Recipes: Week 25

 I was originally going to do a post of our Thanksgiving food recipes this week, but then we never made a Thanksgiving meal. Then, I thought I'd do a recipe post on Little Pumpkin's birthday foods. But that didn't really happen very well, either. So I'm just going to continue with my regular recipe posting method, and share more of the regular recipes that we have made, and tried, from the past few months. Those recipes include...

Healthy Apple-Walnut Muffins

This is one of those recipe cards, or pages, that I have no idea where I got it from. It looks like it is part of one of those recipe books that they would mail you a few sample pages in hopes that you will buy the entire book. It is definitely nothing recent, as the pages that I have are a bit yellowed with age. I was curious to try this recipe as it takes no sugar! It uses apple juice concentrate instead. Sometimes things with no sugar can be quite terrible, in my experience, so I was interested to see how these muffins would turn out. I did not have the Granny Smith apples that it called for, and just used the Gala apples that I typically keep on hand.

The Honest Review: For starters, you can see that they didn't turn out looking exactly like the photo on the recipe card! However, these were not a bad muffin! I believe we all liked the flavor, and it was definitely not a very sweet muffin. The texture, however, was a bit tough, or rubbery. My thought is that I potentially over-mixed the batter, and they could have also been a slight bit over-baked. (My oven- it has a schizophrenic thermostat that randomly fluctuates 50 degrees either direction.... So unless I keep a close eye on it, things don't always turn out quite perfect.) While this wasn't a stellar muffin, I think it has the potential to be a good muffin if it can turn out without the chewy, rubbery texture. I want to try this recipe again. This recipe is staying in our collection at this time.

Banana Pancakes

I think that I have more than one banana pancake recipe, but I haven't looked for sure, or compared them. Whenever I have some bananas that don't get eaten before going too ripe, I look for a new recipe to try that uses extra ripe bananas. This pancake recipe was the choice this time. It comes from my sister, Sally, who I believe got it from her sister-in-law.

The Honest Review: Who doesn't like pancakes? Well, there are some folks, believe it or not, who would rather eat something else. While this was a good recipe that we enjoyed, Jason would prefer something else. Especially since they had banana in them. He ate them and said they were ok, but definitely not his favorite. Little Pumpkin and I enjoyed them, though! Someday soon I will have to pull out all my banana pancake recipes and compare them to find the best one. This recipe is staying in our collection.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

This is a recipe that I consider to be a classic, old recipe. I'm not insinuating that my Aunt Jo is old, or anything, but this recipe has been around my entire life. I remember eating it several times as a kid, both at home, and once or twice with Aunt Jo. Jason, on the other hand, has been fairly adamant that he doesn't like tuna unless it's the actual fish steak. He doesn't care for the canned tuna at all, even in sushi! So I wasn't quite sure how this recipe would go with him when I made it.

The Honest Review: First, I would like to say that I think this is a really easy recipe to make. Second, I really like Tuna Noodle Casserole. Surprisingly, Jason also really liked this recipe! Little Pumpkin likes it and eats it well, too. I have actually made this casserole several times, and we all really enjoy it. I will say this, though: if you follow this exact recipe, I find it to be very dry, so I have made some alterations to improve upon this basic recipe. Alterations: Double the sauce recipe. If desired, add frozen mixed vegetables (Jason prefers this), or an additional can of tuna. I also find it hard to fit one recipe into a square 8"x8" dish, so I always use the next larger size pan. If you're looking for an easy, quick, tastes good casserole, this is one I would recommend! This recipe is staying in our collection.

Saucy Chicken and Asparagus

This looked like a very interesting recipe to me. It is another one of those cut-outs from an old Taste of Home magazine from way back when. Does Taste of Home still do that? I haven't seen one of their magazines for ages, but no matter. The biggest concern I had with this recipe was the use of mayonnaise. If you've been following my recipe reviews, you know that Jason does not like mayonnaise and does not care to try anything that has mayo in it. For this recipe, I didn't tell him that it had mayo until after we ate it. (Is that mean?)

The Honest Review: This was....interesting. It wasn't terrible, but it was definitely a different flavor. Jason almost pinpointed the mayo taste in it. The mayonnaise, curry, and lemon juice flavors together were a bit unusual. Eating it all together, with the asparagus, was a unique combination. We  didn't think it wasn't bad, per se, it was just something that we weren't very fond of. This recipe is tossed from our collection.

No-Title Recipe

This recipe, I am almost certain, came from my co-worker Debbie a few years ago. There is no title, or name, for the recipe as you can see. I am pretty sure, though, that it is supposed to be Chicken Tortilla Soup. I have never attempted to make this recipe (it's also missing instructions...), but I know I have eaten Debbie's home-made Chicken Tortilla Soup. Hence why I asked for, and received, this recipe! I decided to try and make this one day, and I was positive it is supposed to be made in the crock-pot.

The Honest Review: Well, it definitely wasn't the most picturesque meal I've ever made! As far as taste...well, the flavors weren't too bad. But, it just wasn't quite right. If I remember correctly, it was very liquid-y; as in the texture was pretty much water-like. I thought that Tortilla Soup was supposed to be a little bit thicker, but I honestly haven't had it in a few years. When I asked Jason his thoughts, he said, "Maybe throw out this recipe that we don't really know how, or what, it's supposed to make, and get an actual recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup." Haha! I'm OK with that plan. This recipe is tossed from our collection.

Squash Bake

I know for a fact that I have multiple recipes, or versions, of "Squash Bake." I think, though, that this is the first recipe I remember having at home as a kid. And, I kind of remember when we got this recipe from Mrs. F. I was not extremely fond of Squash Bake as a kid, I don't believe, even though I did like squash cooked the "normal" way that Mom made it (Brown Butter Squash). We primarily used yellow summer squash at home; I'm not very familiar with other types of squash, to be honest. When my Mom and sister visited in August, they brought us some squash and zucchini from their gardens. Since Jason is not a huge fan of squash, pumpkin, or gourd-type vegetables, I wasn't sure how this recipe would go over.

The Honest Review: I think we were pleasantly surprised with this dish! I know I was a bit surprised when I actually enjoyed eating it. I don't think that Little Pumpkin ate it extremely well, but she ate it. And while Jason ate it and said it was OK, I think he did ask why people eat gourds; that he didn't really see the point. Until I try all the other squash casserole recipes, I will say this one is my favorite. This recipe is staying in our collection at this time.

Sweet Muffins

I actually made this recipe back in Week 21, and used frozen blackberries. I had wanted to try it with peaches, as I thought that just sounded delicious! I finally made these peach muffins this fall using this basic Sweet Muffin recipe.

The Honest Review: These peach muffins did not disappoint! It was hard to not eat them all hot out of the oven as they smelled really good! Not only did they smell good, but they tasted delicious, too, just like I had envisioned. If I didn't say it before when I reviewed this recipe, I'll say it now: I would recommend this muffin recipe with your choice of frozen or fresh fruit! This recipe is staying in our collection.

Well, I'm going to let those muffins wrap up this week's recipe post. I am trying to get caught up on my recipe posting, but in doing so, I have realized that I've kind of fallen off track on what my original intent was. I originally was trying to whittle out all the recipes that we don't like, and organize all the recipes we do like into my very own cookbook. I haven't done so well on the "organize into a cookbook" part and need to get that back in gear. I have two ideas for accomplishing that: 1) keeping the majority of the recipes in their original form and putting them in page protectors in a binder; 2) type out all the recipes, each on a full-page paper, and put them in page protectors (or not) in a binder. My recipes that I use all the time get splattered and grungy, hence my thought of using page protectors. Is one idea better than the other?

What would be your preferred method for organizing, maintaining, and storing your recipes?

A Thankful Post

 Thanksgiving was this past week and I have seen people posting daily "thankfuls" on Facebook in a variety of manners. All week, I have been thinking about doing a "thankful post" but, obviously, didn't get it done on Thanksgiving! To be honest, I have been fighting, or succumbing to, some cold/bug/virus/I-don't-know-what, for the past ten-plus days and haven't put forth a lot of effort into anything. I decided, though, that I should do a "thankful" post, if only to make myself aware of all that I have to be thankful for. So here goes:

In thinking about what I am thankful for, I have determined that I am thankful for Thanksgiving. As much as I enjoy Thanksgiving- being thankful, the food, and such -I seriously enjoy the heightened anticipation of Christmas that begins with Thanksgiving coming and going. Why? Because Christmas is the celebration of Jesus birth!

Christmas 2017

Christmas is one of my two favorite times of year, and I don't feel like it's really Christmas-time until Thanksgiving comes. With the event of Thanksgiving, I can full-on enjoy my anticipation of Christmas coming!

I am definitely thankful for my tiny family: Jason, Little Pumpkin, and of course, Gunther. Showing this thankfulness is an area in which I fail a lot. I am grateful for Jason, my husband, and his patience, kindness, unconditional love, dedication, and care that he gives to myself, and to Little Pumpkin.

September 2018

I am soooo blessed by the relationship that he is cultivating with our child, and it makes me realize I am very fortunate to have him as my spouse! I am thankful for the little, spunky, determined, stubborn, helpful, kind, and generous little girl that God gave us two years ago. Yes, she can drive me to my wits end, and match my stubbornness, but she also loves me unconditionally and is quick to forgive my short-comings. This is something that I am finally starting to realize, and try to remind myself of often. And Gunther. He can be exasperating at times with his boundless energy, but I am so thankful for my furry cuddle-buddy!

November 2017 - almost a year old

Gunther's always there, listens to my one-sided conversations without judging, warms my bed and my feet, is also quick to forgive when I fail, loves unconditionally, and allows Little Pumpkin to poke him in the nose and touch his lips. Yes. I'm thankful for my tiny, little family!

I'm thankful that we are out of primarily out of debt. And, that we are able to attempt to keep it that way. Along the same line, I'm thankful that we are able to go out and purchase things we need spur of the moment, like a wide variety of health and medicinal items when we are sick. From garlic cloves and elderberry syrup to Nyquil and Mucinex, I am so grateful that we are financially able to purchase those things when we aren't expecting to need them.

I'm thankful that we started, and have continued, the nightly routine of reading the Bible, reciting memory verses, and saying prayers together as a family. It may not always be convenient, it may not always be easy, but I'm so thankful that we all fully participate in this bedtime routine that I started last year with Little Pumpkin.

Finally, I'm thankful for a place to live. This is an area that I have struggled in massively for the past almost two years. I still do not love our house, or the place we live, but I am thankful that we have a place to live with heat and air conditioning (though I'm stingy with the thermostat!).

There are more things for which I am thankful, like friends and family (or "framily"), our jobs, my co-workers, being able to attend a good church, and much, much more. I could make the list go on and on. But, when I was thinking about what I was thankful for, the aforementioned things were the truly significant things that came to mind this past week. Some of them were new realizations for me; things I had taken for granted and never really noticed the full impact that it has on my life. Purposely taking a week or so to think about what I am truly thankful for has been good for me.

How about you? What are you truly thankful for this year? Have you taken some time to really think about it?

Mead and Wine: It Takes Time

 Earlier this year, I shared a post on my old blog (now posted here) about the "Happy Day Gift" that Jason gave me. It was a kombucha making kit, and I have made, and experimented, with brewing kombucha. At the same time, Jason started his own brewing experiments. He had been researching making honey mead for a while, and really wanted to try it. Since that first "brewing" post, Jason has been a busy little bee creating a wide variety of meads and wine that are now aging peacefully in our basement. At least, that's what we hope they are doing!

To share a bit of what all he has been brewing in our kitchen, and basement, he started with a plain honey mead.

This first batch was his baby for quite a while. It sat in a bucket on the kitchen counter for quite a while before he transferred it to the glass jug. Then it had to sit at a fairly consistent temperature for another month, I think, in the glass jug so that all the sediment (yeast, floaties from the various ingredients, etc.) could settle to the bottom. With it being so hot this spring, he occasionally had issues with it getting too warm in the kitchen. So he would transfer it back and forth between the kitchen and basement as needed.

Whenever he had to transfer the mead from one container to another (bucket to jug, to another jug, to bottles), he used some sort of siphon gadget that he purchased for his brewing hobby. Over time he has perfected his methods for the most optimal process, but his early methods included using a cooking pot on the floor.

He also does a lot of testing with his beaker and this spinning thing (a hydrometer, I think) for sugar content and I'm not sure what else. (Maybe Jason should be writing this post...) He also samples along the way, as have I. The early taste tests are not anything too great in my experience, but Jason seems to be able to foresee what the end result is going to be based on the early tastes.

He was quite proud when he got his very first batch of honey mead bottled and corked! And, it did look very pretty! His one complaint was that it still had floaties from using honey that was packaged with the honeycomb. After the bottling, it has set in the basement for going on six months now. Just the other week, he opened a bottle to share with his wine making mentor and, I have to say, I was impressed! It tasted pretty nice for a first time mead maker!

Right after Jason started his very first batch of honey mead, he started making plans for other batches and flavors. Since strawberries were in season, he started a batch of strawberry mead right away. Little Pumpkin and I went out and picked the strawberries at a local orchard, both for his mead experiment and to eat fresh.

This is the best photo I have of the strawberry mead. He was transferring it from the bucket to the glass jar (which was sitting on top of the cooking pot on the floor!). I have to say, though, whenever I tasted the strawberry mead during his testings and samplings, I was not sure if it was going to turn out. It was a lot smellier of a ferment than the honey mead was! Because it has to age longer than the honey mead does (about a year), we are still waiting to try the end result of the strawberry mead.

When blackberries came into season, Jason decided to try making blackberry wine. This time, he got to go pick his own fresh fruit with Little Pumpkin! I'm not a hundred percent sure on the differences in process between mead and wine making, but I think they are fairly similar. But different. Jason has a good friend from college that has been making wine for a few years, and he has gleaned a lot of information from the gentleman that owns the brew shop where he can get most of his supplies. So he talks a lot with his "brewing mentors" whenever trying a new flavor, or product.

His bottling method doesn't include the cooking pot on the floor- just the bottle. And, random fun fact for you: Every single time I see his siphon hose with the clamp, all I can think of is the milk tester lady taking samples in the milking parlour. I doubt that's what everyone pictures when they see this. It's probably just me and some very ingrained memories from milking cows. But, I digress. Back to wine making!

Of all Jason's mead and wine making experiments this summer, I think the blackberry one looks the most delicious! If I remember correctly, I thought the blackberry wine tasted better, though very "sharp," during his tests and samplings prior to bottling than the strawberry mead did. However, as a wine, this blackberry one has to sit for about 18 months before we can try it. So it will be a while until we know how it turned out!

If you think that these experiments were a lot of brewing, you should know that I didn't get photos of each of his experimental batches! Jason also started a peach wine when peaches came into season. I was not really involved in that brewing process, and I don't think I ever tasted it. I do remember it having more of an odor, similar to the strawberry mead, when it was fermenting. But, I think Jason was pretty confident that it would turn out well. It has been bottled and resting in the basement for a couple of months now. It will also have to sit for a long time before we can try it.

He also tried making a batch of "cheap" wine by using just regular, plain, fruit juice that you buy at the store. (Prison wine is what he called it...) I believe it was made with both mixed berry and grape juice. I don't believe I tasted that batch, but I know that when Jason bottled and tasted it, he said it wasn't going to be as good as the stuff made from real fruits. It also has to age quite a while before we will know the real end result of  the "cheap wine."

And lastly, Jason created a batch of apple cider mead! That recipe was a complete experiment as there was no recipe for him to follow. He just used his current knowledge, and that of his brewing mentors, and made it happen. He's not quite sure how long it will need to age, and it was the most recent batch made, so it will definitely be sometime next summer or fall before he opens a bottle. He is expecting it to be quite delicious, though!

Since Jason has tried all of the seasonal fruits that we had access too, he is now talking about making a large batch of the plain honey mead. He has done that one once, tried the semi-finished product already, and believes he can produce a good, quality mead now. He has not started that project yet, but keeps talking about it with his "brewing mentor," and is slowly gathering the supplies. Jason is also prepping to try another batch of "cheap wine," but wants to use white peach fruit juice this time. Somehow, with the recipe he's either found, or made up, he thinks that will turn out really good even though it is the "cheap" method. I keep asking him if maybe we should wait until we can try what he's already made before filling the basement with aging bottles of mead and wine that we don't know if we will like them, or not. But, his theory is that if you keep making new batches, once you are able to start trying the aged bottles, you'll always have a rotating supply of aged product. He did find a used wine rack to start storing his aging bottles in, but if he keeps making new batches and they have to age for a 12-18 months, or more.....

One thing I do have to say is that Jason enjoys sharing samples, and the finished product, with people that are interested in trying it. When my mom and sister were visiting in August, he offered them samples of what he had leftover after bottling the last two batches at that time. (I can't remember which flavors they were; maybe strawberry and the cheap wine?) I'm pretty sure my mom only sniffed the sample, and my sister actually tried a sip. Just a small sip. Neither of them are wine or mead connoisseurs (nor do they indulge), and they were not impressed, to put it mildly. Don't let their personal experience scare you, though! When our friends, Shaun and Tiffany, were here (also in August) Jason opened a bottle of the aging honey mead early because they wanted to try a sample. I believe that they said the mead was pretty good, but they would like to try it again once it's fully aged. So, if you are interested in sampling Jason's products, just let us know which one you'd like to try and we can schedule your visit over the time that it should be ready! Just keep in mind that good mead and wine takes time.

Recipes: Week 24

 My recipes this week are definitely not a good mix of the food groups! I am still just going through my food and recipe photos in the order that I took them over the past few months. From the looks of these recipes, we didn't eat much protein at some point! Or, I just re-made a lot of the previous recipes for meals for a while. Anyways, to get started, this week's recipes include...

Bread

In a previous post, I shared a bread recipe that I had been using for quite a while. It worked, we liked it OK, so I kept making it. I finally decided to try my sister Sally's bread recipe one day. Sally has worked quite hard in figuring out the science, and method, behind making good bread, and is quite famous among family and friends for her home-made bread. She stands firmly behind her bread recipe, and has highly recommended it to me in the past. I'd even go so far as to say, in all sisterly loving kindness, that Sally is a bread snob. (Hey, if I'm peanut butter snob, than Sally can be a bread snob!) While I enjoy, and like, home-made bread, I've never been the connoisseur that Sally is, so I didn't expect to have my earth shattered when making a new bread recipe. So far, I have only made the basic white bread version of the recipe, and none of the variations.

The Honest Review: I was surprised with the reviews I got on this specific bread recipe! Jason immediately commented that he quite liked this bread over the other recipe I used. I did notice that the texture was different- softer and less crumbly. I don't know that the taste was that much different (we haven't tried them side-by-side), but the texture was definitely much better. Sally's recipe does contain more specifics, such as how long to knead the dough, and such, so I suspect some of the texture difference comes from that. (I am not a patient bread kneader, and I think that is kind of important!) Jason requested that I please use Sally's recipe for my future bread making because he liked it so much better. I will say that the recipe says to make it into two loaves. I found that it was making gigantic loaves that would not fit into the toaster. I have since started making one batch into three loaves, and it comes out much nicer. This recipe is staying in our collection.

The Best Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich

I don't have a photo of this recipe, because it is not written down. It is my very own peanut butter and jelly sandwich making method. Which, interestingly enough, in one of my job interviews in the past, one of the questions asked was: How would you tell someone to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? (Or something along those lines. It definitely involved giving instructions on how to make a PB&J sandwich!) And this is the recipe I gave them: Lightly toast two pieces of your choice of bread in the toaster. (I personally like a home-made light whole wheat bread.)  On one side of one piece of toast, spread a nice layer of your favorite jelly. (I prefer home-made jam, but any jam or jelly will work.) You can almost always perfectly clean your knife of jelly by scraping it on the edge of the toast so that you can re-use the knife for the peanut butter, but if you don't like to contaminate the peanut butter, use a separate knife. Then spread a nice layer of your favorite peanut butter (mine is Adam's Natural Crunchy Peanut Butter - it's the best!) on one side of the other piece of toast. Place the peanut butter toast face down on top of the jelly toast. Cut in half, and enjoy while still warm from the toaster!

The Honest Review: I know I have made these for Jason, and for Little Pumpkin, but I'm not sure Jason has ever specifically given me feedback on this meal. Little Pumpkin and I definitely enjoy them! Eating the sandwich while it is still warm from the toaster just adds a delicious element to dining experience. I don't remember when I started toasting the bread for pb&j sandwiches, but I've been doing it for a few years and I definitely prefer it. But, it has to be a light toast! Not a full-on, solid, dark brown toast! The light toast allows the bread to be a little crunchy, but still a little soft which is perfect for the sandwich. I highly recommend giving this peanut butter and jelly sandwich recipe a try! This recipe is staying in our collection.

Banana Nut Muffins

This is one of my old, cook-book insert, recipes that I have no clue when or where I acquired it. I have looked at it a few times and finally decided to try it one time when I had some ripe bananas to use. I sometimes like when the recipe includes a picture of the finished product, because then I have an idea of what it's supposed to look like.

The Honest Review: Well, as you can see, my muffins looked nothing like the ones in the recipe photo! It has been a while since I made these, and I did not keep a written record on any of the recipes for a while. I do remember that they were quite soft and spongy. They were almost kind of cake-like, and not quite what I was expecting for this muffin. While it had a nice flavor, it wasn't an overly grand banana nut flavor that made us really like them. Jason said they were "enh." He's not a big fan of banana flavored things anyway, and these muffins didn't really impress him. I did wonder if I over-mixed the batter, or why the muffins looked so different from the recipe photo. I still have the recipe, but not sure that it merits a re-trial. This recipe is tossed from our collection.

Texas Sheet Cake

Texas Sheet Cake, cont.

This recipe came from my Grandma, and I remember when she started making it. I was still a kid (10?), and I remember her Texas Sheet Cakes always looking so silky and smooth, with the miniature marshmallows on top just so. And, we all loved the cake, if I remember right. Personally, getting the marshmallows with the cake was exciting to me! (I kind of liked sugary, sweet things when I was growing up.) While I definitely remember Grandma making this recipe, I also remember Sally, my sister, making it, too. And, it almost always had the same sleek, shiny, beautiful finish. When my birthday came about in August, I pored over my cake recipes trying to decide what cake to make. I finally settled on the Texas Sheet Cake as I wouldn't have to go grocery shopping for anything. Or so I thought. After I stuck the cake in the oven, and set about mixing up the icing (which you are supposed to put on the warm cake right out of the oven). I quickly found out that I did not have enough powdered sugar. Drats! I told Jason that I had to go fast, and could he please take the cake out when the timer beeped. I hoped to get back in time, but....I didn't. The cake was still warm, but not fresh out of the oven when I iced it.

The Honest Review: As you can see, the icing did not apply into a smooth, sleek, beautiful finish. It looked rather rough, to be honest. Personally, the cake did not taste quite like I remembered it. I almost didn't like the flavor of it. The cake part was a bit dense, too, which I don't think was quite right. It was also super sweet. Jason, on the other hand, was rather fond of the cake. He really liked the flavor, and said that the hint of cinnamon really added to the cake. Little Pumpkin, of course, will eat almost anything sweet. So, we had mixed reviews on this cake. I have not decided if this recipe is staying, or tossed from our collection. Any thoughts from those that are familiar with this recipe?

Pumpkin Pie Cake

This recipe comes from Jason's cookbook. I had looked at it a long time ago, and purchased the ingredients for it and put them in the cupboard. I did have to has Christine what Milnot was; I had never heard of it. Turns out it was a brand of evaporated milk. I believe I did buy just a generic brand of evaporated milk for this recipe, or I just used regular milk.

The Honest Review: Not the prettiest piece of cake/bar ever, but it was the best photo I had! This recipe was extremely sweet. The overall flavor was almost over-powered by the sweetness of it. The cake turned out very moist and sticky, but had a nice crunch on top. After I tasted it that I realized that I have had something similar before, but I wasn't that huge a fan of the recipe. I think Jason liked it ok, but wasn't the biggest fan. It really was super sweet to the point that you couldn't eat very much at one time. This recipe is tossed from our collection.

Blueberry-Strawberry Shortcake

Somewhere along life's journey, I copied this recipe out of a magazine. I believe it was because I saw the photo of the food on the front of the magazine cover, to be honest. And I never made the recipe until this summer. I was fortunate to be able to use fresh blueberries and strawberries for the recipe.

The Honest Review: This recipe turned out beautiful! And, it tasted pretty beautiful, too! The shortcake was not too sweet, and the fresh fruit with whipped cream was delicious! The only downside to my creation was that the shortcake discs were a little crisp/crunchy. So cutting through them kind of squashed the middle fillings out. But, we managed to cut it and it still tasted good! We were all a fan of this recipe, although it was a bit of a large amount for three of us to eat before it started getting soggy. This is definitely one recipe I'd recommend trying! This recipe is staying in our collection.

Italian Grilled Burgers

On the rest of the magazine page that I had copied for the shortcake recipe was a grilled burger recipe. I had never looked at it before, but decided hey! Why not try a new burger recipe? It did call for a few ingredients that we didn't have, and that I couldn't locate. Such as Greek Oregano. And pancetta. And Gorgonzola cheese that I could slice. I ended up using regular oregano, bacon, and a mixture of blue cheese and crumbled Gorgonzola. Also, instead of buying ciabatta rolls, we just used hamburger buns.

The Honest Review: These burgers smelled delicious! And they didn't look too bad, either. The flavor of eating it all together, though, was different. It wasn't bad, it was kind of good in a way, but it was definitely different. We kept going back and forth between, "They smell so good! But they don't quite taste as good as they smell! Yet, there is something about them that tastes good!" I think Jason finally determined that the blue cheese may have been a bit too strong for him, and that he liked the burger plain; no extra cheese or bacon. For myself, I liked the burger, but it was also that different flavor combination that kept making me question if I liked it. If you're looking for a different burger recipe, definitely try this one! I need to check with Jason on this recipes "keep" or "toss" verdict. I think it may be tossed from our collection.

Well folks, there you have it: some more of my new recipe trials and successes. While it may seem like all we did was eat cake and desserts for a while, I promise you that we didn't have all these recipes in the same week!! And, we did have those burgers!

Are you familiar with any of these recipes? How about the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich- what is your favorite way to make them?