Apparently a Minneapolis tavern specialty, the Juicy Lucy is a burger with the cheese — are you sitting down? — inside. Wow, way to blow our minds, half of the Twin Cities! I’m not sure what the advantage is to a cheese surprise but it’s a...
I have made so many disappointing grilled, glazed pork tenderloins. They look so good and yet they never seem to work for me. I have the same relationship with J Crew clothes. Typically what happens is the glaze gets completely charred and never penetrates beyond...
If you want to serve something to the vegetarians in your life that will make the meat eaters drool, Pin this right now. It’s an absolute star of a meatless entree that is no way an after-thought or an apology. As I was preparing this, and especially when I sat...
Tis a gift to be simple, which, I know from Wikipedia, was written by Madonna. True story. This cake is culinary proof. It’s just eggs, butter, flour, sugar and two kinds of vanilla: extract and bean paste. Cook it all in an 8″ pan and eat and serve...
Of course we all know that a boneless, skinless chicken breasts are an excellent source of low-fat, healthy protein, but the thought of eating one is about as enticing as doing your taxes. It’s very tricky to cook them all the way through without completely...
Do you long to be fancy but only in a fleeting way? Like, you’d like to fancy up some parts of your life but not go overboard and start making your bed everyday or anything crazy like that? Then let me say two word s to you: shrimp cocktail. Make it, eat this...
One of my favorite things in the world are the Lemon Ricotta pancakes at Sarabeth’s Kitchen. Unfortunately the closest Sarabeth’s to me is the one on the Upper West Side and it’s a 12 hour and 45 minute drive. So I have been meaning to try to...
There’s nothing bad about broccoli in a creamy cheese sauce with buttery breadcrumbs on top. Nothing. But it could be better. It’s hard to put my finger on what’s missing. I think I wanted bigger, more hearty pieces of broccoli when what I ended...
This is so good I’m almost able to forgive it for breaking my blender. And it is the absolute perfect food for January. It will warm you and comfort you and fortify you against any arctic blasts you may have to fight this month. And all while making up for...
Sometimes the hardest part of all of this is choosing a worthwhile book to review. Why? Well, frankly there’s a lot of merde out there. From a cursory Amazon search of 7,663 [actual number not a re-enactment] cookbooks published in the last 90 days the vast...
Even though I have a perfectly fine recipe for sugar cookies, I’m always open to try a new one. Because resisting new things makes you old and gives you frown lines and age spots and turkey neck. True story. This one is from the December 2013 issue of Bon...
I made this dish a long time ago and then forgot to tell you about it. Forgive me. It has been one of my favorite summer meals for a long time because it’s got so much going for it. It’s healthy, it’s quick, and it’s a self-contained complete...
This scrumptious looking dish came across my facebook feed one day and, completely out of character, I just decided to make it. My dear friend Anne was coming to town to run ihe Hot Chocolate 5K with me and this seemed like the perfect pre-race dinner. It’s...
You know how I get all excited when a recipe turns out to be way more delicious than the ingredients suggest? That happened. It happend when nothing more than 2 lbs of sweet potatoes, a shallot, a little butter, and water for crying out loud, came together....
If I may quote myself: “never eat doughnuts you didn’t make yourself.” Such inspiring words to live by and I wouild certainly live by them myself if this damn place weren’t two blocks from my office. Oh, and as if that weren’t bad enough...
Originally I made this as written which is in an 8″x8″ glass baking dish. I combined and assembled all ingredients the night before and cooked it the next morning and served it to my book group. And forgot to take a pic. Even as I made it in the bigger pan...
I have baked dozens and dozens of birthday cakes over the years. Because they are at the whim of the celebrant they are varied — carrot cake (not sure why this one is so popular but I come to bake not to judge), strawberry cream, lemon (my own choice....
I would like to say that I invented this salad but I flat out ripped it off. Because when I eat something delicious in a restaurant my first thought isn’t “wow, this is so good I’m just going chew slowly and live in this amazing moment” but...
Insanely good. My daughter said “these taste like sweet potato fries” and she was 100% on the nose. This is one instance where a recipe meant for two was not nearly enough. I could have eaten an entire baking sheet of these. And all it is is carrots and a...
Please wipe that skeptical look off your face when I tell you that these are not that difficult to make. The dough is much easier to work with than pie dough; it shapes easily and doesn’t stick like crazy to the counter. And it doesn’t fall helplessly...
I have made the “super size” version of this so I already knew it would be good. And it was; the sauce tastes authentic (as far as I know) and is sweet without being cloying. Using chicken thighs ensures that you will not dry them out. I can see the...
I make a lot of pizza. Deep dish, grilled, french bread, “grandma,” you name it. But this might be the best yet. The crust, made with bread flour, is a near perfect combination of light with a tiny bit of crunchiness. And although it may sound simple,...
This was so good I had a hard time making it a single serving dish. I allowed myself a couple more chopstickful’s of it while cleaning up
I appreciate that Cook’s Illustrated has a scientific explanation for why its recipes are superior to others, but most of the time I’m content to take it at face value and not read their lengthy dissertation. I don’t dislike science, I just feel...
What did Cook’s Illustrated want? “A juicy cutlet that kept its crunch.” When did they want it? “Twenty years ago would have been nice but now works.” As with many popular dishes there are many bad ways to make chicken parmesan and...
What is it with the Spanish food lately? Must be the weather. Because it’s officially cold outside. Here in Chicago we’ve had some freakishly mild weather and a disconcerting lack of snow. Until this past week when we got those character-building...
Readers, I have to disabuse of something right now: living at my house is not like an endless and much less disturbing visit to the Wonka factory. Yes, wonderful things are made regularly BUT, more often than not, they are carried out the door to work or a party or...
Be warned: this is a project. It probably took me three hours start to finish but it was so worth it. If you’ve ever wanted to eat pie for dinner but just could not come up with a way to justify it, I think I can help you. Make it out of vegetables. ...
This has been a favorite of ours for a long time. The brilliant thing about the recipe is that it understands that chicken breasts are about as exciting as a Steven Raichlen marathon and one needs a pretty creative trick to overcome that. And the trick is this:...
I need to buy a ricer. Because I hate my food mill and I am going to want to make gnocchi more often. This is from the September/October issue of Cook’s Illustrated. I did not use one of the yummy-sounding sauces because I’ve always wanted to try...
Although this dish takes a little time to throw together, most of that is the meat simmering so it’s pretty easy. I made it even easier (and slightly more healthy) by baking the tortillas vs. frying them. I used a pork shoulder instead of a butt because...
This has been one of our favorite grilling recipes for a long time and it’s always one of the first things I make when the weather gets warm. Although Cook’s Illustrated categorizes it as an appetizer (as do most Thai restaurants) I didn’t see why...
Spring. In Chicago. Sigh. Some people say we don’t really have spring here. Just a bitter arm-wresting match between winter and summer. On days like last Sunday, when it reached 85, summer seems just about to push winter’s fist into the table. Today,...
Raise your hand if you think croissants are hard to make. Wow, that’s a lot of hands. And last week, I would have been right there with you. But guess what? They’re not! Yay, now we can have them every day! In fact, Tom Petty must...
I had never made Spanakopita before despite the fact that everything about it sounds good: feta, phyllo, pecorino-romano, butter. And I was even able to get phyllo dough, in the correct size, at my local Jewel; a store committed to the idea that all people want to eat...
This is from the most recent (Jan/Feb 2011) Cook’s Illustrated. With a vegetarian among us I’m always looking for something meat-free that will appeal to all three of us. And quick recipes are never unwelcome. Tonight cooking was hastily wedged between...
It’s hard to say what I love most about this dish. We are very partial to Mexican food, especially my husband to the point where I suspect he might be a Mexican trapped in the body of an ancestral German. Although he doesn’t cook much he has embraced Rick...
For the last 18 years we have spent Thanksgiving with my husband’s family in Ohio, so I have not made a Thanksgiving dinner since 1992. And, truth be told, I wouldn’t have been very good at it back then anyway. To make up for not getting to make this...
I feel like I owe you some fish. I was hoping you wouldn’t noticed that I don’t make it often. I blame growing up in the Midwest in the 60s and 70s where fish, with few exceptions, came in the form of frozen sticks upholstered in bread crumbs from some...
Earlier this year (May, 2010) Cook’s Illustrated featured a recipe for “Almost Hands-Free Risotto.” Got my attention. I’d been tinkering with risotto and had some success but hadn’t yet found the perfect recipe. The game-changer in...
This is one of our favorite stir-fry dishes and if I can only convey one thing to you about this recipe it is this: do NOT fear the fish sauce. Believe me, I’m as adverse to the stuff, in its undiluted form, as anyone. When I’m pouring it out I...
Like you and your parents and Andy Warhol, I grew up on Campbell’s Tomato Soup and it will always hold a special place in my heart (and that place is with its fist firmly around my arteries). But after finding this Cook’s Illustrated recipe for Ultimate...
This is one of my favorite recent recipes from Cook’s Illustrated and one of its most talented (former) employees, Kenji Alt. The familiarity and simplicity of the ingredients belie how incredibly scrumptious this dish is. It’s elegant enough to serve at...
Tonight I made a dish from the November/December 2010 issue of Cook’s Illustrated. As per usual, the fine people at Cook’s have solved one of our nation’s most urgent and intractable problems: poor coating adhesion on our pork chops. Turns out using...
This is an excellent recipe with three variations; in addition to the Garlic-Ginger-Sesame there is a Garlic-Shallot-Rosemary and a Garlic-Chile. Because this one has an Asian profile I serve Asian side dishes with it (like the stir-fried green beans below). The Chile...
Just watched them make these on tv. I think I want to try them.