One of my goals this year was to make a new recipe every week.
While I didn’t meet that goal, I did actually try a try a substantial amount of new recipes. Some have become favorites, cough cough Imperial Travel Biscuits, cough cough. Others, I wouldn’t make again even if they were my only option for preventing death by starvation.
So, here is every new recipe I tried, along with my thoughts on it.
Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken: https://realfoodwholelife.com/recipes/slow-cooker-tuscan-chicken-stew-instant-pot-vegetarian-option/
Verdict: Tried 2/6/23 Fine. Maybe I’ll make it again. My mom would probably like it.
Slow Cooker Broccoli Chicken: https://www.themagicalslowcooker.com/slow-cooker-cheesy-broccoli-chicken/
Verdict: Tried 2/18/23 Terrible. Too much mushroom flavor.
Chocolate Cherry Cake: https://www.instagram.com/p/CophwwhsN7H/
Verdict: Tried 2/25/23 Fantastic and easy to make. Everyone at the Makerspace loved it too!
Slow Cooker Orange Chicken: https://www.averiecooks.com/slow-cooker-orange-chicken/
Verdict: Tried 3/8/23. Ok, and honestly the best recipe out of the three times that I’ve attempted to make orange chicken. But, I’ve decided that take-out orange chicken will always be a million times better and that I should not try making it again.
One Pan Fish: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022436-one-pan-fish-with-bacon-and-sweet-corn
Attempted to try 3/14/23 but discovered that the recipe was now behind the New York Times paywall. So instead, I improvised and created my own pan fish recipe. It turned out great!
The recipe was this. Melt a small amount of butter in a pan over medium heat. Season Tilapia with salt, pepper, and adobo seasoning. Drizzle half an orange and 3 tablespoons of ginger bear over the fish as it cooks. Continue cooking on medium heat until done.
Fish Tacos with a Special White Sauce: https://natashaskitchen.com/fish-tacos-recipe/
Verdict: Tried 3/29/23. Just ok. I made a few changes to the recipes including substituting Trout for Tilapia. I hated the white sauce!
Dutch Oven Apple Cake: (Recipe from the McNabbs aka my friends who are master Dutch Oven cookers.) https://www.dutchovendaddy.com/dutch-oven-apple-cake/
Verdict: Tried 4/6/23 and really enjoyed it. This was my first time using a Dutch oven and overall all it worked pretty well. The only thing to do differently in the future is use charcoal instead of just wood.
Yellow Imperial Travel Biscuits: https://www.starwars.com/news/yellow-travel-biscuit-recipe?bypass_cache=4
Verdict: Tried 4/22/23 and they were fantastic. I didn’t use ginger and just put lemon juice instead of lemon zest. Next time I will probably let them be in the oven for longer than 15 minutes.
Dutch Oven Pot Pie: (Recipe from the McNabbs)
Verdict: Tried 5/5/23 while camping at Shenandoah National Park. I used canned chicken and pre-made the dough to minimize prep time. However, both of these turned out to be poor choices and I was left with a dry mess of a pie. I will definitely try the recipe again, just with real chicken and making the dough right.
Alli’s Chicken Tomato Risotto: (Recipe from Alli Baranski) https://www.instagram.com/thebarefootalli/
Verdict: Tried 6/12/23 Really enjoyed the contrast between spice and the lime juice. However, in the future I will probably half this recipe, as I made way too much tomato sauce for just myself.
Sweet Potato Fries: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/oven_baked_sweet_potato_fries/
Verdict: Tried 7/5/23. I used too much salt and burnt the fries on the bottom rack of the oven, but other than that they were great. Will make it again.
Carrot Cake: https://www.inspiredtaste.net/25753/carrot-cake-recipe/
Verdict: Tried 7/16/23. I didn’t use my Grandmother’s carrot cake recipe because she didn’t send it in time for my co-workers birthday, but the first result for carrot cake on Google did not disappoint.
Blueberry Lemon Dutch Baby: https://www.instagram.com/p/CrVtCJugZi6/
Verdict: Tried 7/21/23 Amazing! Such a fun new breakfast item. Good, hot and even better a day old.
Mashed Potatoes: (Recipe from my mom.)
Verdict: Tried 8/26/23. This was my first time making mashed potatoes and it was pretty simple. Will definitely have to experiment with this more though to make it more flavorful.
Buffalo Chicken Dip: (Recipe from my co-workers wife.)
Verdict: Tried 9/11/23. This has become a staple at my park’s employee potlucks. Fantastic, but don’t eat too much as it can make you sick. (Also, I would not recommend playing kickball after eating this.)
Apple Pie: https://littlespoonfarm.com/apple-pie-recipe/
Verdict: Tried 11/23/23. Note I used a store bought crust instead of making it, but it still turned out to be a Thanksgiving hit.
Crockpot Bread: https://slowcookingclub.com/crockpot-bread-recipe/
Verdict: Tried 11/23/23. I was kind of shocked when my mom told me that she made bread in a crockpot, but it turned out surprisingly well.
Crockpot Beef Stew: https://thecozycook.com/slow-cooker-beef-stew/
Verdict: Tried 12/03/23. Absolutely fantastic! This may be my favorite crockpot recipe tried this year in spite of burning the beef a little bit.
Hershey Kiss Peanut Cookie: (Recipe from my grandmother)
Verdict: Tried 12/03/23. This Christmas staple in my family is always good. I did end up making the cookies too big though.
Dutch Oven Chocolate Cherry Cake: (Recipe from the McNabbs)
Verdict: Tried 12/06/23. My favorite Dutch Oven recipe thus far. A hit at my park’s Christmas party and super simple. I will definitely be making it again on my next camping trip.
Now my plan is to continue attempting to try a new recipe every week in 2024.
So, if you have recipes you think I should try, send them to me!