Hey there, IMVL readers. Amanda was extremely busy today so I was in charge of dinner. Just to warn you I don't have the eloquence of Amanda. And I should point out that I was assigned to make these particular meals. If it were up to me, we'd have beets and sweat potatoes four nights a week.
Ok, up first is Philly Potato Chowder from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook. I halved the recipe because of the whole "cook a new recipe each day this week" thing. We haven't made that many of the recipes from the book, so I can't make a judgement of the book as a whole, but this was a pretty damn good tasting meal and pretty easy to make. Good call Amanda.
Self rating: 8/10 for taste, 2/10 for photographic quality
I also attempted to make the Oktoberfest Kraut and Beans recipe from Vegan Menu for People with Diabetes put out by the Vegetarian Resource Group. We haven't made anything from this book yet so I was looking forward to trying it out, particularly because I love Sauerkraut and beans. The recipe seemed easy enough with only five ingredients, one of them being water. There was a problem, however. I couldn't find anything labeled caraway seeds in our pantry and I have no idea what carraway seeds are. Amanda pointed to an unlabeled bottle with some kind of seed in it and said that those seeds might be caraway. Whatever I put this recipe made my mouth numb. Still, I have to believe I've made worse things before.
Self rating: 2/10 for taste, 4/10 for photographic quality
Henry UPDATE: We raised $400 for Henry. Also, there are a few families that have expressed interest in fostering him. I'm not sure that any of them work out because they either have other dogs or children, but I'm optimistic that we'll find someone soon for Henry.
This is DocDufresne signing off.
Congratualtions on venturing into the kitchen. My husband stays completely out of that room in our house.
ReplyDeleteThe soup from the "Uncheese" book sounds good. Thanks for the review.
I love your description of the bean dish making your mouth numb. Very funny! Since you seem to be a doc with a sense of humor check out drgrumpyinthehouse.blogspot.com. I used to be a hospital administrator so I can relate to many of his posts. I think you will enjoy his sense of humor. All my doc friends love his blog.
Congrats on the money raised for Henry. He is lucky to have crossed your path.
Alicia
Thank you, Alicia. I've been reading your blog daily since my wife told me about it. For the record, I'm not an MD. Ever since I saw "Back to the Future" I wanted to be known as "Doc," although I'm not pretentious enough to be called that outside of the blog world. I study nutrition primarily to annoy my wife. There are certain words I'm no longer allowed to say in the house relating to this matter. And for the record, although you had no information to know otherwise, I do quite enjoy cooking. But my idea of cooking is steaming veggies and seasoning them with red pepper flakes and kelp. Therefore, I'm only allowed to cook once a week.
ReplyDeleteDoc,
ReplyDeleteThanks, that made me giggle. My husband has been banned from using specific words at our house too so I can relate to your wife. Please tell her I understand.
What was the numbing ingredient you added the kraut and bean dish? Did you figure it out?
Do you feel comfortable recommending the Uncheese book yet? Or is it still too soon? This book has stayed on my "maybe list" for too long.
thanks,
Alicia
Alicia, I'm ambivalent about the Uncheese book. The recipes are pretty simple, which is good for me since I'm bad at following recipes in general. What we've made has been pretty decent, but aren't exactly packed full of nutrients. Since that seems to be a big focus of your cooking, I'd say the book isn't for you. That said, you might be interested in making some of the cheese spreads for snacks, particularly when entertaining. In that case, the book will come in handy.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I still don't know what the mystery ingredient is.
-Matt
Matt,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info on the book. You are right that nutrition is a big focus for me so it sounds like the book is something I should pass on.
Alicia