Bingo Cards!

[fuzzyred]

Here are the bingo cards for the Cookbook Challenge. I made two generic cards, and two cards that I tried to make Vegan and Allergy friendly. If there is a card you want to use but some squares don't work for you, feel free to swap them out as needed. I will post the list I used and a link to the card generator behind a cut tag, in case anyone wants to make their own card. And, of course, if you don't want to play bingo, you don't have to. If you do though, I hope the cards work.

Generic bingo card 5x5

had enough for leftovers	used nuts in a dish	served all four food groups	used locally sourced ingredients	used seafood in a dish
made something cold	made a community post about a recipe	made a recipe from more than two websites	used a frozen ingredient	made something hot
learned something valuable	made a dish with no help	FREE SPACE	made a recipe from a specialty cookbook/website (microwave recipes or vegan cookbook for example)	used a crockpot/slow cooker/instant pot
made a sauce from scratch	made a meat-free dish	used (the same) cookbook more than once	used the oven	used chicken in a dish
used rice in a dish	used the same website more than once	used beef in a dish	made a gluten-free dish	used more than two cookbooks

Generic card 3x3

made a "no cooking required" dish	made a dairy-free dish	made a holiday recipe
used chicken in a dish	FREE SPACE	used fresh fruit in a dish
used seafood in a dish	used beef in a dish	had enough for leftovers

Vegan/Allergen free card 5x5

made no substitutions	used a frozen ingredient	made a vintage recipe	used more than two cookbooks	made something cold
made a recipe from a specialty cookbook/website (microwave recipes or vegan cookbook for example)	used fresh fruit in a dish	used a crockpot/slow cooker/instant pot	made a meat-free dish	made a "no cooking required" dish
made a sauce from scratch	made a holiday recipe	FREE SPACE	used a new spice	made something hot
made a dinner recipe	made a beverage	made a dairy-free dish	made a recipe from a cookbook	made a dish with no help
used fresh vegetables in a dish	used a new cooking method or tool	used the oven	made a recipe from a cooking show	learned something valuable

Vegan/Allergen free card 3x3

used a new cooking method or tool	made a bookmarked (internet) recipe	made a breakfast recipe
It was a success! (would make again)	FREE SPACE	made a recipe outside my comfort zone
made a community post about a recipe	used the oven	made a substitution

( list and generator )

January 1 of 3: pumpkin & lentil salad

[tielan]

Hello!

My recipe options for January are here - I went through at least one cookbook and started marking off likely recipes, figuring that it would be easier to cook when I have the ingredients and a recipe already marked out.

Basically, I'm aiming to eat more from the garden, less pre-processed food. Luckily for me right now, everything's growing and the garden is pumping out leafy greens and alliums while the chooks are producing eggs at a good clip.

Yesterday, I made Pumpkin & Lentil salad using a 'baby' pumpkin from my garden - Buttercup variety, small and tasty. Tasty and would make again, although I'd probably pre-prep and just assemble come mealtime.

Black Bean Tacos with Avocado and Spicy Onions

[selfindulgentbitch]

Recipe from Melissa Clark, NYTimes in an attempt to get through the huge stack of newspaper recipe clippings my mother gives me.

Black Bean Tacos

Verdict: Good, but not great. Fast, easy, and satisfying. I'll probably keep it as a weeknight dinner with some changes. Vegetarian, high fiber, high protein. I'd say low cal, but that depends on how much you eat. Relies mostly on pantry staples.

Spicy Onions: 1 lime; 1 small red onion; 1 jalapeno, salt, sugar. Slice onion and jalapeno thinly, squeeze lime on top, mix with pinch sugar and two pinches salt.

Tacos: 1 onion, chopped; 1 bell pepper; garlic cloves; jalapeno; 1 Tbs tomato paste; chili powder; dried oregano; ground cumin; 2 15 oz cans black beans; corn tortillas; avocado and other toppings like cilantro.

Fry onion and pepper, add garlic and chopped jalapeno and stir 1 minute. Add tomato paste and spices and cook for 30 seconds. Add drained, rinsed beans and cook over low to medium heat for 15 min. Serve with warm tortillas, onions, avocado, sour cream, cilantro etc.

Changes/Suggestions: The pickled onions really aren't optional; they make a plain dish pop. You can use other pickles, of course, but use something similar. The chili powder is American chili powder which is a premix you buy at the store. If American, be sure you're using fresh powder. If not American, a mix of ground chili, oregano, and cumin will do. I added water to the beans so they didn't burn during cooking and kept the heat low.

Whew. I have a new appreciation for why older cookbooks just leave out the things "everyone knows" like adding salt, spices to taste, etc. It is time consuming to be specific. In the future, I'll probably just link and list ingredients so this isn't such an essay.

Ham-Asparagus (Broccoli) Strata

[fuzzyred]

My first recipe of 2021 for cookbook_challenge! Since I really don't fancy writing out all the ingredients and instructions for the recipe, I have decided to include a picture of the recipe. If it's blurry or hard to read, let me know and I'll see what I can do, as well as rethinking my approach for the next recipe.

ETA: The recipe is written out now, and it comes from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, Limited Edition".

( Recipe )

Thoughts and Variations:
I used white English muffins, ham, fresh raw broccoli and Gouda cheese. I know the recipe says frozen or cooked broccoli (or asparagus), but that was more work than I wanted and I figured the hour in the oven would be enough. In regards to the cheese, I had planned to use Swiss, but I couldn't find any at the store and I thought Gouda would be good for melting (it was.)

I'm not certain I used the right kind of casserole dish; it called for a 2-quart square one, and mine is rectangular, so my dish may have been bigger. After everything was spread in the dish and I poured the egg mixture on top, there was a lot sticking up that wasn't covered. This didn't change as it baked, so the top layer of English muffins got rather crispy, while the bottom is a little soggy. The ham was mostly exposed too, so it got a little tough/chewy, but it still tasted alright. The cheese melted beautifully and the broccoli cooked enough to be mostly soft without being mush. I let it chill in the fridge for about 18 hours, so I'm not sure if chilling it less would have affected the cook time.

It was a little hard to eat, on account of it falling apart on me, but it was yummy. It was a little hard to get everything in one bite, but the flavours played well together and it wasn't too creamy or too heavy for me. I'm not sure if I'd make this one again, and I'm definitely going to have leftovers all week, but I'm pleased with how it turned out and don't regret making it.