Overview...

Well!

Thus ends my cooking experiment... for now.

I'm so pleased with how everything turned out. Everything turned out surprisingly well too. I made up a little personal 'questionnaire' (if you will...) about what I thought about the dishes... let me begin:

Which dish was turned out the best?

I must say, that the one I was most apprehensive about; Sun Prairie Corn Chowder, I really enjoyed it.

Which dish was best received by those who tried it?

This is a tough one, but I'm going have to say that it was a tie between the cookies and burgers. I was surprised that the burgers were so well-praised, but they were really enjoyed. Definitely something I would make again, especially during the summer/spring time (BBQ season, see how they turn out on a grill.)

What dish wouldn't I make again?

The Chicken Gumbo. It wasn't bad, however, it wasn't great either, and obviously not a type of gumbo that many are used to seeing. I really want to try a gumbo that IS a gumbo (more soup-like.) So if you have a gumbo recipe that you enjoy and would like me to try, send me it. I'll add one in specially the next time I do this. :-)

Which book did I find the easiest to use?

The Good Housekeeping Cookbook, "hands-down." LOL, I think it was more-so the fact that I looked at the picture then looked at the recipe, but in another way, the directions were clear and didn't leave me guessing.

Which book was the hardest to use?

Katie's Kitchen, my one big complaint about it was that it didn't give me a temperature to which to cook the food in the oven. I really thought that was a huge part of the recipe.

Other recipes that I think should be mentioned?

All of the of course! They were all good, and anything else I didn't mention was excellent. However, I really would like to point out the Broccoli soup... very good as I know many had wanted to see this done and just to let everyone know; IT WAS A GREAT CHOICE! :-)

Which books will I be taking another close look at next time?

I'll be still using all of them, but I'm ready to try another Good Housekeeping, Treasured Recipes, and Cooking Essentials recipes. I think I can take much more out of these books.

Sun Prairie Corn Chowder...

The Book...

Encore: Wisconsin

In Encore Wisconsin, we want to put the chef's hat on you, the home or hobbyist cook who would like to learn some of the secrets and techniques used in creating memorable meals and unforgettable dishes. Restaurants and their favorite recipes from throughout Wisconsin are featured.








Ingredients...

Bacon
Onion
Red Bell Pepper
Flour
Chicken Stock
Baking Potatoes
Sweet Corn (Fresh or Frozen)
Ham
Heavy Whipping Cream






Experiences...


Before this experiment, I never really made soups/chowders, but I'm happy I had. This wasn't very hard, simple, and easy to follow. My only problem with it was the chopping, I don't know why I have such an aversion to it, just not my favorite part of cooking. Anyway, everything went well.



Outcome...

I was very pleased, surprised in fact at how well it turned out. I really enjoyed this one and this was the one I was worried about the most. It was a treat and was happy to try it. Now, this is something I would recommend to someone if they enjoy the ingredients.

Confetti Vegetables...

The Book...

The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook


This book shows you how-to, how long it will take, what you will need, how many it will serve, and what it will look like in any easy, step by step process. Recipes included range from sandwiches to gourmet entree's and desserts.







The Ingredients...


Water
Butter
Sugar
Salt
Zucchini
Carrots
Parsnips or Turnips

Experiences...


This was a simple dish, the only problem I had with it was the turnip! It was rather hard to cut and I forgot that we had a grater, so I ended up cutting it with a knife. Other thank that, the rest went smoothly. It makes a lot.




The Outcome...

This was rather good. Nothing like the natural flavor of vegetables to make a dish delicious. I've never had turnip (consciously) and they are great additions to the dish, regardless of the word (its worth it.) I'm sure I can get smaller ones next time!