Crisp Panfried Potatoes (Home Fries)

 

Home fries are one of my favorite things to make on breakfast night.  Above is a picture of two different types of new potatoes bought at the farmer's market over the last couple of weeks.  They were delicious.   They do require patience, and even though the recipe calls for peanut oil I have used vegetable oil on several (if not every) occasion.

Here is the full recipe.

HTCE pg.341-342

The HTCEV version has even more variations then big red!

Fresh Tomato (or Fruit) Salsa

I always argue with myself over writing a post with no picture or posting the bad picture that I do have.  As you can see above, the later option won.  My husband loves this fresh salsa and asks for it every time we have any dish of the mexican variety.  In the picture above I do not have any cilantro, but that is one of our favorite ingredients.  I would suggest making this ahead of time if you can so that the flavors have a chance to meld together.

HTCE p.23
Full Recipe

Braised Chard with Olive Oil and Rice

Let me start off by saying I don't care for greens.  My husband is a veggie-vore and loves anything green, but I just have a hard time getting past the often bitter taste.  Well, this recipe was a winner!  A truly great starter recipe for those of us who don't like the pungent taste of greens.  My three year old asked for seconds and my 14 month old gobbled all her's up!

The only reason I'm even cooking greens is because we joined a CSA this year.  Colvin Family Farms to be specific.  This week in our box we got a whole bunch of rainbow swiss chard.  Now, I've never eaten or cooked chard before but I knew where I could get a recipe, my good old red friend, HTCE. 

 

You'll want to start off this recipe by washing your chard well and shaking it off in the sink before wrapping it up in a kitchen towel to dry off a bit.  The recipe instructs you to cut out the ribs, but I learned long ago from Rachel Ray that is never necessary!  Just hold the dark green by the stem and make your other hand into a claw.  Use your claw hand to strip the leave from the stem.  Voila!  No cutting stems out of individual leaves!

Now, line up all those beautiful stems, give them a trim and then chop away.  I hear you can use the stems like celery in other dishes if you just want to use the leaves for another recipe.

Frying the stems in olive oil with carrots is a key step!  The carrots in the finished dish have great texture.  We served our rice next to fish sticks:

HTCE p.285
Full Recipe
Nutrition: 4 servings, 217 calories, 18.3g fat, 13.3g carbs, 3g protien

Overnight Waffles

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

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

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

Simpler Baked Brown Rice (Variation)

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

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.

Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread (variation)

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.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Roasted Potatoes

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.

Blueberry Cobbler

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.

French Toast

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.

Coffee Cake Muffins (Variation)

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)

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

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...)

Yogurt or Buttermilk Biscuits

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)

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

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.

Brownies

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)

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)