor with a hot casserole dish of this, Kory, I'll give it another shot!).
Here is a picture of the casserole:
Update 08JAN2014: This casserole is much better as a leftover. Save yourself the headache of making it in the morning and make it the day before and reheat!
I am not a big breakfast person. That's not to say I don't like breakfast, I love it. What I don't do is cook it. Oh, I'll scramble some eggs, sometimes even getting fancy and making an "omelet" (scrambled eggs with something fun in it like feta cheese, spinach, tomatoes, etc, isn't that how omelets are made??). I am queen of the waffle iron and pancake griddle. I can pour a mean bowl of cereal and toast just about anything. That being said, I don't do breakfast meats. And, it never once occurred to me that hash browns could be a thing you make at home.
So, when I was shopping on Saturday I spent some time staring at the various sausage products and hash brown options. I also spent more than a little time looking for crescent rolls, then found them by the sausage I'd been staring at earlier. Sausage I figured out right away: tubes of 1 lb abounded, just like the recipe implied, and I couldn't think of a better way to describe it than "bulk". Then came the hash browns. The recipe calls for 1 (2 lb) package, but the small hash brown packages next to the sausages were all less than a pound. Now, I've done a fair amount of recipe-following in my life, and I'm a firm believer that, when a recipe says "1 pkg" and states an amount that should be in that package, usually there is such a package at the grocery store, I'm just not seeing it. Aha - I thought - it must be frozen hash browns! I went to the freezer section and discover that there was a 2 lb package of hash browns there, but to my horror it wasn't shredded, it was in chunks. Alongside it was a 1 lb 14 oz package of shredded hash browns. The kids and husband clearly wanted to go home and eat lunch, so I settled on that, thinking I'd just have 2 ounces less casserole to consume.
On this fateful morning, I examined the recipe's directions. the bulk sausage specifically said "cooked", so I dutifully cooked it. The recipe said nothing as to the condition the hash browns should be in when added to the casserole. Not "frozen hash browns", not "cooked hash browns" not "refrigerated hash browns", not "controlled room temperature hash browns", nothing. I examined a few other recipes...Breakfast Pizza (also p. 46) is similar but also does not specify a temperature. Cheesy Egg Bake (p. 49) is similar but uses frozen hash browns. It was early, and I was beginning to run short on time before my daughter demanded Second Breakfast, so I went with adding them frozen. At first I wasn't sure they would all fit in the pan with the other ingredients, which was my first hint that something was wrong. But, once you've put all that cooked sausage on top, the last thing you want to do is somehow extract the frozen hash browns and cook them, then put everything back, so I went boldly forward, finished the layering, and put it in the oven for 30 minutes (the low end of the required baking time). After 30 minutes, the eggs were still very loose and runny, so I put it in for an additional 5 (the high end of the required baking time).
Hmmm. Eggs still runny.
I put it in for 5 more minutes.
Then 5 more minutes.
After a few iterations of this, the sausage appeared a little worse for wear, so I decided that the eggs were probably heated to an acceptable temperature to ward off food-borne illness. People eat raw eggs all the time, right? Never mind the only time I ever had runny eggs for breakfast I wound up with food poisoning.
I took out a piece and sat down with it. The crescent roll crust was a bit browner than I am guessing it should be, but overall it wasn't badly burnt. I had it with ketchup because it contained a lot of things I would normally dip in a ketchup. It was reasonably tasty... but I couldn't help thinking, was it worth all this hassle? My son was appalled by it (it was covered with sausage and egg, not his cup of tea). My daughter had, while waiting, already had her two breakfasts, so she didn't want any either. My husband woke up and had some a bit later and said his crust was too soggy. I didn't have the heart to tell him that was probably just the runny eggs soaking in!
Overall, this isn't something I'd make again, but I'd be willing to bet my attitude is simply soured based on the issues I had in the actual making of the dish. Plus, as I alluded to earlier in this post, isn't this actually the sort of dish I like to eat only when others make it for me? Maybe someday someone will (if you're ever in the Elkton/Boothwyn corridor with a hot casserole dish of this, Kory, I'll give it another shot!).
Here is a picture of the casserole:
Update 08JAN2014: This casserole is much better as a leftover. Save yourself the headache of making it in the morning and make it the day before and reheat!
Saturday, January 4, 2014
First Blood
If you had asked me on January 1st how long it would be before I injured myself doing this project, I would like to think I would have projected at least a month. Now, those close to me know that I have a tendency to accidentally cut myself when in the kitchen essentially every other time I handle a sharp knife. So, it should have been no surprise that a mere fifteen minutes after admiring how wonderfully my brand-new ceramic knives sliced through raw chicken breasts that I would find myself staring at my finger wondering "where did that red stuff come from?" The good news it was only the tiniest nick and the better news is it didn't hurt at all. It is, however, a shame that I managed to do it while slicing mozzarella cheese, not while doing something impressive, say, like quartering a squirrel (p. 55).
A little blood loss was well worth it though, because Lucy's Chicken Parmesan (p. 50) was delicious beyond words. I chose to make this as my second recipe from the book because, quite simply, we love chicken parmesan. Well, at least me, my husband, and my daughter do. My son (who abhors meat except hamburgers and chicken nuggets) recoiled in horror at the sight. He ate most of the spaghetti that surrounded the chicken, but did manage to choke down one piece of chicken, which we required of him before he got his treat of blueberries.
The recipe calls for shredded mozzarella or slices of mozzarella, and I went with slices, recalling how much I enjoyed having slabs of melted cheese atop a lasagna we made over the holidays. The slices did not disappoint here, either, where they created heavenly thick layers of cheese atop our chicken. The recipe also called for garlic salt, which I truly believed I owned until I got started making the dish. Apparently not, but luckily the internet exists, and it taught me that garlic salt is basically a 3:1 mix of salt to garlic (use the USP definition of the ":"), and can be mixed from salt and garlic powder. According to the internet, this is a way frugal people avoid paying for both garlic powder and garlic salt, so that they can really stick it to that evil Goliath, the McCormick company.
In addition, the recipe called for chilling the breaded chicken for 20 minutes before pan-frying prior to baking. I suspected (and later confirmed via more internet searching) that the chilling helps the breading to not flake off while frying. It worked like a charm! In the past I have only ever made chicken parmesan by breading the chicken and putting it directly into the oven to bake, in a misguided attempt at making the dish healthier. Now, having had this delicious recipe in all its pan-fried goodness, I cannot fathom returning to those dark days of baked chicken parm.
Thank you, Lucy, for sharing this delicious recipe. It is definitely one I will make again and again and again.
Here is the chicken parm after it was removed from the oven:
And served atop spaghetti:
A little blood loss was well worth it though, because Lucy's Chicken Parmesan (p. 50) was delicious beyond words. I chose to make this as my second recipe from the book because, quite simply, we love chicken parmesan. Well, at least me, my husband, and my daughter do. My son (who abhors meat except hamburgers and chicken nuggets) recoiled in horror at the sight. He ate most of the spaghetti that surrounded the chicken, but did manage to choke down one piece of chicken, which we required of him before he got his treat of blueberries.
The recipe calls for shredded mozzarella or slices of mozzarella, and I went with slices, recalling how much I enjoyed having slabs of melted cheese atop a lasagna we made over the holidays. The slices did not disappoint here, either, where they created heavenly thick layers of cheese atop our chicken. The recipe also called for garlic salt, which I truly believed I owned until I got started making the dish. Apparently not, but luckily the internet exists, and it taught me that garlic salt is basically a 3:1 mix of salt to garlic (use the USP definition of the ":"), and can be mixed from salt and garlic powder. According to the internet, this is a way frugal people avoid paying for both garlic powder and garlic salt, so that they can really stick it to that evil Goliath, the McCormick company.
In addition, the recipe called for chilling the breaded chicken for 20 minutes before pan-frying prior to baking. I suspected (and later confirmed via more internet searching) that the chilling helps the breading to not flake off while frying. It worked like a charm! In the past I have only ever made chicken parmesan by breading the chicken and putting it directly into the oven to bake, in a misguided attempt at making the dish healthier. Now, having had this delicious recipe in all its pan-fried goodness, I cannot fathom returning to those dark days of baked chicken parm.
Thank you, Lucy, for sharing this delicious recipe. It is definitely one I will make again and again and again.
Here is the chicken parm after it was removed from the oven:
And served atop spaghetti:
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Happy New Year!
When the WIL Research Cooks cookbooks arrived, it seemed only natural that someone should "Julie & Julia" it. For those who are not familiar with the blog/book/movie, the protagonist challenged herself to cook everything in Julia Child's book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in one year. My plan is similar in that I will cook everything in the WIL Research Cooks cookbook in 2014, but different in that no meats need to be encased in gel (as far as I know).
Since there are no black-eyed peas recipes in the WIL Research Cooks recipe, and I was already committed to making the best cake ever by request of my friend Marlene, I settled on switching out the french bread I had planned to make with Whole Wheat Bread (page 85). Since I also had all the ingredients (including barely enough shortening) on hand, this was the perfect choice!
I managed to underestimate the amount of time required to make the bread by a half hour due to poor reading comprehension (the bread bakes for 45 minutes but I only added in the 20 minutes during which you should cover it with foil to prevent over-browning). Luckily black-eyed peas, once cooked, can simmer on low for hours before getting gross, so aside from my cranky, hungry toddler, no one suffered as a result.
Although the recipe provides direction to knead the bread by hand, I at first used my stand mixer (with dough hook) because I intended to go for a run (it being New Year's Day and the high caloric intake resulting from the aforementioned best cake ever foremost in my thoughts). However, I soon realized the flour incorporated into the batter better when mixed by hands, so I finished it out by kneading by hand per recipe specs. The dough was pleasant to work with by hand, and I like to think I got in some extra exercise this way. The dough was also very tasty in its unbaked state.
As mentioned before, I misjudged the timing of starting the bread slightly so we cut into it immediately after removing it from the oven (sort of a bread no-no, but my favorite way to consume homemade bread). I ate a piece without butter and then with butter, and preferred the later (big surprise!). My friend Marlene commented that it would be an excellent bread for peanut butter and jelly, and I agreed peanut and banana would also be delightful.
Overall, I'd say this first foray into the WIL Research Cooks cookbook was a great success! Thanks to Jen for the recipe!
Here is a picture of the bread (along with some chocolate wine we also partook of), photo credits to my husband Phil:
Since there are no black-eyed peas recipes in the WIL Research Cooks recipe, and I was already committed to making the best cake ever by request of my friend Marlene, I settled on switching out the french bread I had planned to make with Whole Wheat Bread (page 85). Since I also had all the ingredients (including barely enough shortening) on hand, this was the perfect choice!
I managed to underestimate the amount of time required to make the bread by a half hour due to poor reading comprehension (the bread bakes for 45 minutes but I only added in the 20 minutes during which you should cover it with foil to prevent over-browning). Luckily black-eyed peas, once cooked, can simmer on low for hours before getting gross, so aside from my cranky, hungry toddler, no one suffered as a result.
Although the recipe provides direction to knead the bread by hand, I at first used my stand mixer (with dough hook) because I intended to go for a run (it being New Year's Day and the high caloric intake resulting from the aforementioned best cake ever foremost in my thoughts). However, I soon realized the flour incorporated into the batter better when mixed by hands, so I finished it out by kneading by hand per recipe specs. The dough was pleasant to work with by hand, and I like to think I got in some extra exercise this way. The dough was also very tasty in its unbaked state.
As mentioned before, I misjudged the timing of starting the bread slightly so we cut into it immediately after removing it from the oven (sort of a bread no-no, but my favorite way to consume homemade bread). I ate a piece without butter and then with butter, and preferred the later (big surprise!). My friend Marlene commented that it would be an excellent bread for peanut butter and jelly, and I agreed peanut and banana would also be delightful.
Overall, I'd say this first foray into the WIL Research Cooks cookbook was a great success! Thanks to Jen for the recipe!
Here is a picture of the bread (along with some chocolate wine we also partook of), photo credits to my husband Phil:
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