July 2016 – Simply Delicious: The Cookbook Project

1-19: Flambéed Mushrooms

Adam Martin Group 01: Hot & Cold Appetizers, Section 1: Appetizers & Starters July 31, 2016October 4, 2020appetizers, bay leaves, brandy, cognac, dairy-free, dried herbs, egg-free, fairly easy, fairly inexpensive, flambé, French bread, garlic, gluten-free, Grand Marnier, herbs and spices, hors d'oeuvres, lemon juice, minced, mushrooms, olive oil, party food, rosemary, salt, sautéed, untested, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

🔥 Flambé! 1-19: Flambéed Mushrooms isn’t something I would normally serve because most people I know are not huge fans of mushrooms. I really enjoy using the lighter to flambé these mushrooms! 🔥

Mushrooms and garlic are one of my favorite flavor combinations. I really enjoy stuffed mushrooms and these taste similar, just without the breadcrumbs and butter. If you’re looking for something more similar to stuffed mushrooms, check out 1-16: Mushrooms Escargot. 🐌

12-41: Spaghetti with Green Sauce

Adam Martin Group 12: Pasta & Rice, Section 2: Main Courses July 30, 2016October 28, 2020al dente, basil, black pepper, boiled, butter, canola oil, creamy, dinner, dried herbs, easy, garlic, herbs and spices, inexpensive, leeks, linguine, lunch, melted, milk, minced, mushrooms, nutmeg, oyster mushrooms, pasta/noodles, salt, sautéed, side dish, spaghetti, spinach, untested, vegetables, vegetarian, whipping cream

Green sauce can mean a lot of different things (pesto, chimichurri, etc.), but for 12-41: Spaghetti with Green Sauce, it features leek tops. Because this recipe is so light, I made this dish for a quick lunch during the week.

The sauce in the photo doesn’t look as green as a pesto, but it definitely is green.

3-3: French Onion Soup

Jamie Martin Group 03: Soups, Section 1: Appetizers & Starters July 29, 2016August 10, 2021all-purpose flour, appetizers, bay leaves, beef bouillon, beef broth, black pepper, boiled, bouquet garni, broiled, butter, caramelized, Cheddar, cheese, consommé, dinner, dried herbs, easy, egg-free, French, French bread, grated, Gruyère, herbs and spices, inexpensive, Jarlsberg, lunch, melted, parsley, salt, sautéed, side dish, simmered, soups, Swiss, thyme, untested, vegetable bouillon, vegetable broth, vegetables, vegetarian, white wine, yellow onions

It’s the middle of summer right now, so soup’s probably not your first thought. However, I continue to be surprised that how no matter how hot outside it is, people still enjoy soup. So here’s a classic: 3-3: French Onion Soup.

Simply Delicious cites Les Halles (the Parisian farmers’ market, not the NY restaurant where Anthony Bourdain worked) as the originator of French onion soup. I wasn’t able to directly verify that with 5 minutes of lazy Googling, but I did find a food timeline that gives a bit of the dish’s history–I suppose their claim is totally still possible.

9-18: Stuffed Onions

Adam Martin Group 09: Ground Meat & Sausage, Section 2: Main Courses July 28, 2016October 20, 2020beef, black pepper, boiled, braised, butter, cornstarch, dinner, fail, fairly easy, filling, ground beef, ground meat, ground pork, inexpensive, lunch, mashed potatoes, meatloaf, milk, parboiled, pork, salt, soy sauce, stuffed, tomatoes, untested, vegetables, yellow onions

Never before did I think, “Boy, I should stuff some onions and eat them.” 9-18: Stuffed Onions were not the easiest dish to prepare and I don’t think I would ever choose to prepare it again.

This dish did taste exactly like meat loaf. It is a lot easier to make a meat loaf than to stuff onions, so next time, I’ll get the loaf pan out and chop the onions up.

10-17: Lamb Chops with Mozzarella

Jamie Martin Group 10: Lamb & Veal, Section 2: Main Courses July 27, 2016July 6, 2020basil, black pepper, broiled, butter, cast-iron, cheese, chiffonade, dinner, easy, egg-free, fairly expensive, Feta, garlic, gluten-free, Greek, green olives, grilled, herbs and spices, lamb, lamb chops, lemons, Mediterranean, melted, Mozzarella, olive oil, pan-fried, pimento, restaurant-style, salt, scored, slit, untested

I definitely did NOT eat a lot of lamb or veal growing up, but cooking through these recipes has given me the opportunity to try out some different dishes these days. On a recent Costco trip we found lamb chops on sale, so I decided to use them for 10-17: Lamb Chops with Mozzarella.

This seems like a strange trend that Simply Delicious is perpetuating–7-2: Pork Chops with Tomatoes is essentially the same idea except with pork, Cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and green beans. Take meat, stack a slice of cheese and random fridge/pantry items on it, call it a recipe. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

17-24: Crispy Oatmeal Cookies

Adam Martin Group 17: Baked Goods, Section 3: Desserts & Baked Goods July 26, 2016November 8, 2020à la mode, all-purpose flour, baked goods, baking powder, butter, chocolate, cinnamon, cookies, crispy, dark chocolate, double boiler, egg-free, ginger, granulated sugar, ice cream, maple syrup, melted, milk, oatmeal, parchment paper, party food, sifted, snacks, untested, vegetarian, wax paper

I made 17-24: Crispy Oatmeal Cookies for a family get together and they went over very well. I didn’t serve mine in such an elaborate manner as shown on the card below, but they got a good reception because I dipped them in dark chocolate that I melted on a double boiler. 🍫

We didn’t have an ice cream on hand, but these cookies make a great dessert all on their own. 🍪

1-7: Trader Vic’s Crab Turnovers

Jamie Martin Group 01: Hot & Cold Appetizers, Section 1: Appetizers & Starters July 25, 2016July 20, 2020appetizers, Asian, black pepper, canola oil, cheese, chili powder, chili sauce, cocktail sauce, crab, cream cheese, creamy, crispy, deep fryer, deep-fried, Dijon mustard, eggs, fairly easy, fairly expensive, favorites, filling, fried, garlic, garlic powder, herbs and spices, hors d'oeuvres, lobster, lunch, party food, pastry wheel, Polynesian, puff pastry, salt, seafood, shellfish, shrimp, snacks, Tiki, Trader Vic's, turnovers, untested, Worcestershire sauce

I had mentioned in 9-26: Crispy Beef Turnovers and 13-13: Spinach Turnovers that there was a third turnover recipe that I had intended to make (for a trio of turnovers), but that the third recipe required a different cooking method (deep-frying versus baking), so I chose to shelve it until I could do it right.

Well, I happened to have a (borrowed, since returned) mini deep-fryer in my possession recently, so 1-7: Trader Vic’s Crab Turnovers (the fabled third turnover recipe) was finally about to become a reality.

13-7: Falafel

Adam Martin Group 13: Vegetarian Dishes, Section 2: Main Courses July 24, 2016October 28, 2020appetizers, Asian, black olives, black pepper, blender, canola oil, chickpeas, creamy, crispy, dairy-free, deep fryer, deep-fried, dinner, dried herbs, eggs, fairly hard, food processor, fried, garbanzo beans, garlic, Greek, herbs and spices, hummus, inexpensive, Israeli, kalamata, lemon juice, lettuce, lunch, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, minced, onion salt, Oriental, parsley, party food, pita bread, purée, salt, sesame paste, side dish, snacks, soaked, Tabasco sauce, tahini, thyme, tomatoes, tzatziki sauce, untested, vegetarian, wheat germ

I do enjoy getting falafel when I go out to a Middle-Eastern restaurant. It’s much easier to cook them when you have a deep fryer. In the past, I have pan-fried some falafel, but it tastes the best when it is crispy and fried. Since we happened to be borrowing a deep-fryer, I made 13-7: Falafel.

I didn’t have any pita on hand, so I served the balls with a spicy dipping sauce instead of in the traditional pita pocket.

9-2: Mexican Fiesta

Jamie Martin Group 09: Ground Meat & Sausage, Section 2: Main Courses July 21, 2016July 5, 2020appetizers, black olives, broiled, canola oil, casserole, cheese, chili powder, chopped, dinner, dips, easy, egg-free, garlic, ground beef, ground meat, guacamole, inexpensive, lunch, melted, Mexican, minced, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, nachos, party food, Pepper Jack, pimento, pinto beans, sautéed, side dish, snacks, sour cream, tacos, Tex-Mex, tomato sauce, tortilla chips, untested, yellow onions

9-2: Mexican Fiesta sounds exciting, but it’s really just poorly layered nachos. I know that they were trying to make it seem like a casserole, but all the good stuff that goes in tacos/nachos is basically layered in a pan and covered with a layer of chips on top. I think you’re supposed to eat it like a dip? 🌮

I like the touch of the Corona with a lime in the background of their picture, like all of a sudden that makes it a party. I can’t think of too many decent Mexican places that would serve something like this, but if you want something festive yet inoffensive for a party or a lengthy Netflix session, I suppose this recipe could get the job done. 🌶

8-11: Sirloin Steak Baked In Foil

Adam Martin Group 08: Beef, Section 2: Main Courses July 20, 2016October 18, 2020beef, beef bouillon, beef broth, black pepper, blanched, boiled, broiled, butter, chopped, deglazed, dinner, easy, egg-free, fairly expensive, foil pouch, garlic, gluten-free, julienned, lunch, mushrooms, pan-fried, paprika, party food, red wine, salt, sautéed, sirloin, steak, untested, vegetables, yellow onions

I have never cooked steak using the method in this recipe, 8-11: Sirloin Steak Baked in Foil, before and I probably would never cook them this way again. I like all the extra garnish, but it is a pain to cut and prepare that many vegetables for people to pick around to get to the main ingredient, the BEEF. 🐮

I used the red wine suggestion on the card, but I felt like I should have used beef broth to keep the beef-y flavor. This recipe also keeps a trend going, sticking with the foil pouch cooking method that Jamie used in the previous recipe on here, 6-25: Salmon-Filled Chicken Breasts.

← Previous