Justin & Meredith Winokur's Kitchen Cooking Notebook
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posts/2021/01
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BBQ Pork Nachos, Bean Dip, and Guac -- back to top
We had BBQ Pork Nachos, Bean Dip, and Guac for New Years Dinner.
The pork was one of the frozen packs from December, 20. I got it really crispy in the cast-iron pan and then added Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce. We made tray-nachos with layers of pork, cheese, and thinly sliced red onion. And we served pickled jalapeños on the side. They were really good!!!
Meredith also made cole slaw with our (now normal) change of using half Greek yogurt for mayonnaise. Also, this time
She made the full dressing recipe for about 7.5 cups of cabbage.
Meredith made black-eyed peas dip with no real changes except a bit of monterey jack cheese.
Finally, Meredith made guacamole.
We also had pecan pie for dessert
Meredith made Liège Waffles from Smitten Kitchen (LOCAL) for New Year's Day brunch. She followed the recipe with an overnight rest in the fridge. The problem was, Smitten Kitchen makes no mention of warming up the dough so the timing was all off. The plan was to do this for breakfast but it took a few hours on the counter for the dough to come to temperature! Hence, these became brunch.
After making them all (which took over an hour and a half), Meredith put them in the oven to stay warm. She had tasted a few of them before and thought they were a bit dry. The keeping-warm in the oven did not do them any favors.
Other than a bit dry, they were quite tasty! They had a nice crunch from the sugar and pretty good flavor!
But between the lack of information about the dough; it being a bit dry; and how slow it was to add the butter, this will not be our go-to recipe in the future!
For brunch we also had Poinsettias (with a splash of Triple Sec) and mimosas. We made Caroline a virgin mimosa with orange La Croix. We also served some cheese, crackers, ham, and fruit
Croque Monsieur and Green Beans -- back to top
We made Croque Monsieurs using the same bread as last time. No real notes other than we added the note about how much salt to the recipe.
Meredith also made her favorite green beans. She had actually already blanched them from the other day.
Pigs in a Blanket -- back to top
(Not sure this is worth a post but...) Meredith made pigs in a blanket with canned biscuits and little smokies. Surprisingly, Caroline was kind of ambivalent about them and mostly just wanted the bits deconstructed.
Christmas Sandwiches -- back to top
Ann (and Caroline) made Christmas Sandwiches for lunch. Tasty as always.
Chicken and Wild Rice Hotdish (cooked) -- back to top
This was from 2020-11-19. The only note is that Meredith reheated it from frozen by cooking it at 325°F for an hour and then followed the original recipe
Croque Monsieur -- back to top
We had fresh baked bread so we made our pretty-standard Croque Monsieurs. They were really good with the fresh bread
No Knead Rustic Bread -- back to top
I made No knead bread from America's Test Kitchen. I followed their recipe pretty closely. For the beer, I use "PBR Extra". I roughly measured the yeast; probably going a bit high. I also needed a bit more water to bring it together. I used King Arthur AP Flour
I really liked it though I also really struggled with the rise. No Knead bread uses a lot less yeast, but I think I would up it a bit next time. Interestingly, King Arthur Flour says to decrease the yeast! Anyway, I ended up letting it rise after shaping for nearly 4 hours.
The end result was very tasty! A bit dense still but I also think I should have gone to a slightly higher temp (they say 210°F which doesn't make sense in Albuquerque but I think the 196 was a tad low.
I've also looked at other recipes and they have you start with a hot dutch oven but less time. I was pretty happy with this and it was easier but I would consider that sometime too.
I think there is room for improvement and/or experimentation but I was, overall, very happy with this result. Only problem is that we basically ate the whole loaf with dinner
Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili -- back to top
Meredith made her regular sweet potato chili. It was mostly a regular sweet potato with a small Japanese one we had leftover. We even got Caroline to eat it by putting some cheese on top!
Southern Deviled Eggs (healthier) Smokey Paprika Egg Salad -- back to top
Meredith made Southern Deviled Eggs and Smokey Paprika Egg Salad.
The original plan was to just have the deviled eggs but I made the mistake of letting Caroline "help" me put the eggs in the steamer basket. I think that caused a bunch to crack. I steamed the eggs for 15 minutes.
For the deviled eggs, she again did the trick with mostly greek yogurt and only a little bit of mayo. That worked really well! You couldn't even tell.
For the egg salad, Meredith again based it on Smokey Paprika Egg Salad using French's and also making it as egg salad.
Armadillo Egg bites -- back to top
Meredith made Instant Pot Egg Bites inspired by armadillo eggs. She crumbled and browned Jimmy Dean Maple Sausage and chopped up pickled jalapeño peppers.
They puffed again while cooking which was annoying but otherwise, they were very good! An interesting twist!
Turkey Taco Stew -- back to top
I made turkey taco stew with somewhere between 3/4 and 1 lbs of lean turkey. I also used pinto beans as an experiment. I did the normal seasonings with the addition of some "Umami Mushroom Powder" from Trader Joes. I do not know if that was the cause, but it was pretty salty this time. Not inedible but definitely more than I would have liked.
Whole Wheat No-Knead Bread -- back to top
I made "Almost No Knead Bread" again. This time, I tried to make it whole wheat by using 25% Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flour. I also used bread flour since that is what I saw in another No Knead book.
I upped the yeast a bit (~1/2+ tsp) as noted last time. And it again needed more water; perhaps even more than last time too.
I also proofed it for about 22 hours before shaping. After shaping, I made a "proofing box" with the oven. I boiled a few cups of water and put that, with the pan and all, in the oven with the bread in the dutch oven.
I cooked to about 198°F. It came out pretty good. Had a nice crust and good texture though I liked the flavor of the white bread more for sure! This one also came out bigger.
Tahini-Date Energy Balls and Blueberry Muffin Bites -- back to top
Meredith (and Caroline) made No-Bake Tahini-Date Energy Balls from The Kitchn (LOCAL).
And Meredith made Blueberry Muffin Bites from Feasting on Fruit (LOCAL)
Her notes: For these, I subbed 1/2 the coconut flour for vanilla protein powder. And since the protein powder is sweetened (monkfruit) I only used 2 tbsp of maple syrup. And I skipped the step to oven dry fresh blueberries, instead using 1/2 cup of already dried blueberries. Probably should have used more like 1/3 cup of blueberries, and could have gone a little heavier on the maple syrup. Also, almond butter for the nut butter.
Turkey Pickle and Potato Tacos -- back to top
Meredith make turkey pickle and potato tacos. She followed that basic recipe but the potatoes (which were "waxy" and not russet) didn't want to mash. So she cut them into bits.
I heated corn tortillas on the cast iron with a bit of oil and salt.
It was pretty good as usual. Odd to mix pickles and tacos but worked well!
Denver Scramble -- back to top
I threw together Denver Scrambles again for dinner. I used sliced deli ham since we didn't have the big bits from a spiral-sliced ham. Otherwise, it's just green peppers, onions, ham, and cheese.
They were pretty good! And easy!
Easy Sandwich Bread -- back to top
I tried to make the Easy Sandwich Breach from America’s Test Kitchen. I followed the recipe except it rose really fast and, despite the dire warnings, it let it hit the plastic wrap. See the picture.
It still seemed to rise well except it didn't dome! I cooked it to 201.6°F and I forgot the butter at the end.
When I cut it, I was surprised to see a super springy structure that is , not-at-all like sandwich loaf! It did taste pretty good but (a) is nothing like I was expecting1 and (b) was kind of rubbery. I do not think I would rush to try this recipe again. But if I did, I would be really careful about the plastic.
The batter-like dough
It is worth noting that a cut picture is not shown in the recipe so maybe this is what was expected? ↩
Iced Masala Coffee -- back to top
Meredith made Iced Masala Coffee from Cook Republic (LOCAL). She used cinnamon instead of clove and a 3rd party (decaf) Nespresso Pod for the espresso.
She thought it mostly had a taste of the coffee and not so much the syrup.
Meredith made gumbo from Granbaby cakes (LOCAL). She followed the basic recipe except went a but short on some of the "meld" times. Her other notes:
It was pretty good. Maybe a bit thin but it was flavorful
Wild Rice Chicken Hotdish -- back to top
Meredith prepped Wild Rice Hotdish.
Her notes: I doubled the wild rice, subbed half and half for heavy cream, and went a little heavy on the salt. Sharp Cheddar for the cheese.
We are freezing it for later
Defrosted it and cooked it. Very tasty but maybe a tad salty?
Croque Monsieur -- back to top
In what is becoming a pretty standard practice, if I make rustic bread then we have Croque Monsieur. This was with the leftover béchamel from last time
Maple Pumpkin Donuts -- back to top
Meredith made Maple Pumpkin Donuts from Tone it Up
Her notes: Made these with olive oil for coconut oil and brown sugar for coconut sugar. Not sure what makes them maple. Pumpkin spice donuts would be a more fitting name.
There is a note to use Maple Frosting but no link.
I did another batch of no-knead bread. I basically followed the directions except I let it rise too much before baking. And had a lot of trouble making the cuts on it. Tasty, though not as pretty as the first. I also may have added too much water? It was really sticky when I kneaded it but I also added a good bit of flour in order to be able to knead it.
Final temp was 197.2°F
Also had the bubble. Not sure how...
I want to see if I can make it more loaf-shaped next time. Maybe with the bigger dutch oven?
Smoked Salmon Black Bean Salad -- back to top
Meredith made smoked salmon black bean salad. She doubled the recipe except the black beans. Also no cayenne.
It came out a bit limey but still very good. And easy! Even Caroline ate it!
While I was making dinner I realized we had a lot of peppers that were not looking great. So while cooking, I threw together bean fajitas. I used about 2 onions and 4 peppers. For seasoning, I mostly used the Badia Adobo Powder. I finished it with two cans of pintos (too many!)
Chocolate Hazelnut and Tahini-Date Energy Balls -- back to top
Meredith (and Caroline) made Chocolate Hazelnut and Tahini-Date Energy Balls. The chocolate hazelnut ones were from Eating Bird Food (LOCAL) and the tahini ones were the same as last week, from The Kitchn. Meredith's only note for the chocolate ones was that she rolled them in coconuts instead of chopped hazelnuts.
Wings and African Peanut 🥜 Stew -- back to top
I made oven-fried wings and African Peanut Soup for dinner.
I defrosted the wings last week and prepped them on Saturday (so they had a long drying time). I think I baked them a little too long but they were otherwise very good. The sauce was 1 Tbsp of butter with Sweet Baby Rays and some chili oil. The chili oil gave it a bit of heat but it mostly lingered on the lips. I would just used crushed red pepper next time.
For the soup, I followed the recipe though went heavy on the water and a tiny bit heavy on the peanut butter. And I used a whole can of tomato paste. I ended up blending about half of it which did make it easier with the peanuts and tomato paste. I think I prefer it to be less blended in the future.
Chicken Tamale Chili -- back to top
Meredith made chicken tamale chili from Half Baked Harvest (LOCAL). She used rotisserie chicken instead of cooking it and then cooked it for a bit less time. We also added water since it was really thick. I am not sure it tasted super like a tamale but it was good!
I made chicken tawook with home made flat bread. The tawook was pretty standard. It was about 3 lbs of chicken but I didn't adjust the marinade. I grilled them and then let them stay in the oven (225°F) while I finished the bread.
We didn't have the Trader Joes garlic spread (toum) which was missed but they were still pretty good.
Pan-Grilled Flatbread -- back to top
I made pan-grilled flat bread from Bread Illustrated by America's Test Kitchen. I do not know if I added too much additional water (which I usually need) or if the dough is supposed to be super sticky and wet, but this was super sticky and super wet. I kept adding flour and working it by hand but I could not get it to a point of being grabbed by the dough hook. As you can see, it is just being mixed around:
I eventually just assumed that's what it is supposed to be like. I also could barely knead it out (again, adding a lot of flour). It also rose a bit faster than I expected so I lightly pressed it down about an hour into the rise.
I decided to make six instead of four. Because I was doing the tawook at the same time, I think they sat after being balled for about 30-50 minutes.
Rolling was hard but not the nightmare I expected based on the dough. I did struggle to shape, get them up, and then onto the pan. I also tried a few different ways to spray them. Some on the counter but it wet the counter where I needed to roll more. And some in my hand but that meant that (a) I only had one hand holding the dough and (b) I had to flip it on the pan.
Keeping the pan temp was not very easy but I think I did okay. They came out pretty good. Nice structure inside and an okay flavor. I don't think they were as good as restaurant naan but I am willing to try it again!
Pistachio Arugula Patties -- back to top
I made Pistachio Arugula Patties with about 1.75 lbs of ground turkey for lunch. I didn't read the directions for the amount of salt so I just guessed and it needed a bit more (I've since noted that in the ingredients)
I made potato rolls from Bread Illustrated by America's Test Kitchen. I followed the recipe as stated but needed to add a bit more water (as seems to be usual).
They rose very fast (they warn you in the recipe but still). I divided into ten (instead of 9) and I let them do another rise. I had debated refrigerating and cooking tomorrow or just having it done and decided to just do it.
I think I let them rise a bit too long before going in the oven based on how big they were. I did the egg wash and then some black sesame seeds. I cooked them for 10 minutes, then rotated trays and another 5.
They came out pretty good. Maybe a tad airy and a tad dry but really, pretty good. You could really taste the black sesame. They added a nice flavor too.
Denver Scramble -- back to top
BBQ Pulled Pork with Potato Rolls -- back to top
We had friends over for lunch. I did my usual BBQ Pulled Pork from the 2020-12-20 batch. And we served it with the potato rolls I made on Friday. Meredith also made a batch of coleslaw with the semi-standard half greek yogurt.
Ramen Rice Krispies -- back to top
We made Ramen Rice Krispies mostly to send to Emily. We followed the recipe but just used two whole things of crushed ramen. And we forgot to reserve some at the end for the topping. So it was all mixed it.
It was pretty good...and pretty odd... as usual!
Also, we did about 7 tbsp of butter (we've said on the recipe to be about 6-8)
Croque Monsieur and Curry Cauliflower Soup -- back to top
We made Croque Monsieurs on the rustic loaf bread. That worked really well for this. It was a lot easier to match the sizes.
I also made a curry cauliflower soup. Meredith had made curry cauliflower last week and we still had a lot leftover. I kind of followed roasted broccoli soup. We debated using cheese like the broccoli soup and Thanksgiving 2018 but decided not to. I messed with the flavors using a mix of soy sauce, Worcestershire, and some other seasonings. I also added some apple cider vinegar for brightness. It was actually pretty good by the end! I do think I would have liked cheese in it.
Rustic Bread Loaf -- back to top
I made Almost No-Knead Bread but followed the basic hearth bread cooking method in a pan. I again used about 1/2 tsp of year, not 1/4.
I liked it like this. It made it easier to cut and use for Croque Monsieurs and there was still a nice crust and flavor. I don't think not having the dutch oven caused too many issues.
I let it rise for about 25 hours.
Smoked Salmon Black Bean Salad -- back to top
Meredith made another batch of Smoked Salmon Black Bean Salad. She again doubled except the black beans
Asian Chicken Salad -- back to top
Meredith made Asian(ish) Chicken Salad using bagged coleslaw ingredients again and rotisserie chicken. So much easier!
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo -- back to top
Meredith made Chicken and Sausage Gumbo from America's Test Kitchen. Unlike the seafood gumbo, this uses a "dry roux". It is supposed to be easier and, while not the goal, healthier (since there is way less oil).
Meredith followed their instructions on toasting the flour. She got it pretty dark though still not quite the cinnamon color (she compared). You can see in the photos below that it did get dark; especially when broth was added
Her other changes were to add a bit more water (maybe a cup?) and go light on the cayenne.
We expected this would be easier but it was not!!!. It took over two hours of constant work. We also expected it would be very thick between all of the meat and the fact that it uses about 4x more flour than the seafood gumbo. It was thicker but it didn't need as much extra water as expected.
We liked it. It may have needed a bit more salt (or bouillon) but it was still plenty flavorful. And we would add okra next time. It is so odd that this didn't call for it.
And I think we would do the dry-roux again even for other gumbo recipes. It wasn't easier but it does lend itself to prep ahead.
Soy Chorizo Ragu -- back to top
Meredith made Soy Chorizo Ragu with a mix of zucchini and regular pasta.
It was delicious as always.
White Chicken Chili -- back to top
Meredith made white bean chicken chili using rotisserie chicken instead of boneless-skinless. It was good as usual though could have used a bit more salt.