Seattle Cold Brew Coffee

I don't drink coffee, which put the recipe for Cold Brew Coffee low on the priority list for me. However I have plenty of friends who do drink coffee, and when I was out visiting a friend in Seattle (a town famous for loving the stuff) I asked to use her kitchen to try this recipe out. Then she could drink most of it for me...
The technique here is pretty simple. Combine ground coffee, boiling water, salt, more water, and ice. Stick it in the fridge over night.

Stuff everything in a handy mason jar.

In the morning, strain it and serve with more ice. Voila. I did try a taste of it and made a couple of observations. As advertised, cold brew coffee is WAY less acidic/bitter than hot brewed coffee. When my friend added hazelnut creamer, it became the most drinkable coffee I've ever tried. My friend asked for the recipe so that she can make it herself.

I Still Like Tea Better

Difficulty Level: Easy
Will It Get Made Again? Yes, because there are two more recipes that call for it as an ingredient...

Easter Kabobs (Chuan'r)

I was working this Easter, so I didn't have a lot of time to cook. I decided that the way to handle Easter dinner was to try the lamb kabobs from EveryDayCook. A bit different from the classic roast lamb with mint sauce, but I've never let that stop me.
Full disclosure, I cheated on the cooking method. The recipe recommends charcoal grilling, which I'm sure is good, but I was looking for quick and easy. If you need quick and easy, a panini-style grill press is your friend.
The chunks of lamb are marinated in a freshly ground spice blend, with more of the spice mix sprinkled on while they're being cooked. Tossing the skewers in the press and cooking them took me less than 15 minutes after I got home. Tastes like victory.

Does Not Need Mint Sauce

Difficulty Level: Easy
Will It Get Made Again? Probably not. These were good, and they might be better with the more labor intensive charcoal grilling, but the spice mix wasn't addictive. I love lamb, but I'm more likely make stew with it than more kabobs.

Smokin' 75 (Smokey The Meatloaf)

At the official 3/4 mark of this project, I wanted to try something new to mark the occasion. So I tried out the indoor smoker that got for my birthday.
With a 3lb mix including two cuts of beef and pork, this meatloaf will feed a crowd. This book has been strong when the recipes are takes on classic American dishes, so I was not worried about flavor. The only real question was how the experiment with the smoker would turn out.

Into the Oven

The answer is that I didn't master dry smoking on the first try, the flavor of the meatloaf was fine, but not majorly smoke infused. I'm sure if I'd used a traditional smoker it would have had a more smokey flavor, and if I try this again I'll add more liquid to encourage the wood chips to generate a bit more smoke.

Meatloaf: Tasty? Yes. Pretty? No

Difficulty Level: Medium
Will It Get Made Again? I would like to try this again, but it will be awhile. 3lbs is a lot of meatloaf for my small household, and with a 2+ hour cooking time (low and slow is the mantra) it can't be whipped up casually.