A cooking blog from two everyday cooks with new recipes every week.
Southwestern Beef Chili with Corn
One of the most interesting aspects of planning a weekly menu that is continually filled with new dishes is the sheer number of recipes we find that challenge our expectations of labels. This particular recipe is a prime example of this phenomena. Although labeled a chili, neither of us felt that the label actual corresponded with the taste. Although flavorful, there was a lack of cumin flavor or any sense of rich smokiness. The experience of this dish was by no means bad, it just was not what we expected. Best stated, it was a flavorful, meat and bean dish loaded with vegetables that was reminiscent of a chili but did not quite meet our expectations.
Garlic - Potato Soup
We made this soup on a day that was apparently very popular for potato soup. A coworker of Corey's and my mom, Linda, both mentioned to us that they had made potato soup the day after we had this soup, which reminded us how much the weather and time of year dictates what we eat. We, unfortunately, did not think on our feet and capture the opportunity to post three potato soup recipes and reviews, but never fear, we actually quite liked the soup that we made (which we of course have to share with you). This soup was creamy, without much cream added, and was perfect for dunking bread or rolls (it also paired nicely with salad for leftovers). All around a fairly good soup that we both enjoyed. If you enjoy a chunky soup, we would suggest that you use a potato masher instead of a stick blender, in the final step of this recipe to maintain the chunkiness that we lost in our version. (Another word of advice, if you're sensitive to garlic and heartburn, you'll want to stay away from this recipe.)
Taco Salad
This recipe served as a great reminder to us how important it is to read through the instructions for a dish carefully and completely before embarking on your shopping trip. Because we did not read down to the bottom of the recipe and simply wrote down the ingredients list, we forgot some of the toppings that would have made this dish outstanding, such as avocado and pepper jack cheese. Even without those extras, this salad was a simple and festive dish that was quick enough to make after work without feeling bogged down in the kitchen. We particularly enjoyed the dressing, which was fresh and had an oil/lime base, a nice departure from a salsa dressing on a taco salad. We were able to improvise (using cheese curds sliced thin instead of pepper jack which was much better than you would expect), the salad turned out nicely, and we were subtly reminded to follow our own advice of careful planning. All and all, we think the meal turned out well.
Maple-Orange Glazed Chicken
Like many people, Corey has a strong aversion to some dishes that are similar to foods that he had a bad experience with as a child. Interestingly, Corey is particularly averse to oven baked skin-on chicken. For this reason, we (Corey and I) were particularly surprised when he raved about this recipe. While I agreed that the dish was tasty, leaving the chicken moist and subtly flavored, Corey labeled this chicken the best bone-in skin-on chicken that he has ever tasted. In fact, over the last week I have periodically heard things like, "Mmm, maple-orange glazed chicken" and "We HAVE to make that chicken again," which speaks very highly of his impression of this dish. If Corey's enthusiastic response is an indicator of how well this dish turned out, you will definitely want to work this recipe into your menu in the near future.
Fettucine with Lemon, Mint, and Parmesan
This disappointing dish came from Martha Stewart Living, a magazine that has recently become a favorite source for simple and delicious recipes in our house. Much to Corey's delight, this recipe was reserved for an evening when he was out of the house and he was not privy to the absolutely horrendous experience of eating this meal. Admittedly, I should have been able to anticipate my reaction to this dish given that the ingredients are simple and all posses strong flavor, but for whatever reason I was not anticipating the overwhelming flavor of mint, which when combined with lemon reminded me of toothpaste. Given that description, clearly this was not the type of flavor I was looking for in a meal and I do not foresee us making this dish ever again.