• averythingcooks on August 18, 2023

  Tomato Sauace 3 Ways - Marinara [pg 77]: This is the 1st "way" given and it also forms the base of the next 2. It is a simple sauce that uses canned or fresh tomatoes and so I used a mix of fresh from the garden. I also chose to peel & core my tomatoes even though she leaves that out. There is lots of garlic here and this time in place of the fresh basil, I threw in a spoonful of some freshly made pesto & also simmered it with a parm rind. This will be frozen in portions to use as is or to be built upon in any number of ways and I will probably come back here as the tomatoes really start ramping up.

• averythingcooks on November 28, 2022

  Pizza Dough [178]: I cut this in 1/2 for the perfect amount of dough for 2 pretty good sized personal sized pizzas. It rose beautifully on the 1st rise (always a good sign) and then I gave it around 3.5 - 4 hours for the 2nd (fridge) rise. It handled well when being shaped and then baked up with the texture (chew?) & crisp crust that I love in a good dough. She also gives lots of ideas for flavour add-ins if that is your thing.

• averythingcooks on July 10, 2022

  Garlicky Tahini Soup [pg 97]: As I'm always looking for a variety of ways to use tahini, this was a good choice. I added a leek with the garlic & I opted to run the immersion blender through the veg/broth base before whisking in the tahini + lemon juice mixture. With quinoa for the grain, baby spinach for the green & basil for the herb, I have created a very tasty pot of soup that made very smart use of my fridge / pantry.

• averythingcooks on January 16, 2022

  Shallot Marmalade [pg 201]: This is a great little condiment to have on hand for sandwiches, burgers and to eat with cheese and crackers. I used the dried thyme, chili flakes & minced garlic from the list of optional add ins. It does pack a pretty good vinegar punch - I'm okay with that but might try a little more sugar next time.

• averythingcooks on December 15, 2021

  Marvelous Minestrone [pg 81]: This recipe is basically a guide to choices, options and ratios of ingredients using what you have in your fridge, freezer & pantry. As a result, I have produced a delicious pot of soup that made really smart use of what I have on hand right now. The premise of this book really does resonate with me as I am becoming increasingly aware & concerned re: the issue of food waste coming out of Canadian (and other) kitchens.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Charred asparagus Niçoise with a French vinaigrette

  • averythingcooks on June 01, 2024

    I made this dressing for a simple green salad. My books have so many versions of a "French" vinaigrette & I'm not sure which ones are actually authentic but I do know we loved this combo of Dijon, garlic & apple cider vinegar. She simply calls for fresh or dried herbs so I used a mix of fresh parsley & chives. Definitely worth repeating.

• Pot roast

  • averythingcooks on November 19, 2024

    With no leftover braising liquid on hand, I used her suggestion of a (50:50) mix of beef broth & passata. The house smelled great but I did wonder about not covering the pot & after about an hour did add the lid. I also used an idea from Melissa Clark's Dinner in French & roasted the carrots separately. We went more by texture than temperature for doneness & ate this over roasted garlic mashed potatoes with the carrots piled on...this was comfort in a bowl.

• Crispy fried pasta with spicy chorizo

  • averythingcooks on December 10, 2024

    It was dinner for 1 night and I had around 1 cup of cooked farfalle, took pizza sauce out of the freezer & stir fried some red onion + sweet peppers for the veg. The chorizo brought a ton of flavour and while I'm not sure I got my pasta really crispy, the sauce seemed to deepen (almost "caramelize") & I thought this was really good.

• Pizza chips

  • averythingcooks on June 24, 2024

    I rarely have extra pizza dough around but yesterday I had around 5 oz that I had put in the fridge the night before. Mine came out more like crackers than chips (maybe widest setting on pasta roller to get them thinner?) so they baked a little longer. I used salt, pepper, ground fresno & pecorino romano but think that everything bagel seasoning would also be a good choice. This is a good idea.

• The only pie dough you need

  • averythingcooks on April 13, 2024

    She gives a couple of variations for this 2 x 9" pie dough recipe...I used the 2/3 butter:1/3 vegetable shortening version for beef pot pie. It comes together quickly using grated fat and after a 4 hour chill (she gives a 30 minute to 24 hour time range...the longer the better), it rolled out easily & certainly served its purpose. It won't replace my gold standard but I can certainly see coming here again.