It's been a little while since I've posted an update on how my adventures in cooking through the Magnolia Table Cookbook are going. Maybe because I've been too busy cooking! I am currently 53 recipes in, so over a third of the way through this adventure and I am still absolutely loving it! As is my husband! My cooking game is on fire lately and both the creativity and challenge of finding three or four new recipes to weave into each week has kept me focused on something I truly love to do. It was fun to work many of her recipes into our late-summer garden produce, and I love pulling my cookbook off the shelf to find the perfect accompaniment to special celebrations and milestones around here. Lemon poppyseed break as an after school treat on the first day of school. Brownie pie for couples' small group Sunday night. Lemon pie for IF:Table. And warm, fresh out of the oven cinnamon squares on a rainy Labor Day weekend morning.
Summer was fun, but last Sunday afternoon I got out my pretty meal planner and paged through the cookbook to pull out all the recipes that would accompany fall. I was giddy! The cookbook is stacked with savory soups, comfort food casseroles, and fresh baked desserts, and I can't wait to get started. I've come to discover Joanna and I think a lot alike in the kitchen and I'm confident her fall collection of recipes is going to fit quite well at our table.
I've curated a top ten of my favorite recipes as of late. Then I'll have another post tomorrow with all the honorable mentions!
10) This tomato bruschetta was thee perfect start to a summer Friday night at home. We used some of the first tomatoes and fresh basil from the garden, which I'm convinced is the reason it tasted so good. If you're used to whipping up a fresh bruschetta, Joanna's recipe is quite different than any one I've made. The tomatoes soak in a balsamic marinade before going on the freshly toasted bread, and are then topped with a freshly grated fontina cheese. It's all baked for an additional few minutes so the cheese can melt. The result is quite good, especially if you like zesty vinegary flavors! And we're convinced the key to any good cheese dish is freshly grated, always!
9) I picked 14 jalapenos from the garden one morning and whipped up seven jars of Joanna's pickled jalapenos. I've never done my own jalapenos before, but as I could have guessed, the most time consuming part was slicing all the hot little peppers. It took awhile, but there's just nothing more satisfying than turning your own home-grown veggies into pantry items you can use through the year.
The next night, we hosted a summer dinner and every dish was from the cookbook. Beau grilled amazing beef tenderloin (we used the Magnolia recipe but grilled it instead of baked it), I served it with pickled jalapeno sour cream (using my pickled jalapenos), and for sides I made the garlic and herb baby tomatoes, and creamed corn spoonbread. The corn could be made ahead of time, the tomatoes were the perfect way to use my abundance of cherry tomatoes, and the beef tenderloin was melt-in-your-mouth goodness!
8) Another way we put our summer tomatoes to good use was with BLTs. Three times a week sometimes! I loved Joanna's recipe for BLTs, especially adding her herbed mayo recipe to the bread. We then used the leftover mayo as a sandwich spread for the rest of the week. Definitely a must-make from the book!
7) The beef enchiladas were easy and delicious. I had never warmed my tortillas up with olive oil prior to filling them, but I think it added a little flavor and crunch when baked in the oven. I served them with Joanna's apple cider salad and the flavors went so well together.
6) I loved this twist on the easy caprese salad, using fresh peaches in place of tomatoes, and a white balsamic drizzle instead of the usual dark balsamic. A tangy, sweet, and healthy summer lunch or pre-dinner dish.
5) One of my favorite recipes would have to be the buttermilk ranch dressing. I had never made my own ranch dressing before and I'm telling you, I could have drank the stuff from the jar! We ate it with everything for two weeks - fresh veggies, salads, Ritz crackers, etc. I'd love to keep a jar in the fridge at all times; however, I'll be my waistline would prefer I keep my veggies naked. ;)
4) I made Joanna's fresh lemon pie for IF:Table this summer and it was unbelievable! I bought a store-bought gluten free crust, but everything else was homemade. The fresh whipped cream is an absolute must with this one. Holy yum!
3) I have to admit, Joanna's blackened fish tacos with purple cabbage and mango slaw was one of the most daunting recipes for me to tackle. Other than grilled salmon, I had never attempted fish before, really because we're just not big fish eaters around here. That said, I love me some fish tacos and knew this would be a recipe to make this summer. I made them last Sunday night and they are now one of our favorite dishes from the book! I used tilapia fillets because that's what Hy-Vee carried, and fried them in batches in our cast iron skillet. They were delicious, especially with the fresh mango slaw, cilantro, and lime.
2) We were also big fans of the ricotta pancakes! I loved the vanilla flavoring that stood out, and the ricotta made the batter smooth and rich. I'm kind of a pancake connoisseur, and these definitely stood up to the test.
1) And last but not least, Joanna's cinnamon squares. These were daunting, too, as Joanna herself called them a "labor of love," but we found ourselves with a slow and rainy morning last weekend and decided to give them a go. The dough went together like a dream, but I ran into issues when trying to spread them out and fold them. It kept sticking to my butcher block and created quite the mess. In all honesty, I almost threw it all away! And boy am I glad I didn't! They may not have looked pretty, but they tasted amazing! They're a mix between a cinnamon roll and a bar and they are just right for a hot cup of coffee or a big glass of milk. And when I looked back at the cookbook after making these little beasts, I notice Joanna's description of them were so similar to the process we encountered, too. "The kids understand that the bit of extra effort required for these squares makes them something really special."
Thankful for my little sous chef who loves cracking eggs and playing in the dough as much as her mama does.
That's a wrap for now! Stay tuned for lots more delicious honorable mentions tomorrow!
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