guess (or suggest) the missing ingredients, win a cookbook.

Posted on by Julie Stiles Mills

I noted in number 5 of my “21 things about me” that I can only cook with a recipe. In contrast, FirstHusband cooks like a mad scientist – he invents. Sometimes the results are . . . disappointing. Like Fish Grits. (He wouldn’t even eat them.)

Many times, the invention turns out to be very, very good. Sometimes it’s “You should become a chef after your mid-life crisis” good. When that happens, there’s always a plea for him to write down what he did so he might possibly be able to repeat it. A while ago, he created a one pot meal that we all loved and he did write down the ingredients. Unfortunately, is seems an engineer’s handwriting is worse than a doctor’s. Check it out. (Click on the photo to see a larger image.)

mystery recipe

Can you guess the ingredients? There are twelve lines here. I’ve figured out all but one, but I don’t want to spoil the game, so I’ll only reveal a couple of the easy ones.

1. white wine/sherry
2. (UPDATE – Correct! 3 chicken breasts, cut up)
3. one box spinach
4. (UPDATE – Correct! 1 can of tomatoes)
5. (UPDATE – Correct! 1 can of chickpeas)
6. THIS IS THE ONE THAT I STILL CAN’T FIGURE OUT! Make a guess or a suggestion!
7. (UPDATE – Correct! 1 can of cream of mushroom soup)
8. (UPDATE – Correct! 1 can of cream of celery soup)
9. boil (UPDATE – I’ve been corrected! It is BASIL.)
10. rosemary garlic (seasoning – we have a big Sam’s Club jar of it.)
11.
12. garlic (we keep a jar of minced garlic in the fridge.)

And this is a game after all, so there needs to be a prize. How about a cookbook? It was Whale of a Sale this past weekend, so I picked up a few gently used cookbooks to choose from. Click on the links to read the Amazon descriptions.

If you play the “missing ingredient” game, specify your book choice in your comment.

Grill Pan Cooking

The Allergy Self-Help Cookbook: Over 325 Natural Foods Recipes, Free of Wheat, Milk, Eggs, Corn, Yeast, Sugar and Other Common Food Allergens

The California Pizza Kitchen Cookbook

Soups, Salads & Starters: the Best of Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library

OR

Instead of a cookbook, a shrink wrapped hardback copy of the Southern Living Wine Guide and Journal

Enter to win by commenting and guessing a missing ingredient. OR SUGGEST a possible ingredient for #6! Depending on the response, I might fill some in as they are correctly guessed or I might wait a week. Either way, I’ll randomly pick a winner on Tuesday, October 14th, so check back!

Check out some completed recipes at Tempt My Tummy Tuesday hosted by Lisa at Blessed With Grace

Tammy is back today after taking the day off last week, so head on over to Kitchen Tip Tuesdaysfor great ideas and recipes.

17 thoughts on “guess (or suggest) the missing ingredients, win a cookbook.”

  1. Okay here’s what I could figure out.
    1. wine/sherry
    2.3 chicken breasts cut up
    3. Box of spinach
    4.can of tomatoes
    5.can of chick peas
    6.NO IDEA
    7.can of cream of mushroom soup
    8. can of cream of celery
    9.basil
    10.rosemary
    11. 1/3 block of cream cheese
    12. garlic
    I stared at number 6 for awhile and just can’t make it out lol. Good luck with it though. I want to know if you figure it out.
    Blessings to you!
    Kim

    Reply

  2. First of all, I love the Scrabble notepad! I have the same one.

    2. Chicken (3 breasts cut up)
    4. can tomatoes
    5. can chickpeas
    6. That one is indeed a mystery. I’ll have to think on that one. The fact that it’s 3 cups of something should be a clue.
    7. can cream [of] mushroom
    8. can cream [of] celery
    11. 1/3 block white cheddar

    I’ll be back – gotta take the boy to school etc.

    Reply

  3. Thanks so much for joining Tempt My Tummy party today. I am glad you came back, this week! And, with fun posts like this, you BETTER keep coming back 🙂

    2.Chicken (3 breasts cut up)
    4. can tomatoes
    5. can chickpeas
    6. not a clue
    7. can cream mushroom
    8. can cream celery
    11. 1/3 block white cheddar

    Reply

  4. Here’s all I could make out:
    chicken (3 breasts cut up)
    can tomatoes
    can chickpeas
    can cream of mushroom
    can cream of celery

    Reply

  6. Gave it my best shot!

    1. white wine/sherry
    2.Chicken, 3 breasts cut up
    3. one box spinach
    4.One can tomatoes
    5.One can chickpeas
    6. 3 cups dry onion flakes ?
    7.can cream of mushroom
    8.can cream of celery
    9. boil
    10. rosemary garlic (seasoning – we have a big Sam’s Club jar of it.)
    11.1/3 block of cheese
    12. garlic (we keep a jar of minced garlic in the fridge.)

    Sue – LOL! That’s a whole lotta onion! I’ll pass it along to FirstHusband. (by JSM)

    Reply

  7. 1. White wine / Sherry
    2. Chicken (3 breasts cut up)
    3. 1 box spinach
    4. can tomatoes
    5. can chick peas
    6. 3 cups BRYCE(or A)N P..RY
    7. can cream (of) mushroom
    8. can cream celery
    9. basil
    10. rosemary g____ (something like grills)
    11. 1/3 block white cheddar
    12. garlic

    Tina – I’m seeing blurry. I’ve been trying to make your suggestion for number six fit by trying to figure out how it could possibly say something about brown rice. That seems possible, but I just don’t see brown rice in that line. arrg! (by JSM)

    Reply

  9. Racked my brain, blurred my eyes, best I can come up with is: 3cup big can corn?

    Good luck. May I suggest a secretary or writing lessons in you hubby’s near future.:o)

    Becky – Next time we want him to document a recipe, I’m making sure he uses a computer! (by JSM)

    Reply

  10. #6 = 3 cups dry crumbs!?!?

    (325 Natural Foods Recipes sounds like a great book!)

    Donna – I think you’re on to something with regard to a carb, but we don’t stock bread crumbs as a rule, so it’s probably not that. We would use oat bran instead. (by JSM)

    Reply

  11. Is 11 Hard Cheddar?

    Tina – FirstHusband and I both think it is white cheddar. We typically keep Cracker Barrel 2% white extra sharp in the fridge, so it’s a likely candidate. I didn’t fill it in for sure because I wanted to see what else might be suggested. Who knows? It might be better! (by JSM)

    Reply

  12. #6 = 3 cups bay crackers
    You’re welcome.

    D. Fowler – Is there such a thing? We’ve never heard of them. Crackers are an interesting suggestion, but if he puts 3 cups of crackers in a recipe, I either can’t eat it, or I will have to walk/jog 5 extra miles that day. I personally believe that chocolate is the only thing worth extra jogging. (by JSM)

    Reply

  14. I’d say it was 3 cups dry crumbs … casseroles are always good w/ bread crumbs on the top 🙂

    JoEllenSmith and Jo-Ann – I’m not sure that first letter is a “d” – It would be backwards. He can spell, he just can’t write. 🙂 (by JSM)

    Reply

  15. I’m still working on this!! One thing he DOES do is put spaces in between two words and there are no spaces. It looks like it’s really only one word, although the dry can veg looks plausible if he didn’t use spaces!

    Tina – You are cracking me up! You are on a MISSION (and I thank you)! I stood at the pantry door today for a good 10 to 15 minutes, picking things up, staring at the labels, putting things down . . . I really am stuck. I really think the first letter is either an “h” or a “b” but I’m just not sure. I also have the advantage of knowing what might have been in our pantry in the past. Three cups seems like a significant clue. Given his notation of the tomatoes, the corn and the soup, I don’t think it was anything canned or he would have just put “3 cans of” or “1 1/2 cans of.” It’s more likely that it was something he poured from a larger container. (by JSM)

    Reply

  17. Heavy cream on #6? Inquiring minds are dying to know!

    Lisa – Count me as one of the inquiring! I am STUMPED. But I DO know that FirstHusband knows better than to put 3 CUPS of heavy cream in anything he wants me to eat. That would require more walking/jogging and like I said before – CHOCOLATE is the only thing worth extra exercise as far as I’m concerned. (by JSM)

    Reply

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