New recipe, December 31, 2020

We are toasting the arrival of 2021 with the BatchedBoulevardier from NYT Cooking. Not a moment too soon! Batching it is supposed to allow it to mellow a bit. It is very nice-we give it a 4

New recipe, December 30, 2020

Serrano Ham and Arugula Salad with Pomegranate Salsa from the December 2005 Food and Wine. Love the salsa and the ham. It uses large slices of ricotta salata, which makes it pretty salty. We would consider doing shaves of cheese, and might use manchego instead. We give this a 4. With a different approach to the cheese, it is an easy 5.

New recipe, December 29, 2020

Persimmon and Orange Salad from NYT Cooking. Simple and delicious. We give this a 5

New recipe, December 28, 2020

Instant Pot Lentil Curry from https://www.h.com/instant-pot-lentil-curry/

Delicious, we give this a 5!

New recipe, December 27, 2020

Steak Potato and Chorizo Kebabs with Red Pepper Mayo from Food and Wine. This has really nice flavors, lots of umami with balancing sweetness, acidity and salt. Very good! We give this a 4

New recipe, December 26, 2020

The Negroni and the Goat from NYT Cooking. The meal is wonderful leftovers from last night, so the new item is this drink. Nice flavors, a fun variation on the Negroni. We give this a 4.

New dinner recipes, December 25, 2020

Perfect Beef Tenderloin from Cooking Light, Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts and Pomegranate, and Yorkshire Pudding from NYT Cooking, and Mashed Potatoes by Dwight. The tenderloin was a bit bigger than what the recipe called for, and took quite a bit longer than expected but it was great—a 5. The Brussels Sprouts also have a great flavors, and they get a 5. Dwight's potatoes are perfect and get a 5. The Yorkshire Puddings seemed a little tough, we give them a 4.

New breakfast recipe, December 25, 2020

Merry Christmas! We started our day with these tasty Soft Yolk Muffins with Sausage and Cheese from the September 2017 Cooking Light. We thought they needed a touch more salt, but they were a nice breakfast. We give these a 4.

New recipe, December 24, 2020

Vegetarian Antipasto Sliders from the December 2020 Eating Well. These are fabulous—you never wish there was meat. We give these a 5.

New recipe, December 23, 2020

Cauliflower with Peppadew Peppers and Raisins from the December 2020 Eating Well. The caramelized cauliflower goes so well with the peppers and the raisins—this is a delight. We give this a 5.

New recipe, December 22, 2020

Peppery Flank Steak Tagliata in the Oven from NYT Cooking. This puts the simple ingredients together beautifully. We give this a 5.

New recipe, December 21, 2020

Ancho Spiced Chicken Skillet with Grapefruit Salsa from the December 2020 Eating Well. Delicious, we give this a 4.

New recipe, December 20, 2020

Beet Salad with Yogurt Bulghur and Herbs. This has an interesting way of preparing the bulghur—letting it sit in the yogurt to soften up—and we really liked the combination of flavors. We give this a 4.

New recipe, December 19, 2020

Meatballs with Lemon Garlic Orzo from the December 2020 Eating Well. The ingredients are simple, but they come together very nicely. We give this a 4.

New recipes, December 18, 2020

The first is an impromptu citrus salad, with pink and white grapefruit, lime zest and juice, green onions and an orange bell pepper, salt and olive oil. Delicious! The other is a Hot Buttered Rum from NYHT Cooking. We have never had one of these before, and we really liked it—the butter is an amazing addition. Classic, but new to us. We give it a 5.

New recipe, December 17, 2020

Vegetarian Mushroom Paprikash from the December 2020 Eating Well. Simple, really tasty—we give this a 4.

New recipe, December 16, 2020

Sesame Coated Sauteed Chicken Breasts from NYT Cooking. Simple and amazing, we give this a 5.

New recipe, December 15, 2020

Hearty Breakfast Salad with Roasted Cabbage and Baked Feta from the December 2020 Eating Well. Some good flavors but didn't come together as well as we wished. We give this a 3.

New recipe, December 14, 2020

Gochugaru Shrimp and Black Rice Bowls from the December 2020 Eating Well. Very good, great flavor combination, we give this a 4.

New recipe, December 13, 2020

A hot toddy from NYT Cooking. This is soothing, but not unexpected. We give this a 3.

New recipe, December 12, 2020

Hasselback Potatoes with Cilantro Peanut Dressing from the December 2020 Eating Well. East meets West in an unexpected and very tasty way. We give this a 5.

New recipe, December 11, 2020

Chicken and Hominy Stew with Greens from the December 2020 Eating Well. This is simple but with many layered flavors. Delicious, this gets a 5.

New recipe, December 20, 2020

An Adaptable Cosmopolitan Cocktail from NYT Cooking. This is really good! It gets a 5.

New recipe, December 9, 2020

20 Minute Creamy Mustard Chicken Thighs from the December 2020 Eating Well. These are great—we give them a 5.

New recipe, December 8, 2020

Turkey and Mizuna Salad from NYT Cooking. The ultimate Thanksgiving leftover meal! Delicious, peppery with Asian flavors. We give this a 5!

New recipe, December 7, 2020

Mascara Acida from the December 2011 Food and Wine. The flavor of kirsch is . . . Interesting. A bit tart for us as well. We give this a 3.

New recipe, December 6, 2020

Wild Rice Salad from the Smithsonian Institution. We really like this! Great flavors, it gets a 5.

New recipe, December 5, 2020

Garden Paella from the October 2020 Food and Wine. This is quite good! All the flavors of paella! We give this a 4.

New recipe, December 4, 2020

Slow Cooker Pork Tacos with Ginger and Hoisin from NYT Cooking. These are spectacular! We give these a 5!

New recipe, December 3, 2020

Roasted Carrots and Mushrooms with Scallion Salsa Verde from the November 2020 Eating Well. This is wonderful. The ingredients are simple, but they are used in unusual ways, like charring ginger, to produce a delicious and unusual flavor profile. We give this a 5.

New recipe, December 2, 2020

We both had late meetings, so we got take out. So the new recipe is the Harvard Cooler from the May 2010 Food and Wine. We thought this was pleasant, nothing particular stood out. We give it a 3.

New recipe, December 1, 2020

December already? For a year that seems longer than most, it is particularly hard to believe we have reached December! This is Kadhai Murghi (Wok-Seared Chicken and Vegetables) from the October 2020 Eating Well. It is a North Indian dish, so the spices are a little different from what I often think of as Indian flavors, and we found this to be wonderful. We give this a 5.

New recipe, November 30, 2020

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Onions with Mushroom Lardons from the November 2020 Food and Wine. The roasting of the vegetables gives this a wonderful depth and hint of sweetness from the caramélisation. I think it was intended as a side, but we found it a very satisfying main. We give this a 4.

New recipe, November 29, 2020

Mushroom Bourguignon from NYT Cooking. Much faster than a beef bourguignon, and really excellent. We give this a 5.

New recipe, November 28, 2020

Day After Thanksgiving Turkey Pho from AllRecipes.com. Thanks to Mark's sister, Barb, for telling us about this! It is easy, of course, just a long simmer time. And delicious. We give this a 5.

New recipe, November 27, 2020

Khai Jiao from the October 2020 Bon Appétit. This is an Asian style omelet, a perfect foil to yesterday's turkey feast. We give this a 4.

New recipes, November 26, 2020

From the November 2020 Eating Well: Jonathan Perno's New Mexican Red Chile, which is an ingredient in the Red Chile Citrus Glazed Roast Turkey and Pan Gravy; Green Beans with Pistachios and Orange; and Cranberry Relish. These were all excellent. We give the beans a 4, and the remainder 5s. We also had some mashed potatoes courtesy of Dwight, and a pecan pie courtesy of Mark's Mom, Ann.

Happy Thanksgiving!

New recipe, November 25, 2020

Pear Aperol Spritz from the Martha Stewart site. This was pleasant, we give it a 3.

New recipe, November 24, 2020

Winter Squash Bharta from the October 2020 Bon Appétit. We love the flavors of the squash and other vegetables. The mustard oil was a bit overwhelming for Mark—we would try this again with a different, milder mustard oil. Overall we give this a 4.