Notes about Recipes in this book

• Quick pickled spring veg

  • averythingcooks on July 02, 2023

    I needed some quick pickles and gave these a try. I used matchstick carrots & radish + thinly sliced celery & red onion and the apple cider vinegar. Knowing that MB often has a heavy hand with lemon (perhaps here because these are paired with a halibut meuniere?), I started with 1/2 the juice + a little zest which was good for me and these were perfect in our pork lettuce wraps.

• Cottage pancakes

  • Singleta417 on February 03, 2025

    This is the best pancake recipe out there! They come out so fluffy and light. Honestly, this is the only recipe we make in our house.

• Cacio e pepe salad

  • averythingcooks on November 23, 2022

    This was, as promised, a "cheese and pepper heavy spin on a Caesar salad". I would also add "lemon forward" to that description but that might be a personal palate thing. We did enjoy this (made with romaine in place of the suggested baby kale or arugula) beside a spicy pasta dish.

• Spanakopita grilled cheese

  • averythingcooks on November 23, 2022

    With feta, spinach & dill to set this apart, this is a really delicious version of a "fancy" grilled cheese. My only issue is the lemon - I actually started with 1/2 of what she called for and that was plenty for us....I'm very happy I didn't go with the full amount immediately. We used the mozzarella (the other option given is fontina) and I would make these guys again for sure.

• Beer-braised brats with pretzel buns

  • averythingcooks on November 26, 2022

    First off, the pretzel buns are lovely! I was worried at the 18 minute mark (minimum cook time given) that they were over done but the internal temp was right on and despite the dark brown (but still shiny) crust they are light & chewy - absolute repeat! I then braised 2 farmers sausages, then cut them into 1.5 " inch chunks (give or take) and finished them in a cast iron pan with the reserved onions and some butter. We actually made open faced knife & fork sandwiches with mustard on the buns and topped with a hot/sweet pepper relish from Bobby Flay. Delicious!

• My favorite delivery

  • averythingcooks on September 27, 2023

    With my own sauce in the freezer and a bunch of stragglers to use as toppings, I used this dough +cooking method to create a deep dish skillet pizza for 2. The dough came together quickly and rose as predicted but for us...the result was just too thick & bready. The bottom did have some crispness but it was more like foccacia than pizza and so I'm actually going to try it again as foccacia some day. She does say to not expect a thin crust pizza here....but I'm not sure that warning goes far enough :)

• Baked meatballs with pesto and ricotta

  • averythingcooks on January 29, 2024

    We both really enjoyed this. My 1 mistake was rushing (and not thinking about the sauce as I was thawing my own to use) & forgetting to reserve some of the herbs, instead putting the full amounts into the meat mixture. A quick test cook when I realized confirmed that yes... it was really good. My one quibble is calling for 10.5 oz of ground beef. Really? Not exactly freezer friendly. Regardless, for a 1/2 recipe I used 4 oz of grd beef + 5 oz of mild Italian sausage meat. I made 35 g balls and got 11. We ate this with toasted garlic buns for dipping (in place of pasta) and I will absolutely make this again.

• Banh mi beef dip

  • averythingcooks on February 25, 2023

    As I had 8 oz of 2" cubed stewing beef (for 2 sandwiches), I scaled the broth to 1/4 & reduced the cook time. I also made 1/3 of the brine to pickle sliced red onion & celery + some matchstick carrots. Because of how much the broth reduced (& not wanting to dilute its lovely flavour to make the "dip") I let it thicken a bit more & then stirred the shredded beef back in. We ate our sandwiches on soft rolls with the quick pickles, lettuce and sriracha mayo. These were different AND delicious!

• Tomato and kale baked white beans

  • hbakke on October 26, 2022

    Healthy-tasting, but in a good way. I'm not the biggest fan of kale, but this was pretty good with a dusting of Parmesan on top. I subbed cooked Rancho Gordo Christmas lima beans for the canned white kidney beans. I would make this again.

  • averythingcooks on November 25, 2022

    I made this to serve with some grilled chicken thighs & garlic toast and we really enjoyed it. With home canned tomatoes in the pantry and great northern beans & whole grape tomatoes in the freezer, this was a perfect pantry dish freshened up with baby spinach (in place of the kale) and herbs. I used the oregano (basil would also be good) & because she calls for both parsley & red pepper flakes, I stirred in a tablespoon of a roasted jalapeno & parsley pesto from my freezer. We both say "Repeat!"

• Beef Bourguignon

  • averythingcooks on December 18, 2022

    This is a lovely, rich tasting beef stew. The only change I made is that I am not a mushroom fan and so rather than add them at the end as described, I made a pan of sautéed mixed mushrooms (Barefoot in Paris) and guests topped their bowls as desired. This recipe does not call for potatoes but I like stew served on a bed of mashed potatoes so this was a good choice. I would make this again both for guests or scaled back for the 2 of us.

• Super-crispy roast potatoes

  • averythingcooks on February 09, 2023

    These were super-crispy (and very tasty) as promised. Next time I would try to leave more of the loose coating in the bowl as that stuff burned on the pan but other than that, these potatoes are worth repeating.