Goldana Recipe Reviews (Pg. 1) - Allrecipes.com (10779605)

Flatlander Chili

Reviewed: Apr. 12, 2011

This is a good base for a Chili recipe, but you need to add your own touches or it doesn't have that kick to it. I skipped the tomato juice and used two cans of plain tomato sauce. I found that the vegetable ratio was way too low. If you cut the recipe in half, it calls for only 2 tablespoons of green pepper for a serving size of 5! That is not nearly enough to get the taste and texture of the peppers in the Chili. I think I easily quadrupled the celery, peppers, and onion. I chopped up 3 different colors of peppers (red, yellow, and green) to add a nice visual appeal. I used fresh chopped garlic, instead of powder. I also added a few tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce and a bouillon cube. I added more of the hot spices to it as well because it was just too bland as is. I served it with white rolls on the side and sour cream to put on top. With the additional changes it was easily a 4-5 star Chili. The recipe as written though is simply average. People who do not like a lot of spice might find it perfectly fine. I needed to give it quite a kick to make it work for me though. I will definitely make it again with my own additions of course. Thanks for the recipe George!

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3 users found this review helpful

Fabulous Fried Cabbage

Reviewed: Mar. 17, 2011

This recipe has the potential to be very delicious, but as written it is bland (hence the three stars). I had to alter it to make it a perfect five. I browned a chopped onion and some bacon cubes before adding the broth and cabbage. When the mixture started to reduce and the cooking time was nearing it's end, then I started spicing. Plenty of black pepper, salt, sugar (yes sugar!), and a few splashes of balsamic vinegar. I let the broth cook out and browned the cabbage a tad. You can serve this delicious cabbage mix many ways. It is great mixed with spiral noodles, mixed with mashed potatoes (like Colcannon), or serve it alongside some bangers and mash. It is a staple at our house because it tastes incredible!

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2 users found this review helpful

True Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy

Reviewed: Mar. 17, 2011

I've never had Bangers and Mash, so when I ran across this recipe then I knew I had to try it! The red wine sauce is absolutely delicious, but as stated it is a thin gravy. I like mine thick and there was no problem to thicken it up. I used a bratwurst and although it was still good, next time I will try a different sausage. Maybe something like Kielbasa, as I think it would compliment the onion gravy nicely. Of course the choice of sausage is down to preference. No complaints about the mash. I love mashed potatoes and I've never tried adding mustard powder. It gave it a nice little kick! I don't really understand the reviews that say this recipe is time consuming. The most time consuming part is the mash, which takes about 20 minutes to make. I just left the gravy on to simmer while the potatoes were boiling. In under 30 minutes, I had a meal on the table. It doesn't seem like much time to me! I served it with fried cabbage, which rounded it out nicely. This is not a fancy meal, but I'm very happy that I tried it. This is one of those heart warming comfort foods which I will definitely make again and again! Thanks for the great recipe wsf!

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4 users found this review helpful

Beef and Irish Stout Stew

Reviewed: Mar. 17, 2011

I tried this out tonight for St. Patrick's Day and I'm very happy that I did! A little while back I tried a similar recipe on this site called "Beer Braised Irish Stew and Colcannon" from MNIKOLAISEN. My stew didn't come out very good that time, but I also made a few errors. This stew though was perfect in every single way! Comparing the recipes, I think dredging the meat in flour before browning is the way to go. This made my beer broth thicken up enough that I didn't have to worry about it evaporating (which happened with the other recipe). I used a good dark malt beer which was delicious. I noticed a lot of negative reviews focused on this being too bland. Yes, it will be bland if you don't do anything to it! It says right in step 3 to taste and adjust seasoning before serving. Everyone likes their stew different ways, therefore I do not count this as something negative. I added two large cloves of garlic, a few tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, one bay leaf, one vegetable bouillon cube, salt and pepper. Mmmmm! Yum! Use your common sense when seasoning and this stew will be heavenly. I also really liked the addition of the tomato paste which the other recipe omitted. I think it gave the sauce a wonderful rich color. Overall, I was quite pleased with the outcome. I simmered my stew for about 1 hour and 20 minutes and it thickened beautifully and the meat was very tender. I served it over Colcannon and I had a great St. Patrick's Day dinner! Thanks for the recipe!

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2 users found this review helpful

Chicken Cordon Bleu II

Reviewed: Mar. 8, 2011

This is a very yummy recipe! The winner is definitely the white wine sauce. Unfortunately I forgot to buy sliced ham for this recipe, so I had to make do with just the cheese. Luckily it did not compromise the taste! I also changed a few small things to suit my preference. I used the old handy breading technique of flour, eggs, and bread crumbs. I secured the chicken and cheese bundles with a toothpick, coated them, and then fried them in oil. I made the sauce in a separate saucepan on the stove. I also added a few dashes of parsley in the sauce and then spooned it over the chicken and rice (which was my side dish). It was heavenly! My children did not care for the white wine sauce, but it is more of a "grown up" taste anyway. My husband on the other hand could not stop complimenting on how delicious it was! It is a permanent keeper in our recipe box. Next time, I will just spoon the sauce on our portions and leave it out for the kids. Thanks Behr for the great recipe!

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5 users found this review helpful

Banana Banana Bread

Reviewed: Mar. 3, 2011

I'm giving this recipe an average rating. I've read some of the negative reviews and I do somewhat agree with them. My bread came out pretty decent, but it was due to some changes that I made. I added cinnamon, nutmeg, nuts and raisins. These ingredients "saved" the bread. Otherwise, I think it would have been rather bland. I still found that the final product lacked sweetness. I think additional sugar needs to be added. Also I used a silicon loaf pan (reduced baking time) and it took 60 minutes before the bread was baked through! Like other reviewers, the outside of my bread was quite brown before the middle was finished. If I had not been watching it closely, it would have burnt. Overall the taste was average with the changes that I made, but I think that I will try a few other recipes to see if there is something better out there. Thanks anyway Shelley!

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2 users found this review helpful

Savory Kale, Cannellini Bean, and Potato Soup

Reviewed: Mar. 3, 2011

I made this tonight for dinner and it was really good! I made a few small changes though because I thought it was a bit bland as is. I added some chopped chicken breast because I like my soup with more bulk. Next time I will try some sausage like other reviewers did. Sausage would perfectly compliment this soup! I also skipped adding water and instead added more broth and white wine. To kick up the spicing, I threw in a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and 2 teaspoons of piri piri spice mix (in this mix is dried Bird's Eye chili, onion, paprika, sea salt, pepper, garlic, and cow's parsley). Wow, it added just the right amount of heat! It wasn't overpowering, but it left a nice warm feeling after every bite. I'll be honest and say that I didn't follow the cooking times as stated. It didn't make sense to me to cook the potatoes until tender and THEN add the other ingredients. I just threw everything in the pot at once and it was all done to perfection in about 40-45 minutes. I will definitely be making this again as everyone in my family really liked it. My oldest daughter (11 years old) devoured a whole bowl in just a few minutes! Thanks for the great recipe Chris & Kelly!

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5 users found this review helpful

Chicken-Parmesan Bundles

Reviewed: Feb. 13, 2011

I made this tonight for dinner. I didn't have any crackers, so I dipped the chicken bundles in flour, egg, and bread crumbs. Then I fried them until golden brown and then stuck them in the oven with sauce and shredded cheese on top. I served them with a side of pasta. My family and I decided to give this recipe an average rating of 3 stars. Honestly it was not worth the effort to pound out the chicken, make the spinach filling, and then carefully roll the bundles. The spinach filling had a very neutral taste and we hardly noticed the difference between this and ordinary chicken parmesan. I filled them quite good too! The taste was still very good for chicken parmesan (which I would give 4 stars), but the recipe is average. Bottom line: It was too time consuming to end up with a bland spinach stuffing. Next time I will save a lot of time (skip the spinach mix) and make my ordinary delicious chicken parmesan. It was still fun to try! Thanks!

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9 users found this review helpful

Catherine's Spicy Chicken Soup

Reviewed: Feb. 10, 2011

I made this last night for dinner and everyone really liked it. It is a very decent soup! We made a few slight changes though. I cut out the tomato soup and only used 1 large jar of salsa and 1 can of peeled and diced tomatoes. It was PLENTY of tomato for this recipe. You do not need more! I did not have any chili powder at home, so I used a Piri Piri spice mix which was perfect. In it was dried Bird's Eye chili, onion, paprika, sea salt, pepper, garlic, and cow's parsley. I cut out the extra onion and garlic powder, but I went ahead and added the fresh garlic, onion, and additional dried parsley. I used 3 teaspoons of the Piri Piri and 2 teaspoons of Cayenne Pepper. My husband and oldest daughter wanted the soup spicier, but my youngest daughter and I thought the soup had just the right amount of heat. The canned tomatoes were far too acidic tasting, so I also added a teaspoon of sugar as well. Then it was perfect! I couldn't find Chili beans, but a can of kidney beans and a can of white beans worked just fine. The sour cream was served at the table for each person to add to the soup themselves. I found that the serving size was absolutely correct. I have enough leftovers for all four of us to eat another bowl. I froze it for later use. Everyone agreed that the soup should get 4 stars. It was delicious. The only request I had was less chicken and more beans next time! Of course, this is a personal preference. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!

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16 users found this review helpful

Beer Braised Irish Stew and Colcannon

Reviewed: Feb. 9, 2011

We tried this recipe for the first time on Sunday evening. I've never tried Colcannon before and it is delicious! I found it amazing that mixing simple ingredients such as mashed potatoes, cabbage, and bacon could make such a wonderful combination! My oldest daughter is not a fan of mashed potatoes or cabbage, but she ate a plate full of the Colcannon! The stew for me was average (3-4 stars), but I honestly believe it was due to an error that I made. I did not buy the right kind of roast meat and I didn't add enough beer. My stew ran out of liquid, so I added broth and it didn't come out very flavorful. The beef flavor of the meat I chose (it was on sale) was overpowering. I still give the recipe 5 stars though because I think it would be 5 stars if I had done it correctly. The heavenly Colcannon deserves 5 stars on its own! Even with the errors, everyone said it was very good and they want me to make it again on St. Patrick's Day! I definitely want to give it another try, this time using the right meat. I'm excited to see how it turns out this time around. Thanks for the great recipe!

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4 users found this review helpful

Heavenly White Cake

Reviewed: Nov. 23, 2010

I followed this recipe word for word and I ended up with something that resembled cornbread. It somehow managed to be strangely heavy and awfully dry. The taste was just okay. I'm puzzled how others made a beautiful cake out of this! I keep thinking that I must have done something wrong, which is why I gave it 2 stars instead of 1. But I went over the recipe a few times and I'm sure that I followed it correctly. It was very time consuming (sifting 3 times, etc.) and I was disappointed with the end result. I guess I'll try something else.

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2 users found this review helpful

Apple Crisp III

Reviewed: Sep. 16, 2010

I was having a craving for something sweet, so I thought I would give this a try. I was not disappointed! This is a very decent recipe. The only slight changes that I made was that I halved the amount of water, like some reviewers suggested. I used margarine instead of butter. I also added 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg and ginger to the apples. It complimented the cinnamon nicely. I used a mix of 2 different apples, Granny Smith and a sweeter variety (unsure of the name right now). I did have to bake it for an additional 10 minutes, even using a silicon baking pan. It wasn't such a big problem though and it turned out nice and crispy! I will definitely make this again.

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3 users found this review helpful

Grandma's Secret Pie Crust

Reviewed: Jan. 14, 2010

I am not sure what I did wrong with this recipe, but it didn't come out very good at all! I followed it exactly as written, except that I substituted half of the shortening with butter. I also needed to add one extra tablespoon of water to get the dough to come together. I was making it for a chicken pot pie, so I stuck the dough in the fridge while I cooked up the rest of the ingredients. There was no problem rolling out the dough. It looked really pretty and for a moment I had high hopes for it. But when it came out of the oven, the bottom crust was all soggy and doughy. The top crust was nice and crisp, though I have to say that the flavor was completely unremarkable. I was hoping for something buttery and flaky. Instead it tasted like baked homemade play dough. I was so disappointed after all that work to make a chicken pot pie from scratch! At dinner time everyone ended up picking around the crust and only eating the chicken and vegetables. Even my dog wouldn't eat the crust, so it all ended up in the trash bin. I'm sorry but I definitely will not be making this again!

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6 users found this review helpful

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cake I

Reviewed: Jan. 14, 2010

Everyone in my house loved this cake! It was so moist and delicious! I wanted to try out my new silicon 10 inch cake pan and I thought this recipe would be perfect. I followed the recipe pretty much as written, except for a few small changes. I didn't have any sour cream at home, so I substituted yogurt instead. I also sifted all the dry ingredients to make it nice and fluffy. I added a few tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and one teaspoon of cinnamon. Even though I was using a silicon pan (reduced baking time), it still took about 25 minutes to bake to perfection. I could imagine that if you used a normal cake pan, then it might take 10-20 minutes longer than stated to bake through. But I had none of the problems that others have stated. My chocolate chips were evenly distributed and the cake was perfectly moist and rich. I am definitely keeping this one in my recipe box and I am sure it will be used again and again! Thank you so much!

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3 users found this review helpful

Banana Pudding I

Reviewed: Nov. 12, 2009

I had a whole bunch of bananas and a box of boring wheat cookies that no one wanted to eat in the cupboard. I stumbled upon this recipe in my search to use up both ingredients. And I was pleasantly surprised! I made a few small changes as suggested by other users. I doubled the recipe and only used the egg yolks. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly for the pudding part. My pudding thickened beautifully and without any problems. I think it is possible that the users who couldn't get the pudding to thicken may have had the heat set too low. Everyone's oven heats differently, so you have to take that into account. You want the pudding hot enough, but NOT boiling. Mine took about 10-15 minutes to thicken. After I removed it from the heat and let it cool down a little, I added 2 finely chopped bananas to the pudding itself. I crushed up the wheat cookies I had on hand into crumbs and made a sort of graham cracker type crust at the bottom of my glass dish. I added some melted butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the crumbs and let the crust toast in the oven for 5 minutes. I let that cool down and then I put the pudding on top. I sliced 2 more bananas for decoration and I also added some more cookie crumbs on top. I let it chill for a few hours before dessert time. My husband couldn't believe that I made this myself, that is how good it was! We ate the whole bowl. When I asked if I should make it again, everyone in the family said YES! So, thanks for the wonderful recipe!

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4 users found this review helpful

Dill Vegetable Dip

Reviewed: Nov. 10, 2009

A good basic recipe, but for my personal tastes it was a little bland. After I added my own touches, I would give the recipe 4 or 4.5 stars. I doubled the parsley and dill. I also add some chopped garlic and fresh chives. Unfortunately, I didn't have seasoned salt so I made do with what I had on hand. I combined a little salt with thyme, paprika, and a pinch of curry powder. It came out delicious! I let the flavors meld in the fridge over night. I served it at our annual Halloween party with sliced cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers (all different colors), and cherry tomatoes. It looked simply beautiful and everyone loved it. Later on that night, we ate the leftovers with potato chips and sesame bread sticks during our horror movie marathon. It tasted really good with the chips and bread sticks as well. Over all, I think it is a nice recipe and I will definitely use it again with my own personal touches of course. But I think most recipes need to be adjusted to your own personal taste anyway! Thanks for the recipe! :)

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20 users found this review helpful

Heavenly Chocolate Mousse

Reviewed: May 27, 2009

I love this mousse! I've made it quite a few times already, but I just got around to reviewing it. I keep the ingredients as is, everything is perfect as written. Here are a few tips I found out along the way though: When you put the egg yolks in the saucepan, you will want to watch it very carefully! They really only need a low heat and you are better off to whisk them continuously until they are a fluffy froth. If you don't watch it then they will turn into scrambled eggs rather quickly. I also bypass the whole saucepan and ice step by putting the saucepan in the freezer for 5 minutes, giving it a stir, another 5 minutes in the freezer, and one last stir. I use 2 small containers (yogurt cup sized) of heavy cream. I save 1/4 of the cream to layer it with the mousse. This tastes sensational! It looks beautiful and elegant in glasses with the layered look as well. My husband and kids get all excited when they find out that we are having this for dessert! Of course the chef (me) gets the extra portion of mousse. :) Thanks so much for this recipe, it is one of my favorites! I highly recommend it as it is quick, easy, delicious, and fit for company!

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14 users found this review helpful

Garlic Chicken

Reviewed: Feb. 25, 2009

My husband loves garlic, so when it was just the two of us for dinner (kids were at Grandma's) I made this recipe. It was delicious! I followed the other members suggestions and mashed the garlic to make a smooth gravy. Other than that, I followed the recipe as written. The only criticism my husband had was that he wanted more gravy to go on top! So next time I will double the sauce. Thanks for the great recipe!

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2 users found this review helpful

Spice Cake I

Reviewed: Feb. 25, 2009

This is my favorite cake on this site so far! I love it! It is such a wonderful cake to serve with coffee. I followed the recipe exactly and I don't think it needs any changes at all. I also never have a problem with it coming out too dry. Mine is nice and moist. A few times when I wanted something extra, I added some cream cheese frosting on top. That was absolutely delicious as well! I make this cake at least once a week in my house. Everyone loves it. Thanks so much for the awesome recipe!

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5 users found this review helpful

Grandmas Fresh Apple Cake

Reviewed: Feb. 13, 2009

This cake does have more of a bread type texture. It is similar to banana bread, but with the apple taste. With that being said, it is still absolutely delicious. I made this for my 9 year old daughter's birthday by her request. I doubled the recipe and it fit a 10 inch round cake pan perfectly. My daughter wanted Spongebob Squarepants on top of her cake so I made some cream cheese frosting for decorating. The frosting complimented the spicey apple taste of this cake wonderfully. Everyone ranted and raved about how good the cake was! I even had to make another batch of it the next day because my husband wanted more. This time I baked it in a loaf pan and skipped the frosting. It was still a HUGE hit! I'm definitely keeping this in my recipe box and I am sure it will be used very often. Thanks for the great recipe!

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1 user found this review helpful