Recipe Review from 12/13/21 and 12/20/21

A couple of busy weeks with a trip down to Mankato, MN, kept the meal plan super simple. Week one was predominantly slow cooker meals and week two was soup. Mankato was a Home Free concert, a vocal group the Husband found this year and really enjoys their videos. We missed the concert in Duluth as we were in South Dakota, but tickets were still available for Mankato. I haven't been to Mankato since, oh, 1990/1991, so it was an opportunity to explore!

This posting will conclude the 2021 Recipe Reviews. Hard to believe another year has gone by! Lots of great recipes this year, new cook books explored (I HEART Milk Street!), and so many new cooking gizmos tried out (smoker, sous vide machine, instant pot...)!

Dundee, OR, 2018

The Meal Plan 12/13
Sat (L) leftover fennel, tomato and wildrice soup (S) Sausage and squash
Sun (L) leftovers (S) Veggie pot pie
Mon (yoga) leftovers
Tues - leftovers
Wed (yoga) - leftovers
Thurs (snowstorm!) left for Mankato
Fri - Mankato

Lunches - Quinoa Chili with cornbread muffins

The Meal Plan 12/20
Sat - Mankato
Sun - Mankato
Mon (yoga)- Eastern Carolina Fish Stew
Tues - leftovers
Wed (yoga) leftovers
Thurs - take n bake pizza
Fri - leftovers

Lunches - sandwiches


I made three recipes out of this cook book: The Great American Slow Cooker (Goodreads link). My dharma must have been off because I managed to goof up one thing in each recipe, two things in the pot pie dish. Frustrating.


Vegetable Pot Pie
This recipe was a disaster of my own making. I used my instant pot slow cooker - which I KNOW tends to cook significantly cooler than my regular slow cooker - and I realized at the 4 hour mark that it was NOT going to be done in 5 hours per the recipe. Even when on high. I switched everything to a dutch oven on the stove, where the sauce mixed proceeded to burn to the bottom of my pot. Argh.

I *thought* that I might be able to sub filo for the puff pastry as I had half a box languishing in the freezer. I thawed, buttered, sprinkled with Parmesan and baked. It was a very meh substitution.

Then I forgot to add the green beans, my pea substitute.

This has the potential to be good and I think I would try it again when I am perhaps not quite as distracted as I was.

Serves about 6

(4-5 1/2 qt slow cooker)
1 1/4 lbs fennel, trimmed and chopped (I cut into slices)
1 lb carrots, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds (I used baby carrots, chopped)
1 lb Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1/2 tbsp dill
1/2 tbsp thyme
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups (12 oz) can evaporated milk
3/4 cup dry white wine
6 tbsp all-purpose flour (or gf substitute)
3/4 cup green peas
4" frozen puff pastry squares, thawed

Combine fennel, carrots, potatoes, onion, dill, thyme and salt and pepper in slow cooker.

In a medium bowl, mix with a whisk evaporated milk, wine and flour until flour is completely dissolved.

Cook on low for 5 hours or until potatoes are tender. Add the peas.

Bake puff pastry squares according to directions on the package.

Serve, topping bowls with puff pastry.



Sausage and Winter Squash
I realized as I was typing this that I forgot the raisins. They would have been a nice addition - a hit of sweet against the spicy sausage and a counterpoint to the squash.

This is a chop, plop, and walk away dish. You could serve it alone or over rice. I served over rice. Recommended!

Serves about 4-6 (definitely 6 with rice)

(4-5 1/2 qt slow cooker)
2 tbsp butter
2 lb sausage cut into 2" lengths (I used andoullie)
1 lb winter squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1" cube (I used butternut)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup raisins (oops, forgot these...)
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp saffron
4" cinnamon stick
1 3/4 low sodium chicken broth

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage pieces and brown, turning occasionally, about 6 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker. Cook in batches if necessary.

Add the squash, onion, raisins, coriander, ginger, cayenne, saffron, and cinnamon stick to the slow cooker. Toss everything together and add the broth.

Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or until the squash is tender.



Black Bean and Quinoa chili
In this recipe, I forgot to add the tomatoes. This cooked up beautifully, I did have to add some more broth at the end to make it more "sauce-y" and that's when I looked over to the counter and saw the unopened can of tomatoes. Argh.

This still came out very good - good texture, good flavors, super easy to make (chop and plop) and I absolutely would make it again. I made it for my lunches for the week and had enough left for one lunch for two on the weekend. Serve with some warm cornbread.

Serves about 6 - 8

(4-5 1/2 qt slow cooker)
2 (14.5 oz black beans, drained and rinsed (I used cranberry beans)
3 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked and rinsed (recipe called for black quinoa, I used red)
1 (14.5 oz) can no-salt added crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup red pepper, cored and chopped
1/4 cup celery
2 tbsp jalapeno chili, stemmed, seeded and diced
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp molasses (unsulfured)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
Cilantro (optional)

Combine beans, broth, quinoa, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, celery, jalapeno, chili powder, molasses, cumin, coriander, oregano and salt in the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until the quinoa is cooked.

The Looking Glass War by John le Carré
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: John le Carré's classic novels deftly navigate readers through the intricate shadow worlds of international espionage with unsurpassed skill and knowledge, and have earned him unprecedented worldwide acclaim. THE LOOKING GLASS WAR Once upon a time the distinction had been clear: the Circus handled all things political while the Department dealt with matters military. But over the years, power shifted and the Circus elbowed the Department out. Now, suddenly, the Department has a job on its hands. Evidence suggests Soviet missiles are being positioned close to the German border. Vital film is missing and a courier is dead. Lacking active agents, but possessed of an outdated mandate to proceed, the Department has to find an old hand to prove its mettle. Fred Leiser, German-speaking Pole turned Englishman -- once a qualified radio operator, now involved in the motor trade -- must be called back to the colors and sent East....

Read as an audio book.

While I enjoyed the narration, I did have some troubles following who was who and some of the transitions. It was as if the reader skipped the pauses that would indicate a change in POV.

Dovetailing on the audio quality, I either zoned out or missed a key point on the *why* of the overall plot. I *thought* the impetus was going to be to find out why an agent was killed, the importance of a set of photos, and where those photos went. The whole premise ended up being something completely different which left me vaguely bemused for a goodly portion of the book.

I think I may have enjoyed this more if I had read it rather than listened to it, and I may yet go back and re-read.

Recommended as it's book four in the Le Carre George Smiley series.



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Salvage Crew by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne

The Salvage Crew by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: They thought this was just another salvage job. They thought wrong.

An AI overseer and a human crew arrive on a distant planet to salvage an ancient UN starship. The overseer is unhappy. The crew, well, they're certainly no A-team. Not even a C-team on the best of days.

And worse? Urmahon Beta, the planet, is at the ass-end of nowhere. Everybody expects this to be a long, ugly, and thankless job.

Then it all goes disastrously wrong. What they thought was an uninhabited backwater turns out to be anything but empty. Megafauna roam the land, a rival crew with some terrifyingly high-powered gear haunts the dig site, and a secret that will change humanity forever is waiting in the darkness.

Stuck on this unmapped, hostile planet, lacking resources, and with tech built by the cheapest bidder, the salvage crew must engineer their way to payday...and beat Urmahon Beta before it kills them all.

Experience this space exploration adventure told from the perspective of a snarky artificial intelligence you won't soon forget.

Read for November 2021 book group. Read as an audio book and regular book.

Touching on the audio - loved Nathan Fillion as narrator, but unfortunately, however it was recorded, I couldn't understand what he was saying. His voice ended up being muddled and mumbled. I did read and listen for a while, then just abandoned the narration and read as normal. Which was a major bummer. Consensus was the same with others in book group.

I greatly enjoyed this. Loved the premise, interesting characters, interesting world building, a bit of an unconventional plot where it's not all rainbows at the end. AMBER ROSE's sarcasm was fantastic, I loved SHIP even tho she had such a minor role, the human characters were interesting and behaved like, well, realistic humans. The Buddhist concepts were a delightful change from the usual Jesuit's in Space that show up more frequently in SF.

I did hit a stumbling block about two-thirds of the way through after a major reveal. The overall plot became more narrative and a bit blah blah blah and I found myself skipping pages. One book group member concurred, and three others said that was one of the best parts of the book. Interesting interpretations.

I'm trying very hard not to drop any major spoilers, so going to end here and say, well worth reading, but skip the audio.

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Recipe Review from 12/6/21

Three new recipes this week, only one that I'm posting because I ran out of time to type out the others. Everything turned out splendidly!

Spanish Ratatouille is from Milk Street Tuesday Nights and I would absolutely make this again. This dish would be even better with fresh veggies from the garden in the fall. One note - I forgot a zucchini so I subbed roasted butternut squash and I think that was an even better flavor profile. I had in my meal planning notes to put an egg on top for some added protein, and I completely forgot. Which would be a trend going into the weekend...

The Fennel and Tomato Wild Rice Soup was good and the fennel is definitely more of a smell than a taste. Anise is not my favorite scent, so it was a tich disconcerting, but the soup itself was quite delicious. The Great American Slow Cooker cookbook is one of my favorites and a definite go-to for meal ideas.


The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) Leftover soup (S) Horseradish crusted salmon
Sun (L) pasta (S) Gochujang tofu with Roasted Potatoes & Broccolini
Mon (yoga) leftovers
Tue - Spanish Ratatouille (Milk Street Tuesday Nights)
Wed - leftovers
Thurs (yoga) leftovers
Fri - take n bake pizza

Lunches - Fennel and tomato wild rice soup (Great American Slow Cooker Cookbook)


Gochujang [Tofu] with Roasted Potatoes & Broccolini (Eating Well, Dec 2021) vegetarian
Easy, fairly tasty, nice and spicy! I did find the broccolini on the tough side, and it might have benefited from a quick blanching, but that kinda defeats the simplicity of this dish. I did sub in tofu for the steak (a bit to the Husbands dismay) and I really liked the spicy sauce against the creamy tofu. I would absolutely make this again.

Photo from eatingwell.com

Serves 4

1 ½ pounds fingerling potatoes, halved or quartered lengthwise, depending on size
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
¼ teaspoon salt, divided
¼ teaspoon ground pepper, divided
1 medium apple, coarsely chopped
½ medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 scallions, chopped, whites and greens separated
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons gochujang
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 pound steak tips OR 1 lb extra firm tofu
1 pound broccolini, trimmed

Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Place a large rimmed baking sheet on the lower rack. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line another baking sheet with foil.

Toss potatoes with 2 tablespoons oil and 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Carefully transfer to the hot baking sheet. Roast on the lower rack, flipping once, until the potatoes are browned and tender, about 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine apple, onion, scallion whites, garlic, brown sugar, gochujang, soy sauce and vinegar in a blender. Puree until smooth. Reserve 1/2 cup for serving and pour the rest into the bowl; add steak tips and toss to coat. Marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Combine broccolini, the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a medium bowl; toss to coat.
Arrange the broccolini on one side of the foil-lined baking sheet and the steak on the other side. Roast on the upper rack until the broccolini is tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the steak registers 125°F for medium-rare, 10 to 14 minutes. Turn the broiler to high and broil until the broccolini and steak start to brown, 1 to 2 minutes.

Serve the steak with the broccolini, potatoes and reserved sauce. Garnish with scallion greens.

Vicarious by Rhett C Bruno

Vicarious by Rhett C. Bruno
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: The real world is only where you breathe…

In High Earth, entertainment is everything. Virtual Worlds. Games. Steaming shows. Simulations—there’s something for everybody. You don't ever even have to leave your home.

For Asher Reinhart, nothing compares to Ignis: Live, a reality show that pushes human beings to their very extremes. As a volunteer director, he closely monitors the lives of those living on an Interstellar Ark, believing they're the last of humanity.

Mission is the show's brightest young star. Born in hiding, her intelligence and near-perfect genetics have allowed her to rise up the ranks faster than any before her. But now that it's her turn to provide for the Ark, everything changes...

With Mission's life placed in danger, Asher is forced to choose: between the show he loves, or the woman whose existence has been the focus of his attention since the day he was born.

The 100 meets The Truman Show in this science fiction story about the power of human connection, from USA Today Bestselling and Nebula Award-Nominated author Rhett C. Bruno. It’s perfect for fans of Hugh Howey, Kim Stanley Robinson, and Michael Crichton.

Read for Oct 2021 book group. Read on audio.

I have a love/hate relationship with this book.

What I enjoyed:
The over all concept - interesting world building, interesting future speculation, interesting characters especially with the protagonist Asher and a very interesting conclusion.

The depths to which human society has sunk as relates to virtual reality and reality TV is cause for despair. Which is part of the overall point - just look at reality shows on TV today. Where will society stop when it comes to entertainment and human depravity? Interesting question...

Where I struggled:
Some of the nuances or details of the book didn't mesh with the future society and this may be hard to describe if you haven't read the book. The main item being conditions on Ignis - shared birth control? ICK and not entirely realistic beyond a handful of generations (hormonal life span). Expecting the entire population of Ignis to abstain from sex till their appointed "breeding time"? Unrealistic and implausible. If this is such an advanced society (despite being stuck on a fake ship), use artificial insemination to achieve population and birthing objectives, not "hey, you're 20 and never had sex, here's your 50 year old partner! Enjoy!". WTHeck. Massively ick. So, some issues with the execution of Ignis.

The extremes between High Earth and the Outcasts was almost too extreme? I still waffle on this one.

The antagonist (Asher's boss and the creator of Ignis live) was almost laughable in his evil villain role.

So. I quite enjoyed this book, with aspects that at times kicked me out of the story and made me so frustrated. Kudo's to the author for eliciting such a response. This is a book you need to read and decide for yourself. Recommended with some significant reservations.



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Recipe Review from 11/29/2021

Welcome to December! I can't believe how fast the year went.  Only two new recipes this week. The salmon croquettes are from the Irish Pub Cookbook and we make these about once a year. Spaghetti was a place holder for meatballs and sauce, which we did over a hoagie bun and then over egg noodles. I made the meatballs ahead on Sunday, nice and simple, ready for the week.

Buffalo!

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) leftover burritos (S) salmon croquettes
Sun (S) leftover burritos (S) salmon croquettes
Mon (yoga/bkgrp) - spaghetti
Tues (haircut) - sablefish and grits
Wed (yoga) -
Thurs - sablefish and grits
Fri - ??

Lunches - slow cooked turkey wild rice soup


Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (Damn Delicious blog)
Most excellent! For myself, this is what I like in a creamy wild-rice soup. My only modification was I used 1 1/2 lb wild turkey breast, which I kept whole and let cook in the stock mixture. I removed, shreaded and proceeded as written with adding the milk and half 'n half. I would absolutely make this again! Recommended.

About 8-10 servings.

photo from damndelicious.com

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup wild rice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup half and half
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley


Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Place chicken into a 6-qt slow cooker.

Stir in chicken stock, wild rice, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours. Add mushrooms during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.

Remove chicken from the slow cooker and shred, using two forks.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Whisk in milk and half and half, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 4-5 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Stir chicken and milk mixture into the slow cooker. If the soup is too thick, add more half and half as needed until desired consistency is reached.

Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.


Creole Spiced White Fish with Cheddar Grits (Sitka Salmon)
I made this twice because I followed the directions on the back of a package of Bob's Red Mill Grits/Polenta, which makes 4 servings. I set aside the extra in the fridge and on the second day, I re-heated the grits in the oven while the fish baked. I think I liked the second day a bit more, but it didn't have the pan sauce which was tasty. So...stink up the house by cooking the fish on the stove? Or, bake in the oven and forgo the pan sauce? One could take the juices from the oven and do a quick pan sauce, but now you have an extra dish to clean.

I did use sablefish for this with excellent results. This rich buttery fish holds up very well to the Creole seasoning.

This does come together very quickly, is easy to assemble, and I think has the potential for some variety options (sauteed mushrooms anyone?). Highly recommended.

Serves 2

photo from sitkasalmon.com

One portion white fish fillet (12 to 14 ounces), such as lingcod, pacific cod, sablefish, or rockfish, cut into 2 pieces
1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed, plus more for brushing
1 teaspoon Creole spice blend or paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup quick-cooking grits
½ cup (loosely packed) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup (tightly packed) baby spinach, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
¼ cup dry white wine
1 scallion, white and green parts, thinly sliced


SEASON THE FISH
Pat the fish dry with paper towels and brush with oil. Rub the Creole seasoning and a pinch of salt and pepper all over the fish.

MAKE THE CHEESY GRITS
In a small saucepan over high heat, bring 1¾ cups water to a boil. While stirring, gradually add the grits and a generous pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese, spinach, and 1 tablespoon butter. Cover to keep warm.

COOK THE FISH
Meanwhile, in a medium nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the fish and cook, turning once, until golden and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the fillet. Transfer to a plate.

MAKE THE SAUCE
Return the skillet to medium heat, add the wine, and cook until slightly reduced, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the remaining butter and swirl the pan until melted. Season with salt to taste.

SERVE
Spoon the grits onto plates, dividing evenly. Top each with a piece of fish and half of the sauce. Garnish with the scallions and serve.