Cooking Light - December 2006

Browsing through the December issue of Cooking Light, I decided to try to keep better track of recipes that look I'd like to try. To that end, I am going to try something new here at The Savory Notebook. I used to wade through each issue and cook as many dishes as possible - rarely repeating the same dish twice - but I'm much more hit or miss these days. I tend to cook more based on daily whims, rather than keeping track of each issue and what catches my eye. This works fine and I don't think I'll ever get back to cooking quite that much again - it tends to be expensive and time-consuming - but I would like to try more new recipes.

Though I go through each issue and dog-ear any interesting recipes, I tend to put the magazine back on the shelf and forget about them. I also rely on the Recipe Finder/Kitchen Assistant for keeping track of recipes I want to try, but again, these can get lost in the shuffle.

Perhaps posting the recipes I'd like to try here on the blog will help? Maybe not, but it's worth a try. Thing is, what looks interesting to me changes from day to day. Many recipes I dog-ear never do get tried for whatever reason. I'm much more likely to try the recipes that are convenient for every day - easy weeknight meals that fit a busy lifestyle and a limited grocery budget. Items such as the cakes in this issue will likely go a long time before I try them - they look great, but I just don't make cakes all that often. I also love that over at the CLBB, someone will post a rave review about a recipe that totally missed my eye, causing me to go back and find quite a few treasures that were missed the first time around.

Any other Cooking Light fans out there that would like to join in, just send me a link and I'll link to your own list of recipes you'd like to try from the current issue.

Anyway, here is my list for December. I've linked to any recipes that are currently posted on Cooking Light and will post more links and/or photos if they become available.

Asiago and Balsamic Caramelized Onion Focaccia
Garlicky Broccoli Rabe
White Bean and Beef Soup with Tomatoes and Onions
Cranberry Upside Down Coffee Cake
Pumpkin Pound Cake with Buttermilk Glaze
Coconut Cake with Buttercream Frosting
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake with Bittersweet Ganache
Pork Medallions with Gingered Cranberry Sauce
Farfalle with Creamy Wild Mushroom Sauce My Review!
Artichoke, Spinach, and Feta Stuffed Shells
Beer-Braised Beef with Italian Salsa Verde
Sausage, Escarole, and White Bean Ragout My Review!

No way these will all get made before the next issue arrives, but it's fun to put the list out there and have it as a reference tool.