Thank you for subscribing, my heart is so full 🥰 after hearing your feedback on the first ValeCooks👩🏻‍🍳 newsletter. So excited to learn with you all through this process.

Some of you were surprised at how I'm aiming to make 365 recipes and wondered where I'll find all these new ones to try. Well, I've got a list of 925+ recipes 📝😂 that I've never made, all waiting in my trusted recipe app, Paprika Recipe Manager 3.

But here's how I find recipes (without having social media myself):

I've customized my Apple News' favorites as “cooking, recipes, food, and desserts.” I learn about new cookbooks 📚 coming out, top recipes of each season, and have access to cooking magazines like Bon Appetit. I actually receive notifications about recipe news via Apple News 🗞️. This is how I stay up to date without being able to follow my favorite chefs on Instagram.

I'm also an avid public library member 📚🤓. I place all the new cookbooks on hold at my local library and get emails when they're ready to pick up. I have a whole month to test recipes from the new books, and tend to save the books’ recipes on my Paprika Recipe Manager 3 if I don’t have time to make them right away.

I also follow websites like the kitchn’s Recipe Showdown Wrapup for top-rated recipes. Check out their winning Key Lime Pie 🥧. So easy to make and so, so good!

But my most trusted source? It's my mom's screenshots 📸 from her iPad. Whenever I get the chance, I send myself all her screenshots of the recipes she finds online. She has such a great eye for finding amazing recipes!

Paprika Recipe Manager 3

I've mentioned Paprika Recipe Manager 3 quite a few times now. I joke and say that discovering Paprika was the best thing that happened to me in 2022 and the best use of $4.99 💰 (I will have to make a separate newsletter showing you how to best use this app!).

In short, you can download recipes from the in-app browser into your recipe box without needing to copy and paste recipes from one place to another. 🔄

I add new recipes to the app here and there, but how I mostly decide what I'm going to make each week is through Paprika’s search bar 🔍. I can search for an ingredient that I have in my pantry and find a new recipe I've stored to try out. Download it now! 📲

This Week’s Recipe Test Summary

Impress Someone🌟

1. Sopa de Tortilla @ Jauja Cocina Mexicana 🍲

   • To my non-Spanish speaking friends: I'll translate these recipes for you soon. They are just too good!

2. Pastel Azteca (verde) @ Jauja Cocina Mexicana

   • My mom makes a red sauce Pastel Azteca, but trying the green version was incredible. Absolutely delicious!

3. Ina Garten’s Vodka Sauce by Alexandra Stafford @ Alexandra’s Kitchen (vegetarian) 🍝

   • It's a bit time-consuming but totally worth it. My husband loved it, and it's easy to make.

Would Make Again 👍

1. Perfect Blueberry Muffins by Deb Perelman @ Smitten Kitchen

   • This was a winner from the kitchn’s Recipe Showdown Wrapup 

2. Thai Pineapple Fried Rice by Kate @ COOKIE + Kate (vegetarian) 🍍🍚

   • A new go-to for quick and tasty lunch on workdays.

Would Not Make Again 👎

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

1. Molasses Granola Bars from the cookbook - Run Fast, Cook Fast, Eat Slow

   • I love this “running” cookbook, but these bars were a complete fail.

2. Jamaica Enchilada by Elena Hernández @ Cocina Delirante

   • I adore this candy, but sadly, it didn’t work out as expected.

3. Cookies and Cream Kulfi (@goldengully) from As Cooked on TikTok: Fan Favorites and Recipe Exclusives from More than 40 Creators!

4. Sticky Garlic Chicken Bites by Chungah @ Damn Delcious 🍗

I’d love to hear your thoughts, suggestions, or any recipe request you might have.

See you next week. Keep cooking! 👋 

Vale from ValeCooks