SUPER BOWL SUNDAY

by Irene Lindvall

I will start by showing you how elated I was that my Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl 48! It truly was an amazing game and I was so happy to be able to share the moment with my family.

 

 

 

 

 

Super Bowl Sunday also means you eat pizza, and pizza we ate. Since dinner was already decided upon, my recipe for the day was a dessert.

Apple Oven Cake

My family loves dessert. And by love I mean we talk about dessert during lunch. Everyone loves fresh apple-related desserts so I was saving this one for the next time we were all together. It serves six and there wasn't a lick left. I'd say it did its job.

Things I learned from this recipe:

Pre-heat the oven sooner! 425 degrees takes awhile.

Vanilla ice cream is a must and complimented the cake perfectly.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Definitely.

The recipe

 

Classic Zucchini Bread

by Irene Lindvall

I was supposed to make this recipe sometime last week but didn't get around to it, and since it takes about 1.5hrs start to finish I thought the weekend the best. It also gave me a chance to tryout my new mixer attachment I purchased this week. It virtually scraped the sides of the bowl all by itself - love it. The loaf wasn't so bad either!

Things I learned from this recipe:

Don't mistake ground ginger for grated ginger when reading the list of ingredients. Even though I did this and didn't add either of them into the recipe I couldn't tell the difference in the finished product.

Make sure there is enough room between the oven racks for the loaf to rise - oops!

Would I make this recipe again?:

Yes

The recipe

Speedy Huevos Rancheros

by Irene Lindvall

Oh, Huevos Rancheros...you are one of Eric's favorite things to eat when we go out for brunch. I've never made it at home and the photo for this recipe looked too good to pass up. First bite in I got this reaction: "This isn't good, it's great!" I think that says it all. It really was quite delicious (and easy) and I really liked the way the eggs were cooked - no broken yolks thanks to spooning oil on top. I included a photo of my favorite salsa which ironically says "great for cooking" but I've never warmed it up. Turns out, it's great for cooking, and it's made it Redmond, WA.

Things I learned from this recipe:

Warmed up salsa is not bad.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Heck yes.  

The recipe

Barbecue Turkey Burgers w/Cucumber Salad

by Irene Lindvall

I love a good turkey burger. Eric might not be as excited as am I about them, but he definitely indulges me. He got tired of the old recipe I have been making that includes feta cheese so this one with BBQ sauce and sriracha "for a kick" sounded like a good compromise. The patties turned out a lot more moist than the other ones but not quite as flavorful as I would've liked. Easy recipe, cooks quickly, I just need to make a few tweaks to make it even better.

Things I learned from this recipe:

Make flatter patties.

Use more sauce/spice.

Would I make this recipe again?:

It definitely seems more like a warm weather recipe, but yes.

The recipe

Steamed Mussels

by Irene Lindvall

I decided to do a white wine base for the mussels. I did some reading online and some reading of the descriptions at the store and went with a dry riesling. Not only did it cook well but it tasted delicious with the meal. All I put in the pot was wine (1/4 of an inch), garlic (three cloves), chili flakes (1/2 tsp) and parsley (eerily like last night's meal) and put it on high heat for five minutes and poured it over the pasta. Done.

Things I learned from this recipe:

Keep reading the instructions. I wish I would've cooked the mussels first since the pasta only took three minutes (capellini). While the mussels only took five minutes on my high heat burner I like to eat pasta right away. 

I can't stop spelling mussels as muscles. "How to cook muscles" vs. "How to cook mussels" is a lot different of a search on the internet.

One pound of mussels per person is pretty accurate.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Yes, but I'd also like to find a butter & wine based recipe.

Help on cooking mussels