Deep-Dish Taco Pizza

I decided to try a dish that I thought would be toddler friendly - Deep-Dish Taco Pizza from Cooking Light's "Superfast Suppers." There wasn't much prep, just chopping an onion, which made it really easy to make while Oliver was watching Sesame Street. I substituted ground turkey for the ground beef, and I didn't have Mexican seasoning, so I tossed in some cumin, chili powder, and oregano. Oliver seemed to like it and ate his helping with a side of cottage cheese and some strawberries. I only had a taste, and it was OK. The jury is still out on how it will do reheating tomorrow night as leftovers. —CS

Chocolate Chip Cake I

We had a wonderful chocolate chip cake in Ohio over the holidays that one of my aunt's relatives made in North Carolina. So, I was flipping through the never-used "Alameda Cooks" cookbook that our good friend Jane bought me a couple of years ago (Jane lives in Alameda, Calif., now, and we used to live there before moving to Boise in 2004), and I saw a recipe for Chocolate Chip Cake. I had to try it out and see if I could replicate that holiday cake that was just so moist and dense even after a couple of days. It was a really simple recipe and turned out nice, but definitely not the same cake. It was all chocolate, and the other cake wasn't. So the search will continue until I finally just ask my aunt if she can get the recipe for me. —CS

Sunday Night Chili

I've been making chili during the colder months for the past several years and have basically made the same chili each time ... ground turkey, some onions, some peppers, lots of nice spices, etc ...

For our first Sunday night chili of the year, we decided to use the new Bon Appetit cookbook Christine received as a gift. Turkey Chili with White Beans. I was a little apprehensive about making a new chili, and the inclusion of cocoa powder had me a little bit nervous.

The best thing about this recipe was the prep work involved ... just about none! The only thing that required a knife was the chopped onions (which I did earlier in the day while prepping my red sauce) ... once I had those done, I was ready to go.

The combination of the spices was actually really nice ... cumin, cinnamon, oregano, and lots of chili powder (I use a chili powder blend from Dean and Deluca, which I think just adds a lot of nice flavor to anything that calls for chili powder). The cocoa powder gave it a deep, rich flavor and color that was missing from my standby chili. White beans opposed to standard kidney beans was also a nice change.

Start to finish, this recipe was about a 90-minute project but well worth it. We served the chili over rice with chopped red onion, cilantro, and grated pepperjack cheese with cornbread on the side.

We have plenty of leftovers if you're in the neighborhood ...

Only one weekend into the new year and we've already tackled two cookbooks ... this project will be a breeze!

-ms

Muffins, muffins, and more muffins

I needed to get off to a good start in the cookbook challenge so I started to think about what to make for New Year's Day. We had leftovers, so dinner wasn't an option. I looked around the kitchen and saw ripe bananas. Normally I would just make my tried-and-true banana-chocolate chip bread, but I decided to try something different and probably more healthy. 

I opted for the Banana-Walnut Muffins from the Williams-Sonoma "Muffins" cookbook. I really like this cookbook. I had to buy it after browsing it at my sister-in-law's house a couple of years ago. I don't use it that often, but I have made the Blueberry Muffins and the Blackberry Muffins several times. 

The Banana-Walnut Muffins turned out great—a nice toasted walnut taste with chunks of banana. The recipe was easy and quick, and I had most ingredients on hand. Matt just had to pick up some walnuts and buttermilk when he stopped at the store.

I'm not going to wait another year before using this "keeper." I have my eyes on the Cinnamon-Buttermilk Muffins, and I can't wait until spring to make the Strawberry-Rhubarb Breakfast Cake. —CS

Cookbooks Galore

Our cookbook collection has gotten out of control. From regional cuisine to celebrity chefs to specific foods and recipes, we have more than 50 cookbooks in the house. I'm afraid to do a final tally to see the actual amount. So my husband and I decided to do a cookbook challenge in 2009. If the cookbook is not used during the year, it doesn't stick around for 2010. So, if we want to keep them all, that's going to mean making roughly one recipe out of each cookbook each week. Stick around and see what comes out of our kitchen and if we can meet the cookbook challenge!