Wk 11 — Student Choice — Part 4
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On Monday night we made steak, brussels sprouts with bacon, and baked potatoes. The steak was perfectly medium rare and the brussels sprouts were sweet and crispy from being panfried. We don’t remember the last time we had steak so this was a nice treat!
My brother also made this delicious oreo cheesecake from scratch. It was his first time making cheesecake and it turned out to be very delicious. It was sweet and creamy, perfect for after eating steak. The whole family loved it!
On Tuesday night we made hot and sour soup. This was the first time we had made the recipe and it turned out very well. The soup was savory, spicy, and sour all at the same time. Collectively we decided that in the future we would want to make this more often.
On Wednesday night we had beef and lentil soup. It tastes similar to a regular beef stew and gives you a warm sense of being at home. We only came across this recipe a couple of months ago yet it has become one of our favorites.
On Thursday night we made linguini carbonara. This is like fettuccini alfredo with a salty and savory hint from the pancetta. We have this every once in a while because it takes a long time and can turn out bad if you cook your eggs incorrectly.
On Friday we didn’t really make anything in particular because we mostly snacked for the whole day. My mom made this delicious banana almond bread with powdered sugar on top. This recipe has been in our family for years and has never failed. A slice of this with butter and a glass of milk makes a perfect dessert!
As a snack, I had rice and beans on tortilla chips. We usually always have rice and beans in our fridge, so this snack is always an option if I want something quick and simple to eat.
On Saturday my family made taco soup. This is one of our go-to recipes if we wanted something quick and delicious to eat because it’s a fairly simple recipe. The soup has that classic beef taco taste, and with a bit of sour cream and lime, it is so refreshing and hits the spot!
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This is my family’s pumpkin bread recipe. We make this regularly during the holiday season and it is so delicious! The bread is perfectly spiced and the bread has a delicious crispy top and fluffy inside. We usually eat this for breakfast or dessert with a glass of ice cold milk on Christmas morning and it brings back so many memories!
This is my salted brown butter cookie recipe. I modeled it after the brown butter sea salt cookie from the Brown Butter Cookie Company in Cayucos. When I was 10 my aunt challenged me to recreate this cookie, and after several failed attempts I finally did. We make this recipe pretty regularly at home because it balances sweet, salty, and nuttiness all in one cookie. My aunt always asks me to make this when she comes over to visit and we have a great time together!
3- I think some of the strengths of version one was that it showed a wide variety of foods that my family cooked and ate together. I think that it was a good representation of what my family liked to eat and showed the diverse flavors of my household.
4- I think the greatest weakness of my first project was that the photos weren't as clean as possible. The photos didn’t have ideal lighting and were often taken from the same angle. I think that the project in general seemed unfocused.
5- The feedback that I got from my classmates was that they wanted me to include the recipes I used. Also, they thought that my photos would benefit from better lighting.
6- What I tried to do differently this time was to focus on specific key recipes that my family has used for years. I tried to model my food intentionally and make sure I had good lighting. I placed my food alongside the ingredients that went inside it so that it was cohesive and pleasing to the eye. I also included the recipes so anyone that wanted to make the recipe could.
7- I think my second draft was much better than my first draft. I think that my second project seemed more finished and cleaner than my first project. I think including the recipes made my project more relatable, and focusing on certain recipes in particular allowed me to convey a deeper message with more clarity.
