Recipe Hacking Suggestions? October 19, 2009

Hello readers and RecipeHacking participants -

So I have a few ideas for the next RecipeHacking challenge but I would really welcome your input. Is there anything you’ve been cooking lately that you think would be well suiting to being hacked? Generally when choosing a recipe to hack I’m looking for a dish that has multiple components that can be translated in new ways. For example with the pizza challenge, there were three general parts with the potential to be altered: the crust, the toppings, and the sauce. Some folks altered the crust, while others decided to interpret the sauce or toppings in a different way. I’m always interested in recipes that can be played with in terms of substituting ethnic ingredients or can be adapted to suit any course in a meal – for example the fruit pizza dessert one person submitted in the last challenge. Send me your best ideas and maybe, just maybe, your suggestion will show up as the next RecipeHacking challenge. Submit your daring dish ideas below in the comment section of this post. Thanks!

And the winner is…. October 4, 2009

Big thanks to all of you who participated in this RecipeHacking Challenge! What yummy creations you came up with!

The winner of this month’s challenge is Kate G. for her figgy pesto pizza! Congratulations, Kate! Not only did you take a pizza recipe and hack it – but you took a pesto recipe and hacked that too! We loved that you got inventive putting figs in the pesto sauce and used them as a topping as well. With the chicken and cheese it sounded like a match made in heaven. As well as RecipeHacking bragging rights, you win a gift certificate to to the market of your choice so you can keep getting creative in the kitchen!

Honorable mentions go to Cathy K. for her zucchini and cheese crusted pizza and Harriet C. for her fruit pizza dessert. We loved that it wasn’t just about interesting or different toppings but that you were rethinking the pizza from the ground up. Kudos to Rachel W. as well, for the most interesting ethnic twist. We’d never even heard of Ajvar before reading your post.

Anyone interested in revisiting all the wonderful recipes that were contributed, here’s the original post and comments.

Stay tuned – we’ll be looking to you all for some ideas for the next RecipeHacking challenge!

RecipeHacking Challenge 3 Deadline September 11, 2009

We’ve gotten some great responses to the third RecipeHacking challenge. Thanks to those of you who have shared your pizza creations already!

For those of you who have been pondering your pizza but haven’t posted yet (you know who you are) – time to get cracking in the kitchen! Check out the recipes already posted by your fellow competitors. Think you can do better? Prove it!

The deadline for posting recipes is a week from today, Friday – September 18th. Judging will take place over the weekend and then we will reveal the winner.

The Return of RecipeHacking August 24, 2009

Once upon a time, in an earlier incarnation of this blog,  Josh and  I challenged our readers to show off their culinary prowess. Here’s how Josh initially introduced RecipeHacking:

“Welcome to RecipeHacking, an occasional foray into unconventional cooking, adventurous eating, and competitive creativity.

The idea is simple – each month we’ll post a recipe here at Kitchen Dancing and you – our faithful readers and fearless cooks – will tweak it, test it, re-imagine and redesign it. Post your new versions of the recipe in the comments section of the original post and the best new take on the recipe will earn fame and honor (as well as a nice little prize).

This is a contest for those of you who are constantly pushing the limits of your meals, scribbling notes in your cookbooks, improving on time-worn recipes. But RecipeHacking is not just for foodies and aspiring chefs – this is for all of us whose family put a crazy twist on an old favorite, those of us who have wondered about “secret ingredients,” or even just tasted a good dish and thought it could be a great dish.

Seek out your secret ingredient. Discover your taste for tampering.

RecipeHacking is for you.”

Previously readers submitted their favorite, most creative versions of macaroni and cheese and beans and rice. The next RecipeHacker challenge continues with the comfort food theme and is something that could be interpreted in a wide variety of ways. This month’s challenge will be PIZZA!

I don’t feel the need to post an exact recipe. You know what pizza is. Dough most typically covered in tomato sauce, topped with cheese and vegetable and/or meat toppings of your choice. Enough said.

To participate in RecipeHacking all you have to do is create a new pizza recipe with your own unique twist. It can be a subtle change or a recipe revolution. Creative adaptations and loose interpretations are encouraged. What could you make a crust out of other that the typical dough? Pizza is thought to have it’s roots in Italian cuisine. What delicacies from other cultures could be translated to this all-American favorite? Post your new version in the comments section below and check back often see what your fellow competitors come up with.  Please discuss and debate the merits of each other’s recipes – feel free to add those comments below as well. In a few weeks we will announce a winner and bestow upon them a small prize to congratulate them for thinking outside the (recipe) box. Good luck – hack away!

RecipeHacking Number 2 – Results! May 19, 2008

The results are in for our second round of RecipeHacking. The triumphant winner of the Beans and Rice Challenge is Dan E. (with an honorable mention to Dave V. for posting the original bean cake recipe – great concept)! Congratulations Dan! While we appreciated Shawn’s sexy texy-mexy version with green rice, adored the sheer poetry of Brian’s recipe, and enjoyed the images of floating around the Caribbean that Justin conjured up with his coconut and rum flavored concoction – ultimately we just couldn’t pass on the pineapple rice!

Dan – you are catering to this judge more than you know (pun intended). I am pregnant and the one and only craving I’ve had so far is for pineapple. I can’t get enough of it these days! Love the innovative combination of flavors in your recipe – especially the added freshness of cilantro – goes great with the pineapple. Get in touch with us here or via facebook to claim your prize! 

Thanks to everyone who participated in our second hacking challenge! Keep spreading the word and get ready to race to your kitchens – the third challenge is on it’s way! 

RecipeHacking – Number 2 April 13, 2008

In our last edition of RecipeHacking we began with a simple comfort food recipe with limitless possibilities. This time around we are still starting simple, but this is a recipe that has been well hacked already. Rice and beans is a staple of diets around the world and comes in a wide array of styles: Cajun, Spanish, Portuguese, Brazilian, Haitian, French and more. Sometimes it is served with red beans other times with black, sometimes with white rice sometimes with brown.

The question is, how will you serve yours? Hit the bulk bins at your local grocery store and stock up on these grains and legumes and show us what you got. Here is a basic recipe to get your juices flowing.

Rice and Beans

1 cup quick-cooking rice
1 (15-ounce) can pink beans, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and ground black pepper

Get the water up to boiling and add the rice, beans and chili powder at the same time. Cook until the rice is done. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. (Original recipe from Robin Miller can be found here)

Check back often to see what sorts of trouble people are getting into – In a few week’s we’ll announce a winner.

RecipeHacking Number 1 – Results! April 13, 2008

Well, the votes have been counted and the dishes have been tasted – Erica and I are ready to declare the inaugural RecipeHacker winner.

The winner is Anastasia Tirio for her prosciutto, gruyere, fontina and basil Mac and Cheese recipe. We loved the rich flavors of this recipe and would never have thought of the basil breadcrumbs. A number of other people also commented on this recipe. Anastasia will receive a $10 dollar gift certificate to a local natural food store of her choice. We also want to extend an honorable mention to the cajun style of Ixel Haseltine’s recipe.

We were amazed by the outpouring of interest in this little experiment. We had more than 10 new recipes posted, and more than 30 people joined the Facebook group, and lots of wonderful emails from many of you about how excited you were about testing your RecipeHacking skills.

Sharpen your knives and stock your kitchens – the next installment will be posted soon.

RecipeHacking – Number 1 March 5, 2008

Welcome to the first installment of RecipeHacking.

Below is the first recipe, ready for you to hack. For RecipeHacking Number 1 we are focusing on an old favorite with a lot of potential: Mac and Cheese. Below is a terribly basic version of this old stand-by. To participate in RecipeHacking all you have to do is create a new version of Mac and Cheese with your own special twist. It can be a subtle change and a recipe revolution – just make sure you improve on the original (find out more about RecipeHacking here).

Post your new version in the comments section below and check back often to see what others come up with. Feel free to discuss and debate other’s recipes in the comments section as well. In a few weeks Erica and I will announce a winner. This round’s prize is a gift certificate to Whole Foods where you can get the goods to make the winning dish (or anything else your taste-buds desire).

Good luck – and hack away!

Mac and Cheese

INGREDIENTS
7 ounces macaroni
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. Toss the pasta into a big bowl with cheese.
4. Pour into 2 quart casserole dish. Cover the top with a healthy layer of cheese.
5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and heated through.

Introducing RecipeHacking March 1, 2008

Welcome to RecipeHacking, an occasional foray into unconventional cooking, adventurous eating, and competitive creativity

The idea is simple – each month we’ll post a recipe here at Kitchen Dancing and you – our faithful readers and fearless cooks – will tweak it, test it, re-imagine and redesign it. Post your new versions of the recipe in the comments section of the original post and the best new take on the recipe will earn fame and honor (as well as a nice little prize).

This is a contest for those of you who are constantly pushing the limits of your meals, scribbling notes in your cookbooks, improving on time-worn recipes. But RecipeHacking is not just for foodies and aspiring chefs – this is for all of us whose family put a crazy twist on an old favorite, those of us who have wondered about “secret ingredients,” or even just tasted a good dish and thought it could be a great dish.

Seek out your secret ingredient. Discover your taste for tampering.

RecipeHacking is for you.

Check back soon for the first recipe in this new series.