Life of a Bombchelle: 1/1/15

The 52 recipe challenge is a way of bringing together our friends far and wide who love to cook and share their successes and failures in the kitchen. The challenge; to make 52 new recipes in a single year. This is our fourth year of sharing food, recipes, kitchen catastrophes, and culinary creativity with friends far and wide.

2015 Top 5

52. Beef Wellington

52. Beef Wellington: Impressive visually and tastes even better. Great special occasion dish.
37. Arugula, Strawberry, and Blue Cheese Salad: Amazing flavor combination. Became a summer go-to salad.
44. Short Rib Ragu: Comfort food.
45. Hot Fudge: Tastes like it came from the ice cream parlor.
40. Kale and Sausage Soup: The best Italian restaurants in the world couldn't do this dish better.

Honorable Mention
15. Samoa Cheesecake: Visually impressive,

15. Samoa Cheesecake

20. Chicken Tortilla Soup: My quest to find the perfect Chicken Tortilla soup came not at a restaurant, but this recipe.
51. Julia Child Garlic Mashed Potatoes: Don't let the number of cloves scare you, this is a beautiful side, and the garlic is mellow.
33. Key Lime Pie in a Jar: First attempt at dessert in a jar, very tasty, and cute idea for a party.
43. Balsamic Roasted Beet Salad: If you like beets, you will love this salad.

Grilled Cheese Bar

Maple Cinnamon Glaze

Spicy Chocolate Ice Cream ++

Crispy Chicken with Arugula Parmesean

Strawberry Sorbet

+ denotes a dish we'll make again

- denotes a dish we didn't like or wouldn't make again

2014 52 Recipe Challenge

2013 52 Recipe Challenge
2012 52 Recipe Challenge

Friday, January 02, 2015

Make Your Own Grilled Cheese Bar

Who says grilled cheese is just for kids? A group of our friends gathered for a New Year's Day recovery brunch complete with a Bloody Mary Bar, Mimosa Bar, and a new party idea for us; a Grilled Cheese Bar. Everyone got to make their own gourmet creations with dozens of different cheeses, meats, and toppings. We broke out a cutting board and pizza wheel so everyone could cut their sandwiches in quarters and get the opportunity to try all the different flavors. We did provide some recipes and suggestions, but most people just had fun using their imaginations to create their own grilled cheese masterpiece.

Provide cutting boards, cheese graters, and shredders so everyone could choose how they want the cheese on their sandwiches (and to cut down on your work)

We chose to have braised short rib meat and prime rib since we had it in the house from the holidays. We also included sliced turkey, bacon, and pepperoni.