My Year Of Taste is Almost Over!

Boy- I can't believe it. I have been cooking a recipe from each Thursday's Taste Section from the Minneapolis StarTribune this year- sometimes depending on what I have on hand or time for. They haven't been in order so my seasons are a bit off. For example, I'm bringing an appetizer to a Christmas party that was from the Spring that is essentially thin slices of radishes with salt on buttered bread.

I have been cooking, just not blogging. I'm going to try to catch up.

I made a Winter-Squash Souffle that was fun to make but relatively tasteless. I would add toasted walnuts or cheese...? Something.

One recipe that I held out making for a time when I had time and the ingredients was Shirred Lemon Eggs. In this recipe you basically poach eggs in cream with a little cheese in ramekins. The lemon comes from grated lemon peel. I served it with toasted, buttered baguette slices.

One of my favorite recipes to date is Garlic Broccoli with Walnuts. It's from an article called "Nuts Add the Finishing Touch". I love Asian food and this is just like something you would order for carry-out. I added some garlicky, sauteed shrimp.

1 large head of broccoli, about 1 1/2 lb.
1 C veg. or chicken broth
2 Tbsp Peanut oil
3 cloves garlic ( I love garlic so I added more)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh ginger or 1tsp powdered garlic
1/4 to 1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes (or to taste)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 to 2 tsp peanut oil

cut up the broccoli to 3 inch spears and discard the tough stems. Rinse the broccoli well under cold water. Bring the broth, oil, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to a boil and add the broccoli. Cook the broccoli for about 5 minutes until tender.

Cook the walnuts in the rest of the peanut oil for a few minutes over medium heat until slightly browned, 3-5 minutes, stirring often and watching carefully. Using a slotted spoon, place the broccoi in a serving dish and add the hot walnuts on top. Serve immediately.


For Thanksgiving, I brought the green salad and for the dressing, I made Cranberry Maple Vinagrette. This was super easy and the maple syrup adds an nice sweetness without being too maple-y.

I had a friend over one night when my husband was out and I made Chipotle Chicken Soup. It was super easy and delicious. It called for cooked chicken AND garbanzo beans. Since they are both a good source of protein, I was surprised to have them both in the soup and we both though the soup would work with just one or the other. I also had never worked with canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce but my friend had some- glad we didn't go without because it really packs a punch.

More to come- only have a few weeks to go!