A Little Country Cooking and a Give Away


I've been a supporter of the Cooks Illustrated Magazine almost since its inception in 1993. A very good friend, and fantastic home cook introduced me to the magazine while we were living in Okinawa and a whole new world opened up for me. The company has grown over the years to publish two magazines, compilation cook books, sister websites to their magazines, and now has two cooking series on PBS-America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country.

What we all love about the magazines, websites, and shows is that they take a scientific approach to cooking and are willing to take you through the steps they discovered to make every recipe the best recipe for that particular dish. Wingnut and the kids also enjoy reading the magazines and finding out why you would use baking powder rather than baking soda in particular recipes, why you don't want to mix your pancake batter until it is smooth, what is the difference between all-purpose flour and cake flour, etc.

The latest issue from Cook's Country is a real winner. We've tried four recipes from it already and each was absolutely fantastic. This last weekend we had a little dinner party and I made the South Carolina Boil. It was an absolute hit! Karate Kid followed the instructions for making better salsa and it was the best she'd ever made. She also made the Angel Food Cake recipe for dessert. I've never even made Angel Food Cake. It was the best Angel Food Cake I'd ever eaten. Last evening we tried their version of easy chicken tacos. Quick, easy, and absolutely delicious!

So, I'm all about sharing my love for cooking, and what better way to do that than to offer a give away. Just leave a comment on today's post telling us all your absolute favorite dish to cook. A randomly chosen winner will receive their very own copy of the latest issue of Cook's Country. Entries will be open until 8 p.m. on Sunday, August 2nd(one entry per person, please) and the winner will be announced here on Monday. Good luck and happy cooking!

Comments

Tonya said…
I didn't know Cooks Illustrated came out with a new magazine. How very cool! Did Cooks ever do a test to see why people add vinegar to their pie crusts? Just a question that came up yesterday. :-)
Katie said…
My favorite recipe is Creamy Stuffed Chicken from Southern Living Cookbook. It is a great dish, fairly easy and perfect for the summer. I usually only make it when guests come over. I also love the Tiramisu recipe from Southern Loving YUMMY!!!

Here are the links to each:

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=569451

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1662914
Katie said…
That's Southern LIVING, NOT loving!!
Dawn said…
my favorite dish to cook would be grilled rib-eye steaks with garlic roasted asparagus. I don't make it very often, but oh..it is so good. I just get happy knowing I am going to cook it up.
Jenn said…
Summer means fresh in our household... just made fresh pesto with garden basil, garlic, parm. and pinenuts, blended with a good olive oil. The family will eat it on anything; bread, sliced tomatoes, pasta. In WA fresh fruit is plentifull and cobblers are the once a week treat with a good vanilla bean ice cream.
Walter said…
Hey Mau,

I like taking live chickens, cuttin' their heads off, boiling their newly dead bodies in water, pulling out all of their feathers and finally romoving their internal matter. Now that's Southern Loving! Remember the smell sis???? Actually I like to make Chicken Enchiladas...a recipe I developed over time. I use store bought chickens not freshly butchered.

Love ya Mau,

Your Bro

PS I had better win or else!!!
Sarah - Kala said…
My fav dish to cook? I love to make king ranch chicken because it is so easy and tastes so good! I'd love to win a copy of something that would make recipes easy and delish!
Maurisa said…
Tonya,

Cook's Country has been publishing since 2005. You've had recipes from it at our house--Mahogany Chicken!

I did a little research on the site and did not find a single reference or recipe for pie dough with vinegar. I did find they've now adopted a fool-proof pie dough that uses vodka. Yes, vodka. Evidently ethanol prevents gluten from forming and gluten is bad for flaky crusts. Use vodka and you'll get a nice flaky crust.
Tonya said…
Somehow I missed we were supposed to tell you our favorite dish to cook. After reading Walter's nice comments about the chicken thing (which I DO know the smell of, yuck) not sure I can think of anything great. :-) I can only think of dishes I like to EAT, not cook! :-) I do like to bake, just made a pie yesterday.

Interesting on the vodka. I've seen many recipes w/ a tsp or Tbs of vinegar added to the pie crust.
Party of Eleven said…
I don't get too fancy, I leave that up to my husband :) So my favorite thing to cook is some good old fashioned homemade chicken soup (with noodles or rice, I like to mix it up). Thanks, Maurisa!
Michelle said…
Favorite thing to cook? How can anyone be limited by a single favorite?

I do like to cook pasta dishes, because I love to eat pasta dishes: ziti with italian sausage and ground beef and lots of sauce and garlic and crusty bread slathered with butter and chunks of garlic and broiled until just browned...mmm, maybe I know what to make tomorrow for dinner...


OK, so the vodka and the pie crust: do you use vodka in lieu of water or in addition to water?
TZel said…
White chili! My best friend (who has passed away) taught me how to make it. Now it makes me remember her and her goodness. Thank you for this chance!

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