the annie blog

Ok, no fancy fanfare. Just a post.

First day of summer fun with the wee one! But, she had a fever.  So we were at Urgent Care. But, when we got home we got to business. First we made Vinegar Cucumbers for tonight’s dinner.  I loved them! Hubby couldn’t stand them. He said they were too “vinegary”. Not for my taste. So, I guess I won’t be making that again

Then we made Kiss-Pies. And, once again. She didn’t like them. Hubby didn’t like them. I love them! I tell ya’, I have no taste buds.  

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This is my seventh and eighth pinterest challenge

I made dinner. This was the chicken I made.

Here is my chicken:

Ok, instead of using a whole chicken, I used four bone-in skin-on chicken thighs. However, I didn’t reduce the ingredients for the rub/paste. I assumed it would be ultra flavorful because of that. But that was not the case. This was pretty bland. In fact, Mark reached for the salt right away. I was pretty disappointed too. Now, the meat was juicy – so that was a good thing. But, it really lacked the flavor punch that I was hoping for.

So, I consider that a fail. I won’t be making it again.

And, for my eighth challenge, I made this as my side dish.

Here is my dish:

I did not use the slivered almonds. And this was only ok as well. We both thought it was an odd combo with the sweetness of the brown sugar and the balsamic vinegar. The cranberries were only ok. After they are steamed they tasted different with the balsamic vinegar. I love dried cranberries, but not this way. They turned soggy and lost their flavor.

So, this too was a fail. In fact, the only thing that was good at dinner was my salad. Just plain salad. The chicken and beans will not be made again.

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This is my fifth pinterest challenge for May

I used this pin from Martha Stewart

Here is my pan of brownies:

Ok, these aren’t any ordinary brownies – they have black bean puree in them. So, this is what I did. I waited until I was home alone. I knew people wouldn’t even TRY them if they knew there were black beans in them.

The first person back was Mark. I waited until he got home before I even tasted them myself. So, I cut one, put it on a plate and grabbed a couple of forks. Hmmm – not so good. He made a face right away and said, “What’s wrong with these?” So I confessed. He made another face and raised his eyebrows. “No wonder they suck”, he said. Ok I wouldn’t go as far as saying they SUCK, but they weren’t good. They had a different texture than normal brownies. They’re thicker. But less chocolatey. Hard to describe. So, I put them away and awaited my daughter’s arrival.

She came home and was thrilled there were brownies. She cut one out and immediately commented on the look of the brownies. She said, “Are these brownies? Or what are they?” I said, “They’re brownies, why?” “Because they look funny.” So, she took her brownie and marched into the family room. I followed her and watched her eat. She took a bite, then stopped chewing halfway through. She spit the rest out into her napkin. “What’s wrong with those things?” she wailed. I told her it was a new recipe, but I never told her they had black beans. I was afraid she would never try anything again. And, she’s a horribly picky eater as it is.

So, the whole pan went into the trash.

Yet another pinterest fail.

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This is my 4th pinterest challenge

I made lime meltaways.  They are originally from Martha Stewart, this is the original link.

Ok, so I made these tonight.  Here they are:

So, I didn’t roll them into logs. I just put the whole darn bowl in the fridge. I was anxious to make them, so I wanted them in the fridge as quickly as possible.  So, they aren’t as perfect and round as Martha’s. Also, I chose not to add the green food-coloring.

This is the first time I’ve had meltaway cookies. I really don’t like them.  It’s the corn starch that makes them have that “meltaway” feeling.  And, it’s the corn starch that I don’t like. In fact, no one in the whole house likes them. So they are going to be given away.  The lime taste is subtle, and that’s ok by me.  They aren’t super sweet. That’s ok too.  But, the corn starch – damn, it leaves some odd little after taste and I don’t like it.

So, challenge number four will go down as a fail.

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