Looks Weird Tastes Good

Southern Living 1987 Annual Recipies

I found this book while perusing an estate sale near my house. I found it in a coat closet and knew immediately that this would be making its way onto my blog. This book has 12 months of recipes and include Cooking Light recipes too, so it has all sorts of funny little ditties about getting thin. Like calling yo-yo dieting the rhythm method of girth control. Gonna use that one probably. Us millennials came of age in a time where cooking food from the 60’s and 70’s and gagging on it was easy content that buzzfeed was MORE than happy to capitalize on. But really, was cooking in 1987 really that much more enlightened than in the era of the mayonaise, hotdog, jello concoction? Not really!

The Introduction

The section of the book I decided to focus on was “February” because it was the month we are currently in, Valentines Day was approaching, and also Sean’s birthday is this month. A lot of reasons to pick this month. The down side of picking February is that it is the “Cooking Light” month (bleh) so the recipes aren’t even Southern Living at all! Let me live!! But I had to stick to my guns. Another downside to the February section of the book is that the intro is about how being skinny is so great and blah, blah, blah. I’d really rather not.

The Food

I found a section called “A Menu for the Two of You”. The section starts with; “cooking for two may be an everyday occurance, or it might be the sign of an anniversary, birthday, or other special event” Cooking for two can be special or not, ya know? it goes on to say “This menu we have planned offers a variety of taste-pleasing dishes especially for two”. I did actually double the recipes because I was actually cooking for two and a half, the half being our 16 month old. I also love leftovers.

The menu is: Veal Picante, Zucchini with Pecans, Herbed Carrots and Onions, Red Cabbage and Apple Slaw, and Orange Tapioca Fluff.

Orange Tapioca Fluff: I’m a tapioca fan! I love the stuff. I have never EVER in my life heard of making it with orange juice though. I combined the Minute Tapioca with orange juice and egg yolks in a saucepan and began heating things up. You have to stir the entire time, so make sure you are wearing good shoes. Stir until the slurry is thick and fwoppy. I took it off the heat and in a bowl I whipped egg whites into froth, and then added some sugar. I then folded the orange tapioca in with the fluff, and spooned the mixture into a delicate and tasteful serving vessel.

Do it taste good? It’s not terrible, but it’s not good either. The issue is the orange juice. It has a funny metallic aftertaste and paired with the egg fluff and the tapioca it’s just not great.

Red Cabbage and Apple Slaw: This is a simple little slaw recipe. Calls for red cabbage and sliced apples with a dressing of mayo and vanilla yogurt. It also called for a dash of celery seed, which maybe would have been good here, but I left it out because I didn’t have any. I also refused to buy the light mayonnaise recommended because ew, and no way.

Zucchini with Pecans: This was a nice little side dish where you julienne the zooks and then saute with a little seasoning and sprinkle in some chopped toasted pecans at the end. I really liked this and would definitely put toasted pecans in more veggies.

Herbed Carrots and Onions: Carrots were sliced into rounds and onions were sliced and they were all steamed together. I was a little dubious of steamed onions, but I LOVE cooked carrots in any format so I knew it was going to be a winner for me. I tossed in dried herbs like thyme and rosemary, and then a bit of chopped parsley at the end.

Do they taste good? Yeah! these were some nice side dishes, however, on a normal cooking night I don’t enjoy fussing over the stove and this meal did require fussing.

Veal Picante: I have never cooked veal before, and I think it may be a meat that is a bit dated. I found a small package of veal at the butcher counter, but it was prepackaged a bit like bacon, so it tells me that this is a meat that does not fly off the shelves these days. I guess Cooking Light likes veal for its leanness, and because this is a special meal for two it was on the pricey side. This veal meal was dredged in flour and then pan fried. the pan was then deglazed with water, vinegar, and brown sugar. You then put lemon slices on top to make it look better.

Do it taste good? It was okay. Just okay. I don’t think I “get” veal. It’s so thin and not very flavorful. Sean and I thought that it tasted like a thin pork chop. But at least with pork chops you can get huge thick steaks. These we so measly.

80’s food porn pictures

Draw me a bundt cake and an african violet

Remember when food was always in a black void?

Final Thoughts

This is the first time that Roxanna got to participate in my blog cooking. Needless to say…she didn’t take one bite. I tried to make this meal as romantic as possible for us, so we had Roxanna’s favorite tv show blaring in the background so that we could have A NICE FAMILY MEAL.

Life has a tendency to make you feel old. I certainly don’t remember what 1987 was like, but if this book is to be believed, people prepared oysters at home all the time, all year round. Which tells me that 1987 was a time of rebellion, risk, and probably some food poisoning.

I hope that when Roxanna grows up and starts looking at recipes from 2020 she too can enjoy ragging on our fondness for plant milks, ghee, and chia pet seeds.

Essential Pepin

Ah Jacques. Jacques, Jacques, Jacques. I love you. I mean it I do. You’re like a family member, a friend! I get the warm and fuzzies every time I happen to catch your cooking show on PBS. This book is massive. This is another French cookbook, but I was sent this by a cousin and I wanted to try a French cookbook from an actual Frenchmen, not a traitor American.

the introduction

This is a short and sweet introduction for such a massive monster book. Its only five pages long, and it explains the thinking behind this book. These recipes span the many decades of his work as a chef. He has been cooking professionally since he was 13! during WWII! These recipes had to be updated for the modern times, as they came from multiple decades of trends in food. You know why I think I like him so much? His cooking philosophy is not so different from mine! He says he “emphasizes on taste rather than presentation or originality”. As I always say, creativity is for losers. My favorite part of the intro was when he used the term “Gustatory Voyage” which I think I am going to use regularly from now on when I think something tastes good. Kit Kats are a gustatory voyage.

the food

Jacques Pepin is so laid back. Many chefs would get a bit snippy if you were to use store bought stock instead of making your own. But not Jacques, he gets it. We Americans are listless and hungry after working all day. We wanna eat now, not in 3 hours. Psh freeze the stock? My freezer is full of breast milk, get outta here with that.

Categories of in this cookbook are: Soups, Salads, Eggs and Cheese, Pasta/Rice/Grains/Potatoes, Bread/Sandwiches/Pizza, Shellfish and Fish, Poultry and Game, Meat, Charcuterie and Offal, Vegetables and Side Dishes, Fruit Desserts, Puddings/Sweet Soufflés/ Crepes, Cakes/Cookies/Candies, Tarts/Pies/Pastries, Frozen Desserts, and Basics. I’m going to make Wine Merchant Steak, Braised Sweet and Sour Cabbage, Stuffed Mushrooms, and Pistachio Floating Island (this is a desserted island).

Pistachio Floating Island: Jacques says this is basically a baked meringue with a delicate finish, perfect dessert for a heavy meal. It is simple to make. Whip up some egg whites, Mix in some sugar, fold in some pistachios and some diced strawberries and bake in a loaf pan. I had no problems with any of these steps. I felt a little like a pioneer woman shelling the pistachios MYSELF because I couldn’t find shelled unsalted pistachios. I mean that was really roughing it for me. I had to shell upwards of 50 nuts. The meringue is meant to be chilled before serving so I made this the day before. I also made the sauce which was made of pureed strawberries, berry jelly, and Creme De Cassis. I also made this before hand and stuck in the fridge to chill.

When I dislodged this log from the pan, there was a lot of sticky liquid that needed to be sopped up. I did a half assed job of cleaning it up but I DID try to make things pretty with some sliced strawberries. The look of the recipe is…interesting. You are supposed to spoon the sauce on the plate and place a slice of the loaf on top.

See my photos below. This book has no pictures but I took plenty of my own.

Do it taste good? It was light like eating a cloud! It dissolves in your mouth like air and then you get to chew on little bits of nuts and strawberries. The sauce is necessary because without it, the loaf is a bit too eggy. I liked it and would make it again and would like to try different variations of it.

Stuffed Mushrooms: Jacques says that stuffed mushrooms are great with grilled meat or served with drinks. The stuffing in these mushrooms are onions, celery, and other mushrooms. You first bake the mushroom shells, then you sauté the vegetables and pan fry bread crumbs in a load of butter. To assemble you stuff the mushrooms and then pat the bread crumbs on top. The bread crumbs were delicious and I would eat just bread crumbs in butter all the time. By the bowl. I’d like to coat myself in bread crumbs. You bake them again and boom their done.

I read that taking photos of food on wrinkled place mats makes things look more rustic

Do it taste good? Oh yeah these were excellent. Savory little mouth sized portions of delicious mushroom.

Braised Sweet and Savory Cabbage: Jacques says that the apple cider and apple cider vinegar are what give this dish its name sake. For this dish you chop up red cabbage, onion, and apple and throw it in a pot with raisins, apple cider and apple cider vinegar. You then let it simmer on the stove for 45 minutes. This was a great side to make when you invite company over because you can just set it to the side and work on the main affair. It keeps warm in its pot and you don’t have to worry much about timing everything right.

Wine Merchant Steak: Jacques says this is a bistro dish. He says it’s steak with a sauce made of wine, shallots, garlic and mushrooms. Which is exactly what it is. The recipe said to cook the steaks for 2 minutes per side and then sauté the shallot and garlic in the pan drippings. Then you add the wine, cook down, then add chicken stock and cook down again. Then swirl butter in to thicken.

I’m really good at photography, have you seen my use of soft focus?

Do it taste good? I loved the braised cabbage and will make this again with other greens as well. The flavor was really balanced and I even liked the raisin, which reanimate into grapes when you cook them. The steak was fine, though under cooked for my liking. It was very rare! Yes I know I could have cooked it to my liking but I just did what the man said. The sauce was great and I would like to try this on other cuts of beef.

final thoughts

I had my mom over while I made this meal. I would like her to know that I get all my cooking abilities from her. She is creative, and risk taking when she cooks and is always up for a challenging dish. She knows A LOT about food. After the meal she helped with dishes and said “you have some great kitchen gear!” and I felt really flattered. She has temporarily moved to Raleigh to help us take care of our little baby girl and I am so glad to have her down here. I love you mom! (I know your reading this)

My life has changed in some big ways. For one, after moving to the first house in North Carolina, we moved again…to another house in North Carolina. We moved because this nagging awful mold smell that would just not go away. It was enough for us to get the air ducts tested for mold and for me to want to move again even though I was 33 weeks pregnant. This new house is nice and has a lot of space and fantastic neighbors. However, this kitchen BITES. There is no counter space and no dish washer so…that took some wind out of my sails.

You know what else takes the wind out of your sails? A baby. Roxanna was born in October. Just in time for me to try baking Christmas cookies when I was NOT ready. The resulting cookies: terrible. My self esteem: flushed down the toilet. But gosh darn it what they say is true. It does get better. I am now ready to do some things other than take care of a baby and work from home at the same time.

the offenders

My Paris Kitchen

This is my first whirl at a french cookbook, and while I’m not at the point that I’m breathing into a paper bag, I’m having some slight anxiety over whether I am going to be able to do french cuisine any justice. I am not a Francophile, I never took french while in school, I have heard french words spoken, but when I see them written down I feel like its a joke I’m not in on. It doesn’t make sense! How do these letters make those sounds?!?! David Lebovitz is a well known chef and recipe blogger. I think I have seen his name, but I could not tell you where or why. Join me, as I dive into the abyss of french cooking for the American soul.

the introduction

Oh, it is such a pleasure to read introductions now. Why have I been skipping them all these years?! Please don’t be like me, read the intros. David sets up this book by giving us a little insight into his life. He has been living in Paris for 10 years and has just now bought himself a home and could create the perfect full scale kitchen. He lets us know how unfussy he was about the typical players in a kitchen. The stove, the fridge, and the counter were no problem. But he WAS going to get the sink of his dreams godammit! He then goes in to how prior to his upgrade in his living situation, his apartment living experience while in Paris was kinda crummy. He had a counter the size of a chess board, a stinky old fridge, and a possessed oven. But still, the man cooked.

This intro is chock full of anecdotes that delight and inspire (french people like to complain, french people are grumpy) but more over, it does its job to make me feel like “aw, this author is so down to earth”. Also, on a personal note, I have moved from a really large kitchen to a really small kitchen. I feel lucky, because it still has all the amenities that you need in a kitchen, just really small and close together. Hearing him talk about his demonic oven and having to put bowls of food out the window on the roof just to get them out of his way really helped me feel like I can do this. I have a dishwasher I can do anything!!!!!

the food

He is a Northern California hippy chef, who is into farm to table. If there is one take away I have from reading his intro and ingredients sections, its that he is picky about his produce, and particular about his poultry. That said, I am a normal human being living in abnormal coronavirus world, and I will select my ingredients as I wish.

As far as food categories go, we have Appetizers (Mis-en-Bouch), First Course (Entrees), Main course (Plats), Sides (Accompagnements), and Desserts (Les Desserts). Pardon me while I express my surprise that there is a difference between entrees and main courses. I had no idea. I’m going to make Fennel, Radish, Orange and Crab Salad, Chicken with Mustard, and Apricot Crumble Tart.

Apricot Crumble Tart: I always start with the dessert because it usually is the thing that takes a while, has multiple steps, or just in general can handle being eaten at room temperature. David lets us in on the big secret that french home “bakers” (his air quotes not mine) get their tart dough from the grocery store pre-made. I mean yeah, we all know that store bought crust is not very good, but is it worth it sometimes? YES! He goes on to tell us that the first time he saw a fresh apricot was in the 1980’s, up until then he’d only seen dried. This is actually my first time baking with an apricot. I am a huge fan of peaches, but have never really gone crazy for the apricots.

Why do people want to use dough from the super market? Because making it at home SUCKS and its messy as fuck. The recipe told me to remove the butter from the fridge about 10 minutes before I was ready to make the dough to let it soften, and then to mix it with the sugar. I did this exactly and the mixer threw little balls of cold butter and sugar all over me and the kitchen. He says “mix the dough until it comes together” which to me means a dough ball, but I came to understand meant that it would clump together if you squeezed it. I blind baked for the first time with this recipe! My kitchen has all new appliances and I have barely gotten used to them. I THOUGHT I turned on the timer, but nooooooooo, I neglected to press play. I grabbed the tart crust out of there I think just in the nick of time. She was very brown, but not burned. Any who, I blitzed up the almonds and butter for the crumble top, sliced up the apricots and this is how she looked after I baked it.

Do it taste good? Its the shit. Its one of the most delicious things I have ever made.

Fennel, Radish, Orange, and Crab Salad: I wanted to make something that was outside of my comfort zone. I know it seems silly that a salad would be out of my zone, but really, when was the last time YOU spent $22 on lump crab for one meal? David says you can substitute the crab with cooked shrimp or crayfish (crawdads?) if you want to. This recipe involved a lot of prepping and chopping of vegetables. I served the salad with torn radicchio and endive.

Do it taste good? It came out looking very sophisticated but… didn’t really deliver on the flavor. I didn’t like the Philips jumbo crab meat(I think I’m a spoiled Marylander who is used to fresh back fin), the dressing wasn’t tangy or tart enough, and the radicchio lent a bitter whang to it that was off putting for me. It is a very expensive salad though.

Chicken with Mustard:This recipe comes with a short story about an expensive copper pan he got on sale. The story was meant to illustrate that you should use a large pan or dutch oven for this recipe. This chicken dish requires all of the Dijon mustard you own, and probably more. I used Grey Poupon, which I had my driver buy for me while I waited in the limo. You then slather (slather slather slather) chicken thighs in mustard. Then, brown thick bacon, cook onions in the fat, and then brown the chicken in that bacon and onion fat. This will darken with bottom of your pan quite a lot. Adding wine and scraping a pan is a great feeling.

Do it taste good? Yah. This was a very rich dish, and I probably should have served it on top of a starch like mashed potatoes or pasta. At the end you add cream and it is just….so good. It is a very poupon forward dish, so if you don’t do the poup, then don’t make it.

final thoughts

This was a fancy meal, and aside from the dessert it took just about an hour and a half to put it all together. This was a great way to break in my new kitchen, and also gave me something to do other than look at the boxes I have yet to unpack. Since libraries are closed, I downloaded this book as an ebook, and I found it to be a really great alternative, especially if you are okay with cooking from your phone. I really enjoyed this book. He is down to earth and encouraging, but a little bit challenging. I want to try a few more things from this book before I have to return it.

My new kitchen is much smaller than my old kitchen, but I proved that it has all the things I need to pull off something actually pretty impressive. I brought over a few pieces of the tart crumble to some of our new neighbors in an effort to out southern them. I plan to use this blog to give me an excuse to make new friends, invite them over, give them a gross salad and make them lie to my face about it.

let’s get back to business

Hey, did you know that a pandemic has ravaged the world over the past few months? I just found out!

I just wanted to write a programming note to say, I’m coming back! There were various reasons I took a hiatus from the blog, one of which being that COVID-19 prevented me from having access to the ingredients I need to produce some of the recipes. I’ll be honest I didn’t try that hard to get them. I’m sure you can relate to the overwhelming doom feeling of the first few weeks of the pandemic, it really does not facilitate productivity. Coinciding with the first few rona weeks, I was in my first trimester of pregnancy and gagged pretty much every time I cut an onion. I pretty much only ate vitamins and candy.

So here I am now. I have moved to another state, don’t know many people, and casually getting coronavirus is not just a me problem, its a we problem now. What better time than now to start cooking again. Since most library’s are closed still, I may have to get creative with my selections (or just use the books I already have…bleh).

Stay safe! Wear your mask!

The New Persian Kitchen

I am very attracted to persian food, but I have never made it myself. I picked The New Persian Kitchen by Louisa Shafi based off of Food52’s most legendary cookbooks of the last decade. When I started this blog, I thought, “psh, yeah, I can handle anything” but then I got this book and realized “oh shit, this is like…real shit.” SO join me, as I try to find something in this book for infants who you would trust around a gas flame.

the introduction

This book has three introductions. THE introduction, an overview of the history of Persian food, and a guide to Persian ingredients. Now that I am officially reading introductions, I am understanding the basic parts of a cookbook intro. It usually starts with the writers upbringing, has a story about something specific from their past, and then delves into what makes their recipes different. In this case Louisa begins the intro with a guided meditation. “Imagine that you are in a vast desert with the hot sun searing your back. A high stone wall with an elaborate gate appears, and you walk through it. Suddenly you feel cool air on your skin and hear the soft melody of water.” and so on a so forth.

Louisa grew up in Philly in the 70’s. Her mom is an American Ashkenazi Jew and her dad is Iranian. She talked about having delicious dinners with her father’s family and how it imprinted on her. Can I just pause for a moment and say that this intro is written perfectly? The way she talks about pillowy flatbread and fluffy saffron rice is making me drool. Also, her stories are well intermingled with the idea of the book, and it’s a pleasure to read something that makes sense. (sorry Nigella) Anywho, Louisa explains that her spin on Persian cuisine has a health conscious twist. She says the recipes in the book have whole grains, gluten-free flours, and use minimal oil and fat and call for alternatives to white sugar. This gives me a pang of fear. Am I going to have to buy weird crap that I will use only once for this book? Maybe I can consolidate the weird crap by picking things that have the same weird crap? Am I going to spend $25 on saffron? Probably!

the food

There are quite a few categories in here. Starters and Snacks, Soups, Salads, Vegetable and Egg Entrees, Meat and Fish Entrees, Main Dish Stews and Casseroles, Rice and Grains, Sweets, Beverages, Pickles and Preserves.

I’m looking through the book and…what the heck?! Someone wrote in it in pencil. C’mon man.

Here is what I think I’ll make: Stuffed Tomatoes With Pistachio Pesto (yeah I know, I just made pistachio pesto. So sue me),Chicken Kebabs in Yogurt Marinade with Saffron Rice, and No Bake Persimmon and Goat Cheese Cheesecake. I’m not sure I will be able to find is persimmon, so I may substitute it with something else persian-y. Some stuff I am making does not come with a photo, so be prepared for my amazingly deft photography.

No-Bake Persimmon and Goat Cheese Cheesecake: I didn’t look very hard for persimmons. I decided to make a raspberry sauce, because I have seen that on a cheesecake before. This recipe gave me “healthy” vibes because there was no butter, only coconut oil. I really struggled getting the coconut oil out of the jar, I got it all over myself. The crust of this cake was graham crackers, pistachios, and cinnamon and cardamom. The crust had a lot of flavor, but it was a little on the crumbly side. The cheesecake part of the cake was really nice and goat-y, but light due to whipped cream being folded in. This is the only recipe that I made that had a corresponding picture, so enjoy.

Do it taste good? YES! Well the cheesecake was really good. My raspberry sauce was unnecessary and thin.

Stuffed Tomatoes With Pistachio Pesto: I have been on the lookout for stuffed tomato recipes recently. I really enjoy a baked tomato, and the prospect of having a nice vegetarian option appealed to me. This recipe has all of the tropes of a healthy well rounded meal. Quinoa, beans, goat cheese, pistachios, and herbs. By the way, for this meal I bought more pistachios, goat cheese, and lemons than I ever had. I actually had to go back to the store to get another bag of pistachios, and I was very nervous about my lemon supply.

I heard that using a dirty pan was a food bloggers trick to making things look rustic….

Do it taste good? Yas! I liked this a lot and I think I may keep this in my back pocket as healthy thing to bring to parties.

Chicken Kebabs in Yogurt Marinade: I love a yogurt marinade. I think it makes things juicier. I marinated the chicken for over 24 hours, and I poked them onto skewers with some cherry tomatoes. Sean (my very VERY fortunate husband) did the actual grilling, and I slightly micromanaged. The instructions for this involved basting the meat with a lemon, olive oil, and saffron mixture.

Saffron Rice: This recipe is fairly straightforward, but within this recipe was a second recipe for Tahdig. Tahdig involved cooking the rice long and slow to the point that at the end of the process the bottom of the pot has a substantial crust of rice that can be broken up and eaten like a chip. I really wanted to try this, but in the end decided that it was a little too difficult to pull off with company over. Not to mention the fact that when she suggests to try making Tahdig she ends it with “good luck!”. I wasn’t feeling lucky.

Do it taste good? Chicken: Tangy, charred, garlic-y, yellow. I liked it a lot! It dried out a bit on our grill, but I think with the right tools, this could be my go to marinade for chicken. Rice: I messed it up. It was over cooked! I am used to working with Jasmine rice which I guess might be a little more forgiving? I had rice cooking down to an art, and I ignored my instincts. It was fine, it’s still rice, but it was not the “fluffy pillow of rice” that I had been dreaming of.

Final Thots

This book was a perfect meld of health food and persian cuisine. After I ate this meal, I felt like could run a (30) minute mile. All in all, I think I may save all of these recipes for the next time I want to impress someone.

I would like to thank my tuesday night yoga and tex-mex group Chicks, Chats, Chaturangas, and Chimichangas and their respective partners, for being my guinea pigs.

Nigellissima

I decided that I wanted to try something from someone who I have no experience with. At one point in my life (for 7 years) I was a house cleaner, and I would often see Nigella Lawson books in client’s kitchens. Nigella Lawson is stunning, and all of her books prominently feature her and her bedroom eyes on the cover.

I chose Nigellissima because it was the only book of hers at the library.

the introduction

I NEVER read an introduction in a cookbook, let me read it so you don’t have to. The overall purpose of the introduction in this case is to let the discerning Italian cooks know that the recipes in the book are not meant to be actual Italian dishes. Hence the subtitle of her book “Easy Italian-Inspired Recipes”.

Nigella Lawson’s introduction begins by informing me that when she was sixteen or seventeen she decided she was Italian. Which is great.

Being from the states, I can’t tell if her teen life that she describes is hoity-toity, or normal for a Brit. When she was taking her exams to go to Oxford she had to plead to take Italian instead of French. She took a gap year in Italy, and her job while she was there was working as a chambermaid! Which I think is like a house cleaner! Immediately I knew I could trust her because once a cleaning lady, always a cleaning lady. She talked about hanging out in the kitchen in the house she was living in with the Nona (grandma) of the house, absorbing information about cooking Italian food.

One thing that is still nagging at me is this excerpt about her being super broke at this time. “When our wages didn’t stretch to wine, we drank the vodka and gin we’d bought duty-free on the way over, spritzed with dissolvable aspirin from our medicine bag; mixers, costing more than wine, were beyond our budget.” Until now I thought she was making a cocktail with aspirin, but I think she meant it as a joke? I can’t find anything online saying that an aspirin spritzer is even a thing.

the food

Her book has five chapters: Pasta, Meat Fish & Fowl, Vegetables & Sides, Sweet Things, and An Italian-Inspired Christmas.

Here is what I’m thinking I’ll make: Pasta: Quick Calabrian Lasagna, Vegetable: Green Beans with Pistachio Pesto, Dessert: Italian Apple Pie.

Italian Apple Pie: This is not actually a pie, it is an apple cake. I liked that this recipe included a food processor version of the directions, and a by-hand version. I do not have a large food processor, so I am often a little stymied by baking recipes that require a food processor, when I know that a hand mixer will do the job just fine. Looks wise, Mine turned out looking exactly like the photo. Recipe notes: She says to use superfine sugar in the cake, and turbinado sugar for the sprinkling on top of the cake. I used regular sugar for both.

Do it taste good? I liked it a lot! It has a nice crunchy bottom, that at times reminded me of a snickerdoodle cookie.

Quick Calabiran Lasagna: This recipe was chock full of surprises. Ham? Hard-boiled eggs? sauce that is basically tomato water? Sure! Putting this together was really quick and easy. I hope that it tastes good!

I have a bone to pick with this the way this book was written. I had a suspicion while reading the introduction to the book that the copy was not edited, and if it was, not very well. The intro seemed stilted and her stories were weirdly written. The intro for this recipe solidified what I thought, with this passage written verbatim “The recipe comes courtesy of an Italian informant of mine from Calabria, where sliced cooked ham and hard-boiled eggs are part of the local lasagna, and is known in Casa Mia as Lisa’s Lasagna. This recipe comes courtesy of an Italian informant from Calabria, where sliced cooked ham and hard-boiled eggs are part of the local lasagna.” See what I mean? Mistakes like this make me think that maybe I can’t trust that these recipes are any good, or if they were even written by Nigella Lawson. Was she phoning it in?!

She says to serve this lasagna at barely above room temperature, and to let it sit for 2 hours after getting it out of the oven. I think this might be crucial to the structure of this lasagna because this thing is juicy.

Do it taste good? This really won me over. Lasagna is not something that I crave usually. The cheese can be overwhelming and I often feel like crap after eating it. This recipe has much less gooey cheese and is saucier. The ham and the eggs added some textures that broke up the meat and the noodles. I served it as suggested, slightly above room temperature, and I stand by my assessment that this lasagna would be a soupy mess if you attempt to eat it minutes out of the oven. I would make this again!

Green Beans with Pistachio Pesto: This was very easy to put together. It has the same elements as any typical pesto. Remember when I said that I didn’t have a food processor? I actually have one but it’s very small. This recipe called for the pesto to be blitzed together using an immersion blender, but I used my tiny micro-food-processor. It turned out great! Basically after you make this pesto you just mix it with green beans cooked to your personal preference. In the intro to this recipe, she goes so far as to say don’t even use this pesto recipe, just use store bought. Which my feeling is, why say that in a cookbook? Why even make anything in here? What is existence?

Do it taste good? I can’t review this without also stating that pesto sauce was the muse in creating this blog. I once tried the whole30 diet and made spaghetti squash with sausage and pesto for dinner and it looked like barf. But it tasted divine! I liked this recipe and I think that it is an easy way to punch up a side dish of regular green beans. You can even use store bought pesto!

final thoughts

While there were some slight issues with the books copy editing, I did enjoy making these recipes. They didn’t have a ton of ingredients, the recipes were easy to follow, and I was introduced to some new ideas and concepts in cooking. I would recommend this book, and I would try her other books as well!