NITROJEN Recipe Reviews (Pg. 1) - Allrecipes.com (1976946)

Peppermint Bark

Reviewed: Dec. 24, 2011

I make this every Christmas and the people I give it to always comment on how they like it. I didn't like how the layers separated so I don't wait for the brown chocolate to harden. I let it stiffen on the counter while I melt the white chocolate and then swirl them slightly before putting the peppermint candies on top. I like how it looks slightly swirled and it also keeps the layers together. It's better than Williams Sonoma's bark and a TON cheaper!

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Chocolate Caramel Latte Syrup

Reviewed: Sep. 24, 2011

Tastes great, but I too had it turn out so thick that it wouldn't pour. It would be fun to put it into candy molds and then drop a few into a mug before pouring coffee/espresso on top. However, it says *syrup* and it's really not a syrup as written. Table sugar won't begin to brown until over 300*F, but the mixture can't rise above 212*F until after the water is boiled off. Thus, the resultant slurry will be very thick at room temperature. It might help to brown the sugar first and then add the cream, only cooking a bit longer after adding it.

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Quinoa Pilaf

Reviewed: Jul. 25, 2008

This is a tasty, basic pilaf, open to many variations. I'm always on the lookout for new ways to cook quinoa because it is so super good for you and this is a nice, straightforward way to prepare it. I echo the sentiment of the reviewer who said to follow the directions and **RINSE** quinoa before cooking. It has a natural coating that is very bitter and must be rinsed off. It takes one minute, but means the difference between yummy and inedible.

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Aloha Chicken

Reviewed: Jul. 17, 2008

We all really liked this. I noted that some reviewers said it was too salty and I wonder if that might be your garlic salt. I have two different brands in my pantry: one brand lists 237 mg sodium per quarter teaspoon and the other brand lists over 500 mg in the same amount! Obviously, the two tablespoons called for in the recipe will be dramatically different depending on the amount of salt in your garlic salt. I used half the saltier garlic salt and half plain garlic powder. It was a fine salt level for us. Normally I brine my chicken before cooking, and in that case I'd use just garlic powder and skip the salt altogether. Also, I felt like i had too much pineapple mixture for four pounds of chicken. I used it all, but it just seemed like half as much would be fine. All in all, a great, easy, tasty dish!

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Molten Chocolate Cakes With Sugar-Coated Raspberries

Reviewed: Feb. 6, 2006

Spectacularly rich, gooey chocolate goodness. I made it ahead (for company who didn't show up!) and put it in the oven straight from the fridge. I had to cook it a little longer because it started out cold. The sugared raspberries make a great topping--the cold, tart juice and grainy sugar contrast nicely with the hot, sweet, smooth chocolate cake.

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Austrian Peach Cookies II

Reviewed: Jan. 31, 2006

Ooooh, these are darling! They look just like little peaches and impress everyone! However, I didn't get them right the first time. All that ball rolling got the dough too warm and they flattened in the oven too much to work as peach halves. When you roll the dough, put it into the freezer for twenty minutes. Then they only flatten to hemispheres, which is just what you want. The other change I made was the stems. Using plastic seemed fakey on such a fancy little cookie, so I used a gumdrop cut into a triangle and then stuck it into the end of the "peach" with a whole clove. They were adorable and fun to make with the children, who delighted in rolling them in colored sugar.

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Chicken Enchiladas I

Reviewed: Jan. 20, 2006

I can't say these were my favorite. I have never met a bottled taco sauce that I liked, so I will just stick to making my own enchilada sauce. I also don't like sauteed chicken in this because the filling flavorings can't stick to the slick edges of the chicken. I prefer it roasted and shredded, providing lots of surface area. This recipe also convinced me that I don't like warm sour cream so I won't put that in next time, but rather reserve it for on table. All that said, these were decent and my family liked them, though they liked my usual ones better.

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Russian Pancakes - Blini

Reviewed: Jan. 20, 2006

The batter was thin. I mean, THIN thin. Too thin, so that I couldn't spread it into a nice round shape in my crepe pan they way I do with crepes. I guess I expected crepe batter consistency. Anyway, the first was a disaster, so I added some flour to thicken it up and that worked well. Then they were fine, though they were really more like crepes than blini, as authentic blini are made with buckwheat flour. We tried these because buckwheat is so strongly flavored, but next time I'll just make plain ol' crepes.

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Portobello Sandwiches

Reviewed: Jan. 3, 2006

The good news is: our fire extinguisher works. I put the mushrooms on the top rack by the broiler, set the timer for four minutes and at three heard a *poof* from the oven. I opened the door to flames shooting out and licking the cabinets above. After our fire extinguisher put out the flames and I'd cleaned up, I finished up the sandwich, and thought it was pretty good. Then my daughter pointed out that the mushrooms I'd just eaten had been sprayed with a fire extinguisher. The poison control center assured me that the f.e. has mostly baking soda inside and that I shouldn't feel any ill effects. But the man laughed at me, so I have to add the caveat to the recipe: leave off the extra baking soda by not letting your 'shrooms catch fire in the first place. Other than the fire marshall warning, these were pretty yummy sammies.

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Crispy Rosemary Chicken and Fries

Reviewed: Dec. 30, 2005

Hate to be the naysayer, but we didn't like this very much. I followed it exactly, but nothing got crispy. The flavor was fine, but it seemed greasy and I would have liked some real crisp to the chicken skin and potatoes. I even cooked it 15 minutes extra at 400* in an attempt to get it there. I'm open to ideas, though, because it was really easy to make at least!

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Rice with Goodies

Reviewed: Dec. 29, 2005

I didn't expect to like this so much! My husband, children and parents all loved it. I did make a few changes, as follows: used a brown & wild rice mix which added to the "rice cooking" time in step one; left out mushrooms and peas; used chicken instead of turkey; doubled everything except the chicken I tripled; subbed pine nuts for the almonds and fuji apple for the granny smith. It was and pretty with a good mix of flavors, colors and textures. Maybe not fancy enough for company, but a great way to use up leftover poultry when you get tired of the post-Thanksgiving ritual of sandwiches, enchiladas and soup.

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Amish Friendship Bread III

Reviewed: Dec. 16, 2005

These were a little heavy and didn't rise very well. I used two 8x4 pans but could have just used one, they came out so short. They overcooked--dry inside and too dark on the outside so maybe next time I'll lower the oven temp or take them out sooner. They weren't as flavorful as I remember from the Amish friendship bread we used to make in college, like maybe it needs more spice or something. I'll try it again (have to use up the rest of the starter!) and see if I can get it to where I like it.

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Classy Chicken

Reviewed: Dec. 15, 2005

This was one of those where it sounded great in theory, but the reality was not what I imagined. I didn't care for the sauce. It tasted too strongly of sour cream, which I normally like, but not so much at one whack. I could see making it again, subbing some cream or a little half&half for the sour cream. Also, beware the salty broth. If you use that to thin the sauce, it can be very salty in the end. Wine added to thin the sauce gives it quite a boozy punch, so I'd thin it with milk (any fat level). I'll play around with it further and see if I can get the sauce I'd imagined this would be.

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Amazing Brown Rice Salad

Reviewed: Dec. 15, 2005

With a good, sweet dressing, this is a pretty good salad. If your vinaigrette is savory instead of sweet, I don't think it would be as good. I used a brown-wild rice blend because it looked more festive, but brown would taste good, too, I'm sure.

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19 users found this review helpful

Sweet and Sour Sauce II

Reviewed: Dec. 15, 2005

"Oh, it was so good! Rate it 5 stars, please!" said my 7 year old just now. She is a major sweet & sour fan, ordering that everytime we get Chinese food--she knows her S&S sauces. The whole family was in unison, though: better than store bought and many restaurants as well. We used it for dipping homemade eggrolls, a great combo.

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Apple Cake V

Reviewed: Dec. 10, 2005

The batter was so lumpy, almost like cookie dough, that I had to press it into the pan with the back of a spoon. I knew something was wrong, but baked it anyway. It came out the same way: crumbly like oily sugar. What on earth did I do wrong? I may make it again because there is just no way that anyone would have given this five stars, NO WAY, so I must have messed something up. I'll update my review if anything changes next try.

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Amish Friendship Bread II

Reviewed: Dec. 5, 2005

This was extremely sweet. We much prefer the ordinary Amish friendship bread recipe on this site.

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Chicken Yum-Yums

Reviewed: Nov. 29, 2005

My children weren't ecstatic about this, though I liked it well enough. You have to be careful with the chicken breast because if it overcooks it is dry regardless of how much liquid you cook with it. Making it again I would pound the breasts, salt, pepper and flour them and then cook them over high heat for a few minutes per side until done. Then I'd remove them from the heat and use the rest of the ingredients to make a sauce for topping the breasts. Cooking the breasts in the sauce was tricky: trying to get the apples cooked as well as the raisins and apricots soft without overcooking the chicken was more than I want to hassle with. But then I am pretty picky about overcooking chicken.

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Vegetable and Feta Latkes

Reviewed: Nov. 29, 2005

Of the eleven of us who ate these, four loved them, one thought they were bland but alright, and the rest thought they were greasy and tasteless. I can't really recommend them, but I'm the one who thought they were alright.

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Banana Nut Bread I

Reviewed: Nov. 21, 2005

I made this on a Saturday night for Monday morning's breakfast. I ate one slice immediately and thought it was too bland, three star material. Monday morning rolled around, though and I liked it better. It seemed to have more flavor so I bumped it up to four stars. Here are the alterations I've tried and liked: I only have 8x4 pans and it never rises very high so I'm not sure the 9x5 pan called for in the original recipe is accurate. My whole family liked it better without nuts, though no one complained about the one with nuts. We thought there was also too much sugar and cut it down to two cups. Also, we liked it better with half brown sugar, half white because the brown has a more complex flavor. I tried it with half whole wheat flour, too, and couldn't detect a flavor or texture difference, but there is the obvious health benefit.

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3 users found this review helpful