If there was one cookbook where I’d want to try all the recipes out of, this is the cookbook I would choose. Donna Hay’s No Time to Cook is such a great book that it’s a shame it’s not being sold on amazon.com.

I’ve made about a dozen things out of this book and I like how all the recipes have pictures so you know what to expect. The recipes are no fuss and many of them can be done quickly. Those that have longer cooking times have minimal hands on time.

Some favourites have been the balsamic chicken stack, the curry-crusted chicken is in regular rotation, and her marinades and sauces are a breeze to make and so versatile.

I find that I have to do a bit of adjustments with her recipes because she’ll call for too much of something that completely overwhelms the dish. An example is the squashed tomatoes and spaghetti that called for way too many tomatoes. It was easy to see that it was too much and it’s hardly an issue to not make that dish again. The final dish was excellent.

I made the Crunchy Parmesan-Crumbed Chicken with good results. The ingredient list is 6 items (including pepper) and was really easy to throw together. In the recipe, you make a large batch of breadcrumbs that you can portion off and freeze for future use.

I thought maybe if I started making tarts, they wouldn’t look as ugly as my pies. The pre-formed tart shape keeps everything looking the way it’s supposed to and look less like a kitchen accident.

It seems that I can’t show up to a family event empty handed anymore as my relatives anticipate what I’m bringing. It’s my aunt’s 60th birthday so I tried to make something sophisticated. I also wanted something easy with few ingredients involved. This recipe claims sophistication and all I had to buy was some heavy cream and I was all set. Done.

The crust is a sweet tart dough and you can just press it into the pan. This saves me from trying to roll out mis-shapened circles. You pat it into the tart, put foil on it (no weights needed) and bake. Once that’s cool it’s time for the filling.

Do you have chocolate, heavy cream, and butter? That’s the entire list of ingredients for the filling. So make sure that chocolate you’re using is something you’d eat plain. I used 70% Lindt chocolate and I have a feeling this may be too bitter for the kiddies at the party.

To complete the tart, all you have to do is pour the ganache:

Refrigerate for 30 minutes and you’re done. Simple.

The ganache makes it a very rich tart so all you need is a thin slice of it, otherwise it’s too overwhelming. This would also work well as mini tarts. This tart is more adult than kid friendly with the bittersweet, but you can make this with a lower percentage. I think 60% cocoa content would appeal to a wider audience. In the book Dorie says the ganache will taste the same as the chocolate. This was confirmed when my brother in law asked if I had just melted chocolate and poured it right into the tart shell. So use a chocolate you like!

Recipe here.

With a sudden urge to make muffins I flipped through my books to find something appealing. I eventually ended up at the Allspice Crumb muffins recipe from Dorie Greenspan’s book, Baking: From My Home to Yours. Even though I have made several recipes from her book, I feel that I’m not using the book enough. It’s a huge book and I’ve mentally bookmarked many recipes, I just haven’t gotten around to making them yet.

These muffins come out of the oven perfectly moist (is it all that melted butter in them?), but I don’t think there was a strong enough all spice flavour so the muffins turned out pretty bland. My spice is pretty old so that’s probably a factor, but I would double the amount next time. I think this is a good base recipe and I’ll be using this recipe substituting cinnamon for all spice. Or maybe add in some chopped apples and some cardamom in it.

Recipe can be found here.

This review is on one of the oldest books in my collection, Clueless in the Kitchen. When I was living on my own, this was one of the two books I bought. I bought this online just from the title alone.

The book claims it is a cookbook for teens, but it’s for everyone and it’s a book you can grow with. It’s aimed at individuals who are living on their own and goes over kitchen essentials, how to defrost a freezer, and how to shop for food. Throughout the book are icons to designate cheap eats, comfort food (“mom food”), vegetarian, cooking to impress, couch potato food, and quick food. I wish the index had a section for these icons so I wouldn’t have to flip through the book looking for an icon. There’s also suggested menus and a glossary at the back that is helpful.

I’ve made a ton of recipes in here and have dishes that make it into regular rotation. When my cooking skills increased and I had to figure out how to make a gravy, I turned to this book. The recipes here are simple but solid. My mom, who can make crazy good Filipino dishes, struggles with dishes that aren’t in her usual repertoire. She would use this book to make meals for when company came over and they always turned out tasty. If this book helped my mom and me out, it’s sure to help anybody else.

The book doesn’t have any photos at all. It has diagrams on how to cut up food, but no pictures of finished dishes. Please don’t let that deter you, the outcome is always turns out.

Here are a few of the (many) recipes I love:
- Curry glazed chicken
- Chocolate mocha torte (back when I couldn’t bake, I made this all the time)
- Mushrooms masquerading as escargots (mushrooms drenched in garlic and butter, instant winner)

I recently tried the stir fry recipe that’s in the book and it’s also repeat worthy. And guess what? This dish was more liked than the Cook’s Illustrated recipe I tried.

Stir fry is probably the quickest and easiest way of getting more vegetables into your diet. I used marinated tofu cubes that gave it a nice punch of flavour.

Stir-Fry (adapted from Clueless in the Kitchen)
Serves 3-4

1 bunch of broccoli, florets cut and stems thinly sliced
1 red pepper, sliced lengthwise
4 green onions cut into 1″ pieces
Marinated tofu cubes
1/4 cup vegetable broth
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil

Soy sauce mixture
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon sherry
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup broth

Prep everything beforehand as this is quick to cook. In a small bowl combine all the ingredients of the soy sauce mixture. Pour half the vegetable/peanut oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir-fry the tofu until it gets a bit crispy, remove and set aside.

Add the rest of the oil and when hot fry garlic until fragrant (about 10 seconds) then add the broccoli and pepper and stir-fry for 1-2 mins. Add green onions, the rest of the broth and cover the pan to steam the veggies (about 2 mins). The broccoli should be lightly cooked. Put the tofu back in, add the soy sauce mixture and stir constantly. When the sauce thickens and becomes glossy, it’s done.

I make bread frequently enough that I now have a small collection of books solely focused on bread alone. There’s something about the smell of bread baking in the oven and having a slice while still warm slathered with butter.

This isn’t the healthiest bread I’ve made, but it’s also one of the tastiest breads I’ve made (bread and cheese — can you even go wrong there?). This recipe is from Peter Reinhart’s new book Artisan Breads Every Day. It was nice to be able to mix the dough and have it sit in the fridge for a few days before baking. This makes it easy to fit into your schedule. There’s a lot of cheese involved so it’s a good way to use up any leftover cheeses. I did a mix of cheddar and cambozola and I think next time I’ll make one entirely of cambozola. My huge stand mixer had severe issues handling this dough. In the recipe it says to knead at medium-low which is a 4 on the KitchenAid. I can usually knead doughs at the speed required, but my mixer was struggling so much that I was afraid it’d break. Even at speed 2 it struggled.

After rolling up the dough and placing it in the loaf pans, I recommend having a baking sheet below to catch any cheese drippings. One of my loaves oozed cheese out onto my baking stone which was a terrible mess to clean.

I put one loaf in the freezer and one to eat. The one that wasn’t frozen was very fluffy and soft, the frozen one being more dense. I’m not sure if that had to do with me freezing it or how I rolled up the dough.

Despite some set backs, this bread is definitely repeat worthy. I scarfed almost a whole loaf of bread in no time.

Recipe can be found here.

After loving Vegan with a Vengeance so much, I picked up Veganomicon without even looking through it. I have to admit that I don’t really use this book as often and had to make an effort to make something out of the book. I don’t think it’s as approachable as the first one and find a lot of the recipes require many ingredients or steps. I still regularly make items from the first book, but very few recipes I’ve tried in this book seem to repeat worthy. I have yet to make any of the desserts, so maybe that will change my mind.

The portion sizes in this book are rather large for me and what might serve 4-6 people would really be 8-10. This is another draw back for me as we only have 2 people in this household, but I wouldn’t hold this as a negative for the book, it was never meant to serve on a small scale.

Amazon is giving rave reviews on this book, so if there’s a must try recipe, please let me know!

I made Chickpeas Romesco from Veganomicon. The recipe makes a ginormous batch for 2 people. We ate this dish for what seemed like forever. I liked it, but R didn’t find it “flavourful” enough. I thought this could be a repeat recipe, but he nixed that idea saying I’ve made better things. This is a very hearty and saucy dish so be sure to serve this with some rice or even pasta.

Recipe here.

The Pie and Pastry Bible is book #2 for week 2 of my reviews. I’m a huge fan of Rose Levy Beranbaum and I practically have her entire book collection. As with her other “bibles”, this is a huge book with over 300 recipes. There is an entire chapter just on crusts. What I like most about Beranbaum’s books is that weights are listed along with the volume measurement. Weights are much more accurate as 1 cup of flour can be anywhere from 4-6 ounces — a difference that can make something dry instead of moist.

Instructions in this book are very explicit and the tone is very methodical. It seems people either love or hate this tone. The instructions can get wordy and this is sometimes confusing. I have to admit I don’t like her method for making pie crusts. She has you put all the ingredients in a big ziplock bag and use that to knead everything. I’d rather much feel the dough under my hands. The bag is there to prevent stickiness and you can use food safe gloves instead. The resulting dough is really easy to roll out and shape. Her favourite crust is the cream cheese crust, but my favourite crust in her book is the deluxe flaky one. Very flaky and tender.

I’ve made several items from the book and they have all been tasty. Noteworthy ones are the pumpkin pie, peach pie, and the cheddar cheese crust is amazing. One possible drawback is that a lot of these recipes are lengthy and usually complicated. The results are worth the labour in my opinion, but if you’re looking for a quick and easy book, this is not for you.

Overall, if you’re looking to perfect your pastry and pie making skills, this is the book that should be on your shelf. While my pies won’t win any beauty pageants any time soon, they are pretty darn tasty.

I finally made my way to Fiesta Farms and spotted Meyer lemons. I’ve only heard about these guys from food blogs. Meyer lemons are supposed to be sweeter, it’s a cross between an orange and a lemon.

Lemon meringue pie was destined to be.

Lemon meringue is probably one of my most favourite kind of pie. I may even like it better than pumpkin. It’s the meringue piled high and when it’s toasted, the crunch and lightness that you get in your mouth that I love. I even like the slight tartness of a lemon, it balances the sweetness of the meringue.

I’m terrible at making pies look pretty. I roll out the pie dough that’s never quite circular in shape and my fluting is pitiful. It’s all about practice I guess, but maybe I should give up and make tarts instead?

I rolled out the pie dough too thin so to get a piece you grab a spoon and scoop it out onto a plate. To make matters worse, I left my Italian meringue unattended while I was whipping it and didn’t turn out quite right. Despite appearances, it’s a very smooth filling and isn’t too tart. I’d prefer it to be more tart, so I’ll use less sugar if I make it with Meyer lemons. The meringue is very light and it isn’t the usual overly sweet meringue.

I’d like to try this recipe again — it’d be nice to have a pie you could cut and serve instead of scooping it out.

Apparently it’s National Curried Chicken Day so here is an oldie but a goodie for me, this dish is simple and easy — perfect for a beginner.

This is from Clueless in the Kitchen, something I picked up almost 10 years ago and I’m pretty sure I only bought it because of the title. There aren’t any pictures, just a few diagrams, but the text is straightforward. This honey glazed curry chicken isn’t too spicy for the intrepid, it’s subtle and sweet. Considering how many meals I’ve only made once and never went back to, I do like making this on occasion.

Curry Glazed Chicken adapted from Clueless in the Kitchen
Serves 2

1 Tablespoon butter
1/4 Cup honey
3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 Teaspoons curry powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 pound chicken*

*for me, this varies. I’ve used boneless skinless thighs and breasts. Sometimes whole, sometimes cut up into pieces so they get more sauce on it. The original calls for a 3 pound chicken cut up into pieces, but I like having extra sauce

Preheat oven to 375. Put butter into a 8 x 8 baking dish (9×13 if using the original 3 pound chicken) and pop it in the oven to melt. Once melted, stir in the honey, mustard, curry, and salt. Add the chicken and make sure they are well coated.

Bake for 45 minutes (this can vary depending on the chicken you’ve chosen, boneless chicken breasts that are cut up will cook up quicker, so check in on it a little earlier).

First book is Jaden Hair’s The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook. I first came across her site looking for a fish recipe. Since then I’ve made her German oven pancakes and her baby back ribs with orange glaze and have many more recipes bookmarked. So when her cookbook came out I was very excited to get it.

The book is in-depth going into tools, ingredient, and basic recipes for sauces, stock, and salts. If you’re a visual learner, there are pictures for almost every single recipe in the book. It’s always nice to know if the dish you made looks similar to the one in the book. For some of the recipes how to photos are provided in case you don’t know how to make rolls or wrap wontons. And the photos? Jaden has done a fabulous job of food styling and photographing the dishes. Stunning!

Recipes are simple and quick to make. I’ve started to make my way through the book and have made the Pad Thai, Garlic Butter Noodles, and Quick Omelette with Shrimp and Peas all with excellent results. There’s many more I’d like to try.

One of my favourites in the book (so far) is the Baked Crispy Chicken with Citrus Teriyaki Sauce. It is crazy delicious and so simple to make. The temperature of the oven needs to be at 475F. My oven runs a lot cooler on higher temperatures so my oven thermometer was a big help. The timing was perfect and the chicken came out incredibly moist.

You must try this recipe.

Baked Crispy Chicken with Citrus Teriyaki Sauce (reprinted with permission from Jaden Hair)
Serves 4 as part of a multicourse meal

1/2 cup (50 g) all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 cup (120 g) panko breadcrumbs
1 lb (500 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Nonstick cooking spray

Citrus Teriyaki Dipping Sauce
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons orange juice
3 tablespoons sake
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons mirin

1. In a saucepot, bring all ingredients for the Citrus Teriyaki Dipping Sauce to a boil. Turn the heat to low and let simmer for 6 minutes until slightly thickened.
2. Preheat the oven to 475F(245C).
3. Line up 3 shallow bowls. Put the flour in the first bowl, the eggs in the second (and beat with fork), and the panko in the third bowl. Also have nearby a sheet pan with a baking rack placed in it (Note: I used a broiler pan that worked fine)
4. Pound each chicken breast to 1/4 to 1/2 inch (6mm-12mm) thickness. Season each piece of chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.
5. You’ll work with one piece of chicken at a time. Lightly dredge a piece in the flour on both sides. Then dip in the beaten eggs, making sure that you coat the entire piece. Then, pat in the panko, pressing gently to adhere the crumbs. While the chicken is still in the shallow bowl with the panko, spray the topside with cooking spray. Place the chicken piece onto the baking rack with the side you’ve just sprayed facing down. Then spray the other side with cooking spray. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, then cut into several pieces. To serve, lay a bed of shredded lettuce on a plate, top with the sliced chicken pieces and serve with the Citrus Teriyaki Dipping Sauce.

When I bought my dutch oven, I really wanted it for no knead bread. In the end I used it for many things except for making no knead bread. I made the bread once. Confession: I wasn’t sold on the no knead bread craze. It ended up being way too chewy for me and staled so quickly I gave some to my dog and made the rest into breadcrumbs. My dog wasn’t too fond of it either — after he had a piece he drank his entire bowl of water.

So when I saw the Cook’s Illustrated almost no knead bread version I made it. And then made it again. And will make it again really soon, maybe tomorrow. This is all within a week by the way. I’ve consumed more carbs than normal and it’s all this bread’s fault.

What makes this bread so spectacular? 3 things: vinegar, beer, and a teeny tiny bit of kneading (10-15 times). The bread is good for 2 days, but is still excellent toasted after that. Really, the bread doesn’t last much longer than 2 days. I also appreciate this recipe’s ease of getting the dough into the dutch oven. Previously, you had a very wet dough and had to flour the crap out of tea towels to prevent the dough from sticking. Then, you flipped it into the hot dutch oven. It was a terrible mess. This version you let it rise in a skillet with parchment and then you lift the parchment with the dough on it and place it into the dutch oven. Less mess.

I’ve tried this with Canadian unbleached and bleached flour. I found that unbleached provides a much chewier bread than with bleached and I preferred the latter. Try both and see what works for you. Cook’s Illustrated also offers a few variations on it such as olive, rosemary, and parmesan, a rye bread and a whole wheat version. I can see myself doing a roasted garlic no knead bread — yum.

How does it compare to other breads I’ve made? I’m not about to abandon my bread making process, not kneading isn’t a top priority for me as I have a stand mixer, but it’s nice to have a simple recipe that you can get creative with and throw together in a minute. If you didn’t like the original no knead bread, you really should try this one.

You can find the recipe here.