Victual Ventures

Asparagus, Ham, and Gruyère Frittata

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 03:54:12 GMT

Hmm, what do you do when you are leaving on vacation in two days and have 10 eggs, Gruyère and a big bundle of asparagus in the fridge? Frittata!

This is one of our favorite weekend breakfasts, except this time we made it for dinner. We had too few eggs (it called for 12) and too much asparagus, but it still turned out tasty as usual. When you bite into a pocket of Gruyère, it's heavenly.

Ingredients	Jonas thinking he's cute by cracking an egg with his teeth. More amusing is the following scene in which he rushes to the sink to spit and wash his mouth out, exclaiming, "That egg touched a chicken's butt!"
Chopped asparagus cooking on the stove	Asparagus, ham and gruyère frittata
Asparagus, ham and gruyère frittata

Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen

Whole Wheat Pasta with Greens, Beans, Pancetta, and Garlic Bread Crumbs

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 02:40:40 GMT

The prep work is the most time-consuming part, but all in all it's still a fairly simple meal. This was also the first time we'd ever cooked up kale -- and 14 cups of uncooked kale is a CRAPLOAD of kale (as you can see in the ingredients photo)! And then it withers down to nothing.

The meal was delicious! The garlic bread crumbs were a perfect topper.

Ingredients gathered together	Julia frying up the pancetta
Garlic bread crumbs	Wilting the kale
Adding cannellini beans and pancetta	Voilà!

Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Apricot-Orange Glaze and Steamed Artichokes with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 19:40:52 GMT

Jonas found these two recipes on the ATK website, combined as a "quick and light spring dinner." The pork tenderloin was simple, and really tasty with the apricot-orange glaze.

We'd never prepared artichokes at home before, so that was new but easy. There is surprisingly little edible artichoke to be had when all is said and done. What a bizarre little vegetable.

Jonas preparing artichokes for steaming	Ingredients lined up (minus the tenderloin)
Browning in the pan before being thrown into the oven	Jonas the chef
Tender, steamed artichokes	Roast pork tenderloin with apricot-orange glaze
Roast pork tenderloin with apricot-orange glaze, steamed artichokes and brown rice

Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen

Pasta Caprese

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 03:49:09 GMT

Jonas picked out this recipes one evening when we were both tired after work and wanted something quick and easy. You just throw together some pasta, tomatoes, oil and fresh mozzarella -- couldn't be easier!

Jonas coring, seeding and dicing tomatoes	Olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and shallots -- pretty!
Tomatoes marinating in the oil mixture	6 oz. of fresh mozzarella, coming right up!
Julia posing with the marinating tomatoes and a bag of penne	Jonas bearing a plate of chilled mozzarella
Pasta Caprese

Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen

Beef Goulash

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 03:24:40 GMT

Time for some goulash.

The recipe is pretty simple and straightforward, nothing fancy. In fact, it's nearly identical to the smoky turkey shepherd's pie, except for a swap of just a few ingredients. We served it over egg noodles.

Ingredients for beef goulash	Browned beef, onions, carrots and celery
Red peppers, flour and chicken broth added	Beef goulash over egg noodles

Recipe source: Rachael Ray's 365 No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners

Stir-Fried Beef and Broccoli in Garlic Sauce (Light)

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:12:13 GMT

This was another light recipe from ATK: a beef, broccoli and shiitake stir-fry prepared with brown rice. We ended up having less broccoli than what was called for, but it was all good. The primary goal was to use up some broccoli that had been sitting in the fridge for a while.

Apologies for the dearth of photos, I guess we got too carried away with the cooking and the eating to remember much in the way of documentation.

Mmm...stir-fry

Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen's The Best Light Recipe cookbook

Spaghetti and Meatballs (Light)

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:34:50 GMT

Jonas has been watching what he's eating the past few weeks, so today we decided to try a recipe from ATK's light cookbook.

(If you're not familiar with ATK's "schtick," they take popular recipes and experiment with them over and over in order to determine the very best way to prepare it in terms of time, ease of cooking and -- most importantly -- taste. In general, they do not sacrifice taste in favor of healthiness, so although they deigned to publish a light cookbook, the recipes inside should still taste pretty darned good.)

Spaghetti and meatballs is about as simple as it gets. The most arduous part is probably mixing the meat, spinach and herb mixture by hand, especially if you don't let the meat cool to room temperature first (agh! cold hands! cold hands!). After that, it's a snap: fry 'em up, cook the sauce, and there you go.

Julia modeling her new apron	Jonas rolling meatballs
Jonas looking decidedly mischievous	Yummy homemade meatballs, just out of the frying pan
Homemade tomato sauce	Light(er) spaghetti and meatballs with grated parmesan

Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen's The Best Light Recipe cookbook

Jumbo Chicken, Spinach and Herb Burgers

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:16:25 GMT

I had some button mushrooms that needed to get used up, as they were looking a little wilty. Paging through the book (see source below), this was the first recipe I happened upon that included them.

These were some truly enormous and tasty chicken burgers. Although fully loaded with mushrooms, Swiss, lettuce and tomato on top, it's still just a burger, so you'd probably want to add some chips or fries on the side.

Jumbo chicken, spinach and herb burgers:
om nom nom nom

Recipe source: Rachael Ray's 365 No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners

Saucy BBQ Chicken Sammies with Pepper and Scallion Potato Salad

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 04:11:08 GMT

Again, a look at the name of the recipe is a Rachael Ray dead giveaway. This was a really tasty dish, although slightly too spicy for comfort. Next time, go easier on the jalapeños!

The sandwich was poached and then shredded BBQ chicken on a hamburger bun. All went well except the chicken wasn't fully cooked after poaching for the suggested amount of time, so it was difficult to shred and had to be cooked longer during the BBQ step. The potato salad was made of red peppers, jalapeños, scallions and red potatoes and was awesome! It was really fresh-looking and -tasting.

Julia scrubbing red potatoes	Vibrant red potatoes for the potato salad
Julia artfully arranging the ingredients	Jonas chopping scallions
Pretty arrangement of ingredients	Chicken breasts poaching in chicken broth and beer
Jonas cooking the shredded BBQ chicken	Yummy potato salad

Recipe source: Rachael Ray's 365 No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners

Egg Champignons

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 03:50:54 GMT

Julia made these appetizers for a Leap Day library potluck, a recipe out of the book Simple 1-2-3 Appetizers.

Essentially, these are button mushroom caps stuffed with chopped hard-boiled egg, blue cheese, green onions, white wine, and paprika on top, and baked in the oven. They were really tasty when still warm, but I had to serve them somewhat chilled as I had no effective way of heating them halfway through the work day. They were still OK, but the flavors definitely didn't stand out as much.

Lame attempt at presentation points with cherry tomatoes :)

Recipe source: Simple 1-2-3 Appetizers

Heart Brownie Cupcakes

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 02:13:04 GMT

Julia found this cute recipe while looking for something fun to bring to work for Valentine's Day.

They turned out pretty well. The most important thing is to let them cool long enough that they can be removed neatly from the baking cups. If you start peeling them off too soon, bits of brownie will come away as well.

They were really tasty, too.

Cute heart brownies

Recipe source: Betty Crocker

Turkey Chili-Topped Turkey Chili Burgers with Red Pepper Slaw and Funky Fries

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 02:01:23 GMT

With a name like that, you know this recipe is from Ms. Rachael Ray. And let me tell you it was GOOOOOOOOOOOOD.

Since there are three separate components (burgers, fries, slaw) to this meal, it is a bit time-consuming. However, Julia didn't have much trouble with the timing. The steps are laid out well enough that there were no frantic moments, and it all came together smoothly.

That said, this was possibly the spiciest and most filling meal in memory!

The many, many ingredients for turkey chili burgers, slaw and fries	Browning the turkey
Jumbo, mouth-watering cheese- and red pepper-filled turkey burgers	Red pepper slaw -- SPICY!!
Funky fries: fries baked and then tossed with butter and parsley	Ta-daa! Turkey chili burgers with red pepper slaw and funky fries

Recipe source: Rachael Ray's 365 No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners

Beef Pasta and Mushroom Soup

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 16:45:42 GMT

This recipe caught Julia's eye when it showed up on her feed for Betty Crocker's recipe of the day. It wasn't entirely homemade, as half of the recipe comes from the contents of a box of hamburger helper, but it contained a number of fresh ingredients as well. It was a quick and tasty dish fitting for cooking up after a long day at work.

Ingredients for beef pasta and mushroom soup	Julia chopping fresh parsley
Browning ground beef in the stock pot	The soup containing everything it needs except pasta and mushrooms
Voilà! Beef pasta and mushroom soup, topped with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.

Recipe source: Betty Crocker

Braised Brisket of Beef with Port Wine and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 15:56:13 GMT

For this recipe we were working with two recipes from two different sources. The brisket came from a WS cookbook and the potatoes from ATK (see sources below). The mashed potatoes are made with an astonishing 22(!) cloves of garlic!

At one point the brisket in the oven for 2+ hours, so this meal definitely wasn't quick and painless, but it wasn't too tricky to prepare either. The end result was slightly drier than anticipated, so we may have needed to baste more frequently.

Ingredients for braised brisket with port wine	Julia peeling 22 roasted garlic cloves
Cookies?! How did those get in this recipe? :)	The brisket and its pot companions, just before heading into the oven
Garlic mashed potatoes, ready to serve	Jonas carefully slicing the brisket
Jonas carefully slicing the brisket

Recipe sources: Brisket: Williams Sonoma Simple Classics, Garlic mashed potatoes: America's Test Kitchen

Turkey Noodle Casserole

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 01:38:34 GMT

This recipe was definitely a keeper. Most the ingredients are fried up in a skillet, and then the whole works is topped with cheese and bread crumbs and put under the broiler for a few minutes until it's golden.

Our batch was slightly soupier than anticipated. This could be fixed by cooking everything down a few minutes more before transferring to the casserole pan.

Gathered ingredients for turkey noodle casserole	Sautéing the turkey and mushroom mixture
On its way to becoming turkey noodle casserole	Jonas inserting the casserole into the broiler
Julia garnishing the completed casserole with parsley

Recipe source: Rachael Ray's 365 No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners

Mega Meatball Pizza and Zippy Italian Popcorn

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 01:08:23 GMT

Some parts of this recipe turned out well, but there are some things we'd change: Reduce the time that the pizza crust goes into the oven during its initial bake so that the edges don't turn out as crispy after the final. The pizza is also quite topping-heavy, so it might be better to reduce the ground sirloin from 1.5 to 1 pound. Also, this is way more than four servings! Rachael Ray is crazy when it comes to portion sizes.

The popcorn was super yummy, but SPICY! It'd make a good party snack on its own.

Ingredients for mega meatball pizza and zippy Italian popcorn	Raw pizza crust seasoned with oil, rosemary and salt
Ingredients for mega meatball pizza and zippy Italian popcorn

Recipe source: Rachael Ray's 365 No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners

Crisp-Skin High-Roast Butterflied Chicken with Potatoes

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 21:14:37 GMT

The name of this recipe was quite a mouthful, luckily we didn't have to say it out loud! :)

This was the simplest meal in the world! (Well, maybe not as simple as PB&J.) You just butterfly a regular old chicken, rub it with some butter and spices, and throw it on a broiler pan in the oven. But wait! The best part was the potatoes, which sit in the bottom compartment of the broiler pan and are flavored with the delicious chicken drippings from above. So easy, and mighty tasty!

Butterflied chicken, ready for the broiler pan	Jonas looking eager to take the chicken's temperature
Roasted chicken, straight from the oven	Oven-roasted potatoes, drizzled with herb butter and chicken drippings

Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen

Smoky Chipotle Mac-n-Cheddar

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 20:28:33 GMT

Julia had made Mac-n-Cheddar with Broccoli some time ago, and today decided to try another variation of it. Chorizo is nowadays pretty easy to find in just about any supermarket, as are chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Both of these make for a pretty spicy dish!

The one step we haven't quite got down is the roux. After adding flour it's supposed to bubble, but my roux is never wet enough to produce bubbles. There are 2 more variations on this recipe to try in the future, so we've got two more shots at it.

Ingredients required to make smoky chipotle mac-n-cheddar	Chorizo sausage and fire-roasted tomatoes browning in the skillet
Chipotle sauce for the macaroni: SPICY!	Adding the cheese to the sauce
Smoky chipotle mac-n-cheddar, served with herb bread

Recipe source: Rachael Ray's 365 No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners

Köttfärssås

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 05:25:05 GMT

Jonas wanted to make the köttfärssås (meat sauce) that he remembered his mother making when he was a child, so he got out our Swedish cookbook, Rutiga Kokboken (trans. the checkered cookbook). The recipe was simple, but required some conversions to metric measurements.

The end result, served over spaghetti, had flavor but was a bit too salty. We think the extra salt probably originated in the bullion cubes. American bullion must be saltier than its Swedish counterpart. Served over spaghetti.

Some of the ingredients for köttfärssås	Julia peeling garlic
A strangely oriented photo of the completed meal, including bread and olive oil

Recipe source: Rutiga Kokboken

Simple Lasagna with Hearty Tomato-Meat Sauce

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 04:32:31 GMT

It was time to try another of ATK's lasagna recipes. (We had tried the skillet lasagna some time ago.) This one went in the oven, and required a few more steps, but was ultimately a delicious success. We served it with a store-bought crusty herb bread.

Lasagna ingredients ready to go!	Julia plopping down ricotta dollops during lasagna assembly
Applying the finishing touches of mozzarella	Served with herb bread

Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen

Carbonnade à la Flamande (Belgian Beef, Beer and Onion Stew)

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 03:55:58 GMT

This was a fantastic recipe for a weekend at home. It definitely took a good hour to prepare and perform the initial steps on the stovetop, but then it cooked in the oven for 2+ hours. How two(!) pounds of onions can cook away to nearly nothing is a miracle unto itself. The end result was served over egg noodles.

Jonas seasoning the beef with salt and pepper	All of the ingredients ready to go, including a big bottle of Belgian beer!
First, the beef gets browned in the pot and removed	Two whole pounds of onions go into the pot with some tomato paste
All those onions eventually cook away to a much smaller volume	There you have it: Carbonnade à la Flamande

Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen

Homemade Pizza

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 03:02:26 GMT

Every once in a while, an evening just calls for homemade pizza. This time, we weren't quite up to making our own dough, so we purchased the 2-pack of Freschetta Build & Bake pizza crusts and a tub of their sauce as well.

Jonas adorned his pizza with several layers of both pepperoni and cheese, and Julia artfully arranged her toppings of kalamata olives, capers, feta cheese, and mozzarella on hers. A few of Jonas' pepperonis fell off in the oven, but both pizzas tasted great!

Julia's pizza prior to baking. She thinks she gets bonus points for presentation.	After baking
Jonas' pizza after baking

Recipe source: None, we just made it up as we went along.

Beef Chili with Kidney Beans

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 02:25:13 GMT

After watching ATK one weekend afternoon, we decided to make their version of beef chili with kidney beans. It was a simple recipe, but it was an agonizing 2-hour wait while it was simmering on the stove!! As always, ATK makes a perfect meal.

Beef chili ingredients all lined up and ready to go	Onions, peppers and spices cooking in oil
Julia stirring the pot after the beef has been added. She is reaching because she didn't want to be in the photo.	Beans and tomatoes added
After simmering on the stove for two hours	Topped with cheese and ready to eat! Yum!

Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen

Boston Baked Beans

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 23:24:30 GMT

Baked beans seemed like the perfect recipe for a winter Saturday afternoon at home. After the initial prep, the beans go into the oven for over 5 hours, so there was lots of time to watch a movie or play computer games while we waited.

Looking back, we probably should have prepared something to go with the finished beans, but in the end a big bowl of beans was still a great meal!

Rendering the bacon and salt pork for flavor	Jonas chopping onions
Just after adding the white beans, water and molasses to the concoction	After being in the oven for 2 hours, the beans are starting to absorb color
Jonas doing what he does best: stirring the pot :)	After cooking in the oven for 5 hours, the beans are smelling pretty damn delicious!

Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen

Herb Cheese Twists

Wed, 13 Sep 2006 02:21:45 GMT

Julia needed an easy appetizer to bring to a work party, and this fit the bill!

Not too many ingredients needed for this recipe	Spreading the herb and butter mixture on the biscuits
Twisted and all ready to go into the oven	Beautifully golden brown!

Recipe source: Simple 1-2-3 Appetizers