My week of experimentation went quite well. The best recipes were easily the turkey sandwich and the barley risotto. I was a little dubious about some of the ingredients for the onion-cranberry marmelade for the turkey sandwich (the main ones being the cider vinegar and the orange marmelade), but they all blended together quite well. The cider vinegar gave a nice sour tang, which balanced well with the sweetness of the marmelade and the cranberries. Combined with the slight smokiness of the onions? Delish!
The barley risotto ended up being quite a filling dish and very easy to put together as well. I was scared about the simmering time not being long enough for the barley (as I was not sure if I had actually found quick-cooking barley), but it turned out that my fears were for naught. I ended up adding a little more water afterwards to help get the barley unstuck from the pan. I really enjoyed the nuttiness of the barley with all the ingredients.
The third recipe that I tried, the edamame chicken salad, will definitely have to be played with a bit. I ended up using my leftover pork tonkatsu instead of cooking up some chicken (I was quite tired when I got home and didn't get started on dinner until late), and I used a banana squash instead of yellow squash (which, it turns out, is not even in season yet!). It was quite tasty, but I would definitely like to try it with the yellow squash. The banana squash was very soft and was difficult to juliene with my special peeler. Overall? I'd say it was a pretty good week of cooking without hubby, but I'm definitely glad to have him back. :)
Here is the meal plan for the week. All oldies, with one relatively new recipe being tried for a second time. Have a great week and happy cooking all!
April 29-May 4th
Sunday: Baked penne with italian sausage
Monday: Clam chowder
Tuesday: Hot roast beef heros
Wednesday: Cashew-fruited rice with turkey
Thursday: Beer-braised chicken
Friday: Steak & salad