Two Recipe Night

by Irene Lindvall

To make up for no recipes yesterday (the new refrigerator is gorgeous by the way!) I did two this evening. We had friends over for some holiday festivities this evening so I went with an old staple that I haven't made yet as well as a festive dessert.

Fiesta Chili Dip w/Ground Turkey & Corn

I got this recipe from The Seattle Times five years ago as an idea for a Super Bowl party. I made it that year and I have been making it ever since. It's great for large groups and it's really nice when the weather is cold. I liked it because it was made with ground turkey as well as vegetarian chili. This dish is really easy to change up as well. I like to add additional salsa afterwards and have tried it with guacamole, although I find that to be a little heavy. I generally serve it with tortilla chips as well as soft taco shells. It really could be eaten on it's own, but I like to make it a meal.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I forgot to add the corn to the frying pan prior to baking so I added it into the baking dish right before baking and mixed it in with the cheese. It turned out a little heavy on the color (photo 1) but it tasted just fine.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Yes

The recipe

 

Candy Cane Cake

I cannot tell a lie. I have been wanting to make this recipe all year. The appeal of the photo was unbelievable and I could not wait until candy canes were on sale this month. My original thought was to make it for Christmas dessert, but I have another great candy cane recipe saved for that night.

Back to this delicious cake. I saved time, as the recipe suggested, and bought a pre-made angel food cake round from the store. The recipe also has a recipe for homemade angel food cake which I will definitely be trying at some point. As for the whipped cream, I think there was a little too much, but we ended up filling the hole in the cake with the leftover so there was no waste! The best part about this recipe were the candy canes. Not only do you get to take some aggression out and crush them with a meat pounder, but you also get to throw them onto the cake. The last step says "Hold your hand about 1in. from the cake and gently toss crushed candy at the the sides." I thought this was so great that I enlisted the help of everyone to join in the throwing. The cake was a success and the taste was great. The crunch of the candy canes was very fun.

Things I learned from this recipe:

Baking is more fun with helpers!

Would I make this recipe again?:

Sure

The recipe

Three Recipe Night!

by Irene Lindvall

It's been quite some time since I've made three recipes in one night, and I have to say, I pulled it off really well tonight. I made a protein and two side dishes in an effort to try out more dishes before Thanksgiving. I thought tonight was a success and here is a photo of all three, followed by a break-down of each of the recipes.

Chile-Lime Turkey Patties

I didn't have leftover turkey for this recipe (it's supposed to be a post-Thanksgiving dish) so I decided to use raw ground turkey instead and combined it with all the other ingredients to make the patty. It ended up cooking in the same time the recipe called for which was great. Along with the patties, the recipe also had a lime butter sauce to make to accompany the dish. It was quite delicious and although I don't generally care for that much butter, it really did taste great.

Things I learned from this recipe:

This was a really great non-summer "burger". I liked the non-bun aspect and serving it with more traditional fall side dishes.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Yes

The recipe

 

Mashed Potatoes & Parsnips w/Crisp Root Vegetable Strips

I have zero experience making mashed potatoes and zero experience with parsnips. I really need to figure out mashed potatoes before Thanksgiving so I thought this would be a good introduction. This is also another two-part recipe with a really interesting topping of using the peels from both the potatoes and the parsnips to make crispy little pieces of deliciousness on top. There was an interesting part to the recipe of adding vegan coconut spread or vegan margarine to the recipe to bring out the sweetness of the parsnips. I added the margarine because that is what I could find at the store and I definitely think it did its job. The part of the recipe I'm unsure on is the yeast. I have no idea why it was added. I guess for more seasoning/taste? I have no experience with nutritional yeast and clearly will have to delve into its uses.

Things I learned from this recipe:

Using vegetable skin peels make an amazing accompaniment and I look forward to doing this for other dishes.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Yes

The recipe

 

Glazed Carrots w/Pecans

I wanted to make sure we got a vegetable in tonight so I went with an easy carrot dish I knew we'd both enjoy. The prep was done while I was waiting for the patties to cook and I cooked these last so they wouldn't be soggy. I cooked everything for one minute less and thought both the carrots and the pecans were the right firmness. The amount of brown sugar was way too much, but that could be easily rectified the next time I make it.

Things I learned from this recipe:

Brown sugar + vegetables = a very interesting treat.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Yes, but with less brown sugar.

The recipe