Does it work? 15: White bean chicken chili

I'm conflicted about chili. On the one hand, its near-infinite varieties, scalability, and freezable nature make it a wonderful thing to cook. On the other hand, I just...don't really like it. I mean, it's fine. I'll eat it. But kidney beans are kind-of meh, I never have beef on hand, and the flavor doesn't excite me. 

Enter white bean chilis. These have a different flavor than traditional chili, chicken as the meat, and no kidney beans - definite wins.

To that end, I vaguely followed Averie Cooks' Easy 30-Minute Homemade White Chicken Chili recipe, with some hearty modifications. 

Why all the mods? I'm currently trying to use up all the random things in our pantry/fridge/freezer/other pantry, as well as reduce food waste (by aggressively putting perishables in anything I can reasonably get away with). But that's the beauty of chilis; they can take pretty much anything. 

Substituted (1 of 16):

- Lemon juice for lime juice (I was low on lime)

Left out (3 of 16):

- Cilantro (would have been good, but I hadn't gone to grocery store yet for the week)
- Green chiles (see previous)

- Some white beans (I just didn't have enough)

Added (2):

- Lentils (I wanted a little bit more beany-ness. Lentils don't have to be soaked and pre-cooked, making them a great last-minute decision.)

- Bok choy (see LPT at end) 

Notes:

- I didn't use any of the garnishes (though I'm sure they would have been nice), nor did I blend part of the bean mixture before adding it. 

- The only thing I'd do differently next time is use less cumin; I think since there were no green chiles, there was nothing to even out the cumin flavor and it ended up overwhelming things.

- I added the bok choy stems with everything else, and then added the leaves at the very end to wilt. 

Did it work? Sure. Mine turned out more like taco soup than anything, but it was still tasty. 

And LPT: Whenever you can put in more leafy greens, do it. 

xo, 

Devo

Does it work? 14: Chicken Yakisoba

This time 'round, we're doing Homemade Chicken Yakisoba by Bydget Bytes. I love Budget Bytes. I did not love this.

Substituted (1 of 14): 
- Made-up concoction for Worcestershire sauce

Left out (1 of 14): 
- Sugar

I was pretty underwhelmed with this recipe. The sauce wasn't great, and just made the noodles and veg kind of...slimy. There were too many veggies, even though I used the amounts called for - the ratio of noodles to veg didn't really balance out.

Now, I did have high hopes for this. I had yakisoba in Japan and have been craving it ever since. Maybe if it had used real W. sauce it would have worked out? And like, halved the amount of veggies. And used different noodles.

So, does it work? Meh. SO liked it well enough.

xo,
Devo

Craft: Magnetic Spice Tins

Something I've wanted to do for a long time, and finally did. Did I spend three days working on it nearly non-stop? Sure did. Will it necessarily take you that long? Probably not.
This is blog post by Love Pomegranate House is what I mostly followed.

The most time-consuming part was sourcing the images and editing them. Partly this was because I wanted to be sure to get public domain images (so I could share them) and partly it was my lack of know-how about image-editing software and my inability to navigate a Mac.

I did my editing using Mac's "Preview"; though I have photoshop on this computer, I have no idea how to use it. If you know more about image manip than I do, editing photos will probably not be so arduous. Also, I sourced a bunch of images for you! Right here at this Google drive link you'll find links to all the images I used, as well as the edits I made.

Also in that Drive folder is a word document, with all the pictures nicely lined up for printing. Note that my containers are aprox. 2.44" square.

Note that all the images in the 72-96 DPI folder will come out slightly blurry. I've so far been unable to find higher DPI images for those particular herbs. But stay tuned! If I manage to source some 300DPI public domain images of say, nutmeg, you'll be the first to know.

This site on Wikimedia commons is a great source for images. It's mainly what I used, so you'll find there more botanical illustrations like the ones on my tins. This botanical.com site is good for looking up spices and images.

I've had these containers on my fridge for several months now, and here are a few things I've learned.

1) The powdery spices tend to gum up the lids (think: powdered ginger, cumin, etc.). I've had to transfer the ginger back into a shaker.

2) If I were doing it over, I'd use tins with screw-on lids. My lids are sometimes hard to pull off without a small explosion of spice.

3) Good for pinching amounts and getting your measuring spoons in; bad for sprinkling over pots.

4) LAMINATE YO' LABELS. I tried hacking it with packaging tape, but it's just not cutting it. Without lamination, all those pretty labels I worked so hard on will get gross and ripped as you cook.

I'm still pleased with how they look and how they allow me to see at a glance what spices we have. However. they're not as functional as I was expecting, which is aggravating. I think with some of the above alterations, they'd be much more cooking-friendly.

xo,
Devo

Does it work? 13: Dan Dan Noodles

This cooking post is going to be different from the rest, because I went really far off-book with this meal. So far, in fact, that I'm going to post what I actually did in its entirety. All my cooking idiosyncrasies/preferences came to bear on this recipe adventure: my desire not to buy a bunch of new spices; my dislike of complicated procedures; and my health-mandated moratorium on meat.

Here's what I'm usually looking at when I cook:

I transcribe recipes into a short, easily scan-able form, leaving out all the faff. [1] This one is especially abbreviated, because it's essentially a stir-fry and a sauce, both of which I've made a bunch of times. 

Source recipes:

1 (link) is the most authentic, and therefore the most complicated. I used it to get an idea of what the real thing was supposed to taste like, and to guide my guessing/substituting.

2 (link) is a sort-of authentic looking vegetarian version; this is the one I relied most heavily on. Notably, I did not do her frozen-and-then-defrosted tofu thing because, well, I can't be bothered. I am curious about it, though, so maybe someday. 

3 (link) looked the least authentic, and the easiest. I used this in comparison to 1 to see how far afield I could go and still approximate something like the original dish. 

My recipe, interpreted:

Step 1: Combine listed sauce ingredients in a bowl.
- Used the Sambal Olek chili paste I had from making hot & sour soup. 
- I didn't feel like buying a bunch of roasted Sichuan peppercorns when I needed less than a teaspoon. According to the internet, black pepper and a little coriander is the closest approximation. This is probably the biggest hit to flavor (aside from the lack of pork, of course). 
- Making it again, I'd probably use slightly less soy sauce, just because it was plenty flavorful and soy sauce isn't the most healthy thing. 
- Used a little canola oil to thin it out. 

Step 2: Stir-fry the veg and tofu on med-high heat.
- I pressed the block of tofu under a giant book [2] for a bit while I made the sauce - that makes it easier to stir-fry. 
- Used about 4 shiitake mushrooms and 2 heads of bok choy, but the sauce and noodles could definitely have handled more. Every opportunity to throw in more leafy greens should be taken.  
- Yacai is pickled mustard greens, which I got from my trusty Asian market [3].  It was like, a dollar, so I was willing to take a chance on it.
- I didn't end up using spinach, but it would have been a fine addition. I didn't add extra chili oil either. 

Step 3: Cook the noodles. 
- I used whatever kind of rice noodles we had [4], and cooked them in a separate pot while stir-frying. 

Step 4: Put it all together and top with green onion. Serve and eat immediately.

My Franken-version was delicious: fresh and fragrant, easy, and healthy. I'll definitely make it again. 

xo,
Devo

[1] I have a deep desire to one day write a cookbook in this style - though Eat Tweet may have beaten me to it. 

[2] The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed., for the curious.

[3] Usually I wander around the store three or four times looking for a new ingredient. But this time I took the advice from An Economist Gets Lunch and just asked the cashier. I pointed to my shopping list, said, "I don't know how to say this, but do you sell it?" and she took me right to it. Delightful. 

[4] I'm not trying to be coy here; I really don't know what kind they are, since I took them out of their original packaging. 

Does it work? 12: Sweet potato chicken curry

I've slowly been allowing coconut into my diet. Which is good, because then I end up with wins like this curry!

The recipe is Denise of Sweet Peas and Saffron's Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chicken Curry. Fair warning, I got a little bit creative with this one, but I don't think it's radically far from her recipe. I'll do my best to guide you through my process.

Substituted (3 of 19): 
- Chicken breasts for thighs (They're lower fat, which is good for my high cholesterol; also, did I weigh them? Nah.)
- Water + chicken bullion for stock (I'm lazy.)
- Lemon juice for lime juice (One acid is much like another, unless you're literally making limeade.)

Left out (1 of 19): 
- Spinach (I forgot! It happens when I'm faced with really long ingredient lists.)

Got creative/lazy with: 
- Thai Red Curry Paste

Real talk: Sometimes I get tired of buying random oils/spices/blends/pastes/etc. Even if I think I'll use them again, it's annoying to go hunt them down at the grocery store, annoying to have yet another tiny bottle of something-or-other [1], annoying to spend money I don't want to spend. This Thai curry paste was one of those times. I thought, "We have a lot of Asian cooking ingredients. I'ma wing it." [2]

Luckily, though, the internet exists so I didn't have to totally wing it: I used this recipe as a guide. I didn't measure anything, because the curry paste recipe makes 1 cup, and I only needed a tablespoon. Didn't have lemongrass, red chiles, white pepper, shrimp paste - but when there's a list of 15+ ingredients, I figure a loss of four won't make a huge difference. Of the spices and oils I had, I just added a bit of each spice to my flavor base and called it good.

I think the main thing this "winging it" affected was the heat - my curry came out very mild.

Other notes: 
- Remember: you never have to peel anything.
- I didn't have quite enough garam masala; it was fine.
- I did the unthinkable and used a separate pan to make the "flavor base". Being that I am opposed to slow cooker meals that take more than the crock-pot itself to make, this was a big step for me. I'm not sure how much it affected things, so if I ever make it without pre-flavor-basing, I'll let you know.
- I left mine in for 3.5 hours, and it was probably ready to eat at the 3-hour mark.

Did it work? Definitely! It was warm and filling on a cold and bleary day.

xo,
Devo

[1] I'm vaguely on a minimal-izing journey, so ymmv regarding lots of tiny bottles.

[2] Ten points to Gryffindor if you get my Finder reference.

Does it work? 11: Vegan Coconut Curry Lentil Soup

This curry lentil soup by Vegangela was dang good. DANG GOOD, I say.

Most of the time, I don't read the intros on recipe blogs - they often have little to do with the recipe and more to do with traveling, or family, or sponsors, or...

But the intro on this recipe is actually relevant and helpful; she guides you through possible substitutions and changes, and encourages you to make the ones that best suit your diet/pantry/tastes/etc. It's a very Devo method :)

My changes are minor; but I'll tell you about them because I want you to feel empowered to cook with what you have. No need to go buy fancy ingredients! My substitutions are all artistic, rather than scientific [1].

Substituted (4 of 14)
- Powdered ginger for fresh (fresh is messy and time consuming; always remember to use *less* of a powdered spice than a fresh one - the conversion for ginger is about 1/2t powdered for 1T fresh)
- Cayenne for hot pepper flakes (they're literally the same thing, one is just more ground up)
- Water + bullion for vegetable stock (it's what I have)
- Green lentils for red lentils (they're the same, just different colors)

Left out (1 of 14)
- All the garnishes (it was good without them)

I made a few minor adjustments to quantities, based on taste and our ingredients on hand:
- Used about 1/3 can of coconut milk (it's what we had, and I'm not super jazzed about coconut anyway)
- Used slightly less curry powder (I think ours is hotter than regular American powder, as I learned when I made VERY spicy chickpea curry a few weeks ago)

And there you have it! A delicious, filling, vegan dinner. Try it out!

xo,
Devo

[1] Really, idek if they're even so far as "artistic" - they don't change the flavors or texture really at all. They just happen to be a slight variation on the listed ingredients.

Does it work? 10: Hot and Sour Glass Noodle Soup (+bonus)

Realized I hadn't done a recipe post in a while, so here's what I made for dinner last night. And despite the 6 month (!) interval, the recipe is from the same blog, Connoisseurus Veg. What can I say? Her stuff is tasty, including this hot and sour soup.

Substituted (6 of 15): Most were very minor changes, artistic more than scientific. 
- "rice sticks" for glass noodles (it was what we had) [1]
- Sesame oil for veg oil (why not)
- Powdered ginger for fresh (it's messy and time consuming to use fresh; I'm over it)
- Chicken bullion broth for veg broth (it's what we had)
- Lemon juice for lime juice (one acid is much like another)
- Kroger syrup for maple syrup (as per uzh)

Left out (1 of 15):
- Toasted sesame seeds (can't be bothered)

What I'd change: 
- I'd chop the snap peas in half or thirds, despite the recipe leaving them whole. It would make the soup easier to eat, rather than having big chunks of veg in there. 
- I'd probably add fried tofu next time, for protein (a suggestion in the recipe)

I loved all the different textures and flavors in this soup. The kitchen smelled awesome while I was cooking (ginger! garlic! sesame oil! cilantro!) and the flavors all came through even once it was cooked. Would probably be better with the glass noodles, but hey. Sometimes you gotta use what you have.[2] 

This is definitely going on the "eat again" list - not too hard, good payoff for the amount of work. 

I actually took a photo.

***

Now, the bonus section!
I made these avocado wontons for a protein accompaniment, and they were...fine. I don't think I used enough oil during baking, so they didn't turn out very crunchy. The inside makes good guacamole, but the wonton part doesn't really improve things. Too much effort for too little payoff. 

xo, 
Devo

[1] That's not a sponsored link (lol), just so you can see the product.

[2] Though, I did buy a little thing of the Asian chili paste, so now we have three different hot sauces...

Does it work? 9: Korean Barbecue Tofu Burgers

Let me not bury the lead: HECK TO THE YES, it works. These are delicious.

No more ado, the review of Korean Barbecue Tofu Burgers by Connoisseurus Veg (great blog name, incidentally).

Substituted (3 of 14):
- That good ol' sugar syrup for maple syrup (as always)
- White vinegar for rice vinegar (nobody has yet given me a compelling reason to buy more than one kind of vinegar)
- Yellow onion for red onion (it's what I had [1])

We're not even counting the instant oats for rolled oats. Especially since they had to be ground up anyway.

Left out (1 of 14):
- Sesame seeds for rolling (I was not going to pay $6+ for a spice-jar size of them. Just, no.)

Things I learned:
- It's really important to have a good food processor if you're going to be cooking vegan/vegetarian. My current one is a little...lackluster. We made it through these patties, but only barely.

Does it work? FREAKING YES. Would I make it again? ABSOLUTELY. Hopefully my extensive use of all-caps has convinced you of the merits of this spicy patty.

A few random notes:
- You could probably leave out most/all of the syrup, if, like me, you are trying to cut down on sugary things. The red pepper paste has a little sugar in it. They will be supes spice if you leave out the sugar entirely, but just embrace the burn.
- I topped mine with kimchi and tomato, no mayo.
- They're not like, astronomically spicy, but my nose was definitely running after patty 2.
- Just please, eat these. F'reals. They're yummy and nutritious and involve no animal products (good for the environment, good for you!).

xo,
Devo

[1] Fun fact, if you refrigerate your onions (I do, so they keep longer) and then cut them up fast enough, they probably won't make you cry!

Does it work? 8: Broccoli, Cheddar & Spinach Frittata

That omitted Oxford comma pains me. PAINS me, y'all. But it is her recipe title, so I must abide it.

Today we have the Broccoli, Cheddar & Spinach Frittata by Kate of Cookie+Kate.

Substituted (0 of 12)
- Nothing, incredibly! Unless you count generic ingredients for brand names ones. Which I don't.

Left out (2 of 12)
- Green onions (didn't have any)
- Spinach (ditto)
We're reaching a whole new level, when I leave out ingredients that are in the very recipe title.

I used frozen broccoli cuts and didn't chop them up any smaller than they already were. It may have left the texture a little chunky, but so it goes.

Did it work? I think so. I didn't actually eat it, only fed it to the SO, because dishes high in animal fats are out for me (high cholesterol heyoooo). He said it was good.

Frittatas [1] are pretty straightforward and easy to make. I recommend this one for anyone who has an abundance of eggs (as we did) and some kind of vegetable in their fridge that needs eating. It doesn't take very long to cook (20ish mins), and doesn't require any sort of pre-planning.

My only complaint? Even though I used her shimmy test, it was still slightly underdone in the middle But that's probably my fault; I was just very wary of over-cooking it in our tends-to-burn-everything oven.

xo,
Devo

[1] That extra [t] is never where I think it should be

Does it work? 7: Low-Carb pancakes

Why would you ever design a pancake recipe that only makes three pancakes?! I guess that's what I get for going to the *~*healthy~*~ food blogs.

Anyway. I'm feeling a little salty right now, so y'know. Don't take me too seriously.

Todays recipe is Healthy thick+fluffy low carb vanilla pancakes [1] from Arman of The Big Man's World [2]. They were...fine.

Substituted (1 of 8)
- All-purpose flour for coconut flour (No. Just no. I am not going to go buy coconut flour; I shudder to even think about how much that would cost.)

I liked this recipe because he included lots of alternatives right in the ingredients - mashed sweet potato OR yogurt! Granulated sweetener of choice! Except for the coconut flour thing, I feel like we're on the same wavelength, cooking-wise - he's empowering you to make your own decisions.

On a scale of chicken eggs to caviar, I'd say these were eh, I dunno, quail eggs. Pretty much what they were supposed to be, but maybe a little bit unexpected.

They came out kind of eggy and not super fluffy, but good. A cross between an American pancake and a crepe, I'd say. So...

Did it work? Yep. Did I feel like a fool when I came out with only three pancakes after all that measuring? Sure did. Make again? Mmm, maybe. They were at least nice change from oatmeal. [3]

xo,
Devo

[1] We've really got to work on the recipe names. Roll off the tongue, they do not.

[2] The first male food blogger I've ever run across. Pinterest is full of women, y'all.

[3] I didn't make the glaze, so if anybody does, give me a shout.

Does it work? 6: Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies

SELF [while spooning oats into the measuring cup]: No wonder nobody cooks, if they think you have to do it like this! end scene

Okay, but f'reals: you can just scoop out the oats and flour. It'll be fine. [1]

Today's recipe is Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies, by Amy of Amy's Healthy Baking.

Substituted (2 of 10)
- White flour for wheat flour (it's what we had)
- Canola oil for butter/coconut oil (more cholesterol friendly)
I'm not counting the honey I used for maple syrup, because she lists that as an alternative.

I oiled the pan rather than using a silpat, worked fine.

For the first time in forever, this recipe actually does call for instant oats rather than whole oats. What a miracle.

Should have added:
- Raisins (because I love them)
- Nutmeg
- More carrots
- Ginger?

Does it work? Sure. Were they a good "healthy" dessert? Yep.[2]  Were they perfect? Nah. I found them a little bland and dry (not crumbly, though, as the recipe warned if you used the scoop method) - in fact, once they sat overnight, they got more moist. I think raisins and nutmeg would add a lot, and icing definitely would. Though, if you're adding icing, they're probably not a health dessert any more.

xo,
Devo

[1] Full disclosure: I currently live at a high altitude, and that may have affected things (since you need a little more flour when up high).

[2] Compare these cookies' 2tbs oil, 1 egg, and 1/2 c sugar to chocolate chip cookies' 2 eggs, 2 sticks butter, and 1.5 c sugar.

Does it work? 5: Sweet Potato and Lentil Cakes w/ Dressing

What a recipe title. Gotta get that SEO, I guess.

I'm excited for these - they look healthful, filling, colorful, fairly straightforward. But look y'all, there are certain things I can't be bothered to do. Namely, peel (I am literally never going to peel something) and buy shelled hemp seeds. If it can't be got at a regular, cheap grocery store, I ain't getting it.

So several of the ingredients in this recipe were out, right at the start. Add in that I never have everything a recipe calls for and hate to grocery shop, and I suddenly end up at a point where I'm going, "Well, I've got sweet potatoes and lentils; that's close enough, right?"

Right. That's why I'm writing these posts. To assure you that you too can off-road when it comes to cooking and things will turn out just fine!

Today's recipe is Sweet Potato and Lentil Cakes with Lemony Avocado Sauce by Ashley of Blissful Basil.

Substituted (major):
- Spinach for kale (we were out of kale)
- Green onions for chives (the scallions are growing on our windowsill, so I'm sure not going shopping for chives)

Substituted (minor):
- Green lentils for red (that hardly registers to me, but I'm trying to be thorough)
- Quick oats for rolled
- Regular paprika for smoked
- Powdered garlic for fresh
- Table salt for sea salt
- Oiled baking sheet for parchment

Left out
- Hemp seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
- Cayenne (it was an accident! That's what happens when I'm face really long ingredient lists)

Called Mom about:
- The raw sweet potatoes were leaking white ooze when I cut into them. Turns out that's sweet potato sap.

Now, let's talk about the science vs. art subs I did.
- Everything in the minor category: 100% an art sub. Those are cosmetic changes- quick oats will do the job just as well as rolled oats, donchaknow.
- The major subs, those were more science-y, but still only affected flavor, not essential make-up. One leafy green is much like another, hence the spinach for kale. Green onions and chives have a similar taste and consistency.
- The things I left out, those were definitely science - I'm pretty sure the texture and flavor of the cakes was affected by those changes. Trying to compensate somewhat, I added a few more oats and lentils, but at the end of the day, you do what you gotta do to turn a pretty blog recipe into a regular meal.

Does it work? Yes! I just took these out of the oven and drizzled them with the dressing (no subs) and they are darn tasty.

xo,
Devo

Does it work? 4: Vegetarian Kimchi Ramen

Look, y'all. I hesitate to even write this as a "Does It Work?" post because I hardly used the recipe at all. I guess it's sort of a book review for Bowl, a chronicle of a yummy thing made, and like, 0.04% Does It Work.

Review portion: Bowl by Lukas Volger is a lovely cookbook. It's got that hipster-y sans serif font for the headers and gorgeous, simple food pictures. Plus, things in bowls is literally my favorite kind of meal. I've only read the first part [1], talking about what staples you need to make these dishes and the benefits of bowl meals, but it seems straightforward and informative.

***

The SO and I were trying to figure out what to have for dinner that wasn't beans and rice. We eat so much beans and rice in this house, it's not even funny. He suggested ramen and luckily we had just gone to the library and stumbled on the lovely Bowl. So I glanced through the ramen section and saw this, Vegetarian Kimchi Ramen. "Perfect," I thought to myself. "We have all those things. Let's do it."

...Except, of course, we didn't. The tofu had gone bad and I couldn't be bothered to deal with all the various vegetables he lists (onions, napa cabbage, idek what else). Basically, I took the title, and made something I thought resembled it.

Ramen (yes, the college, brick kind) + beef flavor packet
Frozen kale
Hard boiled egg (instead of tofu, still need a protein)
Kimchi (had that, at least)
Soy sauce (the kale watered down the broth)
Grated ginger (see previous)

It was very tasty. And full of vegetables. And fast. Which is really all you need out of a meal sometimes.

xo,
Devo

[1] Yes, I read through cookbooks for fun. Don't you?

Does it work? 3: Butternut Squash Lentil Stew

I saw squash in the grocery store, bought it, and then came home to look for recipes to use it in [1]. And the internet delivered, with a bonus use of some of our 4 lbs of lentils. This is Lindsey's Spicy Butternut Squash Lentil Stew, from the blog Lou Lou Biscuit [2].

Substituted (2 of 15)
- Syrup for molasses
- Regular paprika for smoked paprika

On a scale of dog to platypus [3] this was a dingo - near to a prototypical mammal, but definitely not a standard one.

Googled
- Is peeling butternut squash necessary? (No. So I didn't - it was 80% laziness, 20% want-to-keep-those-skin-vitamins)

Left out (1 of 15)
- Red chilis (I added some extra cayenne)

Was it tasty? Yes! and super hearty. Was it the intended flavor? Probably not! Since I didn't have red chilis or smoked paprika, my stew was probably much milder than the original recipe. It still had a lot of wonderful textures, and subtler but still delicious flavors.

Difficulty rating: Pretty easy. Butternut squashes are kinda difficult to slice, and you do have to keep an eye on the simmering stew. But really it's just a stew.

Recommended for: Someone hankering for a solid, filling stew.

Bonus, here's my sliced squash sweating in the dry air:

xo,
Devo

[1] This is how pretty much all my creative endeavors go: buy the materials first, figure out what to make after.

[2] Sadly, it looks like the blog is on hiatus/defunct - no new posts since 2016.

[3] This is my goofy use of prototype theory - namely, that a dog is a very prototypical mammal (representing complete fidelity to the recipe, and ending up with the "prototypical" or exact flavor) and a platypus is not (representing complete deviation from the recipe, so far that some might argue it's a different thing entirely).

Does It Work? 1: Mustardy Chicken & Potatoes

Time for a new occasional series, "Does it work?', where I talk about cooking. Almost always when I make a new recipe, I have only two-thirds of the ingredients, or the wrong kind of pan, or it calls for saffron (never use saffron), and I always wonder, will it work despite my tweaks?

I've also noticed that many people are afraid of cooking and the almost-inevitable improvisation - the SO chalks this up to adults being afraid of failing - and while I am not a great chef, and still need a recipe in order to get anything made, I'm not afraid.

Not sure why, really. I'm afraid of most other new things.

Of course, I have been cooking for a while now, and I suppose there are some things I know that a brand-new cook wouldn't: what sautéing is, how to slice veggies, that some ingredients are "science" ingredients (make the food into what it's supposed to be e.g. risen) and some are "artistic" ingredients (change the flavor but not the essential nature). That last one is especially important when it comes to winging it/substituting/leaving things out.

I'll not be posting the recipes in their entirety (that's illegal and slimy), but rather providing links and credit to people's blogs or books and talking about what stuff I substituted, changed, ignored, and failed at. Or succeeded at! Hopefully more of the latter. I encourage you to try the stuff I link to, if it tickles your fancy, and let me know how it goes.

I hope this encourages people who are nervous about cooking to give it a shot! Try new things, make a mess, burn the cookies - it's all okay.

So let's get to it! The first "Does it work?" is Diethood's One Pan Maple Mustard Chicken and Potatoes, by Katerina.

I do buy ingredients if I'm going to try a totally new dish, one that has a totally different flavor profile or science ingredients. But mostly, I cook with what's one hand - hence the substitutions.

Substituted (3 of 7 ingredients)
- Regular Kroger syrup for maple syrup
- Chicken breasts for thighs, and only 2 instead of 4 (Why? They're bigger.)
- Regular potatoes for new potatoes

On a scale of salad-salad to tuna salad (see: prototype theory), these substitutions were a caesar-salad wrap: very similar to what was called for, but not exactly.

Left out (1 of 7 ingredients)
- Parsley (you can always leave out parsley; it's like the most "artistic" ingredient ever)

Did it work? Yes! Was it as pretty as Katerina's? No! Is that okay? Yes!

I recommend this recipe, especially for new or nervous cooks. There are only a few ingredients, and an easy single pan. If you like maple-bacon things, you'll probably like this flavor profile.

xo,
Devo

Chocolate Chip Cookies: A Primer

I swear I'm not being sponsored by Nestle. I've just had several people ask me about cookies lately.

Chocolate chip cookies will add "baking things" to your be-an-adult arsenal. Baking things is so useful! Friend needs a pick-me-up? Cookies. New neighbors? Cookies. Pot-luck? Cookies. Somebody has a birthday/marriage/baby/graduation/promotion/whatever? Cookies. There is no event that is not improved by cookies. 

Here's the simplest version: Go to the grocery store. Buy Nestle’s semi-sweet chocolate morsels (whatever, they’re just chocolate chips). Make the recipe on the bag. BAM. 

(You may have heard that you need some sort of complicated, closely-guarded secret of a family recipe to make delicious cookies. THIS IS A FALSE LIE. You need only this one, right here.)

But not to fret! If you need more assistance / are really feeling unsure about this whole baking thing, let me guide you. All will be well. 

Okay, so you’ve gotten your chocolate chips (Nestle, semi-sweet). You have the bag with the recipe. But oh no! The bag gets lost or you just don’t want to buy Nestle products. RIGHT HERE on the internet is their cookie recipe. BAM.

Now, obtain the ingredients - buy them, borrow them from a neighbor, raid your friend’s kitchen. Whatever. There are only 9 items, you can definitely handle that. (10 if you want nuts, but who wants those? Seriously, they're expensive. Just leave them out. I always do and nobody has ever complained.) BAM.

Put on an apron. Flour is messy. BAM.

Turn on the oven to 375. (This is what's known as "pre-heating".) BAM.

Now, look at the recipe. First up is what to do with the dry ingredients. Just an fyi, SUGAR DOES NOT COUNT AS A DRY INGREDIENT, because the world is full of confusion and lies. Just accept this; you cannot change it. (Baking teaches you a lot of acceptance.) So get your bowl, get your fork, dump the dry ingredients into said bowl, and use said fork to mix it up. BAM.

(You may have heard many scary things about leveling flour and sifting and all sorts of other nonsense. Ignore that. Just scoop up the flour with your 1-cup measuring cup, shake the excess off the top, and call it a day. If you’re feeling daring, use the same 1-cup to estimate a 1/4 cup.)

Next up is what to do with the wet ingredients. Sometimes people ask me if they need an electric mixer to do this. No, I say. VERY NO. I make these cookies by hand, with a fork for the dry ingredients and a wooden spoon for rest. Don’t have a wooden spoon? Use a metal one, or a spatula, or a butter knife. Or even the fork, if you really want to. 

(You may have heard other things about overmixing and its dire consequences. Ignore that. You can’t overmix these cookies. I promise.)

Soften that butter inna bowl in the microwave. About a minute should do it for two sticks. Brown sugar too hard? Chunk it up with your hands or the fork or the wooden spoon. It won’t get perfectly smooth, but who doesn’t love little surprise sugar lumps? It’s yummy, trust me. BAM.

Mix the wet ingredients in a bowl larger than the bowl that you mixed the dry ingredients in. Why? Because of the next step: dump the dry ingredients into the wet. Mix it up with your trusty spoon. BAM.

Get a pan. Whatever size or shape. Only have a pizza pan? That’s fine, use it. No need to grease the pan. (These cookies have 2 sticks of butter, remember?) Use a spoon/spatula/your hands to plop the cookies on the pan. I usually do 3 rows of 4 cookie plops, but really, do whatever you want. Just remember they will expand when cooked, so don’t put ‘em too close together. Or do, if you want a whole fused sheet o'cookie.

(You may have heard/seen on Pinterest that cookies need to be all the same size and free of any irregularities. Ignore that. Cookies taste good regardless of how they look.)

Bake them. The directions say 9-11 minutes, which is about accurate. The exact length will depend on your oven, the altitude, the whims of the small god of chocolate chip cookies...So here's my #1 pro-tip: TAKE THE COOKIES OUT BEFORE YOU THINK THEY'RE DONE. Not totally oozing, but like, a lil' not-quite-finished. BAM.

And here's the thing. You'll probably mess up the cooking length the first several times you try it. They'll be a little underdone (everybody loves cookie dough) or a little burnt (just scrape off the bottom). That's okay, just accept it. You're learning. Dip 'em in milk or slather them in peanut butter or even just throw them away if they're really bad. Try again. You've got several pans worth of dough, after all.

Repeat until all dough is cooked. Vary cooking times and temperatures if the first (or second or fifth) pan didn't come out how you like. BAM. 

Finally, eat those tasty cookies. You deserve it. 

BAM.

xo,
Devo