Whip It Up Wrap-Up #2

We’ve almost reached the end of the second week of Whip It Up, and the suggested theme inspired participants to grace us with delicious, cheesy recipes. All told, there were 31 recipes tested during this week, which brings us to a grand total of 90 dishes tried by 52 participants!

But before the recipe-palooza, we have a couple of housekeeping items:

• The theme for the week of July 20 is old favorites. Which comfort food have you always wanted to make? Does Mom still have that macaroni and cheese recipe? What about Grandma’s chocolate chip cookies? (For you plan-ahead-ers, the theme for the following week is vegetarian.)
• Next Friday, Nic will host the wrap-up, but you have until Saturday for your recipe to count for the week.

In addition to those recipes from Week 1 posted after the wrap-up, here are the tested dishes from this week, organized by category and then alphabetized by recipe:

Bread and Breakfast

• Meghan hit a home run with Red Lobster Cheese Biscuits.
• Emily is still looking for a good cornbread recipe after disappointment with Rosemary Corn Bread.
• Nancy Pearl Wannabe fixed up the Pioneer Woman’s Yogurt Cream and Berries with no guilt whatsoever.

Sandwiches

• Proactive Bridesmaid took advantage of a new cookbook by making a Big Tomato Sandwich with Cheese.

Beef

• Constantly Arriving “beheld the power of cheese” with Better-than-Ever Beef Enchiladas.

Pork

• Kim’s experimental Yowza Pork Chops turned out pretty well, if she says so herself.

Poultry

• Alane loved her Brown and Wild Rice Chicken Salad, even if her choosy family members begged to differ.
• Janelle’s family loved her Easy Chicken Piccata.
• Erin was pleasantly surprised that Low-Fat Fried Chicken Strips were tasty and easy.

Seafood

• Erin took her first foray into grilling with Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp and Jalapeño.
• Julie has approved Creamy Crab Stuffed Mushrooms for future family get-togethers!
• Jess tweaked Garlic Cream Shrimp to the point where “only copious amounts of shredded Parmesan and ground pepper salvaged this meal.”
• Heather added the figure-friendly Kung Pao Shrimp to her regular rotation.

Pasta

• Jemima enlisted her husband to man the pasta machine for their Artichoke Ravioli with Tomatoes.
• Ross put together Arugula-Basil-Walnut Pesto to go over a first attempt at homemade pasta.
• Erin made a successful venture into “real food” territory with Bowties with Pesto, Feta, and Cherry Tomatoes.
• Nic noted that Capellini with Fresh Ricotta, Roasted Garlic, Corn, and Herbs was “not complicated, but it’s a lot of prep work for a fairly simple dish.”
• Jaime poached a chicken for the first time for Chicken Spaghetti.
• Daisy Yellow tossed together a tangy East-West Pasta Primavera.
• Merrick dusted off a cookbook from her husband and made Fusilli with Sausage.
• I brought my husband closer to the pro-lemon side with Lemon Fusilli.
• Stephanie was pleased that the Linguine with Asparagus, Parmesan, and Bacon was relatively light.
• Anna’s pantry-staple-fueled Marinara Sauce was a hit at her house.
• Kelly added Not-sagna Pasta Toss to her dinner repertoire.
• Jesse and Heather had good luck with Pasta with Broccoli, Edamame, and Walnuts.
• Megan channeled Giada de Laurentiis with her Penne with Spinach Sauce.
• Janet whipped up spicy Roasted Poblano and Chicken Penne.
• Jaime was won over by the tofu noodles in Shrimptastic Fettuccine Hungry Girlfredo.
• Audrey enjoyed the very cheesy Southwest Macaroni and Cheese with Adobo Meatballs.

Vegetarian

• Zandria declared the taste of Barley and White Bean Salad muy bueno!
• Which Box called Creamy Gorgonzola Polenta with Summer Squash Sauté a “swing and a miss.”
• Sherry loved her first try with Red Lentil Curry.
• Emily made an easy Zucchini Pie, but she’d jazz it up next time with a few additional ingredients.

Side Dishes

• Jane had success with a batch of Oven Fries!
• Janelle cleaned out a bit of her pantry with Savory Couscous.
• Suburban Lush satisfied her love of spuds with Twice Baked Potatoes.

Desserts

• Laurel celebrated her boyfriend’s birthday with Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes!
• I tried out Cream Cheese Marbled Brownies that were delicious, but not particularly cream-cheese-y.
• Meghan found a recipe for Easy Cream Cheese Brownies, but she was not a fan of the brownie mix she used as the base.
• Emily loved her Arnold-Palmer-esque Lemonade Iced Tea Sorbet.
• Janet made a game-time decision to go for peaches in her Peach (Originally Raspberry) Summer Sensation, but she was disappointed in its lackluster appearance, despite a high tastiness factor.
• Jennie made an impressive Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake, but she notes that the directions leave room for interpretation.
• Susan thought her Tiramisu Cookies were delicious, but warns that they take “a hundred hours” to make.