Lisa's Cookbook Club

We've been doing our cookbook club virtually for almost a year now, sharing our beloved cookbooks from the comfort of our homes. We will be sharing the chosen cookbooks and the recipes we've made from them on the Ridgewood Library blog, giving a chance for all to see the delicious food we have prepared.

May 18, 2022

Mexican Today by Pati Jinich

The Menu

Deanna made Lentil and Bacon Soup with Plantains, page 26

Polly made mango salsa.

Victoria made Morelian Gazpacho with a yummy twist.

Theresa made Rice Casserole with Poblano Rajas, Corn, and Tomatoes Pages 193-194. "It is very good and I think it would be good if served with some meat sauce or guacamole."

Lisa made Shrimp and Avocado Rolls, pages 80-81 and Refried Beans, page 247.

"Mango and avocado salsa was delicious, called for Sherry vinegar which I couldn't find so I used red wine vinegar instead. If I did it again I would use lime juice instead. Refried beans were simple and delicious."

Kathy made Triple Lime Pound Cake, pages276-277.

Sue made Matzo Balls with Mushrooms and Jalapenos in Broth, Pages 34-35.

April 20, 2022

From Wikipedia:

Joy of Cooking, often known as "The Joy of Cooking",[1] is one of the United States' most-published cookbooks. It has been in print continuously since 1936 and has sold more than 20 million copies.[2] It was published privately during 1931 by Irma S. Rombauer (1877–1962), a homemaker in St. Louis, Missouri, after her husband's suicide the previous year. Rombauer had 3,000 copies printed by A.C. Clayton, a company which had printed labels for fancy St. Louis shoe companies and for Listerine mouthwash, but never a book. Beginning in 1936, the book was published by a commercial printing house, the Bobbs-Merrill Company. With nine editions, Joy of Cooking is considered the most popular American cookbook.[3]

The Menu

Sue made Crab Strata, page 164.

Lisa made Corn Bread Tamale Pie, pg538. "I combined the two different recipes, one from 1971 edition and one from the 2019 edition. 2019 added black beans and used tomato sauce instead of cream of tomato soup. I didn't like this as much as I thought I would but the family enjoyed it."

Kathy made Blondies.

Theresa made Orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe. " I liked this recipe. The directions are to stir in the broccoli rabe (without steaming it first).

I think this made the recipe work much better for me. It was delicious and the broccoli rabe was not overcooked."

March 16, 2022

"Celebrate a World of Flavors"

This month we are celebrating National Nutrition Month by sharing some of our family traditions and recipes.

Lisa made Irish Soda Bread. This recipe comes from a friend's mother who was from Ireland. "I have been making this recipe for over 30 years and it has always been a family favorite."

Kathy made Irish Soda Bread. "This recipe comes from my mother who had not a drop of Irish blood. Since St. Patrick's Day is this week I had to make it. I like the caraway seeds the recipe calls for, but my family does not so I usually omit them.

Cindy made “Mont Hin Gar”: Fish soup with rice noddle.

Victoria made Gluten Free Hush Puppies. "Here are photos of my experimental gluten-free Hush Puppies!

One photo shows a batch of the traditional fried variety (definitely my preference).

The other photo shows a fried batch along with a baked batch which looks more like pancakes.

Not like the ones my grandmother used to make - I have to find her recipe!"

Nene made Chinese Dumplings.

Akiko made Guy-don( Beef bowl).

Theresa made traditional Stuffed Cabbage that is served for Christmas Eve dinner.

Polly made “Steamed Tofu with Minced Shrimps”.

Kristen made Loaded Potato Soup

Joanne made Insalata di Polpo Octopus Salad

Susan made Noodle Kugel.

Haruka made Okonomiyaki.

Fatemeh made Tahchin.

Picture from Fatemeh's special table for Iranian New Year called Haft-Sin.

February 16, 2022

The Menu

Theresa made Skirt Steak with Potatoes and Black Pepper Horseradish Sauce, pg. 63

" I used russet instead of yukon gold, so they look different than the picture in the cookbook.

I think the yukon gold would have looked nice, but the horseradish sauce was delicious. I also used the leftover horseradish sauce for the asparagus I served with the steak and potatoes."

Theresa also made Sauteed Brussels with Sesame, pg. 229. "I did not have sesame oil and used olive oil. That is why I place the (with Sesame) in parenthesis.

The preparation method is excellent. The brussels looked a very nice color and the walnuts added a nice flavor."

Cindy made Gingery Ground Beef with Lime and Herbs, pgs 60-61

Victoria made Purple Cabbage and Parm Salad pg 89.

Sue made Sheet Pan Chicken with Tomatoes and Chicken pgs 110-111

Lisa made Pork Burgers with Cabbage Slaw, pgs 50-51. "I couldn't find just ground pork so I used meatloaf mix. Burgers have a nice kick to them and the slaw made a great topping."

Kathy made Vanilla Brown Butter Apple Tart, pgs 260-261. "Very good, but a little complicated. The crust was time consuming."

January 19, 2022

THE MENU

Kathy made Lentejas Ahumadas con Chorizo, pg 95-96. "A little labor intensive, but good."

Lisa made Pollo Guisado En Coco Y Aji Criollo (Chicken Braised in Coconut and Sweet Chilies) pgs. 244-245 and Arroz Blanco (White Rice) pg 113.

"Very messy, a lot of different pots and pans but worth it in the end. Coconut milk add such a nice flavor to the chicken. Rice tasted restaurant style. Took a little longer but worth the time."

Susan made Enyucado (Yuca Cake) pgs 272-273.

Susan also made Pan De Arroz (Rice bread rings) page 206.

Cindy made Lomito De Cerdo Al Tamarindo Y Menta (Tamarind-Braised Pork Loin with Mint) pgs. 246-247.

Joanne made Chocolate Santafereno (Santafereno's hot chocolate with cheese) pg 52

"Very rich taste!"

Theresa made Patacones Con Hogao (Crispy plantains with tomato and onion stew) pg 171

"The tomato and onion stew is delicious and I think I will make this in the future. It is a great side dish.

This was the first time I cooked with plantains. The plantains were difficult for me to work with.

If I see plantains on a menu in a restaurant, I plan on ordering them.

Especially now that I know how much work it is to prepare them."

A Little Baking for the Holidays December 2021

The Menu

Kathy made Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie. "Chewy and delicious. And easy which is just what I need at this time of year!"

Susan made her very own recipe of Chai Spiced Cookies.

Theresa made Jam Thumbprints Cookies, pg 133. "They are delicious and look beautiful. They remind me of what I call bowtie cookies, but are a little easier to make in this round format. Also more jam fits into the cookie this way."

Joanne made Madelines. "I enjoyed making something I’ve been wanting to try for a while. The pan was a rare find in Ridgewood’s October town wide garage sale. Rich buttery taste."

Lisa made S'mores Blossom Cookies and Spiced Orange Button Sandwich Cookies with White Chocolate Filling.

"Just like a Peanut Butter Blossom but with graham crackers in the base and a delightful toasted marshmallow in the middle."

"Just the right amount of spice and a lovely hint of orange zest, cute as a button."

November 17, 2021

THE MENU

Theresa made Simple Skillet Lasagna, pg 132. " It was delicious and very easy to make. I think I will try it with spinach and cheese ravioli next time."

Lisa made Sweet Potatoes and Coconut Mash, pg 212.

"Loved all the flavors, coconut milk, ginger and lime made a great combination. I would definitely make this again."

Kathy made Smashed Patatas Bravas pgs. 206-207

Sue made weekday snack mix pg. 74

October 27, 2021

THE MENU

Deanna made Sticky Chicken pg 82

Theresa made Kitchen Sink Frittata, pg 171. "The frittata was very good. I enjoy breakfast food and like finding a new recipe that includes eggs. I do not have a skillet that I place in the oven, so I made individual frittatas in a small pan on the stovetop. The ingredients are a good mix of flavors.

Theresa also made Turkey Shepard's Pie, pg. 35. "I was looking for a recipe for a shepherd's pie and this one got my attention because it uses ground turkey. It seemed easier to fry up ground turkey instead of baking turkey and then shredding/pulling the meat. I put the shepherd's pie into a pie plate, but it barely fit. I should have used a deeper plate. The top of the pie is mashed potatoes and cauliflower which is a delicious combo."

Kathy made Doug's Tex-Mex Turkey Meatballs pg 8. "The recipe says this makes 20 meatballs. I used an ice cream scoop to form them and got 15. I increased the baking time for the larger size. You could also use a small scoop and serve these as hors d'oevres."

Lisa made Spinach and Artichoke Dip Chicken Bake pg 81. "Absolutely delicious recipe, very rich small portions recommended. I used chopped spinach instead of leaf which made it a little messy but otherwise easy to make."

Sue made Sheet Pan Lamb Meatballs with Sweet & Sour Eggplant, pgs 46-47. "I made this dish and loved it."

September 22, 2021

The New York Times Cooking

No-Recipe Recipes by Sam Sifton

The Menu

Joanne made Watermelon Granita "Made by freezing the watermelon chunks first, as suggested in the main un-recipe.

So refreshing! Without the guilt."

Deanna made Celery Soup pg 28-29

Theresa made Pasta with Sausage and Sage.(page 112) "I took a photo before adding the parmesan cheese.

also will make the pasta and garbanzos,(page 110) and do not have a photo yet."

"It seemed easy to make both because they had the same pasta in both photos in the cookbook."

Lauren made Pizza without a crust, pgs. 84-85

Lisa made Grilled Cheese with Jalapeno, Tomato, and a Fried Egg. pgs 36-37

"Simple dinner idea, the added fried egg on top was a nice touch. The picture showed the seeds of the fresh jalapeno intact but I chose to discard them."

Susan made Speedy Fish Chowder,

pg32-33

Kathy made Rotisserie Chicken Panzanella. P.166

"Perfect no cooking recipe for a hot summer day. I substituted arugula for the watercress called for in the recipe and added some cucumber slices. It's an easy recipe to make your own with substitutions and additions."

June, 2021

Lisa made Peach-Strawberry Frose, page156-157. "Left out the simple syrup, didn't need it. Very refreshing, great drink for summertime."

Kathy made Aperol Spritz, page 33.

"A light refreshing summer drink with not too many ingredients. Accompanied by parmesan-pepper popcorn p 250. I cheated on the popcorn and used microwave popcorn instead of fresh popped."

May, 2021

Chistopher Kimball's Cookish

Big flavors in minutes

The Menu

Theresa made "Mustard-Roasted Cauliflower from page 32.

"It was very easy to prepare and my family and I thought it was delicious. I usually make my cauliflower into soup, but this was a great way to prepare the vegetable and keep it a little crunchy."

Kathy made Arroz con Pollo page 67.

Lisa made one pot pasta Gemelli with Tomatoes, Salami and Fontina page 136.

"So easy and so delicious. Lots of flavor, very creamy with fresh tomatoes, all the right combinations."

Betsy made Red cabbage and parsley salad page 7(top left). "I left out the allspice. It was easy to make and delicious" Page 10 Curried Carrot Salad with Golden Raisins. "I put in cranberries instead of raisins. It was easy and delicious."(top left)

Page 184 Morrocan Chicken skewers. "They were wonderful. I would like to try them on the grill, I think they would get more color. They cooked in 12 minutes under the broiler, exactly as written. I left the chicken in the marinade for 30 minutes prior to cooking."(top right)

Page 114 Couscous. "I replaced dates with dried apricots, zucchini for the garbanzo beans. I thought it was a bit heavy on the lemon flavor, I would have reduced it to 2 TBsp., would make again."(left)

Page 54 Chili Garlic whole roasted cauliflower. "It was delicious."

Theresa made Penne with Potatoes, Prosciutto and Blue Cheese from the Milk Street Cookish cookbook (page 107)

"I substituted ham for the prosciutto and it was delicious. It probably would have tasted even better if I used prosciutto, but I was looking for something to make with ham. I always seem to have ham in the refrigerator and wanted some ideas. This recipe was very simple to make. It was good on its own, but I also served a sunnyside up egg on the side and it was a nice breakfast/brunch dish."

Joanne made couscous "Risoto" with Asparagus from Cookish p. 106.

"Quick, easy and delicious. It was so creamy and tasted fabulous. It reminded me of cacio e pepe. I added a squirt of lemon to my second helping, and I liked it even better."

April 21, 2021

Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi

A cookbook club favorite, Ottolenghi doesn't disappoint.

S short on time

I ingredients: 10 or fewer

M make ahead

P pantry-led

L lazy-day dishes

E easier than you think

The Menu

Joanne made Blueberry, Almond and Lemon cake.

"To die for delicious! But it is almost the consistency of a bread pudding Not sure why it was so moist I found some reviews in a New York Times article, and many bakers experience the same."

Theresa made Zucchini and ciabatta frittata, page 9.

Theresa made Blueberry, almond and lemon cake, page 276.

Joyce made ricotta and oregano meatballs, page221

"Not easy, not simple, not fast! Took like two hours and 12 ingredients. I couldn’t find fresh oregano so I subbed dried (1/3 the amount). It tasted good but not worth the time to me. It did not create much of a sauce either."

Lorri made Lamb and feta meatballs pg 204 and Zucchini and ciabatta frittata pg 9.

"Ciabatta Frittata--Easy to make. I felt like the basil was a little overpowering, might reduce it next time. I don't think the recipe recommends squeezing the water out of the grated zucchini, but that might be a good step. The center was a little watery, even after 45 minutes in the oven. It was delicious though. Lamb meatballs--A+. The cinnamon and feta were a great combination. I served with tzaziki sauce. Needless to say, I wouldn't find pomegranate molasses so I skipped that step.

Lisa made Pizza bianca with potato, anchovy, and sage pgs 150-151.

"The picture doesn't do it justice. This was delicious, the combination of anchovy sage and lemon zest was amazing. My family devoured them."

Lisa also made Zucchini and ciabatta frittata pg 9. "Delicious flavor, lots of basil which I love. Made a great Easter brunch dish.

Lisa also made New potatoes with peas and cilantro, pg 147.

"Couldn't find preserved lemon which may have completely altered this dish. Otherwise very tasty."

Susan made Chicken Marbella

pgs 228-229

Susan also made Pappardelle with rose harissa, black olives, and capers.

pgs 188-189

Karen made Roasted Eggplant with Curried Yogurt pages 66-67. "The dish has strong flavors and a wonderful combination of textures. The garlic and anchovies provide a bold topping to the soft eggplant slices. The peanut oil deepens the flavor and the pomegranate arils add just the right touch."

Karen also made Roasted Eggplant with Anchovies and Oregano, page 64. "The dish has bold flavors. It’s salty, garlicky and has just the right amount of anchovies. It would be a nice side dish for simple meat or chicken or seafood entrée."

February 17, 2021 7:00pm

Indian(-ish) by Priya Krishna

We chose recipes and antics from a modern American family for our February cookbook club meeting. We shared where to buy Indian spices, what we liked best about the cookbook (the Indian spices) and how much we miss tasting each other's recipes.

The Menu

Theresa made Indian-ish baked potatoes. The recipe called for the Indian spice blend Chaat Masala which Theresa said was an interesting flavor and saved the rest of the spice in a salt shaker so she would be able to use it in future cooking. The potatoes were good with or without sour cream.

Ken made Almond Butter Chaat Marsala Toast and Kristen made Cardamom Chai an excellent combination of flavors. Ken and Kristen like the spice combination so much it's a pantry staple.

Joanne made Kachumber Talapia. A tasty fish with a kachumber topping, kind of like salsa. A great dish to try during Lent.

Lisa made Garlic-Ginger Chicken with Cilantro and Mint and Roasted Aloo Gobhi. Wonderful flavors like cumin, ginger and red pepper not only made this chicken tasty but the way it was prepared by slow cooking made the chicken very tender. The potatoes and cauliflower (Aloo Gobhi) made an excellent side dish.

Lisa also made a Cucumber Raita (a yogurt dip) which helped put out the fire of the red pepper.

March 17, 2021 7:00pm

Live Life Deliciously by Tara Teaspoon

We welcomed the author of Live Life Deliciously, Tara Bench to our meeting where she shared part of her webinar and hosted a Q & A. We learned so many tips and tricks from Tara and can see she truly loves what she does.

The Menu

Joanne made "Chicken in paper with carrot ribbons and golden raisins which I made in March from Tara Teaspoon's book. I'll be making this one lots of times. So, so good and different in it's individual packages. Easily froze leftovers.

Karen made the following recipes in clockwise order from top left hand picture. Moroccan Squash Soup : good texture; nice combination of spices; peas were delicious, however, the peas became soggy/soft by the second day. Marvelously Easy Thai Curry with Peanuts: watery and tasteless. Creamy Cacio e Pepe with Arugula: very good, rich, cheesy and flavorful. Lemon-Herb Vegetable Couscous: flavorful, excellent combination of vegetables, a side dish that would enhance simple fish meat or meat dish.

Susan made Chicken in paper with carrot ribbons and golden raisins and shared an adorable picture of her canine friend.

with Anellini pasta

Joanne made lemon-herb veggie couscous with raisins and almonds.

The lemon Parmesan dressing was flavorful and creamy. Combined with the raisins and almonds, the dish was delicious. I used Anellini pasta. I kept the three parts separate as I have enough for another meal and will use couscous the next time. Another good Fri night Lent meal.

with couscous

Theresa also made Lemon Herb Veggie Couscous without almonds, "I did not have almonds so I did not put them in the salad. I think the almonds would have added a nice crunch, but it is delicious anyway. The lemon-Parmesan dressing is very good."