Beef ragu with pinci (from Pasta by Hand). (Or, wormy pasta if two-thirds of your household works on a farm.) These were far and away the most rewarding recipes I’ve made from this book. The ragu was on the stove for close to 4 hours, but that was mostly hands off. The pinci were easy to shape and took about half an hour plus the dough resting time, which is much faster than other pastas I’ve made from this book. (I also learned my lesson not to double these recipes unless you have a ton of people to help shape). The ragu is finished with butter which made it ridiculously luxurious. Indulgent for sure, but well worth the effort.

Minestrone. I just read An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler (more on that soon) which inspired me to make the most of my crisper contents. This was a basic minestrone with onion, celery, carrot, kale, and chickpeas. The real revelation was making a salsa verde with garlic, shallot, parsley, and olive oil in the food processor. It added such vibrancy to an otherwise ho-hum soup.

Baked potatoes with broccoli, chourico, and cheddar sauce. While the potatoes baked I crisped up the sausage, boiled the broccoli, and made a cheddar sauce based on Joy the Baker‘s but I used all milk instead of the beer. Pretty much everything I could want on a loaded baked potato.

Roasted salmon, haricots verts, and celeriac-yukon mash (from Bowl + Spoon). I think this is the first time I’ve cooked salmon. I usually prefer it smoked or raw, but it was my roommate Annie’s birthday and she requested salmon (and I don’t say no to cooking challenges). I think I left it in a wee bit too long, but I liked the shallot mixture on top a lot. The celeriac potato mash was a nice base, but my favorite part was the green bean and fennel salad alongside. The lemon dressing cut all the licorice flavor from the fennel, which made it much more appealing to me. All around a lot of benefits from stepping out of my cooking comfort zone.

Fajitas with chipotle orange chicken. I marinated three chicken legs in a mixture of chipotle en adobo, garlic, and the juice of one orange and one lime for about an hour. I roasted them in a 450F oven for 40 min, and then broiled peppers, onions and a jalapeño. Served on tortillas with some cooked pinto beans, avocado, and salsa.

Old-fashioned banana cake. This was also for Annie’s birthday. The recipe was very similar to banana bread (which, let’s be real, is actually cake), but gussied up with some cream cheese frosting. The AWESOME penquin toppers I made from an Oh Happy Day printable. Party penguins are the greatest.

Whole wheat sourdough toast with butter, honey, and smoked ghost pepper salt. I think this was the fanciest thing I ate all week. Simple perfection. (Regular salt and a few chili flakes would definitely work in place of the super special salt.)

Chicken tacos with kale and salsa verde (from Tacos: Recipes and Provocations). My second taco adventure from this book did not disappoint. These were less labor intensive than the chorizo ones I made last week, but with almost comparable flavor (it’s just that I love chorizo far more than chicken). I recommend enlisting a dinner guest to help roll out the tortillas and having them bring a salad to balance the indulgent tacos (Thanks, Betsy!).

Smoky tomato and potato soup (from Flour, Too) with grilled cheese. I didn’t have smoked pepper, but I added in smoked paprika for another smoky layer and was still disappointed from the lack of smokiness. That aside, this is a good standard tomato soup with some added heft from the potatoes.

This may have not been the most warming meal for a ski day, but it is certainly good, nutritious energy (photo at top). The chickpea salad was from Bowl + Spoon and was essentially like chicken or egg salad but with chickpeas for the protein. The quinoa salad has roasted cauliflower, scallions, and a light vinaigrette made with lemon and olive oil. The green salad is kale, shredded Brussels, celery slivers, and a Dijon lemon vinaigrette. Each solid on their own, but I really preferred them all rolled into one as a giant super salad.

Refried bean burritos (from How to Cook Everything: The Basics). I followed the recipe for the refried beans from the book, but everything else was dictated by my pantry. The leftover chicken and kale, queso freshco, and crema from tacos, plus avocado and some additional sauteed kale made up the filling. They made a reappearance the next morning as breakfast burrifos sans avocado and dairy products, plus scrambled eggs.

Scrambled eggs, kale sauteed in bacon fat, crisped Portuguese chourico, and toasted whole wheat sourdough.

Making good on my resolution to stop fearing fermenting with whole wheat sourdough.

Not something I cooked, but I loved this post on Lady and Pups about her visit to Madrid. It perfectly captures the feeling when you go to a place you deeply connect with, and also when you have the greatest love for your first of something, even though it may not be the best (and that is ok).

“It is widely circulated that La Ardosa – which was just a mere 10 min walk from our apartment if I should mention – makes one of the best tortilla de patatas in town.  But with the many others we had in Madrid, including Ardosa, the very first we ran into from Maricastana still remained as the best one in our perception.  Possibly a bias, but isn’t that true for everything else powered by nostalgia?  Mother’s pancakes, Grandma’s fried chicken.  Are they really the best?  Or does it matter?  In a lot of ways, being attached to an opinion of where “the best” something is, is an important emotional bond in that particular relationship.” – Lady and Pups

Potato and chorizo tacos (from Tacos: Recipes and Provocations). These were the real deal. I made the chorizo, salsa de árbol, and the flour tortillas. None of the individual components were that much work, but together they did take a full afternoon. Entirely worthwhile.

Spicy peanut squash soup with chickpeas (from Flour, Too). I’ve started this new thing where I make soup alongside whatever else I’m making for dinner on Sunday night to have for dinner on Monday. It has happened 2 weeks in a row and so far it works great. Soup always tastes better the next day, and Monday’s are busier after work so not having to think about dinner is much more relaxing. The soup was not supposed to be blended, but the texture of the un-blended squash was displeasing. Next time I would puree it and then add the chickpeas in after for some texture. The peanut butter added some heft and made for a smoother texture than just the squash had alone (maybe it is possible to like a blended soup without coconut milk!). The lime, cilantro, and sriracha at the end were just the right hits of sour, freshness and spice to finish it off.

Red lentil dal and roasted cauliflower (from Vegetarian India). I had to return this book to the library and I wanted to make something from it…but the first recipes I made from it were so good that I just made them again. I tripled the fried shallots on top of the dal so every bite had some and it was a great life choice.

Hippie bowls with citrus tahini miso dressing (from Bowl + Spoon). I mostly followed the recipe from the cookbook, and roasted the tofu cubes, and added slivered carrot and avocado, but for my cooked veg I used broccoli and Brussels sprouts. The flavor of the tofu was good, but I prefer the Thug Kitchen method of cutting into thin planks to roast. This sauce would make a rug palatable. Doubling it would not be a bad idea.

Chicken chili. What’s not to like about a chili that slow cooks the day away and is completely ready when you arrive home from work? I especially liked that this used dried beans to really maximize the slow cooker potential. I used a full bone-in, skinless breast and leg and fished the bones out before serving. Easy as can be and a delicious, thick chili. Oh, I also made a Greek salad to go alongside (entirely guided by what was in the fridge).

Apple pancakes. I substituted half the white flour for wheat, and added 2 small apples, grated to the batter.

Brussels sprout and potato hash. I parboiled the potatoes, then put them in a 425F oven for about 10 minutes. Then I put some shredded Brussels on the pan, tossed on a bit more olive oil and salt, and roasted for 5 more minutes. Finished with a fried egg and hot sauce (of course).

This was a very redemptive week of cooking. Many salads and vegetable soups to recover from the holidays. All healthful things, but nothing that feels like punishment or tastes like cardboard (and there was still pizza).

Buffalo cauliflower pizza. I had a vague pizza plan for dinner, and while grocery shopping Will requested buffalo cauliflower (like this salad). For the sauce I used a standard 1:1 butter:hot sauce mix (which was way too runny, but I’ll work on it). I roasted the cauliflower first then tossed it in the same hot sauce mixture. Some chopped kale, red onion, bleu cheese crumbles, and sliced mozzarella also went on top. Great flavor, thin sauce, more pizza to be made. I made this salad again to go alongside.

Carrot ginger soup (from Flour, Too). Why do I keep trying to make root vegetable puree soups? The description of this was so convincing, yet I think without the power of an industrial blender there is no hope of a carrot or sweet potato soup ever being a texture I like. My only idea for a solution so far is to add coconut milk to every recipe as in this soup.

Kale + Brussels sprouts caesar slaw with pine nut parm. I bought some of the ingredients to make this salad last winter and somehow just got around to it. I can’t say that the pine nut mixture truly tasted like parm, but I can say that it was a nutty, buttery, lemony salad topping that I would like to make again and again. The crunchy chickpeas were a nice contrast to the dressing and greens.

Lentil soup. Winter is actually happening in MA. There was snow and ice on the ground and the day I made this it was below 10F. I had the cauliflower patties below planned for dinner, but something light and a salad just would not cut it. I had an onion and celery on hand, no carrots, but a few red potatoes went in. A tablespoon of tomato paste was added along with the smoked paprika for some additional tomato depth. Good, crusty bread alongside is key.

Quinoa Cauliflower Patties. I always get cooking amnesia after making this. It seems easy enough to throw together (mix ingredients together in a bowl!), but after the mixture rests then comes the frying of the patties, which don’t stay together easily despite the 4 eggs included. They are better to make small and thinner, because big thick patties crack when you try to flip them. The whole frying process easily takes more than 30 minutes. After all this then you sit down and have them with a salad and dressing (that you made while the mixture was resting) and you have these surprisingly light patties with lemon, herbs, and a nuanced saltiness from the feta and they are SO GOOD. So you delight in their deliciousness and happily eat the leftovers and then a time goes by and you start craving them and the whole process starts over.

French onion soup (recipe forthcoming!) with kale salad with dried cherries and pecans and blue cheese gougères (both recipes from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook). The kale salad has a great Dijon dressing with can accompany just about anything. The gourgères have a lot of butter and eggs…but they are surprisingly easy and quite impressive. Plus with so much flavor in a tiny, airy puff! Delightful in so many ways.

Huevos rancheros (pictured at top). I love this method for cooking eggs and tortillas. The tortilla gets nice and crisp and the egg fuses to it with a little cheese. Top with whatever pleases you, but salsa, beans, and cilantro are very nice (I would have thrown on some avocado too if it was around).