Mango-Lime Parfait Disaster . . . and Other Related Stories

I am back on schedule with the recipes! I am please to report that I tried the Mango Rice Salad with Grilled Shrimp. It was very nice, and very pretty. I couldn't get any fresh cilantro, and I missed it sorely. It was still very good, though. My shrimp turned out quite salty, but once they were mixed in with the salad they were fine. The fish store was closed, so I had to use pretty small little shrimp that I had in my freezer. That might be why they turned out so salty, but they worked just fine. A great, fresh meal, perfect for these hot days.
About the dessert . . . I realized only after all the stores had closed for the evening that I never got the corn syrup. So, I made the syrup without it. That was okay, not ideal, but okay. We went to get some vanilla gelato to take back home. It wasn't super frozen and by the time we got home it was pretty melted. I put it in the freezer while I made the syrup, but that wasn't good enough. When I was scooping it out, it was the consistency of cool whip. Hmmm . . . I still made them, although it was like Mango-Lime Soup. My husband still liked it. We agreed the the recipe was great. All the tastes were so nice and yummy and refreshing together. I think we'll have to try it again as an ice cream dessert rather than a soup.

FOrmat Change anyone??

So, I first of all want to say that I am loving this!! Thank you again Rachel for pulling us all together to share our culinary experiences! Because I am so loving this I am often telling people to check out our blog. I have a link to it on my family blog and have heard alot of reviews.

The theme I am finding is that our blog is great and fun to read. However, when referring people to check out a certain recipe they are having great difficulty finding the recipe. I was wondering if anyone knew how we could change this so it is more user friendly. I too have difficulty going back and trying to find the recipe I want to redo (and yes, I have redone almost every recipe that has been posted).

My thought was that perhaps we could only Post recipes on the main page and then each persons that reviews it cando so in the comment under that recipe. I know it may not be as easy but then any one of us that goes back to look for a recipe will have them all right there as soon as we open the blog and the reviews will stay close to the original recipe even if it is added later on.

I would love to hear more of what you ladies are finding and see how we can improve on this fabulous idea!

Finally the Salmon and Potatoes Review

I finally tried the salmon, potatoes and basil lemon-limeade from Serena. First of all, the basil lemon-limeade was very nice! I was so curious to know what sort of taste the basil would give the lemon-lime. It was a winner! I got the basil simple syrup recipe from the Food Network website. I used the number of lemons and limes that Serena used. I ended up adding a good amount of water to keep it from being SO sweet. We found that it makes a yum, yum, yummy drink if you put a little less water and use it like a mixer with vodka.
I was worried that the salmon was going to be too sweet. However, my glaze thinned a lot when I put it on the salmon and a lot of it ran off so it was just lightly glazed--not too sweet at all. My husband and I both enjoyed the pecans on the salmon.
The potatoes are something I have made before, but never with sweet potatoes. That's why this blog is so great . . . always a new idea and a new perspective. Also, it made them so pretty!
All in all, I would say that I loved each recipe individually but with the drink, the sweet potatoes and the maple syrup it was quite sweet for my taste. I love the recipes and I will definitely make them all again, but maybe not all together at the same time.
Kudos to Serena for a great menu . . . next time I am somewhere that I can get all the ingredients I will try the salad and dessert. They look scrumptious!

Picture Stacy running in out of the house with children hanging from her legs.

Ok. I know the title is a bit much, but this was me making Stacey's recipes. First, I have to say that everything tasted amazing. I made the meal for my family and my in-laws who said they felt like they had just eaten at a fancy restaurant! :) My only problem with the recipes was that the mushrooms require both the grill and the oven. I think next time I will just do them on one place or the other as I was - well, running back and forth (from the oven in the kitchen to the grill out on the porch) with children crying each time I went outside to the grill. (That's the kind of experience you don't get at a fancy restaurant!) Other than that, everything was amazing. Thanks, Stacey, for helping me to treat my in-laws to a delicious meal!