Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter

Recording this so that I remember that I tried it.

I had been wanting to try this recipe for a very long time, and finally got around to it. I was really underwhelmed though, and not just because I'd been waiting forever to try it. Maybe with premium ingredients it would have been better since it's so simple, but I'm not sure I'll go to the trouble again. Even Smitten Kitchen has a few duds I guess.

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RECIPE: Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter (Smitten Kitchen)

Basic Brownies

Wanted brownies very suddenly and decided to make these on account of how quickly they are supposed to come together.

Notes:

• Threw a splash of clear imitation vanilla extract in there to really get them to taste like box mix brownies (this is the ONE thing about brownies from a mix that I just really love even if I know it's kinda trashy).
  

Verdict: A nice basic brownie that's very easy to make, and really similar to ones I've been missing. Next time I want to try them with chocolate icing and chopped walnuts on top for an exact copycat of the ones I can't buy anymore.

Edit 5/5/23: I made these again and loved them just as much as the first time. I also used them as the base of a brownie sundae (with vanilla ice cream, homemade hot fudge sauce, bourbon soaked cocktail cherries). God tier snacking.

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RECIPE: My Favorite Brownies (Smitten Kitchen)

Brown Soda Bread Scones

I read Smitten Kitchen's Castle Breakfast post and *had* to try these.

Notes:

• I could not find a coarse wholemeal flour in my store so I used the whole wheat flour/wheat germ/wheat bran mix she suggests. She says it should come out to 145 g but unfortunately she didn't include weights for each individual ingredient in the mix, so I weighed them myself:
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour = 75g
• 3/4 cup wheat germ = 55g
• 1/4 cup wheat bran = 15g
• I have used coarsely ground oatmeal to make up part of the wholemeal flour substitute mixture when I didn't have enough of everything and it worked all right. I think as long as it's not the majority of the mixture it should be OK.
• I made a buttermilk substitute. (To make 1 cup, put 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar in a liquid measuring cup, fill with milk to 1 cup, and let stand for about 10 minutes to thicken a bit.) I did not need to add extra. I also used Greek yogurt thinned with water a couple of times but the dough ended up a lot thicker and the breads were not quite done in the middle so you may want to cook it for longer, or make sure the consistency of the thinned yogurt is fairly liquid.
  

Verdict: Quick, easy, and delicious, and the absolute perfect vehicle for jam, especially a homemade jam. They reminded me of the oatmeal soda bread I've made before. I will be making these again, both because I like them and because I now have big bags of all three of the components for the wholemeal flour substitute.

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RECIPE: Brown Soda Bread Scones (Smitten Kitchen)

Chicken Andouille Sausage and Rice Skillet

I bought andouille chicken sausage and then remembered I didn't actually know what it tastes like, so I went looking for a recipe that sounded good and landed on this.

Notes/changes:

• Used fresh chopped tomato instead of bell peppers and basmati rice instead of regular long grain white rice.
• I didn't have tomato paste so I used tomato salsa (weird I know, but it was the closest thing I had with similar flavors to the final thing)
  
• Added 1 tsp more cajun seasoning (Penzeys makes a nice blend), and 1 extra cup of broth because it did not seem like enough liquid to cook the rice. (The ratio was 1 rice:1 liquid in this recipe and the overwhelming majority of rice recipes use 1:1.5 or 1:2).
  
• The rice was not cooked after 4-5 minutes (more cooked than I expected it to be, but definitely not done). I ended up cooking it for a total of 13-15 minutes.

Verdict: It was decent (I really liked the flavors) but I kind of want to try it again with tomato paste to see if that intensifies the flavor a little bit.

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RECIPE: One Pot Andouille Sausage & Rice Skillet (Gilbert's Craft Sausages)

Peach Matcha Lemonade

A fancy refreshing drink with matcha green tea in it. This was another drink recipe I saw on the Rishi website and had to try for myself with similar ingredients (like the Blue Jasmine Gin and Tonic).

Notes:

• I used a peach green tea for the liquid in the matcha shot.
• A bamboo matcha whisk works great to make the matcha shot.
• While the layered drink *looks* nice, it definitely tastes better when it's mixed together.
  

Verdict: I really liked it, and have made it a couple more times since the initial attempt. Matcha with fruit flavors is just really pleasant.

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RECIPE: Peach Blossom Matcha Lemonade (Rishi)

Chocolate Stout Cake

Made to celebrate 17 years together with my partner. We have been married nearly 10 years but we still celebrate the day we started dating too.

Notes:

• Instead of Guinness I used Blacklist Brewing Co.'s Dark Imperial Stout with Cocoa.
  
• I added some Irish cream liqueur to the ganache (substituted for some of the heavy cream) and really liked the result.
  

Verdict: The texture was a little rubbery and I don't know if it's something I did or if that's how the cake is. I would make it again though.

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RECIPE: Chocolate Stout Cake (Smitten Kitchen)

Cinnamon Sugar Scones

This is a recipe I've wanted to try for a long time and finally got around to making.

Verdict: I don't know that I'd go out of my way to make them again because they kind of fell apart as you ate them and were a little fussy for how good they were, but they tasted fine.

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RECIPE: Cinnamon Sugar Scones (Smitten Kitchen)