I love this recipe and use it a lot! I always use shortening instead of butter in my buttercream frostings as it keeps the frosting white instead of that buttery yellow hue. It holds up well for piping and floral work as well as borders. I still use the basic Wilton recipe for some cakes, but this frosting is fast becoming a favorite! I'd also like to mention that for those who are looking for flavoring ideas... we all know there are flavorings available in the cake aisle, but for recipes like this you can also use coffee creamers for "gourmet" flavorings. Just sub some of your heavy cream with coffee creamer and whip away. I also wanted to mention that for those who comment about frosting recipes being too sweet... that is why salt is added to the recipe. Salt cuts the sweetness from the frosting so that you are not sickened by all the sugar. I've never been a big frosting fan and have always scraped the frosting off of cakes before I'll eat them, but if salt is added to the recipe it is yummy!!

This is a great recipe. My SIL asked for an OREO cookie ice cream cake for her 50th birthday. I varied the recipe a little and it was wonderful. A hit all the way around. I noticed one reviewer on here mentioned that her cake crumbled during the cutting of the angelfood cake and I have a suggestion. Before cutting the cake into layers you should freeze it. As a cake artist and baker I can tell you that frozen cakes cut better and keep their form as opposed to warm or freshly baked cakes. Once cut and assembled the taste is just as good as that out of the oven, but you are able to do so much more with the cake as far as carving and creating interesting shapes.

I've used this recipe to make fondant in the past. It works well and is a lifesaver in a pinch. I will add however that this fondant leaves a greasy shine on the finished cake. If you add more powdered sugar to the recipe it totally throws off the proportions and has difficulty keeping that elasticity. I use this recipe when I don't have gelatin needed to make the other fondant recipe on her. If you need a quick fondant and don't want to purchase geletin then this will work. Just remember it will leave a greasy shine on your finished cake.

I only made this pizza dough once, but once was enough. It turned out hard and chewy... and not in a good way. I pretty much make Jay's pizza crust anymore!

Love this rice! I make it often and sometimes alternate what I use depending on what I have in my fridge/pantry. Great taste and honestly... i eat it alone as a snack or as a main dish. It's always satisfying!!

These are a wonderful cakey cookie. My family loves them and I often find myself making them to give away ;-)

I used to make this exact cake years ago. I do have a tip though... after you prep the crust... bake it for 10 minutes. Don't overcook it however as it will turn hard as cement, but the baked crust makes the dessert.

For easier transfer to your cake (and easier rolling... add a little shortening to your fondant mat roll out dough and then flip over onto your cake. Works great!

Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful!! I made this for family visiting out of state and everyone raved. I used 2 Italian seasoning packets but will use 3 next time. I also added the juice from the jar of pepperoncini jar. I added about 1/2 a jar of the pepperoncini's and then kept the jar available for those who wanted to add more to their sandwich. My mother doesn't like spicy food but she loved this. All the rest of us added more pepperoncini's and the beef was gone in one sitting for 4 people. I made homemade rolls and they complemented this meal wonderfully!

I make this about once a week. Instead of using chicken pieces or a whole chicken (well, sometimes i use a whole chicken) I often use the carcass of my roasted chicken to make the broth. I think it gives it a deeper tone. I tend to add broth to my dry dog food as my dogs are picky eaters. They love it, but I also love it because I can add more veggies if I want... and the taste is wonderful. You can mix up the spices and herbs to go with any dish and the cost is pennies compared to what you buy in the store!! I also often save the cooked carrots from the broth to use in my dishes since they have cooked down so well and taste great with the chicken flavoring. In this economy we do what we need to to cut costs, but this recipe is wonderful in any economy since you control what goes into it. I love it!!! Another note... after I strain the broth I often use a fine strainer to catch any little bits. I don't care for those tiny remants in my broth. I also save the carcass and veggie remains to go into my dog food. Since the bones cook so long they are fairly soft and I don't worry about the dogs choking on them ;-)

This recipe works great but I also have a tip... When mixing your ingredients, always mix the wet ingredients together first... then add your dry. That way you avoid the lumps that others have mentioned. If you just mix the sugar with the shortening and add the liquids later you're going to get lumps! Also, always sift your powdered sugar to get the lumps out of it before you even start. If you have a Kitchenaid mixer (like I do) you probably can eliminate the sifting step since the mixer is a miracle worker and never gives me lumps.

Love these!!

I've actually been making these cookies for quite some time now but am late giving a review. I loved these cookies and so did my husband. My mother-in-law even requested the recipe, yay! The big thing that impresses me about this cookie is the peanut butter shines through (which is expected by the amount of peanut butter and lack of other ingredients). Most PB cookie recipes use 1/2 cup of PB, and although some are yummy... they don't do a PB cookie justice. This one does! It satisfies that PB craving with the first cookie so I don't overindulge. Chopped nuts go well with this cookie as well... or even oreo cookie sprinkles on top... YUM!!

This is a wonderful dish! My husband and I love it and make it often. Salmon is a great, healthy food that is high in protein and nutrition. Thanks for the recipe Starflower!!

Oreos worked really good here too. I also sometimes just dip the bottoms in the cookies and it gives a nice presentation. A trick I use is to dip my apple in the caramel then drizzle it with the dark and white chocolates. I let that set for a few minutes while I dip several apples. I let them set up on a cookie cooling rack with a cookie pan (covered in foil) underneath to catch the drippings. Then I re dip just the bottoms of the apples in the caramel and then cookie crumbs. It gives a great presentation and looks very pretty when wrapped in clear cellophane tied with a ribbon or raffia.

"craisins" work well here too. Just a little tip for newbies out there... store bought apples usually have a wax coating on them to make them shiny. To prevent your caramel from slipping off make sure you scrub that wax off or better yet... go apple picking with your family at an apple orchard and pick your own apples (so much fun and a great holiday tradition!) These caramel apples are good though and my husband prefers them to those covered with chocolate chips, drizzles or anything else that adds anymore sweetness to the apple. UPDATE:: another great topping is macadamia nuts and white chocolate with a milk chocolate drizzle... yum!

This is one yummy dessert. I used the cake mixture on the bottom as a crust as others suggested. It was very good, but I might try it as stated in the recipe. My "crust" tended to bubble up and form waves instead of staying an even layer. If I try this again... and I'm sure I'll try it again... i'll only use half of the cake mixture since I loved the pumpkin taste and would have liked a little more of that yummy pumpkin in each bite. This is an easy and tasty dessert that I'd reccoment to anyone.

I've tried this recipe several times now... using several of the variations. I have to tell you though, this recipe is missing something. It's neither moist nor is it mouthwatering. I substituted the shortening for oil and that helped. I'm very disappointed though as I wanted a good "from scratch" recipe. This isn't it. Another problem is that there is a subtle after taste to it. I think it's from the baking powder. I reduced the called for baking powder in subsequent cakes, but even in the chocolate cake I could taste it a little. I think of all of them the chocolate or spice cakes have a beter taste than the yellow or white. Another problem I have with this cake is the texture. Because it's not moist it has a sort of gummy or chewy texture instead of a nice light taste. My first bite felt like a letdown after the work of making a cake from scratch. I really wanted this cake to work. I think that in a pinch I might use it again, but would probably look elsewhere. On the plus side, I think this recipe allows you to claim a cake as your own... from start to finish everything you put into this cake is at your discretion. You can alter the taste depending on the flavorings you add or detract. I just wish I could get a better texture from it. I may try it one more time and see if I can figure out a way to get rid of that chewy texture.

If you use food coloring instead of paste you're going to end up with pink cookies. Use paste instead to get a true red color. The cookies themselves are yummy and pretty! I love sugarplum's picture in this recipe. Her cookies always rock!!

Not quite what I'd call French, but it works as a dressing. As for Rebecca's comment about it tasting like oil... you need to let it sit for a while. I make dressings like this a day ahead so the flavors have time to marry. If you just mix it and use it... the herbs have not penetrated the oils.