Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year: Week 20

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Wow! 20 weeks down! It seems so hard to believe that we are already 20 weeks into this cooking through a cookbook in a year challenge, but I have to say, I have thoroughly enjoyed it so far. This week of cooking through Magnolia Table featured Bow Tie Pasta (p.229), Bevie’s Chocolate Roll (p.297) and Hot Fudge Sauce (p.298). Much like the recipes we have experienced over the past 20 weeks, we thoroughly enjoyed each one of these dishes and definitely recommend trying them out if you get the chance.

Bow Tie Pasta

As one of our first pasta recipes in the cookbook thus far, the Bow Tie Pasta was quite delicious. Creamy and fresh, this Bow Tie Pasta beautifully balances the sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, baby kale (our first harvest of kale from our garden! Woot woot! You can read about our raised bed journey HERE!), and creamy pasta. I typically am not a huge fan of sun – dried tomatoes as they sometimes can be overpowering, but these complimented the dish nicely and only accented the flavors of the bite in which they were included. Similarly, as Joanna mentions in her notes, we added shredded rotisserie chicken to the dish to make it slightly heartier, and both Charlie and I enjoyed this meal for several dinners.

Crowd Average Rating:

The Bow Tie Pasta recipe of Magnolia Table received an average rating of a 7! As only Charlie and I tested this recipe, we felt it was very delicious and even grew on us over time. I personally would have loved to have more artichoke hearts included, but Charlie felt there were plenty, so perhaps that simply is a matter of preference on how much you enjoy artichoke hearts. Similarly, I am not sure that I would add the walnut topping next time as the nuts felt like a slight disconnect to me. Even still, this recipe will certainly be making it back to our table in the future.

Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year: Week 20 - Bow Tie Pasta

Bevie’s Chocolate Roll

Sweet, but not overpowering, Bevie’s Chocolate Roll was absolutely delicious. Fluffy and beautifully accented with hot fudge sauce and whipped cream, this dessert has the perfect amount of chocolate. I really enjoyed making this recipe, however I will note that in the future I will need to be a little more strategic on moving the roll from the kitchen towel that it is rolled up on to a plate. As I did not have a great way to accomplish this, my roll cracked on top once it reached its final destination, but luckily the lack of presentation did not impact its taste in the slightest!

Crowd Average Rating:

Gaining consistent scores ranging from an 8 to an 8.5, Bevie’s Chocolate Roll gained an average score of an 8! While each person who tried the roll preferred a varied amount of whipped cream and fudge, Bevie’s Chocolate Roll was a winner and will certainly be a recipe I attempt again.

Hot Fudge Sauce

Rich, chocolatey and delicious, this hot fudge sauce was wonderful. Having never made hot fudge sauce before, I did not have any specific expectations, but this recipe was delicious all the same. As Charlie and I shared the chocolate roll above and the hot fudge sauce with friends, I totally forgot to take a picture of the sauce, however it truly was as dark, rich and decadent as you could imagine.

Crowd Average Rating:

Like Bevie’s Chocolate Roll, the hot fudge sauce gained an average rating of an 8! While fabulous, I was a little surprised that the homemade chocolate sauce did not have the chewy factor of a typical fudge sauce. Despite this, it is a delicious sauce that would be fabulous on ice cream, fruit or really any chocolate dessert.

Looking Ahead – Week Twenty-One

Week 21 Shopping List Includes:

Chicken breasts
Olive oil
Garlic
Heavy cream
Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt
Breadcrumbs
Butter

Fettuccine
White pepper
Lemons
Parsley
Black pepper
Eggs
Sugar
Vanilla extract

All-purpose flour
Mint sprigs
Strawberries
Baking powder
Self-rising flour
Baking soda
Buttermilk

Looking ahead at week 21 within our Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year Guide, this upcoming week will continue the pasta theme with Mrs. Gail’s Chicken & Fettuccine Alfredo (p.219), Strawberry Shortcake (p.285) and Homemade Whipped Cream (p.285). As this week also features a creamy pasta, you likely will be able to use your heavy cream, parmesan cheese, garlic, olive oil and other pantry staples for this upcoming week. Perfect for the hot summer days, this Strawberry Shortcake is just begging to be made for upcoming Memorial Day celebrations.

Final Thoughts

With our twentieth week down, we are slowly creeping up to our halfway point of the cookbook. I don’t know about you, but my cookbook is certainly beginning to look thoroughly broken in and my Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year guide is very well loved with ratings, wrinkles and the occasional splatter. It most certainly is telling the tale of a year of good food, and I am so glad we have 32 more weeks to go.

Happy cooking!