Cupcakequeen, you are my savior. Through no fault of my own, I got roped into participating in a SPAM Cook-off at work. I had to find something to make that would be 'fashionable', as I am not the spreadable spam app with crackers type of gal. I really wanted something that would really rock the boat...you know, make people mildly scared, but intrigued at the same time? This was it! I sliced the spam as thin as possible with a mandolin, then fried it to oblivion to remove any chewy texture. I then shredded it to a super-fine consistency in the food processor. Taking another reviewer's tip, I shaved Lindt dark chocolate into the batter as well. WOW. It was amazing! Since Spam is virtually a flavorless salt block, I opted to add a little liquid smoke to the batter as well to mimic bacon...it wasn't overpowering and really brought out the chocolate/ coffee flavor. I came in second place! A co-worker who is a professional cake maker on the side said I should have won, and I take her opinion over all others. Great job cupcakequeen!

Just happened to stumble upon this recipe, and what a find. I absolutely love the different aromas of herbes de provence, and was amazed at how well it went with the sometimes monotonous flavor of asparagus. This was a breeze to prepare...I definitely foresee it in my Thanksgiving future. I've also been diligently searching for a vegetarian replacement for the lamb in my 'White bean and lamb soup' (also on this site). If cut into smaller portions and added right before serving, I think this will be a delicious alternative for my non-carnivorous guests! Thanks Jessica.

I had never cooked a brisket before, and was expecting a house-load of hungry people over for a birthday party. As some of my guests were from Texas, I knew I could not fool them into consuming a sub-par roasted piece of meat. After stumbling across this recipe and all of it's helpful comments, I think I definitely held my own. I opted not to cut the fat off (per a smart reviewer's suggestion), and to roast the brisket in beer/ beef broth with minimal ingredients (onions, red pepper flakes, salt/ pepper). After roasting, the fat was easily removed and the meat easily shredable. Placing all of the meat and juices in the slow cooker, I then added my own sauce composed of fire roasted tomatoes, red pepper, onion, garlic, cilantro, *small* amount of sugar, and (most important ingredient) a small can of chipotles in adobo. What a success...everyone (including the Texans) asked what my secret ingredient was (chipoltles), and how I got the meat so tender. I will definitely use this method again in the future for other flavors.

I absolutely loved the texture of this dish. However, there was something about the flavor that didn't quite do it for me. I think I will opt to try this combination of squash, nuts, butter/ cheese again, but next time I may opt to roast squash, then sauté with butter, walnuts, gorgonzola, and maybe just a little white wine.

This was so incredibly quick and delicious. To save time, I used an English cucumber and shredded it whole in the food processor (no peeling or deseeding needed). The Greek yogurt that I found was extremely thick, so I didn't even think about straining it. Added fresh lemon juice, and it was ready to go. If you're in a bind,eat right away (very flavorful regardless).

This was the ultimate. Surprisingly, I had no fresh ingredients (other than lemon), and it still turned out fabulous. I opted to use Penzey's Fox Point seasoning to replace the major ingredients (shallots, garlic, onions, etc.). I also opted to use 1/2 mayo, 1/2 sour cream, and the tangy contrast to the lemon was great. Can't wait to make this 100% fresh.

Overall, the flavor of this soup is good. The one thing that some may not realize is that the cheese will not automatically melt to make a homogeneous soup...you definitely need to make a roux with this, or take the risk of having unappetizing cheese sludge on the bottom of your pan.

I agree with others in that this needed an extra little oomph. Rather than adding dijon, I opted for horseradish...and it was GREAT! It gave just the amount of bite to balance the sweetness of the roasted red peppers. I threw everything in the food processor, which resulted in a tasty but not so eye-appealing yellow spread. Next time, I will definitely mix by hand so that you can see all of the wonderful colors of the individual ingredients.

Here is the most important thing about this recipe that I think everyone should understand....it contains cottage cheese. Baking cottage cheese in an enchilada will not change it's curdled texture, therefore anyone that does not like the texture of cottage cheese will most likely not find these very appealing. Overall, the taste of these enchiladas were good and what I expected, but I found that the addition of the cottage cheese really did not do much to 'add' to the tried and true regular chicken enchilada recipe, and it was not the coveted mystery ingredient I have been searching for.

This was the ultimate. I have always had problems with the end product falling apart...not this one. It was delicious, dense, and filled with flavor. I opted to also add jalapenos for a little heat with the cheddar, then make a quick ketchup/ brown sugar glaze for the top. Thanks so much to the reviewer who suggested using two disposable pans, punching holes in the top one (separating the two pans with crunched up tin foil) to allow the grease to drain. It was an absolutely great solution to a really common problem.

I thought this was good, my husband went back for seconds (and thirds). Next time, I think I will decrease the amount of bread, as the consistency was more like a bread pudding (versus a egg casserole or quiche, which was what I expected). I will definitely take others advice and experiment with ham/ red peppers, broccoli, asparagus, jalapenos....skies the limit!

Others described this as a creamy, aflredo-y dish that was delicious and full of flavor. With the 1/2c milk, I found the pasta to be dry and almost sticky. After adding approx. an additional cup of milk, 1 c parm cheese, and extra garlic/ salt, this was still a little bland. I think I will stay with the routine alfredo for pasta, and make risotto if I want a creamy side dish.

This was absolutely divine. I didn't have any broth on hand, but beef/ chicken bouillon cubes worked totally fine. Served the lamb shank over 'Cheesy Polenta' (but opted to use Parmesan cheese in place of cheddar), and then spooned the vegetables/ sauce over top. One of those 'I can't wait for fall' meals that you will never grow tired of.

I tried to pick out a super easy recipe that I could delegate to my husband to make for our Thanksgiving guests while I attended to dinner. This was definitely it! We opted to bake it in a dish for approx. 15 minutes at 350F, and served it with warm cubes of pumpernickel bread on the side. We will (I mean he will) definitely be doing this again.

Loved this recipe. Just out of personal taste, I think I will opt to add a little bit more salt and a tbsp of sugar next time (I like mine a little sweeter), but no changes other than that. I mixed in the KitchenAid for about 10 minutes, formed into a ball, and allowed it to rise as a bread bowl. Baked at 350 for approx 40 minutes, and served with Mississippi Six dip. Big hit. Thanks for the recipe!

I'm still trying to figure out where I went wrong with this recipe. I did not use store bought bread cubes, but instead opted to make my own (sat out several days before hand to dry out). An hour before we were supposed to eat, I tasted it and was horrified to find out that it was warm soggy bread (no resemblance to stuffing whatsoever). I tried to remedy the situation by placing it in the oven uncovered for 30 minutes, but it just turned out to be a mess. Sorry, but I'll resort to stuffing the bird as usual next year. Lesson learned.

Ditto with Kimberchic. With the additional salt, butter, and vanilla recommended by her, these bars were killer. I opted to use all butter (no shortening) and baked them for approximately twice the time in an 8x8 pan. The outcome was a super-thick, deliciously chewy bar with great texture. Highly recommend, although be careful how much you make...they are addictive!

I was definitely a little skeptical at first, but this was a true gem. I opted to sear the roast first, then added onions, carrots, and mushrooms to the pan. Only had condensed chicken soup, onion mix, and pork gravy mix on hand, and the roast turned out fabulous. We couldn't stop eating it for days...was wonderful for leftover roast beef sandwiches with gravy and horseradish. Will definitely try to experiment with other vegetables in the future...possibly fennel, turnips..? Update 01/28/09: used this recipe with venison, and it was wonderful. You can't help but take a few (OK, many) bites here and there while this is cooking.

Super easy dish with a lot of flavor...quote from my husband: 'This is the best chicken dish EVER.' Roasted chicken separately in oven, then added to sauce at the last minute to retain crispy skin. Made sauce with half yogurt, half sour cream, and really enjoyed the tangy flavor. I found the sauce to be a little thin even when reducing the milk amount to 1 cup...I think I will reduce even further and increase the amount of sour cream. Maybe evaporated milk would solve the problem? This is definitely a good recipe to experiment with further.

We could not get enough of these burgers...I used all lamb rather than a mix of lamb and beef, and the burgers held together perfectly and were incredibly moist. The star ingredient was the allspice...you could taste it in every bite, but it was still subtle. Served on a huge pita with tzaziki sauce,diced tomatoes, and a lentil/rice salad on the side. We will definitely be making these again, possibly as little appetizer 'sliders' or topping for pizza.