Week 2025-45: Pommes Anna

The Recipe
800g potatoes
4tbsp meltet butter
1 cup shredded cheese
salt, pepper

Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly. Add to a bowl, pour meltet butter over, making sure all slices are thoroughly coated.
Layer the potatoes and cheese in an ovenproof dish, finishing with a layer of potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cook at 180C for about an hour. Serve hot.

The Verdict
Loved the taste! Unfortunately it was really difficult to get the springform pan I'd made it in - I think I'll try in a pie form next time. It's a bit of a hassle to make, but tasted really good, so worth it.

Week 2025-30: Wild Rice Soup

The Recipe
1/2 cup cashews (~60g)
1 medium onion, diced
3 medium carrots, sliced thinly
2 celery stalks, sliced thinly
250g mushrooms, sliced thinly
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2tbsp olive oil
1tbsp thyme
1tbsp oregano
2l vegetable broth
200g wild rice
1.5 tsp salt
2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1/2tsp black pepper
1tbsp soy sauce

Soak the cashews in hot water while making the recipe.

Warm up oil in a soup pot. Add onion, celery and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes. Add garlic, thyme and oregano and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add broth, wild rice, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and leave to simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Add beans and leave to simmer for another 30-35 minutes or until the rice is done.

Transfer 2 cups of the soup (veggies and rice included) to a blender. Add 1 cup of water and the drained cashews. Blend until creamy and pour the mixture back into the soup.

Add soy sauce and more salt to taste.

The Verdict
Two mistakes out of the bat - I didn't rinse the beans well enough, so some of the tomato sauce remained. Don't think that really mattered taste-wise, but it looked a LOT different than expected.

Second mistake was worse - I definitely didn't blend the cashews finely enough, so it ended up being more crunchy than creamy.

I really loved the taste, but the rice soaked up a LOT of the liquid, so it really ended up being more risotto-like than a soup. Not entirely sure what I did wrong there. Besides, wild rice are expensive in Denmark, so I don't see myself making this again very often.

Week 2025-28: Crockpot Pasta ala Vodka

The Recipe
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup vodka (just use the cheap kind)
2 (400g) cans tomatoes
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
Salt and pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Penne pasta
Bacon (optional)
Fresh basil

Heat the olive oil, onion, garlic, crushed red pepper, and dried oregano in a large skillet over medium low heat. Cook, stirring often until the onion is soft and the garlic fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add the vodka, raise the heat, and bring the mixture to a boil, boil 5 minutes. Add to the crockpot along with the tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes and large pinch of salt + pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 4-5 hours.

Use a stick blender to puree until smooth. Add cream and parmesan. Cook uncovered on HIGH for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile cook pasta according to instructions. Use the skillet from before to cook bacon. Add bacon and chopped fresh basil to the pasta. Serve with sauce and extra parmesan cheese.

The Verdict
This recipe makes a LOT of tomato sauce! It'll easily stretch to 6 people - I ended up freezing more than half of it. It tasted amazing though, so I hope it will freeze well. It needed a tad more salt (note to self - don't be so skimpy next time) and I added more chili to my portion, but I don't think DH would appreciate if I added more to the sauce itself ;-)

It's a bit more work than I'm used to for a crockpot recipe, since I had to saute the onions ahead of time. I considered not doing that, but don't know what it'll do to the recipe, if the vodka doesn't have time to simmer. Although I couldn't really taste the vodka at all, so wonder what it would be like if I just left it out!

Anyways, it made for a delicious tomato sauce, and if it freezes well, I could definitely see myself making this again.

Week 2025-17: Vegetarial Chili Mac

The Recipe
1 onion, medium chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
1 14oz can black beans rinsed and drained
1 14oz can kidney beans rinsed and drained
2 14oz cans crushed tomatoes
1-2 tsp chili powder
1tsp paprika
2 tsp cumin
½ tsp salt
A dash of black pepper
1/2 l vegetable broth
225g elbow macaroni pasta, uncooked
~100g shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese with more for serving
Chopped spring onions for serving

Place first 10 ingredients (onion through broth) in a crockpot and stir to combine. Cover and cook on LOW for ~7 hours.
Stir in pasta and continue cooking on HIGH for 15-20 minutes, until pasta is cooked through. Stir in cheese.
Serve topped with remaining cheese and spring onions.

The Verdict
The original recipe called for 1.5tbsp chili!!! That seemed like a LOT so I tried with 1tsp chili instead. I think next time I could easily use 1.5 or 2 instead as it really was quite mild. Apart from that it was really good and super easy to make, so I'll definitely add this to my regular rotation.

I served it with bacon for the non-vegetarians people.

(2024) Week 42: Pico de Gallo

The Recipe
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
2 large ripe red tomatoes chopped
A dash of chili flakes

Mix and leave to marinade for at least 15 minutes

The Verdict
Really good! Using lime juice instead of lemon juice made a huge difference. It did need some fresh herbs of some sort - the original recipe had cilantro, which I don't like, but perhaps some fresh oregano, thyme or basil? Will have to try it out.

Week 30: Carrot Fries

The Recipe
4 carrots
1tbsp olive oil
1 tsp each of paprika, garlic powder and corn flour (or other spices)
Salt to taste

Peel the carrots and cut them into fries.
In a bowl, mix together oil, paprika, garlic powder and corn flour. Add carrotsand stir to coat.

Preheat the air-fryer to 200C. Add carrot fries and cook for 15-20 minutes, shaking after 10 minutes and taste checking after 15 minutes. If you have more fries than will fit into a mostly single layer, split them up into several batches for the best results.

Add salt and serve immediately.

The Verdict
This looked like a lot of carrot, but they shrunk significantly in the airfryer, so I would say this amount is only JUST enough for 2 people. They were really good though, so I could definitely see myself making them again. They're only slightly more timeconsuming to make than just plain carrot sticks and taste great :-D

Week 18 - Vegetarian Chili

The Receipe
1 diced onion
1 diced bell pepper
1-2 chopped carrots
2 stalks chopped celery
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp mild chili powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Add everything but half the salt and the lime juice to the slow-cooker. Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours.

Stir in lime juice and the remaining salt if desired.

The Verdict
It wasn't very spicy, so I could probably have added more chili. Also perhaps a bit more sugar, as it was rather acidic? Will have to play around with that a bit. But my vegetarian sister liked it, so that's the important thing.

Week 44: Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

The recipe
1 15oz can chickpeas, drained
1/4 cup uncooked red lentils
1/2 onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 15oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1.5 tbsp Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce (depending on whether or not it needs to be vegetarian)
1/4 tsp dry mustard or 1/4 tbsp dijon mustard
A dash of red crushed pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high 5-6 hours, until the lentils are cooked through and the mixture thickens. Open the slow cooker and, using a potato masher, mash about 1/3 of the filling. Give it a good stir and let it cook for another 30 minutes or so.

Serve over toasted burger buns.

The Verdict
I don't think I cooked it for quite long enough as both the lentils and chickpeas were still rather hard - not quite crunchy, but they would have been better had they been cooked for a bit longer, I think. But I did like it, and it's easy enough to make, so will probably try it again.

Week 20 - Pasta w. Pesto

The Recipe

250g pasta (fresh is best :-) )
1 glove garlic
2.5dl fresh basil
a dash of salt
3tbsp pine nuts
2tbsp parmesan cheese
1.25dl olive oil
1 bell pepper, sliced
125g bacon, diced (optional)
a handful of cherry tomatoes, in quarters
~10 asparagus, diced

Cook pasta according to instructions. Drain and remove from heat.

Roast the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until they're lightly golden. Put aside.

In the same pan add bacon and cook until starting to render fat. Add asparagus and cook until bacon is just starting to get crisp. Put aside.

Add garlic, salt, basil and pine nuts to a blender or similar. Chop very finely. Add cheese and mix again. Add the oil little by little until you have a fine paste.

Add the pesto to the pasta and mix. Add bacon, asparagus, bell pepper and tomatoes. Serve with extra parmesan cheese.


The Verdict
REALLY yummy, however there wasn't nearly enough pesto! I could easily have doubled the quantities written here (garlic through olive oil), and think I will do so next time.... because I'm definitely making this again!

Week 6 - Vegetarian Tortillas

The Recipe
8 tortillas
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 squash
2 carrots
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can tomatoes
50g tomato paste / tomato sauce (tomatpure)
150g corn
Butter
Olive oil
Salt, pepper
Garnishes: Avocado, Lime, Salsa, shredded cheese

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees (fan-assisted). Brush the tortillas with olive oil on both sides, and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for ~6 minutes or until golden brown, turning over half way through.

Grate/chop onion, garlic, squash and carrots.

Warm a bit of oil in a pot and cook onion and garlic until translucent and fragrant. Add next 9 ingredients (squash through tomato paste), bring to a boil and let it simmer for ~15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a bit of butter in a pan and roast the corn at high heat for a few minutes to get them a bit crispy. Add to the veggie sauce and season with salt and pepper according to taste.

Plate the meal by putting a tortillas on a plate, adding vegetables, avocado, salsa and cheese and some freshly squeezed lime-juice and placing another tortillas on top.

The Verdict
It sounds like a lot of work, but it's actually not too bad. And it's worth it, because it ended up being really good! It definitely needed the salsa to add the final je ne sais que, but with that added I didn't miss the meat at all! The flavours mixed well and were well-rounded. Definitely something I could see myself making again!

Week 33: Lemony Asparagus Pasta

The Recipe
~250g pasta
2 cups asparagus cut into 1" pieces (~8-10 asparagus)
2 spring onions, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
150g bacon (optional)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp pepper
A handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered

Cook pasta according to directions. Add asparagus to pasta during the last 3 minutes of cooking.

Meanwhile cook bacon until just crisp. Add spring onions and let them soften a bit. Add garlic and stir for a few minutes.

Drain pasta. Stir in all remaining ingredients.

Serve with parmesan cheese.


The Verdict
Surprisingly bland. Not something I'm likely to make again.

Week 24: Tortillas Torte

The Recipe
(Serves 5-6 people)
6 tortillas
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
250g minced meat (I used beef, but it could be any - can also be substituted for a can of kidney or chili beans for a vegetarian version)
1 (14oz) can tomatoes
1 (14oz) can beans
1 bell pepper
~75g rocket salad or spinach
~240g corn
Cayenne pepper, cumin, paprika, basil, oregano, salt and pepper to taste
A dash of cinnamon
~150g shredded cheese
Garnishes: Avocado, salsa, sour cream

Heat the oven to 200C.

Chop onion and garlic. Cut bell pepper into bite sized pieces.

Optional: In a pan, heat a bit of oil and once it's hot cook each tortillas for about 30 seconds on each side, until it starts to puff up and become crisp. This step can be omitted.

Heat a bit of oil in a pot and cook garlic, onion, cumin and cayenne pepper until fragrant. Add meat and cook until just browned.
Add tomatoes, beans and bell pepper and leave to simmer for 3-5 minutes. Add more spices according to taste. Turn off heat, but leave the pot on the element - add corn and salad / spinach and stir for a few minutes until the salad is wilted.

Coat a springform with oil or line a cake form with foil and start assembling the torte - alternating layers of tortillas, sauce and cheese, ending with sauce and cheese. Place in oven and cook for 20 minutes or until nicely browned. Remove from the oven and let it rest at room temperature for another 10 minutes.

Serve with avocado, salsa and sour cream.


The Verdict
Quite a lot of work, but very fancy-looking!!! I'm not sure it tasted all that much better than regular tortillas, but it certainly looked good. Too much work for an every-day meal, but definitely good for a special occasion :D

Week 22: Roasted Mushrooms

The Recipe
(Serves 1)
100-150g Mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
Pepper

The trick here is to get the mushrooms completely dry before roasting them, so do NOT rinse them - if they're dirty, pat them with a moist paper towel, to get the dirt off, but do not wash them.

Cut them into bite sized pieces (I quartered mine) and place them on a paper towel to dry. I think I left mine for half an hour or so.

Get out a large pan and add olive oil and butter - enough to coat the entire pan. Turn the heat up high and wait until the butter stops foaming and it's REALLY hot.

Add the mushrooms, taking care not to crowd them. If you have too many mushrooms, cook them in batches rather than risking crowding the pan.

Let them sit for awhile and soak up the oils - the pan will get dry which is fine - don't add more oil, but turn the heat down a bit if they start to smoke. When they start to get brown, shake the pan to get them to brown evenly.

They're done when they're brown all over and seem crispy. Season with pepper and serve.


The Verdict
REALLY good! I never knew not to wash mushrooms before, but it really makes a difference. I think I possibly added a tad too much oil/butter, so they weren't all that crispy, but they still tasted a LOT better than the mushrooms I usually make :-D

Week 45: Chorizo Pasta

The Recipe
(Serves 3)
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
~200g mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 can (400g) tomatoes
~80g chorizo, cut into thin stripes (optional)
A handful of olives (optional)
Salt, pepper and basil to taste
1 cup (2.5dl) cream
Enough pasta for 3 people

Cook pasta in salted water.

Heat the oil in a wok or similar and saute onion, garlic and mushrooms until soft and fragrant. Add tomatoes, chorizo and olives and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chili, salt, pepper and basil and cook for another 5 minutes. Add cream and cook for yet another 5 minutes.

Serve immediately - it's best piping hot :D

The Verdict
REALLY good!!! The cream makes it taste so decadent :-D I used canned tomatoes with chili which meant the whole thing had a bit more of a kick than anticipated, but the cream cooled it down nicely enough for DH - I might try with non-spicy tomatoes next time though. Because there will definitely be a next time - SO yummy!!!

Week 33: Butter Garlic Noodles

The Recipe
~400g pasta
90g butter
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
150g bacon, sliced (optional)
1 bell pepper, sliced
A handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
1tsp salt
1tsp pepper
~3/4dl Parmesan or Parmigiano cheese
Fresh basil (optional)

Cook pasta according to instructions on package.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a small saucepan. Remove bacon, leaving fat behind and cook the sliced bell pepper until soft. Add a bit of water if the pan runs dry. Remove bell pepper. Turn heat to medium low and melt butter. Once the butter has melted, add garlic and cook for about 5 minutes until translucent - do NOT allow garlic to brown. Add salt and pepper, bell pepper, bacon and cherry tomatoes.

Drain the pasta and mix with the cheese. Pour the sauce over top and stir to combine. Allow the pasta to rest for a few minutes to absorb some of the butter.

Serve with basil and a sweet chili sauce if desired.

The Verdict
VERY garlicky! But we like garlic, so that's all good :-D The sauce didn't coat the pasta quite as nicely as I'd hoped for, but I think I may just not have left it to rest long enough. But it tasted great, so if you don't mind smelling like garlic for the rest of the evening, I'd definitely recommend it. I think I'd add more tomatoes next time though. I used about 7-8 this time and it could easily have carried twice that.

Week 30: Grilled Corn on the Cob

The Recipe
2 corn on the cob, peeled (... or whatever you'd call it...)
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
Olive oil
Salt

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat and quickly saute the garlic until fragrant - about a minute. Lower the heat slightly and add the corn, grilling 2 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.

The Verdict
SUPER easy to make, and really, really tasty. No modifications necessary.

Week 28: Watermelon Lemonade

The Recipe
1 large watermelon
~1l soda water with citrus
Powdered sugar to taste

Do yourself a favour and make sure to either get a seedless watermelon or one with REALLY BIG SEEDS!! I got one which claimed to be seedless, but which ended up having a ton of really tiny seeds instead. They were a hassle and a half to remove and took MUCH longer than it ought to!

Cut the top off the watermelon and scoop out the flesh into a large bowl, removing any seeds on the way. Either add it to a blender or use an immersion blender to mash up the flesh finely. Depending on how much pulp you like you can either leave it as is or pour it through a sieve to just get the juice. If you do the latter, leave it to drip for awhile, stirring the remaining pulp from time to time - you can get a lot more out of it than you originally think.

Pour in the soda and add powdered / caster sugar to taste. It does have to be caster sugar rather than regular, as we want it to dissolve completely.

Add some ice cubes to the hollowed-out watermelon and pour in the lemonade. Keep the rest in a jar next to it for easy refills.

The Verdict
Really easy to make, but it didn't look quite as "wow" as I'd hoped. I think next time I might go for the easy solution and just cut up the watermelon rather than using it as a serving dish. The large surface area also allowed the fizz to disappear really quickly from the soda, which was a shame.

I did like it though 🙂 I didn't add quite enough sugar, so it was a bit on the sour side, and I think I should have limited myself to 1/2-3/4l soda instead, as it got quite diluted. Regardless, it still tasted really good, so I'll consider it a success!

Week 21: Coconut Curry Soup

The Recipe
(Serves 2)
~100g precooked protein - I used chicken, but the original recipe called for shrimp
1 carrot (not too big. I used half of a large one)
1/2 bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
1/2 onion
~100g rice vermicelli (very thin noodles)
1tsp ginger
2 tbsp red curry paste
1l chicken broth
1 can (400ml) coconut milk
salt, pepper
oil
Juice from 1 lime

Julienne carrot and bell pepper. Put aside.

Mince garlic and julienne onion.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until slightly soft. Add garlic, ginger and red curry paste and cook for about a minute until fragrant. Add broth and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste (add slightly more salt as you would otherwise - the noodles will absorb some of it).

Add noodles and boil for 2 minutes. Add the carrot and bell pepper and boil for another 2.

Split the precooked meat into two bowls and pour the boiling soup over. Squeeze some lime juice over. Serve immediately.

The Verdict
Two tablespoons of curry paste is a LOT, so this is a soup with more than just a bite. I loved it, but beware if you're making this for people who'd prefer less heat - I think it'd be far too much for my DH.

But apart from that I REALLY liked it! I didn't boil the noodles for quite long enough, so they still had a bit of bite, but not enough to detract. Really tasty and extremely easy to make.

Week 13: Marinated Bell Pepper

The Recipe
4 bell peppers
1.25dl olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp freshly chopped basil
2 tbsp freshly chopped oregano

I had neither fresh basil nor fresh oregano, so used about 1tsp of each dried.

Cut the bell peppers into quarters, removing stem and seeds. Put on a baking sheet and grill until the skin bubbles up and starts to go black. Take them out of the oven and leave to rest under a moist towel for 5-10 minutes or until they're cool enough to handle. Peel off the skin (don't obsess with this - just get as much off as you can). Cut into thin stripes.

Mix together olive oil, lemon juice basil and oregano. Add the bell pepper and make sure it all gets coated in the marinade. Leave for at LEAST 2 hours - preferably overnight.

Serve as a side by itself or use in wraps or on sandwiches.

The Verdict
This is SO good! I didn't grill the bell peppers for long enough, so only got about half the skin off, but that didn't matter much - the marinade still penetrated nicely. I misread the recipe so I only had time to marinade it for about 1 hour before dinner. The leftovers I refrigerated and saved for sandwiches the next day - it definitely improved after such a long time marinading. It was good the first evening too, but especially the slices where I hadn't gotten all the skin off had gotten much softer the second day.

It's a lot of work for every day meals, but tastes really good, so worth while to do once in a blue moon.

Week 7: Sweet Potato Fries

The Recipe
~500g sweet potatos
50g corn starch
3/4dl COLD water
~1/2 l oil for frying
Salt, pepper and spices (e.g. paprica, chili, cayenne pepper, cumin etc.) to taste.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin fries. Mix the corn starch and water in a bowl and whisk until the corn starch has completely dissolved. Dump the fries in a few at a time and put them on a rack to drip.

Meanwhile heat the oil over high heat in a thick-bottomed pot. You want it REALLY hot or the fries will boil rather than fry. Once it's hot enough, put in a handful or so of fries - you don't want to overcrowd them. I found I could do about 15 at a time. Don't be tempted to turn down the heat - I did, and it meant an entire batch was boiled rather than fried. Still tasty, but not really what I wanted.

Cook each batch of fries for about 5-7 minutes until golden brown. Move to paper towels to let excess oil drain. Move to a plate and season with salt, pepper and whatever spices you fancy.

You could put them in the oven at low heat (about 100C) to keep warm while you cook the rest, or just do what we did, and eat them while you cook the next batch!

The Verdict
A LOT of work, but so, so good!!! Don't know when or if I'll ever make this again, but it was good!!! YUM!

Oh, as for boiling some? In the photo below you can clearly see the difference between those that were boiled (top) and the ones that were properly fried (bottom).