Back in the saddle again! I didn’t do a WFS on Friday because I already did a Thanksgiving recipe round-up, and the rest of the week was just basic food made while prepping for Thanksgiving. If you twist my arm, I can share some pie photos, though:
This is my hugs and kisses salted bourbon pecan pie, with which I hoped to ingratiate myself with the eight-year-old (it worked):
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This is my “oh no, this pie is full of buttons or something” apple pie, which I made while Damien was telling me something upsetting about the Legion, and which made me forget that I was making pie, so I just slapped a plain crust on and then slashed at it a bunch of times. When I calmed down, I tried to make it less of an anger pie, so I made some long slits at an angle and folded the triangles down, then stuck a bunch of dough circles into the openings. It certainly was a pie.
I also made some pumpkin pies, a chocolate cream pie, and another apple pie, but they weren’t much to look at.
I will share my cranberry brie tart recipe again, because it’s a great one for Christmas or New Year’s, too – very pretty, and easy to make. I messed mine up eleven different ways, including thinking I had phyllo dough when really it was puff pastry, and I ran out of honey, and just screwed it up generally. They just weren’t as nice, and I overbaked them, so the brie kind of vanished into the dough. Still nice, though. Just not top notch.
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This year, we also had the best gravy I’ve ever made. I have no idea what made the difference, but it was just so rich, dark, and delicious. And salty. Probably that was it. I really like salt.
One final picture: We didn’t have guests and didn’t set a formal table, but I did ask a child — a child who is old enough to drive! — to open up some cans of cranberry sauce and arrange them so they look fancy and nice. This is what he did:
Onward and upward! Here’s what we had this week:
SATURDAY
Aldi pizza
Friday we had Thanksgiving redux, and Saturday we were ready for something completely different but very easy. Aldi pizza it was.
SUNDAY
Roast beef sandwiches, chips
I had bought a couple of roasts when they were on sale a while back, and forgot to take them out of the freezer in time to roast them Sunday, so they weren’t fully thawed. It turns out this is actually a life hack, and keeps the center nice and rare like we like it.
I had mine on a toasted roll with horseradish sauce, provolone, and some tomatoes.
MONDAY
Chicken parm sandwiches, cheesy bread sticks
I went shopping on Monday, rather than the weekend, for fear of the plague rats, I mean fellow human beings who are worthy of being treated with dignity but dammit, it’s December and masks are now officially keeping your face warm so just WEAR THEM for crying out loud, sheeeesh, and we got home extremely late. We had ciabatta rolls with frozen chicken patties, topped with a slice of provolone and a scoop of warm sauce.
If you, too, were wondering, it is fine to call this chicken parm even though there is no parm involved, as the dish was originally from Parma, Italy, which is coincidentally where Aldi was invented. Check here if you are still reading: ___ YES ____NO
Not a spectacular meal, but quick and somewhat more satisfying than just frozen chicken burgers.
TUESDAY
Ham, peas, garlic mashed potatoes
The favorite meal of a surprising number of Fishers. I did get a pre-cooked ham, which makes it super easy, but forgot my (literal) ham hack, which is to cut it up while it’s cold and then heat it in the oven. So boo hoo, so people had to heat theirs up in the microwave.
I made ten whole pounds of mashed potatoes, and boiled an entire peeled head of garlic along with the water, and then dumped in a whole canister of parmesan along with the butter and milk. RECOMMENDED, as long as you like being fat, which, you know, [ragged panting sounds] evidently.
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I also recommend using Aldi’s sweet and spicy mustard on your ham. It’s nicely tangy and really dresses it up.
WEDNESDAY
Pork ribs, risotto, roasted acorn squash rings
A pretty good meal that could be thrown together in about half an hour, if you have an Instant Pot. Hwitch I do. And which now sports this amazing steam-breathing dragon, thanks to my friend Laura.
(It’s actually a useful device because the valve sends steam straight up in the air, so if your IP is under a cabinet, it can wreck things. This diverts the steam to the side. There are several cute styles for sale on Amazon.)
Sadly, I only had a little white wine in the house (somebody drank it, me), so it was a tiny bit bland. Great texture, though, very melty and creamy. I’ve updated my recipe to include butter and a longer cook time, and it’s a vast improvement.
The pork ribs, I just sprinkled heavily with salt and pepper on both sides and broiled them, turning once.
Actual footage of me, turning once:
I tried a new recipe for acorn squash, and it was okay, not amazing. You cut the top off and scoop out the seeds, then cut the squash into thin rings. This is the neat part, as they come out looking like 70’s flowers.
Then you brush the rings with maple syrup, olive oil, sriracha, and salt and pepper, and broil them. I don’t know, they were just kind of greasy and spicy. I wanted to like them, but either they need different proportions, or better quality syrup, or something. You were supposed to sprinkle cilantro over the top, but I don’t see how that would have helped. I thought the kids would like them because they were at least cute to look at, but they simply admired them from afar while shoveling in more risotto.
THURSDAY
Bibimbap
It’s bibeen too long! I got the pork sliced nice and thin and marinating in a gochujang sauce in the morning
Jump to Recipeand set some carrots to pickling
Jump to Recipeand even measured out the water and rice in the IP ahead of time. None of the stores had alfalfa sprouts or pea shoots, so I grabbed some baby spinach and bok choy, plus some crunchy noodles. Then I lost the spinach I bought, but it was still lovely. I love this meal. Fry up them eggs in hot oil and give them a crunchy edge, but leave the yolks runny.
I don’t know if I was especially hungry or what, but this was the best bibimbap I’ve ever made. I made myself a second egg when I was halfway through, just to prolong the experience.
The runny egg yolk with the spicy tender pork and the fluffy rice and the crunchy noodles and bok choy — oh boy. We’ve had a lot of rainy, dreary days and this hit the spot. This is a popular meal because people can pick whatever they want and assemble their own bowls. One kid just has rice and egg, and that’s fine with me.
FRIDAY
Friday I drove up north a ways to go see my mom in the nursing home, then did some Christmas shopping, and when I got home I was so wiped out, I just made a plate of scrambled eggs and a tray of toast, and burned it all. The kids were very nice about it. There was also some leftover risotto, which helped.
Oh, about the title. The secret ingredient is salt. Oh, and after most of the kids went to bed, Damien and I sliced up a baguette and toasted it with olive oil and freshly ground salt and pepper, then topped it with brie, smoked salmon, and cheap caviar. [heart explodes]
Here’s some recipe cards! Have fun, you crazy kids, and don’t forget the salt.
Salted bourbon pecan pie filling
This pecan pie is somewhat more mellow and less screamingly sweet than some. A one-crust pie, but it's nice if you have some extra pie dough to make leaf or other shapes to arrange over the top.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 Tbsp bourbon
- 1-2 cups raw pecans (whole)
- sea salt
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350.
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In a standing mixer, cream together the sugar and butter until well combined.
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Add eggs one at a time until well combined. Then add the maple syrup, salt, vanilla, and bourbon. Continue mixing until well combined.
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Add half of the pecans and stir in with a fork. Pour the filling into an unbaked pie shell.
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Carefully arrange the rest of the pecans over the top of the filling.
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Bake pie for 45-55 minutes. Center will still be slightly jiggly when it comes out of the oven, but it will firm up.
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Cool completely. Sprinkle with sea salt before serving.
Cranberry brie tarts
This recipe looks complicated, but you can simplify or alter it however you like. Basically you want some kind of pastry, brie, cranberries with sugar, and honey, and an herb on top. A delicious and beautiful little appetizer, great for Thanksgiving or Christmas parties.
Ingredients
- 1/2 roll phyllo dough
- 6-8 oz brie
- small bunch fresh sage or thyme, coarsely chopped
cranberries:
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- cinnamon
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- dash salt
- 2 Tbsp melted butter for cranberries
honey mixture:
- 2 Tbsp butter for honey mixture
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 425
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In a little pot, combine the honey, the butter, and the extract. Heat through and set aside.
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In a bowl, mix the cranberries with melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a dash of salt. Set aside.
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Cut brie into 24 equal pieces and set aside.
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Prepare a 24-hole mini cupcake pan with butter or spray. You can also use a full-size cupcake pan, but the tarts will be a little unwieldy and won't hold together as well.
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Unroll the phyllo dough and cut it into twelve equal stacks. Cover the dough with a damp cloth while you're working so the dough doesn't get brittle.
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Pull out one stack of phyllo dough squares and use half the squares to line a cupcake tin, fanning them out to make a little cup. Make sure the bottom of the tin has several layers of dough, so it won't fall apart when you take it out of the pan.
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When you have arranged all the pastry cups, drizzle them with half the honey-butter mixture.
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Lay a piece of brie in the bottom of each cup, then put a scoop of sugared cranberries on top of that. Drizzle with the rest of the honey-butter mixture.
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Bake for 15 minutes or so until the pastry is just golden brown.
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Top each cup with a bit of chopped herbs.
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Let the tarts sit in the pan for five minutes before serving. Serve hot.
Garlic parmesan mashed potatoes
Ingredients
- 5-6 lbs potatoes
- 8-10 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 8 Tbsp butter
- 1-1/2 cups milk
- 8 oz grated parmesan
- salt and pepper
Instructions
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Peel the potatoes and put them in a pot. Cover the with water. Add a bit of salt and the smashed garlic cloves.
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Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer with lid loosely on until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.
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Drain the water out of the pot. Add the butter and milk and mash well.
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Add the parmesan and salt and pepper to taste and stir until combined.
Instant Pot Risotto
Almost as good as stovetop risotto, and ten billion times easier. Makes about eight cups.
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground sage
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 cups rice, raw
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups dry white wine
- 1/2 cup butter
- pepper
- 1.5 cups grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
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Turn IP on sautee, add oil, and sautee the onion, garlic, salt, and sage until onions are soft.
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Add rice and butter and cook for five minutes or more, stirring constantly, until rice is mostly opaque and butter is melted.
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Press "cancel," add the broth and wine, and stir.
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Close the top, close valve, set to high pressure for 9 minutes.
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Release the pressure and carefully stir in the parmesan cheese and pepper. Add salt if necessary.
Korean sauce for bibimbap or other dishes with meat
A sweet, spicy, savory Korean sauce for cooking, marinating, or brushing on to grill. Susceptible to many adjustments if you like it sweeter or spicier, thicker or thinner. This recipe makes enough to cook 4-5 lbs of meat.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup gochujang (fermented pepper paste)
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar or plain vinegar
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
Instructions
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Blend all ingredients together. If you're cooking in the Instant Pot, you may want to add 1/4 cup water or so to make sure there is enough liquid to prevent burning.
quick-pickled carrots and/or cucumbers for banh mi, bibimbap, ramen, tacos, etc.
An easy way to add tons of bright flavor and crunch to a meal. We pickle carrots and cucumbers most often, but you can also use radishes, red onions, daikon, or any firm vegetable.
Ingredients
- 6-7 medium carrots, peeled
- 1 lb mini cucumbers (or 1 lg cucumber)
For the brine (make double if pickling both carrots and cukes)
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar (other vinegars will also work; you'll just get a slightly different flavor)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
Instructions
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Mix brine ingredients together until salt and sugar are dissolved.
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Slice or julienne the vegetables. The thinner they are, the more flavor they pick up, but the more quickly they will go soft, so decide how soon you are going to eat them and cut accordingly!
Add them to the brine so they are submerged.
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Cover and let sit for a few hours or overnight or longer. Refrigerate if you're going to leave them overnight or longer.
