MuscleMan Recipe Reviews (Pg. 1) - Allrecipes.com (10104485)

Libby's® Famous Pumpkin Pie

Reviewed: Nov. 25, 2009

I've always used this recipe, with one VERY off-the-wall change. Look - the Libby's pumpkin in the can is great, because it's 100% pumpkin with nothing else added. And guess what, pumpkin is not only good for you, but it tastes GREAT! That's right, pumpkin tastes GREAT as a vegetable or in pies. So here's my one change: CUT each of the spices in half (1/2 tsp. cin., 1/4 tsp. ginger, 1/8 tsp. cloves). GUESS WHAT - you'll get a pie where you can actually SAVOR the pumpkin flavor. I've done this for years, serve with whip cream, and my guests always rave about it - WOW, it tastes like a PUMPKIN pie, not a SPICE pie with some soft orange filling. I'll stop my rant now, and happy Thanksgiving everyone. ***EDIT*** A few more tips based on other reviews: for frozen crust, use deep dish and take it out of the freezer when you start making the filling. It will thaw so you can bend up the edge to add more capacity. If your hand isn't steady, fill the pie as much as possible, put in the oven and use a turkey baster to top off the pie will filling. (Squeeze GENTLY so you don't spray your oven with filling!!) For baking time, after turning down to 350, I let it go for 60 minutes. The pie should have an even, puffed-up dome over the entire surface (including the center). A knife stuck in the center should come out clean. If not, let it go an extra 5 minutes and test again. When done, the surface and crust will NOT be burned.

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14 users found this review helpful

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Reviewed: Aug. 19, 2009

Don't you hate people who review a changed recipe? So, hate me then. I had *round* zucchini from the garden, no spinach, bread crumbs instead of bread cubes and dried parsley instead of fresh. Used 1 cup bread crumbs and 1/4 cup dried parsley. After mixing it together, seemed dry, so I added another 1/2 cup of tomato sauce (total of 1 cup). Used 3 round zucchini. Shaved a little off the bottom of each so the halves wouldn't roll around. Figured the filling was thicker than in a regular zucchini, so I baked them covered an extra 10 minutes (total of 40 minutes) and then 10 minutes uncovered. Turned out very good and pretty simple to make. Note that the tomato sauce gives the filling a subtle flavor - it's not smothered in tomato sauce. When I make this again, I'll probably add some black pepper and minced garlic or garlic powder. Overall a good recipe, simple to make and a different twist to use up that zucchini bumper crop from the garden.

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13 users found this review helpful

Honey Glazed Ham

Reviewed: Jan. 1, 2009

I got a 10 lb spiral cut ham for New Year's Day that came with a glaze packet. After looking at the ingredients (e.g. three different artificial colors), I decided to look at all recipes for something better. Made some mods recommended by others - used 1 cup clover honey, 2/3 cup butter and 1/4 cup brown sugar; also dropped the cloves - don't like them on ham. Turned out pretty good.

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2 users found this review helpful

Slow-Cooked German Short Ribs

Reviewed: Jun. 23, 2008

I made this with a pot roast instead of ribs and cooked it on high for 4 hours (started too late). Followed the sauce recipe exactly and it's pretty good, sort of medium intensity, that is, not too tangy and not too sweet. Will try it with ribs next time, cooking on low for a longer time. Keeper.

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0 users found this review helpful

Old German Honey Cookies

Reviewed: May 23, 2008

Very good recipe. I've looked far and wide for a good honey-only cookie (not with peanut butter) and this is it! Definite keeper! Note, this is what I'd call a basic "milk & cookies" type of cookie. Sort of thing mom would fill the cookie jar with back in the 1960's :-) Used some of the mods others suggested, namely: 1 cup butter, 1 1/4 cups honey, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp. ginger, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg. Also changed the procedure to make it easier: sifted together the dry ingredients; transferred the melted sugar, butter & honey to the mixer; once cooled, added vanilla & eggs then the flour. The bottoms of the cookies came out smoother when I used parchment paper. Also tried different baking times. (My oven is dead on temp-wise; checked with thermometer.) 11 minutes is not enough - they are too chewy (almost doughy) and deflate into cow pies when cool. 14 to 15 minutes is perfect - they turn out light brown with some crispness around the edges but moist in the center. Perfect for dunking in milk. :-) Very strong honey flavor. I used a dark clover honey. Might be interesting to try with different honey types.

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41 users found this review helpful

Lemon Carrots and Rutabaga

Reviewed: Mar. 26, 2008

The recipe might seem kind of weird, but the taste is something else. I was looking for a new rutabaga recipe. Didn't want a mash-em-up recipe, so decided on this. Made it as a side for Easter dinner and everyone loved it. Just a note on quantities - the average rutabaga where I shop is around the size of a medium grapefruit. This yielded roughly 4 cups - so I doubled the recipe (8 carrots) to use up the entire rutabaga. Great recipe and a definite keeper.

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33 users found this review helpful

Tender 'n' Tangy Ribs

Reviewed: Mar. 13, 2008

This recipe is good. I used 4 cloves of garlic and a little over 3 lbs. of country style pork ribs (trying to save money - way cheaper than spareribs). After about 4 and a half hours, the meat was falling off the bone. Very tender and tasty. Note that if you are looking for a thick sauce, you will not get it with this recipe. The juices at the bottom were watery. Overall very good and will make again.

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0 users found this review helpful

Chinese Pot Roast

Reviewed: Feb. 12, 2008

This recipe is pretty good and a nice change - different way to make pot roast. I used garlic powder instead of garlic salt and used low sodium soy sauce. This makes a large amount of gravy and I think the flavor could be a bit more concentrated. To solve both issues, I'll try using less water next time.

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4 users found this review helpful

Walnut-Filled Pillows

Reviewed: Dec. 20, 2007

These cookies take a little time to make but are well worth it. Basically followed the directions as given. Note that I had to bake them for 16 minutes. Made one batch with walnuts & vanilla in rectangles. Made a second batch with walnuts & almond extract in triangles. I would recommend making the double batch since this recipe only yields 28 cookies. The triangles were a little less work and seemed to turn out better (more consistent shape). Although both fillings are good, I liked the one with almond extract better. Note the recipe instructions - if you use a level measured teaspoon, the filling comes out even for 28 cookies. You don't want to overfill anyway, or else they'll leak. Some variations I'd like to try in the future - skip the egg wash and sprinkle with red, green or white sugar. Fill with a few chocolate chips, or canned poppy seed filling or canned prune filling. Also, mixing some cocoa with the regular filling as others suggested would also be good. Overall, a very good recipe!!

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7 users found this review helpful

Italian Kale

Reviewed: Dec. 4, 2007

Whoa!!! This is excellent!!! And, can you say HEALTHY??? Superb recipe. Only change I made was to use 4 cloves of garlic (what can I say - I'm a garlic freak.) I've also used a similar method with swiss chard and spinach, but never tried it with balsamic vinegar. That adds a real tasty touch! Note that the recipe says to cook the kale until half of the volume is reduced. Don't over cook it - it's healthier that way!! You don't want it to end up like a wet rag. There should still be a hint of crispness to the leaves. Also, toss the kale a few times and it won't burn. The water on the leaves from washing should be enough. Simple, tasty and good for you!!!

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280 users found this review helpful

Quinoa Side Dish

Reviewed: Nov. 4, 2007

WOW, this recipe is great! In case you didn't know, quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) contains more protein than any other grain. Since it also contains a good amount of lysine, it is a complete protein. I made a few changes to the recipe - only had organic beef stock (in the box) and dried herbs. Used a couple of green onions and two cloves of garlic. Also added a little ground pepper. Great and easy way to serve up quinoa. Note about rinsing or soaking: normally, quinoa has a bitter saponins coating that is removed by soaking it or rinsing it. Most of the quinoa sold in the USA has already had the coating removed so rinsing is not required. But best check your source!

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858 users found this review helpful

Turkey with Apple Slices

Reviewed: Nov. 2, 2007

This is the best. Sorry, I've never made it with turkey, but use boneless, skinless chicken breasts and canola oil instead of butter. This is sooooo easy to make and tastes out of this world.

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4 users found this review helpful

Braised Lemon Pheasant

Reviewed: Oct. 31, 2007

Great and simple way to serve pheasant. Tastes good - no gamey flavor. Used about 1/3 cup of lemon juice (2 small lemons), 3 large cloves of garlic, and 1 1/2 cups of organic beef broth out of the box. Most of the liquid had evaporated after about 1 hour. Could maybe use more liquid next time.

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15 users found this review helpful

Savory Pot Roast

Reviewed: Oct. 29, 2007

Great recipe, and as the other review noted - no onion mix or canned soup - just basic ingredients. Roast turned out well - tender and tasty. The horse radish provides an extra special flavor, without calling attention to itself. I peeked in after 1 hour and the liquid had reduced a lot, so I added the rest of the water. It was done in 2 hours and the sauce was pretty thick - did not bother thickening it. Guess my pot did not have a very tight fitting cover and/or I simmered it too high. Next time, I think I'll just make this in the oven. Really good flavor.

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16 users found this review helpful

Beef-Stuffed Squash

Reviewed: Oct. 21, 2007

This is a very good recipe and a really tasty way to serve acorn squash. A nice change from the typical butter and brown sugar approach to acorn squash. I followed the recipe as given. The acorn squash I got were bigger, so I only stuffed 5 halves and baked the empty half at the same time to serve as a vegetable some other time. Next time, I'd bake the squash longer before stuffing - they could have been a little more tender. Made the Russian salad dressing using the "Chilled Russian Salad Dressing" recipe found on this site (see my other reviews). When you make the glaze, make the double amount. I used up the entire glaze the first time; none was left to baste halfway through the baking time. Baked these for 50 minutes. Excellent recipe - a definite keeper. No question why this recipe won a trophy!! Enjoy!!!

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14 users found this review helpful

Chilled Russian Salad Dressing

Reviewed: Oct. 21, 2007

I'd never use a thick, gooey dressing like this for a salad, but I am reviewing this recipe because I used it in the Beef-stuffed squash recipe also found on this site. The dressing turned out very well and is quite tasty.

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1 user found this review helpful

Beef Stew II

Reviewed: Oct. 21, 2007

Made this stew according to the recipe with no changes. The flavor is a definite 5-star but I only gave it 4 stars because the stew is way too thin. It was more of a beef soup than a stew. Cooked it on low in my slow cooker for 6 hours. When I saw how watery it was, I mixed a tblsp of corn starch in a little water and stired it into the stew and let it go for another 30 minutes. It helped a little but was still too watery for me. I'd make this again (because the flavor is really good) but would try to do something to make it thicker.

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2 users found this review helpful

Smothered Beef Short Ribs

Reviewed: Oct. 15, 2007

Very flavorful recipe for short ribs. Followed the recipe as given with only one change: used half of the beef broth (1 box/32 oz./4 cups). Simmered this covered and then uncovered the last 45 minutes or so. Sauce turned out great - didn't need to thicken it, although if you like a thick gravy you may want to do so. Served with mashed potatoes. If you are worried about too much fat, check your short ribs. The butcher hand trimmed mine, so they were OK. A grocery store might not do that, so you'll have to trim some (not all) of the fat. Perfect comfort food for a cool, fall day!!

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4 users found this review helpful

Triple Layer Cookie Bars

Reviewed: Oct. 13, 2007

This is a typical Magic Cookie Bar type of cookie with the variation of using peanut butter instead of chopped nuts. Made the recipe as given, but I added the coconut garnish immediately after spreading the chocolate/peanut butter mixture, so it would stick better after the bars cooled. Used a 7 oz. coconut package in the layer and about 3 to 4 oz. for the garnish. Placed it in the fridge to shorten the cooling time. Had no trouble cutting or removing the bars from the pan. Bars are sweet but very tasty. Nice variation of the standard magic cookie bar recipe.

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2 users found this review helpful

Acorn Squash

Reviewed: Sep. 28, 2007

This is an easy way to serve acorn squash. I've always made it this way, although I don't put the two halves together after adding the butter and sugar. I also use less sugar and butter - about 1 teaspoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon butter per half. That's pretty much a taste thing so the quantites can be increased or decreased as you like. As a variation, substitute maple syrup or honey for brown sugar. For serving - see what your family likes. One way is to stir up the flesh with the butter and sugar. Another way is to leave it as it comes out of the oven.

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5 users found this review helpful