Starlet Recipe Reviews (Pg. 1) - Allrecipes.com (13766706)

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Reviewed: Nov. 29, 2011

The meat was a bit bland as written, I had to add a whole lot of junk & stuff to get it to delicious. Added lots of garlic & onion powder, worcestershire, garlic & ginger paste, Siracha, sweet & sour and extra hoisin... THEN it was awesome! Also did more toppings, sprouts, carrots, cilantro. VERY GOOD!!!

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Caramel Shortbread Squares

Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2011

YUM! I halved (loaf pan), parchment, freezer 10m between layers, easy peasy. I did have to bake the shortbread quite a bit longer. For the chocolate I did semi-sweet with coconut oil in micro, this always works beautifully. Next time I will double the caramel layer though. I also added a touch of cinnamon and also salt to the caramel and will do that again next time. Or I'll sprinkle the top with sea salt...

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1 user found this review helpful

Pineapple Fried Rice II

Reviewed: Nov. 15, 2011

YUM! I skipped the sesame oil as I find it overpowering. I added celery, carrots, and mushrooms. And for the "sauce" I did soy sauce plus hoisin, and garlic and ginger pastes. I forgot to add the peas and missed them dearly.

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2 users found this review helpful

Ghirardelli® Magic Cookie Bars

Reviewed: Sep. 19, 2011

Very easy, almost TOO easy for how good they are! I made 1/4 recipe in a loaf pan, which made 8 squares. Used cinnamon grahams and did half semi-sweet chunks & half Heath chunks and used salted sunflower seeds instead of nuts. SUPER YUMMY!!!

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3 users found this review helpful

Black Magic Cake

Reviewed: Sep. 7, 2011

This cake came out very good- Not super sweet, a good "grown-up" chocolate cake. I made a whipped peanut butter frosting and it was quite good. All it needed was a glass of milk!

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5 users found this review helpful

Cream Of Asparagus Soup

Reviewed: Aug. 30, 2011

This is AMAZING soup!!! I did add onion powder and used green onions instead of leeks & used a homemade chicken stock. I had several ears of fresh corn that I needed to use up & added the kernels to the blended soup... added a lovely crunch. Also topped with crumbled bacon. A friend declared this the 2nd best soup she's ever had, only under a restaurant clam chowder. GREAT way to use up a surplus of asparagus!!!

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2 users found this review helpful

Tomato Pie I

Reviewed: Aug. 28, 2011

Changed it up a bit by using Brie & Mozz, just what I had on hand and omitted mayo cause I was out. "Sweated" tomato slices with kosher salt & put between several layers of paper towels for about 30 mins, also pre-baked (homemade) crust so with these modifications I did not end up with too much liquid in the finished product, although next time I will pre-bake crust 15 mins instead of 10. I tried it hot & cold, prefered the cold. Very good savory pie!

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2 users found this review helpful

Corn and Black Bean Salad

Reviewed: Aug. 18, 2011

Changed it up a bit, and it was AWESOME!!! Some reviewers noted it was too overpowered by blasamic, so I made dressing with white wine vinegar + added 1/4 ts cayenne & 1ts dry onion flakes & juice of 1 lime & cut oil in half. This would make an awesome taco salad dressing as well, looove the cuminy flavor! To the salad itself, I added a red bell pepper, jicama, avocado & olives. Used fresh grilled corn instead of canned. Will make this again for sure, but I had to jazz it up a bit for my taste.

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2 users found this review helpful

Banana Cake VI

Reviewed: Aug. 16, 2011

VERY good, not too banana bready at all! I just wanted an 8x8 so cut the recipe in 1/3 & used 2 over-ripe bananas. Some people noted it being dense so I added a bit of baking powder to make it a bit lighter. Added a dash of cinnamon to the frosting & cut sugar a tad. YUM!!!! Perfect frosting:cake ratio. Even though I made a smaller cake it still wasn't fully baked after an hour... turned heat up to 300 for 12 more mins & then into freezer... PERFECT!

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2 users found this review helpful

Tangy Poppy Seed Fruit Salad

Reviewed: Jul. 14, 2011

This was quite good! Tasted it as written, then doubled the lime juice- thought it needed more tang. Also added a small watermelon, and that was the BEST part once it soaked up the juices. Leftovers were a little soggy the next day, but made an awesome smoothie...

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3 users found this review helpful

Cucumber-Watermelon Salad

Reviewed: May 8, 2011

This was great! Used Kosher salt, included the sugar, and used superb quality vinegar. Also added an avocado. Very nice brunch salad! The only thing I might change next time would be to use a white balsamic, as the brown masks the vibrancy of the melon and cuke colors together...

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6 users found this review helpful

Halibut with Zesty Peach Salsa

Reviewed: Apr. 7, 2011

This was AWESOME!!! I used all jalapeno for the pepper part, but it would have been prettier with the red pepper though! Definitely let it all sit in the frige for several hours for the flavors to mingle. I did the fish in the oven this time, but will grill next time. This would make awesome fish tacos too, just sayin!

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5 users found this review helpful

J.P.'s Big Daddy Biscuits

Reviewed: Jan. 12, 2011

PERFECT basic biscuit. I've done them with shortening, and with butter and both are good. 20 minutes from biscuits in brain to biscuits in MOUTH--- not much longer than using store-bought dough and HIGHLY SUPERIOR! I could tell they were "right" when I pulled them out of the oven the first time, and they were layered and had formed a natural "split" to pry open and slather with butter and jelly. They make AMAZING bacon egg and cheese breakfast biscuits (think fast-food-style, but GOOD). Total keeper! NOTE: They don't keep that well past a few hours imo, so only make what you plan to eat right away.

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8 users found this review helpful

Orange Cream Fudge

Reviewed: Dec. 13, 2010

Grainy, grainy, GRAINY and I used a superfine sugar and stirred away trying to disolve the sugar, but end result was still grainy. Used a candy thermo AND a digital, and did measurements by weight so I was accurate and still it was grainy. And I didn't find it as orangey as it could have been either, but it was sickeningly sweet. It was however the right consistency, hence the 2 stars. What a waste (of ingredients AND time!). Did NOT make the cut for my holiday treats baskets... too bad, so sad.

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10 users found this review helpful

Buckeye Balls II

Reviewed: Dec. 12, 2010

Probably not a fair rating, but THANK YOU for this recipe... had a batch of FAILED peanut butter fudge, and in looking to not waste it came across this recipe... followed the chocolate part only and used PB "fudge" rolled into balls, then slightly froze. DEFINITELY pop these babies in the freezer first. And I was able to cover mt toothpick holes with the old "double-fisted-toothpick method," one hand is the "spearer" the other hand is the "smearer," and you need to use the smearer to slop a tiny glob of still-melty chocolate over the hole... some of them the chocolate on it will be enough, some you'll have to glob a teeny bit more on from the pan. Worked for me though. And these should ship well too, which is what I wanted the PB fudge for to begin with... happy accident I guess!

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Creamy Peanut Butter Fudge

Reviewed: Dec. 12, 2010

Creamy, YES, however it is too creamy texture-wise. As in semi-firm-paste consistency. Even after setting up overnight, it is still not fudge-firm as I feel it should be. I made this with the intention of including it in goodies boxes to be shipped to family and friends, and that's just not going to happen with this recipe... I will keep them in the frige, and nibble far too many squares I'm sure, because flavor-wise it is DELICIOUS. I wish I would have used the other "easiest" recipe on this site, but don't want to use up a whole other jar of peanut butter to find out now. I have made many fudges in the past, so I don't think it was a novice-issue, and I took care to follow this recipe EXACTLY, btw, even setting a timer for the 7 min and stirring constantly! I think with less evap. milk and maybe a half stick of butter more you may get a firmer, and for me more desirable, consistency... even straight out of the frige this is sooooft... melt in your mouth, yes, but also in your hand, in the bag on the counter, etc. ***** Was actually able to salvage this... rolled the crumbly paste into balls, popped in the freezer for 30m and then followed the recipe for the chocolate part of Buckeye Balls, came out AWESOME--- like Reese's balls! But I'm not ammending my 3-star rating because as FUDGE, this failed for me. Just thought I'd mention the Buckeye Balls in case anyone else ends up where I did...

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4 users found this review helpful

Ranch Dressing II

Reviewed: Dec. 6, 2010

This was fantastic! I did use fresh parsley, dill, chives and upped the onion powder and salt after tasting. I actually thought it was better after 2-3 days and in the future will make several days ahead of when I plan to serve. VERY good dip... would cut with buttermilk for more of a "dressing" than a "dip" though as it is rather thick as written, but PERFECT veggie-tray dip consistency and flavor.

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3 users found this review helpful

Easy Garlic Broiled Chicken

Reviewed: Dec. 2, 2010

This recipe is not fussy or complicated, seriously a monkey could make it, but it IS simple, FAST, cheap, and DELICIOUS. Follow the instructions EXACTLY--- DO micro the sauce... do it in a pyrex pan (just one dish for it all!)... something magical happens in there... don't be afraid of the bubbling action, it is GOOD action! And it's best with FRESH parsley (2-3x the dry amt) and fresh cracked pepper. When broiling, get your oven nice and hot and when you put the chicken in keep oven CLOSED while on high broil (not propped open how you might sometimes on broil), and put the chicken on a middle to lower rack. I always have these ingredients on hand and love chicken thighs so this will go down on my permanent record... actually, it's so simple I think I have it memorized after making it a few times now!

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6 users found this review helpful

Caramelized Baked Chicken

Reviewed: Nov. 11, 2010

OK, so I always read the recipe, then a few reviews and make changes if I feel like it, I know this irks some reviewers, but here's what I did differently... We have VERY strong flavored local honey, and 1 cup would've been overpowering (and expensive!)... So I did a half cup honey and half cup brown sugar, added a good glug of molasses, and I used butter instead of oil. My thought process for this substitutions was to create more of a "caramel" on the stovetop by simmering (almost boiling!) for about 10 mins. When I still wanted it thicker, I added a slurry of 1ts cornstarch + 1Tb h2o and continued simmering a few mins more... This worked beautifully. Flavor-wise, the only thing I added was the juice of 1/4 lemon and a squeeze of ginger paste which I feel really brightened the flavors. I have been on a teriyaki/kalbi kick lately and this fit right in! Will def make again, but only with my changes or it would've been way too thin and liquidy rather than as caramelly as it turned out. I used boneless thighs this time, and would definitely recommend this but I will surely try it on wings as called for very soon. Oh, and I like things super saucy so I made the full amt for 1.5# chicken and it was way too much sauce... I refrigerated half... so FYI proportions given are plenty generous.

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8 users found this review helpful

Sarah's Rice Pilaf

Reviewed: Nov. 8, 2010

Great basic pilaf! Hubby loves Rice-a-Roni and I don't care for boxed "foods," so this is PERFECT!!! And about 1% of the price to make it yourself to boot!!! I added some parsley, parm, and a pat of butter after tasting as written, and it still needed salt (but I used low-sodium bouillon base, standard broth called for would have added a lot of saltiness). Made with salmon this time, but it could go with anything... and can be EASILY altered to compete with all the Rice-a-Roni flavors. Might even add golden raisins and almonds for something similar to a dish my mom made as a kid. Love it! THANKS!!!

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2 users found this review helpful