Blue Cheese and Pear Tartlets

Reviewed: Dec. 5, 2009

Simple and delicious. Add some candied walnuts to the top to make it really stand out. Also good with some craisins during the holidays. Make sure to keep the size small because these are rather rich.

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xiaocupcake

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

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Tomato-Cornbread Salad with Avocado and Cilantro

Reviewed: Dec. 5, 2009

Very good! I added some balsamic vinegar and I would say that this is a great side dish but not too versatile. Avoid the urge to add more to it and enjoy it for its simplicity. Cilantro does pull it all together, though!

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xiaocupcake

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

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Pretzel Turtles

Reviewed: Dec. 5, 2009

The suggestion to drizzle melted white chocolate chips over the finished product was a good one. I just drizzled the white c. chips with a spoon rather than putting it in a bag and cutting the corner. I also used the leftover melted white chips to make some chocolate covered pretzels.

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Bentley

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

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Black Friday Pie

Reviewed: Nov. 27, 2009

I did this (pretty much) last year, and am looking forward to doing it again this afternoon. My recipe is a little different, and may help the reviewer that mentioned she'd have liked the potatoes to be a little crustier. I put the stuffing in the bottom for the crust, and then did the potatoes on top (sort of like a Shepherd's Pie). Also, all of our green beans always get eaten (I use the Green Beans and Cherry Tomatoes recipe here), so I usually throw in a bag of frozen mixed veggies. It's all a great combo!

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pocobelle

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Eureka Springs, Arkansas, USA

Living In: Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

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Cornucopia

Reviewed: Nov. 27, 2009

So pretty! This really made the Thanksgiving centerpiece unique (and delicious) this year. We made a big platter with purple kale below it and surrounded it with mini pumpkins and gourds, and served bread rolls out of the cornucopia itself, then people were allowed to tear in to the horn when the rolls were gone. This was fun, easy, and a very inexpensive way to get a ton of compliments!

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xiaocupcake

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

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Louisiana Sweet Potato Pancakes

Reviewed: Nov. 26, 2009

Our new favorite pancakes - melt-in-your-mouth amazing!

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J. Marsh

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

Living In: Prairie Grove, Arkansas, USA

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Taco Seasoning II

Reviewed: Nov. 25, 2009

My husband and I found this recipe quite bland. I browned the beef, then added the 7 teaspoons of the seasoning and added about a half cup of water, and let it simmer for about 30 minutes so the flavors could mingle. I liked that it had no salt, but I would like a recipe with more flavor. It very minimally seasoned the beef.

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mleigh

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

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Cream of Mushroom Soup I

Reviewed: Nov. 25, 2009

I made this because I didn't want to use canned soup for my greenbean cassorole. It is FABULOUS! I did make a couple of changes just based on my experiences cooking: I used heavy cream instead of half & half Omitted the flour Omitted the sherry Pureed the mushroom mixture right in the pot with a stick mixer Added the butter, cream, and spices directly to that pot and simmered for 5 minutes. My greenbean cassorole will never be the same! THANK YOU!!!!!

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Stefani Buhajla

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

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Baked Penne with Italian Sausage

Reviewed: Nov. 24, 2009

I made this exactly as written, and it was just okay. Probably a one timer for us. Basically a spaghetti sauce tossed with noodles, I felt I could had the same result with a jar of spaghetti sauce and not had to clean any pans :)

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mleigh

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

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Linguine Pasta with Shrimp and Tomatoes

Reviewed: Nov. 23, 2009

VERY good! I used one can rotel and one can diced tomatoes...along with adding some onions in...we also mixed some scallops with the shrimp. My dad thought it was too spicy (he HATES spice tho) but my mom and I loved it! I like that it is a broth like sauce...we served it with some buttered rolls...will definitely make again!

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Shoppingbaby

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Dallas, Texas, USA

Living In: Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

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Herbed Potato Soup

Reviewed: Nov. 23, 2009

This was okay. Not fabulous, not bad, but nothing thrilling. I had about 3.5 cups of cooking water, just to cover my diced potatoes (they were a little large), and I still had to add extra milk to thin it (coming to 2 cups total). I also skipped the rosemary, and instead went with garlic. We topped it with a little monterrey jack and some chives, and ate it as a meal with saltine crackers. I typically make my own potato soup, but I was low on ingredients and time, so I searched until I found a recipe that fit what I had. For what it was-- a basic, simple soup recipe-- it was not bad, but I think a little doctoring could add a lot of much-needed flavor! Oh, and after tasting the roux, I was really afraid that it was going to have the gravy flavor that other reviewers mentioned, but I'm happy to say that it did not!

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pocobelle

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Eureka Springs, Arkansas, USA

Living In: Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

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Yummy Sweet Potato Casserole

Reviewed: Nov. 23, 2009

This dish was fine. It got the idea of sweet potato casserole across without resorting to tacky marshmellows. However, it certainly wasn't a complex or gourmet dish by any means. To elevate it, add different flavors, a contrast with crumbled bacon and paprika maybe. The crust on top was phenomenal, though, and I would suggest doubling the topping just to add more of it. I baked mine in a souffle dish and it looked nice on the table, but this is not going to be my go-to sweet potato casserole.

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xiaocupcake

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

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Chicken Enchiladas I

Reviewed: Nov. 19, 2009

I LOVE this recipe--It's one of the only ones I crave! It's easier if you use CANNED chicken! First I saute the onions and garlic (and green pepper if I'm using it, but I usually leave it out) in olive oil until tender, and instead of cooking the chicken, I make it easy on myself and drain 1.5 - 2 cans of cooked chicken and take a fork to it, shredding it, then adding to the onions. I cook it a little with the onions to get the chicken a little flavor, then add the sour cream and cheese and let the cheese melt. Next I add the other ingredients (minus the water--it makes it too runny) and simmer as long as possible. TIP: You can use 8oz oz of salsa instead of tomato sauce/green peppers. When I do this, I cut the chili powder down to 2 teaspoons because the spice becomes overpowering with the added spice from the salsa. Seriously LOVE this recipe! I also use Ortega Mild taco sauce and Mexican blend cheese instead of cheddar.

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mleigh

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

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Make Ahead Manicotti

Reviewed: Nov. 19, 2009

I make this frequently. Very good--freezes great, too!

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mleigh

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

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Chuck's Favorite Mac and Cheese

Reviewed: Nov. 19, 2009

This is a very "grown up" mac & cheese (but not so grown up that the kdis don't enjoy it--it IS mac & cheese!) Quite yummy! I use Italian bread crumbs, and instead of the sour cream, I use a pint of ricotta and one egg, as in more traditional italian cooking. This is a great quick fix, and an even better freezer meal to pull out on busy night--I'll actually be taking it to Thanksgiving this year.

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mleigh

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

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Sloppy Joe Sandwiches

Reviewed: Nov. 19, 2009

We LOVE these! I double the recipe to feed my family of 5, do as some other reviewers suggested: I increase the brown sugar to 3 T and added a t of white vinegar and 1 t of chili powder. This is served nearly once a week at our house, sometimes with ground Turkey instead of beef, and even my 3 kids under 7 eat it and love it, which was big praise to me because they are tough critics!

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mleigh

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

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Tiramisu Layer Cake

Reviewed: Nov. 8, 2009

I made this for my husband's birthday, and he loved it. I made my own white cake, instead of using a boxed mix (we don't do packaged stuff), and had to make my own mascarpone because I couldn't find any in my area. The results were great, though. Even over the next few days, as it got soggier and soggier in the refrigerator, it just got better and better! ;)

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pocobelle

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Eureka Springs, Arkansas, USA

Living In: Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

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Sue's Hot Fudge Sauce

Reviewed: Nov. 8, 2009

We followed the recipe as written, and it was VERY good! I wish I'd scaled down the recipe, though, because I was making it for just two of us, and it didn't save very well!

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pocobelle

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Eureka Springs, Arkansas, USA

Living In: Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

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Veggie and Cilantro Hummus Sandwiches

Reviewed: Oct. 28, 2009

This was rather bland hummus. I added more cilantro and paprika, but it still was salty and otherwise tasteless.

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xiaocupcake

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

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3 Packet Crockpot Roast

Reviewed: Oct. 28, 2009

This recipe is the BEST Roast I have ever had! I have made it several times, and it's always perfect! I plan on trying a variation with chicken and pork because I love the flavor so much!

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