almondjoy2807 Recipe Reviews (Pg. 1) - Allrecipes.com (10752040)

Chili Rellenos Casserole

Reviewed: Nov. 11, 2011

This is soooo good!! I originally tried this recipe as a way to use up some garden Anaheim peppers someone had given us. Because I made it that first time with fresh chilies, I now only make it that way. It takes a little more time (not much though, really), but is definitely worth it! I broil my peppers, turning occasionally, in my toaster oven til the skin is bubbly and they're soft, then halve them and scoop out the seeds, and coarsely dice them. It gives it so much more flavor than using canned chilies! (Not that canned aren't good too...) If you are going to use fresh chilies, 6 is about the right amount (3 fresh chilies, diced up, per layer). We seriously LOVE this recipe around here!! Its one of my husband's new favorites, and my kiddos (3, 7, and 10) all love it too! (They top theirs with sliced olives, too, which I recommend trying.) And I love that its super easy!

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4 users found this review helpful

New England Clam Chowder I

Reviewed: Sep. 18, 2011

We liked this, but most of my family was in agreement - it doesn't need the butter, it does need celery, and it needs to be thickened. As a base, this is a good recipe, but this isn't a recipe that I really think will be memorable to us. I'll probably use it as a base recipe again, but will definitely change some things up.

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2 users found this review helpful

Whipped Cream Cream Cheese Frosting

Reviewed: Jul. 23, 2011

Yum!! This is fantastic frosting! I added about 1/2 c raspberry juice (raspberries and water put in a blender then strained) into mine because I wanted it to taste like raspberry, and it turned out great! Very light, airy, fluffy, and delicious, but yet the right consistency for piping onto my cupcakes. I recommend, though, to others who may want to add a different flavor to scale back on the vanilla. Its a little much if you're going for any flavor other than vanilla.

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3 users found this review helpful

Dark Chocolate Cake II

Reviewed: Jul. 23, 2011

It was a good chocolate cake - moist and fluffy - but I didn't find it very exciting flavor-wise. To me, it didn't have any real depth of flavor, despite the 1 c coffee, and didn't taste like "dark" chocolate at all. Once I added frosting to it, it was better, but on its own it was pretty blasse. I will probably make a different chocolate cake recipe next time. I had high hopes for this recipe, and am bummed it fell short of my expectations.

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1 user found this review helpful

Greek Lemon Cake

Reviewed: Jul. 19, 2011

Oh my goodness, this is THE BEST cake I have eaten in a LONG time!!! I made this cake into cupcakes for my daughter's birthday - she wanted a lemon cake, and I didn't want anything "artificial," or that started with a boxed cake mix - and I am sooo glad I used this recipe!! Very lemony and delicious!! I topped them with cream cheese frosting and they were fantastic!! I will say though, if you are a novice and not familiar with making or using meringue in recipes, then this is going to be tougher to execute. (I've had pastry chef training, and even I occasionally have flubs with meringue.) But this is worth every bit of time and effort. And now you know, you can use them for cupcakes too!

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4 users found this review helpful

Cream Cheese Frosting II

Reviewed: Jul. 19, 2011

This frosting is amazing! I made this to top Greek Lemon Cake (recipe from this site) cupcakes for my daughter's birthday party, and I loved how nice and creamy the frosting was without being dense. I also appreciated that it was such a good consistency for piping. I am going to use this frosting again for my other daughter's birthday this weekend, but am going to add a drizzle of homemade raspberry syrup (strained liquid from boiled down raspberries) over dark chocolate cupcakes. I expect to use this frosting recipe a LOT!

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1 user found this review helpful

Mexican Rice III

Reviewed: Apr. 3, 2011

This was pretty good. It was definitely the most sucessful homemade rice dish (as opposed to Rice a Roni) I'm made so far. I had to do a lot of substitutions though, based on what I had on hand, which is why I'm not giving this a 5 star. I had no onion, so I threw in 3 chopped scallions. I had no bell peppers (I want them in there next time!), so I subbed celery, which gave it some extra flavor. I also didn't have quite enough rice, so I added in about a 1/4 c of quinoa and half a can of kidney beans (left over from a different dish). I really loved adding the beans in, and think it would be good with black beans too. I like that this recipe can be so versatile. I really doubt there's much I could have done to this to make it taste bad, which is saying a lot because I usually don't like my rice dishes much!

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1 user found this review helpful

Okra with Tomatoes

Reviewed: Feb. 21, 2011

This was good. I've made it twice now. The first time around, I loved it. I was tired of my failed attempts at fried okra and wanted to try something new, and this worked out well. My second time around, I made it way too spicy (even with red pepper flakes subbed for the cayenne, since I have kids). The seasoning came out well the first time around, but the second time it was too bland and one-dimensional, aside from the spiciness, I think because of all the canned tomatoes (and I used unseasoned, no salt added ones). Both times I thought it needed some celery to give it some extra flavor, so I will add that in next time. I also think maybe I will ditch the pepper flakes altogether and add in some homemade creole seasoning. It needs more flavor, but definitely not any more heat!

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2 users found this review helpful

Black-Eyed Pea Salad II

Reviewed: Jan. 6, 2011

This is SUPER delicious!!! I made this to go with our family New Year's Day brunch, and everyone was raving about it. I did have to make a few substitutions (out of necessity, not by choice), and it still turned out fantastic! I only had about half the sundried tomatoes the recipe calls for, I left out the bell pepper (a lot of relatives that HATE them), and I had to sub goat cheese for the feta because the store was out. I also used fresh beans that I soaked overnight, then simmered to al dente, and sprinkled with a liberal amount of kosher salt. Still, the final result was out of this world!! I would love to try it again with the feta and bells, but I can honestly say, this recipe is deserving of its 5 stars and I will most defiitely be making it again...often.

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5 users found this review helpful

Vegetarian Cassoulet

Reviewed: Nov. 21, 2010

I used canned beans instead of dried, and dried herbs in place of fresh, but otherwise stuck to the recipe. While we liked it, we didn't think there was anything special about it. Nothing really knocked our socks off.

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11 users found this review helpful

Broccoli Beef Stir-Fry

Reviewed: Sep. 11, 2010

This recipe is sooo easy and delicious! I sub mirin (rice wine) for the sherry, and think that gives it a much more Asian flavor. I also usually double the broccoli and up the garlic to 3 cloves, because otherwise I think its a little bland, and I garnish with toasted sesame seeds before serving. I have also found that the amount of sauce is too low, so I usually add a little extra soy sauce and mirin, and sometimes a little water, as it begins to cook down. I'm sure its just because of all the cornstarch, but for me, its not even close to enough sauce to cover all the veggies and meat. I also agree with another reviewer that some onion would be a good addition. (I haven't tried it that way yet though.) But this is really delicious, and there are never any leftovers at our house!

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2 users found this review helpful

Grandma Bellows' Lemony Shrimp Macaroni Salad with Herbs

Reviewed: Sep. 10, 2010

This is SUPER delicious!!! I made it for a family get-together and everyone loved it, and I've made it a few more times since then. The first time I made it, I chopped the shrimp up, but I didn't like that the pieces were so small you couldn't really get a strong flavor from them, so the second time I left them whole and it was so much better. And I use some I get at the meat counter rather than canned. I also sub dried dill for fresh, and use about 1 1/2 Tbs, and that works well. I also double the lemon juice. One time I made these I had no eggs, and it tasted delish without them, too. Really, I think this is a hard one to screw up no matter what you do...which is nice.

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21 users found this review helpful

Pasta, Broccoli and Chicken

Reviewed: Sep. 10, 2010

This went over big with my kids (9, 6, and 2), but my husband and I both found it a little bland. We both thought it needed more seasoning, a minced clove or two of garlic tossed in with the veggies, and more pesto than the recipe calls for. It has potential and is a great base recipe, but I am going to try and ramp it up a bit next time around.

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4 users found this review helpful

Mashed Potato Timbales

Reviewed: Jul. 28, 2010

I've made this twice now, and both times have been left unimpressed. My family and I weren't crazy about the bread crumbs the first time around. We didn't think they added anything to it, except a gritty texture and saltiness, so the second time I left them out. The second time I added some chopped scallions and a variety of additional herbs to it, but that still didn't improve these at all. They just taste like mashed potatoes no matter what I do to them. And neither time did they ever "set up" the way they should have - they were mushy, so they may as well have been mashed potatoes, for all the prep and baking time that went into them. I tried...but I think I am scrapping this recipe.

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5 users found this review helpful

Special Buttercream Frosting

Reviewed: Jul. 14, 2010

I'm giving 4 stars because the frosting went over big with my daughter's birthday guests, but I myself - a pastry chef-in-training - didn't care much for it. My pastry mentor told me that I could sub butter for the shortening next time, so that's what I'm going to do. I think shortening has a wierd aftertaste, so hopefully the butter sub will eliminate that. I am happy, though, that it made a big enough batch to cover a 2 layer cake, plus a crumb layer and a filling layer. And it piped beautifully.

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Tea Cookies I

Reviewed: Jul. 14, 2010

Delicious!! I subbed pecans for the walnuts (not a big walnut fan) and doubled the nuts, and they were sooo good! I made these for my daughter's birthday tea party and there were very few left at the end.

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3 users found this review helpful

Jam Filled Butter Cookies

Reviewed: Jul. 14, 2010

So easy and tasty! I made these for my daughter's tea party-themed birthday party, and the little girls gobbled them up....and so did all the moms. I only had one left at the end of the party!

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1 user found this review helpful

Strawberry Cake from Scratch

Reviewed: Jul. 14, 2010

This was super delicious!!! My daughter wanted a strawberry cake for her birthday, but being a pastry chef-in-training, I didn't want to make a boxed cake. This recipe was so simple and turned out fluffy, moist, and delicious. I have filed it away to make again!

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Spinach Floret Salad

Reviewed: Jul. 7, 2010

The salad itself was good - had some nice earthy undertones from the radish and mushrooms, which I liked, and think gave it some uniqueness. I didn't add bacon because I'm a vegetarian, but my husband and daughter added some strips of grilled chicken breast, and loved it like that. Also, the salad mix I used had some julienne carrots, which I think added to it too. As for the dressing....I personally thought it was way too sweet and had no flavor aside from being too sweet. I "doctored" it quite a bit to compensate; I added pepper, parsley flakes, dried oregano, garlic salt, about a Tbs of olive oil, about a Tbs of balsamic vinegar, and about twice the worchestershire. That gave it some oomph, and it did taste a little less sweet once it was on the salad, but I still found it too sweet. My husband and daughters, however, thought it was great, and have asked me to make this again. (Which is a big compliment!) I most definitely will - its a good salad - but I am toning down the sugar in the dressing next time, for sure.

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Homemade Crispy Seasoned French Fries

Reviewed: May 17, 2010

These are super good and really easy!! We all loved them! I kinda wish they didn't clump together when cooking in the hot oil, but at least the pull apart easily to serve, so no biggie.

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2 users found this review helpful