Recipes on Trial

Mocha Truffles

2011-11-28T20:37:00.001-05:00

Yum. Yum. Yum. Time consuming, but easy. And yum. Bonus - they freeze well. Bummer - they end up being expensive because with truffles, the quality of the chocolate matters. But, they are great for gifts and the recipe is a keeper.

I got the recipe off of Pinterest.

Chocolate Pretzel Peanut Butter Balls

2011-11-22T13:37:00.001-05:00

I pinned this recipe onto Pinterest. And then immediately went to make them. Here's what I love:

* it was a super easy recipe with things you have in your pantry (except maybe the pretzels, but I have kids so we had them)
* it was a great recipe for kids to help with
* pretzels, chocolate, and peanut butter - can those ever go wrong?
* pretty - they were actually very pretty once made

Here's what I didn't love:

Healthy Wonton Soup

2011-11-22T13:03:00.001-05:00

I got this recipe from I-don't-know-where. It's a Trader Joe's recipe, so all the ingredients can be found there. And it was good. Very good. A keeper. Add some crusty bread with cilantro butter and it's good enough to serve friends.

Here's the recipe:

Baklava

2011-11-17T00:41:00.000-05:00

I love baklava. Really, I love anything Greek. Kalalmata olives, feta cheese, hummus, spanakopita. I've never made baklava before....it scares me. Not the actual baklava...the phyllo dough. It's crazy stuff. And since I stay away from things that scare me, making baklava has always been off the table (catch the pun?!?). Well, I faced my fear and made it. It turned out perfect. This recipe is very lemony, which as my husband pointed out, it great to cut the super sweetness of the honey.

And while it's a great recipe, I won't be putting it in my book. Because phyllo dough is still scary.

Here's the recipe I used.

Calzones

2011-11-02T15:37:00.000-04:00

I love calzones. I love the oozy cheese inside. The tomato goodness you dip it in. And heavens to Betsy, I love the bread. I was meal planning for this month and decided to use a recipe I've had for years for a calzone. Here's the before baking:

And the after:

And the recipe:

I altered it a bit. I nixed the meat and added spinach. And I substituted half the white flour for whole wheat flour. And I used a bread machine pizza dough instead of store bought refrigerator dough. So, really - I'm not even sure I can count that I used this recipe since I changed so much. But, I left the cheese alone, so we'll say it counts.

It was good. Very good. Not pizzeria good, of course. I didn't have a wood fire stove. I didn't have the best dough ever. But, it was a good healthy version of the indulgent original. And it was super easy. I'll keep the recipe.

Green Beans with Roasted Nuts and Cranberries

2011-10-26T09:23:00.000-04:00

I love green beans. I love them sauteed, boiled, fried, steamed, roasted, raw. You get the picture. They are good. I've had this green bean recipe forever. I got it out of a magazine, but don't even know which one or when I got it. So, I decided to make it. And I also decided to toss it. Gasp! I never thought I'd throw away a recipe for green beans (except for cold green bean salad, which is just creepy - green beans were meant to be eaten warm).

The recipe is basically blanched green beans tosses with craisins, roasted nuts, and a touch of olive oil. Sounded good. Looked beautiful. Tasted blah. So, adios recipe - you've wasted space in my notebook for too long.

Southern Glazed Sweet Potatoes

2011-10-19T22:15:00.000-04:00

I love sweet potatoes. My favorite way - cubed and roasted with nothing on them. Don't get me wrong, I love them with cinnamon. With brown sugar. With marshmallows. But, they are so sweet, they just don't need anything else.

Except these Southern Glazed Sweet Potatoes were divine. It really could be dessert - because it's bathed in butter and brown sugar. So, I'll keep this recipe as a special side...but stick to my plain low fat version.

Rosemary Chicken Lasagna

2011-10-13T15:55:00.002-04:00

Rosemary Chicken Lasagna. Topped with mozzarella and fontina cheese. And yes, with honey whole wheat fresh baked bread. Right out of the oven. But let me back up...

Set stage: We were having some sweet friends over for dinner. The floors were vacuumed. The house was picked up (as much as it can be with 4 kids). The bread was baking. The lasagna was baking. I had on something other than yoga pants and a t-shirt. We were all excited about having friends over. The husband is a CMS police officer and when I reminded my four-year-old of that, her eyes got huge and she said: "I've never met a real policeman before". We were all ready for company.

Then my toddler wakes up from her nap. She's lethargic and clingy. She tells us her tummy hurts. It's about an hour or so before our friends come over for dinner. And I have to cancel. So sad. But, as loving and gracious as my friend is, she forgives us for the cancellation.

Back onto the lasagna. I have had this recipe forever. I mean probably 10 years. Just sitting in my notebook. Looking yummy. So, I made it thinking it'd be a great company meal. And let me tell you, it was (sorry Kim H.). It was rich, savory, creamy, and flavorful. I am keeping this recipe for sure - although it was very time consuming, so I won't make it again for a while. Anyway, Kim H. - this recipe is dedicated to you and the almost-dinner our families had together.

Here is a link to the recipe.

I'm throwing in a picture of the cancellation culprit - just because she's so sweet when she's sick (because she's quiet and still - a rarity with this little girl).

Pumpkin Scones with Double Icing

2011-10-03T23:09:00.000-04:00

Pumpkin. Double Icing. Can those things be bad? No, they cannot. Goodbye Starbucks, hello homemade. This recipe is a keeper for sure. My only tip in making these: they are sharable. Be sure to have someone near you to enjoy them with. And have some coffee.

Indian night - Tandoori Chicken, Masoor Dal, and Shahi Tukri

2011-10-03T23:05:00.000-04:00

Dal with rice, Tandoori Chicken, and Tandoori Naan

Shahi Tukri

I'm not a fan of Indian. It's spicy and yet plain. I don't care for curry. I don't love mint and yogurt...especially not together. So, when we studied Ancient India in school I decided to branch out with my cooking. I bought lentils. Not so exotic so far. Fresh ginger. Yup, done that before. So far, no big deal. Then on to the spices: garam masala, turmeric, cumin, cardamom. What the what?! At least there was no curry.

I looked up recipes from allrecipes.com. Here they are:

Tandoori Chicken
Masoor Dal
Shahi Tukri

The verdict: Tandoori Naan (the bread)- fantastic. But we've had that before.
Tandoori Chicken - just ok. Won't make again and won't keep the recipe.
The Dal - loved it! I surprised myself here. I am keeping the recipe and will make it again. My girls (picky as a couple are) even loved it.
And now...my favorite part of just about any meal: the dessert. Shahi Tukri. Fancy (and Indian) name for sweet fried bread. Those 3 words in just about any ethnicity are delightful. Sweet. Fried. Bread.

Marshmallow Brownies

2011-10-03T22:34:00.000-04:00

Marshmallows. Nuts. Brownies. Should be a great recipe, right? Not so much. I don't really like nuts in my brownies, so that was my first mistake. I should have followed my gut and left them out.

Second mistake: pan size. It called for a 9 by 9 pan. I have an 8 by 8. I figured it'd be close enough. Wrong. I baked the brownies according to the directions. Then I added the marshmallows and baked it a little more. It looked beautiful. Then I cut into it and the brownies were still pretty much raw. So, I had to bake it more, but then the marshmallows burned.

I know what you're thinking: "It's not the recipe's fault that you screwed it up." No, it's not. But I was so mad that I still threw away the recipe.

Cheesy Artichokes, Cauliflower, and Red Pepper

2011-09-16T20:45:00.001-04:00

This recipe had me at "cheesy". And I love artichokes and red peppers. Cauliflower? Not so much. However, I decided to try it since my endeavor with fried cauliflower went so well at the beginning of this year (trust me, even those who hate the white broccoli would like it deep fried). And I was not disappointed. It was a little on the rich side since I used Gruyere cheese. But, delicious and I will be making it again.

It actually looked like the picture on the recipe. Go figure. And here's a better picture of the recipe (albeit not as cute as the one where my kid is holding it):

Notice how I still snuck my kid in the corner there?

Summer Tomatoes (with Mozz and Basil)

2011-09-16T17:58:00.000-04:00

I have had this recipe in my notebook for years. I've done the typical tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil dish lots of times before. I've just never followed a recipe and never EVER baked it.

What a waste of years of tomatoes. This dish was near perfection. Actually, it was perfection. My dear husband is a wonderful organic gardener. So, the basil and tomatoes were fresh out of the garden.

Here are some pictures to make your mouth water and mourn the end of tomato season:

Before basil and baking


Right before baking.

I didn't get an after baking picture. I was too busy eating.

Chocolate Cake in a Mug

2011-08-23T15:38:00.001-04:00

My girls asked for some quality "mommy-daughter" time today. Just me, Morgan, and Ava. The babies are ~~supposed to be~~ sleeping.

I asked if they wanted to bake something. As soon as I asked, I regretted it. Because sugar junkies that they are, they will say yes. And as little as they are, my kitchen will get trashed.

So, I tried a recipe that contains the mess to a tablespoon and a mug. Here are the reviews:

Morgan: It's ok. Not sweet enough. (she didn't mix up her white chocolate chips well enough, so the top of the cake didn't have any.)

Ava: Good. (Ava doesn't have such a refined palate - stuff is either good or bad.)

Me: Spongy, yet dense. One dimensional taste. Not great cake. Not even good cake. BUT it contained the mess in my kitchen to one mug, the kids did it all by themselves, and I got to spend precious time with my chocolate addicted girls. Overall, I'm keeping this recipe. Not because it was great cake (I'll never make it for me). But because it contains the mess and makes memories.

Looks good though. Too bad it wasn't.

Avocado Egg Salad

2011-08-22T20:10:00.001-04:00

Avocado egg salad. Sounded so good when I flipped through my notebook to pick something for dinner this month. And it was all that I thought it would be. I toasted up some of that cute cocktail bread and put a small scoop of the egg salad on. Yum. Here's the recipe, which will grace my recipe book for years to come:

Turkey Cannelloni

2011-08-07T20:22:00.001-04:00

Yum. Yum. Yum. Ground turkey, spinach, cheese. Egg roll wrappers? Interestingly, the recipe called to wrap the filling in egg roll wrappers. And it was perfect. This recipe will grace my recipe notebook (and table) for years to come.

Chocolate Kahlua Cake

2011-07-30T22:22:00.001-04:00

I had a special birthday party to go to today. And so I wanted to make a special cake. For those who know me, nothing says "special" to me like coffee and chocolate. So I perused through my recipe notebook to find something good.

One look at this:

And I went weak in the knees.So, I made it.

This cake was way too time consuming. It took all afternoon to make it. And I cut corners like crazy. It said to let the cake cool completely before cutting it in half. Yeah, I didn't do that. I just didn't have the time. I didn't use cake flour, just regular all purpose. And even if the cake tasted better than it did, it's just not worth taking all day to make.

Here's how it turned out:

Yes, it looks very different from the picture above. And not just I-made-my-own-chocolate-covered-coffee-beans-because-i'm-too-cheap-to-spend-all-that-money kind of different. The frosting looked different. The cake wasn't as pretty. And I'm pretty sure mine didn't taste as good as the other one either.

The verdict: I'm tossing the recipe.

Baked Eggs with Prawns

2011-07-26T14:26:00.002-04:00

So, this recipe is from a book from the UK. 225 grams of prawn. 50 grams of butter. 450 ml of milk. After I enlisted my husband, the math genius (seriously, he really is) to convert the amounts for me, I also enlisted him to make it for me.

1. Mix cooked prawn (we went with shrimp) and the egg yolk from hard boiled eggs.

2. Make a white sauce from a roux. I could seriously eat a bowl of this.

3. Put some of the sauce with the shrimp mixture, then pour the rest on top of the eggs. YUM.

4. Bake until brown.

So, here's what we thought of the recipe. It was delicious, but very rich. I'll keep the recipe, knowing that I can only eat it about once a year. It'd be perfect over some whole wheat toast. So, next time we need a decadent breakfast, this will be my go to recipe. So, it stays in my notebook of recipes.

Blueberry Streusal Coffee Cake

2011-07-25T21:56:00.002-04:00

My favorite part about this recipe is the guy holding a knife and onion.

Yum. Yum. Yum. When a recipe calls for almost 2 cups of sugar and 2 sticks of butter...can it ever be a bad recipe?!

I got this years ago from a magazine. Whenever I've gone to make a new dessert, it's almost always chocolate. So this one has been getting the shaft for a while now. However, July is National Blueberry Month and as a part of home school curriculum, we made this to celebrate.

Here's how it looked after baking:

And yes, we couldn't even wait to take a picture before we cut into it.

And up close yummyness:

The recipe is a keeper.

Blueberry Ginger Whole Wheat Muffin Tops

2011-07-02T16:51:00.001-04:00

I got this muffin book as a free download last year. I've yet to make any. And since I still have a ton of blueberries left, I thought I'd make a recipe that uses blueberries.

I picked this one because 1. I love muffin tops and 2. The added ginger interested me.

Drum roll please....

Yes, they taste as good as they look. And they are amazingly healthy. No really. They are. I used whole wheat flour. They have oats. And I substituted honey for the white sugar. So what if it has some butter. Butter's healthy, right?

This recipe is a keeper...and a make-it-again-soon.

Blueberry Crisp

2011-07-01T09:00:00.002-04:00

This past week, my family and I went blueberry picking. We had a delightful time and brought back 2 gallons of blueberries. We've made blueberry jam, eaten blueberries every day, frozen tons, and made this crisp. It's a new recipe (obviously, or it wouldn't be on this blog!) and it's one that will get tossed in the trash.

Now, to be fair - I used whole wheat instead of white flour. I cut the sugar in half and cut the butter in half. But even with the flour change and 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 stick of butter, this should have been better. The recipe called for corn meal mixed in the topping...which I thought sounded good, but in reality was gritty and not good.

Good thing I have a lot more blueberries to make a better one.

Grilled Corn and Roasted Red Pepper Salad

2011-06-28T17:36:00.001-04:00

Amazing. Fresh. Delicious. Just a few of the words to describe this recipe. I've had this recipe in my notebook for a long time. I'm not sure where it came from other than a magazine.

My wonderful grill-master of a husband grilled the corn and the red peppers. The whole salad was a little time consuming since you grill the veggies, then cut the corn off the cob and take the skin off the peppers. But, it was so worth it. After cutting the roasted peppers in thin strips, I tossed the veggies with salt, pepper, olive oil, and cilantro (or other fresh herb of your choice). Perfect for a summer meal.

Sun-Dried Tomato Shrimp with Lemon (over Polenta)

2011-06-22T21:22:00.005-04:00

So, I don't remember the story behind acquiring this recipe. All I know is it sounded fantastic to me then and it sounds fantastic to me now. Shrimp. Sun-dried tomatoes. Garlic. Polenta. Well, I've actually never had polenta. It's one of those things that has always intimidated me. Mostly because I didn't know anything about it. Stupid. It's the easiest thing to make. Boil water (I used vegetable stock), add cornmeal. Stir. Done. I used this recipe. I highly recommend it.

So, I decided to make this as a part of my 101 things blog. It's number 91. This is one of the easiest meals I've made in a long time (I mean like, real meals. Not mac and cheese. Not frozen pizza. Not even stir fry.). This is a meal fit for candles. Next time we have dinner guests...this will be the menu. And yes, if this dish looks good to you, please feel free to invite yourself over.

Here's what the polenta looks like being cooked:

And here's the gorgeous shrimp being sauteed:

Yum. I left the tails on for looks. So pretty (but kind of creepy, right?). Next time, I'll take them off - easier to eat.

So, here it is...the long anticipated recipe. It's a keeper.

Muffin Dogs

2011-06-20T14:18:00.001-04:00

Sounds intriguing, right? Well, when I saw Moneysavingmom.com post her recipe for muffin corn dogs, I just about died. See, I love corn dogs (with turkey or chicken of course since I don't eat beef or pork).

But, we don't eat them due to the quality (or lack thereof) of the meat. We try not to eat meat with nitrites or nitrates in it (preservatives that we generally stay away from). And we don't eat much fried food (I thought I'd throw in another parenthesis since I have used a ton already).

So when I saw the recipe for these muffin dogs, I knew I had to try them. Corn dog batter with healthy(er) turkey dogs baked and not fried. So, I made them. And then ate two.

As you can see from my picture, they didn't turn out as pretty as the original recipe picture from moneysavingmom.com. Next time (yes, there will be a next time) I make these, I will cover the hotdog with the batter, not just push them in. I did use whole wheat flour instead of white, so that may have made a difference.

What I love about this recipe is that it's relatively healthy, will freeze well, and makes for a great snack or lunch to go. Yes, I will be keeping this recipe in my notebook.

Magic in the Middle Cookies

2011-06-10T13:09:00.001-04:00

Cookies take two. My last recipe on trial did not go over so well. This time: perfect recipe. You can find the recipe here.

Although I baked these by myself today, they are the perfect cookie to make with kids. The filling is peanut butter and powdered sugar that you mix together. Kids would love to do this by hand. And the rolling in sugar part was practically made for kids to do.

These cookies are very easy to make, but more time consuming than normal cookies. You make the filling and roll it into balls. Then you cover it with the chocolate dough. This is what they look like before they are flattened and baked:

Then you flattened and bake:

Peanut butter and chocolate cookie at its best.