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The reviewer gave this recipe 2 stars. This recipe averages a 4.01 star rating.

Classic Macaroni and Cheese

Reviewed: Aug. 23, 2009
To me, there's two kinds of mac and cheese: the firm, drier kind, and the creamy kind. When I tried this recipe, I got a firm, drier result. That's fine, but I wish I'd read the reviews first - it definitely needs more cheese and a lower baking temperature. Mine is extremely crisp on the top and sides, but the middle is moist and firm. I might try this again, but I'll probably use one can of evaporated milk, then a can of regular milk.. and I'll double the cheese and use half sharp/half medium cheddar. It could also use a bit of onion. It's easy enough that it's worth messing around with.
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The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.78 star rating.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

Reviewed: Aug. 7, 2009
These are GREAT. I used them for flatbread so I left them a bit thicker. For me, it worked better to cook them over high heat for about 20 seconds per side; when I cooked them over medium-high heat, the edges crisped more than I wanted. I also substituted shortening for the lard with no problem. I will DEFINITELY use this from now on instead of storebought flatbread!
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The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.51 star rating.

Monte Cristo Sandwich - the Real One

Reviewed: Jun. 21, 2009
I know it sounds nasty, but if you want to avoid a "fried" flavor, fry the sandwiches in shortening. There won't be any trace of oily/fried taste (and it won't stink up your house). We made two sandwiches and needed more batter than the recipe made, so we had to whip up more while the second batch of sandwich quarters were frying. I was a little concerned that the bread or batter would absorb a lot of oil, but they barely absorbed any as long as the temperature was maintained (we fried ours at around 380 degrees). This was AWESOME as an occasional treat, really close to the restaurant version.
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The reviewer gave this recipe 4 stars. This recipe averages a 4.7 star rating.

Bread Pudding II

Reviewed: Jun. 19, 2009
The flavor is outstanding. But it was very "wet," whereas I prefer a drier bread pudding. I picked some off the top but couldn't really eat a bowl of it because it was so custardy. I would definitely try this again, but maybe add an extra egg and decrease the milk a bit.
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2 users found this review helpful
The reviewer gave this recipe 3 stars. This recipe averages a 4.39 star rating.

Pineapple Filling

Reviewed: Jun. 17, 2009
To me, this was a good starting point. The texture is really nice. But the recipe as written is all sweet and not enough tart... really cloying and not a very bright flavor. If I didn't know it was a pineapple filling, I'd have to take a second to figure out the flavor; I imagine that when I use it to fill my cake, the flavor will get kind of "lost" because it's so dull. I added 1 tbsp. lemon juice to the filling, which helped a little. I usually make a pineapple filling with nearly-pureed pineapple, and I think the next time I make this, I'll treat the pineapple this way instead of just chopping it. I'll also cut the sugar in half. And definitely use lemon juice, maybe as much as 2 tbsp.
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The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.27 star rating.

Emily's Famous Marshmallows

Reviewed: Jun. 14, 2009
This is the best marshmallow recipe I've tried and I'll definitely stick with it. I did add a pinch of salt to the hot mixture while it was whipping, and I used 1 tbsp. of clear vanilla. These were HEAVENLY to make s'mores with. HEAVENLY. Nothing like storebought - light and creamy and barely sticky. I know the recipe says to let them sit overnight, but mine are always mostly set in about 30 minutes, and I'm able to cut them within two hours.
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The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.56 star rating.
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Marshmallow Fondant

Reviewed: May 23, 2009
I've used a very similar version of this recipe for years. It is WORLDS better than any prepackaged fondant you can buy, in ease of use, in taste, and especially economically. I've never added the extra vanilla, though I've occasionally added different flavoring oils. I've also never used the butter in this recipe, with no problems. A tip: If you need colored fondant, add the color to the hot marshmallow mixture before you start adding sugar. Otherwise you'll have to knead in the color later, which will result in technicolor hands and a potentially off texture. **Edit: Yesterday I used this recipe to make chocolate fondant. I added Americolor chocolate brown color to the melted marshmallows, and I also kneaded in about 1/2 cup sifted cocoa with the confectioner's sugar. After coating with shortening, wrapping in plastic and allowing to sit overnight, it was a bit dry, but water didn't help; I had to knead in some extra shortening to get it to a good texture (which didn't take long). Instead of dusting the countertop with confectioner's sugar when rolling it out, I just greased it with a little bit of shortening - it prevented sticking and gave the fondant a nice shine.
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344 users found this review helpful
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.53 star rating.

Best Ever Muffins

Reviewed: May 13, 2009
Exactly the kind of versatile muffin recipe I've been looking for. Made one batch, added 1 tsp. vanilla, and divided it in half; added 1/2 cup frozen drained blueberries to one half and 1/2 mashed banana to the other half. It made exactly 48 mini muffins. GREAT!
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2 users found this review helpful
The reviewer gave this recipe 4 stars. This recipe averages a 4.29 star rating.

Triple-Cheese Macaroni

Reviewed: Apr. 26, 2009
This was really good. I had different cheeses to use up, so I ended up with 2 cups extra-sharp cheddar 1 1/2 cups medium cheddar, 1 cup grated American cheese, and about 3/4 cup pepper jack. I decreased the mustard to 1 tbsp. and added about 1/2 cup extra milk and another egg to make up for all the extra cheese. The flavor is great, but I have a feeling it's not going to reheat well without drying out. I would make this again, but maybe half the recipe.
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The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.41 star rating.

White Cake Frosting I

Reviewed: Apr. 21, 2009
I'm an admitted frosting snob and am not a fan of shortening-based frostings. There, now that that's out of the way :) - I used this recipe in a pinch and thought it was a good one. I changed the flavorings and used 1 tsp. clear vanilla, 1 tsp. liquid butter flavoring, and 1/2 tsp. almond; the results were great. I'm looking for a wedding cake frosting, and I found this too soft to get good sharp corners on the cake tiers. It's still a good recipe; just not what I'm looking for.
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The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.29 star rating.

Cake Balls

Reviewed: Apr. 12, 2009
I find that these require a lot of work, but they're SO worth it. It's such fun to come up with different decoration ideas. If you do a search for "Bakerella," you'll find her blog where she creates all kinds of designs for cake balls (including some of those in the pics posted with this recipe, which are adorable).
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The reviewer gave this recipe 3 stars. This recipe averages a 4.64 star rating.

Amish Breakfast Casserole

Reviewed: Apr. 7, 2009
I hate to be the odd one out, but I wasn't crazy about this at all. The mixture seemed disproportionately dry, so I added more eggs. My hash browns weren't tender by the end of the baking time. I found it pretty bland, and that's AFTER I added cooked crumbled sausage; extra salt and pepper helped. I like the idea of using cottage cheese so I might play around with it, but I won't make it as-is again.
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The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.32 star rating.

French Toast Casserole

Reviewed: Apr. 7, 2009
Ths was AWESOME and extremely easy. I scaled it up to feed around 75 people this weekend. I used French bread torn into big chunks, and instead of pouring the custard over the bread I just threw the bread into the custard mixture and combined it all with my hands, then let it sit in the fridge overnight. I mixed all of the sugar into the custard instead of sprinkling the top. In a big pan, approximately 24x16, it took nearly two hours to bake, just fyi. It was a HUGE hit. Great recipe!
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6 users found this review helpful
The reviewer gave this recipe 3 stars. This recipe averages a 4.29 star rating.

Avocado Pie

Reviewed: Mar. 3, 2009
When I made this, I started with 1/4 cup lemon juice but after tasting it, I realized it needed the full 1/2 called for in the recipe. Unfortunately, the amount of lemon necessary almost overpowered the avocado flavor. I think this would be much better as a cake filling. I suspected that it would be INCREDIBLY intense/rich, and I was right; I personally couldn't eat more than a spoonful. I can't imagine eating this as a straight-up pie without anything to offset the richnesss. It's a strange recipe; not BAD strange, just strange. I think it could be stellar in the right context.
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2 users found this review helpful
The reviewer gave this recipe 3 stars. This recipe averages a 4.57 star rating.

Grandma's Chicken Noodle Soup

Reviewed: Feb. 19, 2009
I hate to dissent, but I really didn't find this recipe to be great. It was pretty bland, even after adding additional salt, pepper, garlic, and about 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley. I skipped the noodle-boiling step and added the uncooked noodles directly to the soup, which worked fine. If I try this again, I'll follow the suggestions to use a rotisserie chicken; I think that'll add the flavor that's lacking.
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The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.75 star rating.

Royal Icing III

Reviewed: Feb. 11, 2009
Perfect. Easy to make and dried beautifully. Although I suggest adding 1/2 tsp. clear vanilla.
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The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.25 star rating.

Nectarine Blueberry Crumble

Reviewed: Feb. 4, 2009
This was really good. We didn't have enough nectarines, so I used half nectarines and half plums (blanched to remove the skins). I added 1/3 cup flour and I'm really glad I did because the fruit was extremely juicy; I think it would've been pretty runny otherwise. I didn't have any macaroons so I substituted 3/4 cup flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/3 cup butter, combined. I think this would be great with nearly any kind of fruit added to the nectarines and blueberries.
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8 users found this review helpful
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.35 star rating.

Easy Pumpkin Muffins

Reviewed: Dec. 4, 2008
These are GREAT. I used a spice cake mix and added one egg, mini chocolate chips, and walnuts. Made them as mini muffins for a work function and they were a huge hit. I was afraid they'd be to soft and cakey, but they were a great muffin texture.
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3 users found this review helpful
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.61 star rating.

Marvelous Stuffed Mushrooms

Reviewed: Nov. 29, 2008
These are wonnnnnderful, probably the best stuffed mushrooms I've ever had. I usually add 1/2 cup crushed herb stuffing cubes (Pepperidge Farm) and decrease the mustard a bit. I've made these several times and have made an important observation: make sure you bake these in a larger pan than you think you'll need. As you baste the mushrooms, the cream picks up the flavor of the stuffing and it reduces and thickens in the pan. If your pan is too crowded, the cream doesn't have room to reduce properly and will be too thin.. just fyi. :-)
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18 users found this review helpful
The reviewer gave this recipe 3 stars. This recipe averages a 4.59 star rating.

Cranberry Orange Bread

Reviewed: Nov. 12, 2008
My experience was virtually identical to another reviewer's - had to bake for nearly 70 minutes, hard crusty outside, dense dry inside. The flavor was pretty good, but I agree that it needed more fat.. possibly another egg? more leavening? Not sure. i'd like to tweak it.
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