Ranch Dressing II

Reviewed: Aug. 28, 2009

Not a bad recipe. I did adjust it a bit and used 1/2 cup each sour cream, mayo, and buttermilk. It had a pretty good flavor, although I found the dill to be a bit too strong for my personal preference. I would make it again though and reduce the dill and increase the garlic and onion powders. Definitely a good base recipe for Ranch dressing that you can play around with and personalize to your own liking and so much better than the bottled stuff in the stores.

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Chele Smith

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Massapequa, New York, USA

Living In: Gray Court, South Carolina, USA

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Ranch Dressing I

Reviewed: Aug. 26, 2009

I love Ranch dressing, but am not crazy about the bottled, mass-produced stuff and have been looking for a good recipe to make at home. Unfortunately, this wasn't it. To me this did not taste anything like a Ranch dressing. I made the recipe as is and all I could taste was the Worcestershire Sauce, even after letting it sit awhile to let the flavors blend...I even tried adding more buttermilk, spices, garlic powder and onion powder and it was still way too overpowering with the taste of Worcestershire. The recipe called for 1 tablespoon of it, but I wonder if it shouldn't read as 1 teaspoon. Also, the oregano and parmesan cheese didn't seem to blend very well with the rest of the ingredients. To me it was more like a twist on Caesar dressing than Ranch dressing. Sorry, I just wasn't impressed with this one.

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Chele Smith

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Massapequa, New York, USA

Living In: Gray Court, South Carolina, USA

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Eclair Cake

Reviewed: May 3, 2009

The recipe as is, is okay, but I didn't really think it tasted like an eclair. I experimented a bit and made some variations which I think really improved on it and resulted in an eclair taste. Instead of using graham crackers I used crushed vanilla wafers for the bottom and middle layers. The top layer I used crushed chocolate wafers. For the filling I only used 2 cups of milk as it made the filling a little more thicker and flavorful. I folded in the Cool Whip after I thoroughly mixed the milk and pudding together. I used a milk chocolate frosting on top, but only used about 1/2 of the container so it would just have a thin layer on top and like other reviewers microwaved it for about 30 seconds so it became a glaze and was easy to pour and spread. It was so much better. Both times I did use the Cool Whip, but next time I will use my homemade whipped cream as I prefer it to Cool Whip and I think will enhance the flavor even more.

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Chele Smith

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Massapequa, New York, USA

Living In: Gray Court, South Carolina, USA

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Chocolate Eclair Squares

Reviewed: May 3, 2009

This was pretty good, simple to make, and did have an eclair taste. I would recommend crushing up the vanilla wafers instead of using whole wafers as the cookies will soften up better. I refrigerated this overnight and some of the cookies still weren't as soft as they could have been. For the top layer I substituted crushed chocolate wafers and used half a container of milk chocolate frosting which I microwaved for 30 seconds and poured over as a glaze. Next time I'll use homemade whipped cream as opposed to Cool Whip and see if that helps the flavor as well.

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Chele Smith

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Massapequa, New York, USA

Living In: Gray Court, South Carolina, USA

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Cabbage Rolls II

Reviewed: Mar. 2, 2009

This recipe was okay, but I thought overall it was kind of bland and the tomato sauce was too sweet for my preference. My mother used to make cabbage rolls when I was young and used spagehetti sauce instead, which I prefer as it adds good flavor but isn't overpowering. For the meat mixture I increased the rice and onion and added in some garlic and parsley which seemed to help a bit. I baked these in the oven this time around and they came out good. Next time I make this though I'll try the crock pot method and use my homemade spagehetti sauce instead with the additional changes I made.

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Chele Smith

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Massapequa, New York, USA

Living In: Gray Court, South Carolina, USA

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Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip II

Reviewed: Jan. 2, 2009

LOVED IT! LOVED IT! LOVED IT! If you are looking for a great artichoke and spinach dip then look no further. I've tried other recipes but they were either too salty or were very bland. This one was absolutely fantastic and so easy to make. I only made two changes, similiar to what most others did that reviewed this recipe: 1) switched out the mayo for sour cream and 2) increased the amount of mozzerella cheese and used the majority of it to blend in with the rest of the dip and sprinkled a small amount to bake on top. I made this for my New Year's Eve party and it was a hit. To keep it hot and yummy and prevent the top from getting too hard, I simply used a plate warmer underneath and kept it covered with a lid - not that the lid stayed on it much since everyone couldn't stop eating it! Another great recipe on this site that is worth sharing - thanks!

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Chele Smith

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Massapequa, New York, USA

Living In: Gray Court, South Carolina, USA

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Pumpkin Cake

Reviewed: Dec. 8, 2008

Very good cake and simple to make. It had good flavor and was very moist. Even those that normally don't like pumpkin desserts enjoyed this one.

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Chele Smith

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Massapequa, New York, USA

Living In: Gray Court, South Carolina, USA

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No Bake Cheesecake I

Reviewed: Dec. 8, 2008

This was actually a very good no bake recipe - tasted just as good as the standard baked cheesecake recipe and not as heavy. The only change I made was to use vanilla extract in place of the lemon juice. I didn't make the crust portion of the recipe, only the cheesecake filling which I used to fill a Pumpkin Spice Cake that I made from this site using bakeware designed to make filled cakes. I'd definitely make this again, and possibly even double the recipe, for when I want a cheesecake but don't have a lot of time. Thanks for sharing this one!

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Chele Smith

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Massapequa, New York, USA

Living In: Gray Court, South Carolina, USA

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Friendship Soup Mix in a Jar

Reviewed: Nov. 17, 2008

Before giving as gifts this year, I made the soup myself and it was very good. After reading many of the reviews, I also used 2 cans of tomato sauce in place of the tomato paste and one can of diced tomatoes. I also used minced garlic with the ground beef instead of garlic powder. I didn't have any pearl barley and couldn't find any at my local store so I omitted it from the recipe and slightly increased the split peas and lentils and I really don't think it made that much of a difference. Also, my personal preference is pasta in soup and not rice and I thought having both was a bit much so I also omitted the rice and increased the pasta to 1 cup. I used ditalini pasta instead of the alphabet pasta. Overall it came out great and was very quick and easy to make.

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Chele Smith

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Massapequa, New York, USA

Living In: Gray Court, South Carolina, USA

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Restaurant-Style Hashbrown Casserole

Reviewed: Oct. 11, 2008

I found this to be a fairly good recipe. After reading many of the other reviews already posted, I went ahead and cut back on the butter to 1/4 cup. Other changes I made were to add milk, sour cream, more onion, more cheese, garlic salt in place of regular salt, and parsley to mine. By using unsalted butter and fat free/low sodium soup I was able to keep the sodium content low even after adding the garlic salt. I would make this again, but will continue to experiment with it a bit - maybe change out the soup flavor, use a different cheese such as swiss or mexican blend. I am also going to try adding some vegetables and meat to the recipe to make it a full meal - such as bacon or ham or chicken and broccoli.

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Chele Smith

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Massapequa, New York, USA

Living In: Gray Court, South Carolina, USA

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The Best Meatballs

Reviewed: Oct. 7, 2008

Great recipe and the meatballs were delicious. The fresh cheese and crumbled, stale Italian bread instead of canned breadcrumbs really does make a difference. I had to make a few changes though as I couldn't find ground veal in any stores in my area, so I just used a half and half mixture of ground beef and pork. Nor could I find the flat Italian parsley, but I used regular parsley and it was fine. I also added minced onion to my meat mixture. Lastly, I didn't use all the water as called for. I've also used this recipe for a crockpot meatloaf - mixing in seasoned tomato sauce into the meat mixture and then serving with a side of pasta and it was delicious as well. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

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Chele Smith

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Massapequa, New York, USA

Living In: Gray Court, South Carolina, USA

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Lentil and Sausage Soup

Reviewed: Oct. 7, 2008

First time I made this I found it to be a little bit on the bland side. The next time I made it I increased the sausage to 2 lbs. and increased the chopped garlic, parsley, oregano, and basil. I eliminated the thyme and the garlic powder. Delicious! I make tons of this during the Fall and Winter seasons and always keep some in individual containers in the freezer so we always have some on hand.

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Chele Smith

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Massapequa, New York, USA

Living In: Gray Court, South Carolina, USA

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Easy Grilled Chicken Teriyaki

Reviewed: Jun. 27, 2008

This is very good. I just love the flavor! Yummmm...

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Niki

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Massapequa, New York, USA

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Sloppy Joe Sandwiches

Reviewed: Jun. 12, 2008

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmyyyyy!!!

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Niki

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Massapequa, New York, USA

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Black and White Cookies I

Reviewed: Jun. 5, 2008

I loved them! I am totally making them again ASAP.

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Niki

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Massapequa, New York, USA

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Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Reviewed: Jun. 5, 2008

They were truely the best chocolate chip cookies ever. They were really chewy. Plus, they did not burn. These cookies are my favorite.

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Niki

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Massapequa, New York, USA

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Chantal's New York Cheesecake

Reviewed: Sep. 7, 2007

OMG!!! I LOVE this cheesecake recipe. This was my first time making a true cheesecake and it was so easy. My cheesecake came out perfect - no cracks, excellent coloring, wonderful texture and awesome taste! I followed the recipe exactly, with a few minor modifications: I added some brown sugar and cinammon to the graham cracker crust, substituted heavy cream for the milk, and did use a water bath underneath the cheesecake when baking and through the 5 to 6 hour cooling process. I will definitely use this recipe again and again and as a base for various flavors of cheesecake. Thanks so much for sharing this one!

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Chele Smith

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Massapequa, New York, USA

Living In: Gray Court, South Carolina, USA

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Pastry Cream

Reviewed: Dec. 5, 2006

I love this recipe and have now used it several times. I do add homemade whipped cream into mine for a lighter cream texture. I've also added lemon extract to the cream as well when using it to fill lemon cakes and it's a crowd pleaser - I get raves of compliments everytime!

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Chele Smith

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Massapequa, New York, USA

Living In: Gray Court, South Carolina, USA

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Basil Shrimp

Reviewed: May 14, 2006

Very good! This recipe also works well with Salmon. I used the leftover marinade and basted several salmon fillets with it for a cookout I was having. Everyone raved about it. Wonderful!

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EFY2178

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Massapequa, New York, USA

Living In: Marion, Iowa, USA

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Fried Ice Cream

Reviewed: Feb. 7, 2006

Haven't tried this recipe yet but it's almost exactly as to how we used to make it in a mexican restaurant I worked at (we just didn't use the eggs). For a chocolate twist add some crushed orea cookies :)

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