Book Thirty-One: Cooking With Three Ingredients: Flavorful Food as Easy as 1,2,3

by Andrew Schloss



                Peking Chicken

Cooking for one tonight and I was hoping to scrounge something up to make without having to go to the store; but as our daughter can testify, I never have much in the house. I am one of those that go to the grocery store every day.

For sure I thought I would have some chicken in the freezer. I have everything but... So off to the store I went. Needed some kitty food anyway. 

Being that I was cooking for one, I chose to use chicken thighs in place of the whole chicken and cooked them for about thirty five minutes at 400°.

As simple as this dish is, and simple can be wonderful, this dish just did not do much for me. Next time (if there is a next time) I will add more Hoisin Sauce and some crushed red pepper. I do like my food spicy.

Success meter (1-3): 2

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Book Thirty: Eating Well

by Burt Wolf

Talapia Fish with Lemon Sauce

I'm glad I started on this venture of cooking through all my cookbooks. It's great to find new and interesting recipes as well as revisiting old ones. I have made several recipes from this book in the past and I must say this is one of my favorites.

This is another quick and easy meal that makes for a great weeknight dinner. Don't be fooled by the simplicity of this dish for it is definitely company worthy and as a bonus - healthy too! 

Success meter (1-3): 3

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Book Twenty-Nine: Baked Explorations

by Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito

           Monkey Bubble Bread

Whenever I would come across a recipe for Monkey Bread, something about the name would make me smile. And each time I thought I'm going to make this. Then the book is put down and the recipe forgotten; until now. After seeing a similar recipe on-line off I went to retrieve the book; on to the bookstand it went, opened to the appropriate page, waiting patiently for me to begin. 

I really should not cook and blog on two recipes at the same time for mistakes are bound to happen; such as putting in only three tablespoons of butter instead of the five tablespoons the recipe called for. You can say this is a lower-fat version! It was still very good and the guys at the shop polished it off with no complaints. The plate came home empty.

Success meter (1-3): 3

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Book Twenty-Eight: Getting Thin and Loving Food

by Kathleen Daelemans

                                                                             Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

The hubby was coming down with what sounded like a nasty cold and so I wanted to make something soothing, yet intense enough to burn the bug. I thought of hot and sour soup. The recipes I found called for ingredients that I would not find at the local supermarket; and I did not have the time to shop for unfamiliar ingredients in an unfamiliar Asian market.

Then I found this recipe. It was simple to prepare and I was able to obtain all the ingredients at my local market. Though I must say that my market was short on Chinese vegetables, so I used a combination of savoy cabbage (the napa cabbage was in bad shape), daikon radish, and a couple of cremini mushrooms.

This soup has inspired me to try more asian cooking. I so want to make the hot and sour soup and I will when I have more time to explore the Asian market.

Success meter (1-3): 3

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