Recipe Reviews! Week 13

The recipes for this week were an interesting experience. Jason has asked if maybe we can just try one new recipe a week, and go back to making the food we used to eat! We have been eating more salads, sandwiches, and leftovers so the main entrée recipes are fewer. But, on to the recipes from this week!

Apple Muffins

I had a few apples to use up, and decided to make these muffins for breakfast one morning. It turned out to not be my best baking moment. In

mixing up the dough (a double batch), I mistakenly put in 4 teaspoons of salt instead of baking powder! I tried to scoop some of it out but, I definitely over-salted the muffins! I continued to mix them up and preheated the oven to 390 degrees because our oven is not accurate and tends to fluctuate to the warmer side (usually....). When I put them in the oven, the thermometer that I keep in there was just under 400 degrees. I set the timer and went to take a quick shower. 15 minutes later I returned to a crisp, burnt smell. I opened the oven door to see that the thermometer was at 450 degrees, and the muffins were well-done in about half the time than what the recipe recommends! It was a bit frustrating, but the muffins weren't totally scorched; the nuts on top were well toasted, as were the bottoms!

(Jason and Pumpkin gave me this nice, 24 cup, muffin tin for Mother's Day!)

The Honest Review: I'm not sure that we got an accurate representation of this muffin since I messed up the recipe and the oven scorched them. They are palatable, but very dry and a bit on the salty side. The Nut Crunch Topping definitely helps to balance out the saltiness, although the extra-well-toasted pecans add a bit of a blackened flavor. We will be trying this recipe again in the future before ruling "yay" or "nay" on keeping it.

Soy Chicken Kabobs

I think I may have had this recipe once at a Sibling Party, but I'm not sure. It sounded good, and I was excited to have some good kabobs! Jason did not agree with the recipe instructions, however, and suggested that I grill the shrimp, vegetables, and chicken separately as they have different cooking times. I ended up grilling the shrimp separate, but did the chicken and veggies together.

The Honest Review: I thought it was fairly tasty, although I think some salt and pepper might help to enhance the flavor. Jason was not the biggest fan. He enjoyed all of the elements except the pineapple. But, he would rather have all of the food elements prepared separately, and grill the pineapple for dessert. He really doesn't like pineapple with his food very much. The veggies weren't quite tender enough for either of us but, they were definitely edible. Jason was correct in that I should have grilled the veggies separate from everything else. When I asked Jason if he would make this recipe again, he said, "Yeah. But I would grill everything separately and not use pineapple." To me, that meant: no, he would not make this recipe again. I haven't fully decided yet, but I think this recipe might be tossed from our collection. Although I may just revise it but, I'm not sure what juice to use in place of the pineapple juice!

Any suggestions?

Nacho Salad

I am not sure where this recipe comes from, but I remember having it quite a bit as a kid. I have never made it as an adult, though. In the middle of making a half-batch of this recipe, something came up and I couldn't finish it, so I asked Jason to finish making the meal. He looked at the recipe and said, "I don't understand. What am I supposed to do?" (Jason can cook and knows how to read a recipe, by the way.) I said, "Just follow the recipe!" He responded with, "The instructions don't say anything. Just "'lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, celery, and stuff, then mix all together.'" What am I supposed to do with the hamburger here?" That's when I realized that the directions are laid out pretty poorly. So, for those that are curious: You brown the hamburger with the onions and drain, then add all of the seasonings. Mix the hamburger mixture together with all of the vegetables, cheese, and chips, and serve.

The Honest Review: It was about like I remembered it. But, Jason definitely was not impressed, and I wasn't that enamored by it, either. The seasonings on the hamburger are very Italian and NOT taco, nacho type of seasonings. I thought it was palatable, Jason did not; Pumpkin and I got to finish the leftovers on this meal. I wouldn't recommend this recipe as the flavor combinations are just odd. This recipe is tossed from our collection.

Seasoning for Raw Meat

When I was growing up, this was known as "Aunt Eva's Seasoning." I have a few recipes that call for "Aunt Eva's Seasoning," so I made a half-batch to use. The only thing I didn't have was the "savory." I thought maybe I was missing part of the word for that spice, but my sister, Miriam, thinks it is some un-common spice. I have not gone searching for "savory," so we are just using the seasoning without it right now.

The Honest Review: It is a very Italian flavored seasoning. Jason said it would be great on grilled chicken, or in spaghetti, or something like that. He did not, however, like it in the Nacho Salad recipe above. He thought it was a weird flavor for a taco-type of salad, and only had one serving. We have not yet made any of the other recipes that call for Aunt Eva's Seasoning, so the jury is still out on whether to keep this recipe in our collection, or not.

For those of my family that use Aunt Eva's Seasoning: what type of dishes do you prefer to use it in?

Two-Tone Cheesecake

Two-Tone Cheesecake cont.

This recipe comes from one of Jason's former co-workers from several years ago. I have only made it once before back in 2013 (it's actually in my Appetizer's, Margarita's, and Tomatoes! post), and decided to make it for Mother's Day. (We hosted Jason's family for a Mother's Day meal this year.) The recipe is a bit involved in some ways and takes some preparation, and it needs to be made the day before serving. But, it is also fairly simple, I think.

The Honest Review: I wish I had taken a photo of the entire cheesecake; it looks impressive! It makes a very large, thick cake. We all LOVED this recipe!! Jason's dad asked where we had purchased it! It is a very rich, chocolate-y cheesecake that defies all dieting recommendations. But, it is delicious and looks amazing! I would highly recommend trying this recipe if you like cheesecake but, make sure you have lots of people to help eat it! You don't want it sitting in your fridge tempting you! This recipe is staying in our collection.

That concludes my recipe trials (literally!) for this week. I hope you enjoyed perusing them.

Random Question: Are you a cheesecake fan and, if so, what is your favorite type of cheesecake?