By I made three separate recipes from the “Lynette” section of the cookbook tonight for dinner. They were all delicious!
Potato Casserole
I started with the potato casserole since it took the longest to cook. The only prep prior to instructions beginning is clean and slice the leek and grate the cheese.
First, the broth and cream is poured into your baking dish. I stirred mine together a bit since initially the cream separated from the broth.
Then the potatoes are peeled and chopped, and added to the baking dish. The leeks are scattered on top, it’s seasoned with salt and pepper, and the dish is mixed well. Into the oven it goes!
I started on the brussels sprouts while I waited for the potatoes to finish their first batch of cooking, at which point bread crumbs, salt and pepper are mixed in, followed by a layer of grated cheese being placed on top. It goes back into the oven until most of the moisture is absorbed, the potatoes are tender, and the whole thing is golden brown.
Taste: 10/10
These were sooo good! Creamy, cheesy and delicious. The potatoes were still slightly hard, which means I probably should have cooked them a bit longer during the first round in the oven, but it didn’t bother me.
Difficulty: Easy
Mostly this recipe is mixing things and adding to the baking dish.
Cost: Average
You’ll need chicken broth, light cream, russet potatoes, a leek, bread crumbs, and grated cheese.
Glazed Brussels Sprouts
This is the second recipe I got started on, but they ended up being ready before everything else. For this recipe, the onion is diced prior to beginning.
While a pot of water is brought to a boil, the sprouts are trimmed and cut in half. They are then boiled and drained.
Butter and vegetable oil are heated in a pan over the stove, and the onion is added first. Once it’s light brown, the sprouts are added and browned. Finally, the orange juice and honey are combined and added. The entire thing is cooked until the liquid evaporates and the sprouts are coated with a shiny glaze.
The recipe does NOT tell you the temperature to cook these over the stove, so I had to guess. I cooked them over medium, but they ended up cooking far quicker than the recipe said they would so I ended up lowering the temperature once the onions were done.
Taste: 9/10
These were very good, and not as sweet as I expected considering they’re coated in orange juice and honey.
Difficulty: Easy
These are quite easy to throw together, and make a simple addition to any meal!
Cost: Cheap
You’ll need brussels sprouts, oil, butter, yellow onion, orange juice, and honey.
Stovetop-Barbecued Pork Chops
The final step was making the pork chops! I got these started once the onion started cooking for the sprouts.
The pork chops are patted dry and seasoned with salt and pepper, then placed in a heated pan that they will fit snugly in. They’re cooked for a few minutes on each side so they’re golden brown.
Meanwhile, the barbecue sauce is mixed together by combining tomato puree, broth, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder.
The sauce is added and the chops cook until the sauce is thick enough to glaze them.
The recipe does indicate that the sauce should be spooned over the chops at the end, but I did not have a sauce that would be easily spooned. It got quite thick during the cooking. That being said, this was still a winner in my books!
Taste: 10/10
Pork chops are not a favorite meat of mine, and it didn’t really “glaze” well, but this was really, really good. I’m keeping this one!
Difficulty: Easy
Aside from making sure the chops are completely cooked through, this one is pretty simple. The fact that they’re cooked in a sauce does help keep you from burning the outside of the chops while still cooking them all the way through over the stove.
Cost: Average
You’ll need pork chops, tomato puree, chicken broth, white vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and oil.
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