Recipe Review from 11/23/2020

Another week where I forgot to hit "publish". Argh. And ah ha! I see why I didn't hit publish - I forgot to finish one recipe. Argh.

Statute in the Humas House Gardens, Louisiana

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) Eggplant tagine (S) bear steaks in a blue cheese sauce
Sun (L) leftover tagine (S) leftover bear
Mon - Butnut lasagna
Tues - leftover
Wed - leftover
Thurs - Bird Day!
Fri - leftovers


Lunches (Me) tagine (D) spaghetti scrounging

Eggplant, tomoato and chickpea Tagine (Milk Street Fast and Slow) vegetarian/vegan
Awesome. This was just...awesome. First meal I did serve with crusty bread to sop up the juices. The remainder I used couscous so I could stretch out the leftovers a bit.

I loved this! This may also be one of the few times I *didn't* peel the eggplant. I wanted to see how the peels did in a pressure cooker. I will also note, this triggered the "burn" notice on the instant pot. The forutnate aspect here is, this only cooks for three minutes, so with the IP on OFF, I let it finish out the time, vented, and sauted/NORMAL for a couple three minutes afte,m adding the chickpeas and cilantro. The "burn" wasn't bad, looked like some of the seasonings didn't get scrapped up. I've had worse. Much worse.

Recommended! Made closer to 6 servings with the cous-cous.

2 lb eggplant, cut into 1" cubes
1 medium onion, minced
2 pints cherry tomatoes, cut in half
4 tsp ginger, granted or minced fine
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 (14.5 oz) can chickpeas, drained
1 cup cilantro

In a 6qt Instant Pot, select NORMAL/MEDIUM SAUTE. Add the oil and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the garlic is golden brown (it takes less than 4 minutes). Add onion, tomatoes, ginger, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, 2 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to release some of their juices, about 2-4 minutes.. Press CANCEL and stir in 1/4 cup water, scraping up any brown bits. Gently stir in the eggplant and distribute evenly.

Lock the lid in place and move pressure valve to SEALING. Select PRESSURE COOK or MANUAL; adust the pressure level to LOW. Set cooking time to 3 mintes. When pressure cooking is complere, quick-release the seteam by moving the pressure valve to VENTING. Press CANCEL and carefully open the pot.

Gently stir in the chickpease and lemon juice and taste and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cilantro. Serve with additional oil drizzled over and lemon wedges.


Butternut Squash Lasagna (Eating Well, Dec 2020) vegetarian
For once, the recipee estimate of how long this would take was correct - this is about two hours and a half hours from opening the fridge to sitting down to eat. Mind, an hour plus of that is cooking time so hands-off, but there are All. The. Bowls. to clean up. And Oh Bless, if you have kids and engage them to help (this was touted as a kid-helper recipe in the magazine), start even earlier.

This does come together fairly easily though - cut squash set aside, grate cheese (or use pre-grated) divide and set aside, make white saude, and start layering. I admit, I find the layering the most difficult, running between the recipe and the stove to make sure I've got it "right". I should worry less...

End result, this is not a "saucy" lasagna, but maintains it's distinct layers. An extra splash - and just a splash - of water might have been of benefit as the amount of liquid in the squash can vary. Mine was a little dry. And I'm thinking - 11oz of wilted spinach wasn't quite enough for two pans. It was a bit on the sparse side and kinda got lost in the dish.

I do have a couple of modification: I used a pre-grated pizza cheese blend (mozzarella and smoked provolone) from the co-op that doesn't have a caking agent on it. I used dried sage and added the sage and pepper to the flour/butter mix to better "bloom" the flavors.

Makes two 8x8 pans (one to eat, one to freeze)
One pan made three meals for the two of us.

photo from eatingwell.com

1 (15 ounce) container part-skim ricotta
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon ground pepper, divided
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 (11 ounce) package baby spinach
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons white whole-wheat flour
2 ½ cups low-fat milk
2 ½ cups shredded Italian cheese blend, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, plus more for serving
1 tsp dried sage 1 (9 ounce) package no-boil lasagna noodles
1 1.5-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/8-inch slices

Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat two 8-inch-square baking dishes with cooking spray.

Mix ricotta, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add spinach and cook, stirring, until mostly wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a colander and press with the back of a spoon to release excess moisture. Set aside.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk. Cook, whisking often, until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese, sage and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper until smooth.

Spread 1/4 cup of the sauce in each of the prepared baking dishes. In each pan, add a layer of noodles, then cover with 1/3 cup of the ricotta, a layer of squash, ¼ cup spinach and 1/2 cup of the remaining sauce. Repeat the layers. To finish, divide the remaining noodles, sauce and 1 cup cheese between the pans. Cover one lasagna with plastic wrap, then foil. Refrigerate or freeze this lasagna.
To bake, coat a piece of foil with cooking spray and cover the lasagna, sprayed-side down. Bake until lightly browned on top, about 1 hour. Let cool for 15 minutes. Serve topped with more sage, if desired. Cut into 6 squares.

Recipe tip to make ahead: Refrigerate unbaked lasagna for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Remove plastic wrap and replace foil before baking (add 10 to 15 minutes to the baking time if frozen).

The Last Emperox by John Scalzi (The Interdependency #3)

The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: The collapse of The Flow, the interstellar pathway between the planets of the Interdependency, has accelerated. Entire star systems—and billions of people—are becoming cut off from the rest of human civilization. This collapse was foretold through scientific prediction… and yet, even as the evidence is obvious and insurmountable, many still try to rationalize, delay and profit from, these final days of one of the greatest empires humanity has ever known.

Emperox Grayland II has finally wrested control of her empire from those who oppose her and who deny the reality of this collapse. But “control” is a slippery thing, and even as Grayland strives to save as many of her people from impoverished isolation, the forces opposing her rule will make a final, desperate push to topple her from her throne and power, by any means necessary. Grayland and her thinning list of allies must use every tool at their disposal to save themselves, and all of humanity. And yet it may not be enough.
Will Grayland become the savior of her civilization… or the last emperox to wear the crown?


Read as an audio book for November 2020 book group.

Book three in the Interdependency Series - this can not be read as a stand alone.

This is a light space opera (series) that is meant to amuse and entertain. If you're looking for hard scifi, look elsewhere. And yes, I was amused and entertained. Heck, Will Wheaton is narrating. He could read off the back of a cereal box and make it sound great. And that was the strong point of The Last Emperox - Wheaton was narrating.

Because ultimately, the overall plot stumbled, the characters spent oh so much time in their heads re-hashing the previous book, the crisis ended up being political when the real problem was left unresolved (the fading flow streams), and somewhere in all of this, the science and data were just kinda lost in everything else. There was political grandstanding, conspiracy theories galore, noble causes, true love, righteous vengeance, and so many loose ends left dangling they could have formed their own flow stream.

But I was happily entertained during my daily commute. Though I did find myself zoning out and then having to backtrack to listen to what I missed. Which was never much. While not what I would consider Scalzi's best work, if you're a fan and you've read the first two, then you'll find some enjoyment from this.

Recommended with some small reservations.

View all my reviews

Recipe Review from 11/16/2020

THIS week ended with the furnace going out. On Friday evening. When we called, found out our usual oil service company doesn't do weekend service anymore (maybe because of COVID? I dunno...). Anyway. Option 1 - call the company they suggested that does to weekend service or see if we can get by until Monday and can use our company. It's Saturday, 630am in morning as I type this, we'll see how today goes. And! The dog barfed twice in the middle night. Man, nothing wakes a dog owner up faster than the sound of a dog horking. Andy-dog ate too much bird seed. Why do they have to eat bird seed?

McKinney Falls State Park ,Austin, TX 2017

The Meal Plan:
Sat(L) leftover butnut soup (S) leftover potato curry
Sun (L) fried egg sandwich (S) cranberry bear meatballs
Mon - leftover meatballs
Tues - leftover meatballs
Wed - nachos
Thurs (yoga) - brats
Fri - brats

Lunches - leftover potato curry

I reviewed the Potato and Pea Curry last week, but I'm coming back to add, I had enough for lunches the entire week with basmati rice. Delicious dish! I would absolutely make again.


Cranberry Bear Meatballs (North American Hunt Club Cookbook) This is NOT a new recipe. This is a tried and true that we've made whenever we have venison in the freezer. Well...no venison but we do have some ground bear. Since its been a few years since we've had any game, I had forgotten how easy this was to make.

My main observation is, this has become almost too sweet for me. There's a lot of sugar between the cranberry sauce, the chili sauce, the catsup and the brown sugar. While the brown sugar adds a molasses undertones I'd recommend skipping. Or find some sugar free catsup and decresase the brown sugar.

2 lbs ground (venison, moose, bear, etc)
1 cup plain panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
2 eggs
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 fresh ground pepper

1 (14oz) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 (12oz) jar chili sauce
1/3 catsup
2 tbsp brown sugar (dish can get overly sweet, reduce to 1 tbsp or omit if you wish)
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp dried minced onion

Preaheat oven to 350*. Line a jellyroll pan with aluminum foil, and if you have a baking rack place on top of aluminum foil. If no rack, not a problem. Proceed with directions. Lightly oil a 9x13 glass baking dish and set aside.

Mix ground meat with panko bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, soy sauce, and garlic powder. Shape into 1" balls and place in pan or on top of rack. Cook for 30-35 minutes.

While meatballs cook, combine cranberry sauce, chili sauce, catsup, brown sugar and minced onion in a bowl.

When meatballs are (mostly) done, remove from oven and transfer from baking sheet to prepared pan (this helps keep grease/fat drippings out of final dish). Pour prepared cranberry sauce mixture over the top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake an additional 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 minutes more or until sauce is nice and bubbly. Serve over rice, egg noodles, or even potatoes .

Crafting 2020: Bags!

This past week I taught myself how to make a quilted bag. I had so much fun I made four of them over five days. It was mostly relaxing, I admit to getting a bit carryed away with four, but once I had things figured out they were a great project to complete in a day. I admint, I should have stopped at one a day and not pushed for more than that.

First one took me a day - I had to figure out the directions. I made this as directed. Pockets on the outside.  This bag also uses a different interfacing, it's not as stiff as the others.  I'll have to come back and add the Pellon #. 

Second one I did over two evenings - I cut the pattern out one night, and assembled the next day. I made this one with the pockets on the inside. Then I immediately started cutting out the third bag and assembled it. One pocket outside, one inside

Forth bag I did in a day. And that's when the mistakes started to creep in. I became overly confident with the pattern and forgot things like...attaching the tabs and handles. Oops. Rip out seams, re-do. And other small things. Live and learn - pace myself. This one also had a pocket on the outside and one on the inside. I like this variation the best as it seems the most practical.

All four completed bags

Bag #1 - pockets on the outside

Bag #2 - pockets on the inside

Bag #3 - Pockets outside and inside

Bag #3 - Pockets outside and inside

Recipe Review from 11/9/20

Not much to say about this past week: worked, had Wednesday off due to Veteran's Day, and taught a couple yoga classes. Andy-dog and I had the house to ourselves from Wednesday on as the Husband took Kep-pup pheasant hunting out on the western side of the state. I worked on some quilting projects and read in my downtime. So all in all, rather quiet and uneventful.

My snugglebugs.

Sat (L) out (S) leftover orzo soup
Sun (L) grilled cheese (S) Sheet pan chicken and squash
Mon - leftover chicken
Tues (Subaru in shop) leftover chicken
Wed (Off) Potato and Pea curry
Thurs (Yoga) leftover curry
Fri - leftover curry

Lunches: (me) curried butternut squash soup

Sheet pan chicken - this was "supposed" to be an ATK recipe with squash, kale, and cranberries, but when I went to make the recipe I realized I had neglected to double check the ingredients and I was missing like four items. I couldn't even do a "make do" version.

SO! I fell back on my Milk Street favorite: Za'atar sheet pan chicken, except I put one inch thick slices of butternut squash underneath. Worked wonderfully. Za'atar flavors and the chicken juices nicely infused the squash, everything stayed moist, and I had a built in veggie side. I would do this again!


Potato and Green Pea Curry (modified slightly from Milk Street Fast and Slow) vegetarian/vegan
I made this for suppers while the Husband was away so I could come home, dump my bags, let the dog out and just re-heat. Worked perfectly! Except, this makes far more than four servings, especially if you add basmati rice (which I did). I'm going to easily get 6-8 meals out of this. And I have NO complaints about that!

A couple modifications: I used Yukon gold potatoes instead of russets as I like Yukon's better. I used mixed veggies and peas as I had a partial bag of mixed that needed to be used up. And I skipped the cilantro as I'm not paying $1.50 for something I'll just use a tiny portion of.

Serves 6-8 (closer to 8 with rice)

1/4 cup coconut oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp garam masala
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 1/2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cup frozen mixed veggies (or peas)
Optional: cilantro; cooked basmati rice, naan


In a 6 quart Instant Pot, select More/High Saute. Add the oil and onion, the cook, stirring occasionally until the onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the paprika, turmeric, garam masala and cayenne. Pour in 1 1/2 cups water, scraping up any browned bits (DO THIS TO AVOID BURNING). Add the potatoes and 1 1/2 tsp salt; stir to combine and distribute in an even layer. Add the tomatoes and their juice over the top of the potatoes, do not stir!

Press CANCEL, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual; make sure the pressure level is set to HIGH. Set the cooking time for four minutes. When pressure cooking is complete, quick-release by moving the pressure valve to VENTING. Press CANCEL, then carefully open the pot.

To finish: Select More/High Saute and cook, stirring often, until a skewer inserted into the potatoes meets no resistance and the sauce is clinging lightly (3-4 minutes). My notes: this part wasn't necessary, potatoes were fully cooked. Press  CANCEL to turn off, and using potholders, remove the insert from the pot. Let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in peas (and cilantro if using) and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Optional: serve with basmati rice and naan


Spiced Butternut Squash Soup (modified from: Milk Street Fast and Slow) vegetarian with vegan option
We have a plethora of squash in the basement right now, and I'm working my way through new and old squash recipes. I adore squash soup IF it's made nice and thick. I don't care for watery squash soup, I like my soup to have some substance and backbone!

So this got modified - I added an extra pound of squash and increased the cooking time by three minutes.

Result: yum! It was still a tich thin for my tastes, but still acceptable. Best part - super easy to make in the IP!

Serves 4-6 (I got six lunches out of this)

2 tbsp coconut oil
1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp curry powder
2 tsp garam masala
3 pounds of butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1" chunks
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (optional

In a 6 quart Instant-Pot, select More/High Saute. Add the coconut oil and heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1 tsp salt, cook, stirring occasionally until the onion begins to brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in the ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the curry powder and garam masala, add the squash and broth. Stir to combine and spread in an even layer.

Press Cancel, lock the lid in place and move th pressure valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual: make sure the pressure level is set ot High. Set the cooking time for 13 minutes. When the cooking is complete, allow the pressure to reduce naturally for 10 minutes, the release the remaining steam by moving the pressure valve to Venting. Press Cancel and carefully remove the lid.

With an immersion blender, blend the mixture in the pot until smooth. Select More/High Saute and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, then press Cancel to turn off the pot. Remove the insert from the pot. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt with 1 cup of the puree, then stir into the soup. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a dollup of yogurt and pumpkin seeds.

Recipe Review from 11/2/2020

Last week we had a reprieve from the winter weather of October with a week of 60* temps. It was fabulous! I fully confess to skipping the gym at noon two days and hit the Lakewalk. Where I found out the restoration/renovation/rebuilding from past storms was still in full force. Construction fences aside, it felt good to get out in the sun. Temps hit 75* by Friday (in NOVEMBER!) so after work the Husband and I loaded up the dogs and fit in a walk on the Munger Trail and then enjoyed dinner outside at one of our preferred restaurants. Yes, dinner! Outside! In the dark! In November! In Minnesota!>

Mississippi River, Winona MN, 2019

The Meal Plan
Sat (L) leftovers (S) rice pilaf
Sun (L) leftover pilaf (S) chili
Mon - leftover chili
Tues - leftover chili
Wed - leftover chili
Thurs (yoga) leftover chili
Fri - out

Lunches - Orzo soup (me); sandwiches (Husband)


Classic Weeknight Chili (modified from ATK Slow Cooker Revolution #1)
I have a vague feeling I've made this before, but there were no notes in my cookbook so I'm going with I haven't.

I question the "Weeknight" part of this, specifically as it relates to assembly. This was rather putsy for a slow cooker dish as everything is pre-cooked before going into the slow cooker. It was beginning to feel like pre-washing the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Also noting, because I didn't do this, you HAVE to have everything ready to go. "Mise en place" (sp?). If you plan on doing this during the week, make sure you have plenty of time in the morning!

Loosely - mix the meat with the milk/bread mixture set aside. Cook the onion , cook the tomato mixture, cook the beef...it lost the simplicity of chop, plop and enjoy dinner later.

However! When all was done - this was really good. I'm pretty sure it was the soy sauce and brown sugar that elevates this from "just" a chili, to chili awesomeness. 

2 slices of good white bread (I used a multigrain, crusts left on)
2 lbs ground beef (I used ground bear)
1/4 cup milk
1 onion, chopped
1/4 tbsp chili powder
1/4 cup tomato paste
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp groun cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 (28 oz) can tomato puree
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 (14.5 oz) cans pinto beans
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp minced canned chipolte chile in adobo sauce


Tear bread into pieces and place in a large bowl. Add milk and combine until a mash. Add ground meat, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and combine. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat, add onions, chili powder, tomato paste, garlic, cumin, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook until onions start to soften.

Stir in beef mixture a pound at a time, breaking up large pieces and cooking until no longer pink (good luck with that when it's coated in tomato paste and chili powder). Stir in 1 cup of the tomato puree, scraping up any browned bits, transfer to slow cooker. (I added a 1/2 cup of water to the pan at this point and used that to "rinse" the pan and get all that good flavor out)

Add remainin ingredients to slow cooker. Cover and cook 3-5 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

Let chili settle for 5 minutes, remove any pooled fat from surface, break up any large pieces of beef, and serve.


Italian Orzo Spinach Soup (Gimme Some Oven blog)
vegetarian option Unlike the chili above, this came together very quickly. Surprisingly quickly. I did deviate slightly from the directions below - I let the soup simmer for 10 minutes, then I added the orzo and cooked for another 8 minutes. I wanted the orzo slightly under cooked as I knew it would soak up extra liquid in the fridge.

This was lunches for the week and this worked perfectly. The orzo didn't become soggy, the soup was the perfect consistency (not overly liquid-y which is awkward trying to transport), and it tasted great. A note here, my orzo was "southwest" flavored, a brand from Tuscon, AZ, that had faint undertones of lime. Initially that may seem to be off-putting, but it worked really well. I would use that orzo again in this soup.

Plain orzo, flavored orzo, I recommend this one!

Serves 6-8, depending on bowl size.

Photo from Gimme Some Oven Blog

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small white onion, peeled and diced
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) DeLallo whole wheat orzo pasta, or other whole wheat pasta
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
4 cups loosely-packed spinach
salt and black pepper
optional toppings: freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper flakes


Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 4 minutes, until soft. Add carrots, celery and garlic and saute for an additional 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, orzo (pasta), thyme, oregano, rosemary and stir to combine. Bring soup to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente.

Stir in the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes until it is bright green and wilted. Taste, and season with salt and black pepper as needed. (Also feel free to add more of the thyme, oregano and rosemary, if you’d like.)

Serve warm, garnished with your desired toppings.

Recipe Review from 10/26/2020

This past week started out with a birthday dinner for my Dad, then book group, and a bit of a sim-calculation with leftovers. While the baklava wasn't a "new" recipe, it's been at least a decade since I've made it so I figured it warranted a shout out. Weather-wise we're sitting in the high 20's low 30's, ending with two days of 20-30 mph winds. The Gales of November have arrived.

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) out and about! (S) take n bake pizza
Sun (L) leftover soup and grilled cheese (S) Dad's B-day dinner (chicken and squash)
Mon (bkgrp) For the Husband: leftover pizza
Tues - leftover chicken and squash
Wed - Better than take-out Noodles
Thurs (yoga) - leftover take out Noodles
Fri - leftover noodles

Lunches: sandwiches (Husband); Lentil and barley soup (me)


Two recipes from the Falastin cook book - I'm going to point you toward the library for the full recipes. It's a lot to type out. So very much to type out...


Roasted Squash and Zucchini with whipped Feta and Pistachios (Falastin cookbook)
Recipe Blurb: This is great as either a starter or as part of a spread. It also works as a side dish, served alongside meatballs or roast chicken. Use yellow zucchini if you can; the clash of color looks great wiht the butternut squash.

I was making the roast chicken dish [below] and thought this would be a good side dish. I had half a butternut squash in the fridge, the flavors would compliment, so why not?

When all was said and served, *I* didn't care for this as made. I found the room temperature squash off-putting over the cheese mixture. My Folks claimed they liked it a lot while the Husband was quiet on the subject, which tells me he thought it was so-so.

So! For the leftovers, I warmed up the squash, put a dollop of the cheese mix on top and sprinkled with pistachios. Much better. If I were to make this again, I would offer the cheese on the side and make sure the squash was piping hot.

Speaking of leftovers, that's one thing I am finding with the side dishes in this cookbook - many sides are not meant to be leftovers. As a household of two, that's something I need to take into account.

Lemon Chicken with Za'atar (Falastin cookbook)
Recipe blurb: As anyone who as cooked the chicken sheet-pan recipes from Sami's previous cookbook - Ottolenghi: The Cookbook and Jerusalem - knows, the secret weapon behind so many (seemingly) effortless dinners is a make-ahead chicken dish that can just be put into the oven when needed. All the work is done in advance, which means that at dinnertime there is little fuss, and happy feasting.

This was easy and very good. As the blurb noted, this is a make ahead dish. The chicken should marinate a minimum of two hours or overnight. I did about 6 hours and it was about perfect. I assembled the whole dish at that point and set aside in the fridge and pulled out about an hour and a half before cooking to bring close to room temp.

Everyone enjoyed this - the tart lemon, sweet onion, and flavorful za'atar are a fantastic combination. My only comment is cutting the garlic heads in half didn't do much that I could tell - the dish doesn't bake long enough to allow the garlic to soften. When I make this again (and I plan to!) I will use individual peeled cloves and toss right into the dish.

Baklava (source unknown, found it on the internet years ago)
And to round out the meal I made baklava. No, not quite Palestinian, but the flavor profile was close enough for me and, honestly? I was craving a pan of baklava and I had made this recipe at least once before.

Baklava is easy enough - finely grind nuts with orange zest and brown sugar, set aside. Make a simple syrup of orange juice, honey, sugar and water, set aside. Now the putzy part - slather melted butter over 6-8 sheets of phyllo dough one at a time, stack, put in a baking sheet. Put nuts on top, repeat with remaining 6-8 sheets of phyllo. Score, bake, and pour the last of the syrup when it comes out of the oven. Enjoy!

Lot's of recipe on the internet with variations on spices and flavorings. Find one that grabs your fancy and give it a go!

Persian Barley-Lentil Soup with Spinach (modified from Milk Street: Fast and Slow) vegetarian
This was very good. I ended up making this in the morning so the "50 minutes" start to finish is accurate. I kinda felt like I should have slammed the kitchen towel to the floor while shouting "Bo-YAH!" and dancing around when done. Alas, didn't have the time - toss into a to-go container and run out the door.

This is a very hearty and comforting vegetarian soup that uses ingredients on hand. I did have to buy a lime and the veggie broth. Normally I would substitute chicken broth as I make that, but I didn't have enough this go around. I subbed kale from the garden for the spinach, making sure to chop into bite sized pieces. This was great for lunch during the workweek, and would be delishious after skiing or for company with some artisnal bread or flatbread.

Made about 6 servings.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
2 medium carrots, diced
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
4 bay leaves
salt/pepper
1 tbsp grated lime zest
3 tbsp lime juice
3/4 pearled barley
1/2 brown or green lentils
1 1/2 qts vegetable broth
4 cups (3 oz) baby spinach chopped (I used kale)
1 cup cilantro

For the Instant Pot:  Select SAUTE/HIGH. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, tomato paste, bay leaves, and 1 tsp salt. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime zest, barley, lentils, and broth, scraping up any browned bits.

Cancel SAUTE. Lock lid in place and move pressure valve to sealing. Select PRESSURE COOK/HIGH. Set cooking time for 15 mintues. When pressure cooking is complete, quick release the steam by opening the vent. Press cancel and open.

Remove and discard the bay leaves. Stir in the greens. Serve drizzled with olive oil, a dollup of plain yogurt, and extra limes.


Rice Pilaf with Spiced Beef and Veggies (greatly modified from Milk Street Fast and Slow
Whoo-boy. I really did NOT do due diligance and visually check to see that I had everything on hand for this one. I *thought* I did...I did not. That bag of basmati rice? Not enough. That box of golden raisins? Was a box of spice mix for guacamole. I already knew I was subbing frozen mixed veggies for the green beans.

I did take issue with the directions calling to cook the meat till no longer pink, which is impossible to tell when covered in cinnamon, turmeric and tomato paste. I just went for 5 minutes. Then I had problems with the meat mixture burning to the bottom of the pot. At least I'm assuming it's the meat mixture. I shut off the pot, set a separate timer for the amount of time left, and let the internal pressure do it's thing. Worked perfectly.

So some major alterations and one very tasty dish. The Husband went back for seconds.

Serves 4-6

8 oz 85% lean ground beef (I used bear meat)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 3/4 tsp tumeric
salt/pepper
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
8 oz mixed veggies, thawed
1 1/2 cups brown basmati, white basmati, or white rice (I used a mix of white basmati and white rice) rince and drain the rice
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup raisins

In a medium bowl, combine meat, tomato paste, cinnamon, turmeric, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Set aside.

Using an Instant Pot, select MEDIUM/NORMAL SAUTE. Add 1 tbsp oil, heat to shimmering, add veggies and cook until lightly browned. Set aside. Add 1 tbsp oil and heat to shimmering. Add the meat mixture and cook until the meat is no longer pink (good luck trying to figure that out when the meat is covered in tomaot sauce - but it's about 5 minutes). Press CANCEL. Stir in the water, rice and the raisins, gently scraping the bottom to release any brown bits.

Lock the lind in place and set the valve to SEAL. Select PRESSURE COOK and HIGH. Set time for 22 minutes. **IF you get a BURNED signal, turn off the pressure cooker, set a separate timer for the amount of time remaining.

When cooking is finished, quick release by VENTING. Press CANCEL. Open pot, give the rice mixture a good stir to fluff. Add the veggies and close the lid. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. When time is up, stir in veggies and serve.