February Foods

Along with making the King Cake this month, we also tried several other recipes, but they were not quite what we were seeking, I'll reference them here to help us remember what we tried and what we thought about them.

In his quest for the perfect picnic food recipe, The Mister has been seeking a good recipe for coleslaw and potato salad, while contending with my dislike of coleslaw and my pickyness involving potato salad. We tried the Hot and Sour Chinese Slaw from the Southern Living 1985 Annual Recipe Page 139. While it was passable slaw recipe and incorporated everything we would typically keep in the refrigerator, The Mister decided we should attempt a creamy slaw next time. To me, the flavor improved the following day and could have been a good slaw for picnic on hot days since it contained no egg-based ingredient.

Hot and Sour Chinese Slaw, Southern Living 1985 Annual Recipe, Page 139

We also tried the Savory Potato Salad from the Southern Living 1980 Annual Recipe Page 30. We substituted sour cream for the mayonnaise. The Mister said that this was an okay recipe which improved once dill pickles were added on the second day. I think The Mister was a bit heavy handed on the onions. My dislike for potato salad stems primarily from the fact that The Mister puts waaaayy too many onions in the dish and I am unable to taste anything but onions for the next three days.

Savory Potato Salad, Southern Living 1980 Annual Recipe, Page 30

The biscuit recipe we tried this month was the Baking Powder Biscuit from the Southern Living 1982 Annual Recipe Page 195. While I liked that this recipe contained ingredients that were immediately available from our pantry, the biscuit itself was somewhat dry and lacked flavor. On the plus side, it held up well as a sandwich (The Mister really liked this), but it needed to be taller (I could have rolled the dough thicker). The biscuit could be a good conduit for syrups or gravies as those condiments would lend flavor.

Baking Powder Biscuit, Southern Living 1982 Annual Recipe, Page 195

Overall, I am glad we are continuing to pursue seeking and using recipes from the Annuals. Some days it can be a challenge to meet both the dietary needs of our household and the pantry items we have on hand. But we will continue to experiment with recipes and perhaps by the end of the year, we will find the perfect recipes for our household. (or at least begin to narrow down what we like and dislike).