Grace Recipe Reviews (Pg. 1) - Allrecipes.com (10712738)

Blueberry Pie

Reviewed: Jul. 16, 2011

After reading the reviews, I increased the cornstarch to 5 tablespoons, added 2 T of lemon juice, and baked the pie for 1 hr at 375 degrees F. I used 4 1/2 cups of frozen blueberries. I let the pie cool at room temperature for 1 hr and in the refrigerator for 2 hrs. However, the pie was still very runny when I sliced it. Also, next time I would increase the amount of sugar and perhaps leave the lemon juice out or add less. Overall, I was disappointed with the pie's runny consistency after reading all the raving reviews.

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White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Reviewed: Jan. 1, 2011

I used 2 cups of crushed Oreo cookies, 1 T of white sugar, and 1/4 cup of melted butter for the crust. I microwaved the white chocolate chips and half-and-half for 30 sec at a time stirring in between until the chocolate melted. I also microwaved 6 T of raspberry jam combined with water for 30 sec at a time stirring in between until the sauce was thick. Then I strained the sauce to get rid of the seeds. It would've been better if I had bought seedless raspberry jam but my grocery store didn't carry it. I swirled all of the raspberry sauce on top of the cheesecake and baked it for 1 hour in a water bath. Then I turned off the oven and let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 1 hour. The cheesecake didn't have a single crack and the top was perfectly level. I chilled the cheesecake (still in the springform pan) overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, the cheesecake was wonderfully creamy and delicious. This is a simple recipe for a lovely cheesecake that looks professionally made.

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Awesome Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Reviewed: Dec. 25, 2010

Following the advice of others, I used a 2-lb tri-tip, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup with garlic, 1 can of beef stock, 1 (1 oz) packet of onion soup mix, 1/4 cup of red wine, 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce, carrots, and sliced onion. Before putting the beef in the slow cooker with all of the above ingredients, I coated the meat with a mixture of 1/4 cup flour, 1 tbsp garlic salt, and 1 tbsp black pepper. Then I seared all sides of the meat in a skillet with some olive oil. I cooked the meat for 4 hours on low and 2 hours on high in the slow cooker. The meat was incredibly flavorful and tender. I will definitely be using this recipe again and again in the future.

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Tina's Shortbread Chocolate Chip Cookies

Reviewed: Nov. 20, 2010

I omitted the nuts and used a mixture of butter and butter-flavored shortening for the cookies. The cookies hardly spread at all on the baking sheet. My main problem with this recipe is the baking time: I left the cookies in the oven for 45 minutes and the edges still wouldn't brown. The texture is crumbly and the cookies melt in your mouth. This is a good recipe, but the baking time needs to be adjusted.

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Basic Baked Spaghetti

Reviewed: Sep. 11, 2010

This is a good basic recipe to build on. I used penne instead of spaghetti because that's what I had on hand. I cooked a mixture of ground pork and beef in a pan with minced garlic, olive oil, and diced onion. I then mixed the cooked meat, boiled penne, and spaghetti sauce all together. I poured the mixture into a 9"x13" baking pan and sprinkled Parmesan and shredded cheddar cheese on top. The baked pasta would've been perfect as is but to make it a little healthier, I steamed some broccoli and added it on top of the pasta in the last 5 minutes of baking in the oven. The baked pasta turned out perfectly!

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Spinach Quiche

Reviewed: Feb. 15, 2010

I used half of a 10-oz package of frozen spinach, half of the Cheddar cheese, 1 tablespoon butter, 3/4 cup milk, and omitted the mushrooms. For the pie crust, I used my own recipe and baked it for 10 minutes before adding the filling and baking for another 55 minutes. The filling barely fit into my regular 9-inch pie pan. The quiche was very tasty, and my brother, who doesn't even like spinach, enjoyed it. Next time I will try adding crumbled sausage or diced ham, but the quiche is still delicious without meat.

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Soft Christmas Cookies

Reviewed: Dec. 17, 2009

As the multiple reviews recommend, I used 3 1/3 cups flour and 1 cup butter instead of margarine. I divided my dough into 2 balls and refrigerated for 3 hours. I then used powdered sugar to roll out my dough and cookie cutters to cut out Christmas shapes. Make sure to put the chilled cut-out dough in the oven right away so that the cookies hold their shape. The cookies turned out beautifully with sharp edges (no spreading!) and chewy centers. I can't emphasize enough the importance of cutting out thick cookies or else they will be too crispy. I cut out super thick cookies and baked them at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. Be careful not to over-bake your cookies; watch the edges because they will brown suddenly. After cooling the cookies, I used the recipe for Sugar Cookie Icing to frost my cookies. They looked beautiful and tasted amazing! This recipe is so much better than the Best Rolled Sugar Cookies recipe. I'm so glad that I've finally found a sugar cookie recipe that's a keeper!

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Russian Tea Cakes I

Reviewed: Dec. 17, 2009

I followed the recipe exactly, and the cookies turned out buttery and melt-in-your-mouth soft. For the walnuts, I used a food processor to chop them because I wanted my cookies to be velvety smooth with a fine crumb. Overall, these cookies are very festive and definitely deserve a place on any Christmas cookie platter!

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Waffles I

Reviewed: Jun. 13, 2009

I substituted half the oil with applesauce, doubled the vanilla, and used brown sugar instead of white. As other reviewers have recommended, I beat the egg whites separately and folded them into the batter at the end. The waffles were excellent: light and fluffy on the inside and perfectly crisp on the outside. They tasted were delicious and so easy to make. Next time, I plan on using whole wheat flour and flax seed instead of white flour. I will never use waffle mix again!

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Grandma's Lemon Meringue Pie

Reviewed: May 24, 2009

The flavor and texture of the pie is excellent: the lemon was tangy and worked well as a refreshing summer pie, while the meringue was light and fluffy. I beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, sugar, and vanilla for 14 minutes. The meringue was perhaps too airy! But the greatest downfall of this pie was its runniness! I even added extra cornstarch, but the pie was still runny and the meringue pulled away from the lemon custard. I don't know what went wrong!

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Sloppy Joes II

Reviewed: May 2, 2009

I omitted the green bell peppers and forgot to add the mustard, but the sloppy joes turned out delicious. They were a big hit and so easy to make. Thank you for this fabulous, simple recipe!

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Dark Chocolate Cake I

Reviewed: Mar. 29, 2009

I substituted 2 cups of milk instead of the water. I lined two cake pans with wax paper and greased them as well. Then I put them in the oven for about 10 minutes longer. I frosted the layers with cream cheese frosting to make a delicious birthday cake for my dad. Thank you for a reliable chocolate cake recipe!

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Pecan Pie V

Reviewed: Mar. 7, 2009

Using my own recipe for the pie crust, I substituted the light brown sugar with dark brown sugar and added an additional 1/2 cup of chopped pecans for a total of 1 and a half cups. I baked the pie at 350 degrees for 15 minutes and at 300 degrees for 55 minutes. The pie was wonderful with outstanding flavor. Thank you for an easy, delicious recipe!

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BBQ Chicken Pizza I

Reviewed: Feb. 15, 2009

I didn't use any of the measurements from this recipe. Instead, I just eyeballed the ingredients based on the size of my crust. I halved the recipe for Jay's Signature Pizza Crust from this website to make one medium crust. I used precooked chicken strips, chopped red onion, cilantro, and a blend of mozzarella, cheddar, and Monterey Jack cheese. For the sauce, I used 1/2 cup of Tony Roma's BBQ sauce mixed with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Again, I just mixed some sugar in and tasted the sauce until it was just right. The amount of brown sugar is going to vary depending on which sauce you use. I found the Tony Roma's BBQ sauce to be a little too tangy and runny for the purposes of a pizza sauce. I'm going to keep experimenting with different sauces. But overall, this recipe is a good combination of ingredients for a BBQ chicken pizza. My family enjoyed it immensely. I'll definitely be using this recipe again.

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Easy Valentine Sandwich Cookies

Reviewed: Feb. 14, 2009

I omitted the almond extract and used 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract instead. I chilled the dough for 2 hours before cutting out hearts with star-shaped centers. The cookies do spread quite a bit in the oven so make sure to place them far apart on the cookie sheet. I made my cookies larger so I ended up baking them for about 10-12 minutes. I spread strawberry jam on half the cookies and sprinkled confectioners' sugar on the other half before sticking them together to make a sandwich. The cookies look so pretty and taste wonderful. Perfect for Valentine's Day! I will definitely be using this recipe again and again.

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Classic Tiramisu

Reviewed: Jan. 1, 2009

I found this exact same recipe on the back of my package of ladyfingers. Instead of coffee liqueur, I brushed the spongy ladyfingers with coffee. I used two 3-ounce packages of ladyfingers and assembled the tiramisu in a springform pan. I found that I fell short of a few ladyfingers, and I have yet to find a successful technique of layering them in the bottom of the springform pan in a neat and organized fashion. I refrigerated the tiramisu overnight but made the mistake of letting it come to room temperature before serving. You MUST serve the tiramisu as soon as it comes out of the refrigerator or else it will be too soft and literally melt! I've never tasted tiramisu before; the adults liked the coffee flavor and even thought that the tiramisu was a little too sweet. In contrast, the kids disliked the bitter coffee flavor and wanted a sweeter taste. But perhaps that's just how tiramisu tastes. It's more of an adult, not a kid, dessert. At least with a dusting of cocoa powder and chocolate shavings, the presentation was lovely.

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Biscotti

Reviewed: Dec. 23, 2008

The only change I made was substituting the anise extract with vanilla extract. A great tip that other reviewers mentioned is to shape the dough with slightly wet hands. This allows you to form a flattened log while preventing the dough from sticking to your hands. I baked the biscotti for 23 minutes, sliced it while hot with a serrated knife, and baked the slices for six minutes on each side. After I dipped the cookies in chocolate, they turned out fabulous: crunchy and flavorful. My kitchen smells amazing! Thank you for a wonderfully easy recipe that produces great results!

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J.P.'s Big Daddy Biscuits

Reviewed: Dec. 22, 2008

I don't know what went wrong! I followed the recipe exactly and even heeded others' advice. I brushed the tops with butter, handled the dough gently, added the milk gradually, and refrigerated the dough before baking. But the tops of the biscuits failed to brown. I had to cook the biscuits much longer than 15 minutes, and even then the centers still turned out dense and slightly raw. The flavor was excellent, but the texture was awful. The biscuits did not turn out light and fluffy with golden tops. I'm still searching for the perfect biscuit recipe.

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Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies I

Reviewed: Dec. 19, 2008

I used 3/4 cup white sugar and 3/4 cup brown sugar. I also used 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips and 1 cup white chocolate chips. The multicolored chips made the cookies look even prettier. Instead of making 48 small cookies, I made 18 large cookies, which I baked for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F. They turned out perfect: chewy in the middle and crisp on the edges. These cookies don't spread much if your butter is fairly cold. Make sure you beat the butter and sugar together long enough so that the mixture becomes light and fluffy; this step ensures that the texture of the cookie will be perfect. Overall, this recipe is wonderfully easy and produces delicious cookies. I'll definitely be using it again and again.

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Sugar Cookie Icing

Reviewed: Dec. 16, 2008

I had to add much more milk than the recipe called for to achieve a spreadable icing consistency. The icing must dry for several hours before the cookies can be stacked. The colors remained bright, and the icing flavor is decent. I didn't think there was anything particularly special about this recipe.

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