Salsera713 Recipe Reviews (Pg. 1) - Allrecipes.com (1814628)

Roasted New Red Potatoes

Reviewed: Nov. 13, 2011

Great, simple recipe. I used small yellow potatoes; agree with other users that you either need to use small potatoes cut in half or cut your potatoes into wedges. I made this will meatballs. Delicious!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
2 users found this review helpful

Guacamole

Reviewed: Jun. 28, 2011

This is super tasty! I made this for an event at my place and everyone raved. It's a great combination. The cayenne adds a nice taste too, although be careful that you don't add too much as it gets spicy quick.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
6 users found this review helpful

Herbed Cream Cheese Omelet

Reviewed: Jun. 19, 2011

Tasty! I was a bit apprehensive on the cilantro - cream cheese combination, but it was quite nice. An easy way to use up some cilantro (because you know they never sell it in small bunches). I made 2 changes: I seasoned the raw eggs with salt and pepper rather than seasoning the herbed cream cheese. And I used neufchatel cheese instead of traditional cream cheese.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
3 users found this review helpful

Buttermilk Noodle Bake

Reviewed: Jun. 6, 2011

This is a very versatile recipe! I had ground turkey and buttermilk that I wanted to use, thus how I landed on this recipe, but made a number of other substitutions, as listed below. I used seasoned ground turkey instead of ground beef. The seasoning in the turkey added a lot of flavor to the dish. I didn't have any onion, but I did add a clove of garlic. I SIGNIFICANTLY cut down on the salt (I used a dash, pretty much). Since I used the seasoned ground turkey, I can't comment on the best amount to use, but would definitely use much less than is called for by the recipe. I used fresh squash instead of the can of mushrooms. 1 small zucchini and 1 small yellow star squash. I used barbecue sauce instead of ketchup. I think this also added some flavor to the dish. I used rice instead of egg noodles as the only pasta I had in the house was spaghetti. Similar to what was called for with the noodles, I cooked the rice first and then added it to the sauce at the end. The instructions are pretty straight forward, but did want to make one note. The sauce is basically a bechamel sauce - add the flour slowly so that it doesn't lump. And then add the milk slowly. It's important that you stir in between each addition of flour and milk. The recipe worked out great! It was very tasty and satisfying. This is a really easy recipe to modify, so a great recipe for using what you happen to have in the house!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
3 users found this review helpful

Black Magic Cake

Reviewed: Jun. 4, 2011

I really wish I could give this more stars, but it didn't live up to expectations. I do, however, believe that I can share some things NOT to do. First, don't cut the sugar. I almost always use less sugar than is called for in a recipe because they're often too sweet. Not the case here. I used about 5/6 cup organic cane sugar and a cup of brown sugar, but not hard packed. The recipe needs the full 2 cups of sugar. I cooked the cake for 40 minutes, but didn't check it at 30 (which I should have done) - the texture was ok, but not as moist as some other reviewers have indicated. I recommend checking the cake at 30 minutes because every oven is different. The saving grace of the cake was the Coffee Butter Frosting (also from this site), which added the missing sweetness. And the frosting complemented the cake very well. Hopefully I will get the opportunity to make this again and update my review.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
6 users found this review helpful

Coffee Butter Frosting

Reviewed: Jun. 4, 2011

Wow! Awesome recipe! I made a lot of the recommended changes (used 1 cup of sugar, doubled the cocoa powder and coffee, and doubled the recipe) and I'm really glad I did. If you're using this for a layer cake or a cake in a 9x13 pan, you absolutely have to double this recipe; otherwise you won't have enough. As with most recipes, I do recommend taste testing to make sure that you're happy with the flavor. For me, the coffee flavor was perfect, but I love coffee. If you only want a hint of coffee, don't double the amount. I started with an electric mixer, but the butter kept getting stuck in the mixer do-hickeys (wish I knew the official name). So then I switched to a wooden spoon. This requires a lot of elbow grease, but it at least prevents you from having to tap out the mixer do-hickeys after every second addition of the sugar / cocoa mix. If using an electric mixer, choose your attachments wisely. I used this for the Black Magic Cake, also on this site, and it complemented it very well.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
5 users found this review helpful

5-Minute Guacamole

Reviewed: May 8, 2011

This is a great recipe for when you don't have time or don't feel like making guacamole from scratch. As suggested by other reviewers, I used a fork instead of a food processor (I like my guacamole chunky too). Quite nice!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
9 users found this review helpful

Easy Shepherd's Pie with Garlic Romano Potatoes

Reviewed: Apr. 24, 2011

I usually use a shepherd's pie recipe with cream of mushroom soup, but wanted to try something different. I don't think I'll ever go back, this is quite good. I did make a number of changes, as follows: - I cut the whole recipe in half and used an 8x8 casserole dish. - I used Italian turkey sausage instead of ground beef (as suggested by others). This gives it a great flavor. - I tried to get rid of some of the grease from the ground turkey before adding the tomato sauce and veggies. - I omitted the can of diced tomatoes (I'm a bit peculiar about where I like my tomatoes and shepherd's pie is not one of them). - Instead of the canned vegetables, I used fresh asparagus, red bell pepper, and mushrooms. I really enjoyed this combination. - I steamed the potatoes instead of boiling them (heard this keeps in more of the nutrients) - this increased the cooking time to 20 minutes. - I added some feta cheese to the potato mixture; I don't know if this had much effect on the final product. - I used the water from the boiled potatoes instead of milk (healthier). - I didn't broil it at the end (my broiler is frustrating - separate from the main oven - didn't seem worth it). Overall, I really enjoyed this. And it's a super easy recipe. Definitely a keeper!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
5 users found this review helpful

Turkey Veggie Meatloaf Cups

Reviewed: Mar. 20, 2011

Quite tasty. I didn't have onions, so I substituted in mushrooms. I used Stobbs original barbecue sauce and seasoned ground turkey. I added a little bit of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Served with boiled potatoes. Cooking time was perfect. Very easy to make and an easy meal to freeze or take to work for lunch.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
4 users found this review helpful

Irish Cream Brownies

Reviewed: Mar. 18, 2011

I only made the frosting from this recipe to top the "Best Brownies" recipe from this site. I boiled the milk, Irish cream, and coffee in a saucepan instead of in the microwave. I did have an issue with a film forming on the liquid (from the milk), which I had to remove. I followed a suggestion from another reviewer and placed this liquid mixture in the fridge for about 2 hours before adding to the butter mixture. I halved the sugar and I'm happy I did. It was just the perfect sweetness. This made just the right amount of frosting - enough for a light layer across a 9x13 pan of brownies. I liked the flavor of the frosting and it complemented the brownies well. I made this for a St. Patrick's Day potluck and they received rave reviews.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
3 users found this review helpful

Best Brownies

Reviewed: Mar. 17, 2011

These were pretty good. I was glad that the recipe didn't use any oil. I doubled the recipe and baked them in a 9x13 pan. I topped them with the Irish cream frosting from the "Irish Cream Brownies" recipe on this site (it was for a St. Patrick's Day potluck), which complemented the brownies really well. The only changes I made to the recipe are as follows: 1) I used half the sugar called for and 2) I omitted the salt. If you don't frost the brownies, they probably need about 2/3-3/4 of the sugar called for. But if you do frost the brownies, the frosting lends enough sweetness to halve the sugar. My brownies turned out somewhere between cakey and fudgey, but a bit closer to cakey. I'm going to try taking them out of the oven a bit earlier next time. I was also taking them to a potluck, so I had to leave them in the glass dish in which I baked them, which I'm sure didn't help. I do, however, really like the flavor. It tastes like chocolate, but it's not too sweet. I used Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder and that seemed to work fine. I got tons of compliments on the brownies, so obviously something worked well, although I do think that the frosting was clutch. Not having tried the frosting listed in this recipe, I can't provide much feedback there.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
4 users found this review helpful

Mushroom Saute

Reviewed: Sep. 1, 2010

This was very nice. I would never have thought to use nutmeg in a mushroom dish, but it worked well, as did the tarragon. Very quick to make as well. I foresee this becoming an often used recipe.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
4 users found this review helpful

Shepherd's Pie VI

Reviewed: Jan. 5, 2010

Quite tasty. Like others, I made a number of modifications. As suggested by others, I added a packet of brown gravy and Worcestershire sauce (probably about 1/4 cup); upon tasting the finished product, I can't imagine not using something to give the meat some more flavor. Instead of butter, I used the water in which the potatoes and green beans were boiled to soften the mashed potatoes as well as a little bit of milk. Added chopped mushrooms and garlic to the onion before adding the meat. Boiled green beans and used those instead of carrots. Sprinkled Gouda cheese on top (it's all I had in the fridge). My mom and I both really enjoyed this dish.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
2 users found this review helpful

Spanish Rice Bake

Reviewed: Jul. 26, 2009

The end result of this recipe was delicious, but it required a couple of alterations from the original recipe. (1) The rice does not cook in the time allotted. I kept the top on as other reviewers recommended, but still had to add water and let it cook for another 20 minutes or so. (2) It would be way too sweet with the brown sugar and all the chile sauce. I only used about 3/4 of the chile sauce and half the brown sugar and might even cut it down more next time. Or use tomato sauce instead of chile sauce as recommended by some. I used canned diced tomatoes, Cracker Barrel extra sharp white cheddar cheese, and ground buffalo. I also served with Parmesan cheese on the side. Overall, it's a really tasty recipe and super easy for leftovers.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
2 users found this review helpful

Snow Peas Oriental

Reviewed: Jun. 29, 2009

I don't know if I read something wrong, but 1 tsp of cornstarch does not dissolve in 1 tsp of soy sauce - it makes a paste. And once you have snow peas in your skillet, it's near impossible to then mix that paste with the broth in the skillet, so you just get small bits of soy sauce paste scattered in your skillet. Or at least that's what happened to me.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
16 users found this review helpful

A Good Easy Garlic Chicken

Reviewed: Jun. 26, 2009

Super quick and easy and quite tasty. I sauteed some red peppers with this as well and had it with garlic mashed potatoes. Ate the cold chicken as leftovers the next day on a green salad with slivered almonds and apple pieces.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
2 users found this review helpful

Pastitsio II

Reviewed: Dec. 21, 2008

I was impressed how much this tasted like pastitsio I've ordered at Greek restaurants - very authentic. It does take a long time, but it's worth it. And it smells fabulous! I did make a number of changes - Reduced the amount of Parmesan cheese and egg added to the pasta at the beginning (didn't miss it); Added cinnamon and nutmeg to the meat (highly suggest doing this); Increased the amount of garlic added to the meat (my MO for almost every recipe); Used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth and used dry parsley instead of fresh (didn't notice either change); Added feta cheese to the cream sauce (I have no idea if this made a difference, just following a reviewer's suggestion). I also followed a reviewer's suggestion and tossed half the pasta with a little bit of the cream sauce and tossed the other half of the pasta with the meat sauce. Then first put the cream sauce-tossed pasta in the dish, then the meat sauce-tossed pasta, and finally the rest of the cream sauce. Came out great (seemed like a logical suggestion to me, thus why I followed it).

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
17 users found this review helpful

Russian Chicken with Feta Cheese

Reviewed: Dec. 21, 2008

The sauce is super tasty, but I agree with other reviewers that it should be doubled. I found some of the cooking times a bit long, but my stove and oven both run on the hot side. I doubled the garlic and used gin instead of vodka (didn't have vodka on hand) and it turned out well. I used a different sauce (Rosemary-Merlot) for the potatoes, which added a nice contrast. Also served with steamed broccoli.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
2 users found this review helpful

Shrimp Scampi Bake

Reviewed: Feb. 1, 2008

I brought this dish to a potluck. This is delicious, but not for the faint of heart (very buttery). Don't go easy on the garlic or mustard - that's the punch that makes the recipe great!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
2 users found this review helpful

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Reviewed: Feb. 1, 2008

This was tasty, but too sweet for me. And I already cut back the sugar to 3/4 of a cup. Next time I will only use 1/2 cup sugar. I also used a mix of white and brown sugar in the recipe and would likely do that again. I also used walnuts instead of pecans and that worked well.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
2 users found this review helpful