Notes about Recipes in this book

• Belgian beef carbonnade

  • averythingcooks on January 23, 2025

    This made a great stew with a thick, rich gravy. I used bacon grease in place of veg oil and Guinness for the beer. As I didn't have mushrooms, I added porcini powder for flavour + a handful of sweet red peppers. I don't have prunes but I do have dates (which I know are sweeter) so I chopped up a smaller amt. The resulting stew, while delicious was a bit sweet but that just meant skipping the final addition of brown sugar but still using the red wine vinegar. This was soooo good spooned over broccoli mashed potatoes.

• Ham and split pea soup

  • averythingcooks on January 08, 2024

    Having cooked a cottage roll in the instant pot for sandwiches, T requested split pea soup and as I prefer yellow split peas (over green), this one worked perfectly. I used a mix of the leftover broth & water (worried a bit about salt) and added lots of chopped meat. The result is a thick, flavourful pot of soup perfect for winter.

• Chickpea and cauliflower curry

  • averythingcooks on April 25, 2025

    I divided the full amt of chickpeas + cauliflower by 3, using 1/3 each + leftover turkey for the final 1/3. I used coconut milk in the sauce & gave it a longer simmer to thicken / help deepen the flavour. I had a heavy hand for the heat & added a handful of chopped roasted red peppers with the peas. A spoonful of plain yogurt (as opposed to the raita) went on top & we skipped the rice, dipping fingers of naan into our bowls as we ate. This was a nice (& simple) little dinner bowl.

• Beef rendang

  • averythingcooks on May 04, 2024

    With the option of starting with leftover cooked beef or raw, I chose raw, seasoning / browning it 1st (not mentioned but I assumed the cooked would come in with lots of flavour). Scaled to 2/3'ds, I started with 1 small very(!!) hot red chile and then later, for a little more warmth & a redder colour (rendang is never a "looker") I added gochgaru & tomato powder to good effect. The pot was topped up with cauliflower, peas, sweet red peppers, spinach & Thai basil for a more complete dinner bowl and we both really enjoyed this over a bed of smashed red skinned potatoes. The braise did take longer than she suggests but it was well worth the wait.

• French vinaigrette

  • averythingcooks on May 29, 2021

    I wanted a new vinaigrette with shallots, mustard and honey to serve over greens & mixed veg and this did the job beautifully.

• Buttermilk ranch dressing and dip

  • averythingcooks on July 07, 2020

    This is a good version of ranch. I used Greek yogurt (as a suggested sub for sour cream) but felt it was a little thick so I thinned it with some 2% milk. To boost the flavour I also added some garlic powder (mimicking my current favorite version) and a squeeze of lemon juice. It was good on a simple salad of romaine & celery and would be a great dip for raw veggies.

• Michael's blue cheese dressing and dip

  • averythingcooks on March 18, 2020

    I needed a dip for last night's Buffalo chicken nuggets and so tried this (in place of my usual favourite Tyler Florence version). It was simple AND very good but I ultimately added a little honey and lemon juice to better match TF's flavour (and our obvious preferences). Chives would also be a nice addition. So did I really make this one?? I guess the answer is yes AND no.

• Snappy gingersnaps

  • averythingcooks on November 06, 2023

    I love a strongly flavoured ginger cookie with some texture and these delivered 100%. I did cut back the ground ginger by around 1 tsp (which means still using 5 tsp!) & added a generous tsp of minced candied ginger. I made 18 g cookies which yielded 48 and was happiest with 19 minutes of bake time. I will make these again...and again.

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