Mangoes and Sweet Potatoes

Two/Three recipes are up for today's Pinterest Test Kitchen

Mango Habanero Chicken Simmer
source: macheesmo.com via Pinterest
First off is Macheesmo's Mango Habanero Chicken Simmer. I know, it's a mouthful. I affectionately labeled it spicy mango love on my Tastes Like... board. Little did I know what was in store for me.

I collected the listed ingredients and chose to go with boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of a whole cut-up chicken. Then I cut up ingredients, including three mangoes. Oh, mangoes, how I love thee. Fragrant, juicy, succulent... mmMMM! I said a little prayer for all those who don't like mangoes. 

Once everything was cut and chopped and prepped, I started the onions and peppers, per instructions. Leaned over the saucepan to get a whiff of onions cooking, mmm..., grabbed the habaneros and dumped them in, let them soften a bit before taking another sniff, "Ohmygosh, I think I just burnt my nose hairs!" 

*Confession: I've never used habanero peppers before. I know they are hotter than jalapeños, which I've used plenty (stick them on an It. sausage pizza- pound your fist awesome!), but how much hotter? No clue.*

From here on out, I was a little worried. The kids will eat a little bit of heat but not much before they declare that it "spices their mouth". I added the jewels of chopped up mango, praying again that those who love mango would also love the union of sweetness and fire. I was banking on two things. One being that my kids don't like sauce, so they'll only have to eat what clings to the chicken after its been cut. Two, I'm also serving rice, which they'll pile up high on their plate and blanket in brown sugar- Chicken? What chicken?
Dinner's served. Kids/hubby? No complaints but no "Please pass the spicy mango love concoction" either. Me? It was definitely hotter than what I normally make and I had to wipe my nose a few times, but I couldn't stop eating it. Later, I paid for my love with heartburn that kept me up in the middle of the night.

Macheesmo's recipe calls for 5 habanero peppers and in the side note he says he'd do more next time. Dude probably doesn't have a stomach lining anymore. But then again, I'm pretty much a wimp when it comes to heat in my food. At the bottom where the recipe is sourced from- ChiliFire.com!!!

My advice? Make it- just go easy on the habaneros unless you know what you're getting into. 

Next up is another recipe. I have craft projects pinned. I have craft supplies purchased. I'm just using my crafting time making signs or other things. But we always have to eat.

Martha Stewart's Sweet Potato Biscuits made with Sweet Potato Puree
source: marthastewart.com via Pinterest
*Confession: I have over ten years of Martha Stewart Living magazines on my shelves. My mom bought me a subscription every year for Christmas. I read every single one and I've made plenty of recipe and crafts from those magazines. Don't hate Martha.*

Ok, simple enough. Make a biscuit dough, which is like scone dough and add in pureed sweet potatoes. Wait a sec, sweet potato puree. Where? How? Oh, peel and boil some sweet potatoes until soft, drain, throw in food processor and puree. Easy. And truly, it was easy.

*Hint- Sweet potatoes are a pain to chop! Use a cheese knife. I know, weird, but it really works. Thank you Iowa State Fair Cutco Demonstrator!*

Like I said, biscuit dough is like scone dough, which I make a hundred times a year. Flour and whatnot with butter cut in and then liquid stirred in. Couldn't be easier. I read in the comments of the biscuit recipe that the dough gets pretty sticky with the sweet potato puree added. Great. Who wants to then wrestle with more flour, a rolling pin and hope for a light flaky biscuit in the end? So I pulled out a trick from a recipe I picked up a long time ago and made them that way. I followed the directions up to the rolling and cutting. At that point, I dumped the biscuit dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet, kneaded it just a little to get the dough formed together a bit more, sprayed a rubber spatula with cooking spray and patted the dough out into a rectangle square rectangular-ish shape. Then I cut biscuit sized squares, ah, you get the point, through the dough, shoved it in the over and declared myself the winner. Sort of like when 'i cut scone dough, except I didn't pull the pieces apart and then bake. I just left it altogether.

Dinner's served: Served alongside a crockpot full of sausage and beans (kids choked it down), the Sweet Potato Biscuits, or as Luke called them, scones, were a hit. (And not just because the only other thing to eat was sausage and beans.)

Verdict: Totally make them. Go the whole distance and get yourself some fresh sweet potatoes and puree them. You won't be sad.

I'm linking up with Keeping Up With the Johnson's again for another month of Pinterest Test Kitchen. Join us.