Brooke81 Recipe Reviews (Pg. 1) - Allrecipes.com (13862061)

Brooke's Best Bombshell Brownies

Reviewed: Sep. 10, 2011

My husband is always craving brownies, but he doens't like "cake like" brownies. I like making things from scratch, not from a box. So I tried these. They are good. Extremely rich though. Maybe that's a good thing because I cannot eat these all day even if I wanted too. I made small changes- I used half brown sugar and half white sugar- but I still used a total of 3 cups- they are very sweet. I wonder how 2 cups would taste? I used milk chocolate chips vs semi-sweet because I don't buy semi-sweet. Another thought- if you are adding nuts, I suggest decreasing the amount of salt you add to the mix. I tasted the batter after adding the salt- yummy. Then tasted it again after adding the nuts-salty! I know the recipe doesn't call for nuts, but what are brownies without walnuts!

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Fajita Marinade I

Reviewed: May 13, 2011

This marinade is pretty good. I didn't add the water as others mentioned. The only changes I made were using cider vinegar in place of the water, not using liquid smoke, and adding some cumin and coriander(1/2 tsp of each). We used it on chicken breasts and grilled them. Afterwards we just sliced them up- very tender! I usually freeze our meat in the marinades so the day we cook, all we have to do i thaw the meat. After the ckicken was thawed it marinated for about 6 hours in the fridge. I also sauteed bell pepper and onion using the juices from the marinade- to decrease the amount of oil needed(it's okay to use the marinade the chicken was in since it was heated to boiling temp for a while). I kept the lid on for a while, allowing the steam to help cook the veggies. I took it off towards the end to allow them to brown a bit.

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Slow Cooker Pork Chops II

Reviewed: Apr. 13, 2011

This recipe is very WEIRD! The flavors just don't go well together. I followed the recipe almost exactly- the only thing I did different was add a few extra garlic cloves and an onion. Both of which I couldn't even taste. Other reviewers are correct when they say the herbs are way too overpowering. For me it was the poultry seasoning. That's all I can taste!! The cooking times are also off. Mine were falling apart after 2.5 hours on high. My husband complained about them being dry- maybe it's because the recipe calls for poking holes in the pork? I've always been told not to do that with meats because it lets the juices out. The sauce is a nice consistency, but again, it just tastes like poultry seasoning. This is an over-rated recipe IMHO, and for those who plan to try it- have a back up plan for dinner.

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Honey Roasted Red Potatoes

Reviewed: Apr. 10, 2011

Followed recipe exactly-maybe I added some extra onion- I didn't measure them. We really liked these. I like the sweetness. It wasn't too much, it was just right. We love potatoes and like making them all different ways. This recipe is nice for a change. I made them in a convection toaster oven, and broiled them for about 5 minutes after they were done so they'd brown a little bit more. Next time we may add a little cayenne like others mentioned. I will say though, that I don't think this is enough for 4 servings. More like 2.5.

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Basic Cheesecake

Reviewed: Dec. 14, 2010

This was a good cheesecake. BUT the top browned too much for my liking. I read reviews about it cracking, so I let the cheesecake cool in the oven. Literally, once it was done, we went to a Christmas celebration and I didn't take it out until we got home(2 hours later)- no cracks!! I also didn't over mix the filling. I used our mixer on the lowest setting the entire time. The crust is okay. I agree with another review that stated it's kinda a distraction from tasting the flavor of the cheesecake. Next time I'll use a basic graham cracker crust. I also looked into it browning on the top. I found an article about the baking temp. Apparently cheesecakes should be baked at 250-300 degrees. Next time I will bake it at 300 degrees for about 80-90 minutes. Edit: I just made this for Christmas yesterday. I baked it at 300 degrees for about 80 minutes, and I had NO brown top!! I left if in the oven to cool for 30 minutes, then cracked the door and left it in for another 30 minutes. It was perfect. NO cracks, and I didn't go through the trouble of using a water bath.

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Melt-In-Your-Mouth Meat Loaf

Reviewed: Nov. 11, 2010

This meatloaf is pretty good- and I will make it again for sure! I made a few changes. I baked it in the oven, because I didn't have time for the slow cooker. I actually added fresh minced onion, bell pepper and garlic. I didn't do the sauce on top, but I did add the mustard and worchishire to the meat and decreased the milk a little bit. Even with my changes I still give this a 5 because I like the consistency you get with the amount of eggs, milk and bread crumbs it calls for. I didn't use bread crumbs because I didn't have any. I used crushed saltines instead. Next time Iwill make the sauce because apparently my husband likes things like that on his meatloaf.

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Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

Reviewed: Sep. 8, 2010

This soup is blah- it calls for way too much chicken and it's bland. I honestly don't see how is has so many good reviews. I've made something very similar before- it's called taco soup and I used ground beef- it also called for a can of olives. This was a bit different but tastes about the same. I tried to follow the recipe as close as I could. But I also tried to cut the sodium content- rotel and chili beans have a ton so sodium in them! I also used that Echols recipe for the taco seasoning. I added about 5 cloves of garlic- because garlic makes everything better- but not this soup! I really wanted to use the beer- but I wanted a dark mexican beer like someone mentioned but we never got around to buying it so I used 12 oz chicken broth. I also added 3/4 red bell pepper because I had it in the fridge. I added 4 chicken breast halves and there is A LOT of chicken in this. I think the 3 WHOLE chicken breast is an error because that would be 6 halves. Oh yeah and I did use the mexican tomatoe sauce like someone recommended. Overall this soup needs more seasoning, it is so bland!!!. I don't think my small substitutions made a big difference. I don't see how people find this spicy? Maybe some jalepenos and a lot more cumin/chili pepper next time? I topped it with cheese, sour cream and homemade corn tortilla chips. I won't make this again.

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Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs

Reviewed: Aug. 26, 2010

I've made this sauce twice. The first time I pretty much followed it exactly. I didn't make the meatballs- we just added cooked ground beef. First time around I tasted the sauce while it was cooking and it was SO BLAND! 3/4 tsp basil for all those tomatoes seems like nothing. And I don't understand why there are so many good reviews because as written this is a very bland sauce. I had to add extra basil, oregano, onion and garlic. Second time around I added 1 bell pepper( I double the recipe and freeze some), and all the same extras from the first time around. I also prefer a smoother sauce so I use one can of tomatoe puree and one can of crushed tomatoes. If anything, this is a good base. I will continue to make it, only because I prefer to make things from scratch and it's cheaper.

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Refried Beans Without the Refry

Reviewed: May 21, 2010

These are good! As written though I think they are bland. I've made these a few times and previously I've always had a lot of liquid left, and never needed to use much of it. I think a lot of the flavor is in the liquid. So today I used 4 cups beans and 9 cups chicken broth. Later, about 6 hours into cooking them, I had to add 1 cup of water. When I make these I use 5 garlic cloves, 2 jalepenos ( with a little bit of the seeds) 1 TBSP cumin, 2 tsp chili powder, and 1 tsp black/red pepper. I don't add salt until I am mashing them, and I just add enough until they taste good. I also shake a some of that Goya Adobo seasoning in them. These are a little spicy. I won't be giving them to our son, but my husband and I like them. I must say though, I cannot taste the cumin or chili powder, but it must add some kind of flavor right? Adding 1/8 tsp of cumin would be pointless. This time I used the blender, which worked great because I didn't have jalepeno skins in the beans, which has happened before when I used my handheld mixer. I blended everything- all the beans and liquid and they are the perfect consistency.

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Four Cheese Macaroni

Reviewed: Nov. 26, 2009

I just made this for Thanksgiving dinner. I used 2/3 c. of the shredded cheeses, omitted the eggs, and used 2c 1/2 and 1/2. I put the 1/2 and 1/2 and all cheeses in a pot and melted them all together into a sauce. Before putting it in the oven it looked like it was going to be so creamy and good. Not so much afterwards (and I only baked it for 25 minutes). It was dry, and I was very disappointed. It wasn't too expensive to make- I found all the cheese on sale- except for the muenster. Oh and I also used half the butter. I don't know how anyone can call this a "creamy" recipe. It is not creamy! I agree with others when they say the pasta:sauce ratio must be off. The flavor was good- it was just dry- I didn't want dry, I wanted creamy. I would try to make this again, because it did taste good. Next time I will use less pasta and hope that it turns out creamier.

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Caramel Snack Mix

Reviewed: Nov. 26, 2008

This is very good. I don't see how some can say that it is too sweet. I did add extras though, maybe that's why it doesn't seem too sweet. I made 1 and 1/2 batches of the caramel mixture and added 1tbsp vanilla extract to it. I used 1c almonds, 1c cashews, 1/2c chopped pecans, about 12oz corn Chex, and 8oz of tiny twist pretzels. It tastes perfect, not to sweet or not sweet enough. I bought the biggest disposable roasting pan I could find. I think this is a must. It makes it pretty easy to stir every 15 minutes while it's in the oven.

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E-Z Drop Biscuits

Reviewed: Oct. 27, 2008

This recipe was very good. I was trying to find a biscuit recipe that didn't require Bisquick, using a pastry cutter, and kneading and cutting the dough. This one was perfect and it was quick and easy to make. I too did not use the cream of tartar because I didn't have any. I will definitely be making these again. My husband loved them!!

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