Lovely cookies, but just narrowly miss a 5 star because they're far more delicate than a true ginger snap. To those who are wondering what went wrong when the cookies come out as flat discs, the answer is absolutely nothing! Ginger snaps are supposed to be flat and very crisp. If you are looking for a puffy, soft ginger cookie recipe, I can heartily recommend "Big Soft Ginger Cookies" from this site. Even though I upped the baking time to 12 minutes, the edges were properly crispy, but the centers still remained chewy. The dough is extremely soft. I chilled it overnight, but it was still too soft to roll into balls by hand. So I scooped them out with two spoons, and rolled them around in the sugar. They spread out a lot while baking, so allow ample room on your baking sheet. Excellent, tasty cookies, just not crispy enough to be called gingersnaps. Edited to add: By evening, all had lost any crispiness and become chewy, which underscores the appropriateness of the 4 star rating. Again, delicious cookie, just not a true gingersnap, without any "snap." Edited to add: I discovered how to make them properly crisp. Use vegetable shortening in place of the margarine, bake for 12 minutes and you'll have actual "snaps." Also, in order to get that proper warmth that we associate with gingersnaps, add a few shakes of cayenne or white pepper. Perfect then!

VERY good! I added the finely grated zest of one lemon to bump up the lemon flavor, but I'm sure they'd stand just as is. I baked for 10 minutes, actually, because after the first batch at 8 minutes came out with doughy middles. The last batch got left in the oven by accident for 15 minutes, and they were quite brown. The middles were baked through all the way, and they were somewhat hard. But by the next day, all that had changed to a respectable chewiness, and you couldn't tell that they weren't intended to have been baked that way. Now that's what I like - a recipe with a lot of "wiggle room" that's forgiving, no matter what!

Scrumptious when made with my own home made hot fudge sauce and when shortening is replaced with an equal measure of butter (so 3/4 cup butter in all.) The type of hot fudge sauce you use will drastically affect the final flavor, so be certain of the quality of your selection, or make your own. The frosting goes on smooth as glass. Very easy to work with, and pipes well, but be sure to go easy on the milk. I added only half of the amount called for, and the texture was perfect. I would not describe it as "fudge," however, which was surprising with the inclusion of hot fudge sauce. Be aware that it's actually a medium chocolate, rather than a deep fudge in either texture or color, which accounts for the 4 stars. The recipe makes a generous amount, sufficient to fill and frost a 2 layer cake thickly.

I scaled this back to make only 2 portions so that I could try it before investing in making such a large amount. Please note that in place of the confectioners sugar I used Splenda, as I'm diabetic. This, however, had no effect on the taste, which was overwhelmingly dominated by the unpleasant flavor of powdered milk. I'm not sure there's any way to get around this, since it's the main ingredient. As it stands, I'd much rather have the just-add-water packets made by Swiss Miss, which has a far superior flavor to this stuff.

Actually, I would rate this a 4-1/2 if possible. It just misses getting 5 stars from me because the flavor, while good, isn't blow-your-mind fabulous. Whereas I used good chocolate, the sweetened condensed milk contributes its own, unmistakable taste and over-the-top sweetness. We prefer something that doesn't have a tendency to induce diabetic coma! That's why I never buy commercially prepared hot fudge, which is so sweet as to be nauseating. I have a recipe that has a far superior flavor, which uses Dutch cocoa. That said, the texture of this is silken and creamy, the color is coal-dark and when it makes contact with something cold, it becomes properly thick and fudgy. Try serving refrigerated strawberries for dipping if you're looking for an elegant but very easy dessert. That's the other virtue of this recipe. By storing just a couple ingredients, you're always just minutes away from a taste treat. Even if like most people you don't use butter often, consider keeping a stick, cut in quarters (a quarter stick is what you need to make this,) in your freezer. In order to remedy the excessive sweetness, the next time I make this, I will use 1 or 2 oz unsweetened chocolate in place of an equal measure of semisweet, which should make it more palatable for us. Will report the results when I do.

Reduce until thick, then freeze in 2 Tb dollops.

What could I possibly add that hasn't already been said? Dynamite flavor, moist texture makes this irresistible! The rum can't be discerned in the cake, so it depends entirely on the glaze. If you like the alcohol to shine through, just dump in the rum at the very end. If you like a more subtle alcoholic flavor, simmer for 2 minutes more after adding the rum. Either way, EL YUMMO MUCHO!!!!! BTW, I like to make a chocolate variation as follows: use a chocolate cake mix and chocolate pudding mix in place of the yellow cake and vanilla pudding. For the glaze, melt 1 stick of butter in a small saucepan. Add 1 cup sugar, 1 cup whipping or heavy cream, 1/3 cup cocoa (strained to remove lumps,) 1 Tb rum. Bring to a light boil and keep it at that boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 Tb instant coffee granules and 1 tsp vanilla. If you want more alcohol flavor, add 1-2 Tb of extra rum when the sauce is finished. I call this "Hot Buttered Rum Sauce" and it keeps well in the fridge for a couple of weeks (if it lasts that long.) Super over ice cream, too. Update 8/08: Baked in two 9" layer pans, then split to make 4 layers. The layers were done in about 32 minutes, and they were very easy to split accurately with virtually no "crumbing." I did put the layers in the freezer for an hour before splitting.

These bars were not nearly as moist as I expected, since they contain zucchini. Surprisingly dry and crumbly. My oven has been calibrated within the last few days, and I baked for the shortest time possible, so it can't be blamed on the baking. The flavor was merely OK. It could benefit by adding a tsp of cinnamon to the batter, not just the frosting. The frosting saved them, but for me to rate a bar cookie/cake as 4-5 stars, they'd better be pretty darned awesome all on their own; these aren't anywhere near that. Such a disappointment - I really wanted these to be as good as they sounded. Sorry, but this recipe's just not a keeper in my book.

Make this another FIVE STAR review! I had to make a few subs because we don't like olives, so subbed mushrooms, chopped and cooked before adding to the stuffing spread. I used mostly feta, but also some Asiago and about 2 oz of Port du Salut cheese that needed to be used up immediately. Also used lemon juice in place of the balsamic vinegar, as lemon is almost synonymous with Greek cuisine. Used dry white wine and a splash of chicken stock, as well. The flavors meld and marry in the oven and the result is an explosion of taste. I spooned the cooking juices over the chicken and served with Greek pilaf on the side. The only change I would make the next time is to drop the temperature to 325 degrees - not that the chicken meat was dry, but I believe that this small change will result in a more moist texture still. Thank you for an outstanding recipe that one can serve with pride. Get ready for all the praise when you make this one!

Another 5 stars for this incredible recipe! I was a little apprehensive about making it, since we're apple pie purists in this house. But I really wanted to try it after reading the reviews, and I'm so glad I did; everyone loved it. Refrigeration is the key to keeping the creamy layer separate from the apples. The presentation is just lovely when cut and the taste is a knock-out! My son especially loved the glazed crust and said I should do that with every pie I make from now on. I used 3 very large Granny Smith apples and it baked up impressively high, although I wanted more in the apple layer and will add another apple (for a total of 4) the next time I make it. This will be a holiday tradition from now on. Thank you!

On their own, these cookies were a failure. I iced them with the lemon cream cheese frosting on this website (see link on recipe page) which is incredible. It gave a much-needed flavor boost and made the cookies tolerably moist for the first day. The frosting was good enough to raise these to a 3 star rating. However, the texture of the cookies in this recipe is extremely dry and crumbly. After only 2 days, they were so dry as to be almost inedible. My advice is to save the lemon cream cheese frosting recipe and apply it on some better lemon cookies. I will not make this recipe again, as it was a disappointment.

Lovely, luscious and perfectly lemony ambrosia. Applied this to the lemon drop cookie recipe on this website. The cookie was OK without the frosting, but was just devine with this frosting. It's nice and tangy with the fresh lemon. Much better than using lemon extract only. The cream cheese imparts a perfectly compatible tang. Could be used to dress up a plain vanilla cake or on an orange cake. Can be used as a glaze by thinning it out a bit with drops of milk. Versatile and delicious.

Hands down the very best teriyaki sauce I have ever had, and that's saying a lot, coming from this 20+ year veteran chef! The only change I made was to add 2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in a small amount of cold water, added to the final simmer. This gave the sauce a little body and helped it cling to the meat. Marinated a top round steak in it for about 4 hours. Teriyaki lovers, take note. Be sure to bookmark this recipe, as it's absolutely phenomenal! Many thanks for posting it.

Very good. It can be made much better with a few substitutions. I used short grain Asian rice for a more authentic result. Cooked the rice in chicken stock (1 part rice to 2 parts stock) laced with the soy sauce. Great touch for even flavor penetration - much more effective than sprinkling on the soy sauce at the end and stirring in. Added a tsp of very finely chopped ginger which lent a lovely fragrance and taste. Stir fried everything using a touch of sesame oil. Minced scallions were subbed for the onion. Skipped the green beans and subbed baby peas. Some water chestnuts adds a nice crunch. All of these "subs" were pretty simple and gave a deeper, more authentic Asian flavor. This recipe is, however, an excellent basic spring board for countless variations.

Oh, my freakin' WORD!!!!! What a fabulous flavor! This takes chicken over the edge of extraordinary taste. I would have never thought in a gazillion years of using yogurt as a marinade vehicle, but it's nothing short of genius. Maybe this hyperbole is owed, in part at least, to the wonderful fresh herbs I grow. One of the fringe benefits of living in Florida - they grow like weeds, so there's always plenty to be used. I only had straight feta, so laced it liberally with fresh minced basil from the garden and a spoon of tomato paste. It lent a lovely, light salmon-pink blush to the chicken. Added chopped fresh rosemary, oregano and parsley leaves which, together with the basil, punctuated the pinkish marinade profusely with flecks of bright green. I was going to add some crushed garlic, but knowing that garlic is such an assertive flavor that can tend to take over, I wanted to give this a shot first [almost, that is, since I didn't have the basil and sun dried tomato feta] as written. So I stuck to the ingredients in the recipe, and was richly rewarded. No garlic needed, and the verdict is I don't even want to add it in subsequent efforts. I found the lemon flavor to be the perfect foil for the yogurt, and it played off the oregano masterfully. We're not big pepper people, so I substituted mushrooms on the skewers. Thank you for an absolutely stupendous recipe. Edited: Subbed lime zest and juice for the lemon - spectacular!

Four stars as written, 5 when made with my substitutes. Instead of doubling all the sauce ingredients to increase the volume (which would add a huge amount of sodium,) I added a cup of beef stock (canned may be used) and increased the cornstarch to 2 tsp, which I dissolved in the stock before adding. The result was a very tasty, appetizingly brown sauce to spoon over the veggies and beef. Be sure to mince the garlic and ginger root very finely. Used lean top round steak which worked very well. Added a small can of sliced water chestnuts, drained. Also used 1 Tb rice vinegar and 2 Tb mirin (rice wine) at the same time as the other liquid ingredients. This resulted in plenty of very flavorful sauce to go over 1/2 cup rice cooked with 1 cup water. Every morsel was inhaled. Absolutely rockin'!!

4-1/2 stars for this. Lovely flavor and moist texture. I did not find it to be a "sweet" bread as some earlier reviews said. Perfect for sandwiches or toasting, and a good keeper. After 3 days it was better for toasting, just too crumbly for sandwiches, so use it as quickly as possible, or freeze slices for later use. Will keep well frozen for up to one month if wrapped securely (I put two slices in one sandwich sized ziploc bag.)

5 stars made with the following alterations: an extra banana, 2 mashed and 2 diced, 1 tsp of vanilla, 1/2 tsp baking powder (to lighten) and 1 tsp cinnamon. The texture is dense and intensely moist. The sliced/diced bananas make for a nice burst of banana flavor, and set this cake apart from the norm. Be aware that this recipe does not rise very much. Essentially what you see when you turn the batter into your pan is what you'll get. But the flavor is satisfyingly homey and it will keep for at least 3 days. Be sure to cover with an inverted bowl to keep it airtight.

Subtle and complex.

Good premise. I made it exactly as written, and found it wanting a bit in the flavor department. The addition of 3 Tb Parmesan and 1 Tb sour cream helped make for a cheesier flavor. Also a judicious sprinkling of salt is in order. Go easy, then taste as cheese has a lot of sodium in it to begin with and it's easy to go overboard fast. After those additions the flavor went from bland to sublime. Note that as this dish cools or if there are any leftovers, you will want to add a Tb or two of milk before reheating and stir to blend well (more may be needed,) as the cheese will cause the sauce to tighten up.