Notes about Recipes in this book

• Orzo salad with spring peas and creamy herb dressing

  • averythingcooks on June 22, 2023

    The orzo & peas are in my upcoming plans but I just made the dressing last night for a salad of greens, radishes & red onion. I like the combo of mayo, buttermilk & lemon and the generous use of the 3 herbs. The snap peas are waiting in the fridge which means I'll repeat this creamy dressing soon.

  • averythingcooks on June 25, 2023

    This dressing is great with garden greens and it was really good here as well. For a recent salad also made with snap peas, I did not blanch them and so didn't here, but I do think for this recipe, I should have. With 2 types of peas, lots of herbs in the dressing and a final sprinkle of crumbled feta, this orzo salad was a nice side for a chicken & broccoli bake.

• Edna's easy homemade salsa

  • averythingcooks on August 08, 2022

    This is a really good classic salsa that is made in the food processor. We used it on tacos and agreed that it's a repeat for sure.

• Divine chicken divan

  • averythingcooks on August 08, 2022

    This is a good version of chicken & broccoli with almonds and a gruyere based sauce. I did make the following minor changes: I skipped the sage and added some roasted red peppers. For us, it needed more punch - I would include some hot peppers next time. I would also make the full amount of cheesy crumbs (for the 1/2 recipe that I made) for the top. I can for sure see making this again.

• Spring chicken

  • averythingcooks on August 08, 2022

    This is basically boneless, skinless chicken thighs marinated in a "thinner" tangy BBQ style sauce and then grilled.....and it was really good! I did spice the sauce up a bit (ancho chili powder in addition to the hot sauce called for) to better match our palates.

• Grammy Tabor's tuna macaroni salad

  • averythingcooks on June 06, 2024

    This was good but even scaled to 1/4, it made a LOT. Two things: I had way more of the mayo, yogurt (replacing the sour cream) & milk than needed (luckily I was adding it slowly...the rest will go into tonight's salad dressing) and after a few bites, I knew I was missing little chunks of cheese so I added some.

• Boneless breasts with Boursin

  • averythingcooks on March 05, 2025

    I converted a 1/2 recipe of this idea to a creamy pasta, this time subbing out the spinach which I didn't have (but would be good). 1" chunks of chicken were cooked, then removed. Sliced sweet peppers went in to soften followed by the leek, wine, garlic, broth & cheese to make a sauce. The chicken went back in with the parsley, LOTS of fresh basil, some broccoli that I had roasted & cooked penne. A big shower of parm topped off 2 lovely, hearty dinner bowls.

• Grilled flank steak in a steakhouse marinade with tomato butter

  • averythingcooks on February 06, 2022

    This was not the best marinade we've had...I don't think the red wine gives the sharp, acid hit we like so in went some Dijon & red wine vinegar. We did really like the tomato butter melting over top of the hot steak and I'm happy to have more stashed in the freezer; however, I find it annoying to measure "1/2 cup" of whole cherry tomatoes..... hmmm - they don't really fit the cup so why not just give an approximate number, or better yet - a MASS??

• Help with hamburger

  • averythingcooks on January 24, 2026

    This was a simple, old school dinner that used up some stuff that needed using up! I added a handful of diced sweet peppers (mix of R, O, Y) and I also made a crunchy topping with focaccia crumbs from the freezer mixed with melted butter & grated parm. Note that a 1/2 recipe (ie 1/2 lb of grd beef) still made a very large pan of food...way more than needed to serve the 2 of us.

• Venison chili from the land

  • anya_sf on January 20, 2025

    I used "chili grind" venison instead of stew meat and already-crushed tomatoes. The spices complemented the slight gaminess of the meat very nicely. Not being Texan, I couldn't resist adding a can of black beans, and would add more vegetables in the future per my preference. The chili got quite thick and did not need to simmer fully uncovered.

• Farmer's favorite molasses ginger cookies

  • averythingcooks on January 31, 2022

    This recipe includes crystalized ginger as an optional ingredient (which I did add) and they are delicious. Some recipes call for all butter & some for all vegetable shortening but this one uses a mix of 50:50 and produces a lovely crackled top with a chewy texture. I made 25 g balls (for 32 cookies) & I did use up a little jar of leftover cinnamon sugar for rolling (instead of plain sugar). She says they are very unforgiving if over baked so I was super diligent watching my sometimes annoying oven.

• Cold day corn chowder

  • averythingcooks on April 13, 2022

    This made a hearty & tasty pot of soup. I did not want to garnish with bacon (this time) so I simply rendered the fat from some fatty bacon ends I keep in the freezer...but I found it odd that the instruction was to actually cook the bacon in butter - maybe a "bit" of overkill ?? Anyways, while reheating for dinner, I added some extra kick / colour by adding chopped hot red peppadews & some pickled poblanos. I have lots of recipes for corn chowder to choose from but I would likely repeat this one.

• Creamy cauliflower mash

  • averythingcooks on June 28, 2025

    This was a very nice base for a saucy slow cooker beef dish. Having read comments from other recipes, I didn't save (or need) any of the cooking water and we were fine with the "still a little thinner than most potato mashes" texture. The garlic, cream cheese & Parmigiano give it lots of character & while we wouldn't really mistake it for potatoes (and not actually my goal here), I will come back with cauliflower on hand. I will also try her make ahead/oven baked variation.

• Spicy chicken and chips

  • averythingcooks on August 08, 2022

    This seemed like a great idea on paper but we felt the result was a bit dry, even with sour cream on the side. Perhaps I had an overly heavy hand with the tortilla chips which soaked up all the liquid in the oven. Having said that, when we had the leftovers the next night, I added salsa verde and passata to the mix and topped it with more cheese (not mixed with chips) before reheating. We both agreed that night 2 was saucier and therefore much better.

• Quick chick chunks 'n' chew stew

  • averythingcooks on November 07, 2025

    This chicken & vegetable stew is a great example of humble ingredients coming together to make something hearty & comforting. I added peas near the end + some chopped roasted red peppers for a pop of colour. I also used a fresh herb blend (from my freezer) which has the sage & parsley called for here + rosemary & thyme. For creamy sauces like this, my habit now is to do the final seasoning for salt with freshly grated parmigianno which gives great flavour + some thickening. T requested that this should be made again for sure.

• Chunky chicken thighs and wild rice

  • Yuanboa on January 22, 2026

    I followed the recipe and thought it would be a casserole. it is not, it is more like a chowder! If I make this again I would cut back on the chicken stock. It was good but not great.