Grilled Steak Salad with Pineapple-Ginger Dressing
By · CommentsI’m not super crazy about steak salad, but since I’ve been working my way through these dinner salad recipes in the latest issue of Fine Cooking, I figured I’m make this one too. It’s good, the pineapple-ginger dressing is different. And I can eat an entire bag of butter lettuce in one sitting so I liked that too. But we liked some of the other salads better.
- Grilled Steak Salad with Pineapple-Ginger Dressing (Fine Cooking #99, June 2009, p. 78)
This salad was a little more work than the salmon one from last week, but it was still pretty fast to make and really good. I loved the almond coating on the chicken, and I also love nectarines. The dressing is a little tangy for my taste, but it works with the salad overall.
- Almond-Crusted Chicken & Nectarine Salad with Buttermilk-Chive Dressing (Fine Cooking #99, June 2009, p. 76)
Chipotle Pork Cheeseburgers
By · CommentsWe had Bobby and Jay over for Saturday dinner tonight since Bob was in town. We loved the cheeseburgers, even though I’m not a fan of cheese on my meat. And the corn saute is always a big hit. But for me, the best part of the meal was this cake. This is a dessert that I can’t resist if it’s in the house. The cake is light with a delicate crumb, and the filling is that perfect combination of sweetened cream and mascarpone cheese. I’m happy with the cake itself, but the berries are nice with it too.
- Chipotle Pork Cheeseburgers (Gourmet, June 2009)
- Corn & Mushroom Sauté with Leeks & Pancetta (Fine Cooking #87, September 2007, p. 37)
- Roasted Potato and Mushroom Salad with Mascarpone (Fine Cooking #97, February 2009, p. 79)
- Mascarpone-Filled Cake with Sherried Berries (Gourmet, July 2008)
Crusty Seeded Pale Ale Pot Boule
By · CommentsI had high hopes for this bread – who can resist beer bread? I know I can’t. Plus I love baking bread in my Le Crueset pots. Although this is a no-knead bread, it still takes some planning for the rise time and then the second rise and baking. I actually don’t mind kneading and shaping bread, it’s the time planning that’s required in baking traditional bread that doesn’t really work with my busy schedule.
One of the reasons I love Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day is that it allows a lot of time flexibility – I know I can grab a hunk of dough and have freshly baked bread in about an hour.
The crumb on this bread is really nice – big holes, chewy and flavorful. The problem I had is that the crust ended up overdone and it ruined the flavor of the bread. The inside was perfectly baked, though.
- Crusty Seeded Pale Ale Pot Boule (Kneadlessly Simple, p. 47)
Ginger-Spice Sandwich Cookies with Lemon Cream
By · CommentsI thought these cookies looked good when I saw the recipe, but they kind of slipped to the back of my mind until I saw that Amy had made them. Well, if she made them, I needed to try them out. Plus, they sounded just like a cookie Larry would like. And I was right. He loves these cookies. And I do too.
- Ginger-Spice Sandwich Cookies with Lemon Cream (Fine Cooking #99, June 2009, p. 68)
Raspberry Buttermilk Cake
By · CommentsDespite being a fairly prolific baker, I’m really not much for baked goods. They’re good and all, but they’re not one of those things that makes me go crazy (like ice cream or caramel or jujyfruits). This cake, however, is right up my alley. It’s got a really tender crumb and a crackly, sugary coating on top. And raspberries embedded into the cake.
- Raspberry Buttermilk Cake (Gourmet, June 2009)
Pan-Seared Salmon with Baby Greens & Fennel
By · CommentsThis simple diner salad is quick to make and really good. The salmon is pan-seared so it forms a nice crispy crust. I used Copper River salmon for this dish. It was perfect with some garlic bread and a bottle of cold Racer 5 IPA.
- Pan-Seared Salmon with Baby Greens & Fennel (Fine Cooking #99, June 2009, p. 77)
- Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)
Chocolate Stout Cupcakes
By · CommentsThis is the second time I’ve made this cake, but this time I made cupcakes to take to work. My cake decorating skills leave a lot to be desired. Doesn’t matter – this cake is SO good. The recipe makes four dozen cupcakes, so it’s perfect for a work treat. I think I like this better as a cake than cupcakes, though.
- Chocolate Stout Cake (Bon Appétit, September 2002)
Tex-Mex Chicken with Chiles & Cheese
By · CommentsI served this simple-to-prepare chicken with tortillas, black beans and smashed avocado. I made a lttle burrito out of it, but Larry ate the tortilla separate. Both ways are good – we really liked the chicken.
My eternal quest for the perfect brownie led to this recipe from King Arthur Flour. I love making brownies because they’re simple to make and usually really delicious. These are really good – fudgy without being too cakey, and that crackly brownie top that I love. The method is odd, calling for melting the butter first, then adding the sugar, but it works.
- Tex-Mex Chicken with Chiles & Cheese (Fine Cooking #99, June 2009, p. 86)
- Fudge Brownies (King Arthur Flour)
Blueberry Jam Sandwich Cookies
By · CommentsThese cookies take some time, mainly because they require making up a batch of jam in addition to the cookie dough, and both need to chill before the cookies are baked/assembled. The good news is that everything doesn’t need to be done at once, and the cookies can be assembled at a leisurely pace. They’re also delicious. The cookie is a delicate lemon shortbread (I used Meyer lemons) and the blueberry jam is a great match for them.
- Blueberry Jam Sandwich Cookies (Bon Appétit, June 2009)
