Tag Archives: dinner

[64] Tortilla Beef Cassarole

Cover of Cook Once, Eat Twice

Well, this is the third “recipe set” we’ve made or attempted to make from this cookbook, and the the second of the third set.

The basic idea behind the book is a solid one; make something that will definitely have extra on day one, then transition it into a new meal on day two. The idea is to use the ease of making extra while avoiding the “stigma” of leftovers. Unsurprisingly, this means the stuff that goes into “day two food” tends to be extremely easy to obtain and use. You’d think that would be a good thing.

Unfortunately, something is making the second day’s recipes fall somewhat flat. I’m not sure what. Now, admittedly, of the three sets we’ve made, only two have had a second day’s worth of food, so we can’t judge the second day’s recipe for the second set (that’s a failing of it’s own, for sure).… Continue reading →

[57] Bean and Potato Gratin (with Turnips)

How to Cook Everything, Revised Edition by Mark Bittman

For the vast majority of my life, beans have been involved in many meals I’ve consumed. However, each of those meals used the exact same preparation and type of beans.

Yes, I grew up in New Mexico. So I ate a lot of refried pinto beans. A lot of them. No, even more than that. Seriously. Because I really didn’t like most meat burritos, or tacos, or well, lots of things. I was basically left with eating bean burritos every time my family went for New Mexican food (except breakfast – that glorious meal). Or some variation on bean burritos. Like bean-stuffed sopapillas. Or the bean and cheese turnover at the now extinct Ron’s (Ron & Marsha’s to my parents).

Beyond that, though, I have almost no experience with beans.… Continue reading →

[46] Pasta Carbonara

How to Cook Everything, Revised Edition by Mark Bittman

You’ll notice this recipe looks a touch out of order. Specifically, you might be wondering, “Where is recipe #45?” Well, I didn’t get any response on whether “Everyday Pancakes” out of “How to Cook Everything” and “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian” were multiple recipes or a single recipe. So, for the moment, I’m counting them as separate recipes, but not giving a post to something you’ve already heard about unless something truly interesting happens, or I figure out a very good new technique or something. That’s boring. So, let’s move on to more interesting topics.

I picked last night’s dinner idea mostly out of my brain, assuming one of my cookbooks would have a recipe. Actually, to be honest, I assumed more than one would. I was wrong, and so we ended up with yet another Bittman recipe.… Continue reading →

Recipe inspirations and other ponderings

Yesterday I made a fairly quick and straightforward non-challenge recipe for dinner. I wanted to share it with you because it’s tasty and easy, but also to demonstrate how even someone who is not the strongest cook can have a lovely and fast meal made via inspiration.

I’ll undoubtedly post on this again. After all, somewhere in this house there’s a recipe for “Blueberry Hopeful” and that’s all about the disasters and the inspiration. Also, waiting in the wings is a post about peach compote, but this post got very long. So I’ve edited it and will post about peaches (again) later today or tomorrow.

All in all, I imagine folks who read this blog have picked up that I’m not the greatest cook, no matter how much I like food.… Continue reading →

[29] Ginger-Lime Chicken Thighs

Cover of Cook Once, Eat Twice

I want to say this is going to be a relatively short entry, but every time I say something I write is going to be short, it balloons into one of my longest pieces yet.

Every dang time! I really do think this SHOULD be short, though, so we’ll see. It’s a fairly basic recipe, and tasty, but nothing to write home about.

The lime really does stand out. The ginger doesn’t.

h2. Ingredients

0.33 c vegetable oil
3 tbsp lime juice

3 tbsp honey

2 tsp grated fresh ginger or 1 tsp ground ginger (We used ground.)

0.25 – 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

h2. Instructions

Combine oil, lime juice, honey, ginger and pepper flakes in a bowl. Place chicken in a tupperware or resealable bag, and add 0.5 c marinade, and goosh around to make sure the chicken is well coated.… Continue reading →