Pear Pie

This was destined to be a 'miss' from the get-go. I learned something interesting about myself as I made this pie. I love pie, and even more, I love a good pie crust. But I absolutely detest, abhor, despise, fill in your own blank here, making the crust. So I cop out and buy them from the store. They aren't great, but I don't have to make them.
So I start making the pie and the first thing I do is take the store-bought pie crust out of the fridge and start rolling it out. You know what happened, don't you? It completely fell apart...in pieces... And I almost bailed right then and there. Remember what my wife does for a living? Right - she's a baker. So she had me read the instructions on the box - Duh! - and lo and behold, it says right there 'bring to room temperature before rolling out.' Double Duh!
We tried another crust but this time we brought it to room temp. Trouble is, I also learned that these thin pie crusts tend to burn in the oven (and it did), so my wife doubled up the crust for me. She's very good to me. The crust didn't burn too badly, and we saved it a little with some aluminum foil.
At that point, I had decided I was done making pies. Never again. I love them, but I will buy them, because I HATE making them. And then I made this one. And it was good. Very good. So I eat my words, and now claim that I will never make a pie crust, but as long as someone else will make it, roll it, crimp it, and whatever else needs to be done, I will make pies. This pie was a big hit at Easter (yes, I got a lot of 'He made this? Really??) and I think it would be fine any time of year.
Frankly, it felt and nearly tasted like an apple pie. But there was strong hints of pear in the flavor that really set it apart. It ended up being the hit of the day, and even my tiny niece who rarely eats anything had two pieces. So I guess I'll make it again. The pear mixture was easy to make and I used Bartlett pears. There were plenty of others to choose from at the store, but they seemed safe. The mixture ended up being nice and juice, and the cornmeal crumble on top had a nice twist to it - a change from the usual crumble recipe.
All in all, this was a big hit (again, with the caveat of the crust thing). I didn't capture a picture, as I expected this to be a one and done item, but I'm sorry I didn't. I'll post the recipe here (found at Relish Magazine, I think as part of a fall or Thanksgiving menu - who knew it would fit so well at Easter!)
Score:
Hits - 5
Misses - 6
Pear Pie with Cornmeal Crumble
1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
Crumble:
1/2 cup flour
3 Tbs. cornmeal
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Pear Filling:
2 pounds firm pears (I used 5 pears) peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (about 7 cups)
2/3 cup sugar
3 Tbs. cornstarch
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1.5 tsp. grated ginger
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Bake pie crust 10 min. Remove and cool. Note - this nearly burned the store-bought crust and added an extra half hour to my prep time. Plan ahead for this phase, and you might want to undercook this step a bit.
3. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or your finders until large crumbs form.
4. In a different bowl, combine pears, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and ginger. Spoon into pie crust, then top with crumble.
5. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake an additional 35 minutes or until crumbs are golden brown.

Chicken Enchiladas

You just gotta love Campbell's Soup. I actually don't eat much of their soup, but when it comes to simple recipes that even cooking hicks like my can make, they are a cut above. This time I wanted to make something quick for my family but also something I could be proud of. And this did the trick!

For starters, the recipe includes a number of easy ingredients we had around the house, which is always a good place to start. Of course, Campbell's either owns or has relationships with other brands, so when it came to 'salsa' there was a specific brand recommended, but I simply used what we had. My biggest issue, strangely enough, was the chicken. I don't know why, but I find it a pain to cook chicken. We happened to have a roasted chicken in the fridge so when Itrimmed it, I almost had enough. But I did have to fry up a breast to make enough chicken. Other than that, in general, this was delicious and easy. It does take a bit to cook (40 minutes) so you have to plan ahead a bit on the timing.

My one other issue is that when I go for enchiladas at a restaurant, they are doused in sauce. This sauce was much thicker and didn't actually cover what I made. So I would have liked to see some sauce for the bottom (I will probably buy a jar of enchilada sauce and cover the dish with it) and perhaps some extra to spread on the top. But like I said, this was easy, quick (save for the cooking time), and tasty. Definitely a hit!

Easy Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas (Campbell's Soup)

1 can of Cream of Chicken soup

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup salsa

2 tsp. chili powder

2 cups chopped chicken

1/2 cup shredded cheese

6 flour tortillas (I made 9 with this recipe)

1 small tomato, chopped

1 green onion, sliced (instead of the tomato and onion, I added more salsa and cheese)

1. Stir the soup, sour cream, salsa, and chili powder in a bowl.

2. Stir 1 cup of the mixture, chicken, and cheese in a different bowl.

3. Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas. Roll up the tortillas and place them seam side up in an 11x8" baking dish. (Note - I'm not sure why they go seam side up. Mine just opened up when I did that. Why not seam side down?) Pour the remaining salsa mixture over the filled tortillas, and cover.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Top with tomato and onion.

Score:

Hits: 4

Misses: 6

Mexi Meatball Stew

I really had high hopes for this. It combines meatballs (premade, thank goodness), tomatoes, black beans, and corn in a Crock Pot and then it all comes out perfect, right? Well, what was advertised as 'stew', I interpreted as 'sauce', and in reality, it was more like a soup. I had visions of pouring it over a bed of pasta, putting a new twist on the Italian-Mexican relationship. But instead, it never really jelled into a sauce. As a soup, it was ok. Easy to prepare, that's for sure. And I ended up cooking some rice and pouring the soup/stew/sauce over it - that worked out pretty nicely, actually. But in the end, the answer to the big questions of 'would I make it again?' is no. Sorry - sometimes easy ingredients, good price, easy instructions and even a palatable meal don't make for a repeat performance. Score: Hits - 3 Misses - 6

Clam and Corn Chowder

I have reservations about this dish. On one hand, it was delicious. I'm not including a photo as the good stuff mostly sits down toward the bottom, but it was very tasty. The problem I have with it is that it simply cost way too much! My bill at the store was nearly $40 for the supplies to make a pot of chowder that certainly fed more than the 10 servings it touted. Still, I can't see spending that much money to make one dish, even though I've enjoyed it for the better part of a week.
Overall the recipe is simple and relatively quick. The problem is that it makes SO MUCH! And the aforementioned price. I've seen other clam chowder recipes that use chicken broth in place of clam juice, for the sodium savings. And I would suggest that this recipe could easily be halved and still make plenty for a family. But $20 for soup for a family of 4? You could almost match that by buying soup at the store, and you would save time and hassle.
So overall, I'm calling this a miss, due only to the amount it makes and the price. In the recipe below, I'll give the original, and then I'll include half of what it normally called for because I can't see making that much at a time unless you are cooking for a group function of some sort.
The taste was great, though the chowder was a little thin for my taste. I added a can of corn, as I like the texture corn brings and I think corn adds a nice flavor to the chowder. Like I said, it's good, just a little too much, and a little too costly.

Clam and Corn Chowder
4 slices of think-cut bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (2)
2 large onions, cut into medium dice (note - I used only 1, and would cut that down if I were cutting the recipe)
1/2 cup flour (1/4 cup)
8 6.5 oz. cans of minced clams with juice separated (4)
4 8-oz bottles of clam juice (2)
2 cups water (1)
6 medium boiling potatoes, medium dice (I used 4 and would cut to 2 if halving the recipe, though the additional potatoes might thicken it up a bit)
2 large bay leaves (1)
1 tsp. dried thyme (1/2 tsp.)
2 cups heavy cream (1 cup)
1/2 cup chopped parsley (1/4 cup)
salt and pepper to taste
Oyster crackers (for serving)

Fry bacon in a large soup pot until bacon is crispy. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon. (Interestingly, the bacon is never used again - only the drippings! I crumbled the bacon in for added flavor). Add onions to the pot and saute until softened. Add flour, stir until slightly colored. Whisk in clam juice (from the drained clams and the bottles) and water. Add potatotes, bay leaves, and thyme bringing to a simmer.Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add clams, ceam, and parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and serve immediately with oyster crackers.

Again, this was delicious, but expensive and it made too much. For this recipe, I'm calling this a miss.
Score:
Hit - 3
Miss - 5

Chicken Sorrentino Fusilli

I was really excited about this one. A big fan of the television show Cake Boss, I was intrigued to see that Buddy Valastro was going to host a cooking show called Kitchen Boss. Though not Italian myself, my Italian roots run deep, so I tuned in to see if he could cook as well as he bakes. He can.

This dish was one of the first ones on the show and it's exactly the kind of dish that would normally intimidate me. Lots of pieces to fit together, different preps, etc. But in reality, it's just a big combination of things and preparing it was easier than I expected.

I will note the use of eggplant in the recipe. I've eaten my fair share of eggplant in Italy and while it's not my all-time favorite vegetable, I have enjoyed it in many forms. In particular, I've had some wonderful Lasagne alla Melanzana, a vegetarian lasagne that looks and tastes like the real thing. (In case you are wondering, I love meat). So I thought I would give it a shot, knowing that in February, eggplant might be hard to find. I went to the store expecting to have to substitute something like beans or zucchini, but was pleasantly surprised to find eggplant there for me to buy.

There are three main components to this dish. First is the pasta. Buddy used fusilli, a curly pasta that holds its sauce well. I didn't have any, but we had rotini, which did just as well. The sauce was store-bought, which almost is a sin in our house (my wife is Italian and makes all her own pasta sauces), but it called for marinara, not a meat sauce, so I bought a garlic pesto marinara and it turned out fine.

The second is the eggplant. I sliced mine a little too think, in retrospect, but the breading and frying turned out nicely. My daughter didn't like the taste or texture at all, and the general consensus was to substitute something else next time. No problem - I would use zucchini and still bread and fry it.

Finally, the chicken. I used my George Foreman grill and thought it came out ok. I think I just should have cooked it in a pan, as it turned out a little chewy for my tastes, but overall, everything came together nicely. I substituted sliced ham for prosciutto (I couldn't see buying four slices of real prosciutto, from a grocery store deli person that probably doesn't even know what real prosciutto is).

In the end, it made a nice meal (I doubled most of the recipe for my family as it's really designed to feed two people) with leftovers for the next night.

Ingredients:

2 halves, boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 clove crushed garlic

1 small eggplant (1 lb or less)

2 thin slices prosciutto (I used sliced deli ham)

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

2 large eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced (I used grated)

2 Tbs. grated parmesan

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt

2 cups marinara sauce (your choice)

1/4 pound fusilli pasta (again, your choice)

Fresh basil (hard to find in winter)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil. Turn to coat with the garlic. Let rest.

3. In a sauce pan, heat the marinara.

4. Peel the eggplant and slice into 1/4 inch rounds. Place the flour, breadcrumbs, and eggs into three separate shallow bowls. Beat the eggs. Dip each piece of eggplant in the flour, then coat in egg, before covering in breadcrumbs. In a skillet over medium heat, with 1/4 cup oil in it, fry the eggplant until just brown on each side. Place eggplant on a plate lined with a paper towel and sprinkle lightly with salt.

5. Heat a grill or pan and cook chicken breasts until each side is marked but not cooked all the way through.

6. In a bowl, toss the pasta with 1/2 the sauce, coating it well. Top with parmesan. Spread in the bottom of a small, oiled baking dish. Place the chicken pieces on top of the pasta. Top each piece of chicken with a slice of prosciutto, followed by the slices of eggplant, and the mozzarella.

7. Bake for 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Top with remaining sauce, a little parmesan, and basil.

Verdict: Hit (with slight adjustments to fit the season and family preferences)

Score:

Hits - 3

Misses - 4

Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

Another recipe I discovered in my son's 9th grade handwriting, presumably from his 'Intro to Cooking' class. Trouble was, it didn't really finish. Meaning, there weren't any instructions for how hot to make the oven, how long to cook the muffins, and finally, there were some random ingredients listed at the bottom that didn't really seem to fit anywhere. So I went looking elsewhere.

I found a recipe for applesauce muffins with oatmeal in them. I'm a big fan of oatmeal as a filler and as an ingredient that gives a nice hearty texture to foods, so I was in. The recipe bordered on being too complex. Whenever I read 'mix and set aside' I get nervous, as that inevitably means I'll be mixing something else, then mixing the two somethings together. But this worked out ok.

I had all the ingredients on hand, though I don't know if my baking powder was 'double acting' as the recipe called for. Is there a difference? I may never know. I was intrigued by the option of using raisins or dried cranberries, as I've become a huge fan of cranberries. It might be due to the large amounts of sugar they put in, I don't know. I was also intrigued by the 1/3 cup of sugar that was both 'optional' and never referred to in the directions.

As I formed the batter, it looked delicious. And I realized then and there that one measuring stick for how good I expect something to taste is how good the batter tastes. I know that grosses some people out, raw eggs, and all, but it seems to hold true. And lo and behold, I tasted the batter and it tasted, well, like it was missing something. I couldn't put my finger on it, and I certainly couldn't have guessed what it was. Salt perhaps? Maybe it was that missing (optional) sugar. But it just tasted bland. Then again, we're talking applesause and oatmeal, not the most dynamic of flavors ever.

I put the muffins in the oven and that was when my big fear returned. This is the fear that makes me think baking may not be in the cards for me in this project. I never know when something is done. I hate the recipes that say 'bake 15-20 minutes' because my mathematical mind wants to know, is it 15 or is it 20? "Or when a toothpick comes out clean" - hate that one. So I cook the minimum, then 'check on it'. Remember, my wife is a professional baker, so she knows how to check on it. I don't. I touch it, look at it, and when it looks right, I pull it.

I pulled these out and they looked pretty good! Until they cooled...and set...and dropped. Not a disaster, but not good (see the photo). I let them cool and tasted one. And to be honest, it was ok. Not awful, but certainly nothing spectacular. And I find myself thinking, if I really wanted to learn how to cook, I would ask someone what I could do differently to make them better - better tasting, better looking, etc. But really, this project is designed so I can learn how to cook SOME things that I have confidence in. In the end, this will not be going in the book.

Verdict: Miss

Score:

Hits - 2

Misses - 4

Beef Taco Skillet

At last, a winner! (But I already knew it was) Sometimes you just get lucky. You read an ad in a magazine, sponsored by a soup manufacturer, and think 'I could make that'. So you try it and discover that everyone in your family loves it. On top of that, it's very easy to make! Bulls-eye.

This recipe I think originally came out of a Reader's Digest magazine (my secret vice), but is now readily available online at the Campbell's Soup web site. It's simple, fast, and filling. The real problem is that while it used to make enough for leftovers, my kids keep going back for second and third helpings, which means it's probably time to start doubling the recipe.

I should note that while I do serve it as described, I always include corn chips of some sort as sort of 'scoops' for the mixture. Yes, there are tortillas in the meal, but they don't quite provide the satisfying crunch of a good chip, and it's also nice to have some sort of vehicle for getting it into your mouth. You realy can't go wrong with this, and it opens itself to any number of variations as you please.

Beef Taco Skillet

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 (10.75 oz) can of Tomato soup (I don't have to tell you which brand they recommend...)

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup water

6 flour tortillas (6 inch) cut into 1 inch strips. Note - I usually keep it to two 10-inch tortillas - otherwise, the tortillas kind of overrun the meal.

1/2 cup shredded cheese

Directions:

Cook the beef in a skillet until well-browned. Drain the fat.

Stir in the soup, salsa, water, and tortillas and heat to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.

Stir one final time, then top with cheese.

Serve hot as cheese melts. I like to include tortilla chips, something crunchy, that turns this into something of a finger food, though it does jsut fine on the plate by itself.

Verdict: a BIG hit!

Score:

Hits - 2

Misses - 3