GracieBonica Recipe Reviews (Pg. 1) - Allrecipes.com (1299914)

Orange Streusel Muffins

Reviewed: May 11, 2012

My husband and I both thought these muffins were very good. The only change I made was to add 1/2 cup of sugar instead of the 1/4 cup. Several posters commented that the muffin itself wasn't sweet---well then, add a bit more sugar! I also read comments about the marmalade seeping out of the batter during baking; I had no problem with this, as I used a high-quality, "tight" gel marmalade--more fruit in it. there should be a thin ring of batter around the placed marmalade before the top layer of batter is added. The streusel was very tasty, and the eight muffins were round-topped and very pretty. The crumb was light, much as a coffee cake.

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Cream Scones

Reviewed: May 6, 2012

These were nice; they tasted more like a biscuit than a traditional scone, though. I added 1/2 cup chopped fresh strawberries, and made a glaze using powdered sugar, strawberry jam and milk. Next time I will add more sugar to the dough.

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Hungarian Mushroom Soup

Reviewed: Mar. 16, 2012

Delicious!! The only addition I made was to add some wine, as I do with many of the soups I prepare. I did not think that there was too much parsley, as a poster stated; this is a personal preference issue. We (family) have soups often, as a main entree. Because of this, we had just enough for three servings. If you are planning the same, double the recipe. This is the best mushroom soup recipe I have ever tried!

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Irresistible Irish Soda Bread

Reviewed: Mar. 15, 2012

Traditional or not, this bread received rave reviews at our St. Patrick's Day meal. It is similar in texture to a muffin---soft, yet substantial. I did not add raisins, but that is up to the individual. Very easy to prepare! I recommend trying this recipe.

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Chocolate-Cherry Brownie Cups

Reviewed: Feb. 2, 2012

Very nice---I like the cherry flavor with the chocolate--a good combination of flavors. I made these exactly as written, no subs or mods, and used regular-sized muffin papers. Very tasty served with a scoop of ice cream!

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Delicious Raspberry Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Reviewed: Feb. 2, 2012

Oh my goodness--these are heavenly!! I made them exactly as directed, no subs or mods, and they were perfectly done at 35 minutes. The butter is very important for the flavor and texture, so be sure to use it if you don't have any dietary restrictions. I can't believe how simple these are to prepare! My daughter said she went into "another dimension" when she tasted one--lol. These will definitely be part of my holiday baking, not to mention regular baking.

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Peach Muffins

Reviewed: Oct. 30, 2011

I made these muffins this morning for the first time, and my husband pronounced them "Delicious!" The only change I made was to add 1 and 1/2 cups of peaches, as they are my favorite fruit. I had to use frozen peaches, as the crop this year was not good. I look forward to using fresh peaches when they come back in season. I was a little concerned when I prepared the batter, as it seemed a bit stiff, but they were delicious, with a delicate texture. Do try this recipe!

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Parmesan Knots

Reviewed: Oct. 13, 2011

Very easy to prepare, and everyone loved them! The few changes I made were using 2 cans of Grands Home style biscuits (We didn't need three), and I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil. I also thought that 450F was too high a temperature, so I baked the biscuits at 375F for about 9 minutes. I can't wait to make these for family gatherings!

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Inside Out Ravioli II

Reviewed: Oct. 6, 2011

I guess I'm just getting old, because I didn't think this recipe was "easy", time-wise. It took me about an hour to get all the different ingredients together into one mixture. Cook the beef, cook the pasta, cook the spinach, drain each of the aforementioned, mix everything together. I added onion and garlic to the beef, and a little red wine and brown sugar to the bottled sauce. This recipe is tasty, and it does make two pans worth of casserole.

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Rhubarb Bread I

Reviewed: Jul. 8, 2011

My husband enjoyed this bread. I will have to wait to taste it myself, as I have a head cold and can't taste anything---:-( I think that next time I will adjust the recipe with half oil and half applesauce, as other posters recommended, and definitely add more rhubarb. I could see that the texture was soft---not heavy, which is good. Fortunately, I put one of the loaves in the freezer, so there will still be some for me later. I would also recommend chopping the rhubarb coarsely, for more flavor.

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Peanut Butter Sheet Cake

Reviewed: May 25, 2011

A peanut butter version of Texas Sheet Cake---fun for something different. Was I the only one who had to bake this at least ten minutes longer than directed? My stove is new and calibrated, so I'm not sure if it was the pan I used (light aluminum w/non-stick coating) or what caused this. I will make this again (this is my second time), but I will replace the oil with peanut butter and see if the p.b. taste is stronger. Still, a nice, moist cake, and ample for a family gathering or pot luck.

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Strawberry Muffins

Reviewed: May 22, 2011

I've already eaten three of these today----I added 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg and 1/4 c. brown sugar to the recipe, as several had suggested. I sprinkled cinnamon sugar on the muffin tops before baking. The muffins were perfectly done at 22 minutes. Very tasty, easy to prepare, and something new to make with fresh strawberries. Definitely a keeper recipe!

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Bill's Sausage Gravy

Reviewed: Apr. 10, 2011

I just made this again ( have done so many times) for last night's "breakfast-for-dinner". I love the maple sausage (and YES, I put maple syrup on my regular-flavored sausage). This is a tasty sausage gravy, and I have never had any problem (as someone did) with it tasting "floury". It won't taste that way if the flour is cooked sufficiently. It's called a "roux". Thanks, Bill, wherever you are!

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Cherry Chocolate Cake

Reviewed: Mar. 31, 2011

Wonderfully rich, and easy to prepare! I've made this twice now, and have always received compliments. This is the closest recipe I have found to compare to the taste of Betty Crocker's chocolate-cherry cake mix, from back in the early sixties. Sorry Betty, but I think I like this recipe even better---:-) One comment I will make is that the cake took closer to 40 minutes to bake in my oven. I did frost it with the chocolate buttercream frosting recipe I have, and this makes the dessert doubly rich! Thanks, Ginger, for a great recipe!

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Peppermint Patty Brownies

Reviewed: Mar. 16, 2011

I'm glad I gave this recipe another try. I made it when it first appeared in magazine ads, with less-than-desirable results. The edges were burned, and the patties oozed and stuck to the sides of the pan. Having said that, this time I lined the long side of the pan with parchment paper, sprayed the paper with cooking spray, and greased the short sides of the pan. Melted butter worked better for me (for the batter), and I used Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder, as this was all I had. It takes a little care to spread the bottom layer of batter on the paper in the pan but is doable, and I made sure that the patties were positioned 1/2-inch in from all the sides. I placed a sheet pan on the rack below the brownie pan in the oven; this helps with heat distribution and has prevented burning. The brownies took the full 55 minutes in my oven, and they were perfect---no burned edges, and the middle was cooked but not dry. The Special Dark cocoa makes these extra-rich. Now that I know that, with a few extra steps, these are a success for me, I'll definitely make them more often---especially for gifts or pot lucks.

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Mardi Gras King Cake

Reviewed: Mar. 9, 2011

I have several different variations of this recipe, and while they are all great, I really like this one best. What you use for the filling is a matter of personal preference. I'm not particularly a raisin fan, but I did use golden raisins in the filling for this recipe, and everyone LOVED the cake (myself included). This is a wonderful recipe, and not at all difficult, it just takes a bit of time. This makes two large rings---one to serve and one to give. Do try this!

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Apple Pie Muffins

Reviewed: Feb. 13, 2011

Oh my goodness--these are delicious!! I made the recipe exactly as directed---not a single alteration. I can't imagine why people tweak a recipe the first time they make it. Why not try it as the "chef" intended, especially when it is baked goods? Oh well. These muffins filled the house with a heavenly aroma as they baked---it actually awakened my son! I think this recipe would also make a fabulous coffee cake.

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Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Reviewed: Dec. 27, 2010

Delicious, easy to prepare-- this will be a regular recipe for my holiday baking. I don't understand the aversion people have to using paper liners in the muffin pans, whether regular -sized or mini. I use them regularly, and did so for this recipe. No problem with removing the cookie (or cupcake, muffin) from the pan, no cooked-on batter to scrub off. Everyone I served the cookies to thought the paper liners were a good idea. I agree that freezing and unwrapping the p.b. cups ahead of baking is best---much easier to handle them this way. I also wore a pair of disposable plastic gloves to make the cookie dough balls. I'll definitely make a double batch next year!

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Too Much Chocolate Cake

Reviewed: Dec. 1, 2010

This cake is very easy to prepare, and so rich! I did make some changes to the original recipe; I used 1/2 cup canola oil and 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, and added two packages of chocolate instant pudding. The cake will puff up quite a bit while baking, due to the extra pudding, but will return to normal size once it is out of the oven. I baked this for 60 minutes at 350F. I also used a full package (approx. 2 cups) of semi-sweet chocolate chunks instead of the morsels. I have also made this cake in a 13x9-inch baking dish--330F for about 45-50 minutes. The result was the softest, moistest, most flavorful chocolate Bundt cake I have ever made. It does not need icing; a dusting of powdered sugar is enough. Everyone in my family thought this was delicious!

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Yummy Peanut Butter Cookies

Reviewed: Nov. 18, 2010

I thought these were good. I also didn't think they had a very strong peanut taste, but I'm not sure how to make it more pronounced. I've noticed that this happens with many peanut butter dessert recipes I've tried. I made only one change in the recipe, using butter instead of margarine (I'm not a margarine fan). I will also omit the almond extract the next time I make these; my family and I like almond flavor, but it just seemed to detract from the peanut flavor. All in all, tho, I will keep this recipe as it is easy to prepare, makes several dozen cookies, and my family gave it a "thumbs up".

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