I shall. It has the most recipes that quicken the heart and please the crowd. One could almost stop at the cover and know all one needs to know. But that one would be a fool.
There will be those who will say that the charter issue with the Green Apples on the cover (and one has to specify because Cook's Country issued at least three undated issues to try to lure people away from - on the one hand - the black-and-white actuarial frigidity of its cousin Cook's Illustrated - and on the other hand - from the thick and glossy supermarket degradation of Cooking Light), but that is a tent pole issue, held up merely by the transcendent weeknight classic Creamy Shells with Peas and Bacon. Easy Tortilla Casserole may be easy, but it ain't that great to eat. I digress. How does one get children to eat peas? Hide them inside shells, and cover those shells with ricotta cheese and fleck the whole assemblage with crispy bacon bits. So props to that recipe.
Others pipe up then and say, "Good sir. Prithee explain why thou dost not view October/November 2015 as the apex of Cook's Country's studied casual charm?" To that argument, I must concede that any magazine issue that doth bequeath on the humble home chef recipes for both Wisconsin Butter Burgers and Bourbon Balls is a strong issue indeed. And while those burgers do call forth the drool and those boozey squishies convey upon one most-favored-party-guest status when one shows up with a tray thereof, O/N '15 (as it is called when it is at home) has the same faults as many an NBA team - only two superstars. If you start talking about the 2019-2020 Lakers, I shall retreat for the consumption of bourbon straight without the formalities of grinding up the vanilla wafers or even getting out the cocoa powder. This issue, however, has a long tail of single-instance recipes for our household - corn meal drop biscuits = Alex Caruso. Better than a punch in the gut, but that's damning with faint praise. This paragraph brought to you by awkward transitions from the King James to...er...King James.
Overhearing that dismissal, a Jack-come-lately might bring up ol' deep bench itself, June/July 2012. Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps, Nebraska Beef Buns, Macaroni and Cheese Casserole. Dinners to keep a middle-class household going, no doubt, but we haven't made a single dessert out of that issue. Also, these are solid Monopoly board orange and red recipes. Not a Boardwalk (or even a North Carolina Avenue) among them. On a desert island with a well-stocked grocery store and some sheet pans, this would be my runner up.
But thankfully, this is America, even now.
America has given us A/M '13, featuring six recipes that we have recorded making a total of 21 times. In truth, because we don't record our desserts as well as our entrees, we've probably made the cover star Chocolate Sugar Cookies more than the recorded nine times. Anyway, it's quality over quantity here.
- These dark, flavorful cookies combine a delicately crispy sugar topping with a tender but toothsome crumb. Are they better than a good chocolate chip cookie? No. I am no a madman.
- I defy you to find a crowd that won't be thrilled by Sheet Pan Pizza for a Crowd. It's been a beach house dinner staple since we discovered it; the dough can be frozen and toted in a cooler.
- A growing family grow on casseroles like Chicken Noodle and the virtuous-sounding Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese.
- Pulled BBQ Chicken didn't wow us, apparently, but it's good to have a recipe for everyone's third-favorite pulled meat.
| Recipe | Year | Issue | Instances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chocolate sugar cookies | 2013 | Apr/May | 9 |
| Sheet pan pizza for a crowd | 2013 | Apr/May | 4 |
| Chicken Noodle Casserole | 2013 | Apr/May | 3 |
| Skillet Broccoli Macaroni & Cheese | 2013 | Apr/May | 2 |
| Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken | 2013 | Apr/May | 2 |
| Crock Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken | 2013 | Apr/May | 1 |
| Creamy Shells with Peas and Bacon | apples | Charter |
19 |
| Shanghai Chicken Salad | apples | Charter |
2 |
| Easy Tortilla Casserole | apples | Charter |
1 |
| Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps | 2012 | Jun/Jul | 6 |
| Easy Summer Vegetable Pasta | 2012 | Jun/Jul | 5 |
| Nebraska Beef Buns | 2012 | Jun/Jul | 4 |
| Macaroni & Cheese Casserole | 2012 | Jun/Jul | 3 |
| Beef & Bean Taquitos | 2012 | Jun/Jul | 2 |
| Creamy Cucumber Salad | 2012 | Jun/Jul | 2 |
| Wisconsin Butter Burgers | 2015 | Oct/Nov | 14 |
| Bourbon Balls | 2015 | Oct/Nov | 8 |
| Roasted Chicken Thighs with Creamed Shallots & Bacon | 2015 | Oct/Nov | 2 |
| Baked Mustard Chicken | 2015 | Oct/Nov | 1 |
| Corn Meal Drop Biscuits | 2015 | Oct/Nov | 1 |
| Penne with Butternut Squash & Browned Butter Sauce | 2015 | Oct/Nov | 1 |
| Pork & Ricotta Meatballs | 2015 | Oct/Nov | 1 |
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