Recipe #20 - Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

I don't really like vinaigrettes, but for some reason I continue to try and make them. I should really stick to regular style dressings, since that's what I like.

Anyways, I like honey mustard so I thought that if I'd like any vinaigrette, it would e a honey mustard one. The recipe was very basic, honey (shocking!), mustard (can you believe it?!), olive oil, vinegar and that's about it. Incorporated them in the food processor and served.

It was OK for a vinaigrette, but compared to a good honey mustard dressing, it was not close. I'm going to stick with the creamy style dressings from now on I think.

On a side note, is it possible to take a good picture of salad dressing?

Modifications: Maybe a little sweeter?

Make again?: Nope

Recipe #19 - Croutons

I've never made croutons before. I knew they were some sort of cooked bread, but part of me thought that maybe aliens brought them from outer space and delivered them into those cardboard boxes sealed by foil.

This was incredibly, ridiculously easy and WAY better than the boxed ones. And I didn't even try any of the spice options. All I did for this was put some olive oil in a pan, slice bread into cubes, add salt and pepper, and cook in a skillet for a few minutes. I used sourdough bread but you could use any.

The taste was excellent, and we were snacking on them before we put them on a salad. My one mistake was not cooking them a little more because some were a bit chewy. I shouldn't have crowded the pan so much and I should've tried to make the chunks a little bit more even. Oh well, it was damn good. Next time I'll add in some spices and make it taste even better.

Modifications: Try with different bread, more even chunks, some spices.

Make again?: Yes, and looking forward to it.

Recipe #18 - Nachos

What do you do with a whole bunch of tortilla chips and corn salsa?  Make nachos, obviously.

I've made nachos plenty of times for Super Bowl parties.  My favorite recipe is this one, from Bobby Flay:   

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bbq-with-bobby-flay/the-original-bbq-nachos-recipe/index.html?rsrc=search

This version is very different.  Bobby Flay's nachos are all about ridiculous amounts of melted cheese, while this one is regular cheese and toppings that you can taste a bit more.  The nachos here really wen't anything special.  It might have been partly because the jack cheese I used was sort of bland.  Overall the nachos didn't have as much spice as I like with them and you could eat them without assigning one roll of paper towels per person, which means it needed to be messier.

Notes: Lots more toppings options in addition to what I used.

Modifications: Better cheese.  Try melting it slightly?

Make again? :  The reigning champion wins, I'm sticking with the other nacho recipe.

Recipe #17 - Fried Tortilla Chips

What do you do with a load of corn salsa?  Make tortilla chips, obviously.

I've done this sort of thing before, and this recipe was basically no different.  Fresh chips are definitely a nice change of pace.  The only issue is getting them out quickly enough.  People seem to nibble on them as you're making them, so you have to be quick.

I setup the fryer with a bunch of corn oil and heated it to about 350.  I sliced up some corn tortillas into 1/4ths and fried them for about 2:00 each batch.  When they're out, I poured some salt and sometimes lime juice on them.

These really were no different from other ones I've made in the past.  That's not a bad thing because I like them, but I was hoping for some sort of magical revelation.  Oh well, they were still really good.

Notes: Thanks to Marty for helping me crank these out quickly.

Modifications: How about flour tortillas next time?  Also, maybe an extra 15-30 seconds would make them crisper for nachos.

Make again?: Yep.  This specific recipe was nothing different, but it's a solid thing to make at home.

Recipe #16 - Corn Salsa

So what do you do with 8 ears of roasted corn?  Make corn salsa, obviously.

When I think of corn salsa, I think of regular salsa with some corn in it.  This is not that.  There is not tomato in this salsa, which I have mixed feelings about.  It was kind of a nice change, but I like tomatoes so maybe next time I'll include them.  Then again, eating too many tomatoes makes your skin red, so maybe this recipe is saving me from an embarrassing skin condition.

It was a very simple recipe, taking off the kernels from the 8 cobs in the previous recipe and mixing them with cilantro, peppers, scallions, salt, pepper, and lime juice.  I let it sit for a while to let the tastes mix, which helped as always.

Luckily, I had that crazy corn removing tool that Gwen's mom bought me a few years ago to make removing the kernels from all that corn much faster.  It would've been pretty annoying otherwise.

Notes: Might be interesting to try without roasted corn.

Modifications: Next time I'll mix this with tomatoes to make it more of a traditional salsa, but with corn instead of corn being the main event.

Make again?: Yes, but with some changes and not going to be my go-to salsa recipe.

Recipe #15 - Roasted Corn on the Cob

Here we go, the first recipe of the day.  This is part of a later recipe (Corn Salsa), but I ate some off the cob just to try it.

I've made grilled corn on the cob a ton of times and it's really great.  Usually I slather it with salt and butter as I'm cooking it.  This recipe just called for roasting at 500 degrees for about 20 minutes, turning every once in a while.  I didn't put any salt or butter on it since the followup recipe didn't call for it.  It was still surprisingly good.  Usually when I cook it on the grill there are a ton of flareups and it's tough to get a fairly even cook without burning them.  This worked really well and the taste was basically as good.  

I attached a picture of one of the cobs along with the corn from a few now naked ones.

Notes: Didnt use salt or butter but would be even better with it

Modifications: Recipe called for 10-20, I ended up cooking for about 23, but still good.

Make again?: Yes.  This is probably a much easier way to cook for parties.

The Super Bowl of Cooking

So you're wondering how I'm going to make 365 recipes this year when I am travelling and trying to lose some weight?  Making about 15 new recipes on Super Bowl Sunday, that's how.  Strap yourself in because there will be a ton of new posts in the next 2 days.  Marty suggested I cut it down, but you know how good I am at listening.  Good luck to me!