Recipe Report #3b & #4a
Hm... so I thought that blogging weekly about what we've eaten and are eating would ensure some more regularity. Oops. That said, at least I only stopped blogging about it, and didn't stop eating altogether.
But back on track. We slowed down a bit on the new recipes since my last update, if only because it took us a while before we were able to get to the grocery store and stock up on everything. Here's a quick overview of what we've had since the last update.
Orange Chicken -- J: 4.5/5 B: 4/5
Description: Just like it sounds, chicken with an orange marinade. Nothing particularly unusual as far as ingredients go -- in fact, this is the first recipe we've done for which all the ingredients were already in the kitchen. Granted, our kitchen wasn't exactly equipped for cooking before these experiments (things like spices, worchestershire sauce, lemon and lime juice, and things like fresh onions and different varieties of peppers which aren't *unusual*, we just didn't generally stock them).
Comments: We served it over couscous, but in retrospect, rice would have been better. The ratings are for just the chicken, though. My qualm with this dish is how extremely sweet the sauce was; it was almost like an orange marmelade. However, one can always cut back on the sugar the next go-around.
Pork Chops -- J: 5/5 B: 5/5
Description: Marinate these pork chops overnight, then throw them on the grill for a sweet but tangy flavour. Served with Spanish Rice (see review below).
Comments: Fabulous marinate. And I mean, totally fab. This one does require planning ahead, since it requires at least 8 hours to sit in the marinade. But the end result is a great tasting meat.
Spanish Rice -- J: 4/5 B: 3/5
Description: Fairly normal spanish rice, which means it's got a kick. Oh... and in case you were wondering (not that you were, but...) -- we did find quick cooking brown rice. A definite relief, considering this is another brown-rice recipe.
Comments: Like I said, it's got a kick, and I guess it just wasn't my style. Not that there was anything wrong with the recipe, it just wasn't my "thing." If we added corn, the flavour might be just "weakened" enough.
Pork-u-Pine Kabobs -- J: 4.5/5 B: 3.5/5
Description: Grilled kabobs where the pork is marinated (the marinade has peach -- or apricot -- jam in it... who woulda thought?) before being skewered together with zucchini, red peppers and pineapple (for those who eat that kind of thing).
Comments: Obviously, I passed on the pineapple, and actually passed on most of the zucchini too -- just wasn't a good flavour for me, though J seemed to like it alright. We also had green peppers instead of red, which actually worked out fine. The peppers took the flavour of the marinade on really nicely (you baste them as they're grilling), and gave them a flavour that even this non-pepper fan could handle. For just the meat and the peppers, though, it wasn't worth it to me. I'd rather just use the marinade and forget the kabob-ing.
Potato Salad -- J: 1.5/5 B: 1/5
Description: A potato salad which uses a vinagrette dressing rather than a creamy one. Red potatoes and an oil + red-wine vinegar + seasonings make up the dressing. This one was a side to the kabobs (above).
Comments: The first recipe we've made that I just couldn't finish. Whether there was too much red wine vinegar, or whether I just don't like the flavour, I don't know. But I don't want to have it again. Oh well, you live, you learn.
Update on the new recipes forthcoming. [edit: wow, did I just say that? I didn't even notice at the time, but that's the exact same way I finished off the *last* report]
But back on track. We slowed down a bit on the new recipes since my last update, if only because it took us a while before we were able to get to the grocery store and stock up on everything. Here's a quick overview of what we've had since the last update.
Orange Chicken -- J: 4.5/5 B: 4/5
Description: Just like it sounds, chicken with an orange marinade. Nothing particularly unusual as far as ingredients go -- in fact, this is the first recipe we've done for which all the ingredients were already in the kitchen. Granted, our kitchen wasn't exactly equipped for cooking before these experiments (things like spices, worchestershire sauce, lemon and lime juice, and things like fresh onions and different varieties of peppers which aren't *unusual*, we just didn't generally stock them).
Comments: We served it over couscous, but in retrospect, rice would have been better. The ratings are for just the chicken, though. My qualm with this dish is how extremely sweet the sauce was; it was almost like an orange marmelade. However, one can always cut back on the sugar the next go-around.
Pork Chops -- J: 5/5 B: 5/5
Description: Marinate these pork chops overnight, then throw them on the grill for a sweet but tangy flavour. Served with Spanish Rice (see review below).
Comments: Fabulous marinate. And I mean, totally fab. This one does require planning ahead, since it requires at least 8 hours to sit in the marinade. But the end result is a great tasting meat.
Spanish Rice -- J: 4/5 B: 3/5
Description: Fairly normal spanish rice, which means it's got a kick. Oh... and in case you were wondering (not that you were, but...) -- we did find quick cooking brown rice. A definite relief, considering this is another brown-rice recipe.
Comments: Like I said, it's got a kick, and I guess it just wasn't my style. Not that there was anything wrong with the recipe, it just wasn't my "thing." If we added corn, the flavour might be just "weakened" enough.
Pork-u-Pine Kabobs -- J: 4.5/5 B: 3.5/5
Description: Grilled kabobs where the pork is marinated (the marinade has peach -- or apricot -- jam in it... who woulda thought?) before being skewered together with zucchini, red peppers and pineapple (for those who eat that kind of thing).
Comments: Obviously, I passed on the pineapple, and actually passed on most of the zucchini too -- just wasn't a good flavour for me, though J seemed to like it alright. We also had green peppers instead of red, which actually worked out fine. The peppers took the flavour of the marinade on really nicely (you baste them as they're grilling), and gave them a flavour that even this non-pepper fan could handle. For just the meat and the peppers, though, it wasn't worth it to me. I'd rather just use the marinade and forget the kabob-ing.
Potato Salad -- J: 1.5/5 B: 1/5
Description: A potato salad which uses a vinagrette dressing rather than a creamy one. Red potatoes and an oil + red-wine vinegar + seasonings make up the dressing. This one was a side to the kabobs (above).
Comments: The first recipe we've made that I just couldn't finish. Whether there was too much red wine vinegar, or whether I just don't like the flavour, I don't know. But I don't want to have it again. Oh well, you live, you learn.
Update on the new recipes forthcoming. [edit: wow, did I just say that? I didn't even notice at the time, but that's the exact same way I finished off the *last* report]
