October 2012 Weddings
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Try a New Recipe and Do Something Adventurous

So this months resolution challenge is Try a New Recipe and the quarterly challenge is Do Something Adventurous.

Post pics, links, or text related to your challenge so we can all share in your accomplishment!  Also, feel free to ask for ideas if you need to.  Have fun!!

P.S. Maybe we can make each of these a sticky (if it's not too much trouble).
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Re: Try a New Recipe and Do Something Adventurous

  • Since we're all supposed to be trying a new recipe, how about a recipe exchange? Everyone posts a favorite for someone else to try?
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  • Yeah, that would be cool!  @Nic12184 I'd love to get some pasta recipes from you!
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  • 99% of my recipes come from here:

    Favorite recipe blog ever!  I can only think of 1 or 2 recipes that didn't turn out AMAZING!
    Eliza Mae - September 16th, 2014

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  • I made this last night with one of my friends. Soooo good!!!

    5-Way Chili

    It's supposed to be more like spaghetti sauce than a thick soupy chili since it is served over spaghetti.

    1 1/2 pounds ground beef
    1 small onion (I used a yellow onion)
    2 cloves garlic
    15 oz. can tomato sauce
    1 Tablespoon chili powder
    1/2 teaspoon cumin
    1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    1/2 teaspoon allspice
    1 Tablespoon Worcestershire
    1 Tablespoon vinegar

    Brown ground beef, drain. Add in onion and garlic, cook until onion is transparent. Add in tomato sauce and all spices. Serve over spaghetti, add any desired additional toppings.

    Optional toppings:
    light red kidney beans
    raw onion
    shredded cheddar cheese
    sour cream
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  • I'm offering up a two for one on recipes.

    This is the one I attempted to make for New Year's dinner at my house (in case anyone else wants to try it): http://www.kcmasterpiece.com/recipe_meatloaf/
    It smelled amazing and probably would have turned out okay had I formed it into an actual loaf shape before baking. Since I had a loaf tin, I just poured the meat mixture in. It smelled good, tasted okay but basically crumbled apart into little meat bits when I sliced into it. :-(

    This, however, was another recipe I tried that turned out surprisingly well: http://www.reservation4two.com/6/post/2013/04/chicken-teriyaki-reservation-for-two.html
    I love this recipe blog because it has recipes specifically designed for portions for two. The chicken is very sweet tasting.
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  • I'm making this (link) tonight! I'll let everyone know how it goes.

    Curried Chickpeas with Spinach
    Ingredients
    2 Tbsp olive oil 
    1 small onion 
    2 cloves garlic 
    1 inch fresh ginger 
    1½ Tbsp curry powder 
    8 oz spinach (fresh or frozen) 
    1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce 
    1 (29 oz.) can chickpeas 

    Instructions
    Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and grate the ginger on a small holed cheese grater. Sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger in a large skillet with the olive oil over medium heat until the onions have softened (3-5 minutes).
    Add the curry powder and continue to sauté with the onion mixture for one minute more. Add about ¼ cup of water and to the skillet along with the fresh spinach and continue to sauté until the spinach has wilted. The water will help steam and wilt the spinach (no water needed if using frozen spinach).
    Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Add them to the skillet along with the tomato sauce. Stir well to distribute the spices in the sauce and heat through (5 minutes). Serve over rice or with bread.
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  • @lehc723 I have made this several times! Only difference with mine is instead of ginger I use another spice called garamasla. It's an Indian recipe called Chana Sag ( basically Chickpeas and spinach). I got this recipe from one of the parents I used to babysit for about 15 years ago. Always delish And everyone loves it!!
  • DanaOcNy said:
    @lehc723 I have made this several times! Only difference with mine is instead of ginger I use another spice called garamasla. It's an Indian recipe called Chana Sag ( basically Chickpeas and spinach). I got this recipe from one of the parents I used to babysit for about 15 years ago. Always delish And everyone loves it!!
    It was pretty good! However, now my entire apartment smells like curry, and it's waaaay too cold to open any windows to try to help air it out, ha ha. 
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  • I'm basically trying new recipes everyday.  These are the ones that turned out let me know if you want any of the recipes: Orange-burbon pulled pork, Beer-butt Chicken, Teriyaki Sauce and Buffalo Sauce.  The buffalo sauce was probably my favorite of them so far, and the hardest part was peeling the peppers and even that was pretty easy, just took time and gloves!  DH loved the pulled pork and buffalo wings. 

    I'm trying all of these now so I can serve them at our superbowl party.  It'll be like a Master Chef Heidi showcase!  (Ok, master chef is a major exaggeration.)

  • Lol, Master Chef Heidi!  You should get a custom apron that says that :)

    I'd love to have your pulled pork recipe.  That sounds yummy!
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  • goatlady12goatlady12 member
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    edited January 2014

    Whiskey Orange Pulled Pork

    Spice Rub:

    1 tbsp dark brown sugar (I used regular)

    2 tsp ground cumin

    2 tsp black pepper

    2 tsp smoked paprika (I used regular paprika)

    1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

    1/4 tsp chili powder

    1/4 tsp ground coriander

     

    Pulled Pork:

    3lbs boneless pork butt (also called shoulder)

    1tbsp vegetable oil

    1/4 white onion, thinly sliced

    3 garlic cloves

    Juice of 2 blood or regulr oranges (I used 1/4 cup of orange juice.)

    1 1/2 c. tomato puree (soup or sauce would also work)

    1/4 c. whiskey or bourbon

    1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

    1 tbsp molasses

    1 tbsp honey

     

    Directions:

    • preheat oven to 300
    • In a small bowl mix spice rub ingredients.  Use your hands to pat it on the pork butt, until completely coated.  Reserve leftover spice rub.
    • warm oil in 5qrt Dutch oven over med heat.  Add onionand garlic and cook, stirring until softened, 2-3 min.  Add pork butt and let it brown 3-5 min per side.  Whisk together remaining ingredients and left over spice rub and add it to dutch oven. 
    • Bring mixture to a boil and cook for 10 min.  Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and put it in the oven.  Cook until meat falls apart easily 2 1/2 to 3 hours, checking every hour to make sure nothing is sticking or burning.
    • before serving transfer meat to plate or bowl and cover with tin foil to keep warm.  reheat juices in dutch oven on stove top, over med heat and bring to a boil.  Cook until liquid is thick like gravy.  While it's reducing, use two forks and pull apart the pork.
    • Serve over mashed potatoes and gravy on top or in a bun for sandwiches.
    • The book recommends to serve over cabbage, but I didn't try that so I can't recommend it.
  • http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/05/bangin-good-shrimp.html

    I made this last night - H has proclaimed it his new favorite.  Idk if you guys have bonefish grill restaurants, but it's a bang-bang shrimp knock off... SOOOOOOOOOO good.  H even ate his cabbage!

    Eliza Mae - September 16th, 2014

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  • Making Ellie Krieger's fish tacos tonight!  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/fish-tacos-with-chipotle-cream-recipe/index.html

    Also making cilantro lime brown rice, but I'll just make up that recipe as I go.  I'll let you know how it goes!
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  • Mana, you were right on about Skinnytaste! I just made this:


    And it came out great! H is a chicken francaise junkie - it's one of his favorite meals - and it even got the seal of approval from him, even though this version isn't the breaded, butter-drenched kind you get in a restaurant. January resolution? Check!

    And to return the favor, this is one of my favorites. For all my favorite lazy cooks, chicken tikka masala in the crock pot:


    H and I both love Indian food. I first made this on our anniversary, and he literally begged me to make it again. Try decreasing or omitting the cayenne if you like more flavor and less heat. 
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  • I'm trying this tonight!
    I'll let everyone know how it goes. I wish I'd had the time/energy to make it on Monday or Tuesday night when it was so super-duper cold. Although the heat is out in my building, so even though it's warmed up, it barely feels like it. 
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  • @pockysquirrel - YAY I'm glad you liked it!!!!!!!!!!  I need to go on there and find this week's menu.  I'm thinking Tuna Noodle Casserole (another of H's favorites), and a soup... 
    Eliza Mae - September 16th, 2014

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  • I made a chicken curry. It was delicious. I also tried to use the rice cooker but it wasn't cooking the rice in the time it stated, it took several hours and a refill of water so I had to cook the rice on the stove instead.
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  • Does anyone have ideas for their "Do something adventurous?"
  • I think we are going to do this thing called "I Fly" that simulates sky diving.  I'm also looking into doing zip lining.  I'm super scared of heights, so this would be a serious challenge for me.
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  • I need some sunshine, I feel Vitamin D deficient.  I was thinking Mardi Gras, but pricing and availability are making me second guess that trip.  It's hard to justify a $1,500 for 2 nights!  DH doesn't get to use his vacation time until June, but I can't wait that long.  One day unpaid isn't going to kill us financially, but I need to find an affordable trip. 

    So I'm thinking I'll find something cheaper if I go somewhere else.  I'm thinking just a southern state in a haunted hotel.  Is that adventurous enough?

  • I haven't given any thought to my adventurous task, but I've been trying y'alls recipes left and right!!

    @lehc723, I tried that chicken noodle soup casserole last night. SUPER yummy!! We loved it. 
    @Siepel12, we make the orange whiskey pork over the weekend with a gnocchi mac & cheese...holy cow! H made sure I saved every bit of the sauce.
    @Ystaalenburg, we made tostadas tonight with your refried bean and shredded chicken recipes. We added sriracha and cholula into it once we shredded it to add some more flavor. Delicious!

    Trying Nic's red sauce tomorrow night!! :P


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  • I need to get away too @Seipel12 !!!  I never take random trips so maybe that could be my something adventurous??  

    And I haven't forgotten I need to add my schnitzel recipe, I promise I'll post it soon :)  
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  • We're coming up on the end of the month!  It looks like a lot of us tried a new recipe and it turned out pretty well.

    We've tried out a few new recipes - Nicole's red sauce (which was so yummy!), an herb crusted pork tenderloin (highly recommend splurging on some herb de provence), and tonight I am going to make a new flank steak recipe and maybe some toasted polenta rounds with mozzarella and basil.  Later this week, I am planning on making profiteroles with chicken salad. I'm excited about that one!  These are all items we plan on making for my bday, so I wanted to try them out beforehand to make sure they were good.  If anyone wants recipes, I'll be happy to share :)

    Has anyone completed their "Do Something Adventurous" challenge?
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