gildawen Recipe Reviews (Pg. 1) - Allrecipes.com (10018601)

Chinese Cold Pasta Salad

Reviewed: May 9, 2009

I really wanted something with an oriental flavor that wouldn't take me an hour to make (egg rolls and such). This worked out really well. My hubby didn't like the bell pepper in it and requested that I use broccoli next time. My sister on the other hand, loved it! And that is a good thing because she hates oriental food. I liked it as well, although I knocked up the spiciness considerably because I like things hot. Overall, it turned out really well. Oh, and I did double the amount of sauce made.

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Broccoli Beef I

Reviewed: May 9, 2009

This was pretty good and satisfied our craving for chinese without being uber expensive. I doubled the sauce and the amount of broccoli since I am a HUGE BROCCOLI LOVER. We put it over noodles and it got gobbled up rather quickly. I would still like to know how to tweak it to taste more like the kind you get at the restaurant. I guess I am giving this 4 stars because that is what I expected- restaurant style. But this is still good none the less.

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Pumpkin Bread IV

Reviewed: Apr. 14, 2009

My sister and I love the Pumpkin Muffins from Panera Bread and I have long searched for a recipe that would be equivalent. This is nearly it. I think the cloves were a little stronger than what Panera uses but it was still awesome! Panera uses a cinnamon walnut streusel topping on the top though so I will be doing that next time(I used to work there-lol) For anyone wanting to make this in a bread machine: I was able to do this easily. The recipe was rather large so I cut it down to a 1/3. I added all the ingredients into the bread pan in the order listed in the recipe. Then I set my bread machine to the 'express' setting. It may be called 'cake' or 'quick breads' on some machines. Some machines may not have it but mine did so it works well. Cutting the recipe down to 1/3 made for a small loaf- probably about 1.5 pounds but my machine can make up to a 3 pound loaf so will probably just half the original recipe next time. My hubby loved it and says that I have to make this all the time now. The real test will be when my sister comes over tomorrow for some. ^_^

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Ultimate Twice Baked Potatoes

Reviewed: Dec. 14, 2008

Yay! I loved these and my husband did too. We topped them with chili too once they got out of the oven. Great!

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Stuffed Shells I

Reviewed: Dec. 14, 2008

Awesome! I asked my husband(the official taste tester) what he thought I should rate this recipe. I automatically thought 5 stars after tasting it but he said 25 stars!!! Lol. We both loved it. I halved the recipe because there are only the two of us and there is still enough leftover for lunch tomorrow even after stuffing ourselves... I only measured the cottage cheese though. I just eyed everything else to a good looking consistency. I also topped with extra mozz cheese and let it get slightly browned and bubbly in the oven. Delish! I am going to make this for a bible study potluck on Friday too and will update everyone elses thoughts on the dish later...

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Baked Potato Soup I

Reviewed: Dec. 13, 2008

Awesome recipe. I was searching for a recipe like the one my mom made when I was a kid and this has to be it. I doubled the recipe because it's winter time here and it won't go to waste with the cold weather abounding. I add green onion, white onion, cheese and celery to it too but that is just my personal preference. I recommend adding the potatoes at the very end if they are rather soft from overbaking the night before-like mine were:) Potatoes heat up quickly and retain heat for a long time so the warmth of the soup will heat the potatoes to piping hot in just a matter of minutes. Also, be careful with your salt, potatoes retain a heavy amount of salt(in fact if you ever put too much salt in a soup or such, you can add diced potatoes and strain them out after an hour or so and they will have absorbed most of the salt so you can start anew). You may think your soup isn't salty enough while cooking if your potatoes are in-just because they will absorb the salt out of the rest of the soup. But as the flavors begin to meld together, the salt will redistribute and mingle with the other aspects of the soup, especially the next day!

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Best Spanish Rice

Reviewed: Dec. 8, 2008

This is a really easy and good recipe and I really enjoyed it. But I do have to say that I read in a previous review that you will acheive "sticky rice" if you do not saute the rice. And I just have to say that this is not true. You do not have to saute the rice if you do not choose to, although it does add some nice flavor to the dish. The only way you will acheive "sticky rice" like what they use in many oriental dishes is if you use short grain rice. The reason is because molecularly speaking, it has a different amount of gluten than med or short grain rice and therefore the heat and steam begins to break down the sugars in short grain rice much more. That is what creates sticky rice, not the subtraction of sauteing it. So now we are left with this... To saute, or not saute. That is the question! Haha!

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Brown Sugar Meatloaf

Reviewed: Dec. 8, 2008

I hate meatloaf and I love this one. This is the only meatloaf that I will eat and this is the same meatloaf recipe that I grew up with, except 2 changes. 1) We always added chopped green pepper. 2) We put the ketchup and brown sugar on top. You can make more of the brown sugar/ketchup mix and have it on the side for people who like extra (me). And you can adjust the brown sugar to your taste. It really is only there to take the edge off the ketchup and add a little sweetness and maple-like flavor. And the great thing about meatloaf is that it is a great dish to use up leftovers. Sometimes, when we have lots of leftovers in the fridge that need to be used up, we just throw a little bit of everything in. Peas, corn, carrots, mashed potatoes- adds a really creamy texture, gravy, almost anything goes well in meatloaf as long as you like it in the first place. Hope everyone else enjoys this recipe as much as I do!

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Thai Beef Salad

Reviewed: Dec. 6, 2008

Ok, I use five spice and about a tbsp of jalapeno powder in my fish sauce to spice it up a little. But this recipe is a great recipe even without my little tweaks. I also add all kinds of little veggies such as baby corn, cucumber, onions, tomatoes, peas, sometimes bamboo shutes(sp) and even pineapple on rare occasion. Also, try it with shrimp instead of beef for a fun variation. At first I was hesitant about fish sauce because I was afraid it would be "fishy" but it isn't at all unless you are just imagining it... ;)

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A Plus Fair Corn Dogs

Reviewed: Apr. 22, 2007

These were not as perfect as frozen corn dogs that you can get at the store but they were ten times better!!! We made a double batch of the batter and poured it into a glass to help dip the dogs a bit more easily. Then we deepfried enough of them to eat and lightly fried the rest and put them in the freezer. Throw the frozen ones in the oven, microwave or lightly fry in a oiled pan for a quick and easy snack or even for dinner. Yay!

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French Crepes

Reviewed: Apr. 22, 2007

These crepes were great. I had been searching for a recipe that matched a recipe that my french teacher had given me in highschool. This was exactly the way that I remember them. I did add a little more sugar the second time I made them and they made a better dessert crepe that way. My husband loved them too.

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Crispy Fried Chicken

Reviewed: Jan. 18, 2007

I used boneless filets and cut it into strips. I usually coat my chicken in eggs before flouring them but the buttermilk worked 100 times better. The chicken was more tender and moist than it normally is when I fry chicken. Great prep instructions. I also found that I can freeze the chicken after it is coated in the flour. So, I can just pull it out of the freezer the next time I want to make some and it will be a lil' quicker. And for a fun variation, every now and again I add garlic powder and dried parmesan to my flour mixture. Then after I fry up my strips, I throw them on top of some pasta with marinara sauce and top with fresh mozzarella and parmesan cheeses to make a quick and easy chicken parmesana! My family loves it and I can't get rid of my friends when I make it. There is never, never, never any leftovers!

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Chicken Tortilla Soup I

Reviewed: Jan. 17, 2007

Everyone really enjoyed this soup. My husband had second helpings and demanded that I send it with him to work for lunch. I used canned vegetables and rinsed them really well since my husband has to watch his sodium intake, and even though I normally like frozen vegies better it still worked. The flavor was great. I didnt have any cilantro around the house so didnt use any but still it was great... I substituted fresh chopped jalapenos for the chiles for a more spicy soup. Very tasty and I will make it again definately since most of the ingredients are already handy...

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