Cookbook Project

[Freya]

Creamed Broccoli w/ Breadcrumbs & Cheese(SPOILER)

Recipe:
2 lbs broccoli
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1/4 tspn salt
1/8 tspn paprika
bread crumbs
grated cheddar cheese

Cook broccoli and drain. Melt butter and stir in flour. Stir in milk slowly. Add salt and paprika. Add the broccoli and beat until light. Place in baking dish and top with cheese and breadcrumbs. Bate at 425 degrees F until hot.



Difficulty: **

Changes I made:
I made much less than the recipe, because two people don't really need 2 lbs of broccoli as a side dish.

Thoughts:
Could have used some pepper. Other than that it was pretty good, and not super hard to make.

Verdict:
Good. Doesn't stand out as the best, but I'd definitely have it again.

I'll probably try this one. I love Broccoli and cheese anything.

[Pumpkin]

Sorry it's been a little while, life has been a bit busy with stuff. But I am back today and in a few more days I'll have some more recipes. I'm busy again tomorrow though

Ham, asparagus, and mushroom bread pudding

Recipe:
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp butter, divided
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp garlic
8 croissants, torn in to 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup melted butter
3 cups diced ham
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb asparagus, cut
2 cups milk
2 cups cream
1 1/2 tspn salt
1/4 tspn nutmeg
8 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease dish with 1 tbsp butter. Melt butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and garlic, cook stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Toss croissant with 1/2 cup melted butter. Add ham, cheese, asparagus, and mushrooms. Toss. Combine milk, cream, cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Heat over medium-low until milk is barely simmering, stirring frequently. Whisk until smooth. Slowly add eggs and whisk. our over bread mixture, let stand 10 minutes. Spoon mixture in to baking dish. Pour hot water in to dish to reach halfway up. Bake 1 hour.



Difficulty: ***

Changes I made:
I halved the recipe, except spices, and it still made plenty.

Thoughts:
So next time, I would avoid adding nearly as much water because the thing took closer to 3 hours to cook, basically took all night, because it was too liquidy. I don't know. Less water added next time.

Verdict:
This was another one for sharky, just the smell of it made me want to gag. But he really liked it and had 3 servings. Just a shame it took so long.

[sharkythesharkdogg]

It'll cooked up fine. Just less water next time.

You could substitute okra for the asparagus or bacon/sausage for the ham to change things up a little. It's a tasty dish that you can also modify easily. I like it.

[noxious.sunshine]

I've done bread puddings like that. I believe I used breakfast sausage, caramelized onion and mushroom, tomato, and cheddar. I didn't use cream or water. Just egg and milk. On torn brioche

[Pumpkin]

Garlic Chicken Bites

Recipe:
2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup olive oil
4 minced garlic cloves
1/4 tspn pepper
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 tspn cayenne pepper

Cook chicken and cut in to bite sized pieces. Mix olive oil, garlic, and pepper. Pour over chicken. Cover and marinate 30 minutes. Mix bread crumbs and cayenne. Coat chicken. Arrange on cooking sheet. Bake at 475 degrees F for 10 minutes.



Difficulty: *

Changes I made:
I used 3 chicken breasts

Thoughts:
These were really good and really easy to make. There were plenty of breadcrumbs, even with 3 chicken breasts, so I would use less if you're worried about wasting. They have a bit of a kick to them.

Verdict:
Delicious. And I like them being in little bite sized pieces. Would definitely have again

[Pumpkin]

Greek Potatoes

Recipe:
8 large potatoes, peeled and wedged.
4 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup water
1 tspn oregano
1 lemon
salt
pepper

Put all ingredients in buttered baking dish. Season generously with salt and pepper. Toss to mix. Bake 420 degrees F for 40 minutes. Stor potatoes and add 1/2 cup more water. Bake another 40 minutes.




Difficulty: **

Changes I made:
I quartered the recipe so I could have some carrots as another side dish and fill up more on those, trying to be a bit healthier. I also used lemon juice instead of just a lemon.

Thoughts:
I was a bit nervous about water because of the bread pudding, but there were no issues here. The most difficult thing about this recipe is that it's time consuming, so you have to remember to start it a good deal ahead of when you plan on serving dinner.

Verdict:
Really good and even quartering the recipe made decent serving sides. Would very much eat again.

[Pumpkin]

Baby Burgers on Baguettes

Recipe:
1 lb ground beef
6 leaves of romaine lettuce
salt
pepper
keptchup
12 cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 french baguette, sliced 1/4 inch thick
mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange baguette slices on baking sheet. Place in oven and lightly toast, about 5 minutes. Cool. Season ground beef and from small patties. Cook a few minutes per side. Place burger, lettuce, tomato, ketchip, mustard on baguette slice and top with another slice.

CEq5lhQ.jpg

Difficulty: **

Changes I made:
I cut the bread a bit thicker than recommended

Thoughts:
Sadly, our bread was a bit stale even though we just bought it. Don't know how long it was in the store for though.

Verdict:
Other than the bread it was actually pretty good.

[Pumpkin]

Salad Milano

Recipe:
1/2 lb cauliflower, cut
1/2 lb broccoli, cut
1/2 lb carrots, peeled and cut
2 cups spinach leaves
1/2 lb mozarella
1/8 lb prosciutto, thinly sliced
olive oil
lemon juice
salt
pepper

Heat cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots separately with salt and olive oil. Cook each until tender and then rinse in cold water. Drain. Toss all ingredients together.



Difficulty: **

Changes I made:
I made a smaller portion of the recipe and used baby carrots because it's what we have

Thoughts:
I wasn't sure what to expect because I'm not usually a fan of meat in my salad, and also the veggies are hot being mixed in with cold ingredients, since it doesn't say to cool them a whole lot, just to rinse them. So I wasn't too sure what I would think.

Verdict:
It was actually pretty good. It was warm enough to melt the cheese a little bit, but not too warm that it threw the dish off. The prosciutto was pretty good in there as well!

[Pumpkin]

Pork Chops Nicoise

Recipe:
6 pork chops
4 peeled tomatoes, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 tspn basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp sugar

Remove fat from pork chops and melt in pan. Place chops in melted fat and add remaining ingredients. Cover and cook over medium heat 25 to 30 minutes. Turn the pork chops once during cooking.

fB55GKw.jpg

Difficulty: **

Changes I made:
The pork chops I bought did not have much fat so I added butter. Also made 1/3 of the recipe.

Thoughts:
It got a bit too charred for my tastes, but sharky enjoyed it and said he liked the smokiness. I would cook it for much less time.

Verdict:
It was alright. Not the most to my taste.

[Pumpkin]

Curried Tomatoes

Recipe:
2 lbs tomatoes
2 tbsp butter
2 tspn curry
1 minced garlic clove
1 tspn salt
1 tspn sugar
1/4 cup water

Wash and quarter tomatoes. Heat the butter. Add curry and stir together until well blended. Add the rest of the ingredients except tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add tomatoes. Cover and boil over medium heat, about 15 minutes.

tEaSRCl.jpg

Difficulty: **

Changes I made:
I made less than the recipe.

Thoughts:
Very spicy so keep that in mind if you don't like spicy foods. Very spicy. Could also have smaller bites of tomatoes if you prefer but cutting them more.

Verdict:
Really liked them, would have again.

[Colonel Angus]

I love meat in salads. I'd like to try a salad w/ just meat.

[Pumpkin]

Sorry guys, I made this a few days ago and have been too lazy to update. And we've been living on leftovers and car club meeting dinners and Mother's Day dinners since!

Santa Fe Wraps

Recipe:
12 oz ground beef
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tspn cumin
1 can corn
1 pkg (3oz) cream cheese, cut
1 jalapeno pepper, finesly chopped
6 tortillas
shredded lettuce
shredded cheese
salsa

Brown ground beef and drain. Stir in undrained tomatoes, chili powder, and cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in corn., cream cheese, and jalapeno. Stir until cheese melts. Spoon mixture on to tortillas. Add lettuce, cheese, and salsa.



Difficulty: **

Changes I made:
I didn't shred the lettuce a whole bunch.

Thoughts:
This recipe had a lot of potential, but through no fault of its own, I used a type of tortilla that it turns out I don't really like. It also didn't stand up well under the mixture.

Verdict:
It would be good, the filling is very good, if I would use better tortillas!

[noxious.sunshine]

Are those corn tortillas?

You have to heat them up on a dry skillet in order for them to be pliable and taste okay. They're best if heated directly over a low gas flame. Yellow corn tortillas tend to fall apart a bit easier under soggy fillings than the white corn ones, I -think-. I can't remember entirely. I haven't used yellow corn tortillas in ages. I make tacos and chilaquiles and junk on the regular so I buy the big stack of white corn ones.

[Colonel Angus]

Yellow corn tortillas will hold up just fine, but as noxy said, they have to be heated.