Thursday, December 16, 2010

Playing Catch Up....Hits and Misses

In the past month I've done a lot of cooking, more so than usual.  It's almost inevitable that you're going to have some hits and misses along the way. In the interest of playing catch up this post is going to be a mix of recipes, some that we enjoyed, others not so much.

See that Tres Leches Cake above?  I was curious about Tres Leches for a long time. The concept of a cake soaked in three milks and iced in whipped cream?  Hello!  Sign me up for that!  I used the recipe from Pioneer Woman's site and made this cake for our Mexican-Inspired Thanksgiving.  PW's recipe worked great and the cake went together just fine.  The end result was a big surprise to me.

The overall recipe was fine, but it was just a miss for us.  We ate it, but didn't love it.  We found the cake to be light, which was nice, but a little too on the mild side.  I'm sure this recipe would be great for some, just not us.  Tres Leches Cake has been a recipe on my to-do list for a long time now and I'm happy to say that I've made one.  It really doesn't hurt my feelings, or my thighs for that matter, that I didn't love it.  More room for other desserts, right?   
Another miss were these Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins from Everyday Food.  If you've read my blog for the past few months then you know that I love my Everyday Food magazine.  All of their recipes have been big hits in my house, but surprisingly these Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins just fell flat.  The muffins were lacking in pumpkin flavor and were surprisingly dry, even though they contained buttermilk, which almost always ensures a moist baked good.  I very rarely make things and toss them, but I tossed these.  They just weren't worth the calories.  I still love you Everyday Food!
It's about time for a hit, right?  Well, I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of Ina Garten's How Easy Is That? for my birthday a few months ago.  The first recipe I chose to make was Jeffrey's Roast Chicken.  I chose this recipe because I knew it would be delicious.  I also chose it in good fun.  Ina Garten happens to be one of the only chefs on the Food Network that my husband will watch with me.  He loves to joke about how much she spoils Jeffrey, and he's right.  Ina sure does love her husband. Saying that, Ina can also make a mean roast chicken.  This chicken was delicious and made a wonderfully flavorful sauce, which went very well with this..................
Potato risotto!  Genius, right?  If you haven't been watching Chuck Hughes on the Cooking Channel, then you need to get started.  He has a winning personality, big passion for food, and he's extremely easy on the eyes!  I love, love, love his show.  This potato risotto was the first thing I ever saw him make on his show and I thought it was brilliant.  Cubes of potato are cooked down in a skillet, just like real risotto, then mixed with cheese, mushrooms, or anything else you want to add.  Chuck serves his with sausage on top (sounds fantastic), but I served mine with Ina's chicken. You can find the recipe here, on the Cooking Channel site. 

Yum - Jeffrey's Roast Chicken with that beautiful sauce and cheesy potato risotto!  Hit! Hit! Hit!

Now back to reality with Trisha Yearwood's Peanut Butter Bars.  I'm afraid they're another miss.  Yep, you heard me right. Yes, peanut butter and chocolate are two of my biggest loves.  Yes, I love my copy of Trisha's newest book.  Can I file this one under the word "strange".  It does sound strange to say that I didn't like these, right?  I can't put my finger on why.  What I can tell you is that I've never, ever disliked anything with peanut butter and chocolate until I had these.  Dare I say they were too peanut buttery?  I'm not sure if there is such a thing or not, but these just weren't good.
And now....I'm going to leave you with something crazy.  Taste of Home called them Gourmet Scrambled Eggs.  Wanna know the secret ingredient?  Mayonnaise.  It sounds crazy, right?  Well, I heard of mixing all kinds of things into eggs, but never mayo.  I had to try it.  The eggs were good, although not the best I've had.  No one could taste the mayo and it was a fun recipe to try.  The ratio is basically 8 eggs to 1/4 cup mayo.  If you're interested you can find the recipe here.  This one was really neither a hit or miss, just kinda crazy.

Some hits and some misses.   It may sound strange, but I do enjoy an occasional miss here and there.  It's never really a bad thing when you learn what you like, as well as what you don't like. 

Happy Cooking!

31 comments:

  1. I had to laugh at this post after just posting my latest Giada failure! I tossed the batch! I'm so glad I am not the only one who has hits and misses.

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  2. i actually love it when bloggers post their misses, i think having misses in the kitchen is something we can all relate to! tres leches cake is a tricky one, i've had some that i love, and others that i can't stand to take another bite of. the potato risotto sounds incredible. i've seen commercials for chucks show, but i haven't watched it yet. he is cute though!

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  3. I like this idea of going through hits and misses. I'm surprised by the tres leches cake. While I've never had it myself, I know people who go gaga over it. The potato risotto...now that's something I would really like. And can I tell you a secret? Roast chicken is my kryptonite. I don't know why, but I can't roast a chicken for anything!

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  4. Great post! I wish I would have kept pictures of all the misses I did this year...lol. I do have a section on my blog for "Mess Ups"...but haven't added to it in a while. Your review of Trisha's recipe shocked me, as I have been hearing nothing but great reviews about her recipes ;) It's always great to learn what you like and don't like though ;) Everyone has different taste buds ;)

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  5. What fun Kim (maybe not for the cook). Ny misses do get eaten - husband will eat anything I cook -even when he shouldn't! I love the idea of potato risotto - oh yes. And Ina always wins, doesn't she? Always!

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  6. Great post, Kim. I haven't posted too many of the misses and your post makes me think I should. I have eaten Tres Leches cake, but never made it though I have a recipe bookmarked. It wasn't the Pioneer Lady's (her recipes, like Nigella's, just haven't done it for me. I must have seen the show with the potato risotto or seen it on Top Chef because it intrigued me. I really love risotto and wondered how this version would taste. I don't know about you, but I love this Ina cookbook best of all. I just wrote a post on a recipe from this month's Everyday Food (for next Tuesday); I pick up a copy from time to time when I see something I like. You sure have been cooking up a storm!

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  7. I love this post for 2 reasons: I always end up not posting things just because I forget or run out of time, and that you just posted the misses anyway!:) Thanks!

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  8. Oh man, you didn't like that cake!? That's a huge hit around these parts ;) I loved hearing and seeing all of your hits and misses...I'm so surprised about the pb bars, too...they sound so fantastic! And YAY Chuck! ;)

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  9. I think it's always good to remember that, even though we sometimes pretend otherwise, even food bloggers get tripped up in the kitchen! That potato risotto though...I need to try!

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  10. I'll take a big plate of the chicken and spuds, please!

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  11. You inspire me to post some of my misses - except I never bother taking pictures of them! Maybe I should as a warning to others. I love the sound of the potato risotto - that would be a hit for me too!

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  12. I made Jeffrey's chicken last night and we agree! It's a HIT! We loved the chicken and the sauce. I served it with brown rice. Yum!

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  13. love this post so honest I also have misses he he hubby tells me when he doesn't like something

    hugs for being honest

    Rebecca

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  14. That roast chicken is calling my name! And now I'm a little bummed I don't get the Cooking Channel :)

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  15. Yo...They all look yumm and perfect...wishi could much them all away rite now...:)

    Dr.Sameena@

    http://www.myeasytocookrecipes.blogspot.com/

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  16. Oh Kim, everything looks so good! I'm drooling here. I am always hungry! (I'm pregnant so go figure!)

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  17. Part of the joy of cooking is the "hit and miss" It's proof, that we are out there trying new foods, looking for new recipes and just enjoying food.

    I love Ina Garten. I have her new cookbook too! We always joke about Jefferey too. My husband always says "if he could only be Jefferey" :-)

    I hope that you will give Tres Leche cake another try using a different recipe. It's the type of cake, that deserves at least 3 chances before the idea gets ditched (smile).

    Great post.
    Velva

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  18. I see your chicken is into foot bondage....ha ha

    I've had my share of misses lately too, but usually when I follow a recipe to a T :)

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  19. It is always good to know which ones are a miss. I unfortunately have tried several of Trisha's recipes that were failures. The chicken looks fabulous though!

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  20. The potato risotto with that perfect looking chicken is amazing. It's good to see and know some of the misses--thanks for sharing. ;-)

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  21. Fun post, Kim. Tres Leches is an acquired taste, I think. It's a very mild, vanilla-ey cake.
    We all have our misses, but our winners make up for it!

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  22. Ah, thats the thing, you cant win them all when it comes to cooking and baking. I guess it lets us appreciate the winners all the more.
    Hope you are having a great weekend.
    *kisses* HH

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  23. I so appreciate your honesty. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  24. Tres Leches Cake is my favorite cake and it is very popular in Colombia! Sorry you did not love it! I made a chocolate version and I will be posting it really soon, maybe you can try that one :)

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  25. Oh Kim, I feel your pain! I hate the misses. What I hate more is when I spent time photographing the misses and THEN take a bite. I have too many to count.

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  26. We have all had the hits and misses! Too bad that Tres leches cake was a miss - it's beautiful. Roasted chicken is always a hit here and thanks again for sending me that Dorie recipe. Just the thing for us :-)

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  27. Definitely good to know that I'm not the only one that has misses! I've got that Ina Garten cookbook, and you've definitely inspired me to make that chicken soon!

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  28. This is a great post! I made a clam chowder and it was horrific!! OMG ~ I couldnt eat for 24hrs after because the thought of food turned my stomach and all I could think of was the taste of the horrible clam chowder. Needless to say I dislike clam chowder! But ~ I'm sad :( you did'nt like the Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins. We loved them, i even posted them and I'm making them for our Christmas dessert table. Love your blog!

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  29. It's always fun to look back on everything you've made!! I had good luck with the pumpkin donut muffins..everyone loved them! Oh well!

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