So, I have given myself a new challenge today. I just recently watched the wonderfully refreshing movie Julie and Julia and was completely inspired. I love to cook, I love to bake, I love to try new recipes and mostly.......I love to eat! I bought a new cookbook for a whopping $4.99 at IGA yesterday and it has the most delicious sounding recipes in it. And the best thing about it is that every meal can be made with only 3 ingredients. Three ingredients...are you kidding me?! It is called 500 3-Ingredient Recipes by Robert and Carol Hildebrand. Catchy title, don't you think? I have decided that 2 years to complete the challenge would be much better than one because: first of all I have three small children and who really has time to cook an entire meal every night with three kids under foot; secondly, when you are a stay at home mom and there is only one income coming in you, of course, have to think of it from a financial point of view; thirdly, left-overs (need I say more?) and last but not least, maybe I won't want to cook every night. That would totally throw off the whole 500 recipes in 365 days. 730 days sounds much more feasible to me. I have my menu carefully planned out and my grocery list ready. As soon as I make it through this weeks menu I will be well on my way to some new and scrumptious foods. Unfortunately, Bill does not like seafood or fish so I will have to find some volunteers to test my food on those days. Any takers?
March 01, 2010
Today was recipe #1 Tamale Pie. It took me about 20 minutes to throw together, 15 minutes to bake and it was so, so good. A little bit spicy, a little bit savory and a little bit sweet and it was the perfect combination. Yummy!
March 07, 2010
Oh my gosh! Tonight I made recipe #2-Pork and Black Bean Stew. It was sooo good! All I did was cube a 4 lb. pork shoulder, 24 oz. green salsa and 2 cans of black beans, simmer it for 2 hours and voila! Heaven in a dutch oven! This is a recipe I NEVER would have tried before and I am so glad that I did. I also made some long grain rice and put a dollop of sour cream on each bowl. Very, very good!
March 08, 2010
So, tonight I made recipe #3-Italian Baked Eggs. It wasn't awful per se, but it is certainly not something that I will make again in the future. It consists of marinara sauce, eggs and parmesan cheese baked in a shallow baking dish. All I can say is that I have one more recipe crossed off the list.
March 14, 2010
I made recipes 4, 5 and 6 tonight. Indian Chapati bread, Indian Style potatoes and Madras Chicken Curry. I really liked the chicken and bread, but the potatoes weren't my favorite. I had to substitute Jazrel curry for the Madras since I couldn't find it anywhere and I also added some garlic and yogurt to the curry sauce. Very tasty. The chapati bread has great flavor and is very easy to make. It is made from yogurt, flour and baking powder. Next time I will definitely add some garlic too. Now, if I could only train my children to throw their fits before or after I make dinner it would be much easier. Alex cried the entire time I was cooking so what should have taken a little over an hour took about 2 1/2 hours to make. Teething babies are no fun.
March 16, 2010
Tonight I made recipes 7, 8 and 9. Artichoke Phyllo Purses, which were pretty darn good, Roast Chicken with Lemon and Garlic and Maple-Glazed Carrots. The artichoke appetizers were so simple to make. Blend cream cheese and artichoke hearts in a food processor and wrap in phyllo dough and bake for about 12 minutes at 400. The chicken dish took quite a bit more effort since you have to truss the chicken. I left that part up to Bill since touching raw meat is absolutely revolting to me. It was very tender and moist and I will definitely make it again. Umm...I mean I will have Bill make it again :) The carrots were a last minute call since I mismanaged my time yet again. They were super easy to make and were better than expected. Who would have thought carrots, maple syrup and cinnamon would taste so good together!
March 18, 2010
Tonight I made my 10th recipe which I think will be a staple food in our household from now on. Ham and Swiss Pockets...yum, yum, yum! Take a slice of ham, a slice of swiss cheese and wrap it in a crescent roll, bake it for 15 minutes at 350 and voila!
March 20, 2010
For the first time I was able to cook for someone else than just my immediate family. My mother was visiting and since Bill refuses to eat fish I was able to make my first fish recipe. I made recipes 11, 12 and 13. The Phyllo Wrapped Halibut was my favorite. It consisted of sauteed leeks and halibut wrapped in 3 layers of phyllo dough and brushed with butter. Wow, it was good! I also made some Arugula and Potato Salad which was okay, but I can't say that I will ever make it again. The Braised Red Cabbage was good too, but a little tart. I think it I made it again I would use a sweeter apple rather than a Granny Smith.
March 22, 2010
Recipes 14, 15 and 16 were by far the worst so far. I made Sweet Garlic Pot Roast (I have never like pot roast and can't say that I ever will), Creamed Mushrooms (had no flavor whatsoever) and Rye Bread (this was probably the best part of the meal). Recipe 17, on the other hand made up for the tasteless meal. Fondue Smores! Yummy milk chocolate melted with butter. The kids loved dipping the graham crackers and marshmallows in the chocolate, but when I brought out the strawberries they ate them all up.
March 25, 2010
This is going faster than I thought! Tonight I made Quesadillas and Guacamole recipes 18 and 19. The quesadillas were very, very good but a total mess to make. I am not a big fan of frying things in oil, but these were so worth it. The kids even ate them! The guacamole was excellent too. I am so used to making things from scratch and using 100 ingredients that I didn't think it would be that good. It was made up of 2 avocados, 1/2 cup of jarred salsa and the juice of 1 lemon. Much easier than homemade and we ate it all!
April 03, 2010
Tonight I was actually able to cook for someone else! I made recipes 20 and 21 Oven Barbecued Beef Ribs and Asparagus with Garlic and Parsley. My mom and Aunt Charlotte came to visit for Easter so I was happy to be able to try my recipes on someone else. The ribs were okay, not much flavor and definitely not enough meat. The asparagus was very good though and I was already able to use fresh parsley from my garden!
April 04, 2010
Today was Easter Sunday. I was hesistant to try something new for a holiday since I have never tasted these foods before, but fortunately everything I made was delicious. Delightfully so! Recipe 22 was Roasted pear, arugula and blue cheese salad and it was very, very good. I roasted the pears for about 30 minutes and then topped it with arugula drizzeled with olive oil. Fill the empty core of the pear with blue cheese, top with salt and pepper and voila! A restaurant worthy dish with a simple approach. Recipe 23 was Roasted Parsnip Soup. Wow! I never thought parsnips could taste so good. All you do is peel the parsnips, cut them into strips, toss them in olive oil, pepper and salt and then roast them for about 15 minutes. Put the parsnips and 1 tsp. nutmeg in a 2 qt. saucepan with enough water to cover 3/4 of the way up the parsnips and simmer for 20 minutes. Puree, stir in 2 cups of heavy cream and serve. It is delicious!
Somewhere in between
I can't remember the exact date that I made these, but I also made Soft Pretzels #24. They were good, but definitely not as good as the ones you can get at the mall!
April 09, 2010
#25 Pesto Chicken Pasta-this was super easy and super good. It is exactly what it is called. Only 475 more to go!
April 16, 2010
#26 and #27 Chicken Broiled with Horseradish and Roasted Acorn Squash. These two dishes were both very, very good. Bill is not a big fan of acorn squash, but he loved this kind. Instead of sweetening it with brown sugar it is flavored with sage. Very savory. The chicken was moist and I loved the horseradish infused in the skin. I would definitely make it again.
April 18, 2010
#28 and #29 Basic Marinara Sauce and Panzanella. The sauce was good and easy, but of course, I added some extra spices. The Panzanella was also good, but I used sweet sicilian bread instead of Italian bread. Too sweet.
April 19, 2010
This was one of the best chicken dishes I have ever made! Ever! #30 Thai Red Curry Chicken-it was the perfect combination of spicy and sweet. Holy Moses was it good! I also made rice to go with it and some garlic naan bread. I love Thai food :)
April 20, 2010
This was not one of my favorites and it was no surprise to me. #31 was Roast Pork with Sage and Rosemary and #32 was Artichoke Heart Casserole. The pork actually wasn't that bad, but I am not a huge fan of roast no matter how much you try to disguise the flavor. The Artichoke dish was very sour. I did make some potatoes though that made the meal worth it. #33 Mashed Potatoes with Horseradish. Yum, yum, yum.....I have a new found love for horseradish!
I am so surprised at how good a lot of these recipes are and they are so, so easy. I am pretty sure I will make all of these recipes before my 2 year deadline!
