Thirteen recipes were tested this week, and only two made it into the "Would Make Again" category 😅. Early on, my mom taught me that it takes a lot of recipe testing to find one worth repeating and even more to find one that truly impresses. It was a calm week in the kitchen, but an exciting one is coming up.

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: 13

Number of New Recipes Tested as of 6/15: 342

Weeks Achieving Seven or More New Recipes: 24 out of 24

This Week’s Recipe Test Summary

Impress Someone🌟

Nothing this week.

Would Make Again 👍

Oatmeal Crispies – Taste of Home 🍪
I needed to make a recipe from the ’70s and landed on this one. While it wasn’t one of my cousin’s favorites, it felt to me like the kind of cookie your grandma would make—crispy, spiced, and nostalgic in the best way. I really enjoyed it!

Tonno & Tomato with Sweet Onion – Back Pocket Pasta: Inspired Dinners to Cook on the Fly by Colu Henry 🍅
Another Back Pocket Pasta winner in the books! Hearty, flavorful, and filling—a pasta I threw together in 30 minutes that felt like comfort in a bowl.

Would Not Make Again 👎

These didn’t hit the mark for me, but recipe testing is super subjective. Some were just okay, some were good but not memorable, and a few I didn’t enjoy at all. Rather than breaking each one down, I’m just listing them here.

Green Tea–Green Apple Smoothie – Run Fast. Eat Slow. by Shalane Flanagan & Elyse Kopecky 🍵🍏

Roasted Strawberry Matcha Latte / Iced Matcha Latte with Roasted Strawberry Sauce – Moments of Sugar 🍓🍵

Quintessential Chocolate Chip Cookies – NY Times Cooking by Sherry Yard & Martha Rose Shulman 🍪

Cinnamon Russian Bread – She Makes and Bakes 🍞

Chocolate Sprinkle Sugar Cookies – Cloudy Kitchen 🍫

Instant Pot Chicken Juk with Scallion Sauce – NY Times Cooking by Kay Chun 🍗

Salmon Teriyaki & Broccolini – Go-To Dinners by Ina Garten 🥦

Kung Pao Chicken – Bao Family Cookbook: Recipes from the Eight Culinary Regions of China by Céline Chung 🌶️

Souvlaki – NY Times Cooking by Lidey Heuck 🥙

Homemade Pita Bread – NY Times Cooking by David Tanis 🫓

Lemony Spaghetti – Back Pocket Pasta: Inspired Dinners to Cook on the Fly by Colu Henry 🧀 🍋

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