Foodgasm. That is the best way to describe this sauce. I'd been on a "eh, it tastes okay" cooking streak, and I wanted to impress my boyfriend with a really great meal. THIS IS IT. I followed the recipe exactly, and was liberal with the salt and pepper where they say "to taste." The sauce was robust with flavor; the texture was satiny smooth; I licked the gravy boat and wished I had made more. My boyfriend proclaimed this "fantastic" and was still talking about it the day afterward. And, the best part was, this recipe was incredibly easy. I highly recommend this to anyone looking to make a WOW meal. One suggestion--the recipe, as it's written, makes enough gravy for two, maybe three people; I would double it for 4+ dinner guests.

This should really be 2.5 stars. I made the following changes to the recipe: sesame oil instead of veggie oil; 1 cup mixed frozen (thawed out) veggies instead of onion and green beans. I also used low sodium soy sauce. The rice came out pretty tasty for homemade Chinese food, but it was a bit too salty for my palate. I might decrease the salt next time to 1/4 tsp since soy sauce has a good amount of salt in it to begin with. I also feel like the taste is "missing something," though I have no idea what. I will look to reviewers' comments next time to make improvements. Will try this again and play with it a bit.

My friend made this for me last night, and it was delicious! I really liked the taste of the mustard in the cheese sauce...it added a nice little kick! I watched her make the dish, and it looked like she followed the recipe exactly. If I were making it, I might add a pinch of nutmeg to the sauce for a little extra flavor, though extra flavor was certainly not needed. This makes a great meal on a chilly autumn night! Saving to my personal recipes so I can give it a try myself...

This was a nice recipe, but nothing spectacular. I encountered the same "problem" I have with all chicken recipes that don't require marinades--the outside of the chicken is very tasty, but the inside is bland because none of the coating reaches the meat underneath. However, this recipe was quick and easy to prepare, and the coating was crunchy and flavorful, so I would make it again. I served the chicken with the "Baked Mac and Cheese for One" recipe on this site--it all made a very nice, comforting fall meal.

This is a great recipe, though I made a small change in the interest of saving time: I plopped the dough balls on the cookie sheets, made the "thumbprints" using a wine cork (worked wonderfully), and put the cookies WITHOUT JAM into the oven for 10-12 mins. I took them out just before the bottom edges started to get brown (note: the "thumbprints" inflated a bit, so they were pretty shallow by the time they came out of the oven). As soon as the cookies were out of the oven, I filled the indentations with raspberry jam. The cookies came out beautifully and were even tastier the next day, after the cookie and jam had settled together. In my opinion, no need to bake the cookies WITH the jam--this way, you can avoid the need to refrigerate the cookies beforehand, and there's no worry of a jam mess in the oven.

Fantastic cookies!!! This was my first time making these cookies, and I was extremely nervous because, well, they are not cheap to make! But, I followed the recipe and various reviewers' comments, and I achieved pignoli perfection! I followed the recipe exactly, and here are my tips: 1) I have a very, very small food processor, so here is what I had to do: I combined the almond paste and granulated sugar in a bowl, and I mushed the two together by hand, kneading the sugar into the paste. When it all seemed incorporated, I put little batches of the paste-sugar in the processor and whirred it around. After the mixture was smooth, I put it all into another, larger bowl; added egg whites and mixed with a hand mixer on LOW speed (careful: splatter potential). I then added the confectioner sugar, a 1/4 cup at a time, blending with hand mixer after each addition. Mixed until smooth. 2) Definitely refrigerate the dough--15-20 mins is great. 3) Definitely use parchment paper; also, the cookies don't spread THAT much, so I was able to fit 7 on a sheet. 4) Baked at 325 for about 20-25 mins. Take them out when they JUST start to brown on the edges, even if the centers look pale--the cookies will harden perfectly once out of the oven and they start to cool. I will definitely be making these again. And again. And again.

This made yummy french toast. I usually never use a recipe for making this breakfast dish, but I read the reviews and decided to try it since I wanted "restaurant-style" FT. I followed the recipe as written, though I did use a little less sugar than called for, and I did add some orange extract (can also use zest) for some extra oomph. Overall, it came out very tasty, though I would make it again with some minor modifications to indulge my personal FT preferences. I took a reviewer's recommendation and fried the FT in butter-flavored Crisco, which, as she mentioned did not burn when I added more to the griddle (huge plus!!) and made the slices fry up picture-perfect. However, I did miss the real butter flavor (and smell) that comes from frying in deliciously decadent butter. :-) Next time I make it, I will 1) use real butter; 2) sprinkle extra cinnamon on each slice just before frying (as noted by another reviewer, cinnamon in batter tends to sink toward bottom); and 3) use an extra egg and reduce milk to 3/4 cup. I prefer my FT batter more egg-y than this recipe turned out to be. Note: this recipe, as written, yielded enough batter for six, well-soaked pieces of Arnold Whole Grain White bread.

First things first: this recipe is a pain in the butt to make. However, in the end, in did turn out a delicious cake. I followed the recipe, BUT: I sifted the cake flour BEFORE measuring the amount required (per some reviews). I tried to separate the eggs and beat the white separately (again, per some reviews), but that didn't go so well. So, instead I just beat the eggs (whites and yolks together) until a bit frothy, then added them bit by bit to the batter. After adding the eggs, I turned off the hand mixer and stirred in remaining ingredients by hand. I made a three-layer cake. I frosted with cream cheese frosting. Note: when I first tasted the cake after baking, the texture was a bit grainy--like the gelatin hadn't mixed in well enough. However, after refrigerating overnight (because of the cream cheese frosting), the cake texture was PERFECT. Overall, the cake is moist, not too dense (despite some reader reviews), flavorful, and FUN because of the color. If you have enough time to devote to taking your time while making the cake, go for it. You won't be disappointed.

These are fantastic! Also one of the easiest baked goods I've ever made. Everything goes into one bowl, which is awesome for clean-up purposes. I followed the recipe exactly, baked for 30-35 mins (allow for extra time if you use a glass baking dish), and the bars came out perfectly--the right amount of toasty on top, jammy in the middle, and soft and pliant on the bottom. I used fresh, organic raspberry jam I bought at a craft fair, and that freshness is what really sets the bars apart from other cookies. Also, the fact that this recipe gives you a thick ribbon of jam through the entire pan of cookies, unlike some other recipes where you have to go searching for the jam. I've made three batches in less than a week, and everyone is asking for more. A keeper recipe, for sure.

A fantastic bread. Dense and not at all too sweet; this is perfect with some butter and/or jam and a cuppa tea. (The bread is quite tasty on its own, too, without any type of spread.) Definitely not a sandwich bread, but a great bread for breakfast. I followed the recipe exactly and found that I pretty much needed the whole hour to bake the bread. The top gets pretty brown, though, so I did a few knife-tests to make sure I still had to let the middle set (I did). The best part about this recipe is that it was EASY to make the bread--no mixers, no taking butter out of the fridge an hour before to soften, no creaming of anything together. Just throw it all in a bowl and mix it up, then bake! Clean-up was a breeze, too.

This cake turned out very nicely. I used 2 cups of all-purpose flour because I didn't have any cake flour on hand, and I doubled the ingredients for the frosting. The cake came out incredibly moist, with a light flavor. I was happy that the green tea taste was subtle--almost like a zucchini bread taste. The frosting was good, too, though a bit more sugary then I prefer my cream cheese frosting. I made this cake for a co-worker who requested a "something with green tea," so I'm hoping it will live up to her expectations! Overall, though, this is a nice cake to serve to someone.

This was AMAZING. My first attempt at ever making a cheesecake, and I'm darn impressed with myself. The gingersnap-coconut crust is a perfect compliment to the sweet, creamy, and slightly tangy cheesecake. The coconut and lime flavors blended together nicely; I could barely distinguish either one on its own. I followed the recipe exactly, and I found it super easy to use--the touch/indent test worked well to test for doneness. Recommendations: this is a good dessert to make a day-ahead, since the cooling-in-the-oven process, as well as the chilling-in-the-fridge process can take awhile. But, by the next day, the cake had set and the flavors had melded, and it was perfect. The mango coulis was nice, but I could have eaten the cheesecake without it and been perfectly happy. Note: the recipe bakes a very thin cheesecake, though rich and dense. If you're looking for a thicker cake, (for presentation reasons), you might want to double the FILLING recipe (crust can stay the same).

Nice brownies, but nothing special. I followed the recipe exactly and did not find these different from any other brownies I have made before. I was hoping for a cake-ier brownie, but I had a hard time getting the center to completely set without burning the edges, which is my problem with most brownies. Even cooked them about an hour, but still no dice. I don't like fudge-y brownies, and this recipe did make less fudge-ier than most, but still...nothing special. I give three stars because they ARE good brownies, but I may not make this again since I have slightly better recipes.

Great recipe. I followed it exactly, except for omitting the green onions because I was too lazy to go out and buy some. I would advise that you drain the pan after you take out the toasted almonds and before you add the chicken/more butter. I left the almond "juice" in the pan, and I think this added unnecessary grease to the recipe. Everything still tasted fine, but it may have a lighter taste if the pan were drained. Also, I added the marmalade just after the chicken started to slightly brown, so it had a chance to carmelize as the chicken cooked up. Everything turned out yummy, especially the rice, which I will make again with other dishes.

This is a decent pasta dish. As some other reviewers suggested, it is a little bit bland, but I enjoyed the subtle lemon flavor, which helped cut the heaviness of the cream, and I enjoyed the bite of the pepper in the sauce. I doubled the sauce ingredients because I wanted to cook a whole-pound box of pasta (I wanted leftovers for later in the week). Helpful hints: I had free time on the weekend, so I baked the chicken ahead of time. Saved me so much time when I finally made the pasta dish during the week after work! I did not cook the pasta until all the broth had evaporated; "normal" pasta cooking time was more than enough, especially since the pasta continues to cook in the cream sauce later. When I drained the pasta, I reserved the chicken broth. This came in handy later when I wanted to thicken the sauce--I added a bit of cornstarch to some of the broth, then added the mixture to the sauce. I also added about 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese. This made a thicker sauce that coated the pasta much better than only the cream had. Next time I make this, I will add some fresh diced tomatoes at the very end, both for flavor and for color. This meal is kind of "beige." Overall, though, quite tasty and could be a great side dish with a few tweaks.

A great basic white cake. This was my first time beating egg whites to soft peaks (or any kind of peaks), and this recipe made the process easy to follow. I did add an extra 1/2 cup of milk to the batter, per other recommendations; I think it made all the difference. The cake baked up light and airy; while not moist, it certainly was not dry. There wasn't a huge amount of flavor, but I think that is typical of white cake; I used some very sugary (store-bought) frosting to add some pizazz. I actually used this recipe as a base for homemade funfetti cupcakes (just add large colored sprinkles into the batter before you spoon it into the tins). Cupcakes received rave reviews, so I will definitely be using this recipe again. This recipe would also be great for petits fours, a cake with jam in it, etc.--anything where you don't want to cake the overpower the frosting or fillings. Note: I was able to use the 4 reserved egg yolks the next day in a recipe for egg fried rice (also found on this site). Waste not, want not!

Great, simple recipe with zippy flavor. I made this with "Baked Mac and Cheese for One" (also from this site), and it was a great winter's night meal.

This is possibly the best thing I have ever baked. I fell a little bit in love with myself last night. I followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfect--the crunching topping with the cinnamon was an awesome addition. I will be serving this tonight at a dinner party with french vanilla ice cream. Note: if you use a glass baking dish, add about 10 minutes on to baking time.

This bread came out just as I expected it to be. I omitted the nuts (personal preference) but otherwise stayed true to the recipe as it is written. The bread baked up in about 60 minutes, and it looked picture perfect coming out of the oven. The lemon flavor is not too overpowering, and the lemon aroma is vaguely fragrant. Though the bread itself is dense, the taste is light and moist; the blueberries add a nice burst of flavor. I would make this again, especially as a side dish for an afternoon tea.

This is a terrific recipe. I made these for a Super Bowl party and everyone loved them. Per reviews, I doubled the flour mixture, and it was just enough for 3 lbs of self-made chicken nuggets. Also, for a healthier version, I baked the chicken pieces instead of fried them. Note: when dredging through flour, definitely DREDGE. The first time I ever made these, I thought I would take a short-cut and toss the flour mix into a baggie, add the nuggets, and shake it all up to coat. I ended up with half-covered pieces and way too much flour on each piece. Follow directions here--dip in egg, dredge in flour, dip in egg again, dredge in flour, shake off excess flour. It is worth the effort! Also, I did not serve with the recommended sauce, but instead used "Scott's Buffalo Wing Sauce" recipe from this site. The sauce was awesome.