SNOWBIRD2002 Recipe Reviews (Pg. 1) - Allrecipes.com (107492)

Shepherd's Pie V

Reviewed: Jan. 14, 2011

Oh my goodness, this was terrific! I made this tonight as directed with the following exceptions: Instead of beef bouillon I used Knorr Homestyle Stock (1 beef & 1 chicken) I added 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp rosemary, 1/4 tsp chopped garlic (the jar type), 1 whole onion instead of powder, I used about 1 1/2 cups water which I thickened a teeny bit with flour because I like gravy in my Shepherd's pie. I also added parsley & garlic. I added a few shakes of pepper but I didn't add salt which was a good thing because the Worcestershire sauce and beef/chicken broth was salty enough. I made the mashed potatoes as I usually do with butter & 18% cream and added about 1 tbsp of ranch dressing. I even added more of the frozen veggies to stretch it because I needed leftovers to make 2 frozen TV dinners with the Rubbermaid divided trays. Before putting it in the oven I put a few dollops of butter on top to help the potatoes brown. This was super yummy and we are looking forward to our homemade TV dinners. The only thing I may not do next time (and there will be a next time)is to omit the Worcestershire sauce because we found it a tad salty. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, it's a keeper for us.

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Scotch Eggs

Reviewed: Jan. 2, 2010

I've been making Scotch Eggs for decades but have never coated them. I thought I would try it for a change and as it's been a while since I've made them I came online to double check the recipe and noticed that the recipe called for coating them so I decided to coat mine this time. Normally I add a few spices to my Scotch Eggs such as black pepper, onion powder, a touch of garlic powder, parsley and my secret ingredient ... oregano. In my search for this recipe I noticed that Emeril uses his secret spice mixture which includes oregano and it was the oregano that I was confused about, I couldn't remember if it was oregano or poultry seasoning. LOL. Try adding oregano it gives such a nice addition to the sausage taste. I covered the hard boiled eggs with my seasoned sausage meat, then dipped them in flour, then egg then in Panko bread crumbs. Also I baked mine on a baking sheet covered with Release foil to prevent sticking) for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F. they turned out totally awesome, my husband liked them coated. Thanks for helping me with this recipe

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English Butter Tarts

Reviewed: Sep. 23, 2009

These butter tarts are the best I've ever tasted. I am the worst baker in existence but every year around this time I get the baking urge, put on my apron and give baking another try, usually with disastrous results. I made them with Ruth's Grandma's Pie Crust (recipe on this site which is also a phenomenal recipe); together they turned out the best butter tarts I could ever imagine. We ate them hot from the oven; I don't know if we can wait till the rest cool. I can't believe I actually made them, they were so good! The substitutions I made were using a no sugar pancake syrup with Splenda instead of corn syrup because we're diabetic and the brown sugar was enough sugar for us thank you very much. LOL I also substituted butter for the shortening and used the two eggs so they wouldn't be runny. I whipped the entire mixture till it was frothy, used raisins and pecans, baking them at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. I really liked this recipe because they were not overly sweet; though I'm not sure if that was because I substituted a no sugar syrup. At any rate, this recipe is a keeper and one I will pass along to my girls (and my son). Thank you ever so much 2doulas for sharing your amazing recipe with us. I know I'll have to make an extra batch tomorrow to freeze.

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Ruth's Grandma's Pie Crust

Reviewed: Sep. 23, 2009

OMG! This pastry is to die for. It is so tasty and flaky that my husband was swooning. I used this recipe to make English Butter Tarts (another recipe from this site). I followed the recipe to a T with the exception of substituting Splenda for the sugar. I used butter flavoured Crisco and I put the water in the freezer to ensure it was "ice cold". I made half the recipe and got enough dough for 12 butter tarts. I put it in the fridge to keep cool whilst I made the butter tart filling. Thanks so much to Barbara Castodio for sharing this phenomenal recipe with us. My pastry making is a family joke because I murder pastry; it usually ends up to be one big grey ball of stuff that is either tougher than nails or is like a jig saw puzzle trying to put pieces together to make one usable piece. But now I can make pastry .... who'd a thunk it? LOL This recipe is a keeper and is one I will pass along to my daughters & my son.

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Best Steak Marinade in Existence

Reviewed: Jul. 6, 2009

I gave this a 4 star rating because (a) I've never used a marinade before and have no idea if it is the best marinade in existence and (b) I did tweak it a little bit: I made it according to the recipe but reduced it for 2 people. I always read the reviews before trying a recipe and so with this recipe I took some reviewers' advice and added some Dijon mustard (Hellmann's squeeze) and about 1 tbsp. of brown sugar. It was really good, thank you for sharing your recipe. My husband really liked it and so did I ... and we're extremely fussy. LOL I let it sit in a Ziploc bag for over 30 hours (because we couldn't cook it and it had to wait until the next night but it was great for having to sit that long in the marinade). I tossed it on my barbecue. I also tenderized it prior to putting it in the marinade in the bag by hitting it with a jar of pickles (LOL ... don't have a meat tenderizer hammer thingy). Then when it was in the bag along with the marinade I pounded it again. It really was tender (it was a very large sirloin tip steak that was on sale) and I didn't need any A-1 Steak Sauce like I normally do. I served it with baked potatoes and garlic sauteed Swiss chard in EVOO (extra virgin olive oil). I'll make this again and I've printed it out and it's going in my Tried & True Recipe Book.

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Broccoli with Garlic Butter and Cashews

Reviewed: Mar. 30, 2009

I'm sorry but I did NOT like this recipe. There was absolutely NO sauce at all, just brown crumbly stuff. I had to throw it out. This is the first recipe on this website that I have given a low rating to. I followed the directions to the letter, only reducing the quantity for two people. Did anyone else end up with no sauce?

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Roast Sticky Chicken-Rotisserie Style

Reviewed: Mar. 30, 2009

I've been making Roast Stick Chicken for about ten years now. I got the recipe originally from a low carb website I belong to. Everyone in my family loves this from my husband to my grandchildren. It's a standard in my house.

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Stuffed Shells III

Reviewed: Mar. 6, 2009

This was absolutely phenomenal, thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us. My husband totally loved it. I made a few changes. I used 2 jars of Ragu Spaghetti sauce. To the cheese mixture I added mushrooms, chopped green & red peppers, chopped spinach, spicy spaghetti seasoning, diced onion and a wee bit of garlic (the kind in the jar). I made the sauce as directed. I put sauce on the bottom of the baking dish, added extra mozzarella to the top of the sauce covered shells and baked it covered with aluminum foil until the last 10 minutes. OMG ... this is a keepr!

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Lo Mein Noodles

Reviewed: Jan. 13, 2009

This was really quite good. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because I tweaked it somewhat. I used vermicelli instead of spaghetti and I used some sesame oil and not as much canola oil. I also added thinly sliced beef strips, julienne carrots, red & green peppers, mushrooms, celery, broccoli and cauliflower along with the snow peas. I found it quite strong tasting so I diluted it with a mixture of chicken broth and soy sauce to make it better and it was quite nice. So when I make this again (and I will)I'll simply cut down the 5 Chinese spices to 1/4 tsp or less. Even though it was strong it was very enjoyable and this is on my keeper list. Thank you Kay for sharing your recipe with us.

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Almond-Crusted Tilapia

Reviewed: Jan. 12, 2009

First let me say that I HATE fish (except for shell fish). Most of it makes me gag but hubby just had a bypass operation and I needed to cook healthy. I scaled down the recipe for two people, didn't add as much Parmesan cheese (only because my hands were sore after grating some of it) and I added Mrs. Dash spices (regular and spicy). I put it on a sheet of Release aluminum foil with a mixture of butter & olive oil and put it under the broiler rather than frying it. This was incredible! No fishy taste at all. This is a keeper for this non fish eater. Thanks for sharing.

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Lentil Soup

Reviewed: Aug. 26, 2008

This is very good lentil soup (which I've never eaten before but I was curious and hubby has to eat a high fibre diet). The only changes I made was to use less lentils as I like a soupy soup and I used chicken broth instead of water. I'll make this again for sure.

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Mouse's Macaroni and Cheese

Reviewed: May 20, 2008

I love cheesy mac and cheese so this recipe was just what I was looking for. I had a problem with the measurements of the cheese because I forgot to switch to metric and I wasn't sure how much 8 oz was in metric (my block of Velveeta had metric measurements on it). I basically used 3/4 of the block. After making it though I found out that the block of Velveeta was 16 ounces so it turned out that I added 4 oz more than the recipe called for. I should have added more milk as it was a tad thick after baking. Otherwise I pretty much followed the recipe exactly. I didn't have any breadcrumbs so I smashed up some leftover croûtons I had. They were Caesar salad flavored sourdough croûtons and I added some shredded cheddar cheese to them. My husband liked that; it really made a nice, yummy, crunchy topping. I also added onion, garlic and hot sauce to the roux before I added the milk. This was really quite tasty. I have lots of left over so I'm going to add some milk to it and make some more croûtons topping. Thanks for the recipe.

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Luscious Lima Bean Soup II

Reviewed: Apr. 6, 2008

Wonderful! I followed the recipe exactly and my family loved it. Thank you for sharing. Regarding the question of Lima & Butter Beans: There are other names for just about everything in the food world, and in this case, butter beans is the other name for lima beans. There are two common varieties of lima bean — the baby lima bean and the Fordhook — but don't confuse them as the same bean in different stages of development. The Fordhook is larger, lighter in color, and has a stronger taste than the baby lima, but it is not a grown-up baby — it is a separate variety. In the south of the United States, Fordhook lima beans are commonly called butter beans. Many southerners wouldn't recognize the name lima bean.

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Basic Ham and Bean Soup

Reviewed: Feb. 10, 2008

This was actually quite good. However I only gave it 4 stars because I had to tweak it quite a bit; so it's a great starter recipe. I soaked the beans overnight and this morning I dumped everything in my crock pot. I pretty much followed the recipe but like some suggested, I used half chicken broth and half water. I didn't have the northern beans so I used regular pot beans that I use for pork & beans. I used 4 carrots and 4 celery stalks with the leaves. I had to add 4 packets of chicken bouillon, some Season All seasoning, lots of pepper & salt because it tasted kind of bland. I used 2 bay leaves and the onion & garlic as per the recipe. Oh and I added a good splash of Franks Red Hot Sauce as someone suggested. I thickened it at the end with a mix of cornstarch & water because I like a thick, hearty soup. I skinned the pork hocks (2 of them)because I was afraid of a lot of grease. I then thought there would not be enough meat so I added 4 pieces of thick sliced bacon (sliced up).. next time I'll add more bacon and perhaps a ham bone if I have one plus ham meat. The end result was very good. Thank you for this recipe, it's going in my KEEPER Recipe Book.

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Yorkshire Pudding

Reviewed: Nov. 6, 2007

I'm giving this only 3 stars because I ended up with hockey pucks. The hockey pucks were tasty though. Anyone know why mine did not rise? I don't live in a high altitude area. I used to use the package mix and it always turned out high and fluffy. I followed the recipe and only changed the serving size to 4 and made them in muffin tins.

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Buffalo Chicken Wings II

Reviewed: Oct. 29, 2007

These wings were just so-so. I followed the recipe exactly. They didn't get crisp the way we like them. I upped the temperature to 375 degrees F when I turned them over. So I only gave these a 3 Star.

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Creamiest Rice Pudding

Reviewed: Oct. 29, 2007

OMG ... this is the best rice pudding I have ever tasted. I'm eating it hot as I type this, I don't think there will be any left to put in the fridge (and I made it for 16) LOL My hubby says it's to die for! I followed the instructions exactly. I was concerned about the 1/2 gallon (8 cups) of milk ratio to the 1 cup of rice but it worked! The only change I made was that I mixed in about a cup of half and half cream with the 2% milk to make a total of 8 cups. I added a pinch of nutmeg and about 1/8 cup of Splenda brown sugar blend ... oh and I used Splenda instead of sugar. When I mixed the egg & milk I put in some raisins and let them soak in the egg/milk mixture while the rice was cooking. I tempered the egg/milk mixture as other posters suggested and added a large dollop of butter at the end as one poster did. I can stop looking now, I've found my keeper rice recipe. Thank you for sharing your recipe Bonnie. Yum Yum!

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Split Pea and Ham Soup II

Reviewed: Oct. 19, 2007

Awesome ... ! I gave this a 4 Star rather than a 5 because it was a great base soup and I tweaked it for more flavour (so 1 star belongs to me) LOL I filled a large stock pot with water and put in my ham bone. I cut up lots of ham in order to get rid of it (probably 1/8 of a shank of ham. I made the recipe pretty much as it was written except I doubled the celery & carrots due to the large pot I was making. I added a waxed carton of chicken broth, an envelope of vegetable Oxo granules, a bay leaf, some Season All seasoning and some (1/4 tsp) of crushed garlic (the jar kind). I used 1 small bag of whole yellow peas and 1/2 small bag of split yellow peas which I forgot to presoak but it turned out okay and about 1/4 cup of barley. It is sooooo good! We're eating this as a late lunch and will have it for dinner along with some nice, fresh Italian bread. Another keeper recipe. Thank you for sharing it with us.

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Home Style Macaroni and Cheese

Reviewed: Oct. 18, 2007

I loved this mac & cheese ... and I'm fussy! Because some reviewers mentioned that this was bland, I was a tad concerned so I doctored (tweaked) the recipe. I used 2 cups of elbow macaroni as one poster suggested and perhaps 2 1/4 cups of milk/coffee cream mix because one (or more) poster said it wasn't creamy enough and a tad dry. I didn't add the whole 8 oz cream cheese but I probably used 5 or 6 oz (it was the softened cream cheese in the tub and the stupid measure is in metric which I still can't get a handle on). LOL Instead of 2 tsp of Dijon mustard I used 2 generous squeezes of prepared Hellman's Dijon mustard and about 1/4 tsp of prepared HOT mustard. I also added onion powder, some crushed wet garlic (the type in the jar), a generous sprinkling of Season All, extra pepper & salt and in the hopes of keeping it creamy I added about 4 or so oz. of Brie cheese as that's all I had on hand. For the topping I used crushed baked onion thins crackers instead of bread crumbs as I didn't have any breadcrumbs and I used only a half a cup which I mixed with 1 tbsp butter. Instead of the parsley I mixed in some grated cheddar cheese then I put the topping on top and sprinkled it lightly with more grated cheddar cheese. This was absolutely awesome! Creamy enough, tasty enough and definitely a recipe I would make again. I may cut down on the salt though as I'd forgotten how salty cheddar cheese can be. This is a winner for sure!

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Doreen's Ham Slices on the Grill

Reviewed: Oct. 18, 2007

I had bought a ham shank because my daughters had thrown out the ham bone from our Canadian Thanksgiving glazed ham. I wanted to make some yellow pea soup and needed more ham/bone. Okay, so I made this last night using some slices off the ham shank and it was absolutely wonderful. I did it outside on the barbecue. I didn't change a thing. I sliced the ham relatively thick and it didn't take much time at all to cook. Next time I would only make half the sauce recipe as it's only the 2 of us and I had a lot of sauce left over. Personally, I love the plain slices from the ham shank but hubby does not and I had all this ham to use up. Thank you so much Doreen for sharing this great recipe with us. Hubby not only liked it, he thought it was 'interesting'. I actually really enjoyed this myself. I will make this recipe often. I thought the glaze tasted somewhat similar to the Octoberfest mustard that I buy only not as sweet.

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