Justin & Meredith Winokur's Kitchen Cooking Notebook
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posts/2020/05
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Meredith made Kentucky Derby Pie Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars from Half Baked Harvest (LOCAL). She mostly followed the directions except with the butter by accident. Her comments:
I don’t know what’s with me lately. I forgot the vanilla in the cookies and cream cookies, and somehow put too much butter in these. I read 1.5 sticks in the cookie base, and then proceeded to cream 2 sticks together. Only as I went to make the pecan part did I realize I was supposed to have 4 tbsp leftover from that half stick. Oops!
Hopefully they’ll be ok. Just a little extra buttery...
They were pretty good. You could really taste the pecan pie with a hint of something different and interesting (the maple). The didn't form layers as well as Meredith would have liked (probably the butter)
Grilled Mushrooms, Cauliflower, and Sausage -- back to top
I tried to make my grilled, glazed mushrooms but really struggled due to the bacon. It was "Black Forrest Bacon" from Trader Joes and was was too fatty and the slices were too big for these. I should have cut them down more both since it was just too much and, the major issue, is that it was really fatty and dripped. The idea of the mushrooms is that the bacon fat goes more into the mushrooms. So it dripped much more and flamed up all over the place. Some of them were also pretty burned (though even then, they looked worse than they were)
Video of the constant flames from the bacon:
We also had some cauliflower with za'atar and chicken sausages.
I originally prepped this the night before but ran out of time. So I baked it fully and then refrigerated it (I realized I was out of time after shaping them). Meredith reheated them at ~300°F for about 20 minutes.
They came out really good even though I super struggled to get it all to blend. I made a double batch and put the chickpeas on the bottom. They need to go on top to press down. It took a lot of pulsing and mixing to get it all blended. And, I do not know if it was from the (huge) onion or something else but they were a bit wet. Still, I think they tasted great!
Caroline even liked it enough though she was really all about the tzatziki Meredith made. By the way, Meredith figured that she can make Tzatziki with finely-chopped cucumber instead of grating and pressing it. It works just fine and is so much easier!
I prepped Satay and grilled it at the Pettit's (while being cognizant of social distancing). I flattened then sliced up chicken to do it. Otherwise, I followed my normal grilling as I do with tofu except I didn't brush it the last time so the sauce would be fully cooked on there.
We served it with leftover sauce
Matcha Cake with Black Sesame Buttercream -- back to top
Meredith had made Matcha Cake back on March 7, 2020 and froze them. Her notes are in the picture below. It was adapted from Cakes by Courtney's lemon poppy seed cake.
Today she defrosted and decorated them. She used the buttercream from Cakes by Courtney (LOCAL) as a base with 1/2 cup of black sesame seeds ground (in a traditional suribachi).
It made barely enough to cover the cake, though Meredith says she was also a bit rusty on cake decorating. Also, because it was still slightly frozen and harder to press down, the cake was not as level as she would have liked.
The flavor was good. You could taste the matcha and really taste the sesame in the frosting! The frosting was almost like halva! The cake was a bit dry; potentially from being in the freezer.
Potsticker Stir Fry -- back to top
Meredith and I again made Potsticker Stir Fry. We used that recipe as the basic guide. The potstickers stuck a bit to the pan and were both burned and cold. So we steamed them for about 5 minutes to soften them and fully cook them. The veggies were sugar-snap peas, red pepper, and zucchini (spiralized). It was all very good except the spiralized zucchini kind of stuck together. Next time we would just chop it.
It was a very good, healthy lunch. It took a bit longer than we'd have liked but not too bad.
I've been wanting to make Alton Brown's Brownies (LOCAL with additional recipes). I used the first one ("Cocoa Brownies 2.0")
The pan I used was 9"x9" (81 sq in) instead of 8"x8" (64 sq in.) so I approximated 1.266 as 1.25.
I really think I followed the recipe having and did it all in weights but the batter came out so unbelievably thick! It was almost like dough. I had to really press it into the pan!
I baked it at 315°F since our oven runs a bit cool. I did the 15 min in the oven, 15 min out, and then I aimed for 25 min. Unfortunately, that was a bit too long by temp as I was at 205°F, not 195°.
Despite the super thick dough and extra cooking time, they were not too dry but were super, super dense.
I am honestly not sure about them. They are really good and really rich but maybe too rich?
Next time I would be more careful with temps, times, and double check ingredients. Also, I didn't sift everything (it wasn't in the 2.0 recipe) but I wish I had. Just to get out more clumps (does brown sugar sift?).
I did use non-Dutched cocoa but I may try with the dutched in the future since others seem to report it's better.
Meredith has been wanting to make Beef and Pickle Tacos from Joy the Baker (LOCAL).
We used turkey instead of beef but otherwise mostly followed the recipe. I kept having to add a bit of water to the meat to help get the spices to stick and mix well with it. I also really fried a few corn tortillas in a thin amount of oil. I also just heated some with just light oil. The fried were better... (see the picture below. Fried on the right and just heated with oil on the left).
Using potato was an interesting idea. I'm not opposed to doing this again, though it wasn't a "revelation" in taco meat.
The pickles were regular Claussen dill pickles.
It may have been odd but it was actually really good. The saltiness and flavor of the pickles nicely accompanied the tacos. We will do this again! Even if we just use regular taco seasoning. These were a revelation in serving tacos!
Blondie Mini Muffins -- back to top
Meredith made Blondie Mini Muffins
Meredith's Notes:
Used the blender which was a pain. Had to add a few splashes of oat milk to get it to blend. Next time it is worth getting out the food processor.
Combo on really old almond butter and even older cashew butter.
Did full-size muffins (not mini) so cooked for 30 mins (and at 365°F not convection). Didn't cook them fully. The toothpick did not come out clean but this was good. They were nice slightly underdone and perfectly safe.
Also, regular pam.
Salmon Salad. The salmon was super red as you can see in the final result
Wings, Fiesta Turkey Burgers, and Broccolini -- back to top
I made baked chicken wings. The wings were much smaller than what I usually get since I got them at Sprouts instead of Kellers. As such, I cooked them a bit too long and they were a bit dry. Anyway, I tossed them in a quick buffalo sauce. I used 1.5 oz of butter with Franks Red Hot. It was just enough to really cost on the flavor but they weren’t wet at all. I liked that part!
The Fiesta Burgers were like last time but Meredith made the taco seasoning like yesterday’s dinner (pickle tacos) but with salt too. I tried something different with shaping them. I formed them with wet hands and then I put them on cut up pieces of aluminum foil. This way I could flip them onto the grill and pull them foil off. That worked well.
The broccolini was tossed with just salt and garlic powder. Meredith also made tahini sauce
Curried Chickpeas -- back to top
Curried Chickpeas and quinoa. See the first time for more notes too
Matcha Protein Bites -- back to top
Matcha Protein bites. Also rolled in the coconut
Turkey Arugula Patties -- back to top
Our normal modifications of Lamb Arugula Patties. Meredith made the sauce and with full-fat greek yogurt. It gave it a different texture but still very good.
This was essentially a double batch.
Shrimp and Black Bean Tacos with Mango Salsa (and Cauliflower Rice) -- back to top
Beans from Minimalist Baker (LOCAL) for the pressure cooker and then cooked like cuban style black beans.
Grilled shrimp was 1 lbs (37 shrimps) on skewers with Montreal Chicken Seasoning.
The tortillas were heated on the pan with the following steps: Spray pan with pam. Place tortilla. Spray back on tortilla with pam. Sprinkle with salt. Let cook for 1-2 minutes, then flip and let cook for another 1-2 minutes. Lots of work since it only does one at a time but they are pretty good like that! Next time: may try grilled them!
Salsa from Tone it Up. Skipped jalapeños since Caroline was eating it. Also didn't have cilantro so added some ground coriander (obviously not the same flavor but still was good). And added a ton of tomatoes.
Cauliflower rice was heated in a pan and tossed with a bit of Adobo powder. It was surprisingly good!
Zucchini and Quinoa Lasagna -- back to top
Vegetarian Zucchini and Quinoa Lasagna from Inspiralized (LOCAL)
This pan was the size the recipe says but it was way too big for three layers. She got two layers of quinoa but only one full layer of the ricotta. So she mixed the rest of the ricotta in with the quinoa. Used some fresh spinach plus some (old freezer burned) frozen spinach.
It was good. Even Caroline likes it though she needed some help forking it.
Meredith made Paula Deen's Southern Deviled Eggs with 10 eggs so roughly scaled up.
I steamed the eggs but, based on last time, I steamed them for 15 minutes which worked really well!
Meredith followed the recipe except with smoked paprika on top. But we both forgot that the first time she made these, she did some greek yogurt and a little bit of mayo. We should do this again!
By the way, it is about 70 calories each
Lemon Poppy Protein Muffins -- back to top
Meredith made protein muffins from Tone it Up. We liked them and they were lower calorie than the Blondie muffins but not as good!
Used almond meal when given the option
Southern Banana Pudding -- back to top
Meredith made Southern Banana Pudding
Baked it in two containers with just two layers each, instead of three. It was probably a wash as far as banana usage.
We haven't tried it yet but I wonder if it will have less banana flavor since there is only two layers of them. Will update when we try them but the pudding is great even without bananas so I'm not worried.
Zucchini and Caramelized Onion Egg Bites -- back to top
Meredith made Zucchini & Caramelized Onion Egg Muffins from Tone it Up
Added a potato crust à la Inspiralized. She didn't use anything else from the recipe so I am not posting a local copy. You spiralize a potato (non-noodle setting) and then layer it and blind bake it at 350°F for ~15-20 min.
Probably cooked the veggies longer and used canola oil. Also went heavy on garlic powder and salt. It made 9 instead of 6. May have been more veggies than it calls for.
(BTW, the recipe says one zucchini but they are all over the place in size. Meredith used a smaller one)
Meredith made Mezze Bowls inspired by Tone it Up. She used her own romesco and added cauliflower. I also put some of a Salmon Croquette on it (we were defrosting some for Caroline).
Pretty standard tofu satay
Chocolate Chip Beet Muffins -- back to top
Meredith made chocolate chip beet muffins for Caroline. She used a recipe from Inspiralized (LOCAL). Her only real note is that she went heavy on the beets (~3oz). Also, she found she could easily mix the chocolate chips by running the blender on low for a few seconds.
The color was very pretty and even mostly stayed when baked.
Meredith and I made shrimp tacos again. We skipped the beans but otherwise, it was basically the same. Meredith made the same salsa too. Both the salsa and the cauliflower rice are not pictured.
I started to do the tortillas in a bigger pan assuming it was okay that they didn't all have perfect contact with the bottom. In doing do, I realized I should try them on the grill. The grilled ones were a bit chewier than the pan ones and the pan ones were altogether better but the grill was so much easier. (I'll need to figure out how to do this if the grill is messy next time)
Dehydrated Green Beans -- back to top
I read about this on reddit and decided to give it a shot. I blanched about a pound of French Beans in salted water for 90 seconds and then moved them to an ice bath. I then laid them on the trays and dehydrated at 130°F for about 10 hours.
While they did get crispy by the sound of them on a plate, they were super chewy and all together not very much fun to eat.
FAILURE. Tossed them in the trash after trying to convince myself to eat them
Potsticker Stir-fry -- back to top
Meredith made Potsticker Stir-Fry using veggies we had on hand including french beans, zucchini and bell peppers. She also used frozen cubes of ginger from Trader Joes.
It was really good and easy!
Warn Zucchini Quinoa Salad -- back to top
Meredith threw this together inspired by an Inspiralized post (not worth copying or linking). She cooked the veggies:
Then added cooked quinoa plus some more broth (she used water + Better than Bouillon). Let it simmer a bit then add
We served it with ricotta and feta over salad greens.
It was really good and pretty healthy. We will do this one again!
Pulled Pork & Chicken Wings -- back to top
I bought 10 wings from Kellers totaling 1.75 lbs (they have much bigger wings than Sprouts). I again followed Serious Eats for the dry-marinade and cooking. I debated grilling but opted instead to just use the oven.
I did the same as last time for the sauce. Just a bit of butter and Franks Red Hot. It was just enough to coat them all and absorb the flavor without being greasy or sticky.
I ate 8 of them and Meredith had the other two. They were really good. I prefer these larger ones!
Dukes Coleslaw recipe halved with extra cabbage and half of the mayo replaced with fat-free greek yogurt. It's a nice way to cut some calories and it was really not missed. She also added some (homegrown) chives.
This was the main focus for the meal. I again followed Serious Eats like last time. I made the dry-rub a bit differently:
which skipped paprika, sugar, and anything spicy.
I committed a major BBQ sin and cut off a nice chunk of the fat from the original pork shoulder. I was happy to lose some calories with this and I figured (hoped) it wouldn't make a big difference.
I spread all of the rub around (I goofed. I forgot to reserve some) and then put it in the bag and cooked at 165°F for about 26 hours.
I debated back and forth as to whether to grill it or use the oven and I opted for the grill. I made wood pouches as can be seen in the photos (I opted not to soak the wood). I grilled it for about 2 hours constantly playing with the temps to get it to hover around 300°F. I mostly just had the heat over the hot side but I occasionally had to turn up the cold side too.
At one point it was really smoking! I probably should have changed the wood packets after it died down but I didn't.
After about two hours, I "pulled" it in the mixer (the lazy way!)!
See below for some of the weights. I was surprised how much liquid came out but upon reading, that is normal. To make life easier, I refrigerated the liquid so that I could scrape it into the trash can. It turns out there was actually not a ton of fat. It was mostly water with lots of collagen.
| Time | Weight | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Raw | 5.17 lbs | |
| After cooking, before draining | 5.05 lbs | Presumably what it weighed going in |
| All drained liquid | 1.70 lbs | |
| Bone and Cartilage | 0.30 lbs | |
| Shredded | 3.71 lbs | WITH bowl (and after a few nibbled...) |
| Bowl Alone | 1.59 lbs |
(I need to weigh the bowl later)
Smoke coming from the grill
Shredding in the mixer
🍉🍉🍰 Watermelon Cake 🍰🍉🍉 -- back to top
Meredith made a Watermelon Cake based on Sprinkle Bakes (LOCAL). It was fun though maybe a bit gimmicky! We all enjoyed it! The only issue was that it was really hard to get the first slice out.
Simple repeat of pickle tacos based on the Joy the Baker recipe. We used about 1.5lbs of lean ground beef (we actually used beef this time). I did a better job adding the seasoning as it cooked so I didn't need to add liquid. The beef gave off a lot of liquid (and probably some fat?) which was well absorbed by the potatoes.
Meredith also made more coleslaw again using Dukes Coleslaw recipe and making the same changes as last time
Watermelon 🍉 Lassi -- back to top
Meredith has been enjoying making watermelon lassi based on Food52 (LOCAL)
Double batch of Falafel with tzatziki Meredith made.
We've done skewers, we've done tacos, we've done meatballs, and now we've done burger patties!
I made the regular Koefta recipe with about 1.75 lbs of lean ground turkey and formed them into 7 patties to grill. I did (roughly) the same as last time with fiesta burgers and formed them into patties, with wet hands, onto aluminum foil. Only this time, I cut the foil after they were patties. Much easier!
I also grilled cauliflower that Meredith had just tossed with salt (and pepper? garlic powder?)
Meredith was craving the spiralized Jicama fries since we hand't done them in a while so we made a batch. Our version of the recipe uses half the cayenne as the original. Well, we further halved it thinking we could gie it to Caroline to try (so 1/4). Well, it was still super hot.
Romesco Grilled Cheese -- back to top
Egg Clouds and Tomato Chutney -- back to top
Meredith was in the mood to make a real brunch so she made Egg Clouds with homegrown chives and using Trader Joes Cheddar Gruyere. She also topped it with some of that cheese which gave it a nicer color.
She cooked ours for about 10 minutes and left Caroline's in a bit longer to make sure it was really cooked. Caroline liked it enough too!
Meredith also made a Spicy Tomato Chutney from Tasty Express by Sneh Roy (Ebook so that is the local copy). I thought it was fine but I preferred the egg clouds without it.
I also made some bacon in the oven and we served it with toast
Grilled Scallion Pancake -- back to top
Since we had a pretty big brunch not too long ago, we just had this for lunch.
I followed the Serious Eats Recipe (LOCAL). However, as I noted on the local copy, in the Food Lab article1, they add an additional brush step.
Anyway, I followed the recipe really closely. I did struggle with the last rollup from the scallions and they were far less pretty than theirs. I did grill two at a time and brushed them a few times but I think that was pretty minor. I also flipped them onto the grill with the parchment then carefully removed it. This is what I have been doing for burgers and it works well!
In the end, they were good! Not as good as a fried one from the restaurant but certainty tasty! And I did have some layers though again, it could probably have been better.
I want to try to grill other breads but I suspect I would be, essentially, making naan...
Local PDF copy is linked on the local copy of the recipe ↩
Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies and Cream Cookies -- back to top
Meredith made Cookies and Cream Cookies again but used mint Oreos instead (and remembered the vanilla)
She refrigerated them for about an hour before scooping. Then put the dough balls back in the fridge. Once cooled, she froze all but 6. The remaining 6 sat for about a week before we finally made them today.
Made about 36
They were really good with the mint!
Sous Vide Brisket -- back to top
I made sous vide brisket following Serious Eats. I found a brisket that wasn't too fatty at Trader Joes and it was a nice size to fit in the bag.
My major changes were that I used white pepper since it's all we had. And likely a lot less of it than they call for (they also call for a ton!). I sous vide cooked it for about 33 hours at 155°F.
As with the pulled pork, I finished it on the grill with wood-chip packets1. I was able to keep the temp at about 300°F without too much trouble.
It came out really good. Some smokiness though I would have preferred more but lots of flavor either way. And a nice crust!
Meredith also made a French green bean salad with the recipe from Gaby Dalkin's book, "What's Gabby Cooking". We both really liked it though (much) less oil next time.
As with the pulled pork, I tracked the weights of everything:
| Item | Weight | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Before the water bath | 4.10 lbs | Includes the bag. A bit less than the package but not much |
| Full bag post water bath | 4.05 lbs | Could it have lost anything? |
| Bag liquid only | 1.38 lbs | Includes bag |
| Meat after trimming some fat | 2.36 lbs | Still a good bit of fat left |
| Final, off the grill | 1.76 lbs | lost 2.34 lbs or ~57% |
Unsoaked. I need to read more on whether to soak them. I hear different things ↩
Vanilla Latte Protein Bites -- back to top
Basically, TIU recipe, but 2 tbsp instant coffee instead of matcha, and then did 1/4 cup coconut flour instead of shredded coconut. Mostly because we have it now, and I wanted to try it out. They smell great!
-- back to top