As I’m writing this, my mouth is watering. Just remembering the slightly sharp taste of the artichoke hearts, the Romano cheese and onion do it. So good, and so very easy. As long as you have marinated artichoke hearts on your pantry shelf – and some Romano cheese (Romano has a stronger flavor than Parmesan – but if Parmesan is all you have – go for it). I always have red onion and mayo. But you’ve got to start with a fresh baguette loaf too.

All you need to do it chop up the onion and let it sit in some vinegar water for 10 minutes or so to take away that harsh bite, drain it, blot it dry, then mix it with some chopped marinated artichokes, some grated Romano cheese and some mayo. Really, how much more simple can that be? You don’t have to pre-bake the baguette slices – as long as you bake these in a hot oven (400°) it crisps up the slices during the baking time. Spread some of this on top of each baguette slice, bake and you’re done. Instant appetizer almost. Or a quick lunch? And if, by some strange chance, you have some leftover topping, pile it on top of the flattened chicken breast, top it with some buttered bread crumbs, or just plain Panko crumbs, and bake for about 15-20 minutes. Also easy.

The recipe came from yet another Phillis Carey cooking class – this one was about planning for Thanksgiving. The mixture can be made ahead a day or two – just assemble and bake at the last minute.

What I liked: well, the flavor altogether. And how easy it was.

What I didn’t like: nothing at all.

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You know, of course, that we Americans, and particularly people from the American South, must eat black eyed peas on New Years’ Day, because it guarantees good luck in the new year. I had hoped to find some fresh black eyed peas, but alas, they’re very hard to come by in California. Perhaps they’re available everywhere in the South. Most years I haven’t paid much attention to the tradition, but I decided we needed to guarantee it for 2012! Instead of making hoppin’ John, a hot black eyed pea dish, I decided to make a cold salad. I went to Eat Your Books to see what recipes I had on my own bookshelves, and immediately went to Deborah Madison’s vegetarian cookbook, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

Even though I mostly followed Deborah Madison’s recipe, I made a couple of deviations. I added a slice of bacon to the beans as they were simmering to tenderness, but that’s optional. And fished it out once they were cooked since it was soggy. The bacon added some nice smoky flavor to the beans. Once drained I added in the tomato, feta, green onions, parsley and oregano. The dressing is a lemony one, and this is where I deviated. I did use lemon juice (our winter crop is in full swing right now), but I added twice as much lemon juice as called for. Beans just love acid. I learned this many years ago when making one of my favorites – and I didn’t name this salad – Paul Prudhomme did – it’s called The Best Bean Salad. In that salad (also a cold bean salad) you add a whole LOT of apple cider vinegar. In the write-up about the recipe Paul even said it’s not a typo, yes, it’s almost all vinegar and he explained something about the chemistry involved – beans have a natural affinity to acid – they soak it up and mellow it. That bean salad is so low in fat it’s almost non-existent. So, I knew it would work in this recipe as well. That’s why I added twice as much lemon juice, since I knew it would be fine, and it was. It also gives the salad a piquant taste.

If at all possible, let this salad chill overnight. If you can’t, then at least give it 4-6 hours. That gives the lemon juice time to be absorbed by the beans. The flavors do mingle so much better with time to sit.

What I liked: If you like bean salads, you’ll like everything about this. Not hard. Makes a bunch. If you cut down on the oil (which you probably could do easily enough) it could be low in fat too. The little bit of crunch (green onions) is good. I might even add some red bell pepper to it as well. Since I love feta cheese, it was a good addition.

What I didn’t like: not much, other than the chore of having to soak the beans overnight, and the hour or two of cooking (and cooling) them before you start making the salad. But nothing about it is hard, so I’m not complaining! It also makes a LOT – people don’t take huge portions of a bean salad, unless it’s the only thing they’re eating.

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What I’d really wanted was one of those lovely, big bone-in pork loins, the kind that Costco usually sells over the holidays. And only during the holidays. My freezer was just too full to buy one, even though I would have cut it into more manageable sizes. So, when my DH went there on December 31st, this type was the only thing available. I’m not usually very crazy about this kind of tied-up roast because the butchers have taken two smaller boneless loins and just stuck them together to make one bigger roast. They never seem to have the same flavor as the bone-in ones. But this was what I had, so I needed to work with it, whatever it was.

My friend Cherrie had made this roast for Christmas Dinner and told me it was really delicious. The original recipe came from Southern Living, their December issue. When I made it, it was January 2nd and although some local food markets were open, I just decided to improvise and use what I could from my own pantry. I wanted it to be grilled on the barbecue, not oven roasted. I wanted to make the sauce in a pan, not nestled in the bottom of the pan with the pork grease, and I didn’t have mixed dried fruits, so I used dried apricots only. And it worked! Maybe not quite as pretty looking as the magazine’s finished product (they butterflied a big pork loin, stuffed it, then rolled and tied it).

Here, at left, are some additional photos: (1) the darling, little Seckel pears used for the sauce; (2) the sauce as it just began to simmer (with pearl onions, honey, butter, lemon juice, fresh rosemary); and (3) a plated portion with the slice of roast on the bottom, sauce on the top with some of the juices.

The roast, in a pan, on a rack, cooked in the barbecue for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, and we let it rest, tented, for about 10 minutes before everybody couldn’t stand it any longer and we started eating. And it WAS really good. Everyone seemed to like the fruit sauce. Ideally you will cut thinner slices, so everyone gets a full round slice (with stuffing in the middle). What most people wanted, though, was a half of a thicker slice. It did fit on a plate a bit better, but not quite as attractive without the fruit stripe.

What I liked: how pretty it looked; how tender the meat was, and not dry because it was removed from the barbecue at exactly 145°; the sweet/savory taste of the fruit sauce on top.

What I didn’t like: even though I added butter to the fruit sauce, I think a bit of the drippings from the pork roast would have been exceptionally good in it. I’ll leave that up to you. In the original recipe the fruit soaked up a lot of the fat – I wanted to minimize that – but surely it would be good with just a bit of it.

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For the last several years I’ve created a list, in January, of all my favorite recipes I’ve posted during the last 12 months. It’s really quite easy to do since I keep a list of my posts and they get highlighted as the year goes by. I wasn’t sure I’d have enough for 2011, but not so – I have more than I’ve had in some years. That was a surprise. I’ve ended up with about 19. That’s about 1 1/2 per month. As I looked back through the list I tried to delete a few from this list, but just couldn’t. They’re all just too good to not include. They’ve all been added to my Carolyn’s Favs list you can access on my home page (just under my main blog photo, a file tab far right). So here goes (kind of in a category order):

Beef Burgers with Bacon, Thyme and Wine Sauce on a Spinach Bed – a recipe I created myself – the sauce from an old Julia Child standby, the bacon inside the burger to add flavor and juiciness, the bed of spinach on the bottom to round out the meal.

Easy Cassoulet – oh my goodness, do I love this dish. Cassoulet is a French peasant dish, but this version is easy, has chicken (instead of duck), pork and sausage in it. Part of the deliciousness comes from the crunchy fresh bread topping. Make lots so you can freeze some.

Have you always wanted to make THE perfect baked chicken? You’ve found it here, with this Cook’s Illustrated recipe for Weeknight Roast Chicken. Requires just a little bit more time, but uses a different method. The juiciest chicken you’ll ever eat. Promise.

Really, I love Ina Garten’s recipes. And this Weeknight Bolognese is a blue-ribbon winner in my book. I’ve made this at least 7-8 times in 2011, and I make it in big quantities so I’ll have some to freeze in 2-person portions (without the pasta, of course). So worth making.

This risotto – oh gosh – is so delicious. I really think I could make this entrée for my own dinner about every two weeks for the rest of my life. A Phillis Carey recipe, called Risotto with Turkey Sausage, Corn, Leeks, Fresh Spinach and Tomatoes. It’s chock full of vegetables too.

There are days when I think I could live as a vegetarian, if I had some of these side dishes (here and below) to eat every day. Like this delicious Haricot Verts with Balsamic Vinaigrette. But then, if I were a vegetarian I’d have to give up turkey sausage. And grilled steak. And roast chicken. Nope, can’t do that!

Regular, ordinary cole slaw just doesn’t hold a candle to the couple of recipes here on my blog. It’s obvious I just don’t like those mayo-based dressings. Period. If that’s you too, then try this Sweet Cabbage Slaw (I made it with Splenda so my diabetic hubby could have all he wanted). And it’s not that sweet.

This rice and veggie salad has been a staple in my summer grilling rotation for years. And it’s the Silver Palate Vinaigrette that “makes” it. So really, this 2011 favorite is about both – the salad – Rice and Vegetable Salad – and the vinaigrette dressing – the Silver Palate’s one. They’re both in the same recipe/post.

One of my favorite veggies is yellow crookneck squash. More so in the summer when the squash is at its prime sweetness. This casserole is just full of flavor – Summer Squash Casserole with Jalapeno and Cheese.  You could make it with zucchini too, I’m sure. But it’s really great with the yellow squash.

This brunch dish – Corn, Bacon and Cheddar Strata – will just blow your socks off. At least it does for me. Nothing low calorie about it, but you could try smaller portions and it wouldn’t be quite so decadent! It’s the bacon that adds fat. But there’s also lots of carbs (corn and bread slices). But it’s sensational.

It’s no secret around my house that I’m a nut for soups. I make them year ‘round. This one I made when we were visiting our Northern California kids and grandkids. A great way to use up some leftover pork roast, if you happen to have some. It’s called Pork and Hominy Stew, but it’s really a type of Posole, the Mexican hominy soup. Just add toppings of your choice (I used avocado, cilantro and sliced radishes). Even our teenage grandkids liked this soup.

I’ve been on a mission for some years trying to find a great vegetable soup that satisfies me. That isn’t bland, or too heavy with carbs. I’ve found it, and since trying it just a couple of months ago, I’ve made it three times. It does contain some carbs (and you could add more if you want them) but mostly it’s all kinds of good-for-you veggies. Part of its secret is porcini mushroom powder (you grind up the dried ones in a blender or spice grinder) which adds great flavor to the liquid in the soup. It’s a Cook’s Illustrated recipe (from a recent issue) and it’s called Farmhouse Vegetable Soup.

This is the dressing (turkey stuffing, but not stuffed into the bird) that I made this last Thanksgiving. And I suspect it will be my be-all, end-all dressing for years to come. It’s a very veggie-rich mixture (many more veggies than standard in most dressings). It also contains Italian sausage, but the flavor comes from the multitude of mushrooms and leeks in it too. It’s called Italian Sausage Dressing with Leeks and Mushrooms. It’s a Phillis Carey recipe.

As I’ve been compiling these recipes I’m laughing at myself – I have three desserts with apples. I guess I really do love them, huh? This one, Ginger Apple Cake Torte is worth making. A winner of an online contest at Food52, a food blog written by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs. The two women wrote my latest favorite cookbook, The Essential New York Times Cookbook: Classic Recipes for a New Century.

Do note, those of you who know me well, that there is only ONE chocolate recipe in this list. Amazing, really. Apples must be my dessert of choice this year! Yet, these brownies are so good, so rich, so decadent. You’ll be very glad to have made them. Chocolate Chunk Brownies are a must-make.

If you’ve been a regular reader of my blog, you know that last year I wrote up this post and this other post about how much fun I had reading the The Essential New York Times Cookbook: Classic Recipes for a New Century. I’m still tremendously impressed with the cooking marathon performed by the authors (Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs) to compile the jillion recipes in the cookbook. They tested every single recipe, some more than once. And one of the most requested recipes is this one, Teddie’s Apple Cake. Oh so very worth making. And not difficult, either.

On the coattails of the apple cake above, this recipe, the Purple Plum Torte, is THE #1 most requested recipe at the New York Times. And it’s SO easy. Trust me. You just need to have plums in season. This also comes from the The Essential New York Times Cookbook: Classic Recipes for a New Century.

As I’m writing this, I just made this Classic Gingerbread a few days ago. Again. I didn’t make the Pumpkin Spice Gingerbread Trifle with it, that was also delicious, but I made it just for a family gathering and topped it with some vanilla ice cream. And I snuck a little piece of it yesterday with my lunch. The best gingerbread I’ve ever had – tender, flavorful and packed with spices. After having this version of gingerbread, I can just about guarantee you’ll never try another recipe.

And lastly, here’s the last apple dessert of 2011. A Cajun Apple Cake with Brandy Drizzle. It’s the drizzle that makes it. Not for tea-totalers. A tender cake filled with chunks of apple and lots of spices, then topped with nuts and the boozy sauce. Another great Phillis Carey recipe.

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Tis the season for apples. And when I can be torn away from my family favorite, Crisp Apple Pudding (it’s really an apple crisp, but that’s it’s name!), I have a few other apple desserts that I will make. Grandgirl’s Fresh Apple Cake for one. And I’m very enamored with Teddie’s Apple Cake too. But I decided to make something new this time. We had some of our family for dinner on January 2nd, and this was the dessert I made, with major help from daughter Dana.

I found the recipe over at Food Gal’s blog a couple of years ago. The original article came from the New York Times, back in 2008. David Rose (owner/chef of Spring, in Paris) was interviewed about his story – his career – which has rocketed since he opened the restaurant. Included in the article was his grandmother’s apple cake. Not something, he said, that he could or would serve in his restaurant, but he wanted to share something of his Jewish heritage.

I’d intended to use the (above) as my main photo for this post, but when I opened the whole-cake photo at top, I decided it needed to have star billing. When I say that this is a “variation” on the original, it’s only because I used one more apple than the recipe called for. I love that one big chunk of apple that’s about to fall off the slice.

The batter is a butter and egg rich one, but doesn’t contain anything unusual. You do fold into the batter about a third of the apples, then the remaining apples are arranged decoratively on top of the batter in a springform pan. It’s baked for about an hour and allowed to cool. The darker colored edges are from the cinnamon sprinkled all over the apples. Gives it a lovely golden hue. The cake was wonderful. We had 9 people partaking, and I think I heard raves from about 7 of them, me included.

What I liked: everything about it. The flavor – the cake part is really tasty too. At least half of each serving is apple, so you might think it’s healthier for you. Well, probably not so since there is a lot of butter in it. I’ll definitely make it again.

What I didn’t like: now that I know more about it, I’d cut the apples that go into the batter in smaller pieces, like 1-inch chunks. It’s hard to level the batter when it contains the rather monstrous apple slices. That’s it, though.

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One of my favorite blogs that I read regularly is Homesick Texan. Lisa Fain, the native Texan who’s homesick but lives in New York City, has become famous in the blogging world because she’s recently had her own cookbook published, aptly titled The Homesick Texan Cookbook (of course). I started reading Lisa’s blog years ago, and enjoy her writing style and love her recipes. As she explains about this recipe, she picked up an old (used) cookbook from her grandmother’s shelves – one of those community-based ones, like the Lakeland Baptist Church Women’s Club – you know, that kind of thing. Hers was a North Texas type cookbook, and this recipe jumped out at her.

Cheese balls certainly used to be big-time popular. I certainly remember them from back in  “the day.” I’ve made many over the ensuing decades, and my one and only (that’s here on my blog) is a Bombay Cheese Ball. But last week I wanted to try something new and this one is really quite easy. If you have some leftover bacon strips from breakfast, that will cut down on the cooking time. It’s the only thing that must be cooked; otherwise it’s just a variety of ingredients either added to the cream cheese or chopped up finely for rolling the cheese ball in, to make it look pretty.

I was surprised the bacon flavor wasn’t more prominent – but maybe I needed some of the bacon fat included. I used thick sliced. My cousin Gary, who helped cook while he was here over Christmas, made this, actually. I cooked the bacon and grated the cheddar cheese. He did all the rest. I had a wicked sinus infection that started about the 20th of December and I didn’t begin to get better until Christmas morning (a full 3 days after I started taking an antibiotic), so Gary really was helpful in the kitchen.

We served it 3 times over several days, and each time I just sort-of mashed the cut side flat and put it that side down on the plate and nobody knew it had already been served before. The last chunk of it I mixed up with some chopped-up Brie and about 2 ounces of chopped smoked salmon and made a batch of the Smoked Salmon Pillows you’ll find on my blog from a couple of months ago.

What I liked: certainly the flavor. The bacon, the cilantro, the garlic, even the lime juice. Also liked the spiciness of it. Liked the nuts which added a nice crunch to it. It kept for several days too.

What I didn’t like: only thing was the way the outside coating completely covered the ball – I think it would be nice to see some of the cheese – just prettier, that’s all. So chop up those coating items more coarsely so they don’t totally envelop the cheese as you see in my photo.

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Today I’m going to tell you about a really simple, easy dinner entrée. I’d defrosted some chicken breasts and needed to come up with something very easy and very quick. Walking into my kitchen pantry I spotted a jar of Trader Joe’s Thai Green Curry Sauce. I wrapped the chicken breasts with a slice of bacon, plopped them into the bottom of a small casserole dish (just big enough to hold the chicken with a little room left over). Then I poured the Thai Green Curry Sauce all over it, put it into a 375° oven for about 25 minutes and it was done. Meanwhile I also put a pan of olive oil rubbed broccoli in the oven to roast along with the chicken, and I made some egg noodles which served as a bed for the chicken and was great with the sauce drizzled all over it. Dinner was done in about 45 minutes.

What I liked: The chicken didn’t need to be browned. The bacon added lots of flavor. The sauce was an easy one – just pour it out of the jar. The curry flavor is very subtle – I might like it a stronger element, even. My DH loved this dish. He wanted seconds, but there weren’t any!
What I didn’t like: the sauce is pretty soupy – the jar contains enough to serve 4 people (I wrote the recipe that way), so with only 2 people and 2 chicken breasts, there was a lot of sauce. Also, the sauce is very spicy. If you don’t like spicy, you won’t like this.

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Luscious, sweet, creamy, pretty to look at, and easy to make. A creamy sweet potato soup with a little swirl of crème fraiche and tiny, minced chives on top.

Did you know that the new “darling” of the vegetable/tuber world is the sweet potato? Move over butternut squash, you’re about to be ousted from the prime position! And this soup is the perfect introduction to using a sweet potato for something other than just baking. And although you will see a long list of ingredients, it’s not difficult to make – at all. To cut down on the time you can buy ready-cut raw sweet potatoes these days (I found them at Trader Joe’s) in 1-pound packages, and you can buy the TJ’s mirepoix – that French mixture of onion, celery and carrots. The only time-consuming thing here would be roasting the garlic. And if you were in a terrific hurry, just use regular garlic.

When Phillis Carey made this soup, she said we could make it without the cream – so if you prefer, just add some milk, or no dairy at all. With only a cup of heavy cream for 6 servings, though, it doesn’t add very much fat – a couple of tablespoons per person. This recipe is best with the orange fleshed sweet potato. You remember, don’t you, that even though we call that kind of potato a yam, it really isn’t – it’s just an orange-fleshed sweet potato. Real yams are great big things (see photo at left, from wikipedia – THOSE are yams, originally from Africa and Asia! So, with the more humble sweet potato, do try this; you’ll like it.

What I liked: the mellow flavor, yet it’s full of flavor too. The blend is just lovely. Serve it as a vegetarian type of dinner, maybe with a toasted cheese sandwich on the side. Or an open-faced broiled cheese on toast.

What I didn’t like: nada, nothing at all.

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