Blog Lite: Catch-Up Edition (Pt 2)

Entering the holiday season is a daunting task, even without being coupled with the self-imposed deadline of a year-long cooking project looming. Therefore I’m doing another short and sweet write-up of what I’ve made recently. If you’ve hung with me this long, you’ll be pleased to know that I am officially at the halfway point! I have a strategy ideal for this time of year (Bone Broth anyone? I don’t often have a turkey carcass lying around, but I suspect I will soon!) A hefty dent has been made in both the Meat and Pasta chapters, with honorable mentions for my work in Soups/Stews and Poultry. Somehow I am falling woefully short in Dessert, and less surprisingly, Vegetables/Sides. However, this blog is all about what I have accomplished, so without further ado, I present to you my second Recipe Roundup Express!

#41 The Ultimate Baked Beans. These smelled amazing. The ingredients were mouthwatering, and likely gave a sweet, hearty flavor (bacon, brown sugar, sweet onion, molasses, ketchup, barbecue sauce, Dijon mustard, liquid smoke, allspice, to name but a few.) The overall appearance was inviting. What I can’t describe is how they tasted… Let me explain! I made this recipe to bring to an event earlier in the year, and as often happens when there is a lot of party food, the dish was placed in an auxiliary fridge until meal time, and then we forgot. When I returned home I realized not only had we never eaten the beans I was so looking forward to, but also I had left them behind. I offered them up to my friends to serve at a family gathering the following day, and from what I heard they were good. I just can’t prove it… Oh darn, I will just have to make these again to form my own judgement. ?? of 10.

#42 Butter Chicken Bowties. Hands-down, unmitigated hit! Why? Because butter! And because chicken! How could it go wrong? The answer is it can’t. I melted a whole stick of butter and sautéed onion and garlic, browned the chicken with a mess of (not hot!) Indian spices, and when I was woozy from the melange of aromas emanating from the IP, I poured in a can of coconut milk, chicken broth and tomato paste before plopping a pound of farfalle on top. It cooked up in 30 minutes and my little family of three decimated the entire pot in short order. Dee-flippin’-licious! 10 of 10!

#43 Chicken & Broccoli. Here’s the thing; I never order this at PF Chang’s either, because it just ain’t my fave. I’m a Sesame Chicken girl! However, I was trying to find a “total Chinese meal” I could make entirely in the IP – see recipe below – even though it had to be on two separate occasions so there pot could be washed in between (or maybe someone could buy me an extra one?? Christmas is coming, hint hint!) Anyway, this was certainly pretty good, and if you’re a fan of ordering this “out”, you’ll be a fan of making it “in”. 8 of 10, because why not.

#44 Hibachi Fried Rice. Simple. Cheap. Solid substitute for Chinese takeout. I approve! I didn’t have the prescribed frozen peas and carrots mix, but it was still pretty tasty (albeit less colorful) with just peas, onions and sweet corn. I will make this again! 8 of 10; I want to try it with a protein added!

#45 Tropical Tilapia. Ok… So this is a hard pass for me. I don’t know if it cooked for too long or it was just not a flavor combo I am into, but I was on the struggle-bus to get through this recipe. Yes, I like fish. But the only thing that I actually enjoyed during this meal was the boiled Brussels sprouts. Let that sink in. The poor rice didn’t get to shine in any way, buried under that big ol’ helping of “no thanks”. There was fish. There was fruit. Oh yeah, and my favorite, bell peppers and Catalina dressing (cue the sarcasm sound effect!) Yick… -3 out of 10.

#46 Hungarian Goulash. I spent a month in Hungary and I don’t remember seeing this on the menu. Of course I saw goulash, but it usually featured venison and it wasn’t over egg noodles but rather some different, chewier pasta I wasn’t familiar with. Whatever man… this is AWESOME! I absolutely inhaled every serving until it was gone, which was about one day. My comfort-food loving soul devoured the tender stew meat and veggies in a spiced sauce sweetened slightly by ketchup and a touch of brown sugar. It was so good that the fact I had to make the noodles separately only loses it a half point! 9.5 of 10!

#47 Coconut Curry Mahi Mahi. Fish redemption! I literally and figuratively had to get the taste of that unsatisfactory tilapia out of my head (and mouth), so I made this the following week. So. Much. Better! Not only is this a superior fish to begin with, IMHO, but the coconut milk and the creamy/sweet curry flavors smelled and tasted comfortingly delicious. I served it over white rice with a side of what look like colorless peas in this picture, but I can assure you, the camera was not doing the mahi justice. Just trust me, this was a 9 of 10 on the yum scale! I think I would just cook it a hair less, to maximize the balance of fish doneness with fish tenderness.

#48 Lobster Rolls. It appears I was really on a pescatarian kick! The lobster rolls were one of my most eagerly anticipated recipes, but sadly the ridiculous expense ($50+ for 6 little frozen tails) prevented me from having the total weight of lobster meat needed to balance the amount of mayo, and I really should have pulled back on the wet ingredients. The flavor was good, but it was, for lack of a better word, sloppy. I would have liked a better bread option, but I had these hamburger buns on hand. Sigh… 7 of 10, because I was being cheap.

#49 Orange Sesame Beef. As previously stated, my Chinese take-out order is generally limited to the beloved sesame chicken, but a close runner up has always been Mongolian Beef. Now, I don’t know what that means exactly. What does “Mongolian” taste like? I never stopped to ponder the flavor profile associated with the title, I just wanted it to get in my belly. Maybe it is in fact Orange Sesame Beef? All I know is that this was a major hit, and as my youngest walked by and this picture was on the screen, I was informed that I need to make this again soon! I guess that’s another 10 of 10!

#50 Sticky Nashville Hot Chicken & Rice. I’ll admit I was frankly terrified of this recipe. Nearly a CUP of hot sauce. A TABLESPOON of cayenne. Amplification of heat from paprika and chili powder. There was even an author’s note warning, with advice to use only 1/8 tsp of cayenne if you don’t like heat!! That is 1/24th of the amount I used. And you know what? It wasn’t hot at all. I guarantee that I didn’t suddenly become a spice lover, so I don’t know by what witchcraft I was able to eat this without even a glass of milk. Whatever it was, the entire house was able to enjoy, so if you are looking for “kick”, maybe just throw in a flaming scorpion pepper?? I’d say 8 of 10.

That’s it folks! 50% completion and 51 recipes still to share. Of those, 10 have already been cooked. If you haven’t already purchased your Instant Pot, I highly recommend one makes it onto your holiday wish lists. Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!