Two big weeks in the kitchen! I’ve been on a roll—testing 19 new recipes each week as I work through cleaning out my freezer and pantry. It’s been fun and busy! I’ve found so many new favorites and have been deep in a gelatin recipe phase (more on that next week—I’ve learned a lot! ).

For now, scroll down to see what I’ve been cooking.👇

Recipes Made So Far This Year:

Goal: To try seven new recipes each week 🗓️, aiming for 365 this year!

Number of Recipes Made This Week: 19 ✅ & 19 ✅ 

Number of New Recipes Tested as of 3/23: 159

Weeks Achieving Seven or More New Recipes: 12 out of 12

This Week’s Recipe Test Summary

Impress Someone🌟

Matcha Mochi Brownie – NEKOHAMA MATCHA 🍵🍫
First time baking with glutinous rice flour! These sweet brownies are a blend of rice flour, white chocolate, and matcha. My sister and I loved the chewy texture and subtle earthiness. A unique dessert that will definitely make all matcha mochi fans happy. 

Lavender Earl Grey Cookies – Hummingbird High 🌸
I made these for the Reddit floral baking challenge and grabbed some dried lavender from the spice aisle, unsure how it would go. I brought them to H’s birthday park hangout and was surprised how many people said these were their favorite dessert of the day! They were light, floral, and fancy-feeling.

Antioxidant Rich Berry Gummies – Raising Generation Nourished 🍓🧸
These have been a total hit with my sister’s family. I’ve already made them 4+ times for the kids—they get so excited when they see them. Definitely a repeat!

Would Make Again 👍

Sheet-Pan Salmon and Broccoli with Sesame and Ginger – NY Times Cooking by Lidey Heuck 🥢
Minimal-mess recipes are always a win 🙌. This was an easy lunch that came together fast and kept the cleanup simple. 

Sticky Miso Salmon Bowl – NY Times Cooking by Andy Baraghani 🍋
H wasn’t a fan... but I loved this one! The flavorful top layer on the salmon + the hit of citrus zest = so good. I’ve already made it for myself twice

Yaki Udon – NY Times Cooking by Naz Deravian 🍜
This totally reminded me of my brother-in-law Albi—super flavorful noodles that tasted restaurant-level. I’d dial back the sauce a bit next time, but this is going into my quick-lunch rotation.

Easy Coconut Rice – Ahead of Thyme 🥥
I had leftover coconut milk and did a quick Google search, which led me to this gem! It's such a great side dish and a fun switch-up from our usual jasmine rice. 

Enoki Mushrooms with Garlic & Scallion Sauce – The Woks of Life 🍄
Super simple, quick, and so flavorful. A perfect little side—I’m already planning to make it again this week! 

Crispy Artichoke Pasta – NY Times Cooking by Andy Baraghani 🍝
NYT is packed with 5-star pasta recipes, and I’ve tried at least four. This one was my favorite so far. Crispy artichokes = big flavor win. 

Chocolate Strawberry Greek Yogurt Bowl – Brocc Your Body 🍓🍫
A perfect healthier dessert option! Full of delicious ingredients and feels like a treat without being too heavy.

Gut Healing Marshmallow Gummies – @superfoodsguy 🧊
I wasn’t expecting much, but these were so good! Best eaten cold and packed with protein, thanks to the egg whites and gelatin. Definitely making again!

Pumpkin Maple Muffins – NY Times Cooking by Alison Roman 🎃
Sweet, cozy, and quick to whip up, this recipe is a great way to use up leftover canned pumpkin and is easy to scale down when needed.

Strawberry Smoothie – NY Times Cooking by Martha Rose Shulman 🍓
Cleaning out the freezer before summer fruit season hits! This smoothie gave me flashbacks to post-tennis practice snacks as a kid—classic and refreshing.

Chocolate Chip Cookies – Serious Eats by J. Kenji López-Alt 🍪
I have no idea why they spread so much, but they were a total hit at the birthday party! They were big, buttery, chocolatey goodness.

Would Not Make Again 👎

These recipes didn’t live up to expectations or weren’t to my taste

As I mentioned, I’ve been making lots of the trending NY Times Cooking 5-star pasta recipes. My unpopular opinion is that I thought they were just okay. They were super easy for a quick lunch, but not something I’d make again.

• One-Pot Miso-Mascarpone Pasta – NY Times Cooking by Sarah DiGregorio 🍜

• Gochujang Buttered Noodles – NY Times Cooking by Eric Kim 🌶️

• Five-Ingredient Creamy Miso Pasta – NY Times Cooking by Alexa Weibel 🍝

• Chile Crisp Fettuccine Alfredo with Spinach – NY Times Cooking by Genevieve Ko 🌶️

And while I was on the trend of quick and easy pasta recipes, I also made this one—not NYT, but still just okay:

• Creamy Miso Pasta – Bites of Beri 🍜

While clearing out leftover coconut milk and frozen fruit to make room for summer pops, I made single servings of these—just okay for me.

• Blackberry, Pineapple and Coconut Swirl Italian Ice Pops – Spoon Fork Bacon 🍧

• Piña Colada Ice Pops – Shutterbean 🍍

• Paletas Piña Colada – Pizca de Sabor 🍍🥥

These chicken dishes were flavorful, but just not my thing:

• Crispy Baked Chicken Wings – The Kitchn by Renae Wilson & Jan Valdez 🍗

• Paprika Chicken and Potatoes – NY Times Cooking by Yasmin Fahr 🌶️

• Instant Pot Soy Sauce Chicken Bowls – The Woks of Life 🍚

These were made for the Reddit challenges, but didn’t quite meet my expectations:

• Caramelized Onion Focaccia – 600 Acres 🧅

• Blueberry Crisp – 600 Acres 🫐

• Tropical Pumpkin Coconut Loaf – Tasty Recollections 🎃🥥

More smoothies that didn’t make the cut:

• Homemade Banana-Berry Smoothie – NY Times Cooking by Martha Rose Shulman 🍌🍓

• The Hawaiian Clean Green – Candice Kumai 🥬

• Bonberi Green Smoothie – Bonberi 🥒

And finally, a few sweets I won’t be revisiting:

• Lemon Bars with Olive Oil and Sea Salt – NY Times Cooking by Melissa Clark 🍋

• Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chip Streusel – NY Times Cooking by Melissa Clark 🍪

• Cookie Dough Date Balls – Come Hungry by Melissa Ben-Ishay 🍪

• Perfectly Easy Homemade Waffle – The Stay At Home Chef Family Favorites Cookbook by Rachel Farnsworth 🧇

I’d love to hear your thoughts, suggestions, or any recipe requests you might have. Just respond directly to this email.

See you next week. Keep cooking! 👋 

Vale from ValeCooks