I don't consider myself an avid cook. Really, I cook because we need to eat, not because I love it. I do, however, really enjoy trying new recipes. (I know, that sounds contradictory, but that's just how it is.) Cooking new recipes tends to take more time - to find the recipes takes time and then I'm always slower cooking something for the first time. Lately I've been in the mood to try some new things, so here's what you might have found in our kitchen within the past couple weeks.
Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
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| Image from www.goodlifeeats.com |
I've never been a huge oatmeal fan, but I love pumpkin and new things for breakfast, so I gave these a try this morning.
Verdict: Both Javier & I really liked them. It made 4 servings, so we'll see how they reheat tomorrow. I'd make these again, especially if I had leftover pumpkin in the fridge like this morning. They also seem fairly healthy & kept me full longer than I expected.
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| Image courtesy of www.howto-simplify.com |
Yumm... pumpkin pancakes! I tried a different pumpkin pancake recipe a few weeks ago when my parents were in town. The other recipe stayed doughy inside, but these were delicious.
Verdict: Delicious! Definitely will make again.
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| Image courtesy of www.mamasminutia.blogspot.com |
These are easy to make, healthy, and uses almost entirely ingredients I normally keep on hand. I only had to buy apple juice for these.
Verdict: Amazing. Really, possibly a new favorite. Javier said they smelled really good while they were cooking, then when he tried them said they tasted even better than they smelled. :)
It's fall... apparently I can't get enough pumpkin. This recipe & the previous two pumpkin recipes used 1 can of pumpkin total. That's why I kept looking for pumpkin recipes... couldn't let any go to waste!
Verdict: These were just okay. Maybe I expected them to be more the consistency of brownies, but they weren't my favorite. Pumpkin bread is much, much better. I don't think I'll be making these again.
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| Image courtesy of www.chef-in-training.com |
Verdict: Good, pretty simple. Maybe a little overly sweet. And the sauce didn't thicken quite like I expected. It was good though, and we both enjoy Asian-inspired dishes, so I might do this again.
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| Image courtesy of www.keeperofthehome.org |
Okay, so I've been wanting to try to make homemade yogurt for a long time. I just didn't quite have the guts to try it, and lots of recipes I had seen required a food thermometer and seemed easy to mess up. Then Hannah told me how she had made it in the crockpot. I had seen this technique, but was skeptical. Hearing Hannah's success gave me the encouragement I needed to finally try this.
Verdict: Amazing. Really, it almost seems like magic. It's so easy and really tasty. Plus, much cheaper than store-bought plain yogurt. This will be a real money-saver for us as I'm hoping Isaac will be eating yogurt soon.
I know that of all types of cooking I enjoy baking the most. This is even more obvious to me as I'm document recipes I've tried!
Verdict: These are great. I made these for the first time a couple months ago and have made them several times since. I've tried a few other scone recipes which I really like, but these are Javier's favorite. They're a little (lot) sweeter than most "normal" scone recipes, and a little lighter, but really good. Give these a try!
