October: Tried to recreate a mac & cheese that my mom found in the local newspaper awhile ago. I love all of the flavors included (like mustard powder and cayenne pepper), but the sauce didn’t thicken quite right. Still didn’t have trouble finishing off the leftovers.
November: Tried a new mac & cheese as my contribution for our family’s Thanksgiving meal (yes I really do eat other foods; but trying new mac & cheese recipes fills 2 list items, so no regrets). This one was an Italian Three-Cheese Macaroni from a mac & cheese cookbook I once got as a gift. This recipe is similar, but I left out the tomatoes. This recipe was delicious, and I would definitely make it again. It fits my desired balance of more interesting flavors than plain macaroni, but not too fancy.
December: This month, I made Christmas Light Cookies that I found on Pinterest. They were a little more complicated than I was ready for, but I did save some time by getting the small tube of black icing for drawing the light cords instead of making that icing from scratch. I realized halfway through making them that I didn’t have any cookie cutters, so I used a wine glass…but the messy shape or decorations on a cookie don’t matter as much as the taste, and they tasted delicious.
January: I made another easy recipe I found on Pinterest: Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken. I somehow made it to age 25 without really learning how to cook meet, so this was the perfect, easiest recipe to try. It literally takes two ingredients: chicken breasts and salsa. I used my immersion blender to smooth out the salsa texture (which is not a required step for normal people that can stand those chunky textures). After cooking in the crockpot for a few hours, you just shred the chicken, and it’s great for nachos, salads, quesadillas, tacos, anything! Easy leftovers too. I have made this recipe a few times since, and I’m hungry just thinking about it.
February: Okay technically Erik made this one, but since my goal says try new recipes (not necessarily make), I’m going to count this one. He made chili, which I don’t like, but couldn’t remember if/when I’d actually tried it, so we decided to do an experiment. I like the smell and flavors in chili, but can’t get past the texture (moving on from how weird I know that is). So, when the chili was ready, I scooped out a bowl full and used my immersion blender (my favorite appliance) to smooth out the texture. In theory, this plan makes sense. In practice, it’s gross and has the texture of cat food. Was edible as a sort of dip with chips. But will not be trying again, but I have at least confirmed that chili is not a food for me.
March: Okay this post is getting embarrassing because I’m not an adventurous eater or cook….which is my way of introducing the fact that the only new recipe I could remember making in March was rice. No idea why I hadn’t thought to ever make it before, but it’s very easy, and there are lots of quick options like this tasty creamy chicken flavor. Nothing else interesting to say here.
April: This month I tried another recipe from my mom, that I guess would be called Parmesan Ranch Chicken. I mixed in a bowl: 1 package of ranch seasoning, 1 cup cereal crumbs (who knew that’s a thing you could buy?), and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. I used that mixture to cover chicken breasts and bake (350 for an hour). This is definitely my favorite recipe that I’ve tried so far! I liked baked chicken with different spices, but I missed the crunch of having more breading, so the cereal crumbs were perfect, and the ranch and Parmesan are just delicious together. I know these are not culinary innovations, but hey, at least I’m not still talking about mac & cheese.
May: This month’s new recipe might be my favorite one so far: popsicles! My mom (the real MVP of this post) gave me a set of popsicle molds and a can of diced mango the last time I was #homesweethome, suggesting that just blending and freezing the mango was delicious. So, over steamy Memorial Day weekend, I pulled out my trusty immersion blender, and blended the full can of mangoes to smooth perfection, and added about a tablespoon of a honey-lime mixture (I got it from a fruit salad recipe a few years ago, but I use for regular salad dressing now, too!). Then, I just poured the mixture into the set of 6 popsicle molds (and it made the perfect amount), and set them in the freezer. Oh my gosh. These are delicious and so easy! The first batch disappeared quickly, so I’ve already tried it with a can of peaches, and added some honey and flax seed, just to see if it’d be noticeable. While you can see the specks, all you’re really tasting is the fruity, juicy goodness. 100/100 will keep making all summer.
June: Earlier this month, I tried another mac and cheese recipe (I know, I know, but it hits 2 list items, and also I love mac and cheese), but this one was not my favorite. The recipe was from a cookbook and I can’t find a great link, but it had bacon and cauliflower, and used some spices, cream cheese, cheddar, gruyere, and Parmesan cheeses. I’m not sure what exactly I didn’t like. Maybe I would’ve liked it more with just cheddar? Maybe I could’ve cooked the bacon longer so it’d be crispier? Regardless, this one took a long time to make, it tasted weird, and was worse as leftovers. To be fair, Erik really liked this one, so it’s very possible that this was a good recipe, but just not for me. The road to the perfect mac and cheese continues.
July: This month, I tried Cajun chicken. I had made the spice mix in a set for Christmas gifts (I think this is the mix I made), and tried some for myself. Just cover both sides of a chicken breast with the spice mix, and bake at 350 degrees for an hour. Pretty good! I like the spicy flavor without the chunky texture of a salsa. Good with rice (that I started making with chicken broth instead of water, on the recommendation of my mom, the best cook I know!).
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