Quick and Almost-Professional Buttercream Icing

Reviewed: Aug. 29, 2009

On the advice of Red Apple, I did half butter and half shortening. I added and added xxx sugar until things were getting pretty crumbly before adding any of the liquid. I think weather was working against me, and that buttercream roses are parked somewhere on the fringe of my patience's limits, if not my talent's STILL, the taste of this was good even having gone with half shortening. For a tasty buttercream, this is nice. For roses, I'm not the one to ask.

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Hezzy_tant_Cook

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan

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Apple Muffins

Reviewed: Aug. 28, 2009

These were pretty good. They weren't sweet enough for my taste, so I found another recipe on this site for "Cinnamon Honey Butter" and drizzeled it on top of the muffins. However, a couple friends of mine enjoyed the muffins as they were and stated that they were "amazing." So even though I give it four stars, two of my friends give it five!

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amandamae

Cooking Level: Beginning

Living In: Kadena Ab, Okinawa, Japan

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Cucumber Raita

Reviewed: Aug. 26, 2009

This was delicious! Changes I made: - used strained nonfat plain yogurt (don't have Greek yogurt available) - omitted mint - added garlic powder - added cumin - grated the cucumbers and pressed them between two paper towels to strain them - and I ate it right away because I didn't want to wait. YUM!

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KimGonzo

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Naha, Okinawa, Japan

Living In: Madison, Wisconsin, USA

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Oven Fried Chicken w/JeanPierre

Reviewed: Aug. 24, 2009

This was so good and you can tray freeze some extra to use up all the egg and breadcrumbs (or panko and seasoned crackers) before cooking...wrap in foil, refreeze. When ready to use, preheat oven to 400 and cook for 35 to 40 minutes (unwrapped). Great with instant potatoes and steamed asparagus.

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Hezzy_tant_Cook

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan

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Spicy Cucumber Soup

Reviewed: Aug. 23, 2009

This soup was a hit! My kitchen smells delicious and I can't wait to try it again. What I did differently: - omitted the crushed red pepper flakes - used chicken broth instead of vegetable - used 4 smallish cucumbers - added 3 small potatoes What I plan to do differently next time: - half the cayenne pepper (at least) - puree half of the soup to a chunky consistency, and puree the other half to a creamier consistency I didn't believe the reviewers who said it was too spicy. We love spicy food so the only thing I omitted was the crushed red pepper, because we didn't have any on hand. It wasn't spicy enough to stop me from eating two bowls of it -- but I do think that next time I will at least halve the cayenne pepper. If it's still too spicy after that, I may cut back on the curry. I think the curry is part of what makes this so tasty though, so that's the last thing I'll consider cutting back. My husband didn't like the creamy consistency, so I'm going to try leaving half of the soup a little chunkier for him next time. My husband is not a soup lover, and we were both a little wary of cucumber soup -- but he really seemed to enjoy this soup so it's definitely going to be a keeper for our family!

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KimGonzo

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Naha, Okinawa, Japan

Living In: Madison, Wisconsin, USA

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Spicy Cucumber Soup

Reviewed: Aug. 23, 2009

This soup was a hit! My kitchen smells delicious and I can't wait to try it again. What I did differently: - omitted the crushed red pepper flakes - used chicken broth instead of vegetable - used 4 smallish cucumbers - added 3 small potatoes What I plan to do differently next time: - half the cayenne pepper (at least) - puree half of the soup to a chunky consistency, and puree the other half to a creamier consistency I didn't believe the reviewers who said it was too spicy. We love spicy food so the only thing I omitted was the crushed red pepper, because we didn't have any on hand. It wasn't spicy enough to stop me from eating two bowls of it -- but I do think that next time I will at least halve the cayenne pepper. If it's still too spicy after that, I may cut back on the curry. I think the curry is part of what makes this so tasty though, so that's the last thing I'll consider cutting back. My husband didn't like the creamy consistency, so I'm going to try leaving half of the soup a little chunkier for him next time. My husband is not a soup lover, and we were both a little wary of cucumber soup -- but he really seemed to enjoy this soup so it's definitely going to be a keeper for our family!

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Reviewer:

KimGonzo

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Naha, Okinawa, Japan

Living In: Madison, Wisconsin, USA

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Chicken Chow Mein

Reviewed: Aug. 22, 2009

If you are using fresh veggies, (and realize you can be creative veering to bits of colorful options not listed) this is really good. It IS mild, so if you are thinking spicy, you might want to throw in some red pepper. We like it over rice with crunchy chow mein noodles on top.

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Hezzy_tant_Cook

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan

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Beef Noodle Shepherd's Pie

Reviewed: Aug. 16, 2009

It was good however nothing really spectacular about it. If you would like just something quick for dinner, it is perfect. Thanks.

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Hey, I am a family pet Walker.

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

Living In: Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA

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Christmas Breakfast Sausage Casserole

Reviewed: Aug. 16, 2009

So very yum and versatile, too. I added chunks of zucchini for just a little more volume. Excellent!

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Hezzy_tant_Cook

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan

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Italian Bread Using a Bread Machine

Reviewed: Aug. 12, 2009

This was good and worked even when I did NOT follow directions...somehow I had it in mind that I was supposed to knead the dough again once I punched it down and prior to shaping it into loaves. Next time (and see...I do hope to go there again) I will try to do it right. Still, though, yum AND gorgeous!

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Reviewer:

Hezzy_tant_Cook

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan

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Greek Lentil Salad

Reviewed: Aug. 11, 2009

This salad was awsome!! I didn't have greek dressing so I used the oil/dressing that came with the feta. I don't know what lentils are either so I used kidney beans. This was the top recipe that came up in my feta/kidney bean search. Brilliant.

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canuckinjapan

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Stratford, Ontario, Canada

Living In: Osaka, Osaka, Japan

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No Bake Cookies III

Reviewed: Jul. 29, 2009

I LOVE the taste of these! 4 stars because mine came out a little mushy. They should be more formed. I would also like a recipe with less sugar.

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nikkie

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, Japan

Living In: Dallas, Texas, USA

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Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs

Reviewed: Jul. 27, 2009

Not big on making adjustments (who am I kidding?). This was great. I did add about 1/4 cup milk to soften the meatballs, and par-cooked meatballs for 20 minutes in a 325 F. oven on parchment in casserole dish, before adding to the sauce. This was such a hit. Thank you for posting.

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Hezzy_tant_Cook

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan

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Cake Mixes from Scratch and Variations

Reviewed: Jul. 26, 2009

Not quite as light as the box rivals, but really versatile, easy, and tasty. I'll be using this again. DH's favorite cake (yellow) is no longer imported here; I think it has to do with the dye. Anyway, this will be great under my fudge frosting.

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Hezzy_tant_Cook

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan

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Cake with Buttercream Decorating Frosting

Reviewed: Jul. 26, 2009

Used a different cake recipe, but chose this for the frosting. I scaled down to 2 servings, and tried doing the math from ounces to grams and ended up with something a bit off because I could not get the icing to hold a shape even chilled; kept adding powdered sugar till I sort of/kind of could work with it. Will try again some cooler day. Maybe when I have ounce measures about. It was fun. Rating 5 for flavor and because my mis-measurements should not bring it down.

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Hezzy_tant_Cook

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan

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Quick Italian Vegetable Soup

Reviewed: Jul. 23, 2009

Really tasty soup base. I did add beef to mine, and used chicken broth instead of beef bouillon, but that was a pantry substitute...and we like a little meat in our "vegie" soups.

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Hezzy_tant_Cook

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan

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Paella I

Reviewed: Jul. 21, 2009

It was alot easier than I thought. I used clams instead of mussels, next time I will try it with mussels, I also didn't have any white wine on hand so I used red instead and it was still good.

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GAileen

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Living In: Kadena, Okinawa, Japan

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Felix K.'s 'Don't even try to say these aren't the best you've ever eaten, because they are' Chocolate Chip Cookies

Reviewed: Jul. 20, 2009

Flour here is milled a bit finer than, say Gold Medal, for instance, so I tried compensating by adding a bit more flour (maybe a full 1/4 cup) to make the dough less manageable as described by other reviewers. I must have come really close. These are so good...and not difficult in the least! Worst part was waiting 20 minutes to remove from pan!

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Reviewer:

Hezzy_tant_Cook

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan

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Chicken Tortilla Soup I

Reviewed: Jul. 15, 2009

I really don't care for soup and especially my younger sister doesn't either. She is always hating on soup and after she saw her picky boyfriend eat and rave about it she gave it a try. I'm soo glad I finally gave this recipe a try because I'll continue to make this soup! I didn't use this exactly. I started off with whole chicken thighs in the pot and seared them for a few minutes on both sides while sauteing onions & garlic with the chicken. Then added the liquids. I decided not to use hominy since I was trying to cut back on carbs. I cut corn off fresh corn on the cob. Used one can of fat free clear broth, 1 chicken bullion cube & 1 tomato bullion cube. I used 1 jalapeno chopped and a can of whole stewed tomatoes. I didn't have any black beans, but I used a can of red beans and it's just as good. Topped with cheddar cheese, chopped white onion, cilantro, chopped corn chips, sour cream and guacamole. FANTASTIC!

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nikkie

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, Japan

Living In: Dallas, Texas, USA

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Apple Cake I

Reviewed: Jul. 2, 2009

This is a good recipe. The first time around I used a low fat soy oil. BIG MISTAKE. It came out too mushy and couldn't hold shape. I threw almost the whole cake out it was a complete failure. BUT 2nd time I used 3/4 cup of Canola oil which worked well. I used half white half brown sugar. I also sprinkled some extra cinnamon on top, which was a nice touch. I baked it for 40 mins in a 10X14 (aprox) 1" pan. A little difficult to cut, but delicious and will be happy to offer it to friends.

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