Pappardelle w/Corn & Feta

by Irene Lindvall

I was looking for a really simple recipe after yesterday's whirlwind of cooking. I used fresh pasta, fresh corn and shiitake mushrooms instead of button mushrooms (gross). On top of the richness that the mushrooms provided, the pasta water that was added with the feta really turned the dish into a very creamy dish. It was perhaps a little too much for a summer dish, but I could see it as a nice comfort food in the winter. It did fit the bill of being quick and easy.

Things I learned from this recipe:

Jalapeños with pasta is an interesting new flavor. I can see doing this in the future.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Maybe

The recipe 

FIVE RECIPE DAY

by Irene Lindvall

IT'S A FIVE RECIPE DAY!!!!! Sorry for the all CAPS statement but I couldn't help myself. I hosted a game night for 10 and was very excited about having a large group of people tryout some new dishes.  I couldn't narrow down what I wanted to make so I opted to make five new dishes that are best for groups. The dishes have varying degrees of difficulty and cooking times which helped when I found myself cooking and prepping almost all day.

Please enjoy the long post, and I apologize for missing photos. I was extremely busy and failed to take a lot of the finished dish photos.

Mango Chicken Boats w/Macadamia Nuts

I was pretty excited about this dish as I have a new found love for endive. It also gave me the opportunity to learn how to pick a mango - not too soft, color doesn't matter, and it should smell delicious at the stem. 

In terms of the recipe, I decided not to add the tarragon it called for because I am really not a fan, and I instead intended to put basil in it which is an okay alternative according to the internet. It sounded like a good idea, but this was the last dish I was putting together before people starting walking in the door and I forgot. I think the oversight was okay because this ended up being the most enjoyed dish of the night.

Things I learned from this recipe:

Buy a couple more heads of endive than the recipe calls for. You don't want to use the outer ones and they are easy to rip and your boat will not really be a boat with a ripped piece of endive.

I also served this with small slices of baguette and it tasted just as good.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Yes

The recipe

 

Cucumber-Honeydew Salad w/Feta

I knew I could never make this dish just for Eric so I thought a party setting was best. I thought the taste was great and many of my guests agreed. It definitely looks just like a cucumber salad until you get a taste of the honeydew with it.

Please excuse the extremely sad photo of the non-existent salad. I was a little busy and this was all I got of the salad. I took this photo to show how I cut honeydew into cubes. I'm sure most of you do it this way, but if not, I highly recommend it! 

Things I learned from this recipe:

I drained a good amount of liquid from the salad prior to serving. 

Best served where many people can enjoy.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Yes

The recipe

 

Caramelized Onion Dip

Game night is the perfect excuse to make a dip. I loved the idea of caramelized onions in a dip and knew this would be a good choice. The onions ended up taking much longer to cook than the directions said simply because they wanted them to turn golden on medium-low heat which would never happen on my stove. By the 15th minute I decided to turn it up to medium-high and cooked them an additional 8-10 minutes to make them golden. I also think the recipe called for too much sugar when cooking the onions and I'd probably cut it in half when making it again. Overall, a good dip but it was a little sweet. Using our Walla Walla sweet onions may make a good alternative to adding refined sugar or at least cutting down on the added sugar.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I'm not going to lie - best served with Ruffles potato chips.

Tastes better than the photo looks.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Yes

The recipe

 

Crock-Pot Chocolate Candy

I had really high hopes for this chocolate candy. I loved the idea of cooking it in the slow cooker, transitioning it to muffin tins and walking away. That said, I've always been a firm believer in the more effort you put into things the more you get out of them - cooking is no exception. While I've cooked a couple of good dishes in the slow cooker I've never been totally  blown away and this candy definitely didn't do it for me. It really was just so-so chocolate and peanuts.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I only ended up making a half batch because my slow cooker is too small and it resulted in almost a full batch when cooked.

Would I make this recipe again?:

No

The recipe

 

Smoky Salmon Chive Spread

My mom has always served spreads at gatherings and I've always enjoyed them. I usually buy them, but I've been holding onto this one for awhile wondering who I was going to make it for since Eric isn't the biggest fan. I made it first thing in the morning and let it chill all day so he was my first taste tester and I could tell it wasn't really his speed. I enjoyed it and like the combination of can and smoked salmon. I added more chives after the photo was taken due to underestimating how many it was going to take to reach three tablespoons full. I definitely like the color the chives added.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I found out what hot-smoked salmon is. It really does mean cooking the salmon at a higher temperature (not some hot added spice), but the purpose of this is to get the salmon texture I needed for the recipe - the type that crumbles. Regular or cold-smoked is the silkier type that you often find in slices 

Would I make this recipe again?:

Yes

The recipe

 

Scallops w/Orange, Avocado, and Jicama

by Irene Lindvall

I was drawn to this dish because of the light and summer-y ingredients. The funny thing is that the potatoes ended up being the winner in this dish. Maybe that is because they were cooked in a fair amount of buttered and then cooked to a nice golden crisp - I'm sure that's why. To be fair, the orange combined with radish and avocado was a pleasant surprise and was quite delicious. I didn't care too much for the jicama - pronounced "hick-a-ma" not "gee-ka-ma" like I may have said many years ago in a restaurant when I didn't know what it was. It doesn't do a lot for me and it definitely wasn't necessary for this dish.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I maybe should not have used the cast iron skillet took cook the scallops because they did not cook in the 1.5 minutes like the recipe said they should. In fact, they took closer to 10-12 minutes. It was a little frustrating, but in the end, they still tasted good.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Maybe

The recipe

Chicken Steamed Over Ginger-Garlic Rice

by Irene Lindvall

I'm not just hooked on Sunset recipes, but more specifically I enjoy their 30 minute recipes because they're usually very easy to make and quite tasty. This dish was no exception and I really liked all the flavors. The cilantro-jalapeño sauce was delicious, the cold cucumbers were refreshing, and I liked the extra kick from the red chili peppers. The only thing that did not work for me was the rice. Oh, the long grained rice. I had a feeling it wouldn't cook any different that the times before when it failed (why would it?) so my plan B was to use frozen rice. Always have a plan B. To make up for the fact that the rice hadn't been cooking in the delicious ginger-garlic broth, I poured some over the rice when I plated it. Perfect solution.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I could see using this sauce on other occasions.

Basmati rice and I DO NOT get along. In fact, we are through. 

Extra cucumbers are a must, as well as a few extra red chili pepper slices.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Probably. Definitely the sauce portion.

The recipe:

Unfortunately it is not available online yet since it is in the July issue of Sunset. I will link to it when it becomes available. 

Salmon w/Citrus-Soy Sauce & Bok Choy

by Irene Lindvall

I opted to make this for lunch today since we both had dinner plans, and I purchased smaller sized salmon fillets because of this. It was sunny out so it was a very pleasant meal to have on the deck on a warm day. The leek/bok choy combination was tasty. The only thing I may have missed on was I think I added a little too much salt somewhere in the process. It didn't impact it too much, but I did notice. Eric noticed something spicy but couldn't pin point it - it was the cayenne pepper added on top of the salmon before baking, which I almost forgot to put on. I really enjoyed that flavor coupled with the asian flavor sauce.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I had beautifully curled strips of daikon (white radish) that I forgot to include on the top as garnish - so upsetting!

Would I make this recipe again?:

Yes

The recipe