Christine M Recipe Reviews (Pg. 1) - Allrecipes.com (18465914)

Cha Cha's White Chicken Chili

Reviewed: Feb. 5, 2012

This was pretty good as written, but I had to adjust the spice level for our tastes by reducing to cayenne to about 1/3 tsp, and I also only used the one can of jalapenos as I didn't have chilis on hand. I wanted to make this to reheat later in the week, so I omitted the Monterey Jack as I wasn't sure how that would reheat, plus now I can top with either the jack, queso blanco or even just plain sour cream at each serving. I also omitted the parsley and subbed fresh cilantro which I added in the last five minutes of cooking, and I didn't used canned beans, but rather soaked and cooked my own great northern beans the day before, and used homemade no salt added chicken broth, so I did add a bit of salt for flavor to the finished product. I think next time I'dd like to add some sort of vegetable, corn, carrots or zucchini, and I think using boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of or in addition to the chicken breast would give this a bit more flavor, but all in all, I liked this!

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Glazed Lemon Bread

Reviewed: Jan. 21, 2012

I liked this, but it needed the glaze for sure. I added about 2 tbsp poppy seeds instead of the nuts, and added 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, which not only adds flavor but also the acidity helps activate the baking powder, resulting in a very fluffy bread. My baking time was different because I used one of those "Perfect Brownie Pans" to make little squares, probably about the equivalent of a mini-muffin, and baked for 25 minutes. The bread really isn't that sweet, and has a pretty mild flavor, and I found it to be extremely moist. Not sure if it's due to my changes, but I can't see this being a slicing bread, however the texture is perfect for mini-muffins or something like what I did.

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Avocado Egg Salad

Reviewed: Jan. 17, 2012

This was really good! I had one hard boiled egg left and was looking for a way to stretch it into a heartier lunch. Used one egg and half of a small avocado. I used dijon mustard and subbed a little chopped green olive for the pickles, and I added just a bit of lemon juice. Nice change of pace!

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Carrot Banana Bread

Reviewed: Jan. 15, 2012

This is very good! I subbed applesauce for the oil, but then added a tablespoon of canola oil for moisture, and reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup. I added 1/4 cup oat bran and 1/2 cup quick oats, used 3 small bananas and about 1 1/2 cups carrot. I added 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp nutmeg, and increased the cinnamon to 1 full tsp. Very tasty - I thought it would be carrot cakey, but I don't really taste the carrots - they just give it flecks of color and a subtle sweetness.

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Baked Buffalo Wings

Reviewed: Jan. 8, 2012

These were excellent! Only change was to add a little smoked hot paprika to the flour mixture, and I altered the cooking process slightly - I skipped the refrigeration step, and baked the wings for about 40 minutes, then tossed with the butter/hot sauce mixture, returned to the oven and baked another 10 minutes. Perfect!

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Shrimp and Crab Risotto

Reviewed: Jan. 1, 2012

I'm having a tough time rating this one - I made this a while back and thought it could be a good recipe if you definitely change the cooking time, then adjust seasonings/flavors to taste. First of all, Arborio rice needs time to turn into risotto, and these instructions just did not work for me as stated. Plus, I think it needed more flavor, but taste is subjective so I can't say that others would agree with me. So, as written, 3 or 3 1/2 stars. A couple minor changes and you'll have a winner - first, more herbs, and fresh is better, and secondly, at least 1/2 cup or fresh grated parmesan. Finally a splash of heavy cream at the end - maybe 1/2 cup - and let that cook down. I made this for New Year's Eve with several changes to ingredients, and most importantly, to the cooking time, and ended up with a solid 4 1/2 star recipe, that I would probably make again!

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Lemon Seafood Risotto

Reviewed: Jan. 1, 2012

I'm having a tough time rating this one - I made this a while back and thought it could be a good recipe if you definitely change the cooking time, then adjust seasonings/flavors to taste. First of all, Arborio rice needs time to turn into risotto, and these instructions just did not work for me as stated. Plus, I think it needed more flavor, but taste is subjective so I can't say that others would agree with me. So, as written, 3 or 3 1/2 stars. A couple minor changes and you'll have a winner - first, more herbs, and fresh is better, and secondly, at least 1/2 cup or fresh grated parmesan. Finally a splash of heavy cream at the end - maybe 1/2 cup - and let that cook down. I made this for New Year's Eve with several changes to ingredients, and most importantly, to the cooking time, and ended up with a solid 4 1/2 star recipe, that I would probably make again!

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Best Toffee Ever - Super Easy

Reviewed: Dec. 20, 2011

Perfect! Didn't change a thing except to use 3 cups chocolate chips instead of 2 for the chocolate layer (2 would have been pretty skimpy). At first I thought it was not going to be hard enough - the traces left on the spoon seemed more chewy, like caramel, however after it cooled it was a perfect toffee (soft crack - crunchy, but will dissolve in your mouth) consistency. I did use a candy thermometer, and would definitely recommend it to get the correct end result.

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Chocolate Truffle Cookies

Reviewed: Dec. 16, 2011

Yum.....just yum! Only change was to use mini-chocolate chips for the 1 cup that you stir into the dough at the end. I refrigerated overnight, and if you do that I also recommend letting it warm up for a few minutes, as the dough was like a big hunk of hardened fudge at first, and a little sticky. Unbelievable chocolate flavor! This one is definitely a keeper!

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Triple the Ginger Cookies

Reviewed: Dec. 12, 2011

These are excellent! I almost thought the ginger flavor would be too much, but it's not - it's perfect! And the soft, chewy texture of the cookie is very nice. Nice change from the typical gingersnap cookie, and now one of my favorites. Thank you!

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Pecan-Oatmeal Pancakes

Reviewed: Dec. 3, 2011

I really enjoyed these - I added a tsp of vanilla for a little more flavor. These weren't very pretty - mine kind of spread into weird, blobby shapes instead of nice round pancakes, but the flavor and texture were very good. I also made some using walnuts and a few chocolate chips thrown in for a treat - those were a bit hit!

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Italian Cheesecake II

Reviewed: Nov. 24, 2011

This was a huge hit at Thanksgiving! My brother-in-law is Italian, and his parents' eyes lit up when they realized I had brought a ricotta cheesecake - no, it's not like what most of us expect a "cheesecake" to be like, but as far as a ricotta pie-type dessert, this was the best one ever. Scaled down to one pie, and I had no lemon to zest so added a drop of lemon extract and a bit of orange zest along with the lime zest. Less rich, less sweet than the typical cheesecake, but delicious! This will be a definite repeat in our house!

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Cranberry Sauce

Reviewed: Nov. 24, 2011

Excellent! Nice basic cranberry sauce.

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Nutty Mocha Latte

Reviewed: Nov. 13, 2011

I'm not a huge fan of almond flavor, but I liked this more than I expected to. I did not heat the milk, but used brewed strong dark roast coffee and just added the other ingredients. I agree with Sarah Jo's review that this would be wonderful blended with ice. I think I would like it even more!

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Shrimp Tacos

Reviewed: Nov. 12, 2011

Yum! This was excellent! I didn't have any pre-made honey butter, so I whisked a tbsp. of honey into 3 tbsp of melted butter. I also added 1/8 tsp chipotle chili powder and 1/2 tsp Mexican oregano to the shrimp as it cooked, and I had large shrimp on hand so I used them. Used low-carb multigrain tortillas instead of flour tortillas, too. Delicious!

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Cake Mixes from Scratch-Vanilla, Chocolate & Strawberry Mini-Cupcakes

Reviewed: Nov. 12, 2011

This was excellent, although if I were to ever make one cake out of this I would use 3 eggs. I also used butter flavored shortening, and was so pleased with the results that I will stick with that next time, too. The reason I suggest 3 eggs is that my 6 year old wanted to make "chocolate, vanilla and strawberry" cupcakes with the baking set she got today that included a mini-muffin pan. So, we split the dry batter (flour, baking powder, sugar and shortening) three ways: added a heaping tbsp. of cocoa for the chocolate; about 2 tsp strawberry gelatin (we used the kind with sugar - if using sugar free, you would obviously reduce the amount) for the strawberry and left the plain as is for vanilla. Added one egg, 1 tsp vanilla and close to 1/2 cup milk to each batch. Seriously, the best-tasting, moistest homemade cupcakes I have ever made. And so easy, my daughter could do most of it herself! We actually beat everything by hand until the batters were a smooth, pourable consistency. We got twelve mini-cupcakes of each flavor, plus had enough batter to make a 6" vanilla, chocolate & strawberry marble cake (for Dad!) So my advice - use three eggs, a little more vanilla, butter-flavored shortening and probably closer to 3/4 cup milk. Tastes nothing like a box mix, but a great homemade (and EASY!) cake recipe!

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Cake Mixes from Scratch and Variations

Reviewed: Nov. 12, 2011

This was excellent, although if I were to ever make one cake out of this I would use 3 eggs. I also used butter flavored shortening, and was so pleased with the results that I will stick with that next time, too. The reason I suggest 3 eggs is that my 6 year old wanted to make "chocolate, vanilla and strawberry" cupcakes with the baking set she got today that included a mini-muffin pan. So, we split the dry batter (flour, baking powder, sugar and shortening) three ways: added a heaping tbsp. of cocoa for the chocolate; about 2 tsp strawberry gelatin (we used the kind with sugar - if using sugar free, you would obviously reduce the amount) for the strawberry and left the plain as is for vanilla. Added one egg, 1 tsp vanilla and close to 1/2 cup milk to each batch. Seriously, the best-tasting, moistest homemade cupcakes I have ever made. And so easy, my daughter could do most of it herself! We actually beat everything by hand until the batters were a smooth, pourable consistency. We got twelve mini-cupcakes of each flavor, plus had enough batter to make a 6" vanilla, chocolate & strawberry marble cake (for Dad!) So my advice - use three eggs, a little more vanilla, butter-flavored shortening and probably closer to 1 3/4 cup milk total. Tastes nothing like a box mix, but a great homemade (and EASY!) cake recipe!

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Thai Peanut Noodle Stir-Fry

Reviewed: Nov. 11, 2011

This was very good, but too sweet as written for my tastes. I would cut both the honey and brown sugar by half (or just pick one and use 3 Tbsp of it). Only other changes were to use fresh grated ginger and a few shakes of Sriracha in place of the cayenne, and like others I added the juice of one lime.

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Morroccan Lamb and Winter Vegetable Stew

Reviewed: Nov. 8, 2011

Loved this - and I generally don't like lamb all that much, but this really hit the spot. I had ordered my ras el hanout online, but you could easily make your own if you have an "ecclectic" collection of spices, like I do! ;) Loved the flavor, and the factthat this was a different way to use up my squash and parsnips.

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Cathy's Banana Bread

Reviewed: Nov. 6, 2011

Nice, moist basic banana bread. I added about 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts, and I used more banana, probably double as I was using up some ripe bananas and wanted to get rid of them.

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