12 Dishes 2 Pictures

Rigatoni with Sausage & Parsley pg 325
5 Toasts
We bought cilantro by accident and this dish still worked. Sorry no picture, the camera battery was dead.

Fennel, Orange & Parsley Salad pg 271
5 Toasts
Wow! This was the first time we tried fennel and the salad did make a good palate cleaner, especially with the rigatoni on the side. I would advise you to try this veggie at least once, and if you love black liquorice it tastes even better. We also used the cilantro again! There is not time to waste buying the proper ingredients with this blog ending creeping up. Sorry still no picture.

Cod with Fennel & Potatoes pg 305
3-4 Toasts
We used sole by accident and also cilantro where the parsley was suggested as per the above. The russet potatoes we bought had also already been used for another meal so we sliced up some new potatoes instead. I don't think this changed the overall taste of the dish. This is another great dish to use fennel in. Picture posted.

Lemon-Parsley Pork Chops pg 299
5 Toasts
Cilantro used again instead of parsley. When adding 1/2 cup of water to the skillet to cook the pork I used the boiling water of the potatoes to keep the nutrients. This had a good/bad side effect. The starch in the water made the pan juices into a thick gravy instead of the au-jus. No picture.

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes pg 247
4 Toasts 1 Crust
No picture.

Roasted Pears & Sweet Potatoes pg 249
4 Toasts
Use 4 Bartlett pears to balance the amount of sweet potato. I never thought these two would taste good together, but they do, and it's a really easy side dish to make if these are just hanging around your fruit bowl. No picture.

Roast Beef with Shallots & New Potatoes pg293
5 Toasts
We recently bought a meat thermometer on the advise of many blog followers and we used it for this dish. I would recommend using one if you like eating meat rare, but at the same time always worry that you are going to be ill from undercooked meat. No picture.

Lemon-Thyme Green Beans pg 293
5 Toasts
No more boiled beans. This is one for keeps. No picture.

Chicken with Cranberry Sauce pg 290
3 Toasts and 1 Crust
If you would like the sauce to "happen" may I suggest not using dried cranberries. They are loaded with antioxidants and vitamin C either way. If you mike chicken skin nice and crispy be sure to put butter and herbs under the skin before cooking.

Mashed White Beans pg 290
4 Toasts
A great alternative to mashed potatoes or rice as a side dish.

Mediterranean Chicken Stew pg 287
4 Toasts
Use more olives if you like them. You can buy the pitted and just chop them. We used the last of the cilantro instead of the parsley.

Soft Polenta pg 360
4 Toasts 1 Crust
To pair with the chicken stew, adding cheese and butter was genus! Next time we will try sharp cheddar instead of parmesan.

This is Spoon's last post for the blog as Spatula will be writing the final post. I am relieved to have made it one year with no kitchen fires or any injuries incurred in the kitchen. Thanks loyal blog followers for cooking along with us, coming for dinner and also providing all your hints and tips along the way.

I have learned a few things I will always remember and these are:
watch out for "spitting" oil
wear an apron
don't use oven mitts with holes
most dishes start with oil, onion and garlic
if you wear contacts while cutting an onion, your eyes are safe
don't feed spicy sausage casings to your puppy
always share food with your family and friends
try to shop local and with an eye to sustainability (those of you with green bins or compost are so lucky)
if you are feeling overwhelmed with a recipe, break it down into the following steps:
1. Read Recipe
2. Watch some TV
3. Assemble all ingredients
4. Watch more TV
5. Assemble all cooking tools (pans, utensils)
6. Back to the TV
7. Chop/Prep all the ingredients
8. Rest while catching up on your fav show
9. Start cooking - and there you have it -dinner!

Mind you, this works best if Spatula is working late