Almost a year ago “Happy in the Kitchen” by Michel Richard arrived on the Project Foodie doorstep.  I eagerly read it, raved about it, and told Husband “read this – you’ll love it”.  In typical husband-speed he did.  About two months ago he began reading it, and reading it, and reading it.  When he got done in mid-December, dozens of pages had turned corners for recipes he wanted to cook and we started talking about actually cooking many of them.  Lest you think he would behave this way for just any cookbook, I asked him to explain his excitement over Happy in the Kitchen:

“Rarely do I read through a whole cookbook and every so often I pick out recipes that we should try in the Project Foodie kitchen. That changed when I read Michel Richard’s, “Happy in the Kitchen”. I thought that we had received another coffee table book from a famous chef. How wrong I was. Not only did I read through the book from cover to cover, but I picked out dozens of recipes that I’d like to make. Michel’s cooking is certainly not ordinary. He’s an avid fan of saran wrap, freezing, meat slicers, and many other techniques that I rarely have used in the kitchen. His recipes are approachable, very well written and well edited, with pictures that look like they actually match the recipe they reflect! Many of the recipes use techniques that I would have never have thought of using on my own, but turn out to be fairly simple in the end. Though many of the recipes require multiple days, the end result looks to be worth the effort.”

First up we’re making Silky Syrah Short Ribs.  Check back next week to see how it turned out.  In the mean time, if you are a Happy in the Kitchen fan then join the fun with us and share your thoughts on the recipes.  We’ve added the cookbook into Project Foodie Track & Tag (check it out here) which means you can save a summary of each individual recipe, rate the recipes, and add comments on the recipes.  The recipes themselves are accessible only through the print book, but this way everyone who enjoys Happy in the Kitchen can share their experiences.  Join the fun and become Happy in the Kitchen!

PS:  We’re still looking for a skills/technique based cookbook to cook through and I’ll be writing about that in the weeks to come!

Or, maybe we shouldn’t cook from just one book?  We could focus on techniques and find the most appealing choices from more than one book.  Or maybe not.  This little 'activity' is already likely to take several years, and including more than one book could extend it to decades! 

All of this brings me back to my initial question:  Have you every cooked through a cookbook?  If you have, do you have any suggestions or recommendations on what book to use?  Or even if you haven’t cooked through an entire cookbook, if you have any suggestions please let me know…

Lately, the cutting board has become warped, presumably from putting it in the dishwasher, and I’ve realized it is a bit small for my needs.  Looking at what is available I’m still inclined to go with plastic over wood.  Even though I know I occasionally mix meat and veggies on an individual day, at least with plastic I can stick it in the dishwasher and be sure it is clean the next time I use it.  And if warping is a problem with the plastic board, I know it will be far worse with a wood cutting board.  Now, while I admit I don’t get new cutting boards very often,  I found the Preserve line of cutting boards, made by Recycline and sold at Whole Foods,  to be appealing because they are made from recycled plastic. Hey any thing we can do to be eco-friendly is a good thing in my book.  The boards come in several sizes but the big 14 x 11” board was just the size I wanted, although the smaller 10x8" board seems really appealing for small, quick cutting jobs.  The board has a handle on one end that I initially thought would get in the way, but it really is very handy for lifting the board.  As I said, cutting boards are a personal choice, and many prefer wood but since plastic is a better choice for my kitchen habits at least I can feel good knowing this one doesn’t add to the waste of plastic out there… 

Last weekend, a friend and I spend nearly all of Sunday baking cookies.  The bake fest lasted about 7 hours and resulted in nearly 20 dozen cookies.  We each made 3 different types of cookies.

I’d never baked with anyone before, other than my mom and sister that is, but it really was lots of fun.  Before we met, we both picked out a list of recipes we wanted to make and then we finalized it the day of the bake fest.  We then went to the store for all the miscellaneous items we didn’t have.  The actual cooking lasted about 5 hours.  We each made our own recipes but helped each other with ‘issues’, tray rotations, timing, and so forth.  Having someone in the kitchen to talk too and bounce ideas off was great.  Husband was around, but he wisely left the kitchen to the women for the day – although he did help with some mixing, dish washing, and of course periodic tasting!

The cookies?  We each made a variation of white mice (aka Mexican wedding cakes, Russian tea cookies, etc).  I used the recipe in Elizabeth Falkner’s Demolition Desserts.  The result?  Absolutely fabulous cookies that were slightly crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside -  or as my neighbor said after trying one from her gift box “they were like a drug!”. 

I also made the Vanilla Roll-Out Cookies from the article by Dorie Greenspan in this month's Bon Appetit and I made the 'Mike's dark chocolate black bottom bites"  from I’m Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas.  Both of which were great.

What we did we do with all of these cookies?  I gave tins to my neighbors, kept about a dozen, and then (bravely) had Husband take the rest to work so we wouldn’t eat them!

My friend wrapped hers in gorgeous little gift plates and gave them as gifts to friends.  I don’t have the patience for that but she did a great job and the gifts looked wonderful!