Just a few days ago, I was lying in my parents’ bed with my mom, flipping through her old cookbooks 📚, picking out what recipes to make next — right after we spent the morning testing four new ones together.

Some of my best memories are tied to my mom and food, and the older I get, the more I appreciate how much she’s taught me. She’s the reason I love cooking, and growing up, the house always smelled like something she was trying out.

This past week was one of those family-filled weeks that remind me why I love this💛. My siblings and I got together. My sister made one of her signature pastas, asked me to make panna cotta, and my twin requested a chai cheesecake. Then my twin and I went to H Mart 🛒 and made sushi, sashimi, dumplings, and noodles 🍣🥟🍜. Later in the week, my other brother and his wife stopped by just as I pulled out a loaf of chocolate chip bread. I sent him home with his favorite muesli too.

I’ve learned from my mom that food brings people together ❤️ . This recipe testing journey excites me the most because it’s how I’m starting to collect my own set of recipes — ones I’ll make for my family and loved ones, and hopefully use to bring my people together, just like my mom always has.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms 💛

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: 21 ✅ 

Number of New Recipes Tested as of 4/20: 231

Weeks Achieving Seven or More New Recipes: 16 out of 16

This Week’s Recipe Test Summary

Impress Someone🌟

Crusty Chocolate Chip Bread – Home is Where The Eggs Are by Molly Yeh 🍪
This was excellent — I couldn’t believe I made it myself. It had that crusty, chewy bakery feel and was so delicious. My older brother loved it. Lucky for us, it came out of the oven just as he arrived, so we were too impatient to let it cool… or take a proper photo.

Would Make Again 👍

Lemon and Oregano Chicken with a Feta Dip, Two Ways – Greekish: Everyday Recipes with Greek Roots by Georgina Hayden 🍗
I loved the tanginess of this recipe — and the feta dip was so good.

Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Arugula – NY Times Cooking by Martha Rose Shulman 🍝
Perfect use of leftovers. A super fresh, summer-y pasta.

Kale Salad with Apples and Cheddar – NY Times Cooking by Martha Rose Shulman 🥗
My sister gave me some kale, so I used it to make two single-serving pastas. I really enjoyed the crunch and sweetness from the apples in this one.

Lemon-Garlic Kale Salad – NY Times Cooking by Julia Moskin 🧄
H ended up stealing this salad and ate the whole thing 😅 Both kale salads had great texture — either the apple or almond added just the right amount of crunch.

Would Not Make Again 👎

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

Some had too much flavor, others too little. I wouldn’t make them again.

• Sesame Chicken with Cashews and Dates – NY Times Cooking by Melissa Clark 🥡

• Pan-Fried Pork & Shrimp Dumplings – The Wok: Recipes and Techniques by J. Kenji López-Alt 🥟

• Shrimp Sesame Noodles – Brocc Your Body 🍜

• Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Beef Ho Fun – Bao Family Cookbook: Recipes from the Eight Culinary Regions of China by Céline Chung 🍲

• One-Pot Chicken Thighs and Rice – Greekish: Everyday Recipes with Greek Roots by Georgina Hayden 🍛

• Summer Weeknight Burst Tomato Burrata Pasta – How Sweet Eats 🍅

• Orange Blossom Dream Smoothie – Home is Where The Eggs Are by Molly Yeh 🧃

• Peach Smoothie – A Joyfully Mad Kitchen 🍑

• Peach Raspberry Smoothie – Two Peas & Their Pod 🍓

• Mango Spinach Smoothie – Simple Green Smoothies 🥭

• Watermelon, Lime, & Hibiscus Ice Pops – The Ranch Malibu 🍉

• Pineapple-Spirulina Pops – Nourish by Gisele Bündchen🍍

Sour Cream Pancakes with Cardamom Apples – NY Times Cooking by Ifrah F. Ahmed 🥞
My brother loved the apple topping, but I found the pancakes too eggy.

These were both too sweet for my palate.

• Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies – Baker by Nature 🍪

• Panna Cotta with Passion Fruit – @foodmymuse 🍮

Chai Spice Cheesecake – Julie Marie Eats 🍰
My brother took this one home to share with his friends — they loved it. But my siblings and I thought the spice level was a bit too much.

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