Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year: Week 25 -

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Unlike many weeks of cooking through Magnolia Table in a year, this week featured all of the recipes within a single meal! Despite being slightly different, the Chicken Piccata (p.217), Romaine Salad (p.125) and Buttermilk Ranch Dressing (p.126) recipes all paired together nicely for a delicious meal that we enjoyed a couple of times. While not as summery as the past few weeks, these recipes still were very fresh, tasty and used produce from our garden.

Romaine Salad

While I have eaten many romaine salads, Joanna’s take on this Romaine Salad was very new to me with the thinly sliced radishes and cucumbers intermixed. While some may not enjoy these elements, I thought they provided a lovely pop of color for an attractive presentation. Similarly, having never made homemade croutons, I found this recipe to be quite simple and a nice combination of textures and flavors. As the dressing recipe was also to be enjoyed with this salad, it seemed hard to distinguish the two, but I found that the ranch certainly complimented the elements within the salad.

Crowd Average Rating:

As only Charlie and I had the pleasure of trying this recipe, it gained an average rating of a 6.5 mostly due to the fact that Charlie does not prefer cucumbers or radishes. Since both of those elements were large portions of the salad, it ended up not being his favorite, but I thoroughly enjoyed this dish and would be interested in making it again for myself.

Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year: Week 25 - Romaine Salad

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Despite rarely choosing to buy ranch dressing, I found this recipe for homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing to be delicious. Not overpowering, each of the flavors within the dressing is balanced and compliments the Romain Salad above very nicely. If you are a ranch dressing lover I would highly recommend trying this version out!

Crowd Average Rating:

Despite only getting an average rating of a 6, this recipe is delicious. While very willing to taste test, Charlie does not prefer ranch dressing, therefore his rating brought down the average, however I really enjoyed this recipe. Joanna mentions that she likes to use this recipe as either a dressing or a dip and I could definitely see how it would be delicious either way.

Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year: Week 25 - Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Chicken Piccata

Last, but certainly not least, this week featured Chicken Piccata. With a burst of flavors ranging from pan fried breading and lemon to artichokes and capers, this Chicken Piccata is everything that I hoped it would be. To enjoy the sauce, I served this Chicken Piccata over a bed of noodles and the results were wonderful! This recipe was very straightforward and quite simple to accomplish, so I highly recommend checking it out!

Crowd Average Rating:

As our highest rated item this week and with scores ranging between a 7 and an 8, the Chicken Piccata recipe gained an average rating of a 7.5. Tender, juicy and very tasty, I am positive that we will be enjoying this recipe at our table in the future.

Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year: Week 25 - Chicken Piccata

Looking Ahead – Week Twenty-Six

Week 26 Shopping List Includes:

Olive oil
Black pepper
Kosher salt
Salmon filets
Lemon
Dill
Mayonnaise
Sour cream

Cucumber
Chives
Pie crust
Sugar
Peaches
Butter
Eggs
Almond flour

Almond extract
Peach preserves
Mascarpone cheese
Heavy cream
Powdered sugar
Sliced almonds

Looking ahead at week 26 within our Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year Guide, this upcoming week will feature Grilled Salmon (p.231) and a Peach & Almond Tart (p.270). If you have any remaining cucumber from your Romaine Salad, you definitely should be able to use it with your Grilled Salmon recipe as well. I am thrilled for both of these recipes and they truly embody a summertime palette.

Final Thoughts

At almost our halfway point throughout this challenge, it is hard to believe how fast this year and cookbook is going! I am very much looking forward to having a mid-year recap to reminisce on our favorite recipes so far. If you have been undergoing this challenge as well, I hope that it has brought more joy into your life as it has ours.

Happy cooking!