Cook the Books Fridays

For years I baked through Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. I went to the International Food Blogger Conference in Seattle to meet her, her sweet husband, and the Doristas (the lovely group I had been baking with for years). We baked through Around My French Table and continued with My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz. The most recent book that we are baking through is Everyday Dorie. I started out strong, lost focus and moved blog platforms over here to Adventuring with Karen. You can see my previous baking adventures over at www.ourcrazyblessedlife.blogspot.com. All that to say I have 3 recipes to share with you today!

The most recent recipe everyone cooked was Ginger Fried Rice. To see how the recipe went for the rest of the group you can click here.

The most difficult part of this recipe was finding the ingredients. I made a special trip over to Publix to find Gochujang and Ponzu, which my daughter immediately dubbed Gucchi gang and Pikachu. We love rice in our house and fried rice is no exception. I have made fried rice before but it has always been a poor attempt until now. Dorie’s recipes are magic. I didn’t add any protein because we were having pork chops and this was a perfect side. Actually, my family liked the rice far more than the pork chops. I think the next time I will add eggs but other than that I didn’t feel like I needed to tweak anything to make my family happy. This is perfect for a cozy evening or pandemic at home. You can find this on page 239 of Everyday Dorie

Next up is Sheet Pan Chicken. If you are a fan of sheet pan recipes this one if for you. Another lovely easy recipe that you can throw together quickly and throw in the oven. You can check out the recipe on Dorie’s blog. You can also click here to see how the other cooks enjoyed this recipe.

I used chicken thighs for this recipe, made sure to use the fresh herbs, and picked up actual mushrooms. I do not like mushrooms at all but my hubs does and he especially liked them in this recipe.

Last but not least the recipe for Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies was chosen way back in September but I didn’t make them until January. My son had a science fair and we were required to bring a treat for the snack table. These were the perfect choice and I came home with an empty platter. I did save a few for my family and they were so happy about that. Dorie said they would spread so you could freeze the dough to bake later. I did chill the dough but didn’t freeze it and I think these cookies turned out perfectly! If you want to make these they are on page 246 of Everyday Dorie.

While you are self distancing or if you are under quarantine these are all incredible recipes to try out. Based on the empty shelves at the store at the moment, everyone should have the staples to make some fun dishes. Stay Safe, wash your hands, and I’ll see you on the other side of self distancing.