2018 RECIPE ONE: Tuesday January 2nd - lemony carrot and cauliflower soup

BACK STORY:
First NY Times recipe of the year! This looked good, easy and cosy on a sub-zero night.

NOTES:
I kept this mostly as is, but used coriander powder instead of seeds; brown miso instead of white; and topped with chopped walnuts and hunks of bread to serve. It was soooo delicious but did take a bit to cook the veggies and simmer. The blending was also a mess, but worth it for the creamy bisque texture. 

STARS: 
3 out of 5. Time consuming but worth the effort on a cold night. And the ingredients are usually in my fridge!

RECIPE:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015360-lemony-carrot-and-cauliflower-soup

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for serving
• 1 large white onion, peeled and diced (2 cups)
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 5 medium carrots (1 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2 cups)
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
• 3 tablespoons white miso
• 1 small (or half of a large) head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, more to taste
•  Smoky chile powder, for serving
•  Coarse sea salt, for serving
•  Cilantro leaves, for serving

1. In a large, dry pot over medium heat, toast coriander seeds until fragrant and dark golden-brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and coarsely crush.
2. Return the pot to medium heat. Add the oil and heat until warm. Stir in onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly colored, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute.
3. Add carrots, crushed coriander, salt and 6 cups water to the pot. Stir in the miso until it dissolves. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook, uncovered, 5 minutes. Stir in cauliflower and cook, covered, over medium-low heat until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Remove the soup from the heat. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until smooth. (Alternatively, you can let soup cool slightly then purée it in batches in a food processor or blender.) If necessary, return the puréed soup to the heat to warm through. Stir in the lemon zest and juice just before serving. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with chile, sea salt and cilantro leaves.

RECIPE FORTY SIX: Sunday December 31st - shaved brussels sprouts

BACK STORY:
This was my recipe for Christmas but there was so much food I didn't make it. (Also the Brussels sprouts got frozen in Pepin and had to thaw out again.) So I used the ingredients tonight!

NOTES:
I mostly modified this recipe and just used it for the parts. The shaved brussels sprouts came in a bag. Toasted the walnuts in a big pan and cooled them while I cooked the brussel sprouts in a bit of water and then oil to fry them up. (Too much water - keep it for just a moment to soften the sprouts before frying.) Then I added the squeeze of lemon and walnut/cheese as toppings just like the recipe calls for. Delicious and I ate half the serving by myself!

STARS: 
3 out of 5. The shaved Brussels sprouts in the bag made the recipe very easy, but it wasn't particularly notable. A good side dish when the menu calls for lots of other flavorful things.

RECIPE:
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/shaved-brussels-sprout-salad-with-fresh-walnuts-and-pecorino-232809

INGREDIENTS

1. • 1 1/2 lb Brussels sprouts (preferably on the stalk), any discolored leaves discarded and stems left intact
   • 1 cup walnuts (3 1/2 oz), lightly toasted
   • 2 tablespoons finely grated Pecorino Romano, or to taste
   • 1/4 cup olive oil
   • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2. Special Equipment
   • an adjustable-blade slicer

PREPARATION

1. 1. Holding each Brussels sprout by stem end, cut into very thin slices using slicer. Toss in a bowl to separate layers.
   2. Lightly crush walnuts with your hands and add to Brussels sprouts along with cheese, oil, and lemon juice, then toss to combine. Season with pepper.

RECIPE FORTY FIVE: Saturday December 23rd - Amish-style baked oatmeal

BACK STORY:
A gathering with the Bon women (and families!) wouldn't be complete without trying a new recipe to serve to a large group without testing out first. But this worked out great, thanks to a recommendation from Jennica.

NOTES:
While this calls for pesky baking ingredients, it actually came together quickly and deliciously. I added three apples (not two) and used HoneyCrisps (because why would you use any other kind of apple? though I think Granny Smith or another tart apple would work well here). The kids helped me "measure" so everything was an approximation of what it called for. We also baked it about 45 minutes and upped the oven at the end for a crispy finish.

STARS: 
4 out of 5. Quite delicious and easy to make - you could even mix the dry ingredients together for an easier prep for a big group. 

RECIPE:
https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/amish-style-baked-oatmeal-with-apples-raisins-walnuts.html

Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup walnuts or pecans, divided
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the dish
• 2 tart yet sweet baking apples, such as Honey Crisp, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks (about 2 cups)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease an 8 or 9-inch baking dish with butter.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, 1/2 cup of the nuts, raisins, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix well.
3. In another bowl, break up the eggs with a whisk; then whisk in the milk and vanilla until well combined.
4. Add the milk mixture to the oat mixture, along with the melted butter.
5. Scatter the apples evenly on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Pour the oatmeal mixture over top and spread evenly. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup nuts on top. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top is golden and the oats are set. Serve warm or at room temperature.

RECIPE FORTY FOUR: Tuesday December 19th - mustard deviled eggs

BACK STORY:
I wanted to make this for Schmieg Family Christmas but ran out of time, so used the hard-boiled eggs from Sunday to make for the Snoopy gathering on Tuesday instead.

NOTES:
I have never made deviled eggs before and this is SOOO easy. The downside is peeling hardboiled eggs, but Deb insists if you let them sit for a few days they'll peel easier. Also, who cares if they look weird as long as they taste delicious? Which this does. I added a bit more of everything since I made 12 (well, 11) eggs instead of 6. I also used Greek yogurt instead of mayo and though it seems to be a bit drier, it didn't seem to make a different with taste. 

STARS: 
4 out of 5. A bit messy to put together and somewhat time consuming with the eggs and the peeling etc, but actually quite easy and delicious. Make again for another party!

RECIPE:
From the Smitten Kitchen cookbook.

RECIPE FORTY THREE: Sunday December 17th - crispy egg

BACK STORY:
I wanted to eat an egg with my latke waffles and this "recipe" was linked on the Smitten Kitchen website with the latke recipe so I tried it!

NOTES:
This is basically how I make a fried egg - cook the oil hot, throw the egg on, let it sizzle. Even though the recipe didn't call for it I did turn the egg over, but I'd like to try it without that to let the yolk goo a bit. Very delicious but I'm not sure you need a recipe for it!

STARS: 
5 out of 5. Easy and what I was already doing.

RECIPE:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/10/the-crispy-egg/

1 glug olive oil or cooking fat of your choice
1 egg, any size
Salt, pepper, herbs, spices or hot sauce, or all of the above

Over a high flame, heat a skillet for a full minute. Add a glug of oil and let it heat until it just begins to smoke, another 30 seconds. Add your egg, reduce the heat to medium-high, and step back; it’s going to hiss and sputter and basically be the most wildly dramatic thing to happen at breakfast in a long time. Within a minute, it should get brown at the edges but don’t touch or move it. Let it cook until the white looks fully opaque, another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Shimmy a thin metal spatula under the egg, gently loosening any stuck parts. Transfer to whatever you’re serving it on (toast, latke waffles, fried rice, home fries, a plate), shower it with seasonings, herbs and spices of your choice and waste no time digging in. Repeat as needed.

RECIPE FORTY TWO: Sunday December 17th - latke waffles

BACK STORY:
I had leftover sweet potatoes and found this recipe for potato latke waffles and thought - what a good way to repurpose this food! And it was.

NOTES:
I deviated wildly from this recipe,  using the leftover curry sweet potato recipe instead of grating new potatoes. Otherwise everything is the same, and so easy and delicious. I made quite a few extras to freeze and toast for eating later. Putting the fried egg on top added an extra element of protein, and while the sweet potatoes added a unique flavor I thought it was great. DON'T OVERLOAD THE WAFFLE MAKER.

STARS: 
3 out of 5. A good way to use up potatoes for a quick and easy breakfast (or breakfast-for-dinner).

RECIPE:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/09/latke-waffles/

2 large or 4 medium (2 pounds or just under 1 kg) Russet or baking potato, peeled
1 medium onion (about 6 to 8 ounces), peeled
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons (about 9 grams) table or fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (80 grams) all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
Nonstick spray, for waffle iron
2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped, for garnish (totally optional)

Heat oven to 350. Lightly oil a large baking sheet and set aside.

In a food processor or on a box grater, coarsely shred the potato and onion. For longer strands, lay the potato sideways in the chute of your food processor. Transfer grated mixture to a bowl lined with a fuzz-free dishcloth (linen is great here) or cheesecloth. Pull up the sides of the cloth, forming a bag of grated ingredients, and twist it until you’ve squeezed out all of the excess liquid. Let stand for 1 to 2 minutes, then squeeze out one more time.

Discard the liquid in the bowl, then add wrung-out shredded potato and onion to it. Sprinkle baking powder, salt and several grinds of black pepper over mixture and stir with a fork until it distributes throughout the shreds. Add flour, and again, stir into the potato-onion mixture until the pieces are evenly coated. Crack eggs on top; use your fork to break up the yolks and stir them so that they’re evenly distributed through the batter.

Heat your waffle iron to high heat. Once hot, coat lightly with a nonstick spray. Heap some latke mixture on top and spread it into an even layer. Cook until the latkes are a nice, deep golden brown underneath. (I found that the bottom colors better than the top, but you’ll even this out in the oven.)

Transfer to oiled baking sheet, paler side down, and place in warmed oven. Continue with remaining latke batter. Keep latke waffles in oven until crisp (about 5 to 10 minutes), or until all the other parts of your meal are ready.

Serve with applesauce or sour cream, latke-style, or breakfast-style, with eggs and bacon. Sour cream is pretty good with the eggs, too. Chives make it pretty.

RECIPE FORTY ONE: Sunday December 17th - roasted cauliflower with pumpkin seeds brown butter and lime

BACK STORY:
When searching through Smitten Kitchen's website for recipes for Schmieg Family Christmas, this one caught my eye. I didn't end up making it for the holiday but did eat it later that night!

NOTES:
I love cauliflower so much, and while I wasn't sure about the other ingredients - browned butter and pumpkin seeds don't rank high on my list of desired foods - I was willing to give it a try. And it was quite good, an example where the total was a sum of more than the parts. The cooking butter was weird at first (I tried margarine but the smell was terrible so I dug out a stick of butter that had probably been in the fridge for a while) and that, combined with a whole lime's worth of juice, made all the difference.

STARS: 
3 out of 5. Good, different, interesting flavors for my usual roasted cauliflower meal!

RECIPE:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2016/11/roasted-cauliflower-with-pumpkin-seeds-brown-butter-and-lime/

• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large or 2 small heads of cauliflower (about 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup (30 grams) hulled pumpkin seeds (sold as pepitas) (see note above)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or less to taste
• Juice of half a lime (about 1 tablespoon)
• Handful chopped fresh cilantro, parsley or chives

Heat oven to 450°F. Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with just over 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Sprinkle the sheet with salt and pepper. Trim cauliflower and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Arrange in a single layer on baking sheet, then drizzle with remaining scant 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with more salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until underside is deeply browned. Carefully flip pieces and roast until dark brown and crisp on second side, about 15 to 20 minutes longer.

While cauliflower roasts, in a small skillet over medium heat, melt butter, then reduce heat to medium-low and add pumpkin seeds. Stirring the whole time, cook until butter becomes light brown and smells toasty, about 4 to 6 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then add lime juice and season with salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.

Arrange cauliflower on a serving platter and drizzle with dressing. Serve topped with herbs.