Category Archives: Challenge Recipes

[84] & [85] Bacon, Roasted and Microwaved

How to Cook Everything, Revised Edition by Mark Bittman

Okay guys, I have to be honest. Angelique sent me “this Food Network Humor link”:http://foodnetworkhumor.com/2011/01/ridiculous-food-network-recipe-of-the-week-paula-deens-english-peas/ the other day, and I laughed a lot. Then I commented that I shouldn’t be laughing because I’ve posted some similar recipes, and would do so again.

Her response? “Two ingredients?” She was incredulous and doubtful that anything so unlike a recipe had ever appeared on this site. Just for honesty’s sake, please examine the following two links: “Rachel Ray”:http://foodnetworkhumor.com/2010/11/the-most-ridiculous-food-network-recipe-of-all-time/ and “MetaCookbook.”:http://www.metacookbook.com/archives/37-18-Bacon,-in-our-toaster-oven-broiler.html

Of course, we admitted it was a bit of a cop-out from the get-go. And we tried to make it up to you by including an amusing story to go with your cop-out bacon. Furthermore, if you didn’t know this already, all the photos on our page go back to our flickr site, and some of the photos have “notes” on them.… Continue reading →

[83] White Wine, Onion and Leek Soup

No cookbook link here, because this is out of my “recipe stash”. I can, though, link you to the person who gave it to me, because I got it while I was “taking the six week ‘How to Think Like a Chef’ course in Baltimore”:http://www.fortheloveoffood.com/Adult_Cooking_Classes.php which I have mentioned more than once here.

One of the nice things about this challenge, I can tell, is discovering what recipes I have in the stash. I know this, because I’d completely forgotten I had this recipe. I found it while looking for a completely different recipe that Chef Diane had provided with the class.

You see, leeks are beautiful and Bill and I like them a lot. So while we were at the farmers’ market the other day, we saw a pile of leeks being sold, and decided it would be nice to make a leek soup.… Continue reading →

[82] Fresh Applesauce

Cover of The Healthy Kitchen, by Andrew Weil and Rosie Daley

This is the only recipe from this cookbook I’d ever made before this challenge. I liked it.

I should say, for the record, that I like the photos in this book. There aren’t a lot of them, certainly most recipes do not have a photo associated, but the photos of Weil & Daley cooking and eating, or of random food are just great. There’s a lovely photo of kale in there; I think it’s growing in Weil’s backyard.

I’m saying all of this because, so far, we have disliked or been indifferent to more recipes in this book than we have liked. I occasionally think it’s time to eject the book from the challenge. I don’t think we’re going to yet, but it comes up often.… Continue reading →

[81] Vegetable Stock

the cover of The Enchanted Broccoli Forest

Okay, this is very easy and quick to write up. It’s so quick that I’m putting it all right here.

Also, I should tell you this: I didn’t follow this recipe on purpose. It’s just what I do to make stocks of all kinds, in general. However, when I went to got make turkey stock this year, I found I’d saved so many veggie bits in the freezer that I didn’t have room for the turkey carcass. So I made veggie stock and had another recipe. WOO!

h2. Ingredients

The cleaned skins and peels from veggies such as onions, carrots and potatoes. The tops and bottoms of these veggies too. Other veggies that are limp, but otherwise alright can go in there as well. Avoid strongly flavored stuff; cauliflower, broccoli, etc.… Continue reading →

[80] Mushroom Stroganoff with Pasta

Cover of The Complete Book of Italian Cooking, edited by Anne Hildyard

This is the only recipe out of this book I’d ever made before this challenge. I’ve held onto these books (this one and the similar looking cookie cookbook) out of a deep affection for the people who gave them to me more than out of a feeling that they’re fantastic cookbooks.

You know what, though? They’re growing on me as cookbooks as well. The cookie book has had a few good ones and some poor ones. The previous recipe on this blog from here was stellar, and this stroganoff recipe was even better than I remembered it being.

So, so good.

I don’t tend to think of stroganoff as an Italian dish. If someone asked me to guess, I’d guess German. I don’t actually know that either one of those perceptions is in any way correct, but there you have it.… Continue reading →