New recipe, January 9, 2025

Fragrant Coconut Chicken and Sweet Potato from NYT Cooking. This is a really well balanced and delicious dish. The coconut milk and lime blend with the chicken and sweet potato, as well as the scallions, ginger and garlic in a way that nothing dominates but it all comes together into a delicious whole. We give this a 5.

New recipe, January 8, 2025

Chicken Breasts with Miso Garlic Sauce from NYT Cooking. Brining for 15 minutes is supposed to keep the breasts moist. It needs more time than that, these were still pretty dry. The flavors are nice, but we had the odd sensation that everything was on the outside—the chicken itself was dry and rather flavorless, with all the bold flavors kind of around the chicken. It didn't seem to come together very well into a coherent whole. We give this a 3.

New recipe, January 7, 2025

Lemony Caesar Dense Bean Salad from Food and Wine. This is indeed a dense salad. It really emphasizes the Caesar dressing—I think it may have been a bit overdressed, might do better with a little less dressing. We give this a 3.

New recipe, January 6, 2025

Sautéed Broccoli Rabe from NYT Cooking. Since broccoli rabe was not available, we used a combination of broccoli and arugula, a substitute suggested by naturallydaily.com. We enjoyed the dish, which went well with the repeat of Tenderloin with Horseradish Cream Cheese. Overall, we give it a 3.

New recipe, January 5, 2025

Black Eyed Peas with Coconut Milk and Ethiopian Spices from Food and Wine. This is a total winner! This has an entire habanero in it but is not overly picante. It plays beautifully with the coconut milk and other spices. This gets a 5!

New recipe, January 4, 2025

Miso Broiled Tofu from NYT Cooking, served with steamed brown rice and sliced sweet peppers. The marinade is good, but the tofu (which we broiled immediately didn't have much of the flavor. It might have been better after a 24 hour marinade. The peppers were a nice addition. This was pleasant, but not outstanding. We give it a 3.

New recipe, January 3, 2025

We celebrated Carl's retirement with a Rosé Spritzer from Bon Appetít. The bitters and St Germain play well with one another and are nice in a sparkling rosé. We give this a 4.

New recipe, January 2, 2025

Braised Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes and Dates from NYT Cooking. I wondered if this would be too sweet, but it is actually very well balanced and quite tasty. This gets a 4.

New recipe, January 1, 2025

Our black eyed peas for this New Year are in the Squash and Black Eyed Pea Coconut Curry recipe from Food and Wine. This is delicious and rich. It gets a 5.

New recipe, December 31, 2024

Lemony Pearl Barley Soup from NYT Cooking. This is a light soup but very flavorful, especially with the addition of lemon and dill. This gets a 4.

New recipe, December 30, 2024

Corpse Reviver 3000 from Epicurious. This combines absinthe, St Germain and citrus, and it is a very enjoyable cocktail. This gets a 4.

New recipe, December 29, 2024

Another no photo day. Today was baked chicken and feta meatballs, from NYT Cooking. I used basil instead of mint, but these came out very nicely. Added to another large pasta dinner for Carl's family. These get a 4.

New recipes, December 28, 2024

No photos again. We made Garlic Roast Pork Loin and Chinese Smashed Cucumbers with Sesame Oil and Garlic, both from NYT Cooking. I don't think they were intended for each other, but they work well together. The pork is roasted at a high temperature, so the outside gets crisp and it smoked a bit. We give it a 4. The salad was just excellent and gets a 5.

New recipe, December 27, 2024

We enjoyed having Carl's family with us in the mountains for a few days, and in the hubbub, I forgot to take pictures. Today's new recipe is Meatballs with Any Meat from NYT Cooking, which went along with spaghetti and a salad. We thought the flavors were enjoyable, with onion garlic and herbs in the meatballs. These get a 3.

New recipe, December 26, 2024

Melting Olaf, from Bon Appetít. We appreciated the Frozen humor in this. It is a pleasant cocktail, which we give a 3.

New recipe, December 25, 2024

Cranberry Paloma from Delish. The cranberry cocktail and grapefruit juice work well with the tequila. We give this a 4.

New recipes, December 24, 2024

Tenderloin with Horseradish Cream Cheese and Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes, both from Taste of Home. Each has something simple (the steak, and the asparagus), that gets jazzed up with a mix of other ingredients. We thought they were both excellent, and they work well together. We give both a 5.

New recipe, December 23, 2024

Quick White Bean and Celery Ragout from NYT Cooking. Missed the photo. This has simple ingredients that combine well to make a comforting meal. We give this a 3.

New recipe, December 22, 2024

Feta Egg and Olive Pita from Eating Well. Simple ingredients but it comes out pretty flavorful. We give it a 4.

New recipe, December 21, 2024

Gungjung Tteokbokki (Korean Royal Court Rice Cakes) from NYT Cooking. This has a nice garlicky soy sauce, dressing a variety of ingredients, including beef, onion, shiitakes, bell pepper and bean sprouts. It feels elegant and comforting. We give this a 4.

New recipe, December 20, 2024

Ruth Reichl's Turkey Chili from NYT Cooking. She really knows what she is doing! What sets this chili aside from others is the use of tomatillos instead of tomatoes, a good amount of chipotle peppers, and some added flavor at the end with cream sherry and fish sauce. This is excellent. We give it a 5.

New recipe, December 19, 2024

Baked Korean Sweet Potatoes with Scallion Miso Butter from NYT Cooking. We couldn't find sweet potatoes as small as this recipe called for, and so we may not have cooked them quite as long as we should. The butter was delicious, but the potatoes came out a bit waxy. As made, we give this a 3, but we would try it again with a longer cooking period for the potatoes.

New recipe, December 18, 2024

Harissa Maple Mushrooms from NYT Cooking. Sound a little improbable? I wondered whether the maple would be too much, but this is in fact an exceptional dish! We give it a 5.

New recipe, December 17, 2024

Marry Me Chicken Noodle Soup from Food and Wine. We haven't had Marry Me Chicken, but apparently it has been popular enough to produce variations like this. The addition of cream and sun dried tomatoes to chicken noodle soup is pleasant but didn't really stand out to us. We give this a 3.

New recipe, December 16, 2024

Roasted Squash and Bacon Salad from NYT Cooking. It doesn't take much bacon to bring the flavor to this dish, along with blue cheese and a maple syrup and red wine vinegar dressing. This is a really outstanding salad, and we give it a 5.

New recipe, December 15, 2024

Blistered Broccoli Pasta with Walnuts Pecorino and Mint from NYT Cooking. This sounds pretty simple, but the simple elements come together to make a surprisingly tasty dish. We give this a 4.

New recipe, December 14, 2024

Scrambled Peppers and Eggs from NYT Cooking. Precisely what it says—mostly peppers, smaller amount of eggs. The flavors of the peppers onion and garlic are what you expect from sautéed vegetables, with some sweetness. Overall, we give this a 3.

New recipe, December 13, 2024

Tabard Cocktail from NYT Cooking. This is an interesting combination. We didn't find it terribly outstanding, so it gets a 3.

New recipe, December 12, 2024

Braised Lamb with Butter Beans and Yogurt from Ottolenghi Comfort. Ottolenghi has such a gift for combining flavors, and he does it again here. This is a delicious, comforting dish. It gets a 5.

New recipe, December 11, 2024

Chile Crisp Sesame Noodles from Food and Wine. We like the extra spice the chile crisp brings to the classic sesame noodles. This gets a 4.

New recipe, December 9, 2024

Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup from NYT Cooking. This has only a few ingredients, but the roasting brings a lot of umami and richness to the dish. This gets a 4.

New recipe, December 10, 2024

New recipes, December 9, 2024

Asparagus Salad with Tamarind and Lime from Ottolenghi Flavor. This is a fun way to have asparagus, with a tart spicy and herby dressing. We give this a 5.

New recipe, December 8, 2024

Ancho Reyes Daiquiri from anchoreyes.com. With the spiciness of the chile, this makes an interesting cocktail. We give it a 3.

New recipe, December 7, 2024

Butter Beans with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes from Ottolenghi Comfort. The step where you peel the roasted cherry tomatoes and then roast the skins til they are crisp feels a little fussy, but the result is tomato chips on top of the beans, which are richly flavored. It is a delightful addition! This gets a 5.

New recipe, December 6, 2024

Ginger Garlic Shrimp with Coconut Milk from NYT Cooking. A lovely melange of flavors! This gets a 4.

New recipe, December 5, 2024

Taverna Salad from NYT Cooking. Kind of a fusion of Greek salad and fattoush. It is delicious! Every component adds something to the salad. It gets a 5.

New recipe, December 4, 2024

Ancho Reyes Spicy Verde Gimlet from anchoreyes.com. The chile flavor plays well in a gimlet! This gets a 4.

New recipe, December 3, 2024

Leek Tomato and Turmeric Frittata from Ottolenghi Comfort. A simple dish but beautifully balanced with flavors. The zhoug that goes on top adds layers of flavor. We love this. It gets a 5.

New recipe, December 2, 2024

Tamarind Maple Brussels Sprouts from NYT Cooking. The maple may sound sweet, but it balances well with the tamarind and still somehow highlights the sweetness of the roasted sprouts. This gets a 5.

New recipe, December 1, 2024

Missed the photo of Day After Thanksgiving Pho from Allrecipes.com. We have made similar dishes in the past, and it is a great way to do something different with your turkey. This gets a 4.

New recipe, November 30, 2024

Tangy Black Eyed Bean Salad from Food and Wine. This is a nice bean salad with some heat and a lime forward dressing. It gets a 4.

New recipe, November 29, 2024

The Ancho Reyes Old Fashioned from anchoreyes.com. Ancho Reyes makes chile liquor. Ancho Reyes Original is made with ancho chiles, which are dried, and Ancho Reyes Verde is made with fresh fire roasted ancho chiles. The old fashioned uses the original, and it is a very tasty cocktail! We give it a 5.