Category: The Kitchen Journal

All the notes from my kitchen, including the Barefoot Contessa recipe reviews, my original recipes, herbal recipes, and more.

Barefoot Contessa Recipe #34: Banana Rum Trifle

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The recipe is from Modern Comfort Food, page 208.

A number of weeks ago I purchased a quart of heavy cream for a recipe that I wanted to make. However, plans changed and it didn’t happen. Soon, I realized that the expiration date on the cream was nearing and I didn’t want to throw it out. So, I started searching for recipes that would use a decent amount of the cream. Enter Ina Garten’s Banana Rum Trifle.

This is Ina’s take on banana pudding and let me tell you, it’s one of the best desserts I’ve had in a while! I will say, I did omit the rum from the recipe. I also chose not to “decorate it” with the whipped cream. However, this wonderfully light and sweet dessert can easily serve a crowd. In fact, I can see it going over very well at a summer picnic or holiday.

You begin by making a plain pudding….at that moment it is unflavored, just quite sweet. Once that chills for a while, you whip 3 cups of cream with vanilla and vanilla bean seeds. Then you add in the pudding and whip some more. Then the building phase begins.

The layers of cream and Nabisco wafers and bananas blend so well together and make this dessert taste like it came from heaven. A tip: follow the recipe and actually WAIT the time stated in the recipe before digging in. I know it will be hard, but it will be worth it!

The only downside to this dessert? It’s addicting! Be prepared to go for a jog afterward…for like an hour.

This one is going on the Favorites list!

Busy Few Days in the Kitchen…

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Aside from the usual Friday night dinner recipe (which I made on Saturday this week), I made two additional recipes that I didn’t really plan on making. Luckily, I was able to make them all Ina recipes, so they all count towards the blog! Stay tuned this week as I review and post about each one!

Of course, I’ll have an herbal related post, even though they are less popular than some others. And I’ll be posting my February wrap-up post as well!

So many surprise recipes! Needed more than I originally thought. Check out the blog next week to read about everything I ended up making over the next few days.

  • Cavatappi pasta
  • Half gallon whole milk
  • Unsalted butter (if on sale)
  • 12 ounces Gruyere cheese
  • 8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar
  • Buttermilk
  • Eggs
  • 1 package cream cheese
  • 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • Nabisco vanilla wafers OR Ginger Snaps
  • 5-6 large bananas

Cooking Plans Weekend of 2/26/21

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The weekend is almost upon us. That means I get to start planning what recipes I’ll be making. With the warmer weather on the way, I decided that I should take advantage of it still being February and make some comfort food.

Luckily for me, Ina has made this easy. Her latest cookbook is all about comfort food. But, I also want something easy so I’m not spending so much time in the kitchen or breaking the bank. I’ll still be making an Ina recipe, it just will be something a little simpler.

I’ve decided to make mac & cheese because nothing screams comfort food like mac & cheese, right?

Ina has a few recipes for this, one of which does appear in her latest cookbook, Modern Comfort Food. But, I’ll be making the one out of Family Style. I’m so excited, I can almost smell the cheese sauce simmering away!

Barefoot Contessa Recipe #33: French String Beans

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This recipe can be found in Barefoot in Paris, page 160.

The side dish I made to go along with the Panko-Crusted Salmon last Friday was something that took no time at all in the kitchen! Ina’s French-inspired French String Beans turn up the flavor on otherwise pretty bland veggies.

Sadly since it is February, I did not get the chance to truly enjoy the full potential of this recipe. I had to use frozen regular “American” string beans instead of the thinner, slightly longer French ones. But, I still think it turned out well enough for me to get a sense of what Ina was going for with it.

In the recipe, you pair the string beans with a mixture of peppers and a red onion. You roast the onion and peppers in the oven for about 15 minutes. I did this, but upon eating the meal I think they need another few minutes in the oven. The peppers were okay, but the onion could have used a little more “roasted” texture. To be honest, I’m not really sure what I’m trying to describe here. It seemed like another two to three minutes in the oven would have made things a bit better.

Despite this, the recipe produced a flavorful side dish that was pretty easy to make. That’s a win for me!

Barefoot Contessa Recipe #32 – Panko Crusted Salmon

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This recipe is from How Easy is That?, page 152

For Friday night dinner, I made my first fish recipe in the Ina cook-through saga. My family usually eats fish about once a week, typically salmon. So, a salmon recipe seemed like the logical choice. We already had the fish and almost all the ingredients to make the panko crust. I think I only had to buy a lemon for the zest.

This recipe is pretty straight forward. But, to be honest, it’s nothing special. The dijon mustard does give the salmon an extra flavor and it plays nicely with the panko crust. The panko prevents the salmon from drying out which, obviously, make it more flavorful. If you’re looking to dress up your run-of-the-mill salmon filet, then definitely try this one. One of the perks is all the ingredients are pretty standard, so it won’t break the bank either. That was a nice reprieve from some other Ina recipes.

To my dish, I decided to throw in some of the pine nuts I used for the gremolata I made a few weeks ago. Those little nuts are expensive and I don’t want them to go to waste!

In addition to this recipe, I made a side dish. That recipe review will be posted later in the week.

See ya then!

Ina Garten Recipe #31 – Perfect Roast Chicken

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This recipe is from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, page 130.

It’s been a minute since I’ve made an Ina Garten recipe, hasn’t it?

In fact, I think this is the first recipe I made of hers in the month of February. Guess I won’t be matching or beating last month’s total of 8 recipes!

Anyway, I decided to make an Ina classic this time. In fact, I think many fans of her show would argue that this is one of her signature dishes. Roast Chicken!!

Continue reading “Ina Garten Recipe #31 – Perfect Roast Chicken” →

Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken

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This weekend ended up being a bit busier than I expected. Instead of cooking on Friday, I chose to make dinner on Saturday. I once again I chose to use items in the pantry and give the wallet a little reprieve from the Ina Garten recipes. But, do not worry! An Ina recipe review will be posted on the blog later in the week!

This is a Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe that I’ve been making for a few years now. It’s also really easy since it uses store-bought ingredients. It stems from when I was in college and didn’t have the time or the patience to make everything myself. Plus, grocery stores have come a long way when it comes to the international food aisle. There are now some great options in there!

The recipe is below and I hope you’ll give it a try!

Continue reading “Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken” →

Cooking Update 2/12/2021

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Tonight for dinner I am making a chicken dish that I created myself. But, it has been quite some time since I made it last. In fact, I can’t even remember the last time I made it! I do plan to post the recipe for my Sweet & Sour Chicken early next week. The best part? It’s so easy and quick to make thanks to the use of some store-bought ingredients!

January Cooking Round-Up

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This past January, I made a number of Ina Garten recipes. I covered soup, chicken, Mexican, and vegetables. I really made a dent in January, with eight recipes. I think that is the most I’ve made in a month so far. I even made some dessert recipes!

Click on the links below to read the recipe reviews.

I started off with one of Ina’s favorite foods: chicken. But, I was feeling the need for comfort food, so I scoured her latest cookbook Modern Comfort Food for a worthwhile recipe. Boy, did Ina’s Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas hit the spot!

Read about the recipe here!

As a side dish for the enchiladas, I wanted to keep the Mexican theme going. So, I found a corn recipe that paired wonderfully with the enchiladas. Confetti Corn was so tasty and so easy to make! You can read about it right here.

Next, I made a dessert recipe. Ina Garten’s Ultimate Ginger Cookie really is something that should be tasted! I crystallized ginger adds a not-so-subtle flavor and “bite” to the cookie. Though these were tasty, they are not my favorite cookie. But, they can definitely be used as a wonderful fall dessert. If you want to read my review of the recipe, click here.

You know me and desserts! I can’t get enough of them!! So, I stayed with the dessert theme for the next Ina recipe I made in January. This time, it was Chocolate Chunk Blondies. This was a cross between a cookie and brownie. Filled with chocolate chunks, these will definitely satisfy any chocolate craving. These are for sure to be added to my recipe repetoire. Wanna hear more about these wonderful blondies? Here is the link.

The next recipe? More veggies! Orange-Braised Carrots and Parsnips introduced me to a new cooking method and I couldn’t be more pleased. Parsnips are totally an underrated vegetable. They can do more than just jazz up your mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving and Christmas! Read about braising and how these carrots tasted at the link.

Ina’s Lemon Chicken Breasts are a wonderfully light dinner than can be made any night of the week. With hints of Italian and French herbs, this recipe cooks up fast!

To go with the Lemon Chicken, I made a vegetable dish. Roasted Broccoli with Panko Gremolata looks elegant but it couldn’t be any easier to make. In fact, roasting vegetables is a great way to bring out the great flavor of vegetables without slaving over the stove. Read about the broccoli was dressed up right here!

To close out the month of January, I made a soup. Snow was predicted (and arrived) so having soup on hand was a must! Ina’s Winter Minestrone and Garlic Bruschetta filled us with tasty veggies and wonderful plant-based protein. Read about this flavorful soup here.

Let me know if you try these recipes! Do you agree with me? Let me know in the comments below!!