Made and Making: September 2015

Cooking
Pear Bread: It seems that Pear Bread is okay but not my favorite; it reminded me a little too strongly of banana bread which I’m not a fan of at all. Re-reading Deb’s introduction to the recipe this seems like a problem I should have anticipated.

Jammy Roasted Onions: This is easy and delicious, and wonderful to put on sandwiches or add to other vegetables. Or eat out of the pan, as I have been known to do.

Baguette & Wensleydale: I ate a lot of baguette and cheese sandwiches in the early part of September.

Carry Out Casserole: This was a family favorite growing up, and I have a nostalgic fondness for it. I always use ground beef (not ground turkey as this recipe says) and left out the peppers this time (because I didn’t have any).

Horseradish Potato Salad: Creamy and horseradishy, this was a nice variation on potato salad.

Yogurt & Brown Sugar Cake: I meant to make this as written, but my yogurt had gone bad so I used buttermilk, and I added sliced plums to the top. I would like to make it again with yogurt, because I think it would be a little denser, but it’s hard to argue with buttermilk & plums.

Tvorog: This sounded interesting, so I decided to try making it. It’s a long process, though not particularly involved. The cheese itself has a nice tangy flavor from the buttermilk.

Red Wine Cabbage: I used white cabbage instead of red as that’s what I had, but made the recipe pretty much as written otherwise. A nice side dish with bratwurst.

Apple, Olive Oil, and Lavender Cake from Le Pain Quotidien: I wasn’t sure how I would feel about apple and lavender together, but I ended up liking the combination quite a bit! I warmed honey and dried lavender together and would probably drizzle a little in the batter next time, rather than just letting it collect in the apples.

Easy Mushroom Gravy: Made this and served it over rotini. I really liked the flavors here and would definitely make this one again.

Sauteed Black Beans: Something I made up and didn’t love but which fed me.

Egg Sauce from Moosewood Cookbook: I added a bit more seasoning, as I often find Moosewood recipes a little bland for my taste. I served this over rice and I suspect it would better on potatoes or pasta. Oh, and I didn’t blend the egg into tiny bits because the very thought made me gag; it’s still good with the eggs simply diced.

Plum Muffins: Heavily adapted from the Poppy Seed Plum Muffin recipe in the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.

Macaroni and Cheese: Just the cheese sauce recipe I always make, although I added paprika and mustard this time for a slightly zippier sauce.

Apple and Honey Challah: So good! I’ve been eating it toasted, with creme fraiche, and with butter, with honey, and even soft boiled eggs.

Oatmeal Scones: I cut down on the butter a bit, which seemed like a good idea at the time, but they’re a little on the dry & crumbly side. I like the texture of the oats, however!

Kichidi from Cooking Season by Season: Lentils, butternut squash, and rice. I think the proportions of lentils to rice were off; if I made this again, I would add more lentils for a heartier meal. But the flavors were nice.

Knitting
The big project of the month is Wheatsheaves! This made with a bulky yarn and there’s not much shaping, so once you get past the shoulders it goes pretty quickly. I really like the effect of the border. Now, of course, I have to do the sleeves. I wish I liked vests as clothing, because I want to knit all of the sweaters and none of the sleeves.

After this, I plan to knit a Damask shawl. I already have the yarn for it. We’ll see if I manage to get through without crying over Code Name Verity; it’s not looking very likely.

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