Category Archives: Challenge Recipes

[43] Meat Sauce, Bolognese Style

How to Cook Everything, Revised Edition by Mark Bittman

This was the second in a set of three recipes I made on Monday. It was also made because I wanted lasagne.

This recipe takes a long time to make. It’s well worth it, I’d say, but it’s important to be aware of that. If you forget, you end up like me, chopping shallots before you’ve had your version of morning caffeine. No good. It’s amazing I have all my fingers.

It’s really a simple story. I was planning to make the lasagne on Sunday, when I had plenty of time. But we slept in and then decided we’d be better off going for a walk and picking up some potting soil and pots for my new plants (thyme and lemon balm). After all, I would have plenty of time to make lasagne on Monday.… Continue reading →

[42] Béchamel

How to Cook Everything, Revised Edition by Mark Bittman

I can’t lie, I only made this recipe because I wanted lasagne and Bittman’s lasagne recipe called for it. Admittedly, I was also pretty thrilled to knock out three recipes in one go.

This does smell pretty good while cooking, I have to say. Also practicing my roux skills is always nice, since keeping it lump free is a big pain.

h2. Ingredients

2 tbsp butter or extra-virgin olive oil (I used butter. No surprises here.)
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 – 1.5 c milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper (Omitted.)

h2. Instructions

Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium-low heat (if using oil, heat until hot). Once melted/hot, turn the heat to low and use a whisk to incorporate the flour into the fat.… Continue reading →

[41] Stewed Chicken Thighs with Dried Fruits

Cover of Eating Well Serves Two by Jim Romanoff

The joys of menu planning are fairly new to me. Menu planning isn’t new to me, but having it work out nicely really is.

I have tried planning menus in the past, repeatedly. Until this week, something has always happened to derail the plans. Sometimes it’s as simple as, “Guh, I don’t want to cook” and sometimes it’s been as complicated as the person or people I’m cooking for changing the plans, realizing they had other plans, etc. Given that, it’s amazing that this week has worked out perfectly, especially with slight changes in plans every day.

We were, originally, planning to make this meal Thursday night. Then our friend Jessie was coming over Thursday night, so we made the “Beef Daube”:http://metacookbook.com/archives/78-40-Beef-Daube.html instead, since she doesn’t like chicken thighs (and it’s only supposed to make enough for two people, not three).… Continue reading →

[40] Beef Daube

How to Cook Everything, Revised Edition by Mark Bittman

HOLY COW! Another big, round number! Fabulous.

So, Thursday night I made this stew. We were having our friend Jessie over for dinner, and it was a gross, wet day outside. I’d planned to make this one Monday night, but we switched the menu around in honor of those two things. (Jessie doesn’t like chicken thighs, which are now on the menu for Monday night.) Luckily, we HAD gone grocery shopping by the time we decided to switch things up, so it was easy to go to a different choice on the menu.

I love it when things just work out.

I had put it on the menu because my friend Nancy had recently made it, and highly recommended it. Frankly, that’s all it took. I love the Bittman cookbook anyway (go buy it if you don’t have it), and Nancy has really good taste.… Continue reading →

[39] Honey-Mustard Glazed Chicken

Cover of No Red Meat by Brenda Shriver

I totally chose this recipe Tuesday during my meal planning for the week because it involved the grill, looked crazy simple, and we had all the ingredients on hand. I am not ashamed of making such a choice. I am, in fact, very pleased with that choice since we didn’t manage to go grocery shopping Tuesday night, as planned.

Our menu schedule is a bit off of most people’s two major days due to the CSA delivery we get Monday nights/Tuesday mornings. It’s my sense that most people who plan their menus for a week do the planning and shopping on one of two major days: the weekend day most convenient for them or the day the store circular sales start. In Chicago, the circulars arrive on Wednesday and sales start Thursday.… Continue reading →