The Hits:
Garlic-Spinach Artichoke Dip- I LOVED this. So good with veggies.
Banana Chips- My first experience with the food dehydrator, and they turned out so yummy!
Beef Jerky- I did this kind of last minute, not expecting much. I took some beef sirloin, cut it into small strips, sprinkled on Montreal Steak Seasoning, and then dehydrated it over night. When I looked at it in the morning I was shocked because it looked like I had dried it too long (sorry... no pic!). But when I tasted it, it was EXCELLENT! My family went nuts over it- especially my 14-yr old son. My kids said it was the best jerky they had ever had, which says a lot, because they love jerky.
Green Smoothie with Coconut Milk- Soooooooo good! My 12-yr old dd loves smoothies, and she was in heaven. She said she would even pay for this one at a smoothie bar. It had spinach, pineapple (I used canned crushed pineapple instead of fresh because I need to use it up. Shhhhhhh- don't tell!), frozen bananas, and coconut milk.
The Misses:
Butternut Squash Pizza. I should have taken a picture. They actually looked pretty good, but they didn't taste good! I just took a small butternut squash, peeled it, cut thin discs from the neck, baked them for 15 min, flipped them, added the toppings (tomato sauce, cheese), and baked another 15 min. Bleh. Tied for the worst failure.
Baked Stuffed Eggplant. Again, no pic. I'll try & get in the habit. I mentioned these on one of my other posts HERE. This didn't turn out so well, but I made it on a night that I didn't realize would be so rushed and I didn't give it the time it deserved. We'll try this again. You're supposed to cut it 1/2, bake it for 15 min, make a slit down the middle, stuff it with chopped onion, bell peppers, tomatoes, parsley, honey, and sausage. Now looking back, I don't think I added the honey. And I didn't have any parsley to add, and that might have made a difference. Parsley has surprised me in the past with how good it can make food taste.
A few Interesting Recipes in the upcoming week:
Celeriac Hash Browns- I had never even heard of celery roots, and when I found them in the store I was quite surprised. They look gross, and Jimmy hates celery, so we'll see how this turns out. I won't tell them what it is before hand!
Warm Lentil Salad- with sprouted lentils. I have never sprouted anything on purpose before, so this will be new. This recipe calls for fennel, which I HATE. A vegetable that tastes like black licorice!!? How cruel. I might try it, but only one more time!
Homemade Sauerkraut- my parents made this when I was a kid. I like the taste of sauerkraut, so this will be interesting!
Skillet Mousska! (What?!) This is a Greek dish made with eggplant, LAMB, and sauce. I have NEVER cooked lamb before. I ate some yummy lamb when I was growing up, though. We had some sheep ranchers in our church congregation, and we would have awesome summer parties with deep fried lamb. We'll see if this can compare to that...
Chili- This sounds normal, right? Don't tell my family, but it's going to have chicken liver mixed in with the ground beef! Wish me luck!
