HSILCOX Recipe Reviews (Pg. 1) - Allrecipes.com (1969014)

Coconut Custard Pie III

Reviewed: Dec. 8, 2011

I made two of these pies for an office holiday party (one for dessert, one as my contribution to the gift exchange). In what I feared would be a major screw-up, I did not heat the milk separately, as the recipe directs, but was counseled by my pastry-chef sister that I could proceed nonetheless. They were in the oven about twenty minutes longer (ten minutes at 350, the last ten minutes at 400) than the recipe prescribed, but a knife finally emerged clean). By the way, I also used half-and-half in lieu of the called-for milk, substituted almond extract for half of the called-for vanilla, and reduced the sugar somewhat. Sprinkled pies with a bit of nutmeg, along with a "garnish" of additional coconut before baking. They were fine (at least the one that got eaten at the party was!) Both texture and flavor were perfect. Apparently a very forgiving recipe....

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Beef Heart Stew

Reviewed: Nov. 29, 2011

This is some of the tastiest beef stew I've ever made/eaten. I used three medium-sized hearts and increased the proportions accordingly ... and added a bag of still-frozen green peas to the hot stew at the end. The squeamish (who will probably not be viewing this recipe anyway...) would do well to put aside their reluctance and appreciate the fact that beef heart is nothing more than a big chunk of boneless, relatively lean, meat that cooks up into a very flavorful stew!

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5 users found this review helpful

Maple-Mustard Glazed Pork Chops

Reviewed: Oct. 6, 2011

Made as described (left in fridge all day in plastic bag with rub), except omitted second-side glaze (ran out of time and was setting off the smoke alarm!). Very tasty, although *almost* too spicy. Second glazing might have helped, as the sweetness did (I think) cut the spiciness a bit. Had been afraid they might be too sweet...but they weren't. Thanks!

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Cinnamon Coffee Cake III

Reviewed: Oct. 3, 2011

Made some changes suggested by reviewers: added a teaspoon of nutmeg to the batter, used cake flour instead of all-purpose, and substituted butter for the shortening and 2%Greek yogurt for the sour cream.. Oh .... and I added two chopped Mackintosh apples to the cinnamon mix. Pretty good; would probably add some walnuts to the apple/cinnamon mix next time.

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Spanish Chicken and Rice

Reviewed: Sep. 23, 2011

Tasty! Made essentially according to the recipe, converting to five servings. No surprises, no complaints. I don't use a lot of turmeric in my cooking, but had an "old" jar in my spice cabinet. Upped the turmeric called for, to compensate for my probably stale supply. Wonder how this would be if I used saffron instead of turmeric (and wonder how much to use....). Thanks for a great recipe that's easy enough for a week-night supper, but "fancy" enough for guests.

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Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Reviewed: Sep. 18, 2011

I followed the recipe almost exactly, substituting pork butt for the tenderloin. It cooked up somewhat more quickly than the recipe indicated, becoming "shreddable" in four or five hours. Fairly tasty, texture was perfect. A little sweet for my taste, though (go figure -- I used a bottle of Jones root beer) ... and could have used a bit of salt. I used a bottle of Baby Ray's ... and rinsed the bottle with wine vinegar.

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Apple Bread

Reviewed: Sep. 16, 2011

Tasty! But ... downgraded for modifications (gleaned from other reviews). I added an egg, doubled the oil, and reduced the sugar by one-half cup (and used one-half cup of brown sugar instead of white). I also took one reviewer's suggestion and used one cup of oatmeal and one cup of whole-wheat flour (in lieu of the called-for three cups of all-purpose flour), but I don't fault the original recipe for not doing this. The only apples I had on hand were HoneyCrisps -- my favorite out-of-hand apple but not the best baking apple and certainly not tart. The HoneyCrisps may have made the finished bread a bit sweeter than it might have been, had I used a more "assertive" apple. The bread is mighty sweet, but texture is fine.

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Peach Muffins

Reviewed: Aug. 26, 2011

Another five-star rating with modifications. I doubled the peaches (mine were very ripe and I recommend dicing them very finely), omitted the pecans (didn't have any), cut the sugar to one-half cup, and substituted two-percent-fat Greek yogurt for the sour cream (didn't have sour cream, either). Baked the muffins in my cast-iron popover pan; recipe made twenty-one muffins of varying size. I could have (should have) filled the cups more -- the batter doesn't rise very much, but the ones I filled more completely rose to a nice rounded dome. These are very tasty. I made them as sort of emergency rations in anticipation of the arrival of Hurricane. Irene, due here tomorrow night. I feel ready!

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Easy Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Reviewed: Aug. 25, 2011

I really hate to give this fewer than five stars (it was very tasty and the recipe worked flawlessly), but ... it was kinda salty. I appreciated what the salt brought to the table (literally!), but if I make this again, I will reduce the salt ... perhaps by half.

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Best-Ever Texas Caviar

Reviewed: Aug. 13, 2011

I know how it frustrates some users (myself included) when folk rate a recipe after making substantive modifications, but here goes. I wanted to pass along some alternative directions, using fresh (rather than canned) ingredients. I used one pound each of fresh black-eyed peas and fresh black beans (simmered for about 45 mins in lightly salted water) and the kernels from five ears of fresh sweet corn (boiled for about six minutes). I also substituted one "sweet Texas" onion for the purple onion and added two avocados (both "chunked"). Other than those changes, I followed the recipe more or less exactly. Oh ... I added the juice of two limes and a scant tablespoon of salt (to compensate for the salt otherwise supplied by the canned beans and corn). Very tasty!

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Mildred's Sour Cream Pound Cake

Reviewed: Mar. 30, 2011

Great pound cake. I added a ribbon of fig preserves (heating a jar of preserves to somewhat liquify and adding mid-point in filling the pan). Perfect. Will make again, perhaps trying a different flavor of preserves (but avoiding anything too sweet).

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Chicken Bulgur Skillet

Reviewed: Mar. 22, 2011

Good stuff! I omitted the caraway (because I didn't have any), but I suspect adding it would only enhance this tasty dish. I doubled the amount of cumin and cinnamon, as I customarily do in most recipes calling for these warm (and warming) spices. I also used a combination of breast and thigh meat (personal preference ... just think thighs are juicier and more flavorful). Thanks, Leanne -- this has been added to my permanent lunch@work rotation! (Freezes well, too!)

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New England Potato Soup

Reviewed: Mar. 5, 2011

Made essentially as described, with one exception ... well, actually two: once the potatoes had cooked down, I more or less pureed the soup, using my immersion blender; having done that, I decided against adding the flour, because the soup was plenty thick enough. Tasty!

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Crustless Spinach Quiche

Reviewed: Feb. 14, 2011

Made this on Saturday for a potluck. Made few changes ... added a shallot (sauteed with the onions) and some diced mushrooms (into the final mix). Substituted feta for one-third of the cheese and used fresh spinach (blanched), which I decided not to chop ... which worked just fine. Very tasty -- I brough home an empty pan!

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Bran Muffins a la Brian

Reviewed: Jan. 31, 2011

Made exactly according to the recipe (except I used currants, rather than raisins, 'cause that's what I had). Tasty and nicely sweet, in a bran-muffin kind of way. Thanks! People need to realize that bran muffins seldom rise much above the rim of the tin ... it's the nature of the beast.

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Lettuce with Buttermilk Dressing

Reviewed: Jan. 31, 2011

Excellent! I added three or four cloves of minced garlic (to doubled recipe). Thanks, Jean!

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Slow Cooker Tapioca Pudding

Reviewed: Jan. 30, 2011

I'm giving this five stars (for the end result), even though I totally abandoned the crockpot method. There's NO NEED! It was done after less than a half hour (of, yes, constant stirring) on the stove top . I used large-pearl tapioca, which I soaked overnight in half the milk. At the suggestion of other reviewers, I added salt (one teaspoon in a doubled recipe) and vanilla (two teaspoons). Good stuff ... and without the delay of slow-cooking (which requires some attention anyway, so can't be unattended...).

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Classic Bran Muffins

Reviewed: Jan. 10, 2011

These jsut might become a staple. I could not find wheat bran at my Safeway ... and did not want to substitute bran cereal ... but I was able to find it at WholeFoods. My "muffin tins" are a pair of cast-iron popover pans, with smaller, narrower "cups" than a standard muffin tin. When I filled each with an icecreamscoopful of batter, I ended up with 16 tidy muffins that had risen exactly to the top of the cup. Oh...I also added a cup of raisins to the flour mixture before incorporating it into the wet ingredients.... Perfect! And tasty! Thanks, Janet!

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Italian Spinach Sausage Pie

Reviewed: Jan. 10, 2011

Second time I have made this pie ... it's very good. This time I added a one-third-pound chunk of asiago and four small leeks (sauteed with the sausage). Other than that, pretty much as directed. Makes a very dense (don't forget to mercilessly dry out the spinach!) and flavorful pie. Thanks, Erla!

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Reunion Meatballs

Reviewed: Dec. 13, 2010

Made these almost exactly as directed, although I did reduce the salt a bit (figured the saltines had it covered). These are great! I made the meatballs a bit larger than called-for -- ended up making only ten. Next time (maybe even for a holiday potluck this coming weekend), I'll make 'em smaller, so there'll be more to go around! I'm thinking I'll acompany them with a small tub of buttered noodles.... Sauce is perfect. No need to enhance or substitute anything. Nice mix of sweet and tangy.... Thanks, Toni!

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5 users found this review helpful