The Final Whip It Up Wrap-Up

We did it!  Two months of testing recipes has come to a close, and we have arrived at this, the final Whip It Up wrap-up.  I owe big thanks to Nic for having the initial brainstorm for this project, but mostly for putting up with my obsessive spreadsheet control freak tendencies with much grace and aplomb.

Without further ado, the geekery!

The Stats

• 51 participants tested a total of 335 recipes.  Only 6 recipes were duplicated within the eight weeks.
• Of the 335 recipes, participants rated 97% as easy to follow; 87% as tasty; and 85% as likely household repeats.

The WIU participants created dishes in fourteen (non-parallel) categories (that Nic and I made up as we went along), and the two most prevalent ones were Dessert (21.2%) and Pasta (17.3%).  As of the midpoint status report, Pasta had a slight margin over Dessert for the lead category, but I suspect that the last week’s theme pushed sugary delights over the edge to claim victory.  Carbs and chocolate — that is what the WIU folks are about, apparently.

All of the eager WIU signer-uppers started off the challenge strong, with a spike of 56 recipes tested in the first week.  The recipe submission trailed off toward the end, and not everyone remained eligible for the prize-winning drawing.

The Winner!

With help from the Random Integer Generator, we congratulate Heidikins, the lucky winner!  Out of  29 eligible participants, she will be the happy recipient of her choice out of the following cookbooks:

• Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, by Marcella Hazan
• The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
• Barefoot Contessa at Home, by Ina Garten

Heidikins, let us know where to send your prize!

The Conclusion

• Thank you so much to everyone who participated.  It was really fun to read about your culinary adventures, and together, we tried over three hundred recipes in just two months!  The sheer volume of recipes is really staggering to me, and we could not have seen that success without you.
• I had a lofty aspiration to put together a printable PDF of all of the WIU recipes, but even I will not attempt that project with this many recipes.  The recipe index will remain live for your reference, so bookmark it and come back whenever you need new inspiration!
• The future of WIU is unclear, mostly because Nic and I have not even broached the subject of what that might look like.  As we figure it out, please send us your feedback.  We want to hear from you!

Finally, I present the last round of recipes.  Allez cuisine!

Bread and Breakfast

• Janelle’s miniature Banana Muffins were tasty, but next time, she’ll add chocolate chips.
• Nikki really enjoyed Macadamia Maple Granola with Greek yogurt.
• Heather wasn’t that impressed with Omelets Sous-vide.

Sandwiches

• Erin improvised her own, minimal-mayonnaise version of Chicken Salad Sandwiches and loved the results.

Salads

• Heidikins took a page out of the book of one of her favorite restaurants with Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa Salad.
• Which Box had good luck with a Warm Lentil-Potato Salad with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette.

Beef

• Jess loved Ground Beef Noodles, calling it “everything I like about beef stroganoff without the stuff I don’t like.”
• Hollow Squirrel’s Steaks with Balsamic Vinegar and Black Pepper were such a success that her toddler asked for more!

Poultry

• Julie loved that Coconut Curry Chicken only took her twenty minutes to make and was “so yummy.”
• Zandria was very pleased with her Lemon-Garlic Chicken with Olives.

Pasta

• Janet persevered through a gas outage to make Cold Sesame Noodles.
• Audrey took a cue from other WIU participants and loved how Pasta with Peppers and Mozzarella turned out.
• Proactive Bridesmaid cooked up a Quick Marinara Sauce with sausage and bell peppers.

Vegetarian

• Vanessa loved Sweet Potato Risotto, which was oddly called “Butternut Squash Risotto,” despite the total lack of squash.

Side Dishes

• Hollow Squirrel tried her hand at “larger-than-my-own-head vegetables” with Sautéed Swiss Chard.

Desserts

• Vanessa tried out the recipe for Brownies on her box of unsweetened chocolate.
• Jess temporarily cast her healthy food options aside for a delicious Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting.
• Kim helped her daughter, Maddy, make Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites, which she thinks would be good for “when you have a bad day and need chocolate.”
• Anna thought Elvis Presley Cake was tasty, but not a family favorite.
• Jennie thought that Festive Fudge might be more appealing to dark chocolate lovers.
• Jane loved that “Fried” Ice Cream only had two ingredients.
• Which Box’s Frozen Boston Cream Pie was a fun birthday treat, and as she puts it, “Anything covered in chocolate ganache is good.”
• Sarah emulated “the most delicious ice cream sandwiches” with her Ginger Green Tea Ice Cream Sandwiches.
• Darcey really loved Grilled Pineapple Foster with Ice Cream, and she wants to try it with peaches next time.
• Heidikins’s Key Lime Pie-cakes were her favorite WIU recipe!
• Sherry made a quick version of Lamingtons at the suggestion of her students.
• Bren was pretty pleased with her Lemon Pudding Souffle.
• I found Nutella Ice Cream to be a snap to make, but too rich for my taste.
• Nancy Pearl Wannabe had a very educational experience while making her tasty Oatzravaganza Cookies.
• Lacey tried her hand at cheesecake with a successful Oreo Cheesecake!
• Emily loved her Peach Crisp with “a BIG scoop of vanilla ice cream!”
• Stephanie improvised her way through Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cups for a friend’s birthday.
• Meredith thought her Shaker Pineapple Cake was rich, tasty, and moist, even though the icing was rather runny.
• Meghan satisfied her chocolate craving with Triple Chocolate Brownie Cookies.
• Noelle’s Vegan Jelly Donut Cupcakes turned out well with a little improvisation on her part.
• Proactive Bridesmaid tried her hand at a Yellow Cake from scratch.