Heavenly Homemakers

Hi. Remember the Recipe Challenge I began back in January of this year? The challenge that I was planning to have completed by the end of 2011? Yes, that one.

Perhaps since there are still three entire days left in the year, none of you have been worried about the fact that I still have several recipes from the challenge list not yet accounted for. I told you I would do it by December 31, after all. Surely I wouldn’t let you down.

Yeah, well.

I’m all for focusing on the positive, so let’s first look at what I did accomplish from this list, shall we?

1. Tator Tots

2. White Chocolate Baking Chips

3. Butterscotch Baking Chips

4. Teriyaki Sauce

5. Onion Soup Mix

6. Chocolate Milk

7. Ketchup

Now let’s look at some of the other items on the challenge list so I can give you my pitiful excuses heart-felt explanations as to why I failed to post lovely recipes and pictures of these foods.

1. Mayonnaise

I worked my tail off on this one and ended up almost despising the very sound of the word mayonnaise by the end of my experience. Clearly, making mayonnaise isn’t my gift. However, now that I have a new immersion blender, it is possible that I will decide to revisit this idea and try again eventually. Like in eight years. (kidding, sort of, maybe, not sure)

2. Corn Tortillas

I gave my best effort on the corn tortillas, and even took pictures once as I went, in hopes that I’d have beautiful corn tortillas to share with you. The little corn tortilla dough balls are indeed lovely, don’t you think? They look like they would make wonderful tortillas.

And at first glance, this rolled out, pre-cooked version looks kind of okay. But don’t ask me how long it took to actually get that thing rolled out – and really, really don’t ask how it turned out once I tried to cook it in a skillet.

Okay, fine. I’ll tell you. It completely crumbled and fell apart and tasted a little bit like…flaky cardboard. After all that work, I was as fond of corn tortillas as I was of mayonnaise. We ate the pieces anyway, because that’s what we do around here. But I’m wondering if the secret to success in making corn tortillas is using a tortilla press. I’m not sure I’m willing to make the investment, since we don’t eat a lot of corn tortillas around here. I roll my wheat flour tortillas with a rolling pin and never have any problems. Your thoughts?

3. Angel Food Cake

My attempt at a healthier angel food cake was a bit disappointing as well. It flopped and became lop sided. I took pictures to prove it. In addition, we were not impressed with the flavor. It was okay, but not fantastic. However, there’s nothing a little fruit and a good amount of whipped cream won’t fix – so we were able to get it down without too much effort.

4. Homemade Ritz Crackers

These were sort of good and kinda tasted like a Ritz Cracker. But I ended up getting them way too salty and ultimately, we didn’t just love the taste. I’ll probably continue to experiment with these because I think I was on to something.

5. White Cake

I have tried different variations of a plain white cake, which ultimately turns brown because of the sucanat I use. The cakes are tasty enough, but usually a little dry. I have decided to simply begin using my Strawberry Shortcake Recipe when I have a need for a plain white cake. It is a little spongier than a typical cake, but it’s moist and very yummy.

The remaining items on the list:  Twinkies, Fig Newtons, Bleu Cheese Dressing, and Cereal Bars never did happen. If it counts for anything, I did give each of them some thought. I even have some figs in my fridge that will be turned into fig newtons some day. Right now, they are just a “figment” of my imagination. Get it? I am so funny.

So there you have it. The 2011 Heavenly Homemakers Recipe Challenge. I have a growing list going on for next year. Anything you’d like to add to it?