2017 52 Recipe Challenge

Super Bowl Party Grits Bar

The 52 recipe challenge is 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 sixth year of sharing food, recipes, kitchen catastrophes, and culinary creativity with friends far and wide.

2017 Top 5

1. Recipe 49- Dolores' Brokenhearted Chicken: Sometimes I wonder why we keep doing this 52 Recipe Challenge after all these years. This is why. This... was... amazing.
2. Recipe 33- Campfire Dutch Oven Sourdough French Toast: I was able to prep everything before leaving home for camping, putting it all in separate ziploc bags. Easy to assemble. I would encourage you to use the foil in the dutch oven as it was sticky, and the foil made clean up a breeze (which is nice when camping). Next time I'd increase the liquid just a bit (1/4 - 1/2 cup). We opted for maple syrup instead of the glaze. Delicious!
3. Recipe 51- Creamed Spinach: This one took some effort, but was very good, and was declared the best I've made.
4. Recipe 13- Hashbrowns: Loaded Steakhouse Hashbrowns. I used this recipe as a base, but added a half cup of green onion, half cup of homemade bacon bits, cup of cubed cheese. Oh, and i used frozen hashbrowns... I'm not that crazy! This was the star of Valentine's Day dinner.
5. Recipe 3- Grown Up Mac and Cheese: This was a huge hit at our New Year's Day Recovery Brunch Mac and Cheese Bar. I made mine with the recommended bacon and bread crumbs, and it was delicious, but I know other people at the party doctored theirs up with caramelized onions, langostino tails, tomatoes, and/or chorizo.

2017 Honorable Mentions

1. Recipe 23- Honey Mustard Glazed Ham: Made this for Easter and was told it was "my best ham yet". Note: I heated my ham up using the Alton Brown method (starting at 250 degrees for several hours). Also, my ham was 18 lbs. and I still had at least twice as much glaze as I needed. So feel free to scale back on the ingredients (seriously, I should have known better than to use a full cup of honey). A keeper!
2. Recipe 14- Sostanza Brown Butter Chicken: Like most chicken recipes I do these these days, I soaked the breasts in buttermilk to tenderize them before dredging and pan frying them. I also used a little wine to deglaze the pan before adding the chicken back in to bake.
3. Recipe 9- Slow Cooker Grits: These were really good. May become my go-to recipe for making polenta, er, I mean grits
4. Recipe 7-  Caramel Budino: Delicious. I used chocolate graham crackers as the base and did a basic homemade whipped cream for the top. The only complaint is you mess a lot of pots and bowls with all the steps.
5. Recipe 10- Spicy Stewed Beef: Very nice spice, easy to make.

1. Goat Cheese Quiche with Hash Brown Crust -
2. Classic Mac and Cheese +
3. Grown Up Mac and Cheese ++
4. Chinese Roast Pork +
5. Chicago Style Deep Dish
6. Two Ingredient Pancakes - - -
7. Caramel Budino +
8. No Knead Bread
9. Slow Cooker Grits +
10. Spicy Stewed Beef with Grits +
11. Cajun-Style Shrimp
12. Buffalo Chicken Dip
13. Hashbrowns+
14. Sostanza Brown Butter Chicken +
15. Classic Beef Pot Roast +
16. Sweet Potato Hash +
17. Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Bake
18. Easy Grilled Chicken
19. Garlic Shrimp +
20. Sous Vide Shrimp
21. Pioneer Woman Caesar Salad +
22. Alton Brown Fish and Chips
23. Honey Mustard Glazed Ham
24. Maid-rites
25. Pastrami Ribs
26. Ham Salad
27. Blackened Mahi Sandwiches +
28. Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
29. Grilled Swordfish with Lemon, Mint, and Basil
30. Campfire Dutch Oven Beer and Sausages
31. Campfire Dutch Oven Mountain Main Breakfast
32. Campfire Dutch Oven Queso Fundido +
33. Campfire Dutch Oven Sourdough French Toast +++
34. Sriracha Grilled Chicken +
35. Coconut Macaroon Brownies +
36. Tangy Cucumber Salad
37. Creamy Cucumber Salad +
38. Old Fashion Pancakes +
39. Laquered Bacon
40. Butternut Squash Ravoli with Sage Brown Butter Sauce +
41. Carrot and Parsnip Puree
42. Brussels Sprouts, Sausage, and Spiralized Parsnips
43. Garlic Roasted Carrots
44. Honey Sriracha Roasted Carrots
45. Carrot Cake
46. Instant Pot Pork Ribs -
47. Buttermilk Biscuits 
48. Paleo Short Ribs
49. Dolores' Brokenhearted Chicken (Sherry-braised Chicken) +++
50. Ultra-fluffy Mashed Potatoes -
51. Creamed Spinach +++
52. Beef Wellington +

Bonus Recipes

• Ben and Jerry's Strawberry Ice Cream
• Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Ice Cream +++
• Bourbon Pumpkin Ice Cream +

+ denotes a dish we'll make again

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

2016 52 Recipe Challenge

2015 52 Recipe Challenge

2014 52 Recipe Challenge

2013 52 Recipe Challenge
2012 52 Recipe Challenge

2016 52 Recipe Challenge

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 fifth year of sharing food, recipes, kitchen catastrophes, and culinary creativity with friends far and wide.

2016 Top 5
38. Crispy Chicken with Arugula
46. Braised Short Ribs
8.   Roasted Schweinshaxe (Roasted Pork Knuckle)
25. Soft Pretzels
49: Salted Caramel Pot de Crème

Honorable Mention
18. Vitamix Hollandaise Sauce
30. Italian Wedding Soup
40. Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Proscuitto

1. Pepper Crusted Prime Rib Roast
2. Creme Fraiche Mashed Potatoes
3. Spinach and Cheese Strata
4. Hot Chorizo and Cheese Dip +
5. Butternut Squash Sauce +
6. Calamari in Creamy White Wine Sauce +
7. Easy Tzatziki Sauce +
8. Roasted Schweinshaxe +
9. Mile High Hatch Chile Chili Verde +
10. Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding +
11. Sous Vide Pulled Pork +
12. Carolina BBQ Sauce- Food Network
• Carolina BBQ Sauce- The Meatwave +
13. Lobster Thermidor
14. Sous Vide Prime Rib +
15. Breakfast Sausage
16. Asian Salad Dressing
17. No-Knead Bread +
18. Vitamix Hollandaise Sauce +
19. Birthday Cake Pancakes
20. Chocolate Chip Pancakes
21. Cake Batter Birthday Blondies +
22. Strawberry Bleu Cheese Salad +
23. Waffled Hash Brown Croque Monsieur
24. Sous Vide Poached Eggs
25. Soft Pretzels +
26. Basic Polenta
27. Salted Pecan Bourbon Pumpkin Pie - - - 
28. Sous Vide Barbecue Ribs
29. Zucchini Fries
30. Italian Wedding Soup +
31. Vitamix Bearnaise Sauce
32. Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapenos +
33. No-Bake Cake Batter Truffles
34. Caprese Skewers
35. Tarragon Chicken with Spring Greens +
36. Flank Steak with Saucy Mushrooms +
37. Cheesy Souffle -
38. Crispy Chicken with Arugula ++
39. Meringue Kiss Cookies +
40. Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Proscuitto + 
    
41. Alton Brown's Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies +
42. Parmesan Broccoli Rabe Bread Pudding
43. Arugula Salad with Winter Squash, Cranberries, and Pecans 
44. Jackie Kennedy's Herbed Chicken Paillard +
45. Jackie Kennedy's Chocolate Birthday Cake +
46. Pioneer Woman Braised Short Ribs ++
47. Cheddar Polenta +
48. Asparagus Gruyere Tart +
    
49. Salted Caramel Pot de Crème +
50. Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls +
51. Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin 
52. Pork Crown Roast +
53. Apple Pecan Stuffing (Dressing)
54. Alton Brown's Aged Eggnog +

+ denotes a dish we'll make again

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

2015 52 Recipe Challenge

2014 52 Recipe Challenge

2013 52 Recipe Challenge
2012 52 Recipe Challenge

Guilty Pleasure: Honey Barbeque Pork Riblet Recipe

Skip Applebees and make these pork riblets at home!

• 3 pounds of pork riblets, cut to individual ribs
• 1 tablespoon of oil (canola, vegetable, olive)
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 small red onion, diced.
• 1 can of beer (lager, not dark beer)
• 2 1/2 cups of ketchup
• 1 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
• 6 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 1/2 a cup of worcestershire sauce
• 4 teaspoons of liquid smoke
• Equipment: Skillet, Pot, Crock Pot/Slow Cooker

1. Cut pork riblets between the bones into individual pieces. Salt and pepper.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to large skillet, brown riblets on both sides. If skillet is not large enough to handle all the meat, brown in batches (add oil as needed).
3. Remove riblets, set to side. Add diced onion to skillet and sautee until golden brown. 
4. Add beer to skillet with onions, bring to a boil then simmer, stirring to get the "brown bits" up off the skillet into the onions for flavor. Reduce until onions are carmelized. Remove from heat.
5. In a separate pot, combine ketchup, brown sugar, honey, worcestershire sauce, and liquid smoke. Whisk together and simmer for 20 minutes. Add carmelized onions to sauce.
6. Add riblets to crockpot. Pour in sauce, give a stir to make sure all the ribs are sauced up. Use crockpots auto setting if you have it, otherwise cook for 2 hours at high, 3 hours at medium (or 6 to 7 hours at medium).
7. Remove from pot, serve with your favorite BBQ sides. Enjoy!