By popular demand: some favorite recipes

When I posted about my trip to the Asian market last weekend, Michelle asked if I’d share some of my favorite Asian recipes.   I’m often asked to share recipes, and I’d love to publish them all right here on this site, but since most of them are not my recipes and a lot of them are only available Cook’s Illustrated’s subscription-only website or magazine, I can’t really do that.

But, I can introduce you to my favorite recipe source and tell you how to download my favorites for free!  I’m a huge fan of Cook’s Illustrated and if you ask me for a recipe for just about anything, I’m about 75% likely to send you there.

Their website is subscription-only, but you can sign up for a 14-day free trial and download or print all the recipes you want.  Here’s some of our favorite Cook’s Illustrated recipes that I think you’ll enjoy, and a video of how to make Sichuan Green Beans, one of our favorites:

Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken and Bok Choy with Crispy Noodle Cake – prompted Jeremy to spontaneously say “this was really good” which means it was really good.

Chinese Barbecued Pork

Fried Rice with Peas and Bean Sprouts – you will never go back to fried rice with “just” soy sauce after you try this recipe.

Stir-Fried Sichuan Green Beans – might be our all-time favorite!  Here’s a video with some helpful visuals:

Stir-Fried Beef and Broccoli With Oyster Sauce

Spicy Sichuan Noodles—Dan Dan Mian – I really want this recipe to be awesome, but I’m still tweaking it. Tastes a little too much like peanut butter.

General Tso’s Chicken

And just in case you think we only eat Asian food around here…

Mexican Rice

Skillet Penne with Sausage and Spinach

Pot Roast with Root Vegetables – yes, it’s more work than throwing stuff in your crockpot and turning it on.  The extra 10 minutes of prep time will make it better than anything you ever remember your mom or grandma making.

Caesar Salad with Tofu Dressing – we do not make this with tofu… we live on the edge and use a raw egg.  Hands down the best dressing you’ll ever find.

Greek Salad

Rich and Creamy Cheesecake – in my opinion, desserts are not the strength of Cook’s Illustrated, but there are a few that are truly amazing, and this is one of them.

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake – this cake doesn’t save well. Rats, that means you have to eat it all at once.

Cook’s Illustrated is kind of a geeky cook’s reference.  I love, love, love the detail they go into for all of their recipes, but I’ll be first to admit I don’t always follow them exactly.  But, they’ve got a method to their madness and if you want to make food that turns out, they’re it, hands down.

Are you a Cook’s Illustrated fan?  What are your favorite recipes from their resources?