Everday Food on Google Books

Google Books is a great online resource for reading/viewing/accessing books online. While our December pick is not available in its entirety, there are many pages and recipes that anyone can read and use!

Stephanie

Pork Paprika

This warm, hearty meal was wonderful! Pork Paprika was one of the first recipes I marked "to make"... it may have been the enticing butter noodles or the description as a Hungarian classic that pulled me in, but the result will make this a go-to meal in our home. Brian was giving "mmmm's" from "office" at the smells drifting through our studio. I wish this recipe was available online so I could share... if you have the book, MAKE THIS!

It was surprising how much paprika goes into this dish. I coated the pork chunks in the 1T as directed and thought "wow, that's a lot!". Then realized half way through you are to add yet another tablespoon of paprika! That Martha knows what she's doing because this dish was perfectly seasoned. Everything came together so quickly, I kept re-reading the directions to make sure I wasn't missing a step.

This recipe serves 4, and we had plenty of leftovers for a second meal but I will need to make more noodles to accompany the dish. I must admit that I pulled the cold meal from the fridge and took a few bites, just to revisit the spicy, tomato flavor... I felt like Nigella Lawson at the end of an episode where she sneaks into the kitchen for a late night snack. I encourage you to give this one a try!

Stephanie

A Good Dinner with a Good Friend and a Delicious Cosmopolitan

Today I finally got November's cookbook, "Back to the Basics". I was fourth on the wait list for the book at the public library, and as they say, "better late than never!" So here I am, one full month and book behind and decided to get right on it!

As I looked through the book after returning from the library this morning, I decided that I wanted to make something quick and easy, with the fewest amount of ingredients possible! December feels like crunch time for me, and I knew that if I was going to make anything it needed to be today.

The first recipe that caught my attention was the pomegranate cosmopolitan. Ina's opening for this recipe was perfect: "When I'm overwhelmed (which is often!) I wonder if I need to change my life. Instead, I realize that I just need a good dinner with a dear friend and a delicious cosmopolitan." With only four more days of school left before Christmas break and the end of the second quarter I have had many days this week where all I wanted was an "adult drink".

In addition to the cosmo I decided to make the bruschetta with peppers and gorgonzola. They both turned out amazing! I also purchased the ingredients, created the dishes and enjoyed their flavors with my dear friend and roommate Chrissy, so it was a good time all around! We both lost count of how many bruschettas we devoured and who is to say exactly how many cosmos we had since we both "topped off" our glasses a few times. It was an absolutely lovely evening and lovely day, and they are both dishes that I would happily and could easily make again!

~Crystal~

Cheddar-Corn Spoon Bread

Yes, looks can be deceiving... this spoon bread taste much better then it appears! I decided to make this Cheddar-Corn Spoon Bread to accompany our Stuffed Poblano leftovers. This was almost like a soufflé with the whipped-in egg whites, and while I would have preferred more corn flavor and less egg, this was very tasty and I will make it again. I may even try spicing it up with diced jalapenos or Oretga chilies.

Stephanie

Stuffed Poblanos

Or so I thought. Who knew the great debate happening long before my first encounter with the so-called Pasilla pepper. This is how it began:
I received our new cookbook at my office, eagerly flipped through the colorful pages and settled, rather quickly, on the delicious looking "Stuffed Poblanos" recipe (maybe it had something to with the smell of Chile Relleno in the office... one will never know). I used my lunch break to gather the ingredients at the store, but came to a confusing stop when the pepper that I recognized at site as a poblano, was labeled at the market as a pasilla pepper. "Eh?" After looking up and down the produce for any other identical pepper called poblano, I realized I was on a time crunch, so I grabbed these "pasillas". At the check out the lady looked at me and confirmed, "Pasilla?"..."I guess?!".
So to settle the debate I thought I would simply google the two peppers (in secret of course, because now all my self-proclaimed culinary prowess was coming into question). Come to find out, I was not the only one confused... It appears that this mis-labeling of the poblano as a pasilla is a California quirk that has been noted by such knowledgeable Mexican cuisine chefs as Rick Bayless. Phew!

So, to get on with the actual recipe...

This was a delicious dish: quick, easy, fresh, flavorful; completely doable on a weeknight after a long day of work. This recipe made enough for me to split into 2 medium casserole dishes, so I froze one (prior to baking) for a quick go-to meal in the upcoming weeks.

I made Spanish rice to accompany the stuffed poblanos, which worked well to soak up the slightly-spicy tomato sauce.

Overall, a great vegetarian-friendly meal that's satisfying when you are having a hunger for Mexican food, but won't leave you feeling weighed down with grease. Looking forward to leftovers!

Stephanie

Announcing December's Cookbook

Those who know me well… know that I’m a huge Martha Stewart fan! I strive to be my own version of Martha…

Back when I was in college, my parents had gifted me a subscription to the Everyday Food magazine. This started a 4 year love affair with the food magazine, it became my go-to for all meals. Easy recipes, simple cooking techniques, gorgeous food photography. These little beauties solidified my love for the kitchen.

Each week when I menu plan, I pull out the month’s magazines and finger through to find our dinners. My husband and I both work full time with long hours so quick dinners are the name of the game. But who wants to sacrifice flavor and healthy, fresh food?!

I’m hoping Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast becomes a part of your kitchen arsenal.

cocktail hour

I fell in love with the Ina Garten's Back to Basics when I first opened it up to the cocktail hour chapter. What's not to love about cocktail hour?

I made the parmesan & thyme crackers (pg 30) from this chapter because I was intrigued by the idea of a savory shortbread. With just a few simple ingredients (butter, Parmesan, fresh thyme, salt, pepper, and flour) these crackers came together easily. As the recipe suggested, I did have to add an extra teaspoon of water to the dough before shaping it into a log as it was a bit too dry to hold a shape.

We could hardly wait for the crackers to cool down after they came out of the oven - they looked so tasty. Lightly browned, flecked with aromatic thyme leaves and glistening from all that butter! I served these with a glass of crisp, chilled chardonnay. Delightful!

Cheers!

Tempa

Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup with Parmesan Toasts

Today we warmed up with soup and toast for lunch. We had split opinions on the soup: David liked it and Kimberly thought it lacked a depth of flavor. Though allowing the toast to sit in the soup like a sponge before eating, really hit the spot for both of us. We'd love to try making the soup in summer when tomatoes are at their peak, and maybe tinker with the recipe a bit, too. The parmesan toasts will be a go-to recipe with soup or pasta.

Eat Well,

Kimberly and David

Easy Sticky Buns

Sunday morning seemed like the perfect time to break out a new baked good recipe. Neither of us had worked with puff pastry before and found it far easier than fillo dough. These were amazingly sweet (we omitted the raisins and pecans which may cut some of that, or not) but good.

Our three local taste testers loved them, one claiming they were the best sticky buns he'd ever had. When we make them again we need to keep a better eye on the oven. 30 minutes was too long for our little buns; most baking takes longer at this altitude, which is why we neglected to check on them much.

Eat Well,

Kimberly and David

Roasted Potato Leek Soup

We made this soup earlier in the month but were sorely disappointed with our food styling capabilities through the process. We give mad props to our coauthors of this blog, as we are striving to photograph like you...practice makes perfect (someday, we hope). The soup was so great, we were not at all phased by the prospect of remaking it and enjoyed it even more the second time around (when we had the creme fraiche to add).

This might be our new favorite cold weather dinner. It's thick and so comforting. Without some self control, and the expectation of a late evening guest's arrival (kim's sister), we could have eaten the entire pot. A lactose intolerant friend laughed at our mmmmm's, oooooh's, and awwww's as we swallowed every bite.

The roasting of the ingredients really makes this recipe easy. We'll have it on our go-to meal list throughout future Fall and Winter seasons for sure.

Eat well,

Kimberly and David