Caroline Recipe Reviews (Pg. 1) - Allrecipes.com (1811065)

Chicken Kabobs Mexicana

Reviewed: May 18, 2012

Great recipe for the grill. I added a little cayenne pepper for some heat, omitted the cherry tomatoes (because I don't like them) and added mushrooms. The meat stayed juicy, and everything had a great flavor. I will definitely make this again.

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Spinach and Rice (Spanakorizo)

Reviewed: Jan. 4, 2012

I loved this. The only thing I would do differently next time would be to add a little garlic with the onion. This makes a great, rich, saucy rice side. I did not have the same problems others did with the cooking instructions. At first, I thought there was no way the rice would soak up that much water and sauce and it seemed strange to cook it without covering the pan. I ended up cooking it a little longer than indicated (just because the rest of the meal was not ready yet) but the came out perfectly cooked and tender.

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Mom's Fabulous Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuit Crust

Reviewed: Jan. 4, 2012

Wow - a little bit of work, since you have to cook the filling, then bake the potpie, but worth it. I made the recipe as listed with a few minor variations - I added a few turnips to the vegetable mix, because I had them in the fridge. I used fat-free half-and-half and skipped the egg yolk wash on the biscuits. The filling had a great flavor, with the thyme, and the sauce was the perfect consistency, not too thick but not too thin. I used regular Pillsbury Grands refrigerated biscuits (in the can) and they made a great topping. I only used about five in a circle around the top, so there was a little space in between, which I think helps them brown and cook through more (because steam can escape the filling mixture as it heats). A homey, filling meal.

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Eggnog Creme Brulee

Reviewed: Dec. 27, 2011

I was craving an eggnog pie, so I used this recipe as the filling. I made it as listed on the site, except I added brandy in place of the optional vanilla. I baked the filling in a deep dish regular pastry pie crust, in a water bath, until firm, approximately 55 minutes. Just awesome - great rich eggnog flavor, with a firm creamy texture from the marscapone. Since there was no burnt sugar on top, I would compare this more to a custard than a creme brulee. I will definitely make again, as custard or pie. Yummy!!

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Paul's Pumpkin Bars

Reviewed: Nov. 13, 2011

I followed a lot of the suggested modifications from other reviews - doubled the amount of pumpkin, decreased the oil (2/3 cup) and sugar (3/4 cup), and added chopped pecans. I did use four medium eggs. I baked these in a 9x13-inch pan for about 35 minutes. I skipped the icing and just sprinkled powdered sugar over the tops. Very rich and dense, great pumpkin flavor, not too sweet. They were very moist - definitely did not need all of the oil listed in the original recipe. I will try them again with the cream cheese frosting.

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Coconut Custard Pie III

Reviewed: Apr. 4, 2011

Just what I was craving. I used a frozen deep dish pie shell and followed the suggestions of reducing the milk to 2 cups and using only 3 eggs. Otherwise, there definitely would have been too much filling to fit in the pie shell. I added 1/4 tsp. nutmeg and cinnamon and found that it had a flavor similar to a rice pudding (but with coconut). I reserved a little of the coconut to sprinkle on top about 20 minutes into the baking time, which toasted nicely on top. Flavor and texture were great - a rich custard, not too sweet, plenty of coconut flavor. My pie needed almost 40 minutes of bake time to fully set and I had to cover the crust the last 15 minutes or so to keep it from overbaking. Will definitely make again!

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Black Pepper Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry

Reviewed: Mar. 29, 2011

Wow, this was more interesting than I thought it would be for such a simple recipe. I sautéed the garlic in a mix of olive oil, sesame oil and spicy chili oil. I added some onion with the cabbage, and a beef bullion cube with the water and cornstarch. I served the whole thing over rice. The veggies stayed crisp, a nice mild mix of flavors. Next time, I might punch it up with some red pepper flakes. One review mentioned trying it with strips of beef instead. I initially thought a stir fry with ground beef sounded strange, but the beef really blends in with the flavors well. I would recommend trying it with the ground beef at least one. I was pleasantly surprised.

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Black Bean and Corn Salad II

Reviewed: Mar. 21, 2011

I loved this! I was afraid the lime juice would be overpowering, but it was not at all. I omitted the tomatoes and used crushed red pepper flakes instead of cayenne, but otherwise made it just like the recipe. I think you could add cooked rice as an addition to make it a little more filling, and serve as a main dish, topped with chicken, shrimp or pork. I also think it would be tasty as a dip, served with tortilla chips. I will DEFINITELY make this again!

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Caramelized Turnips

Reviewed: Jan. 31, 2011

I had never really tried turnips before, except as a murky ingredient in soups or stews. My husband and I really enjoyed them prepared this way. We had about 2 - 2 1/2 cups of turnips. I did not cover the turnips when they were simmering, and had to add a little more water (next time, I will simmer with a lid on the pan). We kept the proportions for the butter and brown sugar, which did not really turn into a glaze, but just lightly coated the turnips. I thought the sweetness was a great compliment to the earthy flavor of the turnips. I will definitely make these again.

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Southwestern Green Chile with Pork Stew

Reviewed: Nov. 20, 2010

I thought this was so-so, but has the potentialto be really good. I skipped the flouring of the pork, and used two cans of pinto beans - one drained and one not. Some of the reviews complained about the stew being too watery, so I did not add any of the four cups of water, just the broth and the liquid from one can of beans and it still came out more like a soup than a stew. I added about a 1/2 teaspoon of cumin, which went well with the other flavors. Overall, it was a little bland. I used very mild green chiles. Next time, I would definitely add one or two hotter chiles, and definitely more garlic.

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Baba Ghanoush

Reviewed: Nov. 12, 2010

This was great! It is a little labor intensive, but very tasty. I used three small eggplants. I thought they would be easy to peel once roasted, like a pepper is, but the skin is much more difficult to get off. I was not exact in my measurements - a few spoonfuls of tahini, 3 cloves of garlic, a little more than half a lemon, juiced. I threw everything but the olive oil in the food processor, processed it until it was a consistent texture, then drizzled in olive oil with the processor running until it seemed like a good, creamy consistent. I think the recipe is pretty forgiving on measurements. Great consistency, good with pita chips.

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Butternut Squash Soup

Reviewed: Nov. 1, 2010

Like the other reviewers, I roasted the squash first. Then, I added it to the broth to simmer and, after 20 minutes, I was able to easily mash it with a potato masher/ricer in the pot, which I think was easier and less messy than using a blender/food processor. I realized at the last minute that I did not have marjoram, so I substituted thyme and a little cumin, which I thought tasted great with the cayenne. Really rich, creamy, lets the great taste of the squash shine through.

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Low Fat Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Reviewed: Nov. 1, 2010

I used a very simplified version of this recipe - just the buttermilk and mayonnaise as a base, then added fresh pesto I had made. It was wonderful! A little on the thick side for salad dressing, so I may thin it down with more buttermilk. Even before I added the pesto, it had a great basic buttermilk ranch taste. I would definitely try it again with the seasonings indicated.

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Eggplant Parmesan II

Reviewed: Oct. 31, 2010

Yum! I did sweat the eggplant with salt first, as suggested by many reviewers. I added Italian seasoning to the bread crumbs and baked the eggplant on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. I had a lot of eggplant on the sheet, so I baked for about 12 minutes, but did not flip them. The eggplant still seemed to cook through and brown up fine without flipping them. I used a deep casserole dish, and ended up with three layers of eggplant, sauce and cheese. Since it was a deeper dish than a 9" x 13" pan, I baked it for 30 minutes with the lid on and another 10 minutes with the lid off so it would brown on top. With the multiple steps, this is definitely a little work, but the final product defintely was worth the effort. Next time, I will add some spoonfuls of ricotta cheese with the mozzerella layer for a little creaminess.

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Cranberry Pecan Muffins

Reviewed: Oct. 3, 2010

Wow! I made these with 1 cup of cranberries and substituted vanilla yogurt for the sour cream. I baked them in large-size muffin tin, with paper liners that I lightly sprayed with cooking spray. The muffins came right out without sticking. Total bake time was about 30 minutes. I used frozen cranberries and did not want to wait for them to thaw to chop them, so I threw them, frozen, in my mini food processor. The processor really finely chopped them, so I had little bits of cranberries spread throughout the muffins, which I loved. Muffinswere very soft, crumbly, and cakelike. The sugar-nutmeg topping adds a little sweetnesss and a nice crunch to the muffins. I might add a little cinnamon to the topping next time.

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Quick Quiche

Reviewed: Aug. 11, 2010

Wow, I loved this. I cut the recipe in half and baked it for about 25 minutes in a shallow casserole dish. I used ham instead of bacon, lightly steamed broccoli, and sauteed the onions before adding them. The cheese backs in the bottom of the dish, almost like a crust. Really rich, great texture. So good and easy!

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Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Reviewed: Jul. 6, 2010

I made these per the recipe, but omitted the nuts. I really liked the balance of brown sugar and regular sugar. I loved the texture, although my second batch spread much more, and therefore were thinner/crisper, even though I put the dough in the fridge between batches. I got three dozen big cookies. Next time, I would add more chocolate chips - at least 1 1/2 cups, or maybe just the whole bag (can you have too many chips? I don't think so). I might also add just a little cinnamon next time.

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Ultimate Twice Baked Potatoes

Reviewed: Jun. 21, 2010

These were great - so rich and tasty. I did not blend the filling with a mixer, I just mixed it so it still had a chunky texture. I save a few raw green onion slices to garnish the top with. Will definitely make again.

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Strawberry Refrigerator Cake

Reviewed: Jun. 1, 2010

This was a great dessert for our summer barbecue. It was refreshing and light. I was really surprised how the strawberries soaked right into the cake. As the recipe stated, I let the cake cool first, then spooned the pureed strawberries over the top. Even two days later, the cake was not soggy at all. Like a few other reviewers, I used white cake mix. I just don't really like the "fake" taste of strawberry cake mix, and thought the white cake was a nice contrast to the strawberries and creamy topping. I didn't feel like the topping needed cornstarch or anything else to thicken it - mine had a nice, easy to spread texture.

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Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce

Reviewed: Apr. 26, 2010

This really is so easy. I did not taste cream cheese at all, it was just a mild, creamy alfredo. Texture was wonderful - smooth, rich, clung to fettucine well. I added steamed broccoli and topped with grilled chicken. I also added two cloves minced garlic with the butter, in place of the garlic power, and added about a half-teaspoon each of dried basil and oregano. I might add spinach next time or fresh-cut ribbons of basil. I used Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and still would have liked more cheese and garlic flavor.

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