http://33flavors.org/trials/ Experiments in the Kitchen en Copyright 2011 Mon, 11 Apr 2011 10:23:03 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification

This meal was so simple and delicious, I will definitely be making it again and again.
]]> http://33flavors.org/trials/2011/04/linguini-with-clams-tomatoes.html http://33flavors.org/trials/2011/04/linguini-with-clams-tomatoes.html a keeper clams parsley pasta seafood tomato sauce tomatoes zucchini Mon, 11 Apr 2011 10:23:03 -0500

Trader Joe's sells an artichoke antipasto spread that I absolutely love. I can't buy it very often though, because I tend to want to eat an entire jar in one sitting, spread onto stone-ground wheat crackers.

Last week, as I was searching the kitchen for dinner inspiration, I came across an unopened jar of the spread and decided to try it on chicken. I recently discovered this perfect way to cook chicken breasts, thanks to not martha, so I followed that method (minus the flouring step) and topped the chicken with the artichoke spread and a few handfuls of frozen chopped spinach. It turned out so well that I made it again last night, only this time without the help of a pre-made artichoke spread. This dish is a new favorite!
]]> http://33flavors.org/trials/2011/03/spinach-artichoke-chicken.html http://33flavors.org/trials/2011/03/spinach-artichoke-chicken.html a keeper artichokes chicken lemon spinach Thu, 10 Mar 2011 09:57:29 -0500

The search is on for the perfect whoopie pie. It needs to be nice and chocolaty and not cloyingly sweet. A harmonious balance of chocolate and vanilla that must freeze well and stand up to an 8-hour car ride. That's not too much to ask for, is it?

The plan is to make these for our wedding, either as a dessert option or just as favors to put at each place setting, individually wrapped and tied with a pretty bow (and maybe these super adorable miniature lobster buoys). I thought it would be fitting - along with lobsters, clam chowder, and blueberries, these just scream Maine to me.

For this trial I used a recipe from Gourmet for the chocolate cake part, and Rose Levy Beranbaum's mousseline buttercream for the filling (the Gourmet recipe called for a marshmallow fluff filling and I'm not really interested in that). I used my 1 1/2 T scoop to portion both the cakes and the filling which gave me 36 cakes (18 when assembled) and filling for 15. They're really good, and at first I thought the filling may be too sweet, but that might have been due to too much sampling on my part. I just had a day-old pie and it was delicious.

I will keep testing recipes though and possibly go even smaller, using my 2 tsp scoop.

» Gourmet's Whoopie Pies
» Piece of Cake: Rose Levy Beranbaum's Whoopie Pies
» The Way the Cookie Crumbles: A comparison of four vanilla frostings
]]> http://33flavors.org/trials/2011/02/whoopie-pies-recipe-testing-1.html http://33flavors.org/trials/2011/02/whoopie-pies-recipe-testing-1.html things to try Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:02:30 -0500

I made The Pioneer Woman's stuffed shells yesterday and they were delicious! I thought it would be a good idea to make a double batch of the shells to stash in the freezer. It turns out that a single batch of the filling would have been plenty - after filling all the shells I still had about half the filling left over! I guess I'll have to make lasagna soon.
]]> http://33flavors.org/trials/2011/02/stuffed-shells.html http://33flavors.org/trials/2011/02/stuffed-shells.html a keeper basil cheese parsley pasta spinach Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:32:25 -0500

One of the perks of having an awesome client like Marina of My Better Butter is that every time I see her she sends me home with a jar (or two) of her delicious peanut butter spread. I have to restrain myself so that I don't eat the entire thing in one sitting.

As I was working on the website I couldn't help but to start brainstorming recipe ideas. That's just what I do. And, since half of my freezer is being taken up with super-ripe bananas (I really should stop buying bananas), I thought a banana bread would be the perfect starting point.

And then I went and cut my hand on a broken plate, rendering my right hand 95% useless. Fun. I haven't cooked anything for nearly a week. Last night I decided I could probably make banana bread one-handed, and fortunately it turned out pretty well.

I basically replaced the butter in my favorite banana bread recipe with Nutty Chocolate Chip Better Butter. It gives the bread just a hint of chocolate flavor with tiny chocolate chips strewn throughout.
]]> http://33flavors.org/trials/2010/12/chocolate-peanut-butter-banana.html http://33flavors.org/trials/2010/12/chocolate-peanut-butter-banana.html would make again baking banana bread bananas better butter chocolate peanut butter Sun, 12 Dec 2010 10:35:58 -0500

This soup really hit the spot this weekend. I pulled up most of the leeks from my garden (which, by the way, were such an easy, low-maintenance vegetable to grow, I'm definitely going to plant a lot more next year) and figured soup would be appropriate.

When my parents got back from the UK a few years ago (Wales, specifically) they mentioned that they had leek and potato soup everywhere they went, and while they were all good, no two were alike. This is my version, and I have no idea how traditional it is, but it sure does taste good!
]]> http://33flavors.org/trials/2010/10/leek-potato-soup.html http://33flavors.org/trials/2010/10/leek-potato-soup.html a keeper carrots leeks pancetta parsley potatoes soup Mon, 25 Oct 2010 08:54:04 -0500

Our ancient gas oven has decided it no longer wants to light. I discovered this as I was trying to bake a loaf of bread and had to resort to using the toaster oven to bake it.

So, what to do with the chicken I'd intended to roast? I've been meaning to try cooking a whole bird in the crock pot, so here was my incentive. I generously salted the chicken then lightly browned it on both sides before sticking it in the pot. I grabbed a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme from the garden and put them underneath, inside, and on top. I topped it with a few pats of butter for good measure and plenty of pepper. I would have put some onion in there too but I was fresh out. I set the crock pot to high and left for work.

When I came home from work the house smelled amazing. The chicken was done and falling off the bone. Unfortunately, we wouldn't be eating for a few more hours (I get home fairy early) so I ended up turning it off, taking all the meat off the bones, and making gravy with the juices. When Matt got home I tossed some of the chicken pieces into the gravy to reheat.

Next time I'll salt the chicken a day ahead like I would if I were roasting it. I would probably skip the browning step also and cook it on low so it's not done way early. I might also try adding some vegetables during the last couple hours. Maybe apples and butternut squash? The possibilities are endless.
]]> http://33flavors.org/trials/2010/10/crock-pot-chicken.html http://33flavors.org/trials/2010/10/crock-pot-chicken.html a keeper things to try chicken rosemary slow-cooker thyme Fri, 15 Oct 2010 10:42:22 -0500

We watched "I Love You, Man" a few nights ago and the scene where Peter and Sydney were eating fish tacos made us hungry. Matt suggested we try making some. I'd never had a fish taco before, let alone tried to make them, so I turned to the trusty internet to show me how. I decided to use Elise's recipe as a starting point. I used flour tortillas (already had some that I wanted to use up), tilapia, homemade pico de gallo, avocado, and green cabbage. Next time I will definitely use mango salsa, season the fish with more than salt and pepper (cornmeal, cumin, chili pepper?), and make a spicy sour cream sauce. I can hardly wait!
]]> http://33flavors.org/trials/2010/09/fish-tacos.html http://33flavors.org/trials/2010/09/fish-tacos.html would make again avocado cabbage cilantro fish lime mexican seafood tilapia tomatoes Sat, 11 Sep 2010 11:07:16 -0500

These turned out great. They smell like chicken & rice soup and although I didn't personally taste test them (I'm guessing they're a bit bland for lack of salt), the pup has no complaints. Not that I was expecting any from that eating machine. The only thing I would change would be to process the oats and the rice (and any other chunky ingredients) so that the dough is smoother and easier to cut out.
]]> http://33flavors.org/trials/2010/09/dog-treats-carrot-rice-chicken.html http://33flavors.org/trials/2010/09/dog-treats-carrot-rice-chicken.html a keeper baking carrots dog treats oats rice Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:32:48 -0500

With all the squirrels stealing tomatoes out of my garden I'm amazed there are any left for me to eat. Fortunately there are plenty and they made for a quick and tasty dinner. I just wish I'd made a little more.
]]> http://33flavors.org/trials/2010/08/shrimp-with-tomatoes.html http://33flavors.org/trials/2010/08/shrimp-with-tomatoes.html a keeper parsley rice seafood shrimp tomato sauce tomatoes Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:21:17 -0500

I have a lot of cookbooks, but I rarely use any of them. I have recipes bookmarked with post-its, but that doesn't really do any good when I have so many more bookmarked online that I can access with a click of my mouse. So, in an effort to give my cookbooks the attention they deserve, last Sunday, in a fit of boredom, I decided to index the recipes I'd bookmarked in an excel spreadsheet. Separate worksheets for each category. I was quite proud of my productivity, and I came across some very yummy-looking dishes that I'd completely forgotten about.

This one, though, was a disappointment, through and through. It's from Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave. I didn't have any lowfat buttermilk so I replaced it with skim milk soured with cider vinegar, and added a tiny bit of melted butter. Aside from that I made the recipe as written but the batter came out thin and the resulting pancakes were flat and limp. They didn't even have a good flavor. I think I'll stick with my oatmeal pancake recipe.
]]> http://33flavors.org/trials/2010/08/whole-wheat-pancakes.html http://33flavors.org/trials/2010/08/whole-wheat-pancakes.html dud pancakes whole wheat Sun, 29 Aug 2010 09:40:53 -0500

This turned out so delicious. Moist, tender, and flavorful. I will definitely make it again. I think it would also be great with other types of nuts, like almonds, or maybe an orange-pecan variation.
]]> http://33flavors.org/trials/2010/08/pistachio-crusted-haddock.html http://33flavors.org/trials/2010/08/pistachio-crusted-haddock.html a keeper fish haddock lemon pistachio seafood Fri, 27 Aug 2010 20:40:54 -0500

I'm alone in the house for a few days (well, not if you count the pup) while Matt's in Tokyo, which means I'm restless. A hankering for chocolate cake led me to try out this maple syrup sweetened Basic Chocolate Cake recipe. I kinda ruined it with modifications, I think. I replaced some of the flour with coconut flour and used rice milk instead of coconut milk. The result was dense, fudgy, and not too sweet, with a hint of maple flavor that I wasn't really crazy about. Oh well.
]]> http://33flavors.org/trials/2010/08/chocolate-cupcake-fail.html http://33flavors.org/trials/2010/08/chocolate-cupcake-fail.html dud baking cake chocolate Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:06:07 -0500

Matt's sister and her family went peach picking over at Linvilla Orchards last weekend and offered us some of their haul. we ate delicious fresh peaches for a couple days until they started to go past their prime (which didn't take long). I decided to try a peach-rhubarb combination and I think it turned out well. A bit too sweet though. Or something. I would probably cut back on the sugar and butter in the topping. A higher peach to rhubarb ratio would probably be better also.
]]> http://33flavors.org/trials/2010/08/peach-rhubarb-crisp.html http://33flavors.org/trials/2010/08/peach-rhubarb-crisp.html needs improvement baking peaches pecans rhubarb Sun, 22 Aug 2010 09:43:39 -0500

My first batch of homemade dog treats. Not perfect. I would add some baking powder next time so they're not as dense. Sadie loves them, although I suspect she'll love anything that I give her, seeing as she eats dirt and grass on a regular basis.
]]> http://33flavors.org/trials/2010/08/peanut-butter-oatmeal-dog-trea.html http://33flavors.org/trials/2010/08/peanut-butter-oatmeal-dog-trea.html needs improvement baking dog treats oats peanut butter Sat, 21 Aug 2010 13:33:16 -0500