The Great Experiment Part 7: Ending with a Home Run and a Whole Lot of Visitors

Last July I began The Great Experiment.  You may remember I left my recipe box behind and determined to try new recipes.  Though I didn't try as many as I envisioned, I still had fun.  One of my favorite blogs for finding new recipes is The Recipe Critic.  Since I'm very visual when it comes to cooking, I love her photos and the ratings she gives in the categories of taste and difficulty.  I decided to close this experiment with two of her recipes.

We were having some very special guests over for dinner so why not experiment?  (My mother said that only brave women do that!)  I decided to try The Recipe Critic's Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas . I would post my one picture but frankly, I don't think you would want to try the recipe after looking at it.  But I will say this recipe got my Father's nod of approval which is why I deemed it a home run.  I tried to get him to follow in my brother's footsteps and give his critic on camera but he wasn't keen on that.  I can't imagine why not!

Anyway, taking pictures of the guests was more important than taking pictures of the food because....

 

I got to see the Malletts for the first time since 2006!

 

 

And let me tell you, they have some very sweet kiddos - ones that like to read books

 

 

and don't mind getting a wash down by our family's compulsive licker, Miss Iya, herself.

 

Thursday night found us dining with the Schmidts, fellow members of the SIM Niger family.  It was great to catch up with them!  It was unfortunate that my camera was tucked away so all I have to show for this visit is the dessert we ate.  I made Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Blondies. 

 

 

I made some changes like using crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth and adding some peanut butter chips into the mix too.  Overall, they were good but a little bit on the greasy side. 

 

Tonight we had some more visitors.  This time from Canada.  Bet you can't guess what brought them down south! 

 

 

In fact, these kids found out they were going to Disney World only moments before they hopped in the van to go.  Surprise vacation - now that's an idea I love! 

 

 

It was great fun to catch up with the Armstrongs, friends since Parkway Bible Church youth group days!

 

Anyone else want to drop in for a visit?  There's plenty of leftovers! :)

Acquiring a New Skill Set

For the last four weeks, I've been working on acquiring a new skill set and it's of the creative variety.  I know you're shocked, right?  I was celebrating a birthday (not my own) with some friends of mine, one of whom is a masterful cake decorator.  She had, in fact, made the birthday cake for the meal.  As we chatted, I mentioned that I had been thinking about taking the Wilton Cake Decorating Course at Michaels or Hobby Lobby.  She had taught the course before and offered to teach me the basics in four weeks.  So the last four weeks she's been teaching me how to make rosettes, shells, vines, leaves, SHELLS, balls, roses, SHELLS!  (Someone is a slow learner with the shells!)  Tonight we put it altogether and this is what came out.

Still not the best at making shells but in the end it's not that noticeable that I need to spend some more time at the beach!

Have to celebrate something!

It's amazing how great it looks when you put it altogether!

In the middle of our decorating session my amazing teacher said that if my cake didn't look good I wasn't to tell anyone where I picked up my "mad skills".  Ha!  The good news is I think she's claiming me because she took her picture with me!

Thanks bunches, Laura.  You are an amazing teacher!

The Great Experiment Part 6: Lasagna Soup - Loathe It or Love It?

Lasagna - my last experience with lasagna went something like this.  I saw someone's lasagna lunch and thought to myself, "That looks mighty delicious!"  After inquiring as to where the lasagna came from, I found out that it was a Nigerien lady who made the lasagna.  I asked the lady if she had ever sold a lasagna to anyone and how much did she think it might cost.  Little did I realize that that question was basically as good as a request to have a lasagna made.  A week or so later, the friendly cook appeared at my door with a 9x13 pan of lasagna and I was out close to $40.  Yep, lasagna doesn't come cheap in Niger and I certainly learned a lesson - don't ask questions about things you aren't willing to pay for!  That wasn't the only lesson I learned.  Eating a whole pan of lasagna all by yourself can be quite tiresome.  In fact, you might even find that you come to loathe lasagna especially when buying one pan inadvertently leads to buying two more.  Don't even ask about that!

Lasagna Soup, however, is an altogether different story.  It seems like a bit of a weird concept but I am telling you that this stuff is delicious!  I even employed a hand model to demonstrate its cheesy goodness.  I paid her in soup.

This recipe received rave reviews and recipe requests from all the guests who partook of its goodness but the true test came when I had to eat it for leftovers for the rest of the week.  I honestly felt that it became tastier as time went on.  Lasagna Soup?  LOVE IT!

Niger Note:  Ricotta cheese is not easy to come by in Niger but I ate a bowl or two with just some mozzarella on top and I thought it was just as delicious without the ricotta.

The Great Experiment Part Five: Hominy & Other Good Stuff



Homi whatey?  I've heard of hominy before but I honestly had no clue what it was so when I decided to make Chicken Tortilla Soup and follow this recipe which called for hominy I didn't know exactly where to look.  Hominy sounded like a bean to me so I stood in the bean section of the grocery store trying to locate it but eventually I found it next to the cans of corn.  You can't see it on the can but it really appeared to be on a cob...so in my mind, I thought hominy was white corn.  When I tasted it though, it bore no resemblance to corn in taste or appearance.  It was definitely weird but the good news is that in this soup it was really nothing more than a filler.  I'm not sure if it's possible to buy hominy in Niger but it would be easy to substitute something else in it's place.    

 

So without further ado, here's the recipe with the modifications I made based on one of the reviews on allrecipes.com .

Chicken Tortilla Soup (8 servings)

Makes servings USMetricAdjust Recipe (Help)

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbs olive oil

2 boneless chicken breast halves cut in bite size pieces

1 tsp lime juice

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

4 cups chicken broth

1 can water

1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked

1 cup white hominy

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

crushed tortilla chips

sliced avocado

shredded Monterey Jack cheese

chopped green onions

In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic and chicken in oil until cooked. Stir in lime juice, cumin, garlic, chili powder, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in corn, hominy, chiles, beans and cilantro. Simmer for 1 hour. Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, cheese, and chopped green onion.

 

Next up is Chicken Fricassee.  I made this a couple of years ago when I was at my brother's house using his Better Homes & Garden cookbook and it was delicious but I didn't copy the recipe down thinking it would be in my Better Homes & Garden cookbook.  But it wasn't.  So now I'm recording it on the old blog and will have access to it any time (...the electricity & internet are working).  It's a Niger friendly recipe so let the cooking begin!

 

Chicken Fricassee
(Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook)

1/4 cup flour
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 to 2 1/2 pounds meaty chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, drumsticks)
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1 cup halved fresh mushrooms
1/3 cup chopped greeen or sweet red pepper or celery
1/3 cup sliced green onion
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp dried basil, marjoram, oregano or thyme, crushed
1/4 cup light cream or milk
1 Tbsp flour
2 cups hot cooked noodles

In a plastic or paper bag combine the 1/4 up flour, paprika, salt & pepper.  Skin chicken if desired.  Rinse; pat dry.  Add chicken, two or three pieces at a time to the bag, shaking to coat well.

In a skillet cook chicken in oil about 15 minutes or till lightly browned, turning to brown evenly.  Remove chicken; set aside.

Add mushrooms, green or red pepper or celery and green onion to the skillet.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Stir in chicken broth and basil, marjoram, oregano or thyme.

Bring to boiling, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.  Return chicken to the skillet.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes or till chicken is tender and no longer pink.

Transfer chicken and veggies to a platter; keep warm.  Measure 3/4 cup of the pan juices an return to the skillet.  Stir cream or milk into the Tbsp of flour.  Stir into pan juices.  Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly.  Cook and stir for 1 more minute.

Spoon sauce over the chicken.  Serve with hot noodles.

And last but not least I finally tried one of the very first recipes I pinned - Buffalo Chicken Garbage Bread but instead of buying store bought dough I made my own using this recipe.  If you love buffalo chicken wings you'll enjoy this and I have to say that the leftovers might just have been tastier than the first time around. 

 

Here's hoping you feel inspired to get into that kitchen and try something new!

The Great Experiment Part 4: Christmas Cookies

Not since October have I posted any new recipes in my ongoing experiment which began here.  That was due in part to my trip to Toronto and the busyness of Christmas. But never fear, I have been experimenting!

I had so many delightful Christmas treats pinned but there really is a limit to how many Christmas Cookies one can make and consume.  Not to mention, whipping up seven different kinds of cookies can wear you out.  So without further ado, I present the four Christmas treats that were a part of the experiment.

First up, Christmas Balls.  Karen and I made these little puppies together.  It was our first foray into the world of cake balls.  Boy do we have a lot to learn!  

This was definitely a time intensive process here.  As Karen is demonstrating, we had our moments!  And the final result...

...yep, they look a little more like Christmas bombs than Christmas ornaments.  At least they tasted good!

Then we tried Candy Cane Blossoms.  However, rather than following the recipe we just used leftover sugar cookie dough and rolled it in green and red sugar and called it done.  It was perfect as the kids had lost interest in rolling and cutting out cookies!

Those were so yummy I decided to try a different version called Cherry Chocolate Kisses.

 

And last but not least, I made these holiday pretzels.  I was introduced to them about five years ago around Thanksgiving time.  They are simple and quick, not to mention the perfect combination of sweet and salty.

 

 

Should you choose to try any one of these recipes next Christmas, you won't be disappointed.  They are all perfectly delicious even if they aren't all equally beautiful! 



A Little Christmas Cookie Miracle

Today was a full on baking day in the Botheras' household.  My brother wanted to bless the people in his workplace with some Christmas treats.  There are over 70 truck drivers so we had to get down to work.  A whole lot of ginger snaps, sugar cookies, chocolate crinkles, peppermint crunch cookies, chocolate chip cookies, rice krispie treats, brownies and cherry kiss cookies later...

 

 

what to our wandering eyes should appear but a brother bent on evil intent.

 

 

Check out that eyebrow! 

 

Every man must make his contribution.  But don't worry though it may appear so, I assure you, his was not a little bit of spit to hold the decoration in place.

 

 

In actual fact, Kent thought we may have overdone it a bit (Surprise! Surprise!).  So he called some friends of his who have a ministry to the homeless in Charlotte and inquired whether they might like to have some cookies for the people who came through their doors tomorrow.  And this is where the Christmas miracle happened.  They were planning a party for tomorrow but somehow the person who was supposed to make the treats wasn't able to do it.  Did they need cookies?  Absolutely! 

 

Wow!  We all had a smile on our face after that phone call.  Kent listened to the Holy Spirit as he placed these friends on his heart and we were able to meet a need we didn't even know about.  That made all the hard work even more worth it!  And that was our little Christmas cookie miracle.

The Great Experiment: Part Three (In Which My Brother Gives His Expert Opinion)

The Great Experiment continues.  I have tried out three new recipes all of which are Niger friendly.  In other words, without too much difficulty or substituting they could easily be made in Niger.

First up is something sweet for a change.  Everywhere I look there are pumpkins and so I've had quite the hankering (yep, a hankering) for pumpkin and chocolate mixed together in something delicious.  I chose this recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread.

Mmm, warm & buttery goodness!

Stop whatever you are doing and make yourself some.  It's delicious and it even makes enough to share with a friend!

Next up is this recipe for Lemon Chicken. 

I started making this before I realized that the recipe called for the chicken to be marinated in the lemon juice.  Oops!  So I just poured the juice over top and let it cook away.  It was very lemony on the outside.  Maybe marinating it would have allowed the juices to permeate the chicken.  Anyway, even though the lemon taste was a bit overpowering, I actually enjoyed this recipe.  The only thing that was kind of tricky is figuring out what to eat with it as sides.  Any ideas?

Last up is actually a recipe for Shepherd's Pie that my cousin Cheryl gave me.  She fixed it for us and it was delicious so I thought I would give it a whirl too. Simple (especially if you cheat and use instant mashed potatoes) but very yummy especially the topping!

Here's the recipe: 

Cheryl's Shepherd Pie

1 lb ground beef
1/2 C. chopped celery
1 small chopped onion
1 clove garlic minced

2Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

1 C. boiling water
1 beef bouillon cube

3 C. mashed potatoes

Brown beef, celery, onion and garlic in a frying pan.  Drain off excess oil or liquid.  Stir in flour, salt and pepper.  Add bouillon cube and pour boiling water over top.  Stir until boiling and thickened.  Spread in 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.  You can add a layer of vegetables if you so desire.  Cover with mashed potatoes.

Topping: 

1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup croutons (crushed up a bit)
1/2 cup shredded cheese 

Melt butter.  Stir in croutons until coated. Sprinkle over mashed potatoes.  Then cover with shredded cheese.

Bake uncovered in oven at 350 F for 30 minutes or until heated through and potatoes are browned.  Serves 4.

Well it turns out that my brother is a faithful reader of my blog.  So he has been read in and understands his role as a guinea pig in The Great Experiment.  As a result, he was coerced into offering his expert opinion on the Shepherd's Pie and here's what he had to say:

Funny guy!  The conversation got even better when I thought I had accidentally deleted his critique.

K:  Phew,  I've successfully avoided my 15 minutes of fame.

B:  If you think you are going to get famous on my blog, you are sorely mistaken!  Well, look at that,  I've located the video. 

 

Kent, you're time has come!  If I hit the big time, I am sure it will be all because of the Grey Poupon comment. Thanks for participating with enthusiasm in my crazy little experiment.

The Great Experiment: Part Two

You may remember that I made a deliberate choice to leave all my recipes in Niger.  Instead of trusting in my tried and true recipes, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to branch out and try new recipes that I have been pinning in the last year or so.  You can read all about the first five recipes I tried right here.  But now it's time to reveal my latest adventures in the kitchen.

First up, is Cheesy Baked Ziti found at The Recipe Critic.
Yummo!  I followed the recipe as is and it was delicious.  I've made a version of this in Niger but the sausage and pepperoni mix added a different sort of flavouring.  I highly recommend this one.

Next up is this recipe for Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup found at Random Thoughts and Thrills

Now admittedly, this soup probably didn't have a chance of success in my book because I happen to love my Mom's Tomato Soup recipe but I tried it because it looked deliciously cheesy.  I was not impressed.  However, my brother (not sure that he realizes he is a guinea pig) raved about this soup.  He thought it was hearty and filling so there you have it.  You can make it and decide for yourself.

Moving on to The Pioneer Woman and her Pepperoni Pizza Burgers.
I followed the recipe on these except for the fact that I did not use the mix of sausage and hamburger.  These were good but I think my favorite part was the toasted bun for my burger.  A toasted bun for a burger is a great idea for all future burgers but instead of toasting it in the frying pan, I would toast it in my toaster oven.  One less dish to wash!

This past Sunday I dropped a dozen eggs on the floor and nine of them broke so I was looking for a way to use lots of eggs which led me to make crepes.  The joy of eating crepes was kind of killed when we discovered mold in the syrup we had been eating.  Yuck!  Needless to say there were leftover crepes so I decided to try this Mushroom Ham Crepe Casserole. 

 

I followed the whole recipe except for making the actual crepes since that had already been done. I also substitued cheddar for the gruyere cheese. I was skeptical about the nutmeg/mustard combination but it turned out yummy.  The best part about this recipe is that all the ingredients are available in Niger.

 

Wow!  After posting all these recipes it would appear that I am totally obsessed with cheese which is not entirely untrue.  I do love it! 

 

Well there you have it - Round Two is complete.  Hope you find something delicious and new to try today.



The Great Experiment: Part One

When I left Niger I made a deliberate choice to leave behind all my recipes mostly because I didn't want to lug my recipe box back and forth across the ocean.  I also thought it would be good chance to try some of the yummy looking recipes I've pinned in the last year.

In July the experimenting began and the theme was chicken - the whiter the meat the better since it's not often that we get to enjoy white meat in Niger!

Inspired by the Olympics, I thought I would hand out some medals.  In 5th place it was Chicken Cesar Sandwiches. These are incredibly easy to make and great for a nice light meal.

Finishing just off the podium in 4th place was this White Chili Recipe.  This had awesome flavor but I will say that if you plan on making it you should be careful with the Cayenne pepper.  Definitely cut back!

Coming in 3rd place is this recipe for Mexican Stuffed Shells.  I've never made stuffed shells in my life so this was a first for me.  I loved the flavours in this recipe.  Very different from Italian but it's delicious and the only thing I've made without chicken!

It's a tight finish between 2nd and 1st.  Coming in 2nd is this recipe for Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas.  If this medal was being given for suitablity for Niger this recipe would definitely win.  It's delicious and the ingredients can all be found/substituted for in Niger.  I loved the flavour of lime and chicken together.

And the gold medal finish goes to Summer Squash Chicken Alfredo.  This is the first time I've ever used sun-dried tomatoes and let me tell you they are delicious especially combined with the squash, the bacon and the sliced almonds.  Yummo!

There you have it...part one of the experiment yielded lots of chicken goodness and not a loser in the bunch! 

Which one are you tempted to try?

Culinary Masterpiece

Uhhh, yeah. So I designed it to look that way!

Chocolate Fiend

Calling all chocoholics! I discovered this cookie recipe on the internet and it has become my new favorite. There is just something about boxed brownies that is inexplicably yummy. These cookies have all the goodness of a boxed brownie. Gooey in the center but that nice little brownie crust on the outside!

Brownie Bites

4 sq unsweetened baking chocolate (12 TBS cocoa)

3/4 C. butter

2 C. sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 C. flour

Melt chocolate & butter until completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs & vanilla. Add flour and mix well. Refrigerate 20 min. or until dough is easy to handle. Turn oven to 350 degrees. Shape into 1 inch balls & place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheet. Bake 9 minutes or until set. Don't overbake. Let stand 1 min & transfer to wire racks to cool.

Options: Directly after removing from the oven press one of the following onto the top: M&M, walnut half, marshmallow half, candy canes coarsley chopped or drizzle melted semi-sweet chocolate over top.

Regular little Betty Crocker...

It is so easy to get into the habit of eating out when you have the resources and there are lots of places to go. My teacher salary allowed for this kind of lifestyle but I'm tightening up the purse strings a bit here so its back to being a regular little Betty Crocker for me. The week started off with a spaghetti surprise! I definitely won't be revisiting that dish as I had all I want in leftovers...another thing I'm going to have to be better about...eating leftovers. Then there were tuna melts...mmm. Roasted chicken with salad....very yummy. The leftover chicken got turned into Chicken Noodle soup which was delicious. Today more left over chicken got turned into a chicken salad with grapes sandwich...highly recommended if you have never experienced such a sandwich. Finally, today, I made some homemade pizza. It was great but I did burn the roof of my mouth quite badly! So there you have it, I can cook when forced.