Melanie's Chocolate Lava Muffins

I was super excited to make these! Then, I was super disappointed with the results. Like Danielle, my centers didn't have any gooey lava. I think the reason was because I added too much flour. I was following the recipe from the book when I made it, and the book only gives measurements for the flour and sugar in weight, not volume. Since I don't own a food scale (it's on the wish list, but the wish list is long so I don't know when I'll actually ever get one), I did my best to estimate based on an online weight to volume conversion tool. My conversion came out to about 1/3 cup for 1 1/2 oz. of flour. I halved the recipe, so I used about 1/6 cup. Again, this was an estimate since the smallest measuring cup I have is 1/4. Anyway, after I made them I happened to look at the online recipe and saw that the ingredients were listed by volume rather than weight, and I should have only used 1 1/2 Tbsp. (since I halved it) rather than 1/6 cup. Big difference!

So, my muffins turned out pretty dense. They were still pretty good, especially served with lots of vanilla ice cream (first I served it with the sauce, but then decided I preferred the cold ice cream) but I wanted to see a lava center. I used 70% cacao dark chocolate, and I think it was a little too rich for me. If I were to try again, I'd just use regular semi-sweet chocolate chips or maybe even some milk chocolate. I have another recipe I'd like to try that calls for putting a chocolate chip cookie on the bottom of the muffin tin, then you invert the muffin to eat it and you have a cookie on the top!

Melanie's Applesauce

The only time I've ever made applesauce was when I used to make my oldest child's baby food. Since it was baby food it contained only apples and water. I would never have thought to add butter and honey to applesauce! They were nice additions. I only used 2 Tbsp. of honey due to Maren's comments, but I think it would have been good with 3 or more Tbsps. Mine turned out a bit more tart than I prefer. Using different types of apples might help this also. I couldn't even tell that the butter was in it, so I think next time I'd leave it out just to cut out the calories. Since I didn't have apple juice on hand and had to go to the store, I splurged and got the unfiltered stuff. Really, I don't see why it really makes a difference if you use that over filtered juice. Next time I'd probably use regular apple juice since it's typically less expensive.

I liked Alton Brown's suggestion of using a melon baller to scoop the core out. Very easy! I only cooked the apples for the 10 minutes called for, then tried to use my stick blender to blend it up. I'm not sure if the apples weren't soft enough or if my stick blender just isn't very good (I did buy it used), but it wouldn't blend it up all the way, so I ended up putting it all in my regular blender which quickly made it nice and smooth. If you prefer your applesauce chunckier then you should use a potato masher or a food processor.

Melanie's Baked Meatballs

These are awesome! So flavorful! I saved them to my recipe folder and would love to make them again. I used 1lb. ground pork and 1/2lb. ground beef (I had never used ground pork before), I added a little extra spinach (maybe 7-8oz.), and I needed a lot more breadcrumbs than called for to coat them (probably 1 cup instead of 1/4 cup). I don't have a kitchen scale so I just guessed how big to make them and I ended up with meat leftover after the muffin cups were filled, so I put the remaining meatballs on a cookie sheet. I liked baking them because they stayed fairly round. When I cook meatballs in a skillet they end up sort of square or triangle shaped. I think I'll try to bake my meatballs from now on!

Melanie's Southern Biscuits

Let me first say that I usually hate making any sort of bread. Whatever I make usually never turns out right for me! Luckily, these were so easy to make that there really wasn't any way they could have gone wrong.  

I made mine 2 1/2 and 2 3/4 inch wide, and I got 12 from the recipe. The only thing I'd do differently next time is cook them about 3 minutes less. They were in the oven about 17-18 minutes, and I should have stuck closer to 15 minutes because they turned out slightly too crispy. Still, they puffed up nicely and tasted great with the beef stew I made.

Melanie's Butternut Squash Soup

I couldn't remember if I had ever eaten butternut squash soup, and since Lisa loved it I thought I'd give it a try. I didn't roast it the way Alton says to because I already had some leftover puree from another recipe I had made. Because I already had the puree, this was super fast and easy to make! The honey and nutmeg give it the perfect flavor. Butternut squash isn't my favorite soup so I don't think I'll make it very often, but, this was a perfect autumn meal.

I have really enjoyed making meals with winter squashes. Since I had never made or had spaghetti squash before, I went ahead and made some (just using a recipe from allrecipes.com). It was good, but I think I undercooked the squash. I'll have to try again!

Melanie's Angel Food Cake

...or should I say Disaster Food Cake?

They said it's fool proof, but I proved them wrong! I honestly don't know what happened. I followed the recipe exactly! I even watched the online episode as I made it to make sure I did everything Alton did. I was just going to use a bundt pan but happened to find a regular tube pan at a thrift store. I even bought a sifter since I didn't have one. I let the egg whites warm up to room temperature. I carefully folded in the flour/sugar mixture. I let it cool upside down. The only thing I did different was use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour (and I subtracted 2 Tbsp. of the all-purpose because I read that was an appropriate substitution). I don't think that alone would cause my cake to fall and taste like an omelet. It was so dense and eggy! Maybe I didn't beat the egg whites long enough? After baking for 35 minutes and checking its doneness with a skewer I put the cake back in the oven for about 8 minutes longer because it was still gooey in the middle. Maybe poking a hole and putting it back in the oven let all the air out of the cake? Whatever happened, it was a big disappointment. This was meant to be for my husband's birthday. Looks like he'll have to settle for a Duncan Hines cake instead. I'd like to try this again, but I'm hesitant so I might just give up on making homemade angel food cake for now!

Chile's Angels

This week's episode is titled Chile's Angels, found HERE and also on pg. 252 of the book. I made the recipe "Salsa" (the other recipe is titled "Habañero Salsa and Fixins" in the book and "Spicy Pineapple Sauce" on the website). We love salsa in our family so I was eager to try this one. In honesty, I've only made salsa a couple times because I have my favorite store bought brands, but fresh salsa is always a great treat! (Sorry if you're tired of dips! I'm visiting family and we had a big get-together so dips were the perfect thing to put on the menu.)

I was going to double the recipe but when chopping the tomatoes I thought it would be way too much. I decided to use eight or nine tomatoes instead of six and kept most of everything the same. I had never used ancho chiles before so it was fun to try something new. I had also never roasted jalapeños before so that was fun to try, thought it wasn't really easy to peel the skin off.

I'm realizing right now that the book recipe slightly differs from the website in that the book only calls for 1 ancho chile and 2 jalapeños while the website calls for 2 ancho chiles and 4 jalapeños. Without having looked at the website I added an extra ancho chile and jalapeño anyway, so I recommend following the website recipe.

This is a chunky salsa, but if you prefer yours thin I think you could use a blender or food processor to liquify it some and it would be great too. It was a bit on the mild side for my tastes but it could probably easily be spiced up with more jalapeños if desired. My salsa seemed a bit bland at first so I added a couple extra teaspoons salt and extra chili powder, and I thought the flavors increased after it sat for a few hours. This morning I realized I think I forgot the garlic, oops! Overall it was a tasty salsa.

Melanie W.'s Guacamole

I really like guacamole so I knew I would like this. It's also really easy to make, which is another reason I knew I'd like this. I doubled the recipe, though only added 3 tomatoes because I thought 4 would be too much. I didn't have cayenne pepper so I substituted chili powder and paprika like Whitney did. I added the full amount of salt and it was fine for my taste buds. I've never made guacamole with cumin before so that was a nice addition. I'll have to remember that for next time I make guacamole (because I usually don't use a recipe when I make it).

Melanie W.'s Moo-Less Chocolate Pie

Ok, mine wasn't truly Moo-Less. I liked Cami's idea of substituting heavy cream for the coffee liquor so I did that. I also can't have chocolate pie without a little whipped cream on top!

I was real hesitant to make this pie at first because I don't think I've ever made anything with tofu before. I've eaten it before I'm sure, and I don't really mind it, but to put it in a pie? I figured I'd give it a shot since people said they couldn't taste it, plus tofu is healthy. That's what this food blog is for, to try things you wouldn't otherwise, right?

The pie really is easy to make, especially if you use a pre-made crust like I did. The pie tasted very chocolatey (maybe even a tad bit too chocolatey). I couldn't really taste the tofu. It was decent chocolate pie, but not my favorite. I don't know if it was the chocolate flavor (maybe I should have used more expensive chocolate?), the texture, or just knowing there was tofu in it. Just looking at my pie it looks like a chunk of brown tofu. It wasn't quite as creamy as I'd hoped for.

But I tried it, I got my chocolate fix, and now I know the difference between silken and firm tofu. Now I want to make the Baked chocolate pie!

Melanie W.'s Macaroni and Cheese

First of all, I found the Good Eats cookbook at a local library and let me just say, Wow, the book is huge!! Browsing through it I find many of the tidbits helpful and interesting, but I wish it was organized better. You have to read so much to get everything! I also wish there was a table of contents with each episode name listed. The index is ok, but not thorough enough. This mac n cheese recipe wasn't listed under 'cheese' but only under 'macaroni.' And what's up with the "applications" and "software" business? I find that annoying as well. I'm glad I'm able to check this out from the library because it's resourceful, but I don't see myself buying the book, especially since I can get the recipes online.

Ok, on to my food! Like everyone else has said so far, this isn't the best mac n cheese recipe out there, even though Alton Brown says it is. Like his nephew (who's not really his nephew, he admits in the book) said in that video clip, I prefer the stuff from the box. At least over this recipe.

I didn't know how to best tweak it, so I just added more salt and pepper than it called for. I don't know how much salt I added, I just kept adding it til it tasted better, which means it probably had way more than I should admit. :) The book doesn't mention using a bay leaf but I noticed the online recipe does, so I added it halfway through. When eating this it didn't taste too bland, but the taste was just off. For me I think it was the onions. If I were to make this again I'd leave them out. Ham would have been really nice but I didn't have any on hand.

This recipe wasn't a complete waste because my super picky almost 2 year old ate some, I learned what it means to temper an egg, and I learned what Panko bread crumbs are (had never heard of them before). I also found it interesting that he says to rinse the pasta in cold water to stop the cooking....every other source I've learned from has said NOT to rinse pasta! I never knew why though, so I almost always do. Now it makes sense to rinse the pasta to stop the cooking, so rinsing I will continue to do!

Melanie W.'s Flap Jacks

Wow, another post, I'm on a roll!

When making these I exchanged 1 cup of regular flour for whole wheat flour. I thought the batter was a bit thick so I added a few extra tablespoons of buttermilk til it looked right and poured a little easier. Glad I did that, and they were still plenty fluffy and thick. I added blueberries to my batter and topped them with strawberries and syrup. So yummy! I only got 8 pancakes rather than 12, like the recipe says. Oh, and I didn't wipe the butter off the griddle beforehand, I thought that was a waste of time and paper towels, plus I kinda like the look the bubbled butter gives the pancakes. :)

We love pancakes at our house but I'm usually too lazy in the mornings to make them for breakfast so we often eat them for dinner. These were a little easier than the buttermilk pancake recipe I had been making, and they were just as tasty if not slightly better so I'll for sure make these again. I also like that I have more instant pancake mix waiting in my pantry now. I'll be able to whip them up in no time at all!

Melanie W.'s Hummus

Just doing a little catch up. I've made hummus only once or twice before, but I don't know why I don't make it more often! It's really easy, plus it's way cheaper than buying it in the store. I'm not usually a fan of the store bought roasted red pepper hummus, but this homemade variety was good! I probably didn't add the full amount of red peppers called for which might be why I liked it- the flavor wasn't too strong. My hummus was a tad bit on the dry side, but I could have easily fixed that with a little olive oil or something. I look forward to making more hummus in the future, especially since I have a bunch of tahini in my fridge that needs to be used up!

Melanie W.'s Cornbread

I have yet to find a homemade cornbread recipe that I love. I was hoping this one would do it for me, but it didn't. It was a little dry (could be my fault), not sweet enough (even though I quadrupled the sugar), I don't like chunks of corn in my cornbread, or perhaps it was the strong rosemary flavor from my creamed corn, I don't know. For now I'll stick to my boxed mix (those little Jiffy boxes are great!)

Aside from increasing the sugar and decreasing the salt a pinch, I followed the recipe. If I were to go back and remake it I might add a little extra buttermilk, maybe it would have helped with the dryness? And, as you can see, I don't have a cast iron skillet so I cooked it in this glass dish. (but a cast iron skillet is on my kitchen wishlist!)

Melanie W.'s Creamed Corn

This was simpler than I expected. Sure, it took a little bit of time to cut the corn off the cob (I decreased the recipe down to 5 ears), but once that was done it took no time at all! I did have to go buy some turmeric because I didn't have any, but it was worth it because I've made a handful of recipes lately that call for it.

I didn't use a fresh sprig of rosemary so I threw in some dried rosemary leaves. I wish I had read all the directions beforehand because then I would have known you're supposed take the rosemary sprig out at the end and it doesn't stay in the corn! Knowing that I wouldn't have used dried rosemary, or at least used less than what I did. My corn had a nice rosemary flavor, but it was a bit on the overpowering side.

I like this corn recipe a lot, but I don't think I'd make it very often. I'm not really into creamy vegetables and plain corn is equally as good, and healthier. Like someone else said this would be good for Thanksgiving or something.

Melanie W.'s Chicken Lettuce Wraps

These were pretty good. I haven't had the PF Chang's lettuce wraps in forever it seems, so now I want those again to remember the taste! (luckily there's 1 in Albuquerque!) Anyway, I was able to find ground chicken so I used that, though I think ground turkey would taste quite similar. I added grated carrots which added nice color and texture. I didn't have the garlic and red chili paste (I did see it at the store but chose not to buy it) but I had some hot chili sauce I added. It was good. I couldn't find any white chinese noodles and they would have been nice to add. I thought about trying the Boston lettuce but I found a small head of iceberg lettuce and it was nice and crisp and a good size. My ground chicken was buy one get one free and I still have some special sauce leftover, so I'll probably be making these again very soon!

Melanie W.'s Homemade Granola

I wasn't going to make this initially because I'm trying to clean out my cupboards and I didn't want to buy a bunch of stuff I won't use much of in the next few weeks, but when I looked at the recipe I realized I already had everything. Plus, it helped me clear out my cupboards!

The ease of this recipe makes this great- it uses ingredients most people already have on hand and can also be easily modified, it doesn't take a lot of time, and there's little mess involved. Perfect for me. I added almonds, raisins, craisins, dried apricot, and chocolate chips. I LOVED the smell it created when it was baking! I'm not a huge granola lover and therefore only eat it in small quantities so I don't see me making it very often, but it is a good recipe for when those granola cravings hit!

Melanie W.'s Chicken Tortilla Soup

I made this a week or two ago and forgot to take a picture of it. Sorry.

We really liked this recipe at our house!! It was super easy and yummy. I try not to cook with condensed cream of ---- soups, but this is a good exception. :)  I don't like bell peppers so I substituted green chilies and it was perfect. I served it with blue corn chips which was nice for color. As we were eating it I realized that green chilies and blue corn chips are both considered typical foods of New Mexico, so I thought it was an appropriate meal since we're moving there in a few weeks!

Melanie W.'s Lemon Pasta

I hadn't made a creamy pasta dish is a long time, so this was a treat! I do love pasta, and this was good. I'm not one who loves lemon things, so I don't think I would make this very often, but it was a nice springtime dish. The lemon garlic chicken was yummy! I only marinated the chicken for a few hours, but I cut smaller pieces so I think it worked ok. I also found I needed to add more half and half than called for. This could be because I used the full 16oz pasta, but I probably would still have added more even if I used less pasta. Guess I like my pasta more saucy. I originally planned on putting the asparagus in with the pasta but then chose to eat it on the side.

Melanie W.'s Peanut Ginger Chicken

I wasn't going to make this at first, then those who made it said so many great things about it that I decided to give it a try.

I is really good! I marinated my chicken pieces for 24 hours and it turned out really tender. I halved the marinade recipe and it was perfect for the amount of chicken I used. It was really nice doing most of the prep work the night before, so making the rest was fast. I cooked mine on skewers in the oven for about 10 minutes. I didn't save any marinade to put on afterwards, but I didn't need to because the sauce was thick and enough stayed on during cooking.

My sauce was on the spicy side because my chili sauce was pretty hot. We didn't mind though because the cool fruit salsa complimented it really well. I used strawberry, kiwi, and pear in my salsa. I'd like to try peaches and/or avocado next time.

Melanie W.'s Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made these today and just finished cooking them about 15 minutes ago, and I've already eaten at least five. Oops! Cookies sure are good warm though!!

Taking into consideration the other experiences, I made a few modifications to mine and I ended up having the opposite experience as LuAnn and Danielle! I thought the dough was ok but not the best, and my cookies didn't go flat! I wanted to make sure they wouldn't go flat, so I did some google research and found some helpful tips. Keep reading and I'll share the secrets to my success!

From what I read, the temperature of the butter and dough is super important. You need it to stay cold. The recipes said to use softened butter, but I used cold butter straight from the fridge. I also bought expensive butter imported from Ireland, mostly just to try it, and I don't think I'll ever do that again. I don't think it enhanced the flavor at all. Anyway, I creamed the cold butter with the sugars using a hand mixer- this way you have more control over how much the butter is creamed. You don't want to overcream the butter! What I read said blend a little, mash the butter with the beaters, blend a little, and it's ok if there are still a few lumps of butter. Then I stuck the creamed butter/sugar back in the fridge for 10 minutes to make sure it stayed cold.

I made sure my eggs were cold straight from the fridge. Make sure you blend them one at a time, thoroughly.

I added 2 Tbsp. extra flour. This also helps the cookies keep their fluff.

Make sure you don't over mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Mix just until blended. I used my stand mixer for the eggs, vanilla, and dry ingredients, then hand mixed the chocolate chips.

I used less chocolate chips than called for, only 12 oz. Too many chocolate chips can cause more spreading.

I chilled the dough for the full 6 hours. (This seemed a bit excessive, but I did what they said.)

I chilled my cookie sheets. Supposedly warm cookie sheets can cause the dough to spread faster. Honestly, I don't think this made much of a difference. It seemed like as soon as I took the cookie sheets out of the refrigerator they warmed up to room temp anyway.

I have an oven thermometer and I made sure the oven temp was exactly 375.

While I was waiting for batches to cook, I kept the remaining dough in the fridge so it would stay cold.

All in all, something I did worked and the cookies turned out nice. They were slightly crispy on the outside, soft in the middle, and not overly browned. I don't think this is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe- they taste like a lot of others, but they were good.

Ok, this is pretty cheesy because it's just like the picture in the book, but I was having fun with my camera. :)