Bittman Recipe Reviews

So you got a new cookbook!

2011-12-23T14:31:00.000-06:00

Note all recipes mentioned in this post are in italics, all page numbers are from the red HTCE.

I have given several HTCE cookbooks away in the past and this Christmas I'm giving two more to family and friends. This post is for those recipients who have just received what may be the biggest cookbook ever. I just wanted to share some tips and some favorite recipes from one cook to another.

First, an introduction. I would say that this cookbook is an American, from-scratch guide to your kitchen. Have you ever had something in a restaurant or something from a box and wanted to try to make it at home/from scratch? Chances are Mark has a recipe that will fit the bill. One of the best things about this cookbook are all the options and variations Mark gives you for each recipe. Don't have an ingredient? Nine times out of ten you can do without, or find a substitute. It is one of the main reasons I love this cookbook.

Here is my checklist for getting the most out of this cookbook:

Read it The size and title of this book can be overwhelming I'll admit, but I know Betsy and I attacked it like you would any other book. Just open it up and start reading. Read introductions, titles, scan recipes, etc. The chapter on Kitchen Basics alone is a great read and the Vegetable and Fruit lexicon (starts p.251 and p.381) made me feel empowered to cook any produce I put my hands on. Reading it will also give you the lay of the land as far as chapters go. They all start with Mark's essential recipes and move on from there into subcategories of the chapter.
WRITE IN IT!! Almost as important as reading the book I think you must write in this book! I can see my Dad cringing as I type this, but I think writing in this cookbook is advisable and probably necessary. You see, with all the variations that are included you have to free yourself to make notes on what you liked and what you didn't like. I write in pencil because you never know when you are going to change your mind. Other reasons to write in the book are:

Making a note of which recipes you have made is helpful since there aren't pictures of the recipes to jog your memory. Eventually all the titles start sounding familiar.
Changing or modifying certain recipes to the taste of your home is sometime necessary and I think would be encouraged by the author. Two recipes that I have modified are Macaroni and Cheese and Pancakes.
Since watching Alton Brown's "Good Eats" I now weigh out all my flour. I have written in pencil on page 836 all of the weights of the different types of flour. Very handy!
This book does not contain nutritional facts, and since I have a diabetic in my household I have also used the front cover to make a chart of how many carbohydrates can be found in basic ingredients. This helps me quickly calculate carbs per serving in any recipe.
Put a blank box by recipes you want to try while reading. Then you can go back and check them off when you have tried them.

Post-its Post-it notes help me keep track of chapter breaks, recipes I'm currently using, and recipes I want to try. I think they are your friend!
Start with the Essentials You can start cooking anywhere in a chapter but some of my favorite recipes are considered by Mark to be "essential" (they are marked with a red star).

Fresh Tomato Salsa (p.23) - Philip loves this pico de gallo and asks for it anytime we have a mexican dish
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (p.80) I made several variations of these a few years ago, very tasty!
Real Popcorn (p.81) Beats popcorn from a bag any day and it is so much cheaper!
Potato Salad with Mustard Viaigrette (p.189) Potato salad with no mayo that is delicious!
Roasted Vegetables (p.241) Sweet potatoes, asparagus, almost any vegetable can be roasted.
Stir-fried Vegetables (p.241) Quick and easy way to use up vegetables that are just laying around. The variations are endless!
Fast Tomato Sauce (p.502) I always have the ingredients to make this on hand.
Spaghetti with Butter and Parmesan (p.506)
Baked Macaroni and Cheese (p.508) See the above link for the changes I have made to this recipe.
Stir-Fried Chicken with Cabbage (p.643)
Chicken MarkNuggets (p.646)
Meatloaf with Spinach (p.723)
French Toast (p.794) I use half the milk he calls for, but otherwise this is a good recipe with great variations.
Cornbread (p.831) This is an average recipe. I now use this one instead. I call it "the one".

Explore the Tables This book is filled with useful tables. My favorite table is on page 201 and contains recipes for 18 vinaigrettes (these are in addition to the 20 variations listed after the basic vinaigrette recipe). We love the Soy Vinaigrette with a little Pampered Chef Asian seasoning added (1-2 T.). We have also made the avocado variation and it was tasty.
Recipes with few ingredients In addition to the recipes above these also have few ingredients and all are usually already on hand!

Deviled Eggs (p.84)
Caramalized Onions (p.325) These are made differently then the way I was taught, but they are awesome!
Baked Sweet Potatoes (p.358)
Rice with Cheese (p.460)
Polenta (p.485)
Denver Omelet (p.802)
Popovers (p.847)

From scratch alternatives I love that this book contains how to make almost anything from scratch. In addition to the recipes mentioned above here are a few favorites.

Any kind of broth or stock (p.155)
Pizza and Calzones
Vinaigrette (p.199)
Spicy No-Mayo Coleslaw (p.206)
Rice Pilaf (p.460) We make the red version for "Mexican rice"
Bread Crumbs (p.876)
Oatmeal (p.820)
Yogurt or Buttermilk Biscuits (p.845)
Rich Golden Bread, Nine Ways (p.861) I have made the rolls
Chocolate Sauce and Hot Fudge Sauce (p.921)
Vanilla Pudding (p.950)

Other Favorites Here is just a list of other recipes that my family loves!! Try these soon if you can.

Cheese Straws (p.88) When I made these I did long logs, but you can cut them into squares
Crisp Panfried Potatoes (p.341)
Oven baked Ratatouille (p.373)
White beans, Tuscan style (p.427)
Barley and Beef Stew (p.484)
Chicken Cutlets Roasted with Tomatoes (p.672) serve with Polenta (p.485)!
Chicken Parmigiana (p.678)
Roast Chicken with Herb Butter (p.686)
Broiled Split Chicken (p.693)
Classic Pot Roast (p.742)
Roast Pork with Sage and Potatoes (p.754) Use the leftovers here in the Fried Rice with Shrimp and Pork (p.468)
Everyday Buttermilk Waffles (p.815)
Overnight Waffles (p.816)
Crepes, Sweet or Savory (p.817)

Don't miss the Appendices There is so much in the back of this cookbook that it is too good to skip. Suggested menus, lists like the ones above if you are looking for essential, fast, make-ahead or vegetarian recipes. And my favorite part, the index! I have to admit that since getting the app that goes along with this book I use the book form of the index less and less. I actually cook from the actual book less too, but this red giant is one of the only cookbooks that is allowed to live on my kitchen counter.

I hope you have found this introduction helpful. I know for me just flipping through this cookbook again has made me want to try more of its recipes and even though the lists above seem long, they are really just the beginning!

Stir-Fried Chicken with Cabbage

2011-11-16T13:16:00.003-06:00

When my friend Betsy suggested this cookbook to me my first complaint was that it didn't have any pictures. Foodies will tell you that we eat with our eyes first and I have to agree. Pictures of the recipes was one of the main reasons I wanted to write this blog in the first place!

If you have the HTCE app it highlights one recipe a week and along with a note a picture of the recipe is sent out. Well the picture that was sent out last week had me very intrigued! I'm only sorry that my picture isn't as good theirs was.

Not only did this dish taste wonderful but it was quick and easy! The best part is that other than the Napa cabbage I usually have all the other ingredients on hand. I did use about two pounds of dark meat chicken because the cabbage was over one and a half pounds. This was so good we will be having it again next week! As you can see from the picture we served it over rice.

HTCE p.643

Overnight Waffles

2011-11-02T12:51:00.003-05:00

Last night the newscaster mentioned that she loves waffles with peanut butter for breakfast. Waffles with peanut butter? Genius!!

So there it was 10:30pm and I have a craving for waffles. The problem is that Wednesday mornings are our most rushed morning. Not only do we have to get Ethan off to school, but Asher and I attend BSF so I have to get our bags ready too. Then I remembered that Bittman has an overnight waffle recipe! The perfect solution.

I had tried these waffles before but I only let the batter rest for a few hours. These were much more yeasty tasting and the recipe yielded 6 of these giant waffles instead of just four. The results were scrumptious! I have to say that I did take the extra step and broke out my hand mixer to whip those egg whites until they held a soft peak. I know this is an extra step and three extra dishes but it was well worth it! It really increased the volume of the batter and added to the lightness of the finished waffle.

The other plus about this batter is that we ran out of time this morning (see previous note about Wednesday mornings) and I didn't have time to cook all the waffles. No problem! I just covered the batter and stuck it back in the fridge. When we got home this afternoon I reheated the waffle iron and finished cooking the last two waffles. They look just like the ones from this morning so I'm expecting they will taste the same.

You might be wondering how the peanut butter went; it was delicious! On one side of the 2x2 waffle I drizzled our favorite syrup (Steen's) and on the other side I spread peanut butter. Then I folded the waffle over on itself and I had breakfast to go! I will definitely be making these again and again (even on Wednesdays).

HTCE p.816

HTCEV p.204
Full Recipe

Bittman and Apples

2011-10-11T16:19:00.002-05:00

I know this isn't a recipe from HTCE, but Bittman just wrote an article that referenced all these apple recipes and I had to share it.

You can find the article here.

Naan

2011-08-19T07:38:00.000-05:00

Recipe: Naan
Page: 873
Rating: *****

If you like Indian food, Mark's Naan recipe is the way to go! They're delicious and stay pliable for a while (something most homemade versions do not do). They are not hard to make, but they do require some rolling action so plan around that. They cook in just a few minutes, so once you've done the rolling out you won't have to wait long to eat them. We serve them with curry dishes usually. MMmmmmm

Applesauce

2011-05-31T13:07:00.006-05:00

HTCEV p. 419

Recipe: Applesauce

Rating: ***

Making applesauce is something I never thought I would try. Two simple things inspired me to do it:

1. The fact that my sister and I made jam ourselves. If nothing else, that experience has gotten me really questioning what I can make myself and why I choose not to.

2. I had a bunch of apples that I wasn't eating. They were sitting in my hanging basket, threatening to begin to rot any day now.

3. (reason to do it once I was inspired) Mark Bittman had some amazing suggestions of things to add to applesauce. After thinking that I may do it, I read the list and was totally on board. Cayenne in applesauce? Consider my interest peaked.

Behold: The makings for applesauce!

I only had five apples and the recipe calls for five pounds. But the recipe is just apples and water so I didn't think it would be that big of a deal. I also had to peel them all by hand since I don't have a food mill. Not having a job and having a fairly slow afternoon ahead of me, this task wasn't really daunting. Besides, I found my pairing knife and wanted to try it out.

Not much to say about this recipe besides that it could not be easier. Since I made half and am now looking at about three servings, I do wish I had more apples and had doubled or tripled the recipe and taking on canning with it. There's always next time.

My comments on this recipe is that the final product wasn't very saucy. I put the amount of water recommended and in the end I got something more of the texture of mashed potatoes. Nothing wrong with that and maybe with a food processor it would have been better. Still, it's something I would make again.

Quick Tip: the Baking Trio

2011-04-01T09:04:00.001-05:00

This quick tip might seem obvious to some, but I've been actively cooking (from scratch) in my kitchen for over 5 years and this has just now occurred to me. I use to keep my baking soda, baking powder and salt down in a cabinet with all of my other spices. If you bake often you know that these three are often used together in recipes including everything from quick breads, muffins and pancakes to cookies and cakes!

So here is my quick tip: store these three together in an easy to access spot! I have now moved this trio from my lower spice cabinet to an upper cabinet that also contains my measuring spoons and cups. I'm pretty sure my mom stores them in the same place in her kitchen, but I never noticed that they weren't with the other spices and I never thought to ask why they were stored separately!

My salt, baking soda and baking powder in their new home, right below the measuring utensils!

Got a tip you can share? Email it to us!

Bittman recipes for FREE in a new "app"

2011-03-04T07:56:00.003-06:00

I stumbled across this app the other day and I wanted to share it. I know there are a few of you out there that still don't have the HTCE cookbook. If you have an iPhone, iPad, or other "i"device you can try out all of the essentials in Mark's book for free!! I will say that I enjoy the iPad version much better than my iPhone version (which this app resembles), but the concept is the same.

Here is the link to the app. Enjoy!

Simpler Baked Brown Rice (Variation)

2011-01-29T12:50:00.003-06:00

Recipe: Simpler Baked Brown Rice (variation of Simper-than-Pilaf Baked Rice)
Page: HTCE p. 453
Rating: *****

I've cooked A LOT of brown rice in my day, and I've tried several methods. For a while, my favorite was a Cook's Illustrated version where you baked it, but first, I had to bring some water and butter to a boil, then pour it over the rice in a different pan, then cover the pan with 2 layers of foil, and then I had kids... and any extra pot/step was thrown out with the baby's bath water.

So, I started boiling it and just draining off the extra water at the end. Not bad. In fact, Mark gives us this version somewhere--actually, it's the very first recipe in the grains chapter. And, it's easy and predictable.

But then.... I tried this recipe. And. It's. AMAZING. PERFECT brown rice--distinct grains, good flavor, frees up an eye on the stove, even reheats well. I leave out the cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom, use the butter, and add 1 t. salt and a sprinkle of pepper per batch. Good news: you can even triple this recipe with the same timing and results!!! I use my Le Creuset wanna-be enameled cast iron 5-quart dutch oven from Aldi so that I have a nice, heavy, tight-fitting lid--that's important so the steam can't escape. I think Mark's liquid allowance is a little generous and may cut it back a touch next time.

Highly recommended!!!

Spicy No-Mayo Coleslaw

2010-12-09T13:59:00.004-06:00

Recipe: Spicy No-Mayo Coleslaw
Page: HTCE p. 207
Rating: ****

We really liked this! The first time I made it a year ago, I wasn't crazy about it. But this time, it was delicious. Not sure what the difference was. I definitely recommend making it at least an hour before and tossing it periodically during that time--the cabbage softens a touch which adds to the finished product. It is yellow as the picture indicates (that's not just my photography!). It's heavy on the mustard which makes it very different from the usual idea of "slaw," but it also helped my husband really like it and he usually hates slaw! So, if you're not a typical slaw fan, this is a good one to try. I think the servings are spot on; we halved it and got 4 generous servings. If you're taking it to a potluck, you'd probably get 10 or more servings out of it.

My First Brussels Sprouts

2010-12-01T14:25:00.001-06:00

After being at my in-laws for a week during Thanksgiving I was re-inspired to get back into the kitchen and cook for my family. Since having Asher cooking has seemed like drudgery but after seeing this recipe I had to try my hand at Brussels sprouts!

Now I don't have any pictures of this recipe because I ate it too quickly, and for never having a Brussels sprout before I thought these were awesome! I was happy to find that Bittman has many recipes for sprouts in HTCE and one of them is very similar to Tyler's example above. As a matter of fact Bittman left off the one thing we didn't really like about Tyler's recipe - the soggy breadcrumb topping.

I will say that if I make this recipe again I will combine Bittman's recipe and Tyler's by only cutting the sprouts in half (way quicker) and browning them in the pan with the bacon before adding the water (or if you have it, stock). If my oven happens to be on, I will still add the Parmesan cheese though because it was nice and crunchy and added a nice texture contrast.

Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread (variation)

2010-11-23T21:35:00.003-06:00

Recipe: Sandwich Bread, 5 Ways: 50 Percent Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread variation
Page: HTCE p. 859ff
Rating: *****

This is my go to sandwich bread recipe these days: quick (via food processor magic), doubles well, nourishing, tasty, easy, reliable, cheap, .... We make it with one primary change: subbing water for the milk called for. I've found this gives a softer, chewier bread, which we like better. I always use honey and oil (not butter). It's a leisurely process as far as rising time, but super quick to pull the basic dough together. It's a great all-purpose bread and makes terrific raisin bread. It also freezes well.

Muffins, Infinite Ways

2010-11-13T06:48:00.004-06:00

Recipe: Muffins, Infinite Ways
Page: HTCE p. 832
Rating: *****

If I've rated these before, then just know they merit AT LEAST 2 ***** ratings. I make these almost weekly. You can't go wrong. They're delicious and just the right size. I've made muffins regularly for 15 years now--I even have a cookbook that is just for muffins. But this is now my go to recipe. I usually use oil instead of butter because I'm lazy. Otherwise, I follow directions per.

Oh--I also usually use half white whole wheat flour.

Variations that our family loves: Banana Nut Muffins (using half whole wheat flour and skipping the nuts), Blueberry Muffins (a real fave around here; leave out the cinnamon, the lemon zest is wonderful but I don't always have time/lemons), Cranberry Muffins (another fave), Coffee Cake Muffins (yum yum yum!), and the Savory Muffins (good with cheese in them instead of the onion).

Enjoy!

Chicken Scampi

2010-10-13T17:39:00.002-05:00

We're fans of Olive Garden's chicken scampi around here and found a recipe that recreates it nicely. After I'd made our version a couple of times, I was making Mark's Sauteed Chicken Cutlets and noticed a definite similarity.

If you want to turn the Sauteed Chicken Cutlets with Wine Sauce (p. 679) into Olive Garden-style Chicken Scampi, make the following additions:

Saute 3-6 cloves minced garlic, a sliced red bell pepper (and a green if you want) and a sliced red onion either first or sort of in the sauce near the end.

Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon dried basil, and 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano with the chicken stock as part of the sauce.

That's it! Same directions otherwise. Enjoy.

Sauteed Chicken Cutlets with Wine Sauce

2010-09-25T06:43:00.003-05:00

Recipe: Sauteed Chicken Cutlets with Wine Sauce
Page: HTCE p. 679
Rating: ******************

I make this frequently and my family licks their plates, scoops more sauce onto potatoes (or green beans or whatever's left on the plate) and keeps eating. It's the same method as the 1997 edition of Joy of Cooking Simple Sauteed Chicken recipe, but the ingredients vary a touch. Both cookbooks have the same basic sauteed chicken cutlets recipe, but the wine sauce recipe is where Mark shines: SO SIMPLE.

As Bridgette does, Mark calls for you to pound the chicken slightly--I just do it a touch to even out the thickest part. He calls for 1 cup of flour; you really only need about1/4-1/2 a cup. And, don't oversalt your chicken; the sauce is reduced so much that it will be too salty; just salt the chicken a touch before cooking because you can always add more later.

Incidentally, we're not sure we can taste the wine a lot. I've done this with Scotch, Reisling, whatever's on hand that's white/light in color. I think it would be just as good with chicken broth plus an herb or two (if I'm using wine, I don't bother with the herbs much--usually too busy on a weeknight).

It makes a terrific entree for a nice dinner that still only takes 1/2 an hour to make. Serve it with some mashed or roasted potatoes (you'd have to start the potatoes first), some green beans, and some bread: classy meal on a weekday that's easy to make and inexpensive!

Whole Wheat Pasta with Roasted Potatoes

2010-09-12T18:32:00.002-05:00

Recipe: Whole Wheat Farfalle with Roasted Potatoes
Page: HTCE p. 523
Rating: ****

This was a terrific, simple dish. We added some Parmesan and didn't use the red pepper flakes. I also sauteed the garlic in the olive oil before tossing it with the cooked pasta and potatoes. Yum yum yum! Inexpensive, simple, and tasty.

Real Beef Stroganoff (w/turkey)

2010-09-03T09:44:00.002-05:00

Believe it or not I used this recipe with leftover turkey last year and it was great! Just substitute the beef tenderloin for four cups of cooked diced turkey. Perfect for post-Thanksgiving leftover turkey burn out!

I did not use tomatoes (that sounded strange) and I served it to my family over egg noodles.

HTCE p.739

Grilled or Broiled Split Chicken

2010-09-03T09:23:00.002-05:00

I'm so glad I tried this recipe! I usually just use whole chickens to make crockpot rotisserie chicken, but back last December I forgot to put the chicken in the crock pot and after searching HTCE came up with this solution. The results were delicious and done in less than an hour!

Not only is this chicken beautiful to look at, but using the directions on page 692 it was surprisingly easy to do. I cooked my bird in the oven, but we'll probably try it on the grill this fall. I used just the basic recipe and it was tasty. Tonight I had intend to try the honey-mustard version, but after reading this post I have a whole table of options to peruse (p.642-3)....I'll let you know what I try.

HTCE p.693

HTCE: The App!!

2010-08-30T15:06:00.002-05:00


http://www.culinate.com/app/htce

So we all know how much I love Bittman's big red cookbook, and for those of you who know me well, you also know how much I love my iPad. Now the two have come together in the How To Cook Everything App for the iPhone. I can't really say enough about this app. It is everything the cookbook is and then some! You can search for recipes by ingredient (i.e. fresh bread crumbs), use the built in timers, make grocery lists with the recipes you are planning to cook. You can even save and name grocery list for future occasions.

One of the neat features in the grocery list department is that you can see what recipe each item is coming from. That way if the grocery store is out of a particular item, you know what recipe will be short and you can make the necessary substitutions.

There are plenty of online reviews out there so I'll stop mine here. One thing to note about all the online reviews that I read is that they all gave this app a 4.5 or 5 stars! Also I just read, "...the kind people at Culinate tell me that there will be a future app just for the How to Cook Everything Vegetarian book. They also report they are working on an iPad specific version of the HTCE app." I hope when the iPad version comes out they will discount it for those of us that are using the iPhone version on our iPads!

Oven-"Fried" Fish Fillets

2010-08-30T14:39:00.003-05:00

I'm sad to say that I did not get a picture of this recipe, however it was delicious! I think the extra touch that made this dish for me was at the end of step two when you pour the extra butter down over the fish. I do think if I make this recipe again I will use a little bit more seasoning on the fish. I did use Fresh Bread Crumbs that I made from all of the leftover hamburger and hot dog buns I had after a recent party.

I also can't wait to try the crushed cereal variation.

HTCE p.568

Similar Recipe

Simplest Omelet (Denver Variation)

2010-08-30T14:19:00.002-05:00

I wish I could eat this all over again! Unlike Mark's suggestion I just cooked the onions, bell peppers and ham in the same skillet I was going to cook the omelet in. I also was doubling the recipe and added 3/4 cup ham for two omelets. With the Denver Omelet fixins and a handful of cheddar it was plenty of filling!! I also add all of my filling on one side and then flip the other half of the omelet over the filling. Like so:

This recipe lists the servings number as 2, and maybe for breakfast with 5 eggs you could split just one omelet, but in our case I used 4 eggs per person and for dinner we both were able to eat the entire thing.

So good.....

HTCE p.802

HTCEV p.172
Full recipe

Variety = The Spice of Life

2010-08-26T16:53:00.003-05:00

Sometimes, I wonder if the grass is greener in another cookbook.... For instance, I often turn to my trusty 11th edition Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook for cookie recipes. But, time after time I come back to Bittman for regular ol' grub. Why?

Variety!!

I bought a large family-pack of pork chops a while back, stuck most of them in the freezer in smaller my-family-size portions, and have been slowly cooking them. I keep looking in other cookbooks for pork chop recipes, but always come back to Bittman. Why? Because he has a great skillet pork chop recipe with tons of variations--and, I nearly always have the ingredients for at least 3 of the variations on hand. Variety! The other cookbooks have variety at the expense of learning new methods, having non-normal ingredients on hand, and so forth. Tonight, we'll be be trying a third version of the Skillet Pork Chops--keeps our meals from being too old hat, but gives me the confidence of preparing something I'm already pretty familiar with.

Just had to share!

Pork Chops with Onions and Peppers

2010-08-12T18:17:00.003-05:00

Recipe: Pork Chops with Onions and Peppers (variation of Skillet Pork chops, 8 Ways)
Page: HTCE p. 721
Rating: ***-****

The peppers and onions were terrific and a nice topping for the pork chops. Our particular pork chops weren't that great, but we decided it was more a feature of the chops themselves than the recipe. That being said, this recipe would be a **** or perhaps a ***** if the chops were really high quality. Ordinary, mixed pork chops from your average grocery store? ***

Easy and some nice unattended time in which to get other meal elements ready.

Skillet Pork Chops, 8 Ways

2010-07-29T18:59:00.003-05:00

Recipe: Skillet Pork Chops, 8 Ways

Page: HTCE p. 720

Rating: ****

These were a touch dry, hence the 4* rating. I think cooking pork chops this way makes it very easy to overcook them. Nonetheless, they were tasty, and the pan sauce was delicious. Easy, too. I added some Italian seasoning to the pork chops with the salt and pepper since my mom used to cook them that way. Can't wait to try some of the variations.

Blueberry Cobbler

2010-07-28T17:49:00.004-05:00

Recipe: Blueberry Cobbler

Page: HTCE p. 883

Rating: ****

Easy! I used a pastry blender and then a fork to mix the crust instead of a food processor. I used 3 cups of blueberries and 1 cup of peaches. The crust/topping was great--kind of like a biscuit. The filling was quite runny since there was no cornstarch in it. We enjoyed it a lot; if you want a thicker filling base, you might need to add cornstarch to it.

Pasta with Bacon and Dried Tomatoes (variation)

2010-07-28T17:46:00.003-05:00

Recipe: Pasta with Bacon and Dried Tomatoes (variation of Pasta with Pancetta and Pecorino)

Page: HTCE p. 506

Rating: *****

Since I've rated Pasta Carbonara highly, it should be no surprise that our family enjoyed this as well. This is easier and the dried tomatoes add a nice flavor dimension. Mmmmm

I used thick sliced bacon, didn't use any additional oil when I was cooking it, and just kept adding ingredients to the drained pasta as they were ready. I added a bit of reserved pasta cooking water at the end.

French Toast

2010-07-02T07:20:00.004-05:00

Recipe: French Toast

Page: HTCE p. 794

HTCEV p.177

Full Recipe
Rating: *****

This was truly amazing.... I should confess that I used day old (homemade) French bread that I sliced and left sitting out all night. I also made sure I soaked it well in the egg/milk mixture. I didn't add the optional sugar, used whole milk, and cinnamon instead of vanilla. My daughter wasn't a huge fan (don't know what her problem was) but my boys ate it up. I personally loved it. We served it with syrup.

Fish Baked in Foil (or a Casserole Dish)

2010-06-24T18:35:00.006-05:00

Recipe: Fish Baked in Foil

Page: HTCE p. 571

Rating: *****

This is a terrific summer recipe to have on hand. Cooking time is minimal and the dish can be assembled ahead of time! I followed the suggestion to "toss it all together in a covered casserole" because I was feeling too lazy to wrap everything in little packets. It was delicious. My camera's memory card is full, or I would have snapped a pic of this recipe for sure; it's very pretty.

I used frozen cod fillets. I used fresh oregano instead of the parsley or basil--I think the parsley and/or basil would have been more flavorful and next time will go with those. I also put some thin lemon slices on top as suggested under the "Fish Baked in Foil with Vegetables" variation (I used almost one whole lemon for this). Definitely added a nice touch.

Oh--and my kids ate it up like crazy! Added bonus.

We ate it with salad, peas, and leftover pita bread with hummus. Next time, I'll serve some good bread with it instead of the pita (unless I have it leftover again!).

Coffee Cake Muffins (Variation)

2010-06-22T08:07:00.003-05:00

Recipe: Muffins, Infinite Ways--Coffee Cake Muffin variation

Page: HTCE, p. 833

Rating: *****

These were yummy--every bit as good as the quick coffee cake. I didn't mix the topping in the batter; I wish I had done that and left a bit less for the tops of the muffins because the topping crumpled some as I removed the muffins from the pan. I used half of the quick coffee cake topping since I had it left over. I also used half white whole wheat flour and added a teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter (since I knew I wasn't using the topping in the batter).

A definite Sunday morning option in our "coffee cake tradition" that we've begun.

Blueberry Muffins (Variation)

2010-06-22T07:49:00.005-05:00

Recipe: Muffins, Infinite Ways--Blueberry Muffin variation

Page: HTCE p. 833

Rating: ****

I don't always use muffin cups anymore, but these muffins could have benefited! They're heavy on the blueberries, and trying to remove them from a warm pan was a challenge... one I failed (although the bits of muffin left in the pan were good to nibble on...).

I didn't use the cinnamon or the corn meal. I did use the lemon zest and used half white whole wheat flour. These were great! Perfect for everyday blueberry muffins. The lemon zest really adds a nice hint of flavor. These aren't Otis Spunkmeyer giant streusel topped blueberry muffins, but, frankly, I'd rather have the smaller, not-too-sweet muffins here. My kids didn't eat them up as much as the cranberry ones, but I really liked them.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-06-05T19:46:00.006-05:00

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Page: HTCE p. 880

Rating: ****

We are big fans of chocolate chip cookies at my house, but we are also chocolate chip cookie recipe snobs. It takes a really great chocolate chip cookie to please us: a touch of salt in the dough, bittersweet chips, good texture--a cross between chewy and crispy....

These cookies make the grade: they are chewy in the middle and crispy on the outside. The crucial salt is present in the dough and Mark even recommends bittersweet chocolate. They're a touch sweet. I might use a bit less vanilla next time.

Our biggest problem was cookie spread: in the oven, the edges practically ran over the cookie sheet leaving a small clump of dough (and the chips) in the middle of each cookie. This made for pretty good texture overall, but I like my chips to be evenly dispersed. I tried them as little frozen dough balls, too, thinking the chilled butter would work better. It did help. Next time, I think I'll chill them in the fridge for a bit, then form them into balls and flatten them once they're on the cookie sheet (one might almost think I'd just seen the folks on America's Test Kitchen do this to one of their cookie recipes the other night...).

So, 4 stars as is. If they work better in the oven once I try my newest theory, I'll update this.

Oh--my batch yielded exactly 2 dozen, and my cookies are generous scoops of dough. It's hard to measure the final cookie size because I think they'd be smaller around and taller/puffier if I tried the flatten-before-baking trick mentioned above. I'm guessing they're about 5-inches in diameter! (but, Mom, I've only had two...)

Baked Beans

2010-06-01T09:25:00.004-05:00

Recipe: Baked Beans

Page: HTCE p. 416

Rating: ***

I've made these twice, now, and both times the beans weren't quite as soft as I wanted them to be. I've read that homemade baked beans are frequently not as mushy, but I think mine could have been softer. The flavor was *** when prepared exactly as written. I made a few changes the second time around and definitely upped the flavor component to ****. I think there are some tricks, here, if you want to make homemade beans that taste like the canned/restaurant variety:

cook your beans until almost as soft as you want them before baking them with the seasonings and/or plan to bake them a while. They will soften in the oven, but it could take hours.
Plan to bake them several hours--the seasonings just get better and better that way.
They'll reheat fine, so you may want to make these the day before serving and leave them a touch runnier than you need (they'll get drier as they sit). Then, you can be sure they're as tender as you want and you can just reheat the day you need them.
You won't need 8-oz of bacon. I used about 1/3 of a pound or so and chopped it. I sauteed the onion with the bacon and poured the whole mess into the bean pot :).
I also added 1/4 cup of brown sugar, reduced the mustard to one teaspoon (ground), and added 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (mentioned in the "Ideas for Baked Beans" part). I tasted them as they cooked and made sure there was enough salt once the bacon flavor had permeated (I didn't want to oversalt accidentally since bacon is pretty salty).

I recommend trying them. I'll try them again for sure. It's just one of those recipes that will take some practice/tweaking since everyone has different ideas of what the best baked beans taste like. They're much cheaper than canned and do taste better overall. They're also quite easy; they just take a bit of time to cook.

Yogurt or Buttermilk Biscuits

2010-05-28T18:45:00.004-05:00

Recipe: Yogurt or Buttermilk Biscuits
Page: HTCE p. 845 (HTCEV p694)
Rating: *****

I've made these so often, I don't even need the recipe. We LOVE these. They remind me of Cracker Barrel biscuits. I usually use 4 tablespoons butter, half whole wheat flour and add a bit more yogurt (I always use yogurt) than he recommends (I'm sure that's because the whole wheat flour soaks up more moisture). I love that he tells you to pat these out instead of rolling them out. Somehow, that little extra step saved helps. I often cut these into squares to save even getting out a circle cutter (read: drinking glass).

I've made the Baking Powder Biscuit variation as well as the Drop Biscuit variation--both are good substitutes, especially for savory biscuits to go with dinner. For instance, tonight I added 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, some garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon or so Italian seasoning; I combined the Baking Powder and Drop variations and had biscuits to go with dinner so easily! (And they were YUMMY.) In the main recipe, I've also left out the baking soda with no ill effects.

I've got the recipe on my recipe blog for those interested: "Cracker Barrel Biscuits"

Strawberry Banana Muffins (variation)

2010-05-28T18:32:00.005-05:00

Recipe: Banana Muffins (variation of Muffins, Infinite Ways)
Page: HTCE page 832-833
Rating: *****

I love Mark's style. I feel like I'm channeling the minimalist plus talented substitutionist vibes and creating all kinds of wonderful things on the fly. The latest? the need to use up some very ripe bananas, some fresh strawberries, and some fresh strawberry puree. The recipe of choice to start with? The banana muffin variation under the regular Muffins recipe. I followed the banana-nut variation (including using whole wheat flour for half of the flour amount), left out the nuts, and added in about 1/4 cup strawberry puree plus about 1/2 cup chopped fresh strawberries. I used regular sugar instead of subbing in honey since the puree was already adding some extra liquid.

The verdict? I'm going to have to write this one down in the cookbook. My kids ate 3 regular sized muffins EACH for breakfast. That's terrific, especially when these muffins only have 1/4 cup of sugar or so per batch. I'm not sure the puree added that much. I might try these with fresh blueberries later in the summer when they're in season.

Fast French Bread or Rolls

2010-05-24T13:29:00.003-05:00

Recipe: Fast French Bread or Rolls

Page: HTCE p. 856-7

Rating: *****

This is the perfect French bread recipe. I routinely add 1/2-1 c. whole wheat flour to it, use bread flour for the remaining flour, and follow Bittman's instructions to a "T." I don't do anything special, don't let it rise in cloth, don't spritz it with water when I remove it from the oven, etc. Just the basic recipe: you cannot go wrong. Especially if you have a food processor, you won't buy French bread again. People consistently ask me for my recipe. Well, folks, this is the one!

A note: this bread is best the first day and good for French toast the next. Because there's no oil or sugar or anything like that in it, it will go stale quickly. Your best bet for future use: slightly underbake it and freeze it. Then, thaw, warm up/finish baking just before dinner, and you're good to go.

Garlicky Lime-Cooked Fish

2010-04-27T17:31:00.005-05:00

Recipe: Garlicky Lime-Cooked Fish

Page: HTCE p. 608

Rating: ***** (with some modifications)

I cooked this using mahi mahi that was about 3/4-1 inch thick. I had to flip the fish over about halfway through. But it was EXCELLENT with one caveat: the sauce was not as great. I think I'll just make the fish without the sauce and sprinkle the fish with a touch of garlic powder or garlic salt. That saves even more time. We served it with Mexican sides (refried beans, rice, etc.). It worked, but it would be fine with any other sides you might typically serve with fish.

Brownies

2010-04-13T14:35:00.004-05:00

Recipe: Brownies

Page: p. 881

Rating: *****

I think I'm the one making the most desserts around here (or at least, making the most from Bittman and rating them). Anyway, I don't know why anyone would make brownies from a box when they could make the nearly-as-simple-and-far-more-decadent version a la Mark. Super easy!

I didn't pour the melted chocolate/butter mixture into a different bowl--I just added everything into that one pot. They baked in the amount of time given but are SUPER soft when you pull them out. Letting them cool in the pan is a necessity, but they are awfully good when still pretty warm and gooey...not that I would be that eager to try them of course.... and I added the last of my Andes chocolate candy pieces.... (about 3/4 cup) and will have another brownie when fully cooled just to confirm the ***** rating....

I've had slightly better homemade brownies, but they were more difficult to prepare. For ease of preparation, fudgy nature, top chocolate flavor--these get a ***** rating. This will be my go to brownie recipe when we suddenly get that brownie craving!

Chocolate Cookies (Variation)

2010-04-12T15:05:00.005-05:00

Recipe: Chocolate Cookies (variation of Butter Cookies)

Page: p. 892

Rating: ****

These are nice little cookies to know about. They're more cake-y than chewy or crisp. They aren't terribly sweet hot out of the oven, but in my experience, chocolate cookies taste a little sweeter as they cool. I'm not sure why. I added Andes Mint Candy chips to mine (about 1/2 cup); if I hadn't, I think I might have used a sweeter chocolate mixture. Mark recommends a mixture of unsweetened chocolate and sweetened chocolate; for my sweetened chocolate, I used bittersweet chocolate. Semisweet might a better choice if you're not going over the top and adding MORE chocolate like I did in the candy pieces. (This begs the question: CAN you have too much chocolate?)

The recipe made right at 3 dozen cookies; mine are 2-3 inches across. They don't spread too much in the oven, and I used a regular teaspoon like I might use for eating out of. (not a soup spoon/tablespoon)

Braised Potatoes with Kielbasa (Variation)

2010-04-08T16:46:00.000-05:00

Recipe: Braised Potatoes with Kielbasa (Variation of Braised Potatoes, Ten Ways)

Page: HCTE p. 343

Rating: *****

I liked this recipe so much that it made it onto full tummies! The leftovers (the broth and any remaining potatoes/sausage) make a great base for a potato soup the next night--just cook a few extra potatoes in the broth the next night. I haven't tried this with beer, but I bet it would be good!

Serving Suggestions: Pair with a salad and some hearty bread

Wine-Braised Potatoes with Bacon (Variation)

2010-04-07T16:40:00.004-05:00

Recipe: Wine-Braised Potatoes with Bacon (Variation on Braised Potatoes, Ten Ways)

Page: HCTE p. 343

Rating: *****

I loved his Braised Potatoes with Sausage variation so much I put that recipe on full tummies. This one might make it there, too! It makes a terrific "main dish" for a light meal and is a terrific way to use up that last 1/2-1 cup of wine that's not terribly drinkable, but not turned into vinegar. These potatoes are fully in our rotation (or at least one of the variations). I omit the onion and follow his directions to a "T." If I only have 1/2 cup wine, then I just add water to fill in.

One note: Mark says this makes 4 servings, but in my experience, it makes more--particularly if you're planning to use this as a side dish. It's also best with thick-cut bacon (I use about 2 slices). Enjoy!

Spaghetti with Pesto

2010-04-06T18:13:00.002-05:00

Recipe: Spaghetti with Pesto

Page: HCTE p. 507

Rating: *****

How can you go wrong with freshly cooked pasta and homemade pesto? Enough said.

Spaghetti with Butter and Parmesan

2010-04-06T18:10:00.002-05:00

Recipe: Spaghetti with Butter and Parmesan

Page: HCTE p. 506

Rating: *****

Move over, Macaroni and Cheese! This is one of our go to recipes--quick and tasty. It's less fattening than mac-n-cheese, too, since it's not loaded with cream sauce on top of the cheese. It does have a significant amount of butter in it, but otherwise it wouldn't taste good or keep you full for any length of time. We add peas to it (an addition he recommends), but it's good plain and simple. It benefits from a sprinkling of good salt at the table.

Here's the recipe link.

Pasta Carbonara (Variation)

2010-04-06T18:03:00.004-05:00

Recipe: Pasta Carbonara (variation of Pasta with Pancetta and Pecorino)

Page: HCTE p. 506

Rating: ****

I'm a big fan of Pasta Carbonara: it's quick, relatively healthy (the bacon and eggs provide your protein--they're not any more fattening than an entree that's meat based!), and inexpensive. It's also tasty. Mark's version is great; you do have to dirty up a few dishes in the process and have everything ready to go as soon as the pasta is done cooking. That being said, the process is easy to master. I heat a big pottery bowl with hot water (from the tap) and let it sit while I saute the bacon (I do not add all the drippings to the eggs/cheese later like he suggests). I also grate the cheese. Then I start a pot of water boiling for the pasta. I add the pasta to the boiling water when the bacon is nearly done. I have the eggs beaten and ready to go in another bowl. When the bacon is done and cooled slightly, the pasta is about 2 minutes away from being done, and the eggs and cheese are ready and waiting, the fun begins: dump out the hot water from the big bowl, add bacon, eggs, and cheese to the bowl. Drain the pasta and immediately toss it with the bacon and eggs. The eggs will cook enough to be safe, but should give you a creamy sauce. Mmmmmm

Calzones Revisited

2010-03-10T09:00:00.001-06:00

A while back I wrote this review of HTCE calzones:
"This recipe is so great that I'm surprised that I haven't made it once a week. We did not use the ricotta cheese in the filling because it is not my favorite and I rarely if ever have it on hand. Never fear though, cooking with Bittman allows you to substitute and delete ingredients with no anxiety! Also, instead of the sausage I used rendered pepperoni. This is a trick I learned from America's Test Kitchen that stops pepperoni from greasing up your calzone. Now when my husband wants to order pizza I balk at the cost compared to the pennies I spend on this recipe."

I forgot to mention a few things and I was making calzones again last night, so I thought I would revisit this recipe. I think the key to these calzones cooking up correctly is that you don't add sauce to the filling. Instead make your fast tomato sauce and serve it on the side. This way your calzones cook all the way through and you don't end up with a slimy inner dough.

In the past I've cooked these on a stone, but last night I chose to put olive oil on a pan and cook them that way. The result was so delicious. The bottom crust of the calzone was nice and crisp. It even tasted a tad bit fried (YUMM!). I should note that I tend to roll out my dough a little thinner then Mark suggests and I also do not try to roll it out in a circle, but instead a long oval. I didn't really express this well in the first post, but we do replace all of the ricotta with mozzarella and the calzones are still really good.

Every time I make these I can't get over how crisp and non-slimy the calzones are. We even had a guest over on this night and she commented on the fact that the pepperoni was not greasy which is a result of the aforementioned pre-rendering in the microwave (30 seconds on two layers of paper towels does the trick).

Next I want to try the cooked spinach variation or I want to try and copy Mellow Mushroom's jerk chicken calzones. Both sound really good.

HTCE p. 183
HTCEV p.729

Updated: What if I don't own a Bittman cook book....

2010-03-06T12:20:00.000-06:00

but I want to try some of his recipes?

If that is a question you ask yourself as you read this blog please click the books found at the top right and you will see a whole list of sample recipes from each book. Some of them (like the Fried Chicken Made Easy) will even have some of the variations that the authors of this blog rave about.

**New: I've made a new label called "full recipes" where (when we can) we will link the recipe we review to the full recipe already posted online by Bittman. To see a full list of these posts just click on "Full Recipes" in the labels list over to the right.****

******New update: I just found a preview of HTCEV on google books. It doesn't have all the pages in the book (not even close), but it has helped me post some more "full recipes" for our friends out there who haven't yet bought this book. ******

Enjoy cooking!

Everyday Pancakes Revisited (Alton Brown's Variation)

2010-03-06T09:37:00.003-06:00

So, as I mentioned before in my first review of this recipe my family didn't like this recipe at all, but we love Alton Brown's version. Well this morning while I was making AB's tender, delicious pancakes I was struck by how similar the recipes were. Here are the changes you can make to Mark's recipe to end up with Alton Brown's recipe:

Increase baking powder to 1 tsp.
Add 1/2 tsp. baking soda
Increase sugar to 3 tbl.
Use 2 cups of yogurt or buttermilk instead of milk (I love to use yogurt here)
Increase melted butter to 4 tbl.

This is the second recipe where I have just noted the changes in my HTCE book so that I don't have to have two cookbooks out. The instructions are really similar with one important change (which you will want to note). Mix the batter exactly as Bittman instructs, but then let the batter sit for 5 minutes. You'll see why this is important after 5 minutes. This rest time allows the leavening to make a ton of little bubbles in your batter. With yogurt this batter is thicker than normal pancake batter but I just spread it out with the back of whatever I'm pouring the batter with and it works out. One of the great things about the recipe is that it can easily be halved if you are just cooking for two people (or one adult and one toddler).

It's important to note that in the pancake variation table (HTCE p.813, HTCEV p.202) that buttermilk is the first one that Mark mentions. That variation would be similar but not exactly like the one posted above. If the batter is too thick for your personal preference you of course could add milk to the batter as Bittman suggests here.

I would have taken picture of these pancakes, but frankly they are all gone!!

HTCE p.811-812
HTCEV p.200
Full Recipe

Corn Bread

2010-03-03T20:43:00.010-06:00

I have long searched for the perfect corn bread recipe. I have a very specific idea in my head of what cornbread should taste like. To me it should be fluffy and moist and even though I would never dream of eating it without butter, it really shouldn't need it.

In this recipe Mark specifically says that you should use medium-grind cornmeal. The cornmeal that I had in my pantry did not say what kind of grind it is, so I'm not sure if it was correct or not. I do know it was white cornmeal that I used and that some recipes specify yellow, but Mark did not so I thought white would be fine. The taste of this cornbread was okay, but this recipe isn't the "one" I have been searching for. This one was a little more dense then I like and it was way too dry to become my go-to cornbread recipe. It was good, don't get me wrong, just not the "one". Philip complained that it did not have much flavor, but I attribute that to the type of cornmeal that I used, not necessarily the recipe.

The next time I make this recipe it will definitely be with "medium-grind" yellow cornmeal (and probably a cup of corn kernels for the "corny corn bread" variation). On second thought maybe the "lighter, richer" variation is the version that will really give me the soft moist crumb that I have been searching for. I'm sure I can still add corn and I'll just have "lighter, richer corny corn bread".

Even though this recipe is not the "one", I do have some additional comments on the method suggested here. Mark asks you to use any 8-inch ovenproof skillet. I'm sure "any" skillet would be okay, but I used my 12" round cast iron skillet to make this recipe because frankly if you own a cast iron skillet, why would you make cornbread in any other vessel? If you don't own a cast iron skillet, put it on your wish list now before you finish reading the rest of this post! Since I am using a 12" and not an 8" my cooking time is a little bit faster and the bread was thinner then I like, but in the future I should just make a double batch if I want it to be thick (a 12" skillet has a little more than twice the volume of an 8" skillet).

In Step #2 Mark has you heat up your skillet on the stove top to melt your butter or warm your oil. Are you kidding? Your oven is already at 375° so please, don't follow his advice, and instead pre-heat your skillet in the oven. If you are using just butter in this step you will have to watch the butter or else you can burn it.

Lastly, this recipe calls for buttermilk and if you are like me you don't keep buttermilk in your fridge. Instead I use powdered buttermilk and according to Cook's Illustrated it works just fine in place of the real thing and lasts a whole lot longer. Just add the powder in with the dry ingredients and add water instead of milk during the wet ingredients step.

HTCE p.831
HTCEV p.687

Since writing the post above I found this version posted by Mark. It is the same one that is in HTCE except that is has another egg and way more sugar (1/4-1/2 cup instead of 1 T.). If you don't have HTCE, our version is called the "Old-Fashioned Cornbread" variation at the bottom of the recipe. In this recipe he also just uses plain milk instead of buttermilk which I have never seen before in a cornbread recipe. The instructions have also changed a bit in that they follow my advice and is preheating the cast-iron skillet in the oven. Now I don't know which variation to try next!

************Update (12/2011): I have found THE ONE. **********

Crunchy Granola

2010-03-01T18:32:00.007-06:00

I just finished reading Mark's book Food Matters and in it, he talks about the importance of eating enough grains. From there I decided to make my own granola to have as a breakfast staple and an easy snack throughout the day.

THIS IS SO GOOD! I'm eating it right now as I type! I usually think granola is too sweet and I am not the biggest fan of raisins so making my own, I got to decide how sweet to make it (using honey instead of sugar) and avoided raisins!

Here's what I put in mine (many variations are listed in the book, but I just bought what looked good): oats, shaved coconut, almonds, walnuts, cinnamon, honey, salt, craisins, and dried cherries.

I wish this picture came with smell:

HTCEV p. 573
HTCE p.821-22

Lentil Soup with Roasted Garlic (Variation of Lentil Soup)

2010-03-01T14:20:00.011-06:00

This is the recipe I've been craving! I love the lentil soup at Athena's Restaurant in Lafayette and this really comes close. Easy and delicious. I used red lentils and followed the Roasted Garlic variation. Used 2 heads of garlic and also added 1/2 t. cumin.

HTCE p. 138-139
HTCEV p. 115-116 (Classic Lentil Soup)

Carmelized Onions

2010-02-27T18:52:00.003-06:00

This recipe is a perfect example of how when I think I know how to cook something, really Mark does it a little bit better. When caramelizing onions I usually add the oil or butter at the beginning and then they take FOREVER to cook. Well, enter Bittman. He cooks his onions in a dry pan for 20 minutes before adding the oil just so that they don't stick to the bottom. I only did one onion tonight and I was ready to add the oil in just under 15 minutes. Result? They were delicious!! 15 minutes still might seem like a lot, but if you start them first by the time you get the rest of your dinner together (tonight it was hot dogs in the grill pan with frozen peas) they will be ready.

HTCE p.325
HTCEV p.329
Full Recipe

Navigating Bittman

2010-02-25T16:45:00.000-06:00

When I first saw this massive cookbook on Betsy's counter I thought, "How in the world can that be a quick and easy to use book? It is so massive!!"

Here are a few of the things that I have employed to make "Navigating Bittman" a slightly easier task:

Post it notes on the chapters. These are "permanent" post-its that mark all of the chapters that I access regularly. I don't have one for each chapter, but I might rethink that really soon since I've widened my horizons to include beans!!

Star post-its. These mark recipes I want to try or ones that I have "on deck" to be made in the coming week. I also recently added a new star color to distinguish recipes that I need to review here on this blog.

Quick list. This is yet another post-it note that is kept on the back cover of my book that contains the page numbers for all of my most popular recipes. So far it includes: Popcorn, Vinaigrettes, Crepes, Tomato Sauce, Bread Crumbs, Pizza and Flour.

What have you done to your Bittman book to make it easier to use?

Danielle

2010-02-22T20:06:00.000-06:00

I'm 25 and live with two college students in a house with 11 people total - we're all friends and eat together frequently. I usually make an entire recipe and it's gone before we can have leftovers.
I have been with my boyfriend for 4.5 years. He's a vegetarian and enjoys eating whatever I make. :)
I stopped eating meat sometime in April after watching a disturbing documentary. Sometimes I'll have meat if there's no other option or if I'm really craving it, but for now I consider myself a less-meatarian (like Mark!) who eats fish and other seafood. I just like to eat more vegetables and grains to have a smaller impact on the planet.
Eating vegetarian has made me love so many foods that I always hated before including: broccoli, artichokes, spinach, peppers, and asparagus.
I occasionally bring lunch to work but I mostly snack throughout the workday (5-2pm) and cook for dinner.
I mostly shop at Whole Foods and the local market.
Bridgette got me this cook book for my birthday. Even though I didn't really cook meat before, it's made being vegetarian and cooking for myself so much easier!!

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

2010-02-22T19:53:00.004-06:00

This was the first time I've ever made mac'n'cheese not out of a box, and like many other thing I've made in this cookbook, I don't see going back again! The recipe labels this as "make ahead" but I did step 4 (making the sauce) while the noodles were boiling, cutting the time by 15 minutes or so. I used shells - although any pasta will do - and whole milk. I also put this in a deep corning ware dish because I don't have a 9X13 right now and everything baked just fine. After it came out I just mixed it up so that the breadcrumbs were coating all of the parts.

The only critique I have of this was that it was VERY hard to pour the milk into the butter/flour mixture while whisking and control the amount that pours out. I would recommend putting the milk into a dish to pour it in to or having a companion help you out with that step.

HTCEV p. 460
HTCE p.508
Full Recipe

Everyday Pancakes

2010-02-20T09:56:00.004-06:00

My family did not like these pancakes. We really, really didn't like them! My normal pancake recipe is Alton Brown's and in the future we will be sticking with it. His recipe is another example of something that is easy and much cheaper than buying a pre-made mix from the store. I haven't kept Bisquick stocked in my pantry since I found this recipe. We even included this recipe in the last "bulk cooking" day that Betsy and I had. Even though Alton doesn't mention this option I have substituted 1/2 of the flour in this recipe for whole wheat and even though they looked different the taste did not change.

HTCE p.811-812
HTCEV p.200
Full Recipe

Grilled Nut Butter and Banana Sandwich

2010-02-19T13:41:00.002-06:00

Today I was looking for a mid-afternoon snack and I wondered if Bittman ever used Nutella in any of his recipes. I didn't find any Nutella recipes, but I did find this wonderful suggestion: Grilled Nut Butter and Banana Sandwich. This recipe is found in a table called "7 Other Grilled Sandwiches" and it follows the Grilled Cheese recipe. I used normal sandwich bread and Nutella as the nut butter. I also added marshmallows for some extra goodness. The result? Pure goodness. The marshmallows were melted and the bananas and Nutella were warm and delicious! The next time I don't have time to make crepes but I want a sweet snack, I will think of this sandwich.

I never would have thought of grilling my stand-by peanut butter banana sandwich, but after reading this suggestion I can't wait to try it. Adding chocolate chips and marshmallows to that sandwich sounds great too!

Even though I'm not typing out the recipe I'm going to label this as a "full recipe" because if you know how to make a grilled cheese sandwich then you can make this sandwich.

HTCE p.167
HTCEV p.734

Quick Tip: Measuring Flour

2010-02-19T11:43:00.003-06:00

For most recipes that call for flour, getting the right amount is crucial. Following Alton Brown's lead I always weigh my flour instead of using a volumetric cup. Weighing your flour will give you more consistent results. Kitchen scales also come in handy for all sorts of things, but that post is for another day.

On page 836 of the HTCE (p.680 of HTCEV) book Bittman has a description of different types of flour. On this page I have written down the weights of the flours for one cup (non-sifted) and one cup sifted.

Here are the numbers for your reference:

AP: 140g/115g
Bread: 160g/130g
Cake: 130g/100g
Whole Wheat: 150g/130g

Quick Tip: Keeping Limes and Lemons Fresh

2010-02-19T10:12:00.000-06:00

This one is straight out of Cook's Illustrated. I always buy lemons (or limes) for a recipe and then by the time I need them they have shriveled up. The solution? Keep them in a plastic baggie in the fridge! This will keep them fresh for weeks (instead of just 5-7 days at room temp.). They didn't mention limes in their article, but I am assuming it works for them as well.

Quick Tip: Letting Dough Rise

2010-02-19T10:04:00.002-06:00

My pizza bianca rising in my small batter bowl.

Started at 1 cup, so I know it needs to rise until 3 cups to be tripled in volume.

Most recipes (including Bittman's) call for you to let dough rise until it has doubled (or tripled) in size or let it rise for a set amount of time. Well, depending on your normal room temperature and where you place your dough while it rises can drastically change the amount of time it will take. I don't know about the rest of the cooks out there but I can never tell if the dough has truly doubled! I always think, "It kind of looks twice as big as it was...."

To help me determine when dough has reached that magical double (or triple) volume I have started to let all my doughs rise in my Pyrex measuring cups and other bowls with volumetric markings. This way I can literally watch the dough as it rises and I can tell when the dough has doubled or tripled without having to guess!

New Label: Quick Tip

2010-02-19T10:00:00.000-06:00

I don't know if I stole this phrase from somewhere but this label will be used for posts that we think relate to cooking the "Bittman" way. Tips that will help you keep ingredients fresh, use the cook books more efficiently or other tips that have to do with "from scratch" cooking.

Enjoy!

Bridgette

2010-02-18T15:00:00.001-06:00

I love Betsy's idea of sharing about who we are as cooks so here is my rundown:

I am also married to my best friend/love of my life and we will be married for 10 years this May!
we have one 2.5 year old boy who is an extremely picky eater
I do not work outside of our home, but I do have obligations outside of the home three days a week (preschool for two and bible study for one) that makes planning ahead or last minute recipes a must
my husband eats leftovers for lunch 5 days a week so this plays a major role in my meal planning
we also work on what I consider a fairly conservative budget for groceries
my husband has type I diabetes so as much as I love russet potatoes I try to cook low glycemic-index foods
I really agree with Betsy here: I really enjoy cooking, but don't want to spend all day, every day doing it
I am relatively new to the "unprocessed food" movement but I love it's repercussions that eliminate or at least lower the amount of crazy ingredients that we eat
I also love to shop and buy locally grown produce
I got my copy of HTCE for my birthday last year (August 2009) and I cook from it at least once a week and ususally much more than that
I have used it more than any other cookbook since it has graced my kitchen counter
really the only other cookbook that I go to regularly is "The Complete America's Test Kitchen" for fancy recipes like pizza bianca and New York style crumb cake
Betsy was the first person to tell me about this cookbook and since then I have bought two copies to give to friends

It was my idea to start this blog mainly because there are so many recipes in this cookbook and with several of my friends owning and using it I wanted a place for us to share our experiences.

Everyday Buttermilk Waffles

2010-02-18T13:50:00.003-06:00

These are amazing! I do have to say that I do not separate the eggs and these were still great (and a bit less complicated). I'm sure this has to do with the fact that there is a half a stick of butter in the recipe.

Also, Bittman doesn't label this recipe as make-ahead but you could certainly do so. When reheated in a toaster the outside will be much more crisp, but they are just as tasty the next day. If you have a ton left place them in a plastic bag and freeze them. Then reheat just like they are the name brand Eggos! To make them last as long as possible squeeze (or suck out with a straw) as much air out of the bag as you can. This will help prevent freezer burn.

HTCE p.815
HTCEV p.203
Full Recipe

Everyday Buttermilk Waffles: Whole Grain Waffles Variation

2010-02-18T12:00:00.003-06:00

I have to say most of the time when you use whole grain flour in place of regular flour (esp. if you only substitute about 1/2 of the amount) the result will be very similar to the original recipe. For some reason this is not one of those recipes. I tried this variation and it was terrible. I would maybe try it again and only substitute 1/3 of the flour for whole wheat instead of 1/2. Whole wheat flour just absorbs a different amount of water then AP does so I think that was the issue that made the final product inedible.

HTCE p.815
HTCEV p.204
Full Recipes

Chicken Parmigiana (Variation of Sauteed Chicken Cutlets)

2010-02-18T00:24:00.000-06:00

This recipe is exactly why I love this cookbook. One night I had two chicken breasts defrosted in the fridge and not a clue what I was going to make for dinner. I wondered if I could "wing" Chicken Parmesan but I doubted it would be good without a few guidelines. Bittman to the rescue!

The meat: In this recipe Bittman asks you to pound the chicken and usually I do, but these breasts were from super chickens and I knew that pounding them out would just destroy the meat. I also had probably much less than 1 1/2 pounds of chicken since all I had was two breasts. Instead of pounding these, I took a page from America's Test Kitchen and I completely butterflied the breasts instead. This way I had four chicken breasts total to get fried crumb goodness on. What was really amazing is that even though it was only half of a breast my husband couldn't tell that he was really getting less meat per serving.

The crumbs: Several times on cooking shows I have heard chefs say that homemade bread crumbs are the only way to go. I use to scoff at what I thought was a snobby opinion of store bought bread crumbs. Then when I made this recipe I had a ton of extra bread laying around so I decided to try to make my own. What can I say? All those chefs had been right! Compared to homemade bread crumbs store bought ones taste like sawdust! I might still buy panko crumbs, but really I think you could make these too by just pulsing your bread for less time in your food processor.

The sauce: I am so use to making this sauce I was excited to see it used in this recipe. Read a whole post about it here.

The best thing about this recipe? Dinner is done in 30 minutes and you don't have to worry about the chicken cooking totally in the frying pan because it will finish cooking in the oven. This way you can cook the breasts until they are just browned and then take them out.

I served this wonderful dish over angel hair pasta and my husband and I loved it! The homemade bread crumbs added a nice crunch that would not have been possible without them.

HTCE p.678

Fresh Bread Crumbs

2010-02-17T21:22:00.004-06:00

I know this recipe seems silly or a non-essential recipe but I know that I will never again buy normal bread crumbs from the store! I love that Mark is teaching me (again) how to buy less processed foods at the store and use more of what I have at home to cook for my family. I love that he mentions panko bread crumbs in his intro, because that is what these bread crumbs reminded me of.

Even though he calls for French or Italian bread I just used some white sandwich bread that I had already to make chicken parmigiana. It was great! This recipe is also good with leftover hamburger or hot dog buns!!

HTCE p.876
HTCEV p.804

Fast Tomato Sauce, with or without Pasta

2010-02-17T20:22:00.001-06:00

I love this recipe!! I even wrote a whole post about it on my "Favorite Things" blog. The only change (as you can see in the post) that I make to this simple recipe is that I add garlic and red pepper flakes at the beginning and then Italian seasoning at the end (instead of the fresh herbs). I also usually add meatballs (as you can see from the picture) to satisfy my meat-eater husband. Once you eat this homemade sauce you will never buy Ragu again!

To make this a pot-luck worthy dish make the recipe with a pound of pasta as the recipe indicates. Toss the pasta and the sauce in a 13x9 dish and top with shredded mozzarella. Place the entire dish into a 350 degree oven until the cheese melts. This dish looks as good as it tastes!

I have yet to try any of the 20 variations that Mark lists because I love the basic recipe so much. Maybe one day I'll read how to make this great recipe better and try one of them out. Until then I'll enjoy this sauce on pizza, pasta, chicken parmigiana, etc.

HTCE p.502
HTCEV p.445

Quick Coffee Cake

2010-02-14T07:02:00.001-06:00

Recipe: Quick Coffee Cake

Page: HTCE p. 844

Rating: ****

I might up this to *****, but the way the recipe was written left a bit of confusion for yours truly. It could have been the way I chose to mix the batter, but I don't think so. Any thoughts from the peanut gallery?

Before I describe the recipe, I should point out for coffee cake amateurs that "quick" refers to a non-yeasted coffee cake, not a super speedy recipe that's ready in 10 minutes. That being said, this didn't take long to whip up. I did most of it the night before in my food processor: topping ingredients in the small food processor bowl and the flour/butter mixture in a larger bowl. I transferred the mixtures to two smaller bowls and stuck them in the fridge. In the morning, I added the egg and milk to the batter mixture, mixing with a wooden spoon, and there's where the problem entered.

Mark says to "pour" half of the batter into a 9-inch square pan. There was no pouring here, folks. I dumped the very thick batter into an 8-inch square pan and sort of patted it (with a spoon) into the four corners of the bowl. Then I spread half of the topping mixture on it and baked it like that. I had used half whole wheat flour, but in the past, that's not changed the texture hugely. But that may have contributed. I don't think I could have spread half of the batter, added streusel, and then spread the rest of the batter without it all becoming a jumbled mess. Maybe I could swirl the missing streusel half through the batter next time?

Regardless, we enjoyed it like it was--warm and delicious! I don't know if I could have taken another half of the streusel mixture in the middle of the cake--sugar overload! Too much for breakfast, but it might be good mixed in if you were planning to serve this cake with an afternoon coffee time.

Overall, it was delicious and we'll make it again for sure!

Pasta with Red Peppers and Balsamic Vinegar (Variation)

2010-02-12T09:30:00.000-06:00

Recipe: Pasta with Red Peppers and Balsamic Vinegar (variation of Pasta with Eggplant and Balsamic Vinegar)

Page: HTCE p. 519

Rating: **** (could be ***** keep reading!)

I must admit that I hate, loathe, despise, and abominate eggplant. However, with almost equal fervor, I thoroughly enjoy red peppers! So, I of course went for the variation with nary a second glance at the original.

It was terrific! We all (my mom, my hubby, my boys, and myself) had seconds; only my 4-year old daughter turned up her nose. I believe our buddy Mark has LARGE pasta servings in mind when he lists the number of servings; we served three kids and three adults amply with this recipe and only had a side salad with it.

I used frozen tri-colored peppers and frozen basil with farfalle. I also used Parmesan in place of feta (per Mark's suggestions). (Do we mind if I call him "Mark?" I'm feeling on a first name basis here these days.) Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly (I did omit the red pepper flakes for the tender, under-5 crowd's sake). I think this will be a definite repeat and an easy list of ingredients to keep on hand since peppers, basil, and cheese all freeze wonderfully.

I'm giving this **** but I think it could become a ***** recipe in the summer with truly fresh basil and bell peppers, especially if they're from my own garden and super fresh!

By the way, it's good at room temperature; it's one of those pasta dishes that can be finished, the rest of dinner gotten together, the table set, and then the pasta dish served. This makes it a perfect solution for those of us with toddlers who ALWAYS have to go to the bathroom or something equally urgent right when dinner's ready.

Classic Roast Turkey, with Gravy and Stuffing

2010-02-08T19:10:00.000-06:00

Recipe: Classic Roast Turkey, with Gravy and Stuffing

Page: HTCE p. 697

Rating: ****

This is a perfect time of year to try out holiday recipes for next year: the weather is cold and dreary, and everyone wants comfort food. Also, recent holiday memories are still fresh in your mind. I thawed out my turkey (bought on sale at Thanksgiving) and decided to give Mark's version a test drive when there wasn't as much at stake as the big turkey-day itself.

I'm giving this 4 stars because it turned out a perfectly respectable roast bird and gravy. I didn't stuff the turkey, but otherwise followed his directions to the letter. My bird didn't take quite as long and the breast meat was a tad dry. But, the flavor was pretty good and this was a pretty easy method.

I have to say that the best turkey I've ever roasted was the America's Test Kitchen version (maybe showcased in Cook's Illustrated?) where they began the bird upside down so the legs would cook/brown, and then they flipped the bird halfway through. Tasty indeed, but my, oh my, what a pain to do. So, Mark gets kudos for turning out a decent roast turkey with classic flavors and minimal fuss.

A side note: the bottom veggies/giblets turn pretty dark brown which yields a dark brown gravy. If that's not your style, you might do like my grandmother and cook the turkey at a lower temp., covered, until the end and then let the bird brown some. I like the darker flavors, but it's not everyone's style.

Pound Cake

2010-02-06T13:49:00.000-06:00

Recipe: Pound Cake

Page: HTCE p. 906

Rating: ***-**** (depends on purpose; plain pound cake rates *** but a plain cake as a base for more flavorful glazes or cake soaks would be a ****).

Before I tell you my impressions of this cake, it's worth knowing the background from which I'm rating it. When I got married, I was instructed that my dear hubby liked ONE particular cake for his birthday; I refer to it as "The Pound Cake." Why? It's his grandmother's recipe and calls for mixing the batter for a full 20 minutes. I won't tell you how many cheap mixers I've burned up over the years on this admittedly delicious pound cake.

This year, since it's not for his actual birthday, I thought I'd clandestinely substitute my buddy Mark's version. Why? I figured that, in the spirit of his book, Mark would have me do something benignly simple and would tell me if mixing it for 20 minutes was really necessary. I scanned the ingredient list: looked fairly similar but with less sugar. Worth a try. I did NOT read all the directions until I was ready to make the cake.

(sigh) Mark... have you let me down? WHY are you having me mix the egg yolks in one at a time with the mixer, mix in the flour by hand, and then, with "freshly cleaned" beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, then fold those egg whites into the VERY thick cake batter thoroughly and gently? The pro in this: I'm not going to burn up my mixer on egg whites.

The con? The cake is fairly dry. Good flavor and crust, but dry. It would definitely make a terrific base for the glazes mentioned (we're trying the orange one tomorrow), but I will continue making "The Pound Cake" in years to come for the birthday boy. Mark's version was a bit too labor intensive to justify the loss in texture I've come to love from "The Pound Cake."

I would like to point out, however, that my buddy Mark agrees with me in one key area: pound cake is great toasted with butter. To those that scoff in horror at eating cake for breakfast, let me merely point out that there is the same amount of sugar in this cake as there is in most "muffins" or "quick breads." There are more eggs and thus, more protein. What could be a better breakfast? Mark's version is nice and dry and will soak up lots of butter. Mmmmm.... I can hardly wait for breakfast!

Chicken Cutlets Roasted with Tomatoes

2010-02-05T21:41:00.001-06:00

Since boneless/skinless chicken breasts are relatively good for you and they are on sale frequently, I am often looking for new and delicious things to do with them. This recipe fits that bill. I thought the flavors were great (tomato and cumin with EVOO) and my husband also agreed. We ate this over polenta and it was a really good backdrop to highlight all the flavors in the meat. Another plus is that since the oven temp is so high you can make it from start to finish in less than 30 minutes.

HTCE p.672

Polenta

2010-02-05T21:32:00.001-06:00

I had never had polenta when I first made this recipe so I don't know what to compare it to, but I do know this: my 2 year old son LOVED it!! I remember being shocked because he has texture issues, but I also remember him having two whole bowls of it.

I found this recipe when I was looking for a side to go with Bittman's "Chicken Cutlets Roasted with Tomatoes" and together they were fantastic! This is a very easy side to make, so if you are looking for something last minute and you have cornmeal, reach for this recipe.

At the end of this recipe is one of my favorite Bittman features: the list. In this case there is a list of "14 Dishes to Serve on Top of Polenta" (p.486 or p.544). I don't know that I would like to eat polenta all by it self, but if makes an excellent base dish that other proteins or vegetables can be served on top of.

HTCE p. 485-6
HTCEV p.544

Here is a full recipe with Parmesan and Sausage

Vanilla Pudding (Variation: Butterscotch Pudding)

2010-02-05T21:00:00.001-06:00

This is a really good pudding. I tried to make this pudding before and since I was scared to let the pudding come to a boil (as instructed in step 2) the pudding was more of a chocolate soup. Tasty, but not pudding.

So here is my advice for this recipe. When making the cornstarch original recipe you have to let the pudding come to a boil. Bittman suggests that this will take 5 minutes, but for me it took closer to 8 or 10. For cornstarch to thicken correctly it must be heated past 203°, so really boiling in this recipe is necessary.

My other thought is that while I thought the butterscotch flavor was outstanding at the beginning of this recipe (I was tasting through out), I chose to use my very best vanilla at the end and the flavor frankly out weighed the delicate butterscotch flavor that I had created in the beginning. Lesson learned here? Use vanilla like the recipe calls for, but don't reach for the "good" vanilla, instead use the cheap stuff.

HTCE p.950
HTCEV p.884

Betsy

2010-02-05T12:51:00.000-06:00

I thought it might be fun to share a teeny bit about the chefs who are creating these reviews (hoping that our fearless blog administrator, Bridgette, will be okay with this idea :) ).

I always like to know what kind of cook is recommending recipes: is he/she feeding a large family? a single person? coming in after a long day's work? generally picky? likes to try new things? Etc.

So, here's a wee bit about me (Betsy) and the kind of environment in which I'm testing these recipes and giving them a thumbs up or thumbs down:

married to her best friend/love of her life for 7.5 years
mommy to three exuberant and active children: almost-3-year-old twin boys; 4-year-old daughter
stay-at-home mom (kids are home all day, too)
hubby frequently gets in late from work and we have to reheat his dinner
working on a fairly conservative budget for groceries
hubby and I love ethnic food; our children do, too, and are particularly fond of Asian food
I really enjoy cooking, but don't want to spend all day, every day doing it--especially given my three children running around
I also place a high priority on feeding my family unprocessed/commercially prepared foods when possible; to that end, I bake a lot of bread, cook my own soup, make my own pizza, etc. when feasible--this means we eat more simply now, but it's still tasty!
before this blog began, I'd started compiling a list of the recipes I'd tried from HTCE and a quick rating. Here's that list. Someday I may rate them all in more detail here.
I've owned HTCE for exactly one year (bought it in January, 2009) and cooked from it more than any other cookbook this past year (of the 40+ that I own).
I "discovered" it at a friend's house while I was babysitting for her. It was the first edition. I borrowed it and tried out a few recipes (like the biscuits!!). Then, I spent some time perusing the 10th anniversary edition at Border's, trying to decide if I really needed another cookbook. What swayed me were the extensive section on beans (rare in most cookbooks), the many charts and tables, and the overall simplicity. I'm so glad I took the plunge and bought it!

One final note: Bridgette and I are in complete agreement on this. We use Bittman for our normal, everyday cooking. It's perfect for that. If I want a showstopper recipe, I'll use one I've already tried and liked, perhaps, but I'm more likely to turn to America's Test Kitchen or one of my Southern Living cookbooks. Those are more "company food." (They're also more complicated, more expensive, more fussy, and so forth.)

Pizza

2010-02-05T12:46:00.001-06:00

Recipe: pizza dough and various variations

Page: HTCE 178, HTCEV p.724

Rating: *****

I only use Bittman's pizza dough recipe now and make it often. It's easy to work with if you're not in a hurry. When he says "let it rest," then you should do just that. It will make two good-sized thin crust pizzas for me easily.

We top it with all kinds of things. We've left it bare and grilled it. We've gone the basil/fresh tomatoes/slivered garlic route and loved it. (Actually I served this an appetizer/accompaniment to his quiche for a ladies' lunch that Bridgette was at--she'll agree: you can't stop eating it!) We haven't had a variation or a pizza yet we DIDN'T like from this book. I'd like to try the Alsatian version that's loaded with bacon and onions. MMMM

A note: if making this by hand, it helps to warm up the water and add the oil and water together. I've made this by hand and with the food processor; it's easier with the food processor, but very doable by hand, too.

So, pizza dough: *****

Tomatoes Stuffed with Rice

2010-02-04T18:21:00.000-06:00

One of the first things I made with this cookbook, these tomatoes are a great side dish to almost any meal!

For this I used half mozzarella and half monterey jack, a little extra garlic and I actually only had three tomatoes to spare. So I did the whole recipe, and then we ate the extra filling as a side dish the next day.

I would be eager to try any of the variations listed: Red Peppers, Zucchini and Acorn Squash stuffed with different grains and cheeses.

HTCEV p. 398
HTCE has a "Tomatoes Stuffed with Sausage and Rice" p. 369
Full Recipe (of the meat version)

Classic Pot Roast

2010-02-04T07:49:00.001-06:00

This recipe is exactly what it claims to be: classic! Sure you could probably go in your kitchen and whip up a pot roast (if you've ever made one before), but if you want to get consistent results use this recipe. It is what we are having for dinner tonight!

I pretty much follow the exact recipe, except that I shorten the time that you soften the vegetables because I like my onions, etc. not to dissolve during the cooking. I usually just add water in the first liquid step (wine or water) and then beef bouillon in the second, although today I had chicken broth on hand.

I think the rosemary/tomato variation looks really good, but that is for another day!

HTCE p.742

Simplest Dal

2010-02-03T22:01:00.003-06:00

I wanted to replicate the lentil soup from our favorite Greek restaurant but this recipe needs a few adjustments, or maybe I should choose one of the other lentil soup recipes from this book. I will try this again but I'll make these adjustments:

double the garlic
reduce the cardamom pods to 1
omit the mustard seeds

HTCE p. 433
HTCEV p.600

Update: I just found this article written by Bittman about Dal. Here is the recipe that goes along with the video in the post.

Simplest Whole Roast Chicken

2010-02-03T21:53:00.000-06:00

I decided to try this recipe so we would have something for sandwiches instead of all the chemical and salt-laden meats we had been eating for lunch. Well, this was too good for sandwiches! It never made it on a slice of bread. I used the basic recipe adding a few sprigs of fresh rosemary. Easy and ready in an hour.

HTCE p. 644
Full Recipe (with lots of variations)

Potato "Nik" Variation: Latkes (Potato Pancakes)

2010-02-03T19:55:00.002-06:00

I love Latkes! They are so easy to make and a great way to eat potatoes! Not that there's anything wrong with all of the other ways to eat potatoes, this one is just a little different.

The recipe was good although I would suggest adding some carrots into the mix as a good way to add a vegetable to the meal. Chives or green onions would be another good addition. I served these the traditional way: with sour cream and applesauce (the top two garnishes Mark lists with the recipe).

HTCEV p. 349-350
HTCE p. 345 (This is not Potato "Nik", but Potato Rösti with a Latke variation)
Full Recipe

Baked Macaroni and Cheese (Personal Variation: Old Fashioned)

2010-02-03T15:36:00.002-06:00

So Bittman has a baked macaroni recipe in this cookbook that is good, but it is no show stopper. Before I tried this recipe I had another baked macaroni recipe that I think is just to die for (literally and figuratively). I was pleased when I realized that my recipe was just a version of his, with slightly different ratios of ingredients, but the same exact method!

Here is my list of ingredients (I've written them in the left margin of my cookbook so that I don't have to keep that other version around anymore):

1 1/3 cup cream or half and half
Salt
2 1/2 cups milk (why would you want to use low fat here?)
omit bay leaves
1 pound penne
10 tablespoons (1 stick and 2 tbl) butter(I told you it was to die for!)
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
10 oz. grated cheese, I like White Cheddar
Can omit Parmesan (but when is less cheese a good thing?)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup or more bread crumbs, preferably fresh (p.876)

The only changes to the method are these:

Preheat the oven to 350 instead of 400.
No changes.
Melt only 1/2 of the butter. After you add the cheese add the cream.
Top the bread crumbs with remaining butter cut into small pieces. Bake for 30 minutes and let stand for 5 before serving.

If you bring this dish to a pot luck I guarantee you will not bring any home and that for you might be a good or bad thing!

HTCEV p.460
HTCE p.508

Sourdough Pancakes (Variation of Everyday Pancakes)

2010-02-03T08:14:00.001-06:00

Recipe: Sourdough Pancakes (Variation of Everyday Pancakes)

Page: HTCE p. 812

Rating: ****

Since I have a sourdough starter that needs feeding and using up during the week, I thought I'd give the sourdough pancakes (p. 812) a whirl.

I'm not sure how to describe these: very chewy and dense with a texture similar to that of good French toast made from French bread. They're very good and you could use a number of toppings on them other than syrup: fruit syrup, peanut butter, honey, etc. Leftovers hold up well, too. If you wanted to try to recreate one of those decadent breakfast sandwiches that use pancakes as the "bread," then these would be a good candidate. We really liked them and will make them often. They're not a true substitute for regular pancakes, though, if you're in the mood for the usual light and fluffy-soak-up-as-much-syrup-as-possible pancakes.

Question (I constantly question the editing of this book since there are definitely some errors)

Bittman says to halve the milk, flour, and other ingredients. That would make the amount of milk needed for the sourdough variation 3/4-1 cup. But, when he's giving the mixing directions, he says to add 1/2 cup of milk. That's what I did, but my batter was much thicker than the thin batter he described. Perhaps I should have added half of the milk, meaning 3/4-1 cup, not 1 half cup? I liked the pancakes a lot, but next time I may add the extra milk and see what the texture is like--they might not be as chewy.

HTCE p.812
HTCEV p.201
Full Recipe

Sourdough Bread

2010-02-03T07:34:00.002-06:00

Recipe: Sourdough Bread

Page: HTCE p. 858

Rating: *****

We make the sourdough bread weekly.

Pros: EASY, CHEAP, TASTY. It also keeps well for a while; this is a common trait of sourdough breads compared to standard yeast breads and is a nice feature--it enables you to bake the bread earlier in the day or the day before you want/need it and it's still excellent.

Cons: Bittman doesn't follow through on his promise in the first paragraph for telling us how to make the bread more "flavorful" (i.e. more sour).

I make mine in the food processor like he instructs, beginning originally with his directions for creating the starter. I'm aware that this isn't a "true" or "pure" sourdough since he adds yeast to his starter. Nonetheless, it is a sourdough starter, regardless of its purity in the minds of all the sourdough aficionados out there. I feed the starter at night, leave it in the processor overnight, dump half back into my quart Mason jar, and use the remainder for bread, just like he says. I think I add more flour than called for, but it makes an enormous loaf. I frequently add white whole wheat flour when I make the actual bread, so it doesn't rise quite as high as the picture shows. I always keep the salt and yeast the same, even if I end up adding more flour.

This bread has a very mild sourdough taste--it's getting a tiny bit more sour as my starter ages, but it's not nearly as sour as the sourdough bread you might buy at Panera. It's a leisurely bread to make--hard to do on the spur of the moment, but easy to work into your usual routine. It really takes mere minutes in the morning to add the flour/salt/yeast and then mere minutes later in the day to form a loaf. Because it rises so slowly, you can pretty much forget about it until it's convenient. No rushing home from the store, worried that your bread over-proofed.

I've made rolls and loaves out of it. We use it to go with soups, for toast in the mornings (superb with butter and honey), for sandwiches (great pb&j!), and so forth. I've even tried the sourdough pancakes, but I'll save those for another post :).

Highly recommend this, especially if you're trying to go healthier and more frugal. Sourdough bread is better for your blood sugar than yeast bread, and this bread is super cheap since there isn't any added oil, honey, milk, and so forth.

HTCE p. 858
HTCEV p.710

Smoky Black Bean Soup

2010-02-02T17:06:00.000-06:00

Recipe: Smoky Black Bean Soup

Page: HTCE p. 137

Rating: ***

Again, Bittman to the rescue at 5:00 (I really don't do this every night...).

Anyway, Smoky Black Bean Soup (p. 137) is not bad. I used water, 2 cans of black beans with their liquid, the dried chipotle, and subbed 2 t. cumin for the chili powder. The verdict? I'll make this again, but I like my long-cooked Cuban Black Soup better. I think this was a little thin--maybe cut the liquid down? The chipotle doesn't make it too spicy--partly because it's put in there whole. The soup is pretty basic, but it's a nice, quick bean soup stand-by since it really is ready in less than 30 minutes.

Basic Wild Rice Variation: Wild Rice with Chestnuts

2010-02-02T15:40:00.000-06:00

This is one I tried for Thanksgiving and it was a total flop! It was fun to roast the chestnuts and get them out of their shells (something I'd never done before) but the rice didn't cook all the way. Maybe I should have tried the easier way to cook rice, but I was going for fancy. This one called for vegetable stock instead of water and told me to check the rice mid-way through cooking. Now I may be one of those people who never cooks rice on the stove, but I know you're not supposed to lift the lid! So I lifted, the rice wasn't done, wasn't hot enough, I added more broth and boiled it too much so the bottom burt and I had already added the chestnuts so they turned to mush.

It was good so I would probably want to try again, but I may just use my rice cooker this time. :)

HTCEV p. 567
HTCE p. 494

Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

2010-02-02T15:18:00.004-06:00

This is the potato salad without eggs (because frankly I forgot to add them).

My husband is not a fan of mayonnaise based salads and since I love potato salad (and frankly all things potato) this created a problem in our marriage. Enter Bittman and this wonderfully flavorful potato salad that does not include mayo. This salad instead uses the mustard vinaigrette from page 201 (HTCEV p.763) and it is so good! The best part is that it does not require refrigeration and you could bring it to a picnic and not worry about it tasting gross or going bad.

I do add an two eggs to the boiling water (Simple Addition #8) so that the eggs and potatoes boil and cook together. Simply delicious!

HTCE p. 189
HTCEV p.68

Asian Greens, Chinese Restaurant Style

2010-02-02T06:53:00.000-06:00

Recipe: Asian Greens, Chinese Restaurant Style

Page: HTCE, p. 266

Rating: ****

Once again, I discovered a gem of a recipe when I turned to Bittman's Red Book in desperation. We were having an Asian meal and I wanted a side dish. I made my trusty Chinese Cucumber Salad which everyone loves, even though my cukes were looking a bit puny. I tasted the salad 10 minutes before dinner would be ready and realized that the cukes didn't just look puny... they were AWFUL. Help?!

Open the fridge: a few carrots, some unnamed Asian greens from the Chinese store, and some Napa cabbage. Hmmm...

Open the Red Book: "Asian Greens, Chinese Restaurant Style" (p. 266). AND, it was "fast." Perfect.

The verdict? A definite winner and will be a faithful repeat in our house. That oyster sauce which I'd bought for some other Asian recipe a while back? It's the secret ingredient! It must be in everything at the cheap Chinese restaurant around the corner! Beef and broccoli--definitely in that dish. It's a salty, thick condiment that really is one of those hard-to-put-your-finger-on Chinese restaurant tastes.

And the kids and hubby? Loved the greens. I used the leftovers the next night in a stir-fry.

Fruit-and-nut or Vegetable-and-Nut Bread Variation: Pumpkin Ginger Bread with Hazelnuts

2010-02-01T19:33:00.000-06:00

For Thanksgiving I made the Pumpkin Ginger Bread with Hazelnuts variation of this recipe. It should really be called a "cake" and not a "bread" but it was so incredible! I am not a giant fan of nuts inside breads and desserts, but the hazelnuts were flavorful and a good addition to the bread.

I used orange juice as the juice in the recipe and it worked well. For this one, you also use the pumpkin raw, which was a little challenging to grate but not too difficult.

The only critique I had of this variation was I wished for more ginger but I'll just remember to do that next time. Overall this was a nice bread to accent a wintery meal.

HTCEV p.291-292
HTCE p. 843
Full Recipe (without this variation)

Stir-Fried Vegetables

2010-02-01T19:23:00.002-06:00

One night I found myself needing to empty the fridge of some extra vegetables before they went bad. What better way to use them all than to stir fry them all together!! Vegetables shown: spinach, carrots, onion, broccoli, yellow squash, zucchini, red bell pepper, and mushrooms. This is one of the most colorful dishes I have ever made! I just used Mark's advice and cooked the harder things first and added the softer things at the end. I started with the sesame oil, instead of at the end as the recipe suggests, but finished the dish with soy sauce and white rice.

I like my vegetables a little crunchy, so I didn't let them cook as long as I could have, but If you're using frozen or fewer crunchy vegetables, you could adjust the time as needed.

7 Seasonings or Crunchy Bits to Add to Stir-Fried Vegetables:

Here I added some walnuts because that was what I had. What a great idea! They added just a little bit of flavor and yet another pleasant crunch.

HTCE p. 241
HTCEV p.242-243

Tomato Soup Variation: Wintertime Tomato Soup

2010-02-01T19:14:00.000-06:00

After stocking my pantry with most of what Mark suggested in the beginning of the book, I found myself coming home on a cold day desperately looking in my pantry for soup. The opening line in the recipe referring to the deep dark days of January were very appropriate, as was the soup! Hearty and flavorful, this is definitely one I will reach for again on another cold day.

For the recipe, I used the dried tomatoes and the canned and although the dried were pricey, they were well worth it! The dried tomatoes really enhance the flavors of the soup and make you forget you're eating canned tomatoes - something I'm usually not a fan of. Although I planned on using the leftovers in the Elegant variation - which puts your chunky soup into a blender and adds cream - every night the smell of the original had me coming back for more! This is definitely a hearty soup you could add beans or meat to if you needed some more protein.

HTCE p. 130
HTCEV p.113-114

Bittman Saves the Day (or Dinner, at the very least)

2010-02-01T17:27:00.001-06:00

Recipe: Spaghetti with Butter and Parmesan

Page: HTCE p.506 (table p.976) HTCEV p.447

Rating: *****

I could probably write a post with a similar title nearly every week, but tonight is a stellar example. I find out at 5:35 that my husband won't be home until 7 AND we won't be meeting the neighbors at the local Mexican joint for dinner. This is not my hubby's fault; he works in a top secret building some days (and often doesn't know in advance) and there is no phone/cell phone/email access there.

I should mention that I have two 2-year-olds and one 4-year-old. They'd had a pretty good snack, but still... "What to have for dinner?" is suddenly an urgent question.

Sure, I could do pancakes or something breakfasty, but we've had NO veggies all day and I wasn't in the mood for eggs. Ergo, time to check out the top 30 minutes or less recipe list at the back (I had frozen peas and sweet potatoes as my veggie options). Ta da! Spaghetti with Butter and Parmesan. Perfect for a cold winter night. I threw in some frozen peas (I have real issues with needing some green on that dinner plate) and served with a side of sweet potatoes (cooked in the microwave). Time from recipe discovery to dinner on the table? Less than 30 minutes. Processed ingredients used? Nada. Kid-friendly? You betcha. Will hubby enjoy it when he gets home? Absolutely (I even saved some pasta water to add to his pasta when we reheat it).

Recipe Used: Spaghetti with Butter and Parmesan, p. 506

Rating: GREAT! (make sure to add generous salt and pepper; kids sucked it down and asked for more and they're not pasta fans....)

Incidentally, I should mention that I spent (wasted) 15 minutes trying to see if another cookbook had a better idea or even if there were better ideas in the Bittman pasta section. I should know by now that feeding my family, especially on short notice, doesn't have to be gourmet.... just healthy, tasty, and low stress.

List of Tried/Rated Recipes

2010-02-01T11:40:00.001-06:00

This is a link to a post I'd started a while back for full tummies listing the recipes out of H2CE that I've tried. Click here to see a quick sum-up.

Crepes, Sweet or Savory

2010-02-01T10:12:00.001-06:00

This is a great and relatively easy recipe. One of the things that I like the most about it is that you can easily half the recipe if you aren't serving a large crowd. Bittman even suggests a way to make them ahead of time, but I have not tried this. You can also make these for dinner and then save any leftover batter for the next morning.

In HTCE, there is a diagram on how to fold a crepe, but in Paris the french just folded them in half and then in half again. This made them easier to eat as you were walking down the street, but also the goodness collected at the bottom of the crepe making it better as you went along!

I found that the single recipe makes 14 - 18 little crepes or 7 giant ones (like the ones we got in Paris). For fillings we used variation #2 (Nutella) but we add bananas and for savory crepes we have egg and cheese filling to which we sometimes add ham.

To make these savory crepes just beat two eggs right before you are ready to cook the crepes. I have found that it is best to go ahead and salt and pepper the eggs so that you don't forget during cooking. After a crepe has cooked on the first side and you have flipped it add cheese (and ham) so that your eggs won't run everywhere. Then carefully spoon one or two tablespoons of beaten egg onto the crepe and fold one half over. Cook as directed and then flip. To tell when the eggs are done it is best to just poke the crepe with your finger. The crepe should not feel liquidy inside, instead it should feel quite firm.

We have these for dinner at least twice a month and they are great!

HTCE p.817
HTCEV p.196

French Toast Variation: Caramelized French Toast

2010-02-01T10:08:00.002-06:00

Bittman's variation of French Toast called "Caramelized French Toast" is great! I just simply sprinkled cinnamon sugar on the bread after it was on the skillet and it made a nice crunchy finish.

HTCE p. 795
HTCEV p.177

French Toast

2010-02-01T10:05:00.002-06:00

I know how to make French Toast but I get pretty inconsistent results since I do not use a recipe. I tried Bittman's recipe and found it way too wet for my liking. To make it again I reverted to my "red plaid" cook book and found that they used half the milk that Bittman used. Since I am using plain white sandwich bread I found that to be a much better consistency.

HTCE p. 794
HTCEV p.177
Full Recipe

Roasted Nuts with Oil or Butter

2010-02-01T09:50:00.001-06:00

I used this recipe to bake pumpkin seeds this past Halloween and they turned out great. I tried three of the variations that are kind-of suggested here:

Olive oil with salt and pepper (really good)
Olive oil with a jamacian jerk seasoning mix (good)
Butter with brown sugar and cinnamon (great)

They were all delicious, but I loved the sweet nuts better than the other variations.

I did not toss the nuts in a bowl, but instead just poured the toppings into one of the aluminum foil wells that I made on my cookie sheet.

HTCE p.80
HTCEV p.323

Full Recipe

Table: 18 Variations of Vinaigrette

2010-02-01T09:32:00.001-06:00

This is a great table for making your own salad dressings. When we buy salad dressing in the store it comes with so many extras including a ton of sugar and even MSG. With just a few ingredients you can make whatever vinaigrette you had your heart set on, without going to the store.

Off of this table I have made the Soy Vinaigrette many, many times. It is great on top of broccoli slaw with nuts and mandarin oranges. When I have it on hand I add the Pampered Chef Asian Seasoning to this vinaigrette for an extra kick.

HTCE p. 201
HTCEV p.763

Real Popcorn

2010-02-01T09:23:00.002-06:00

I love, love, love this recipe. First of all it is a lot cheaper to pop your own popcorn then to buy pre-packaged microwave kind, and since there is a lot less packaging it is better for the environment too. Also, as Michael Pollan would point out, you'll eat less "junk" food when you have to go through the trouble of making it yourself (although, really this recipe is not much trouble)!

I had been popping popcorn and using the butter-flavored oil, but using this classic recipe has been so much better! I use vegetable oil to pop the corn but then I do use the melted butter to toss the popped corn. Warning for making this in the winter though: whatever bowl you will be tossing your popcorn in, you might want to pre-heat it as we had some butter re-solidify at the bottom of the bowl.

I have tired popping in olive oil, but I didn't find that it added any olive oil flavor, so I wanted to save my EVOO for other uses.

HTCE p. 81
HTCEV p.292
Full Recipe

What this blog is about!

2010-02-01T09:15:00.000-06:00

I am currently recruiting avid Bittman users to review the recipes found in his How to Cook Everything (labeled HTCE) and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian (labeled HTCEV) cook book. We will not be re-posting recipes, but instead we will leave feedback for each other on what recipes we have tried, what we have loved and what we haven't loved. While we review recipes we will include their title as post titles and the chapter in which they can be found as labels on each post. I'm also going to include an "essential" label that will allow the authors to tag the recipes they go to on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.

Also, if you have recently purchased a copy of this book, and you feel overwhelmed this blog will be a good starting point for you to start using your cookbook.

If you do not own one of Bittman's cookbooks yet, run (don't walk) to your local book seller and pick up this essential kitchen item!

"The" Cookbook

2010-02-01T09:09:00.001-06:00

This is a re-post from my favorite things blog, but I thought it would be a good way to start this blog off!
My friend Betsy had recommended this cookbook to me and at first glance I was not interested at all! It had no pictures, few illustrations, and no nutritional fact information; all of which have been previous requirements of mine for a cookbook. But oh friends, let me just tell you about this cookbook! Since getting it for my birthday a week has not gone by that I haven't made something out of it and usually I cook out of it 2-3 times a week! The title describes perfectly what this cookbook is about: everything! Want to roast some potatoes and pork and then use the leftovers for fried rice? Mark will tell you how! Or what about crepes and banana bread? He's got that covered too.

Here are some features that make this book "The" book to have in your kitchen:

Over 2,000 recipes with tons of variations. As a matter of fact, I don't know if I have seen a recipe in here that doesn't have a variation.
Basic ingredients. All of the recipes that I have made so far did not cause me to run to the store! His ingredients are simple things that you already have around the house.
Well illustrated techniques. Want to quarter a chicken? It is all drawn out here step by step.
Essential recipes are highlighted at the beginning of each chapter to get you started. This is especially helpful for me on chapters like beans, which I have never cooked before this year!
Charts, charts, and more charts! This man loves his charts! My favorite one yet is one that outlines different types of vinaigrettes into their different parts: oil, acid, flavors, etc.
Variation on top of variation: One title of a list reads, "11 More Ways to Vary Grilled or Broiled Boneless Chicken" Not only do these variations give you good ideas, but you feel freed up to make your own decisions and substitutions without the fear of failure.
Only 7 out of 56 people on Amazon.com gave this book less than 5 stars and not a single one gave it just 1 star.
Chapter Titles are: Kitchen Basics; Sauces, Condiments, Herbs and Spices; Appetizers; Soups; Sandwiches and Pizza; Salads; Vegetables and Fruit; Beans; Grains; Pasta, Noodles, and Dumplings; Fish and Shellfish; Poultry; Meat; Eggs, Breakfast, and Dairy; Bread; Desserts
My favorite chapter is Vegetables and Fruit. For each vegetable and fruit that you can find at the grocery or farmers market he tells you how to pick the right one and then has several recipes on different ways it can be prepared.

Weather you are new to the kitchen, new to cooking, or just need some new ideas you need to add this book to your Christmas wish-list. My sister already got his vegetarian version for her birthday.