UDscoobychick Recipe Reviews (Pg. 1) - Allrecipes.com (13759487)

Black Bean And Corn Salad II

Reviewed: Oct. 13, 2010

I added about 1/2 tsp. of cumin and 2 seeded and chopped serrano peppers and left out the oil. Fantastic! Love the fresh taste!

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The lemon zest is completely out-of-place in this recipe. It was a little heavy on the mustard for me personally, but I don't like mustard. I also probably used less oil. Toast the pecans first to bring out their flavor, and add more maple syrup. The maple-balsamic combination was a good idea, but by the time I got done adjusting the ingredients to my taste, the proportions were very different from the original recipe.

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Creamy Pear Pie

Reviewed: Sep. 23, 2010

Very good! I added more flour to the filling (pears were VERY ripe and juicy), used lemon juice instead of lemon extract, and sprinkled dried cranberries over the crust before pouring the filling in. I added 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon to both the filling and the topping. I also doubled the flour and sugar in the topping. This was very tasty and a big hit!

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Champagne Cake I

Reviewed: Aug. 2, 2010

Excellent! Subtle champagne flavor and good texture. I made mini cupcakes with this (bake at 350 for 9 minutes, yields about 4 dozen bite-sized cupcakes). Followed the recipe exactly, except for subbing Splenda for sugar. I sifted the dry ingredients together twice to make sure they were nice and light. I also creamed the butter and sugar together for a good long time, again, to make it light. I used an Asti spumante, as suggested by a previous reviewer. I topped this with a pineapple buttercream, but I can't wait to try it with other flavors (I'm thinking mimosa- and bellini-inspired cupcakes!)!

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Chicken Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)

Reviewed: Jul. 29, 2010

Not my favorite flavor combination, but the people I cooked it for liked it. I used 1.5x the sauce ingredients because I added some additional veggies. I also simplified it to a one-dish meal. Saute together the shallot, onion, and some diced carrots until the onion is softened. Meanwhile, chop 1 lb chicken breast into bite-sized pieces. Then add all the spices (I added some coriander, too)--including the garam masala and cayenne pepper that the recipe indicates are for the chicken. Cook 1 minutes, until spices are fragrant, then add in the raw chicken, yogurt (I used fat free), tomato puree, and half-and-half (again, fat free). At this point, I also added diced potatoes (about 4) and some chopped cauliflower (maybe 1.5 c). Simmer everything for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked and potatoes are tender. Then I added about 1/2 c. ground cashews, as well as 2 Tbl. cornstarch mixed with 1/4 c. water and simmered another minute until thickened. Voila--one pot to clean.

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Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

Reviewed: Jul. 29, 2010

Excellent, especially with the tricks I used that made this a 1-pot meal! I used 1 onion, 3-4 celery ribs, and 4 medium carrots for the veggies, diced them sauteed them all together until the onions were translucent, then added 2 Tbl minced garlic and sauteed a minute or two more. Meanwhile, I cut raw chicken into bite-sized pieces, then threw it in the pot with the veggies. Added 5 cans low sodium chicken broth, basil, oregano, pepper, and poultry seasoning, and simmered for about 15 minutes. Then added in about 2 c egg noodles and simmered for another 8 minutes. Mixed 2 Tbl. cornstarch with 1/4 c. water, and poured that in, and simmered another 1-2 min, until slightly thickened. Removed from heat and swirled in 1/2 c. fat free half-and-half. Delicious, thick, creamy, satisfying, and only one pot to clean!

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Indian-Spiced Roasted Chickpeas

Reviewed: Jul. 28, 2010

At first, I didn't like these, but the flavor grew on me. By the time they were gone, I was practically licking the bag I kept them in to get all the last little spices out. I followed the recipe exactly, and had to bake for almost double the amount of time...and I still wouldn't really call them crispy. But they were definitely tasty, and a flavorful snack!

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White Chocolate Blondies

Reviewed: Jul. 19, 2010

These were pretty good. Doubled the recipe and baked in a 9x13 pyrex dish (didn't adjust oven temp, though). Also omitted the semisweet chocolate chips, and added orange extract, rose water, and cardamom. The flavors I added were lovely, but the white chocolate didn't shine through as much as I expected. Also, the texture was very much like a dense cake, not a true blondie. They weren't a big hit as-is, so I'm going to try topping them with an orange frosting or glaze to play up the cake-like texture.

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Whoopie Pies VIII

Reviewed: May 29, 2010

These were an unqualified disaster. I followed the recipe exactly except for doubling it and subbing 1 Tbl. vinegar plus 1 c. milk for each cup of sour milk. They turned out like hard, dry, crumbly tasteless lumps of coal. Didn't spread AT ALL and had more of cookie (albeit a stale cookie)-like texture than the cake-like texture that whoopie pies should have. I'm a pretty experienced baker, but I have no idea why this didn't work for me at all, when it obviously has worked for others in the past. Didn't bother making the filling since the cookies were so bad.

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To Die For Blueberry Muffins

Reviewed: May 19, 2010

Made the recipe more or less as directed--subbed 1 c. whole wheat flour in the batter and used whole wheat flour in the topping, added a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon to the batter, replaced all sugar with Splenda, added 1 tsp vanilla to the batter, and subbed applesauce for most (not all) of the oil. Baked 1 hr at 350 in a loaf pan. Next time will use 1.5x or 2x the batter, and 2/3x the topping. Tasty, though.

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Lemon Orzo Primavera

Reviewed: Apr. 30, 2010

Pretty good...doubled the recipe...went heavy on the garlic, added ~1/2 c water extra, which was unnecessary, and added a cube of vegetable bullion along with salt and pepper...sprinkled just a touch of dried thyme in at the end and left off the Parmesan cheese, since it was a tad on the salty side with the added bullion. Lemon was the predominant flavor, but definitely not tasteless. Added the veggies with ~7 min left. Used ~4 carrots and 2 large zucchini, shredded. Yum.

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Sloppy Joe Sandwiches

Reviewed: Apr. 25, 2010

Adjusted the servings to 5 since I had 1.3 lbs ground turkey. Used ~1 part bbq sauce to ~3 parts ketchup since some reviews said it was too "ketchupy," and neither I nor the fiance like ketchup. Sauteed the ground beef with 1 med. onion (diced), 1 green pepper (seeded and diced), and ~2 Tbl. minced garlic. Used mustard powder instead of prepared mustard, and just kind of eyeballed it on the spices. Also added some chili powder and some cider vinegar. End result was a delicious meal, although a little more "bbq-y" than I tend to think of for sloppy joes. Next time, I'll just use straight ketchup!

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Flourless Chocolate Cake I

Reviewed: Apr. 25, 2010

Fantastic! Took one reviewer's advice and subbed Grand Marnier for the water. Otherwise, followed the recipe to a "T" and baked in a 9" springform due to lack of a 10" pan. Very rich, and was a big hit. Served with fresh, slightly sweetened whipped cream to cut the richness a bit. ------------------------------ Update! Have also made this with Framboise instead of the water--also fabulous! Bake in a 9" springform and don't worry about the waterbath...just put a pan of water on the rack below the cake.

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Kentucky Bourbon Balls

Reviewed: Mar. 25, 2010

Taste was phenomenal, filling was a little hard to work with. I doubled the recipe. For those having a hard time with the butter and sugar, it's just like making a buttercream frosting--make sure your butter is nice and softened, then stir it a bit until it's smooth, then stir in the confectioner's sugar a cup at a time or so. I did it by hand, but a mixer would make it much easier. It was REALLY stiff until I added the bourbon-soaked nuts, at which point it became really soft--to the point that I stirred in a bunch more confectioner's sugar to try to stiffen it up. Didn't work, so I threw the bowl in the freezer for an hour. After that, I was able to shape the filling into balls (working quickly, with well-greased hands, and sticking them back in the freezer the moment I had a tray completed!). Froze for ~15 min, then would take out a tray, dip a few in chocolate, then put the tray back in the freezer for another 15 min when they got too soft. Added a couple Tbls of canola oil to the chocolate to thin it out, but the chocolate coating still ended up being REALLY thick--it kind of overpowered the bourbon flavor. Definitely make the filling balls smaller than you think you need to, though--mine turned out massive after adding the chocolate coating!

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Dried Cherries, Pecans and Rosemary Brie en Croute

Reviewed: Feb. 19, 2010

Amazing! Simply amazing! I subbed Craisins for the cherries. It was a huge hit, and the flavors came together wonderfully!

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Baked Brie with Caramelized Pears, Shallots and Thyme

Reviewed: Feb. 19, 2010

This was good, but not as good as I thought it would be. I wrapped the brie and the filling in puff pastry. With the thyme and the pear flavors, tastes very much like an apple stuffing at Thanksgiving. I did find that the flavors got a little muddled. Have to say, the baked brie with rosemary and cherries is by far the best baked brie on Allrecipes.

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Restaurant-Style Buffalo Chicken Wings

Reviewed: Feb. 13, 2010

Excellent! I used smoked paprika in the breading, which gave a great flavor. I also used about a 4:1 ratio of Frank's Red Hot to butter, since I like my wings hot! They were perfectly spicy! I baked them ~55 min at 375, turning halfway through. Since I had breaded them while they were still frozen, they didn't crisp up, but they still tasted great.

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Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Cookies

Reviewed: Feb. 10, 2010

Used 1/2 margarine, 1/2 Crisco...used 1/2 brown sugar, 1/2 white sugar...probably added an extra cup or so of Reese'e chips (I like my chips!). Turned out well...first batch out of the oven was slightly underdone, so I ended up cooking the rest of them for ~12 min at 350 (they are for a bake sale, and I didn't want to risk them being underdone!). I got 5 1/2 to 6 dozen cookies out of this batch, though! They would have to be giant to only get 2 dozen!

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Italian Pinwheel Rolls

Reviewed: Feb. 6, 2010

Halved the recipe and baked in a 9" round cake pan...subbed 1 tsp dried parsley for fresh and added 1 tsp Italian seasoning. Probably went a little heavy on the parmesan...rolls were pretty good...dough was really sticky after the first rise, didn't rise much in the second rise...rolls were a touch undercooked in the center after 30 min. Taste was good. I mixed the melted butter, herbs, and parmesan together to form a paste (since I was worried about even distribution of the herbs), which I spread over the dough...next time, I'll probably mix the herbs in with the butter and brush that over the dough, then sprinkle the whole thing liberally with the cheese, as the paste was a bit hard to spread.

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Hummus III

Reviewed: Jan. 21, 2010

Delicious! Used 2 cans (not 2 cups) of chickpeas (drained and rinsed to cut down on the sodium), 1/3 c. tahini, 1/4 c. bottled lemon juice, almost 2 tsp salt, a few dashes of ground red pepper, 1 tsp dried parsley, 1 tsp cumin, 2 tbl olive oil, and 1 1/2 tbl roasted minced garlic. Blended it all together in my food processor and added ~3/4 c. water to thin it out a bit. Sprinkled the top generously with paprika for serving. Not as creamy as what you'd get in the store (think my chickpeas were a bit crunchy...might be worth boiling them for a few minutes to soften them up, as suggested by another reviewer), but very tasty nonetheless!

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