New "Eats" 2009+

Here you will find a list of new foods (or recipes) I've tried since 2009. I don't really consider this a cooking blog, although I do cook--every day in fact (smile, smile)--so if you are looking for some good cooking blogs, see my bloglist for a few of the ones I follow.

Happy cooking + eating!
*Last update February 15, 2019.



•  Blue's Buns---made by Dave of Dave's Killer Bread. Found out about Blue's Buns from Heather of Heather's Blog-o-rama. Verdict: a bit sweet in taste, a nice change from regular hamburger buns. Organic and made of a lot of good for you ingredients. I made BBQ chicken sandwiches with it which were good; they would be nice with beef patties also. For those who are buying locally to support their PNW neighbors--these are made in the NW.
• Couscous--have cooked this several times now. Verdict: love it!
• Greek Yogurt--have been buying this for awhile now. Verdict: love the thicker consistency and it seems less sugary then the usual flavored yogurts I have been buying (not too say that I don't like them at times too) To me it is reminiscent of a yogurt like Nancy's
• Grits--I have loved these ever since I first (?) discovered them at a Cracker Barrel restaurant! In the PNW I have only seen them at one place so I was feeling very deprived:) Verdict: I just cooked them tonight and am thrilled to be able to recreate the grits they serve there (well except for the Rocky Mts, the Wasatch Mts, the whole Cracker Barrel atmosphere...:) The kind I used is widely available in the NW; it is Bob's Red Mill. Next time I want to try making it per the Polenta directions. Yum, polenta:) And--no I am not associated in any way with Cracker Barrel or Bob's Red Mill.
• Hasselback Potatoes--Nordic and looks pretty! Verdict: loved them but the recipe I used was way off on the time for baking. No matter, I'll just cook them longer next time:) 
• Boiled Peanuts--in Alabama. Totally love them! Of course, the beautiful scenery and wonderful weather made them even more enjoyable!
• Etouffee--another Southern taste treat. Mmm!
• Elote--Mexican corn on the cob. Amazing!

Baby Kiwi

•  Kiwi--baby & gold. Verdict: love the baby ones which you eat without peeling; also the gold ones which seem sweeter then the fuzzy kind.
• Naan Bread--have not baked this yet but did purchase some from a grocery store. Verdict: love it! Reminds me a bit of the thick Greek pita bread I love so much.
  

Quinoa



• Quinoa: first heard of this (I think) from Patty at morningramble.blogspot.com. Later in 2010 I had a chance to try some at a Whole Foods deli in a scrumptious quinoa and kale salad. Finally bought some and cooked it. Verdict: love the very delicate, interesting, light texture and beautiful color. Good source of protein; filling. A keeper!

• Swedish Hash (pytt i panna)--another potato dish. Verdict: I modified a recipe I found because I didn't have all the ingredients I needed and it was still good!
• Three Bean Dip--made by Emerald Valley, Verdict: I am now officially 'addicted' to both this dip and EV's mild salsa. I love them in nachos, tacos, burritos and would even consider eating them by the spoonful (OK that last one is a bit of an exaggeration). Made in the PNW.



Pizzelle

• Pizzelle--Christmas 2011. Similar to krumkake. Verdict: addictive and delicious:)
• Raw sushi--Christmas 2011. I have eaten Japanese food since very small (and have the photos to prove it). At some point I began to eat sushi--vegetarian or the California roll. Never raw though I was offered some this week...verdict: not bad, mild in taste (tuna). Glad I can cross this off my 'bucket list' :) 
• Mujadara--purchased for Epiphany from my fav Middle Eastern deli. After ordering all my usual favorites, I asked for any other recommendations...verdict: 'earthy' flavor of the rice and lentils combines wonderfully with spices and caramelized onions. Will definitely try to make this--love it! Another Middle Eastern food I love LOVE is plaki made with big beans. It is beyond heavenly:)
• Coconut milk yogurt (vanilla) + soy yogurt (lemon)--February 2012. Interesting. Consistency of the coconut yogurt seemed thinner than regular milk yogurt; liked the aftertaste of this and will try it again. Have not decided about the soy yogurt yet; definitely a different taste than dairy yogurt. I like soy milk...perhaps another try or flavor??
• Assorted traditional Japanese food--spring 2012. Since conquering my reluctance to try raw sushi, I have now tried other traditional foods: sashimi, tai osuimono, kani kama meshi and, the most yummy, nikujaga...you probably already know what the first is, so I won't go into details. The second is a soup made with fish; the third is a wonderful rice dish and the last--oh my goodness--it is a delectable type of what I would call stew. Verdict: I had these all at a Japanese restaurant that specializes in traditional foods and loved everything I ordered. My favorites were the kani kama meshi and nikujaga:) I could almost live on those...(photos and info coming soon in a regular post). Meanwhile you can check out these Japanese food blogs: http://www.humblebeanblog.com/, http://www.japanfoodaddict.com/, http://www.justhungry.com/
• Oh my, oh my---I think I have forgotten to mention another Japanese favorite of mine...let me rectify that right now! At some point, not sure when, my DDIL (who has some Japanese ancestry in her) introduced me to the wonderful, most awesome, most yummy mochi...for further details see this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mochi_ice_cream. YUM!
• Jicama--the other day my grandson shared some jicama with me. I CANNOT believe I have never tried it before! Crispy, cool, beautiful and sweet (but not overly so)...verdict: definitely a 'thumbs up' on this new-to-me food:)
• Chia Seeds--tried these earlier this week. They were combined with dried fruit + some other things and I can say I liked them that way.
• Baby sweet peppers--YUM:)
• Thai Iced Tea---heavenly! Seriously I could drink some of this everyday!
• Challah--not sure if I have had this in the past, but I am definitely renewing my love for this yummy bread. And, until our house is done and I can bake it, I am SO grateful that there are several bakeries I have found that make it:)
• Ice apples--I have eaten these for several years now. These yummy Fuji apples are only available for a short time and, as I write this, a bag of them are sitting in my car---edible souvenirs from a trip:)

  

  Lucia Buns

• Lucia buns --- very good but a bit dry because of the saffron. I would definitely eat them again though as the flavor was quite nice - a bit sweet - plus I love the shapes!



Stollen

• Two firsts in one day: stollen and cloudberry preserves. The first was a little dry (perhaps because it was 5 days old? Very good though...and quite pretty! The second, cloudberry preserves, is very hard to describe. It reminded me a bit of orange marmalade--maybe??? On the Internet different people describe the taste in very different ways or impossible to pinpoint:) I thought it was a wee bit too sweet but good; am going to try it in some ways that people suggest...most likely with some good cheese. If you do try cloudberry preserves be aware that they are filled with edible crunchy seeds...
• The new year saw me eating my first brie. At first I was not impressed to tell the truth (I think I was expecting a 'sharper' taste), but then the brie really 'grew' on me and now I love it! For those of you that haven't tried it, brie comes with an edible rind (interesting in taste) and a very creamy inside. You are supposed to bring it to room temperature, but I can never wait:)

Fruitcake French Toast

• The new year also saw me trying a new recipe...Fruitcake French Toast. Verdict: very, very rich but tasty!

• Polenta--could eat this once a week, really! YUM!

Champ

• Champ--made this traditional Irish dish for the first time this year (2013) and fell in love with it! I will most definitely make this often:)

• Panna Cotta--had been wanting to try this since my son, a professional cook, had mentioned making some earlier this year (his description was of the sort to make your mouth water). I ended up buying some--to see if I liked it enough to make some--and oh yes, yummy stuff! Panna Cotta, for those who may not know, is a creamy sort of custard--which in my case--was topped with peaches and a blackberry sauce.

Bløtkake

•  Bløtkake--the yummiest cake you could ever imagine. Norwegian in origins. Had my first yummy bite (which led to more yummy bites) at Norse Hall in Portland for Syttende Mai 2012.

Vafler

• Vafler--a heart shaped thin Norwegian waffle. They are made with a special waffle maker that are available online or in Scandinavian stores. LOVE these--especially with lingonberries! The first photo on my post from October 2012 will show you the Vafler maker I bought that year. Here's a link: http://aimeeonthemountainside.blogspot.com/2012/10/of-vaflers-lingonberries-and-lefse.html

Kjøttkaker + agurksalat

•  Kjøttkaker, agurksalat---yum, yum and yum! Made these for Syttende Mai 2013. You can find the post I made about these two dishes here: http://aimeeonthemountainside.blogspot.com/2013/05/syttende-mai-dinner-may-17-2013.html.

Lefse

•  Another favorite Norwegian food of mine is lefse. I don't recall when I had my first lefse (a very thin flatbread made of mashed potatoes) but I have loved them ever since my first bite:) This year (2014) I hope to make my first lefse. If you live in NW Oregon and want to try some, you can find them at Scandia Imports in the Beaverton area and Viking Soul in SE Portland. Sometimes you can also find them during the Christmas season at local grocery stores.

Scotch Eggs

• Scotch Eggs--my youngest son cooked these for me in late December 2013. Pretty awesome combo of hard boiled eggs, sausage with a bread crumb coating. YUM, YUM!

 Have you tried any new food lately? If so what did you think of it? Do you have any interesting food blogs that you would like to share? Feel free to leave a comment...

Happy Eating~

Blessings, Aimee