My grandchildren LOVED this -- even AFTER their Poppie told them that there was zucchini in it! It is very light and flavorful. I made it with half Splenda and half sugar because of dietary restrictions but it is still great! The second time I used lime juice and zest instead of lemon and it was absolutely amazing! Thanks for the great recipe!

I have made this recipe a LOT, long before I found it posted here, and have even made it in the last few years with Whey Low Sugar Substitute (don't try it with other sugar substitutes though, like Splenda or Nutrasweet -- it will NOT work!). There are two keys to it -- don't cook it ANY longer than absolutely necessary, just watch for the color and texture to change and remove it from heat IMMEDIATELY, then stir in the vanilla (not before or it will be bitter)and use a BIG pot or it will boil over and you will have a real mess on your hands. It should be light colored like caramel, not dark brown. And yes it does get hard when it is cold but you can warm it up in the microwave and it will remelt -- just keep an eye on it. Stores well for months in the refrigerator but portion it up in small jars as repeated heating will thicken it. Great stuff! Try it as a glaze for a cake or stir in pecans and use as a sauce for ice cream -- yummy!

I have been making this for YEARS and it is always wonderful. You can substitute the strawberries for peaches or raspberries or blackberries or blueberries or a mixture of any of these and change to the appropriate gelatin depending on what is in season. You can even use canned fruit (think mandarin oranges or pineapple). If you need it sugar free for a diabetic, splenda works very well, as does sugar free gelatin, but be careful measuring it because there is less of it (takes about half a package for one pie). I have even made it once with chopped cranberries sweetened with splenda in place of the berries and a bit of grated orange peel in the cheesecake part for a Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert... Splenda can make it sugar free quite well! It's very versatile and no one ever believes it is so easy to make. Use a graham cracker crust if you MUST, but a real deep dish pie crust is best! YUMMY!!!

It SAYS to render the fat out of the bacon! And if you use a leaner cut such as ground round (85/15 you will not have the grease problem. My family loved this , although I would not serve it every day. But as an occasional meal it is tasty and well received! It deserves five stars form flavor!

Those of you who are complaining about too much vinegar (especially when you specify that you used 'white viengar') -- READ the RECIPE and recognize that it calls for white WINE vinegar, which is considerable different in sharpness from white vinegar (simply acetic acid). If you are unwilling to part with the extra few bucks for the correct ingredient then don't waste your time making or reviewing the recipe. Made with white WINE vinegar or red wine vinegar, or even cider vinegar, it will taste fine. If you are expecting a flavor similar to mayo based potato salad you should forgo this recipe and stick to the mayo potato salad. There's no comparison! I love this recipe, although I do add some sweet onion and red bell pepper and plenty of salt and pepper, and leave the skins on. Fresh herbs such as basil, oregano, or rosemary would be good too, but I wouldn't use dried for this recipe, they wouldn't do it justice! But it is also fine as -- sometimes less is more!

I made these for dinner tonight -- exactly as written but with fresh rosemary instead of dried -- and these have to be among the BEST muffins I have ever made. And I have made some great ones, I am a baker with over fifty years experience! I would be proud to serve this to anyone! Excellent recipe, breakfast, lunch or dinner!! (And don't listen to the whiney reviewer that complained about the garlic! Be BRAVE, use the raw garlic and don't look back. You won't be sorry!) And yes, I HATE people who change the recipe before they review -- I made the recipe EXACTLY as stated and it was great. If I make changes, I will let you know how they come out....

I was looking for a recipe to use up some apple butter we received as a Christmas gift and this looked like a good candidate. I made these per the recipe, as muffins, not a mix, with two substitutions: apple butter for applesauce and the spices, and spelnda for the 1/2 cup sugar since we don't use regular sugar -- hence the need to get rid of the apple butter in a creative way. Didn't put any on top, I forgot -- but they were DELICIOUS without it. I might play around with using olive oil for the butter, but they are five star as is. I will probably make up some jars of the mix, because my grandchildren will love them, especially if I toss in some golden raisins and/or chopped nuts-- and they will be great for my school club's fundraiser!

I have been making this casserole forever... the only difference in this one and mine is that I use a mexican cheese blend instead of the monteray Jack cheese and always add a touch of chipotle chili powder (about 1/4 teaspoon) to the onions as they cook for the cornbread part, and I cook the onions in olive oil instead of butter. DO NOT use fat free sour cream, spring for at least lowfat... much better. After all this dish is NOT for watching your waistline. It also works well if you have a small family -- I cook for only two -- by putting it into 5 ounce custard cups and freeze the extras for later. It reheats very well in the microwave.

OK, I read all the reviews and no one answered my question. What KIND of LETTUCE???? There are many kinds and I am not sure that I can fairly rate the recipe if I am not using the kind of lettuce the original recipe author used. So: Romaine (maybe), leaf (probably not, yuck) iceberg (double yuck) or butter lettuce? What??? I really want to make this but those who substituted spinach and then rated the recipe did not really rate the original recipe, which sounds really interesting... If it did not say LETTUCE, I might use Bok Choi or Nappa Cabbage but it says LETTUCE. What KIND???

I hate to call anyone out but this did NOT originate in SF or BV or even in the US. It is straight from the Emerald Isle and should ONLY be made with Jameson's finest. Wonderful way to end a meal!

This is a classic recipe -- I use jarred sauce ONLY if I have to, otherwise I take the time and do it right. The carrot onion and celery are classic additions and yes, do use real Italian sausage, it does make a difference. Just one additional note, if I can't find real "manicotti" shells (as they are called in the US even if that isn't correct, as manicotti are indeed the same type of recipe using crepes instead of pasta) -- I purchase a package of chinese egg roll wrappers and fill and roll them. You may need to trim them a bit, depending on your pan size. Don't cook first, just put them in the pan seam side down and proceed same as with the stuffed tubes. Careful getting these out, it is harder to get them out whole than with the tubes, but still wonderful.

Striker, are you married? Because if not I am pretty sure your cooking could catch you whatevever mate your heart might desire! These are GREAT -- WONDERFUL idea!!

The flavor of dried herbs is intense -- you should cut the amount by 2/3 if you substitute dried for fresh herbs in any recipe. I used fresh and this was wonderful as written! I wouldn't change a thing!

If your biscuits by this recipe turned out 'rock hard' it was due to one of three things: 1) you worked the dough too long or 2) your flour was old and the leavening was no longer fresh or 3) you didn't use SELF-RISING, SOFT ?WHEAT flour, which is not as commonly available elsewhere as it is in the South. Good brands are White Lily or Hudson Cream -- NOT a hard wheat flour like Pillsbury, Gold Medal and DEFINITELY not Martha White (despite their claim to make the best biscuits) I have been making biscuits by this recipe since I was in elementary school and it works every time if you do it right!

How interesting that neither of the people who gave ratings so far actually MADE the recipe, although the five star rater was only trying to adapt it to being vegan. BUT the one who rated it three stars didn't even ATTEMPT to make it. Really?? This is a good basic Hoppin'John Recipe, and isn't hard to make, and if it is anything like others I have tried, will be even better tomorrow than today! Serve with good Southern cornbread (no sugar in it please) to sop up the juices! Thanks Tanya E!

Try this with Breyer's new dark chocolate ice cream instead of vanille, OMG it is truly to die for!!

PEOPLE! Forget the complaints about the lime flavor... it is SUPPOSED to have the flavor of the lime and the tequila! That is what supposed to be what fajitas taste like! This is an excellent authentic southwestern marinade! Really good flavor, thanks for posting the recipe, now I can make fajitas that TASTE like fajitas. There may need to be an adjustment to the salt, but please, do NOT use soy salt, use SALT!

We make a variation of this often and my family loves it. It is very versatile and forgiving if you want to change up the seasoning or substitute the type of sausage or some of the vegetables.

IF YOU STICK WITH THE RECIPE as written, it is "OK" but if you season it with some onion and garlic and other herbs and spices such as oregano and rosemary and thyme and basil, you get a five star dish -- ESPECIALLY if you do not overcook it and turn the squash to mush! For the sake of all the rest of us, please do not rate your "version" of the recipe if you altered it dramatically, stick to the original. With more spices and herbs this is very nice!

This is a good appetizer, and it isn't necessarily all that spicy if you use the green and red jelly both. Let the cream cheese come to room temperature and warm the jelly a bit in the microwave (about 15 sec) to make it easier to spread. Even better served with gingersnaps than it is with crackers, the spicy sweet of the gingersnaps really sets off the cream cheese and the heat of the jalapeno jelly. You can use the nuts or leave them out.