Thursday, May 13, 2010

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly- Archived But Not Forgotten Recipes

I've never posted a recipe and just linked to it without typing out the recipe. But today, I have a smorgasbord of recipes for you.

I have a ton of recipes in my archives that I've never blogged about, for one reason or another. Maybe because my photos are ugly or I didn't take many, or because the recipe was less than stellar. Some I experimented with and don't have recipes for but I decided to go through my photo archives share with you some of my kitchen creations/disasters.

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Red Velvet Cake from Swan's Down- This cake was beautifully red. It sliced perfectly and the contrast of red and white was appealing to me. But it was nasty so it never got blogged. But ain't it pretty?

Golden Pull Apart Butter Buns from King Arthur Flour- Mr. H really loved these rolls but I didn't take many pics so I never blogged about them. I thought they were good but these are still my favorite.

Cherry Tomato & Mozzarella Salad- One my favorite and simple salads- Cubed mozz, halved cherry tomatoes, Paul Newman's Balsamic Vinaigrette and fresh basil. yum!

Fudgy Chocolate Brownies from Martha Stewart- A reader left a comment on my blog awhile back saying these were her favorite brownies. They were tasty but still not my go-to brownie. I'm open to suggestions if you've got any!

Hershey's Milk Chocolate & Toffee Nuggets- This was an experiment and used a recipe that a friend gave me. But they were much more crisp than I wanted. I'll have to play with this one a bit, but basically you can just chop up some Nuggets and toss them in your favorite cookie/blondie batter.

Pineapple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting from My Tasty Treasures- I made this before we went to DC and I didn't like the pictures I took because I ran out of light (this was the only good one). It was a very different cake than I expected but I really liked it. It was sticky and gooey and delicious but I thought the frosting was a bit too sweet.

Classic Crumb Cake from Martha Stewart- This was a waste of 3 1/2 sticks of butter. I'm not sure what I did wrong but it was a little gummy and seemed almost uncooked. I've seen others make the same recipe and theirs turned out fine. Despite the texture, I thought the flavor was a little lackluster.

Spicy Crab Dip- I just made this one up as I went and it was tasty but I didn't jot down a recipe. I just like the blue bowl so I thought I'd share :-)

Rohrnudeln from A Feast For The Eyes- I'm embarrassed to say that I made these a year ago. I never liked the pictures so I never posted them. They were delicious and reminded me of yeasty sweet kolaches with a jam filling. I filled mine with peach jam and topped them with butter and sugar that baked into a crunchy topping.

Guittard Chocolate Chip Bars- A while back I made Guittard chocolate chip cookies. They were super buttery and good but I wanted a bar cookie so I patted them into a baking dish and topped them with more chips. Perfect with a glass of milk.

Garlic Oven Fries from A Feast For The Eyes- I won't be mad at you if you think this picture is ugly. ha ha! These fries (and that chili dog) were yummy but again my pictures stunk because I ran out of light. This was the best photo of the baked fries I could find.

Coffee Ice Cream- I adapted Mr. H's favorite vanilla recipe by adding instant espresso to it. In the end it just wasn't as coffee-y as we hoped for. Note to self: Add lots more coffee next time!

Hasselback Potatoes- I can't remember where I found the technique for this recipe, but you basically slice them but still keep them attached, season and butter, then bake til tender. I didn't take photos of the final product and while they were good we still like a loaded baked potato better. I served these with Steak Diane from Vanilla Sugar. so good!

Black & White Angel Food Cake from Ina Garten- I made this a year ago for my MIL's birthday. She loves angel food cake and I had always wanted to make this recipe but I was a bit disappointed. The ganache thickened up too much and ended up peeling off the cake. The next day I topped it with chocolate sauce and strawberries which made it prettier, but I still don't like angel food cake. I served it with pomegranate pear sorbet which was the best part!

I hope you've enjoyed my little slide show of recipes. Do you have any recipes in your archives that you haven't blogged about for once reason or another? Please share!

29 comments:

Donna-FFW said...

Well that was fun going through all those with you. I do have some in my archives I havent shared due to the ugly factor. Some times I post them as the fuglies but goodies. I am due for another. Your pictures to me are always stellar, r u nuts? Better than mine could ever be hands down. XXOO

Foodiewife said...

Wow! Even your mistakes are beautiful, Monica! I smiled when I saw the Rohrnudeln. You did my German family proud with those. They are good! Funny, I was thinking of making Hasselback spuds last night-- I almost did! The garlic fries are due for a repeat performance, too. How fun that you shared these. I jotted down a few.
xoxo

Keeley said...

I do the same exact thing! I have lots of unposted recipes for one reason or another.

Your "mistake" food photos are still fantastic.

Here's my favorite brownie recipe:
http://delkeelife.blogspot.com/2009/09/so-good-brownies.html

oneordinaryday said...

I don't post my really really really bad photos, but seriously, these are all totally blog-worthy. Why are you so hard on yourself??

I will have to try your balsamic vinaigrette addition to your tomato/mozz salad. I made one the other day w/ pasta and it was terribly lacking in flavor. That would just do the trick.

And as for brownies - you need to try a couple of those I've posted. They are a danger to anyone trying to eat healthy. Or healthily? Or healthfully? Whatever. You get the point.

Julie said...

This wasn't the greatest post for me to read when I haven't even had breakfast yet (and I'm fasting for blood work..ha!). I think all your pictures are great Monica. I'm loving that salad with tomato and mozzarella!

Unknown said...

The red velvet cake is indeed pretty! Sorry it tasted bad. I'm not really a fan of red velvet but they are lovely. They all looked fun. Thanks for finally getting them out of your archives and posting them. I tried making Pioneer Woman's petite vanilla bean scones and they ended up like cookies so I never posted them. I'll try again though. Thanks for sharing!

Lisa said...

You are such an incredibly talented photographer, cook and writer. Loved this post! :)

Patti said...

I'm definitely giving the garlic fries a go tonight. Thanks for sharing the good and bad. I think it's just as important to see and hear about the bad recipes as it is to hear and see the good ones.
I'm not a food blogger, I'm a scrap blogger so I can't comment on recipes that don't get blogged,just ones that don't get scrapped. LOL And there are quite a few of those due to goodies getting eaten by 5 kids and a husband before I even get a chance to grab my camera!
As far as brownies..I think my all time favorite is the recipe off the back of the Nestle cocoa can. I've used other recipes but that's the one I always go back to.

Ingrid_3Bs said...

LOL, your nuts! I did not see one bad photo.

btw, how'd you get that chip to sit on the edge of the bowl?
~ingrid

Janet said...

You know what I'm waiting for you to post, right? I cannot wait to see your KKB!

Unknown said...

Rohrnudeln from A Feast For The Eyes, that looks so so good...saving it

Rachel (rachescakes) said...

I can't even imagine what you think of my pictures. My good ones are horrible compared to your bad ones. Of course I don't claim to be a photographer.

That Red Velvet cake recipe was horrible, I can't believe they still print it on the box.

When are you sending your portfolip to Martha Stewart, Taste of Home, or Southern Living? You have a serious talent for photography but especially food photography.

Leslie Harris said...

I told you that you couldn't take a bad picture! These are great pics!

Have you posted about your go-to Brownie recipe? I'm still searching for a good, made-from-scratch recipe.

And how on Earth did you get that chip to sit on the edge of the bowl like that? :)

Have a great rest of the week and an even better weekend!

♥peachkins♥ said...

love the crab dip..

Memória said...

I didn't see one bad photo in that group. I wish you had just had made individual posts for these great items. Everything looks yummy, Monica!

Katie said...

Yummy looking collection, especially those brownies! I have loads of recipes I have never posted either, mainly because the results were poor or the photos bad. Glad to see I'm not the only one. We always have hasselback potatoes on special occasions, extra crispy

The Cutting Edge of Ordinary said...

Monica, thanks for stopping by my blog. You have a boatload of delicious recipes too! So glad I found you!

mommyholly said...

Oh my goodness, I am LOVING your blog!!! I love to bake, and your blog is my new go-to resource for new recipes, yay!! So glad I popped in today! :) Off to bake now..
xoxox Holly

Kerstin said...

Your "bad" pictures are all better than mine, lol :) I don't blog everything - the recipes have to be "blog worthy"!

vanillasugarblog said...

girl always post your bad pics because seriously they aren't bad at all. you're too picky.
and i'm so glad you hate swans down...they are AWFUL. worst cake flour ever.
steak diane, do you know when i make that for hubby i can pretty much get him to do anything for me? oh iphone, new tv, yep. LOL

Unknown said...

Wish my pictures were that "bad"! I think that is one of the hardest parts of blogging for me. I have this little automatic camera and the quality leaves much to be desired. Thanks for the great collection of recipes!

Lori said...

My list of unblogged stuff which I have been meaning to post, is not nearly as beautiful as yours.

You know, I had the same experience witht he second red velvet cake that I did on my blog.

♥Sugar♥Plum♥Fairy♥ said...

Everything looks absolutely delish to me,i wouldn knw anything at all!!
But honestly u had me at crisp cookies, coz am always lookn for crispy and crunchy with my list of tips, in d wonderful world of chewy cookie lovers:-)))

♥Sugar♥Plum♥Fairy♥ said...

And if u have the link to that recipe, would sure be glad to have it soonnnnnnnnnnn...

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Delicious! Love the yummy new header!
~ingrid

Lorraine said...

Nice post. Very interesting info. I happen to think your pictures are awesome! You want to stinky pics, just go to my blog..LOL..then you will see a bunch.

Barbara Bakes said...

I've wanted to do a smorgasbord post too. Sometimes I just run out of time to post all the recipes I've tried. Great idea. I especially love the cherry tomato & mozzarella salad.

cookies and cups said...

awesome! I love that you did this, because it is the same for so many of us! Hilarious about the red velvet!

Anonymous said...

This is my first time commenting, but I have to say I looooovvveee your blog! I wanted to share that growing up my mom made potatoes like the Hassleback Pots shown above, but she would place a piece of bacon pn each side, sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper, wrap in foil and then grill. Once off the grill open the foil and sprinkle with cheese if you like. Yum.

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