#triedin2023

[triedin2015]

I made this for Christmas brunch and it was a hit! The taste was good, the veggies were nice on a day/in a season full of sweats, and it was easy to make for a crowd.

Will definitely make again!

[triedin2015]

I planned to make this for an Oscars party we went to this weekend. What’s not to love about feta dip?

I ran out of time so asked Michaela to make it for me and to pop it in the fridge so we could enjoy it cold with pita chips.

When I opened it up to try it, she told me, “It tastes like cottage cheese.” And you know what? She was right.

The texture was off. It felt grainy. Maybe because I used dry feta, not feta packed in water (which I’ve never seen...)? Or maybe because she didn’t blend it long enough in the food processer? 

It was fine, especially once I added more lemon zest and dill. But I won’t be making this again.

[triedin2015]

I wanted to use some fresh green beans as a side for yesterday's dinner, but I hate steaming them on the stove and didn't have time for any kind of baked dish. "My InstantPot," I thought. And indeed, it turned out to be a super easy way to make them.

I followed the recipe exactly for steaming, then tossed some butter in on sautéed mode and added salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. My family enjoyed and I will definitely do this again.

[triedin2015]

Michaela really wanted something with wild rice. I didn't want to make soup or a salad with wild rice in it (although I do have a great recipe for that). I decided to make risotto, which isn't the same but is a rice dish. ;)

This was very easy to make and came out well. I accidentally bought pancetta that was already cooked and that definitely was a bummer for this recipe. It was good, but it would have been better with the right pancetta.

This was easy to make (thanks, IP!) and Michaela liked it. I'll make it again!

[triedin2015]

This soup was sooooo good!

You know I love soup. It's easy to cook, it's packed full of veggies, it makes a lot so you don't have to cook as often... What's not to love?

The other day, I was talking with a friend and he said he was craving tortilla soup and that idea got lodged in my head, so I decided to make some. My brother was coming for dinner, I was at the office and knew I wouldn't have much time to cook, so I thought the InstantPot would work well. And boy did it ever.

I Googled for "IP tortilla soup," looked at star ratings (thanks, people who leave reviews!), and decided on this one.

I used chicken breasts, not thighs. I used two cans of chicken broth, which is nearly 4 cups (so more than the recipe called for). I also used regular diced tomatoes but threw in two of our roasted green chile hockey pucks. I used more corn, because corn is delicious. Oh, and I tossed in a zucchini with the onion because I had it on hand and it was on the verge going bad (again, soup is great for veggies!).

Otherwise, I made this pretty much as the recipe says. Everyone loved it. Michaela said next time I make it, I should throw some wild rice in there. I won't be doing that, but it's an interesting thought.

Will definitely make again!

[triedin2015]

I had bananas that were brown and a big zucchini a friend gave me from her garden. What choice did I have but to make this?

I made this as-written except I halved the sugar (two cups just seemed like too much) and added about 3/4 cup of chocolate chips.

I took it out of the oven after 45 minutes, underbraking it slightly, resulting in a delicious moistness when I served it (still warm after 10 minutes of resting in the loaf pan).

Will make again if the ingredients line up that way!

[triedin2015]

I'm constantly thinking about going plant-based, at home at least. So when I saw this, I decided to give it a try as a Father's Day dinner. I made penne and steamed broccoli and topped it with this sauce.

I made it with the butter and regular milk, so this wasn't vegan. But I think it would be good vegan, too.

Mike and Michaela said they could tell there was cauliflower in it, but I think that's because I didn't blend it as well as I should have. Next time I might go so far as to put it in the blender, to get it really smooth.

Will definitely add to the options for when I want to make a healthier pasta dish.

[triedin2015]

My dad asked if we (Mike and I) would make corned beef and cabbage for St. Paddy’s Day. I hadn’t ever done it before but figured I could manage that. So we had my dad and brother, plus one of Michaela’s friends, over for dinner last night.

I originally planned to do this in Instant Pot but we had so much meat and so many veggies that I decided the oven would be better. And boy am I glad I did that! I ended up, when it was time to put the veggies (cabbage, potatoes, carrots) in, pulling the meat into a cast-iron skillet and adding some chicken broth in addition to some of the veggies, and then filling up the Dutch oven with the rest of the veggies.

The corned beef I bought was already seasoned but I did do the mustard rub on top. I did 2 lbs of carrots, a whole cabbage, and about 1.5 lbs of potatoes.

But the end result was delicious. The meat was cooked well, the veggies were PERFECT, and we all enjoyed eating this. I think this may become a tradition!

[triedin2015]

Another recipe for the Oscars party we went to.

I like buffalo sauce but I’m trying to be healthier, so I thought this would be a good option. I nearly fell over when I saw that cauliflower was $6.89 a head at my local market! Nevertheless, I persisted.

Made this exactly as the recipe says, and it came out well. Will make it again!

[triedin2015]

Mike is sick so chicken noodle soup seemed like a good idea. And a Thai-inspired one sounded even better to me. 

I made several modifications of this recipe:

I didn’t have any curry paste (I know, I know! That’s the main thing! But I was also feeling too lazy to go to the grocery store, so I subbed a teaspoon of curry powder instead. Totally different flavor but still good.)

I used red, orange, and yellow bell peppers, since that’s what I had.

I used stir-fry rice noodles, which I cooked separately as the recipe suggested.

I used a block of tofu instead of chicken.

I used more ginger than was called for (probably 1.5 or 2 tablespoons), and more garlic.

I topped it with cilantro and extra lime juice; Mike added sriracha to his, Michaela added soy sauce (don’t ask me why).

I wish I’d bought peanuts to chop and put on top. But otherwise, I would say this came out really well. Michaela asked for seconds, which doesn’t often happen when I cook. (LAME.)

Today, when I warmed some soup up for Mike’s lunch, I added crispy jalapenos to it (like the French fried onions used in green bean casserole, but jalapenos) and that added a delicious crunch and extra spice.

[triedin2015]

Cooking meat confounds me.

I made these exactly as written. Never got them up to 145 and I think I dried them out trying to.

They tasted like Shake n Bake in some ways, which I adored as a kid.

We had a giant Costco pack of porkchops so I ended up making eight of these. I should have made four and let Mike cook the rest. ;)

[triedin2015]

Another dessert recipe! 

We were invited to a friend’s for dinner and asked to bring dessert. The entrée was Mexican so I wanted to bring something in that vein. One of the diners is lactose intolerant so that threw out my tres leches idea.  Mike and Michaela bought me a set of empanada presses for Christmas, so I decided to do that.

We had bananas on hand, so I combined 4 mashed bananas, 2/3 cups chocolate chips, and 2/3 cups chopped walnuts for the filling.

I was really nervous about the dough. I don’t make dough! Mike is our baker and maker of all things dough. I asked him to read the recipe and give me tips (one was yes, I could use the KitchenAid and one was add the eggs last). And you know what? This came together really easily and really well!

I was so proud of myself when I rolled out the dough and it worked!

I used just a little less than a half cup of sugar. And I used four tablespoons of cold milk.

I stuffed each empanada with about 1/5 tablespoons of filling. When it was time to bake them, I did an egg wash and sprinkled them with turbinado sugar.

This yielded 21 medium-sized empanadas. (I didn’t have enough filling for all those, so I stuffed four of them with cranberry goat cheese. Those were also quite tasty.)

Next time, I would use slightly more filling. And I’d serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

But I’ll definitely make these again!

[triedin2015]

This cake was so good!

“Olive oil cake” sounds weird, but - as someone who doesn’t bake a lot - I was intrigued by how simple this looked. Plus it seemed dessert-y but not way too sweet. So when we decided to host some friends for dinner on New Year’s day, I decided I’d serve this to end the meal.

It truly was easy to make. I used oranges off a neighbors’ tree (yay!) and the batter was delectable. The finished cake was light and moist and felt really sophisticated (which two of the picky tweens who joined us for dinner didn’t necessarily appreciate). Will definitely make again... for a dinner of just adults.