claudygirl Recipe Reviews (Pg. 1) - Allrecipes.com (1141886)

Eggplant Parmesan II

Reviewed: Feb. 25, 2012

I made this today for 6 adults. I used 3 eggplants for a total of about 3.5 pounds, unpeeled, and ended with 3 layers in a 9 x 13 glass dish - perfect. I prepared the eggplant slices last night for quick and easy assembly in the morning, and it really was quick and easy. I did the salt, rinse and dry, too. The only thing I will do differently the next time is to raise the oven temperature to 475 to "toast" the slices better as a previous reviewer suggested, and for 7 minutes per side. Crispier pieces would have defined the layers better and improved the overall texture. Also, I slice the eggplant at better than a quarter of an inch. All that said, this recipe is wonderful and my guests really enjoyed it. Served with ziti and salad (wine and Italian bread). No one had dessert - too full. Thanks!

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2 users found this review helpful

Fluffy Pancakes

Reviewed: Dec. 8, 2011

I found this recipe only a couple of weeks ago afterI became really frustrated with my previous resules. I have made it several times since. They always have consistently come out excellent, but today's were the best. I used just a wee bit less milk and when mixing the dry with wet, I took the advice of one reviewer and left the batter lumpy. These babies were so tall and flufy, I couldn't believe it. Kris, thanks for the winning recipe and thanks to reviewers for the tips.

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1 user found this review helpful

Restaurant-Style Potato Salad

Reviewed: Jul. 3, 2011

Love this recipe. I always sub light sour cream for half the mayonnaise. Whenever I make this for a crowd, I go "full dress". Today, I was only preparing half the recipe for 3 and I needed to go shopping. I made it without carrots, celery, and pimento. Other than sprinkling a touch of celery salt (instead of salt and I know they're the same), I made do. I also made the mistake of tasting it after it had been refrigerated for a few hours. What makes this special for me is the combination of mayo, sour cream, mustard, and white wine vinegar, sprinkled with parsley. Keep your potato chunks fairly large (boil them, but cool them in the fridge, covered, at least overnight), and what a treat. The only thing is, I have to come up with more potato salad in the morning for my few guests.

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1 user found this review helpful

Mulligatawny Soup I

Reviewed: Jun. 22, 2011

I've been making this soup for two years and just realized I've never rated it. This is hands down my family's favorite soup. I make huge batches and freeze it in six-serving containers. I substitute brown rice for white, triple the apples and shred them to make a fabulous broth. I do not add the cream, but I add a touch of half and half at the end. Thanks for sharing, Lise.

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6 users found this review helpful

Awesome Sausage, Apple and Cranberry Stuffing

Reviewed: Nov. 25, 2010

I use to prepare the same wonderful oyster stuffing every year calling it "tradition". So, about five years ago, when I realized how predictable my special dinner had become, I started using a different recipe every year. Today, I used this one. I have to tell you, it went over so well, we could hardly wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow (I always cook more than needed, just in case). I followed the recipe exactly except for the following changes as recommended by reviewers. I chose to go with the Pepperidge Farm, Country-Style mix of white and wheat cubes, and I'm so glad I did. I also added one-fourth cup of Madeira wine and, because I did not stuff the bird with this, I used the whole can of turkey broth. I just went for it. Again, thank you to reviewers. I used Jimmy Dean's sage-flavored sausage. Three last tips if you want the same rave reviews. First, dig that grose liver out of the turkey, saute it until browned, but still pink in the middle, then pulvarize it in the food chopper, just get it all in. It's the magic ingredient! (Sometimes we have to look the other way). Second, use real fresh or frozen cranberries. It makes a world of difference. They gently pop in your mouth and add a surprise to every bite. Third, use fresh herbs whenever possible. (I use a little coffee bean grinder to get them down to size). This recipe is an abosolute winner, and a keeper. Thanks Stacy.

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5 users found this review helpful

Banana Crumb Muffins

Reviewed: Jul. 11, 2010

These are very delicious. Unfortunately, I took the advice of one (or more) reviewers to let them bake for a while and add the topping in the last minutes. I baked them for 10 minutes, took them out and tried to top them - none of the topping would stick. I doubled this recipe. For the second batch, I sprinkled right onto the batter and then came out perfect, looking just like the picture, and taste wonderful. I had to discard the first batch because without the topping, they were tasteless. If you follow the recipe, you will love these.

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1 user found this review helpful

Corn Pudding V

Reviewed: Dec. 26, 2009

I have to give 5 stars to any recipe that draws as many raves as this simple side dish. I doubled the recipe nd used a 9 x 12 baking dish. I added 2, not 4 eggs, and a minced onion. I baked it for a little over an hour, until the knife came out clean (because it was deeper than a single recipe). The outer edges overcooked a little, but no one minded. I served this as a perfect compliment to a spiral ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans and the garlicky butternut squash (on this site). All they talked about was this cord "pudding". One last note: Once we were finished with dinner, I had a few "squares" left over. When I moved them to a container, the texture was quite a bit more firm, if that's how you like it. I will let it cool for at least 45 minutes the next time I make it, and I will make it again for sure. Thanks Becky!

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3 users found this review helpful

Raisin-Studded Apple Stuffing

Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2009

Every year at Thanksgiving, I try a new recipe for stuffing/dressing to prevent predictability. They are always labor intensive, time-consuming and well worth it. I haven't picked a loser yet. This year, I chose this recipe. I followed the recipe exactly and made it as a dressing. If you like a mushy dressing, it will need more moisture. This did not turn out dry but I added two extra ounces of broth and kept it covered until the last minutes. The apples and plumped raisins really stood out, but the overall flavor made everyone pause after the first bite and their complements made this positively deserving of five stars. Thank you Teri!

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4 users found this review helpful

Special Occasion Stuffed Crown Pork Roast

Reviewed: Dec. 25, 2006

I'm rating this mostly for the stuffing. It was beautiful and tasted wonderful. I used about 3 cups of whole fresh cranberries. My 9.5 lb. crown's center was not open enough to stuff so I made it as a dressing. This was my first crown pork. I decided to roast it under a foil tent, crown down at 325. After 3 hours, I turned it crown side up and covered the bone ends with foil. I had to kick the heat up to 350 and it had to continue cooking for two more hours to reach 160 (before resting). The next time, I will begin it at 350, then down to 325. This is not your ordinary pork chop dinner. The meat was succulent and the stuffing festive and delicious. Thanks for all the raves this fabulous meal got for me. As for cooking temps, I always have success with a slower roast.

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12 users found this review helpful

Spanish Chicken

Reviewed: Dec. 17, 2006

This was just okay. I wished I had pounded and marinated the chicken and if I ever make this again, I will add a ton more chopped green pepper and onions to the rice mixture. I used a mild salsa to top the chicken, but I would prefer medium. It was just kind of bland.

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5 users found this review helpful

Cranberry Sauce

Reviewed: Nov. 23, 2006

I was frantic for a quick and easy recipe as my other cranberry did not turn out as expected. I chose this one. As most of the reviewers pointed out, this was runny, but the flavor was great and the color was beautiful. Adding a touch of grand marnier is ingenious. If you want a more gelled sauce, simply cut the OJ to 1/2 cup! Once they start popping mash them with the back of a spoon. This will gel in just a few hours in the fridge. As it is, it is more of a delicious cranberry preserve - very spreadable for sandwiches!

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163 users found this review helpful

Scalloped Potatoes and Onions

Reviewed: Oct. 30, 2006

I'm giving this 5 stars because it enlightened me. I never thought you could prepare scalloped potatoes without tons of milk, cream and/or butter. I made this yesterday for a test drive. I used light margerine, and I took all of Shauna's suggestions (except the bacon bits) to season it up a little more. This revised recipe is proof that scalloped potatoes don't have to make you feel guilty, and they lost nothing in taste. Fresh garlic makes the difference. Delicious!

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3 users found this review helpful

Butternut Squash Supreme

Reviewed: Oct. 30, 2006

Oh my, I've never been the first reviewer! I made this yesterday. I love these kind of dishes because they're so make-aheadable. This was quite good. I liked the texture as compared to the typical runny mashed squash sides. There's a spice missing to make it stand out though, but I haven't figured out what it is yet. I liked it enough to make it a keeper for this veggie, but it needs a little more ooomph - but not butter or cheese, please. Try it and let me know!

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2 users found this review helpful

Blue Cheese Burgers

Reviewed: Jul. 4, 2006

I made these today. I was very excited about upscaling burgers on the grill, and I still am. I (charcoal) grilled them for 5 minutes each side, and that was too long (I suck at grilling). While they were cooking, I could see the bleu cheese oozing out of them - delish, but I didn't want them to be raw in the center. I doubled the bleu cheese and no one could detect the cheese flavor. To make matters worse, two major supermarkets did not have fresh chives, so I had to use dried. Therefore, I am rating this recipe a 4 until all my ducks are in a row. I will do these again, and will update my review. I am certain that with fresh chives and grill training, they will be superb.

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2 users found this review helpful

Sweet Potato Potato Salad

Reviewed: Jul. 4, 2006

This came out really, really well . Very pretty, and everyone commented. However, with all these cold, mayonnaise-based salads, I always cut the mayo in half and use a light sour cream for the other. To me, it makes it creamier and a lot healthier without sacraficing taste. Everyone appreciates it, too. With the added mustard, it is really perfect. I salt (everything) very lightly and sprinkled a really good layer of pepper over the potatoes. Also, I used only half the eggs. The celery adds a welcome crunch. Make a big batch so you can enjoy it for a few days! Thanks Dee.

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198 users found this review helpful

Italian Style Meatloaf I

Reviewed: Jun. 29, 2006

After reading reviews, I formed a loaf and placed it in a broiling pan to drain as it cooked. I followed the recipe exactly, but added chopped onions. This meatloaf was MUSHY. The flavor okay, but I don't know what the cheese added other than calories. If I can give you just one tip, just use 1 egg! It's the 2 eggs that made it mushy. By the way, I baked it at 375 for an hour, fifteen minutes.

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2 users found this review helpful

Baked Potato Salad I

Reviewed: Jun. 28, 2006

I served this at a family cookout last Sunday with steaks. I used 5 lbs. red bliss potatoes, and decreased the cheese to 8 oz, with another two oz on top. Thanks to reviewers, I used cheddar, all sour cream, no olives, and a full lb. of bacon. The bacon in and on top of this casserole makes this superb. I cut the potatoes into large dices, skin on, and boiled them to near done. I was delighted that they tasted like the had been baked, not boiled. It was a tad dry, likely due to less cheese, so I will increase the sour cream the next time so they will be creamier when going into the oven, and there definitely will be a next time. A wonderful side dish, that upscales your typical Thanks!

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4 users found this review helpful

Slow Cooker Dump and Go Cheesy Chicken

Reviewed: Jun. 14, 2006

Rarely do I try a recipe where the "Most Helpful" comment by a reviewer is negative, however, I needed a "dump and go" meal for today as I was trying to give my kitchen a fresh coat of paint. I have never cooked with the cheddar cheese soups before. I used only 3 large chicken breasts. The sauce was a good consistency to top extra-wide noodles, but like other reviewers, I found that it created a bad aroma while cooking, and was not only bland but what taste it did have, didn't agree with any of us. If you like canned and instant foods like Kraft mac & cheese, etc., you might like this. It tasted like an "instant" meal. Will not make this (or buy canned cheese) again! Sorry Chris.

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2 users found this review helpful

Braided Easter Egg Bread

Reviewed: Apr. 18, 2006

I knocked a star off because the bleeding of the color from the eggs onto the bread took away from the presentation a bit. I died the eggs the day before and kept them refrigerated until the last minute and they still bled like crazy BUT without the bleeding, it would have been a beautiful centerpiece to the table as guests sat down. Also, 25 minutes in the oven tops! And this made wonderful, and I mean wonderful bread.

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3 users found this review helpful

Aunt Jewel's Chicken Dressing Casserole

Reviewed: Mar. 23, 2006

I used two pounds of boneless chicken instead of 3, and two cans of cream of chicken soup - I didn't have celery. One can of soup would have been enough for two pounds of meat. I also used a smaller, deeper baking dish so the amount of stuffing was perfect. I also added plenty of seasoning and chicken granules to the boiling water, and added diced onion to the chicken stove-top stuffing. With all the seasoning, the taste was great - delicious. This would also an excellent use of leftover turkey and homemade stuffing. Served green beans and cranberry sauce on the side.

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4 users found this review helpful