SPATULABULA: Episode 1 (French Onion Beef Stew from The Comfortable Kitchen)
A series of me tryin' stuff in the kitchen, because why not?
I love food. It’s one of my greatest joys in life. I love gathering with friends in the spirit of a shared meal, exploring new restaurants, and trying new recipes of all kinds in the kitchen. I have twenty-eight cookbooks (soon to be thirty once I add the two that are on my radar (Hi
and Hailee Catalano). Yet time and time again, I find myself reaching for the same few tried and true cookbooks and recipes. One of my goals this year is to cook more new things, so this series will be a challenge to myself to open my cookbooks in a new way — one that adds some surprise and play into the process — to try out some new recipes.Note: I originally had this idea for a TikTok series but let’s be real — I just do not have the desire to a) be on TikTok anymore given…recent events and b) be a TikTok video girly. I could just do this on my own, but there’s some fun for me in sharing, so I might as well share here. Why the hell not!?
Introducing…SPATULABULA!
What the hell is Spatulabula?
Remember that excel project I mentioned in my last Week in Review post? I created a little script that, at the click of a button, spits out a randomized book + page number from my cookbook collection. Honestly, it’s so fun to see a title and page number and have to run to my books and find what the recipe is. See, Excel can be fun.
Anyways…each week or so I will hit the button, then make that recipe and share my thoughts.
The Cookbooks
Recipes include apps, meals and desserts from all of my cookbooks, listed below. I excluded drinks, sauces & basics.
Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz
Dining In by
Dinner Tonight by Alex Snodgrass of The Defined Dish
Half Baked Harvest Every Day by Tieghan Gerard
Half Baked Harvest Super Simple by Tieghan Gerard
Home is Where the Eggs Are by Molly Yeh
Host by Eric Prum and Josh Williams
Keep it Zesty by Edy Massih
Le Creuset Cookbook
More is More by
My Bread by Jim Lahey
The Pechauer Family Cookbook, a collection of recipes from family and friends curated by my Aunt Marci
Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat
Six Seasons by Josh McFadden
The Ambitious Kitchen Cookbook by Monique Volz
The Complete Americas Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook (2001-2017) by Americas Test Kitchen
The Comfortable Kitchen by Alex Snodgrass of The Defined Dish
The Defined Dish by Alex Snodgrass of The Defined Dish
The Honeysuckle Cookbook by Dzung Lewis
Thrive Market Cookbook
What To Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking by
What's for Dessert by Claire Saffitz
Rules & Guidelines
Skipping is allowed if:
I have I have already made the recipe before, either as part of Spatulabula or in past cooking.
I am unable to make the dish because I am not able to access critical equipment or key ingredients.
Recipes can be modified if:
There is a significantly more cost effective option without changing the heart of the recipe.
I have a suitable ingredient alternative that is going to perish if I don’t use it.
The recipe calls for goat cheese, olives, or lamb — my no-go ingredients.
If the page generated is a picture or information page, I get to choose the recipe closest to!!!
Are there any other guidelines that you think I should add?
Recipe Review
I’ll review each recipe on:
Flavor: 1-5 (where 1 is pure hate, 3 is average and would not make again, and 5 is that I would buy it in a restaurant and/or not stop thinking or talking about it)
Difficulty to make: 1-5 (where 1 is the easiest and 5 is the hardest)
Cleanliness to make: 1-5 (where 1 is not messy at all and 5 is very, very messy)
Leftover potential: Low, Medium, High (where high yields lots of leftovers or has optimal leftover flavor)
Cost per serving: $ (an approximate dollar value)
Would recommend: Yes/No
Am I missing any?
What’s with the name?
I was originally calling this “Mystery Meal” and was like… “I need a cooler name.” So my friend David who is notoriously good with word play started riffing on ideas and when he spit out Spatulabula it just made us die laughing. Honestly, not his best work, but when put in the context of my very limited audience plus the joy that this brought me, I decided that it must be the name. So Spatulabula it is. Curious how it’s pronounced? Here’s David:
(Now how funny would it be if this went viral with Spatulabula as the name?)
Episode 1: French Onion Beef Stew from The Comfortable Kitchen
It was such a thrill to push the button! The first recipe that came out was Garlicky Walnut Green Beans from Nothing Fancy, but this is a dish that I have made before so it qualified for a skip.
My second try was a hit!
This was a safe first Spatulabula since The Comfortable Kitchen by Alex Snodgrass of The Defined Dish is one of my go-to’s. As I grabbed the book off my shelf and made my way to the page number, I thought for sure it was going to be another skip. But nope — I had not made the French Onion Beef Stew on page 58, a reminder that there’s so much more to even your favorite cookbooks! I love French onion soup so I’m surprised I haven’t made this before. Full review below, but spoiler — it was a hit!
I invited
to come over to celebrate the first Spatulabula and I didn’t tell her what I was making so she had an element of surprise, too. It was fun to set the table (which I rarely do), with a special apperance from our lord Tay Tay. Olivia brought Jeni’s Gooey Butter Cake ice cream AND cones so we could feel a little extra! Honestly, it was just so fun to feel fancy and fun for no reason at all.
My Review:
Flavor: 4.5 — this was very flavorful in the best way. I did swap chicken bone broth instead of beef broth because I had just made some. According to the internet this might have made it a bit milder in robustness. No regrets.
Difficulty: 2 — very straightforward, minimal chopping, some searing
Cleanliness: 3 — Despite using just 2 cutting boards (one for veggies, one for meat) and my Le Creuset braiser, I hate a searing process that sputters oil everywhere. But, it was all very easy to clean up while the meal is simmering.
Leftover Potential: High — I had lunch leftovers for a couple days.
Cost: ~$8 per serving (recipe says it is 4 servings, but I got more out of it I think!)
Would recommend: YES
*I am not trying to be a plating expert which is why I am not rating on appearance, but I think it must be said that this is not a *pretty* meal.
THIS WAS SUCH A FUN FIRST SPATULABULA FOR ME! Let me know what you think? Would you make this?
xo,
C
Love!! This is like the movie “Julia & Julia” but with more variety!!! Can’t wait to see what’s next 🧑🍳
A true joy to be there for the inaugural spatulabula ✨