Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year: Week 9

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As our first week of March has come to a close, we have journeyed through 3 additional wonderful recipes in our cooking through Magnolia Table in a year: Curry Chicken Salad (p. 79), Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Pecans (p.165) and Balsamic Reduction (p.166). Each extremely flavorful and very easy to make, these recipes ranked well and certainly will be included around our table in the future.

Curry Chicken Salad

Packed full of flavor, this Curry Chicken Salad is a must try, especially if you are a curry flavor lover. When first glancing at the recipe, I was surprised at the addition of water chestnuts and the generous portion of curry seasoning. Once pulled together however, everything pairs together beautifully! Certainly, do let the chicken salad marinade for several hours before serving, as it lets the flavors meld, and the curry actually is less strong after marinating then it is when first made. Likewise, while the addition of water chestnuts may seem unusual, they provide fabulous crunch and absorb the flavors of the chicken salad in such a way that they became my favorite part.

Crowd Average Rating:

With a strong average rating of a 7, this chicken salad is a fabulous recipe to try for adventurous eaters. If you are not into curry, you might not enjoy this dish quite as much, however if its your thing, then this might become your favorite chicken salad. We decided that if it was to be a Chicken Salad Chick flavor, it must certainly be called “Vurry Curry” for its intense flavors. The only change I might make going forward would be to give crackers as a serving option in addition to the hearty bread. I found that pairing it with a good Ritz cracker completely changed the perspective of the chicken salad to one that I preferred even more than the hearty bread.

Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year: Week 9 - Curry Chicken Salad

Brussels Sprouts With Bacon & Pecans

As a recipe that I had made before starting this challenge from Joanna’s cookbook, I felt slightly that I was cheating on this one since it wasn’t totally new. With that being said, this recipe is deliciously paired together and is one of my favorite ways to cook brussels sprouts. It certainly is a recipe to change someone’s mind for the better about how they feel regarding brussels sprouts if they do not start out enjoying the vegetable. Tender yet not mushy, with smoky nut undertones, the brussels sprouts have a wonderful texture that is enhanced with the flavorful textural contrasts of the pecans and bacon. While we paired this dish with stuffed chicken, wild rice, and salad, you certainly could include this recipe in any season with a Perfect Roast Chicken (p.203) from our week 2, the Grilled Chipotle Pork Tenderloin (p.235) from week 7 or even your thanksgiving spread.

Crowd Average Rating:

Coming in at a solid average of an 8, this brussels sprouts recipe is certainly a keeper. As I had made this recipe previously, I did cook my bacon on the stovetop instead of in the oven, which I found to be very helpful in overpowering the smell any of the vinegar tones that were being cooked out in the Balsamic Reduction. If you are having guests over, or if you just want to prevent your home from smelling like vinegar, I would suggest cooking the bacon on the stovetop at the same time to help the bacon scent to overpower the lingering vinegar.

Balsamic Reduction

While this was not the first time I had made the brussels sprouts recipe, it was the first time I had made the Balsamic Reduction. In the past, instead of creating the Balsamic Reduction, I simply sprinkled a dash of balsamic vinegar over the top of the brussels sprouts mixture at the end, thinking it would eliminate a step and have a similar result. But boy was I wrong. This Balsamic Reduction is a fabulous addition to the brussels sprouts that truly should not be missed out on. Unlike typical balsamic vinegar, this reduction brings the vinegar into a sweet, tangy, syrup like state that is fabulous on top of the brussels sprouts. It really is a very easy recipe to make, so don’t make the same mistake I did originally by thinking that a dash of balsamic vinegar would be a better substitute.

Crowd Average Rating:

Much like the Brussels Sprouts, this recipe gained an average rating of an 8. Perfect on every bite of your brussels sprouts, you will likely end up using every bit of your Balsamic Reduction drizzle even if you were hoping to save a little extra. With it being such an easy recipe, there would not be many suggestions, other than the fact that if you find you do not have a complete cup of vinegar to start with, that is still ok. Even with less than a cup, you can reduce the balsamic down to a couple of tablespoons of drizzle, so don’t be afraid to just use what you have on hand.

Looking Ahead – Week Ten

Week 10 Shopping List Includes:

All purpose flour
Sugar
Brown sugar
Butter
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Cola (not diet)

Baking soda
Buttermilk
Eggs
Vanilla
Powdered Sugar
Ground pepper
Kosher salt

Onion
Summer squash
Heavy cream
Diced green chiles
Velveeta
Ritz crackers

Looking ahead at week 10 on our Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year Guide, this week will feature a Chocolate Cola Cake (p.295) and Creamy Squash Casserole (p.177). While most of your ingredients for this week will be new additions, they should carry through until the week after, so they will be worth getting. As Joanna’s previous desserts have been a hit, I am so excited to try this Chocolate Cola Cake and as it comes in a 9×13 pan, will definitely need to find others who are excited to try it as well!

Final Thoughts

With our streaks of 7 and 8 ratings continued, I can say that we really enjoyed this past week’s delights and are certainly looking forward to this upcoming week 10! With such a fun mix of recipes, we have lifted any monotony we might have once had in our cooking habits, and it is even encouraging creations of our own whenever we are filling in meals between the Magnolia additions. If you have tried any of these recipes or have found a similar result in your cooking adventure thus far, I would love to hear about it in the comments section below!

Happy cooking!