• averythingcooks on April 22, 2022

  Every-Day Egg Sandwich [pg11]: We did enjoy these toasted sandwiches (filled with egg, bacon, cheese & green onions) for dinner. However, the instruction to "deftly turn over the works with a spatula" (ie leaving it intact) was unsuccessful to say the least - but as T said when he watched...."Oh well, it will still taste good". It did :)

• averythingcooks on April 21, 2022

  Weeknight/Weekend Beef Stew [pg 119]: This rich tasting stew is an example of how simple can be really good. Long. slow browning of the meat, classic veg and lots of red wine resulted in a delicious stew. Because I was serving it over mashed potatoes, I subbed in extra carrot & celery and frozen butternut squash cubes for the potato called for. He gives lots of possible add-ins for the end and I used peas, roasted red peppers, green onions & parsley. It is also refreshing to see a recipe that calls for 2 lbs of beef (in addition to the veg) stating that it will serve 4 - 6.....I'm still in awe of recipes with 4 lbs of meat in them making the same claim.

• averythingcooks on December 12, 2021

  Bacon Baked Beans [pg 136]: I cut this back to 1/3 (which is 1 cup of dried beans - perfect amount for the small slow cooker), and they were good but there is a really big hit of yellow mustard.....maybe cut it back or use some Dijon? I'll probably not repeat this one with so many other good recipes on my shelves.

• averythingcooks on February 25, 2021

  Quinoa Greek Salad [pg 76]: This was a great little side dish for a souvlaki dinner. I cut the quinoa to 1/3 & upped the veg to accommodate a 1/2 recipe of the dressing. I used toasted pine nuts in place of pistachios & used fresh parsley in addition to the fresh mint An initial taste of the dressing gave a very powerful hit of yellow mustard .....but an extra shot of honey, a little more salt & some additional olive oil resulted in something better matched to our palates. I would make this one again (maybe with a more traditional Greek vinaigrette next time).

• averythingcooks on February 21, 2021

  Broccoli Bacon Frittata [pg 20] : This made a great "eggs for dinner" served with home fries. A 1/2 recipe fit perfectly in my small non-stick skillet and the method for ensuring an even cook on bacon (with the big splash of water) is one I learned from him years ago (& still use all the time). To up the veg, I added chopped red pepper to the bacon as it was finishing. I eyeballed the amount of broccoli by cutting the florets into the dry pan at the beginning until it looked "like enough". The cooking instructions were spot on and my finished frittata looked just like the picture. This is a definite repeat.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Bacon black bean breakfast burrito

  • averythingcooks on March 26, 2024

    Scaled to 1/2, this is a good combo of ingredients for 2 hearty burritos that we ate for dinner beside a crunchy veg salad. For us, a heavy hand with the hot sauce was a must (& pickled hot peppers would also be a good add-in).

• Potato salad with horseradish dressing

  • averythingcooks on December 08, 2023

    This is a very good potato salad. We loved the horseradish in the dressing, but because I also like the pop of the seeds, I added a spoonful of grainy mustard. I have lots of home canned relishes to get through & so used a couple of spoonfuls of a zucchini relish in place of the pickles. Hard boiled eggs are a must for us in potato salad so in they went and yes...we loved it.

• Caboose-style pulled pork with honey mustard slaw

  • averythingcooks on October 20, 2023

    I just made the coleslaw this time which we really enjoyed. Very simple ingredients come together to form a creamy (with no dairy or mayo), very flavourful dressing. With green cabbage, carrots, radishes, red onion & red pepper, it was a great side for saucy chicken & creamy grits.

• Street tacos

  • averythingcooks on June 02, 2024

    I scaled this to 2/3d's & "taste for seasoning" after the slow cooker was key...when it was done the liquid just seemed flat somehow but a good dose of salt woke it right up without making it salty. I also reduced some cooking liquid on the stove & stirred this back into the meat (a good idea). We ate our tacos with a pickled onion/corn/hot pepper relish, lettuce, Monterey Jack, yogurt & tomatillo salsa. The full recipe says "enough for 16 tacos or so" but that seems very conservative based on my yield. I'm quite happy to have portions of this now stashed in the freezer for busy summer night meals.

• Caramel chip blondies

  • hbakke on November 30, 2022

    I used salted caramel chips from Trader Joes in these blondies. These were sweet and rich so I cut them into small squares. Very simple, delicious recipe.

• Pickle salad with pickle dressing

  • hbakke on November 14, 2022

    An interesting cucumber side salad. We enjoyed the flavors, but the coriander and fennel seeds in oil were a little overpowering. Husband thought it tasted like a vinegary potato salad minus the potatoes.