Joan Recipe Reviews (Pg. 1) - Allrecipes.com (1183478)

Wild Grape Starter

Reviewed: Dec. 9, 2005

This worked great. I did it in late fall, and the temperatures in my kitchen were pretty cold, so I let it sit an extra day. It is bubbly and active now, about a month after I started it. Two cups of starter will raise two loaves of 100% whole wheat bread right over the tops of the pans! It has taken this long to develop the sour flavor--it was only mildly sour at first. A long, slow, cool-temp rise will make your bread more sour. Also, the bread becomes more sour as time goes by--on the second or third day it's pretty sour!

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19 users found this review helpful

My Best Clam Chowder

Reviewed: Dec. 9, 2005

This chowder is terrific. It's hard to go wrong with a stick and a half of butter and a quart of half-and-half! This is really rich and good. I followed the suggestion of other reviewers to double the amount of clams--perfect. I also added about 2 teaspoons of Old Bay seasoning to the vegetables while they were poaching. The carrots are tasty and add a nice touch of color; I wouldn't leave them out.

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2 users found this review helpful

Apple, Cranberry, and Pear Crisp

Reviewed: Oct. 24, 2005

Complete silence descended on the table as folks dug in to this dessert! It was so delicious for fall. I changed a couple things--added 2 extra pears, so therefore increased the rest of the ingredients (except apples) by 50%. I didn't have walnuts, so used pecans. One tip is to mix the topping ingredients in the food processor--just pulse until it looks like coarse crumbs--fast and easy.

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60 users found this review helpful

Roast Beef and Cheese Roll Ups

Reviewed: Apr. 6, 2005

The texture of this dish seemed a bit too wet to me the first time I made it, so the second time I was very careful to dry the roast beef slices between sheets of paper towels before filling them. Also, on my second go with this dish, I added parmesan cheese, dried parsley, and black pepper to the ricotta mixture. That helped. This recipe definitely gives you that Italian-style food fix, without the carbs from pasta.

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13 users found this review helpful

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Reviewed: Apr. 6, 2005

Really delish dish! I reduced the butter and sugar as others suggested, and I'm so glad because there was a little circle of melted butter around each serving on our plates! Watch you don't overbake it, (like I did!) because that makes it feel greasy instead of decadent with butter. Still so tasty!

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3 users found this review helpful

Eileen's Spicy Gingerbread Men

Reviewed: Nov. 25, 2004

Let me just add my rave--perfect texture, wonderfully spicy, not-too-sweet treasure. My father, a 65-year-old cookie afficionado, said they were the best gingerbread men he had ever eaten. The dough was a bit sticky, especially when transfering the cut-out cookie to the baking sheet. I used waxed paper to roll them out, so I sprinkled the paper with a bit of flour just before cutting them out. My five-year-old son and I had a blast making them too. I will make these every year.

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2 users found this review helpful

Butter Icing for Cookies

Reviewed: Nov. 25, 2004

I was expecting the glossy icing you can dip cookies in--which this isn't! If you spread it, it looks a little rough--but it pipes beautifully. We used it to decorate "Eileen's Spicy Gingerbread Men" (on this site) and the sweet buttery flavor went well with that not-too-sweet cookie. It gets stiff when cool, so you may have to warm it up a few times. Really good icing.

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2 users found this review helpful

Osso Buco

Reviewed: Nov. 19, 2004

The flavor of this is phenomenal. I found breast of veal on sale and then found this recipe--unfortunately breast of veal has a ton of fat, so my sauce turned out greasy even after skimming. Not the recipe's fault though! My family loved it anyway--even the baby was cramming veal into his mouth with both hands! Will definitely make again--with veal shank next time!

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1 user found this review helpful

Cheeseburger Soup II

Reviewed: Nov. 13, 2004

While this is not exactly gourmet cuisine (come on, it has Velveeta!) it is really delicious. It's wonderful creamy comfort food for a cold day. I added a dash of cayenne, and didn't have the sour cream, but I'll add it next time. I also made it in the crockpot, sauteeing everything first and then tossing it in. Everyone loved it, even my hates-everything five year old. This dish will be a new regular.

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6 users found this review helpful

Apricot Chicken I

Reviewed: Sep. 11, 2003

Tasty! I made this with chicken leg quarters with skin removed--we don't like white meat here. Definitely making this again, but I think I'll use a fat-free dressing next time--the extra oil was just overkill. It's great to get a lot of flavor from just 3 ingredients!

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0 users found this review helpful

Bierock Casserole

Reviewed: Sep. 11, 2003

This idea, putting a filling between two layers of premade crescent dough, is a good one, and I think it could be adapted for other flavors. I made this with some of the suggestions for jazzing up the taste--dijon mustard, worcestershire, etc, and we all had seconds. I think it would also be good with canned or leftover corned beef, the sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing, and Swiss cheese--fast reuben casserole. Good idea, Kathy!

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2 users found this review helpful

Thunderbird Stew

Reviewed: Sep. 6, 2003

Really terrific flavor for a cheap chuck roast. Odd how good these three ingredients taste together! I thickened the juices by melting 2T butter in a skillet and stirring in 2T of flour, cooking briefly, and adding it to the crockpot to make gravy. This fills all my recipe requirements--cheap, easy, and good!

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10 users found this review helpful

Charley's Slow Cooker Mexican Style Meat

Reviewed: Sep. 4, 2003

This smelled fantastic while it was cooking, but was so hot I couldn't even eat it. My husband, who is a huge fan of spicy food, ate a little, but then couldn't take it. We ended up going out for burgers. Sorry.

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1 user found this review helpful

Creole Chicken I

Reviewed: Sep. 4, 2003

Pretty good crockpot dish. Thanks to tips from other cooks, I knew to add some more spice. I used the spicy brand of chopped tomatoes, chorizo sausage, and added some red pepper flakes and chili powder along with the hot sauce. I also added thyme, garlic, and bay leaf. Still could have used some heat, but we all had seconds.

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1 user found this review helpful

Baby Carrots And Brussels Sprouts Glazed With Brown Sugar and Pepper

Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2002

This looked lovely in the dish on our Thanksgiving table, but it was disappointing. The glaze was thin and scanty, and the vegetable were not nearly cooked enough, according to the recipe times, especially the brussels sprouts. With some changes, this could be a pretty good recipe.

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9 users found this review helpful

Anniversary Chicken I

Reviewed: Feb. 21, 2002

We really like the combination of flavors in this dish, although I use real bacon. I've made it twice: once with boneless breasts, and once with boneless thighs. The thighs are MUCH better--really tender and juicy. The breasts were okay, but kind of dry. Yes, thighs have more fat, but if you are making this dish, you're obviously not worried about fat content!

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0 users found this review helpful

Artichoke and Black Olive Baked Chicken

Reviewed: Jan. 31, 2002

It needs something. The tarragon just doesn't go with the rest of the flavors--maybe fresh thyme or rosemary would be better. The olives and artichoke hearts were good, but they didn't really give much flavor to the chicken. If I made this again, I would add more herbs, maybe some mushrooms and capers--or better yet just try a different recipe! I should mention that my husband really liked it.

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7 users found this review helpful

Belgian Beef Stew

Reviewed: Jan. 31, 2002

Really unusual but excellent dish. I mean, beer and lemon juice? With beef and bacon??? Something about the combination of flavors just makes for a fantastic, memorable stew. I would serve this to company.

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14 users found this review helpful

Bing Cherry Gelatin Mold

Reviewed: Jan. 31, 2002

This was super-easy. Even using sugar-free gelatin and diet cola, it tasted good. The gelatin seemed really firm to me though--is it really supposed to be a 6-oz box of gelatin?

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11 users found this review helpful

Orange Fluff I

Reviewed: Jan. 24, 2002

Really tasty and refreshing. I used sugar-free gelatin and "light" whipped topping and it was a bit too sweet for my taste. Next time I might add a squeeze of lemon juice and maybe some coconut or toasted nuts. Everyone raved about it, especially the family diabetics.

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6 users found this review helpful