Pumpkin Cheesecake II

Reviewed: Dec. 2, 2009

This is the best cheesecake I've ever had!!!! I used gingersnaps for the crust in place of graham crackers. Was a huge hit at Thanksgiving. Everyone loved it. Thanks for the amazing recipe!

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Brooke Elizabeth

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Columbia, Maryland, USA

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The Best Vegetarian Chili in the World

Reviewed: Nov. 18, 2009

I used more onion. only black beans, but w/ jalapenos already added. instead of adding chili powder and salt, I added a packet of McCormick mild chili seasoning and red pepper flakes to taste. Delicious!

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Maria

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Columbia, Maryland, USA

Living In: Orlando, Florida, USA

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Black Bean, Sausage, and Sweet Potato Soup

Reviewed: Nov. 9, 2009

This had a good flavor. No rush, but I wouldn't mind making it again. Changes are as follows: 1) Used 2 cans of black beans, rinsed. 2) Used 8 cups chicken broth. 3) Used 1 lb sausage. 4) Caraway instead of allspice. 5) Cut potatoes up into small pieces and cooked with everything else. 6) Did not use tomato paste because I didn't have it...didn't miss it.

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DC Girly Girl

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Living In: Columbia, Maryland, USA

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Quinoa with Chickpeas and Tomatoes

Reviewed: Oct. 28, 2009

Yum! I first sauteed a little bit of chopped onion and let that cook down a little. Then I added the quinoa and broth (instead of water) and it took more like 45 minutes to fully cook. Then I added a full can of chickpeas, about 1 cup of halved grape tomatoes (could have used more), and 2x the amount of dressing. I let it sit overnight to eat...easy and tasty!

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DC Girly Girl

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Living In: Columbia, Maryland, USA

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Authentic Kicked-Up Syrian Hummus

Reviewed: Sep. 30, 2009

Good! I added cumin and cayenne pepper to spice it up. And a little extra olive oil while it was in the food processor as I noticed it needed a little extra moisture.

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DC Girly Girl

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Living In: Columbia, Maryland, USA

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Black Bean and Couscous Salad

Reviewed: Sep. 21, 2009

This tasted good the night I made it but it tasted awesome, cold, the next day! I had no black beans so used butter beans instead and they were a nice texture compliment to all the crunchy veggies. So simple, but so great (and healthy!)

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bizzymom

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Columbia, Maryland, USA

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Firecracker Chili Powder

Reviewed: Sep. 18, 2009

Easy! Call it chili powder...taco seasoning...this one is multi-purpose. BTW...I skipped the nutmeg because that just seemed out of place.

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DC Girly Girl

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Living In: Columbia, Maryland, USA

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Boilermaker Tailgate Chili

Reviewed: Sep. 15, 2009

I think this turned out really well! It is a long list of ingredients, but I put the spices together the day before just to save time and energy. I'm also a fan of mise en place, so I gathered EVERYTHING together before getting started so as to not have to fall over a cat or dog while scurrying around. Changes include: 1) Used 3 cans of plain old red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (don't like tinny flavor). 2) Added red pepper flakes to make up for lack of "spicy sauce" in beans. 3) No bacon 4) No bouillon 5) Full bottle of beer (corsenbach) 6) Saute onion separately in small skillet. 6.5) Softened peppers and celery, then added meat to brown. 7) Moved meat mixture and everything else to slow cooker and cooked on low for about 6 hours. Awesome!

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DC Girly Girl

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Living In: Columbia, Maryland, USA

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Low-Fat Potato Soup

Reviewed: Sep. 14, 2009

My husband was on a soft diet so I needed to make a dish that would accomodate his needs and be filling at the same time. Thie soup hit the spot and he loved it. I sauteed the onions, potatos and celery in olive oil and one tablespoon of butter (just to get the flavor). Other then that, I followed the recipe and it came out delicious! Be prepared when you add the cornstarch. The soup thickens up fast! Very filling for a dinner time meal.

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KICKCHICK99

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Columbia, Maryland, USA

Living In: Severn, Maryland, USA

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Middle Eastern Rice with Black Beans and Chickpeas

Reviewed: Aug. 28, 2009

I would make this again. I followed some suggestions of others as well as my own impulses and made the following changes: 1) Used 3 tsps curry in place of coriander & turmeric. 2) I used HEAPING tsps of spice in the rice (except for cayenne). 3) Use no more than 3 cups broth. 4) Saute an onion before browning meat. 5) Add same spices to meat while simmering (and I slow cooked it for a while!). 6) Used only 1 can each of beans. 7) Did not use cilantro, parsley, or pine nuts. 8) Added golden raisins.

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DC Girly Girl

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Living In: Columbia, Maryland, USA

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Healthy Banana Cookies

Reviewed: Aug. 12, 2009

I was excited to try these--I had some leftover bananas and was tired of banana nut bread. I left out the dates because I had none, used apple sauce instead of oil, and added cinnamon; for half of the batch I added chopped apples. They baked in 22 minutes and were certainly healthy, but not very flavorful. I was baking them to give as a gift, which I still did, but I decided to make some chocolate chip cookies to go with them just in case. Maybe next time I could try adding nuts and more spices.

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Brooke Elizabeth

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Columbia, Maryland, USA

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Indian Chicken Curry II

Reviewed: Aug. 12, 2009

Fairly easy to do, tasted alright, but not an OMG gotta do this again kind of thing. I doubled the sauce 'cause we like things saucey. I tasted it when it was almost done and realized that it was pretty boring as is. So I added one 28 oz can of drained, diced tomatoes and one 14 oz can of drained peas. Instead of cayenne, I added pepper flakes while it was simmering. Thanks, but we will continue to look for another indian curry recipe.

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DC Girly Girl

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Living In: Columbia, Maryland, USA

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Thai Ground Chicken Basil

Reviewed: Aug. 10, 2009

only giving this a 4 coz i made so many changes, but this was phenomenal! i added onion at the beginning, as well as zucchini and mushrooms, sliced, and added brown sugar and fresh lemon juice/zest and sriracha to the sauce; used some random hot peppers i had on hand at the end with the basil. and then i used it for lettuce wraps. i'm SO glad i found this - a great way to use up basil and a great base recipe! and easy too! thanks!

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cheeselover

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA

Living In: Columbia, Maryland, USA

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Peach Cobbler II

Reviewed: Aug. 10, 2009

What a yummy cobbler! I used 12 peaches (I had a lot I needed to use) mixed with 1 cup sugar (instead of 1 1/2). I cut the sugar in the batter to 3/4 cup and added vanilla. Instead of two cups of water with the butter, I used one and it had plenty of moisture. Baked for 1 hour 15 mins and then and then let set for 30 mins before eating. It was quite good--not too sweet either, which is just what I was looking for. Thanks!

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Brooke Elizabeth

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Columbia, Maryland, USA

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Edible Play Dough

Reviewed: Jul. 14, 2009

All this recipe needed was an extra cup of the dried milk. After that, it was perfect! The kids LOVED it:) I have a day care in my home, and we combined snack time with craft time. Will use again and again. Thanks!

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Cristy

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Columbia, Maryland, USA

Living In: Abingdon, Maryland, USA

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15-Year-Old Pesto Sauce

Reviewed: Jul. 13, 2009

Pretty generic pesto sauce. I did not add ANY salt as my parmesan was salty enough (freshly grated if that makes a difference). Not an OMG kinda thing, but quick & easy.

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DC Girly Girl

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Living In: Columbia, Maryland, USA

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Baked Alaska

Reviewed: Jul. 11, 2009

I made this yesterday for a dessert party and it was the STAR of the desserts. I used a cookie dough crust--a little over half of a large tube of chocolate chip cookie dough (saved me time, but you could make it from scratch). Baked for a while; about 16 minutes until firm but still slightly soft. For the inside, I filled my 8-inch bowl first with a tub of chocolate ice cream (everything is 1.5 pints now), pushing it up the sides so there was a bowl-shaped cavity for more ice cream. Inside of that, I put chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, totaling 3 pints between the two. I frozen that AND the cookie dough crust for about 5 hours. For the meringue, I beat 9 egg whites with a heavy cup of sugar and 1/4 tsp cream of tartar. I was making Creme Brulee at the same time (from Creme Brulee recipe on this site), using 9 egg yolks (1 1/2 times the recipe), so I used all the leftover egg whites for this meringue. I made a lot of meringue, which allowed me enough to THOROUGHLY coat the outside of the ice cream and cookie dough. The meringue MUST cover everything--it acts as an insulator. This is VERY important, or the Alaska will not work. I froze that for 2 1/2 hours and then baked for 8 minutes. It could have used an extra 2, but it was lightly browned at 8. This was a spectacular and delicious dessert, plus it was something new and fun. I will make again--thanks for the recipe!

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Brooke Elizabeth

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Columbia, Maryland, USA

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Chocoholic's Nightcap

Reviewed: Jul. 10, 2009

GREAT chocolate drink--I've been looking for a good chocolate drink with Irish Cream and this one was perfect. I made a big batch (for a party) using a ratio of one hot chocolate packet (dark Swiss Miss) to every 3/4 cup milk and 1 TB Irish Cream. Blended it then topped each glass with whipped cream. YUM! It was a huge hit. Thanks :D

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Brooke Elizabeth

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Columbia, Maryland, USA

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Chris' Bay Area Burger

Reviewed: Jul. 1, 2009

These were pretty bland as is. I followed the recipe as written minus 1/3 of the salt, then tasted the meat (yes...raw). Eh. It wasn't until I added cumin, paprika, italian seasoning, worcestershire sauce, Montreal steak seasoning and cayenne that I found it flavorful. Unfortunately, the man liked it. So that means one day I have to recreate what I did.

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DC Girly Girl

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Living In: Columbia, Maryland, USA

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Crustless Spinach Quiche

Reviewed: Jul. 1, 2009

Pretty good, though I don't really eat eggs. I sauteed half an onion in two tablespoons of butter and added about half a box of the defrosted frozen spinach (make sure you drain it). After it cooled, I added the mixture to the eggs with a touch of cream and yellow American cheese. I garnished the dish with cherry tomatoes and a little Parmesan cheese.

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