Help me shake up dinner time

We have this strange corner in the butler's pantry that probably covers some kind of pipe.  There's a little cabinet there - it's long, narrow and very shallow.  In reality, it's not a great storage spot for much of anything.  It does fit all my Everyday Food mags pretty nicely, though. I have all the issues - starting at number 2 - and refer to specific ones often.  This magazine has always made so much sense to me - easy to make food without too many steps or unusual ingredients.  I also think a subscription is a bargain - there is so much good information for a little amount of money.  It's perfect for week night cooking and for busy families.  And really, who isn't busy these days?  I find, though, that we go back to the same recipes over and over again because I know those recipes so well that there is no guess work at the grocery store. I'd like to widen my repetoire and this is where you come in.

I'm looking to shake up dinner time just a little bit and would appreciate your help. Are there certain Everyday Food recipes that you go back to again and again? If so, would you share them with me in the comments? If you know the month and year, that'd be great. If not, no worries, still tell. I might be able to find it anyhow.

Just to start things rolling, two go-to meals in our house are:

Lime marinated skirt steak and chili-roasted sweet potato wedges from January/February 2006 (#29) - most often I serve these two items with roasted zucchini and sweet onions (large dice, toss w/a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400 degrees for about 20 - 30 minutes).

The spinach and proscuitto lasagna from October 2008 (#56) - We skip the proscuitto because one person won't eat it and I often use a small rectangular casserole dish instead of a square one with 9 instead of 6 noodles, but the same amount of filling. I find that seasoning the ricotta/spinach mixture with the salt and pepper, and maybe a bit more garlic, is key. Serve it with a salad and some bread - yum!

I'm looking forward to seeing what you all like.  And then, I'm going to cook up a storm.

Comments

[Tanya]

Oh I love that magazine - even have the app on my iPhone.

One of our favs is the Spinach and Meatball Calzones - it's in the May 2010 issue. There's a peanut butter ice box pie recipe from one of the issues that I am so eager to try sometime!

Tanya

[heather smith jones]

Oh! I just noticed you have my book listed over there and just want to tell you thank you Erin. (:
(sorry, off topic)

[mike]

Erin,

I love Everyday Food Magazine. I've got every issue. I'm currently featuring my Everyday Food Challenge on my blog www.madebymikeblog.com. My favorite recipe so far has been the orecchiette with sausage & roasted peppers. Here's a link to my post about it: http://wp.me/pRDqI-Do

Ps, Love your blog!

-Mike

[Little Bluebell (Adrianne)]

Two of my favorites: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/tomato-and-olive-penne
(from Jan/Feb 2003) *I add chicken*

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/tostadas-salsa-verde (from Jan/Fed 2006)

I'm looking forward to seeing some of the other replies. I'm in a serious cooking rut!

[Jennie]

I don't own too many issues, but I make this sesame chicken quite often. It's tasty and a one dish meal, which I appreciate. My kids don't like sauce, so I pull out their chicken before I add it.

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/lighter-sesame-chicken

[Nat]

This is what we had the other night, it's really good
Stuffed shells : http://www.natschofield.com/2011/01/stuffed-shells.html

I also like the simple sesame noodles from the pioneer woman and we add chicken.

I also love soups: chicken tortilla, potato and we make a lot of tomato basil also.

[Anna]

I love the Everyday Food Magazine. I'm not at home so can't go through them, but the absolute favorite, go-to recipe that I make all the time is Chicken Schnitzel from #15.

[Beth]

We make this in a casserole dish all year:
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/emerils-fish-provencal

also good:
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/roasted-beef-mushroom-and-barley-soup

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/honey-teriyaki-chicken

I know there's more - I'll be back :)

[chris carleton]

okay. I am really bad at subscribing and then not renewing... so I'm no help here. But I'm totally going to hang around here and get some ideas. yum. :)

[Amy]

Spring '06 Crispy Chicken and Sauce
Winter '07 Tomato and Spinach Pasta Sauce
Winter '06 No Cream Creamy Broccoli Soup-BIG TIME FAV!
Holiday '08 French Onion Pork Chop Skillet (we sometimes use chicken too)
Holiday '06 Baked Crab Rangoon (for parties-big hit)
Sping '08 Tuna Cakes

Can't wait to see what you try and like. I should go back throughmy copies and see if there is anything I would like to try!

[Collins]

I have everyone too, I truly love them. A favorite and one I cook a few times a months in the winter is chicken in a pot from December 2009. We really love the baked chicken and the pot stickers from October 2009, my children make the pot stickers for me! The glazed carrots or sweet potatoes from November 2008 are delicious. I love the blueberry muffins from May 2008, I make these for neighbors and friends and freeze them for us. They are easy for the children to microwave in the morning for breakfast.
Good luck!

[Badger]

LOVE Everyday Food! I've only been subscribing for a couple of years but everything I've made has been awesome. I love the two cookbooks, too -- Fresh Flavor Fast and Great Food Fast, I think they're called. I also love the Everyday Food blog -- they post a cocktail recipe and a dinner or lunch recipe every day. At least 60% of the time I already have everything in the house to make whatever it is -- love that!

A couple of favorites from the magazine: New-Orleans Style Barbecued Shrimp from the April 2010 issue, Corn and Shrimp Chowder with Bacon from July 2009, 30 Minute Spaghetti and Meatballs from May 2010, Shrimp Jambalaya from October 2003 (which I found via the EF blog)(hmm, we eat a lot of shrimp, I guess!) and this is not a dinner recipe but I make the Maple Nut Granola from the January/February 2010 issue all the time -- it's a staple in our house!

[melissa]

A few family favorites (I made a list of what we liked from 2006-2007 and keep it on the fridge)- though not ones I eat because I'm veggie and they aren't:

-chicken and dumplings 4/06 p 91 (2-3x a month)
-curried chk legs w/ carot/lime rice 5/07 p 101 (leftovers make a fabulous soup)
-roast pork w/ blk eyed pea salad 6/06 p 108
-chk/turkey tandoori burgers 7/06 p 124
-cornmeal crusted tilapia 1/06 p 141
-ww spaghetti w/ veg in peanut sauce 3/07 p 112

I'm not sure that I'll resubscribe b/c of N's dairy allergies and the fact that I don't eat meat- I'll see if I miss it first.

[carol]

I have every issue and love them too (found the first one at an estate sale)...

2 of our favorites (and there are many more):

chili chicken tacos #56, p 96
smoky beef tacos #60, p 87
pulled pork sandwich #71 p. 90 (we make a Memphis style BBQ sauce you can find on the MS wesite, really GOOD!!)

Have fun!

[Meredith]

I don't have that magazine but here are a few links that are my go to when I am trying new things. Some are easy and some are not.

http://lavitabellaryncarz.blogspot.com/2009/07/mac-and-cheese.html

http://smittenkitchen.com/

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

and for a great Brinner recipe

http://www.howto-simplify.com/2010/10/pumpkin-pancakes.html

[Olivia]

We have a big family and finding a recipe that everyone loves is tough but two favorites we constantly go to from Everyday Food are the "honey-mustard glazed wings" (NOV 2003) and the "big batch of vegetable soup" (OCT 2003).

You can make the soup with a variety of veggie combinations and it freezes well. (although it usually doesn't make it to the freezer!)

[laura]

it's not everyday food, but this is one of our favorite recipes:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/pasta-with-pumpkin-and-sausage-recipe/index.html

also, the salad at the end is delicious. it's the only salad my dad will eat.

i make both year-round.

xoxo

[Melissa H]

There is an issue on burgers and we make the pita/lamb mini burgers (with beef rather than lamb) and love the garbanzo burgers on english muffins. It's a summer issue but I don't know the year. I know there are other things but those recipes immediately came to mind.

[claudia]

Another great photo!e photo!

I have always liked EF lots but haven't made any of the new recipes for the last 18 months or so--mommy/pregnant brain have kept me from using my energy to learn/try something new. Thanks for this post because after looking through my magazines I'm feeling great about getting back to EF!

A few of our favorites:
(not all of these are main dishes and if it has bacon, I usually make it)
#7 - Irish lamb stew
#20-mini meatballs and the spaghetti sauce too (I make extra meatballs and freeze them for more spaghetti or for the meatball hero recipe on pg18)
#24-potato salad with sour cream and scallions, great summer salad
#27-wild rice, walnut, and cranberry dressing (right next to the recipe for brussel sprouts w/apples)
#28-salmon cakes
#28-beef bourguignon
#34-grilled chicken cobb salad
#41-chicken club salad

[blair]

I have been cooking mainly from EVF too, especially now that I have the app ohttp://www.houseonhillroad.com/my_weblog/2011/01/help-me-shake-up-dinner-time.htmln my Iphone (waiting in the school pick up line is usually when I start thinkinCinnamon Broiled Chicken, Seared Flat Iron Steaks with wine sauce.

[blair]

sorry my comment is sort of jumbled, there's an extra link in there.

[Carrie @ Oh Baby O]

I'm really starting to feel like I'm missing out not getting Everyday Food! (Way to go word of mouth marketing, hu!?) Some staples in our house would be black bean tacos and maple soy glazed salmon with quinoa and kale.

[Beth]

so how do you keep track of where the recipes are in so many issues? do you have an index or something? i don't hold on to physical copies of my magazines in part because i find it awkward to keep track of what's in them. am i missing something? i do love the recipes from that magazine!

[Chelsea Slaven-Davis]

awesome idea. I only discovered the cleverness of EDF about a year ago, but I've drawn heavily from them ever since. This year for Thanksgiving (November 2010), I used their suggested meal dish for dish. One of my favorites was the roasted pears and red onions. A perfect dish for winter, in general. All of my back issues are in a storage unit in Brooklyn, so I can't dig in for you right now... +Chelsea

[katie M]

Do you have the "Great Food Fast" cookbook? All the recipes are from Everyday Food I think...but they are awesome. Best cookbook...go back to it constantly and I'm pretty sure I've made 80% of it (again and again!) As far as the mags...I love the Moroccan Chicken and couscous (with sweet potato) and the Mediterranean tuna noodle (great twist on tuna noodle!) So many more but without looking, im stumped right now!

[Beth]

Me again!

I should have mentioned - the teriyaki chicken - I use boneless thighs. I also reduce the sauce before I bake it, I boil it down until it is quite sticky, then when it's all baked it is a lovely, sticky, drippy, sweet sauce. Wonderful!

We also really liked the spicey black bean soup in the latest issue and this Chicken & Spinach casserole,
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/chicken-and-spinach-casserole

We have also been trying lots of recipies from the blog Dinner:A Love Story. Very similar feel to E.D.F.

These have become regulars here:

http://www.dinneralovestory.com/separate-but-unequal

http://www.dinneralovestory.com/peanut-butter-logic/

http://www.dinneralovestory.com/baby-it’s-cold-outside

Also, these are in rotation here lately:

Chicken hand pies (SO.GOOD. And the dough scraps? Make little chocolate chip turnovers. Seriously.)
http://3191.visualblogging.com/archives/11518_1443007713/337632

Ricotta gnocchi
http://www.deliciousdays.com/archives/2009/05/19/15-minutes-to-fame-gnocchi-for-beginners-and-braggarts/

We made this with quinoa:
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/bulgur-with-roasted-red-peppers-chickpeas-and-spinach

[Beth]

Another Beth here!

I read on another blog - Uncommon Grace perhaps? Someone said that she would go through the back issues for the particular month. i.e. it's May so she would read back through her other May issues to find seasonal ideas

[Cathy]

My very favorite is one that was in a summery issue, in the Emeril column, and it was little turkey burgers in pitas that had a nice yogurt dressing.

One that I liked but wasn't a big hit with the kids was in a spring issue and it was noodles with ham and broccoli in a cream-cheese sauce. [it's good for when you're craving something warm and comforting, in the style of chicken noodle casserole or chicken a la king.]

I made roasted beets from a recent issue and they were a hit with all but my non-veggie-eating 8 year old. Even my husband who didn't think he liked beets liked them. It was the one where you peel them and cut them in to chunks, bake them with maybe salt, pepper, and olive oil.

Oh, and the angel food cake with espresso and chocolate chips that they have with a ganache in the latest issue? I added the espresso and chocolate chips to a box mix and it's quite tasty.

[Em]

I have nearly all the Everyday Food issues, too, but wasn't really using them enough. So, at supper-time one night I gave an issue to my husband, and one to each of my two sons...and told them to look through their issue and choose two or three food dishes that appealed to them. Then I started cooking their choices for the rest of the month. It was great since they chose things I might have overlooked and it got me re-inspired! Fun!

[Lindsay]

chili chicken tacos (don't know when it was published) and chicken hand pies (seriously addictive)

[Kathleen]

Baked chicken with onion, potato, garlic and thyme is one of my go to recipes.

[Allison]

The same sort of straightforward recipes is why I like http://www.soscuisine.com so much. The recipes are clear and simple, but the food is not boring. We don't usually follow a whole weekly plan, but I often check it for ideas.

[siobhan]

I'm from Sydney Australia and my fav Food Magazine is either Donna Hay or Delicious.

http://www.taste.com.au/delicious/

http://donnahay.com.au/

They are always my go-to when I need inspiration.
Xx

[Erin]

occasionally, i pick up the donna hay magazines - they are great!

[Erin]

those are both on heavy rotation here, too!

[Erin]

that is a great idea, em! i might try that too!

[Erin]

yes, i think that was grace! my sister-in-law does the same thing & menu plans a month at a time.

[Erin]

we love the chicken hand pies, too! i'll definitely check out the dinner is a love story blog. thanks!

[Erin]

i don't have that cookbook because i figured if all the recipes were from edf then i have them already. i should probably give it another look, though!

[Erin]

i keep a cheat sheet w/things we really love noted on it by issues. other than that, i just dig or go to the ms website if i can't find something. a lot of the recipes are published there as well. clearly, i need a better system!

[Erin]

i'm going to download that app today! i do follow them on twitter - that often gives me good ideas, too.

[Erin]

ooh! so many good things to try - thanks!

[Erin]

i'm going to look up the soup for tomorrow. sounds delish!

[Erin]

those chili chicken tacos hit the crock pot here at least every other week! will look for the bbq - that would probably go over well. thanks, c.

[Erin]

thanks, melissa. i bet jane would love the spaghetti w/veg and peanut sauce.

[Erin]

nothing wrong with shrimp! yum!

[Erin]

kate would really love to cook more - i'm pulling out the potsticker recipe for her! thanks!

[Erin]

thanks for the suggestions, amy! they all sound fantastic!

[Erin]

schnitzel sounds fabulous. thanks, anna!

[Erin]

my kids love asian foods. i'll add this to the list!