I’ve been trying a lot of new recipes lately. Risky business, as any busy mom knows. There are a lot of things that can go wrong.
First of all, the chances of my family liking a knew recipe are not great. They know what they like, and it’s already in the dinner rotation. Throwing something new in the mix is like a game of roulette. I throw the dice and hope for a win. Otherwise, a whole lot of planning, prepping and praying goes to waste.
The two recipes I tried this week went over fairly well. The first, coconut chicken, was eaten with zero complaints (a win if you ask me) and the other, Eggroll in a Bowl, practically received a round of applause. I barely had the table cleared before I printed it out and put it in my three ring, recipe binder.
There is one more hurdle to clear before “Egg Roll in a Bowl” officially enters the rotation though: the second attempt. I feel optimistic that it will survive the elimination round. It’s pretty straightforward and seems difficult to screw up.
We’ll see what happens.
It’s actually kind of amazing how many recipes die on the second attempt. Two, that come immediately to mind, are goat cheese filled fig muffins and bacon cheeseburger sliders.
In hindsight, the fussy ass fig muffins were predictable. It’s a miracle they were edible on the first try, let alone delicious. And they were delicious…the first time. Even though the second and third attempts were catastrophic, the recipe still occupies a spot in my binder. I’m holding out hope I’ll be able to replicate that first batch someday.
The sliders, on the other hand….I have no excuses. They were a huge success the first time I made them, and even better the second day. They were so good, I decided to whip up a batch for my mom’s annual Super Bowl party….where they flopped.
I made a lot of avoidable mistakes. Mostly, messing with the recipe.
The ratios were all wrong - I got overzealous with the meat mixture and underzealous with the cheese.
I used ground moose meat instead of beef - It’s what I had on hand and typically an excellent substitute, but I’m pointing fingers here. Might as well blame the moose.
I completely omitted the sauce - an overreaction to a remark that the first batch would’ve been better without it.
The sliders sat on the table, amongst all of the other game day delicacies, virtually untouched.
Nobody likes a soggy sandwich.
I’ve made them a number of times since, with a variety of little improvements, and they’ve never quite reached that initial glory. Fortunately, they are always excellent next day. Maybe they’re like lasagna, which I refer to as a “day two dinner”. It’s always tastier on the second day.
Will the seemingly perfect “Egg Roll in a Bowl” recipe perform as well in an encore? Only time will tell. I’ll give it a few weeks and revisit it. I’m confident I can nail it if I resist the urge to “tweak” the recipe. No promises.
Until then, there is one more recipe I want to try. I found it on tiktok! It’s a tutorial for “Pick People Up at the Airport Sandwiches”
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The first time I watched the video, I was like “Fair enough. I like sandwiches and I go to airports.” but the more I thought about it, the more questions I had. For one…how many people is this lady picking up at the airport? I pick people up at the airport maybe four times a year and those people are my husband. I’m not making him sandwiches that’s for sure. I expect to be taken out to dinner immediately.
Come to think of it, if I’m picking you up at the airport, you better be bringing me a sandwich! That’s a major inconvenience.
Regardless, they look amazing and she swears the hoards of travelers she chauffeurs go bananas over her “special airport sandwiches”.
I don’t have anyone to pick up at the airport anytime soon, but maybe they can be “I packed you a school lunch and I hope you don’t hate it” sandwiches or “I didn’t feel like cooking, if you don’t like it make a box of Mac and cheese” sandwiches or “Have fun on your adventure, thanks for not expecting me to come” sandwiches.
Any of those should work.
Please let me know…..
If you try them - Were they as delicious as they looked?
Did you bring them to the arrivals terminal? We’re they well received?
If they aren’t “picking people up at the airport” sandwiches, what kind of sandwiched should they be?
RECIPES
Egg Roll in a Bowl Once - Upon a Chef
There are thousands of recipes for ERIAB on the internet. They are all similar with slight variations. This is the one I used.
Cherry Chip Cake with Whipped Vanilla Buttercream - Completely Delicious
This recipe for “old fashioned” Cherry Chip Cake is a winner, with a few caveats. The cake is moist and flavorful. I would NOT recommend making cupcakes, unless you have a lot of patience. They are delicate and sticky and difficult to remove from the pan. Even with cupcake liners. Also, the frosting is okay but not the best. I amped it up by adding cherry juice (from the maraschino cherry jar) and played with the ratios a bit. You can definitely find better frosting recipes out there.
Bacon Cheeseburger Slider Bake Recipe - Taste of Home
I have a love hate relationship with these sliders. They are hit and miss for me, but when they hit…they hit hard. So, I keep making them and hoping for the best. One note on the sauce : Do not follow the recipe! If you pour the sauce over as directed your sliders will get soggy. I brush a little bit over the tops before baking. Sometimes I don’t use it all. I think the sauce is delicious, my family disagrees. Sauce at your discretion.
Honey and Goat Cheese Filled Fig Muffins
Well, I tried to get a link for these but the recipe has been removed from the website. Ominous…..
Good thing I saved a copy!
These pictures are all that remain of the recipe that delivered the perfect muffin - Once. A high i’ve been chasing for almost ten years! The recipe says I printed it out on the May 5th, 2013. Wow. Are you brave enough to try them out? If you do, let me know how it goes.
This has me rolling! Much more fun to read than it feels when my starving family is not enjoying all that work. Excited to try egg roll in a bowl!
Katie ran out of cookies Sandwiches?