Christine M
 Supporting Member (Click to learn more about Supporting Membership)
Home Town: Hopedale, Massachusetts, USA
Living In: Holden, Massachusetts, USA
Member Since: Jun. 2006
Cooking Level: Intermediate
Cooking Interests: Baking, Stir Frying, Asian, Indian, Italian, Healthy, Vegetarian, Dessert, Quick & Easy
Hobbies: Scrapbooking, Gardening, Walking, Photography, Reading Books, Music, Genealogy
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Jun. 17, 2009 7:43 am 
Updated: Jul. 1, 2009 12:42 pm
Well, my spice and herb collection has outgrown the narrow little cabinet it once shared with my vinegars and other condiments, so a while back I moved all those little jars to the middle tier of the lazy susan in my corner cabinet...then I had to find another spot for my vast collection of… MORE
 
Spaghetti Pie II
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Pumpkin Turkey Chili (with Black Beans)
About this Cook
I'm married and a mom to a three year-old daughter and also work outside the home. I do virtually all the cooking in our house (wouldn't have it any other way! My husband's idea of a vegetable is a potato...) We're putting in a pretty decent vegetable garden this year, and I always grow a good variety of herbs. If only I had enough land for a few fruit trees....well, maybe some day! We also have two big dogs, a Great Pyrenees and brand new Newfoundland, three very confused, angry cats and a 56-gallon fish tank (Um...thanks to the ice storm of Dec 2008 it is now an EMPTY fish tank...). If you're really bored :), come check out my very own, mostly food-based blog, http://marvelouslymundane.blogspot.com.
My favorite things to cook
Thanksgiving dinner has got to top the list - I love incorporating my family's traditions with my husband's family traditions, then adding our own new ones. As far as day to day cooking, I'm happiest when I'm baking! Although I don't mind spending time with complicated assembly every now and then, I prefer dishes where you toss everything together, like stir-fries, pasta dishes, stews and chili.
My favorite family cooking traditions
Holiday baking, Thanksgiving Dinner are my all-time favorite traditions. I love putting together buffets - it gives me an opportunity to try a variety of recipes.
My cooking triumphs
I had always wanted to do an elaborate wedding cake, so when a good friend's daughter got engaged I offered to do her wedding cake. I was not intimidated at first, BUT they were engaged for 3 years... It went from a 50 person do-it-yourself semi-potluck reception to a 140 person elegant, catered event. I worked on it for 3 days, baking, making the two fillings and batch after batch of Italian Meringue Buttercream. My mixer even burnt out and I had to run out and get a new one at 10:30 P.M. The results? Although I saw some flaws, it really looked lovely and tasted great! It was definitely my most challenging feat in the kitchen, and so far my greatest success!
My cooking tragedies
No major tragedies, but there must be something about me that kills yeast, because I have no luck with yeast breads. I make the ugliest pie crust in the world, but it tastes good, so I guess that's not a total failure... Oh, I do tend to burn things...I'm usually multi-tasking, so I always forget about something until the smoke detectors start blaring.
Recipe Reviews 385 reviews
Spaghetti Pie II
Easy and very tasty! As simple baked pasta dish, but very attractive when it comes out of the oven. Mine didn't really cut into wedges or anything but I wasn't really expecting it to. I only had 1/2 pound of ground beef so I chopped up a bunch of mushrooms and added them to the saute pan, had no tomato paste so I just skipped it, and I used 1/2 cup egg substitute for the eggs. I used leftover spaghetti that had just a little sauce on it, too. I had grated a little extra parmesan, so I sprinkled that on top before baking. Very tasty dish - one that I will definitely make again! Thanks Jennifer!

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Reviewed On: Nov. 19, 2009
Chocolate Cream Pudding
So good! I followed the ingredients part to a T, but used a slightly different process - mix sugar, cornstarch and salt together, add milk and beaten egg yolk, place on heat and as mixture starts to heat up, add choclate. I whisk the whole time (well, pretty much, anyway), bring to a boil over medium heat (takes a few minutes) and boil and stir for one minute. Then remove from heat and add the butter, vanilla, pour immediately into serving dishes as it will set up quickly. This recipe is very similar - other than quantities of cornstarch, milk and egg yolks - to the old Hershey's recipe from the 1920's, and I've never had an issue with the eggs scrambling, texture problems, etc. You could also temper them as others mentioned, but I think this process is easier :) I'd definitely make this one again, Mimi! I'd just use the process I'm more comfortable with!

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Reviewed On: Nov. 18, 2009
Easy Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu
This was very good! I actually like the string cheese (I used mozzarella) better than the traditional Swiss, and I liked dipping the chicken rolls in melted butter instead of my usual egg wash (which I end up topping each one with a pat of butter anyway). I used preseasoned Italian bread crumbs and added some sweet paprika (mostly for color). The only down side was I found that leftovers did not reheat well - the cheese sticks were nice and melty right out of the oven, but after refrigerating and reheating they lost that meltiness and were kind of like globs of cheese. So, no leftovers next time! But I will make this again! Thanks Holly!

0 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Nov. 18, 2009
 
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