JJOYB53 Recipe Reviews (Pg. 1) - Allrecipes.com (1998425)

French Spring Soup

Reviewed: May 27, 2012

I had high hopes for this recipe. I had leeks and asparagus to use up, and instead of the regular cream of asparagus soup, I tried this, since it sounded different and had the potential for being nice and tasty. Unfortunately, this was extremely bland, with minimal flavor, even though I followed the recipe exactly (unusual for me). I am still at a loss for how to "fix" this, so will probably not make this again. It is probably a very good soup, true to its roots, but just not our cup of tea. Sorry -

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Red Curry Flank Steak

Reviewed: May 14, 2012

Gosh -I don't think I've ever been the first to rate a recipe before! This was good, but I will have to tinker with it a bit to make it great. The heat and curry flavor were very mild (I had to make my own red curry powder, as I couldn't find it anywhere local so I guess that could be part of the problem, although with the ingredients in the mixture you would think there would have been more of an asian curry-type flavor), so next time I think I will increase either the curry paste or the powder - don't think I should increase both initially or I could have something that only my husband will be able to eat! I also did not puncture the steak before marinating, as I find that it tends to dry out on the grill when I do that (it could be the way DH grills his steak, but we grill a lot of flank steak, and never have a problem with it drying out), so I marinated it for 2 hours at room temp - so next time will increase that to 4 hours or so, or maybe overnight in the 'frig if I get started early enough. The fresh basil at the stores looked too sad to use, so I used about a 1/2 tsp dried in the marinade - couldn't really taste the basil, but I'm sure it added some depth to it. I was also thinking I might try adding a little lime juice, as it seems to me that a lot of Thai recipes have some sort of lime, or kaffir lime leaves, in them. Thanks Chef John for a very good starting point - we will be trying this again - and next time with the fresh basil!

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Spinach and Strawberry Salad

Reviewed: Apr. 16, 2012

Can I give this 5 stars, even if I did make a couple small changes? I sure hope so, because this was fantastic! I used only 1/4 c sugar, balsamic vinegar, and used a combination of spinach and arugula (maybe 1/4 arugula). The combination of the sweet taste of the strawberry with the slightly peppery taste of the arugula, topped with that fantastic dressing was to die for - and that is from my husband, who doesn't like sweet dressings! I do think I will decrease the sugar even a tad bit more (maybe a couple tsp to start?), as my son (who definitely has a sweet tooth) commented that I should try less sugar next time. Thanks for a wonderful addition to the recipe box!

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Overnight Coffee Cake

Reviewed: Jan. 22, 2012

Nice addition to our Sunday breakfast! I cut the recipe in half (love that calculator), and used cinnamon instead of nutmeg. I also added peeled, cut-up apple - I was a little leery of adding it the night before, but it worked out just fine. Because of time constraints the night before, I made the topping the next morning while the oven was preheating. I goofed and did not take the coffee cake out of the 'frig until I was ready to add the topping and pop into the oven; I checked for doneness after 40 minutes, and needed to add 5 minutes to make sure it was done, but it turned out great! I also skipped the drizzle - it was plenty sweet for us. My husband has already requested I make this next week - I think I will try adding pears, and use ginger instead of the nutmeg. And I know that I will try this with cardomom sometime in the near future! Again, another super starting point for a tasty dish! Thanks -

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Fabulous Fargozas

Reviewed: Jan. 19, 2012

Yum, yum! Now I admit I have never had a fargoza before, so do not have anything to compare this to, but as far as I am concerned, these were fantastic. Having had experience with a harsh garlic taste when raw garlic is just dumped into a batter, I sauteed the onion and garlic in olive oil until wilted, which mellowed the flavor a bit (they still had plenty of onion and garlic flavor - just not as "harsh"). I also decreased the sugar to 1 tsp (based on other reviews) and subbed olive oil for the melted butter. Oh, and I did not add any additional salt - the salt in the cheese was plenty for our tastes. I did not find the rosemary flavor to be too strong - in fact, next time I make these I may add a tad more (depends on my mood and what I will be serving these with). I served these with minestrone (Jaime's, from this site, with vegan italian sausage substitute added) and green salad - a hearty and flavorful meal for a snowy, wintery day. Thank you Judi for sharing!

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Orange-Ginger Chicken and Veggies

Reviewed: Dec. 21, 2011

This is a very nice recipe, but will take some tinkering until it is something my family will request again. I browned the chicken first, and removed it from the pan before adding the vegies, as I didn't want it to be overcooked. I had some tiny baby carrots from our CSA, so cut those into thin matchsticks instead of shredding, which increased the cooking time. I should have added the broccoli with the carrots, as it was a bit too crunchy, but I was afraid the peppers would be too soft, even though I had added those a few minutes after the broccoli. I used a generous tsp of minced ginger instead of the powdered ginger, but will increase it next time as the ginger was overpowered by the chili sauce (Sriracha) and orange. This was plenty spicy, even without the hot pepper sauce (forgot it) - not too spicy, but it definitely had a good zing!After adding the sauce ingredients, I added the chicken back in to finish cooking - by the time the sauce had thickened enough, the chicken was perfect. I will try this again - this was a good starting point. Thanks -

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Maui Onion Dressing

Reviewed: Dec. 13, 2011

I was so hopeful that this would be close to the sweet onion dressing that was my family's favorite for several years before it totally disappeared off the shelf. It is a good starting point but will need some work. The garlic flavor was very strong (and I put garlic in just about everything), the lemon flavor was too noticable, and the consistency was off (too thin). I'm not going to give up though - thanks for a starting point.

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Skillet Pork Chops with Potatoes and Onion

Reviewed: Dec. 8, 2011

I have been making something similar to this for years, using canned soup, but have been looking for a version that doesn't use the soup - this is very close. I must have had very juicy onions, because the sauce was very thin. I also was able to taste the lemon juice, so next time will only use half of what is called for. Like others, I finished this in the oven (we are remodeling and I knew I would not have access to the cooktop later in the day - so browned the pork chops and assembled everything in a large covered casserole dish, and refrigerated until time to pop it in the oven). If I can figure out a way to thicken the sauce a bit, I would rate this a 5.

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Zucchini Cobbler

Reviewed: Sep. 25, 2011

OMG! Fooled everybody at the table - one person (who loves desserts and loves to bake) said it was the best "apple" cobbler she had ever had - and was blown away when I told her it was zucchini. I cut the number of servings, so altered the recipe in that way, but other than I may added a splash more lemon juice, it was true to the original. I am going to use the rest of the 2 HUGE zucchinis that I was given to make more to freeze for later. Thank you for an awesome recipe!

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Parmesan Zucchini Bread

Reviewed: Jun. 26, 2011

This was very nice, but after reading the reviews I did make a few slight changes (thus only 4 stars). I probably doubled the parmesan, decreased the sugar by about half (3 T), and used about 1/4 c onion and sauteed it in a bit of olive oil with 1 clove of minced garlic. It turned out quite good, but I think next time I might add 1 t of dried basil just to give it a bit more "zip". Thanks for a good starting point.

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Jamie's Minestrone

Reviewed: Jun. 26, 2011

I got 2# of zucchini in my CSA delivery this week, so was looking for recipes to use it in when I came across this one. I started with about a pound of sweet italian sausage; after browning and draining the oil, I continued pretty much with the recipe, with only the following changes: probably a bit more zucchini (so I didn't have to save a portion of one), doubled the broth, added a pinch of red pepper flakes, used kale instead of spinach (also from this week's delivery), used the full can of beans, so probably 1 1/2 c., and dried herbs instead of the fresh. Oh - no wine (forgot!). I liked the idea of cooking the pasta separately, as we have lots of soup left over, and I know how pasta absorbs most of the liquid. I let people grate their own parmesan. (I am sure that this would be great without the sausage - it was a request of my husband, and it really did turn out good. Everyone at the table gave it 2 thumbs up!) Thanks for a great starting point.

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Buttermilk Pound Cake II

Reviewed: Apr. 30, 2011

Very nice cake, but I gave it a 4 because I made a couple changes to meet my needs. I wanted to serve strawberries over pound cake for Easter dessert, but the berries did not look appealing. So, I took KARLMALE's idea and used cardamom and the zest of one orange (I think the flavors of orange and cardamom are heavenly, but did not want the orange flavor to be too overpowering - the zest only was perfect!), and 1 1/2 tsp vanilla (there would have been that 1/2 tsp left in the bottle, and I think that tad extra added some depth of flavor). I also added 1/2 sour cream, based on other reviewers mentioning it was a little on the dry side. It was a tad too sweet for my taste, although my family thought it was fine (and I did not use a glaze - just a light sprinkle of powdered sugar), so I will use 1/2 c less sugar next time. It was lighter, not as dense, as pound cakes I have had in the past, which was actually a nice change. When I do want a denser pound cake, I will try one less egg (or fewer egg whites - I'll have to do some studying on that). All in all, it was a successful Easter dessert. Thanks Cathy!

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Sausage Sauerkraut Supper

Reviewed: Dec. 9, 2010

Yesterday was a cold, windy, rainy day, and this looked like a really good meal for that kind of day - and I was right!. As I was short for time, I didn't brown the sausage and onions before layering everything in the slow cooker (onions, carrots, garlic, sausage, potatoes, a pinch of red pepper flakes, sauerkraut). I used only about a pound of sausage, cut into about 1-1 1/2 " pieces, and I used the sauerkraut that comes packaged in a plastic bag in the refrigerated section of the store; I find that it isn't as salty as the stuff that comes in the can. Since my family really likes the tartness of sauerkraut, I didn't rinse and drain - just dumped the whole bag in and spread it fairly evenly over the top of the other ingredients. I didn't have any white wine opened, so just used chicken stock - but probably only about 1/3 cup, since I had already added the liquid that was on the sauerkraut. I cooked for 8 hours on low, but probably could have only cooked 7 (in case anybody is really pressed for time). My hubby said that it really hit the spot - I was surprised by how mild it turned out, considering I had used the sauerkraut juice, and added the red pepper flakes, as suggested by another reviewer. Serve with horseradish and/or spicy mustard for those who need a little more zip. Thanks for a flavorful, easy winter meal!

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Warm Mediterranean Farro Salad

Reviewed: Jun. 17, 2010

I had been seeing lots of recipes for farro, but had not found any until this last trip to the grocery store. We really liked this - did not have walnuts, but will make sure I have some on hand next time, as I am sure they will add a nice texture addition. I used feta instead of ricotta salata, as I was unable to find the ricotta at the store (and we are feta lovers anyway). I used the Absolutely Fabulous Greek/House Dressing from this site, which worked very nicely. My only negative was my fault - the sundried tomatoes I used were packed with herbs, and their flavor was almost overwhelming. Next time I will use tomatoes packed without the herbs. Thanks!

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Absolutely Fabulous Greek/House Dressing

Reviewed: Jun. 17, 2010

I too scaled this down (to 12). When I think "Greek", I think "lemon", so used a 50-50 mix of red wine and balsamic vinegars, and added a couple T of lemon juice. The vinegar flavor was still very strong, so next time will adjust to make a brighter flavor. I used this for a farro salad recipe (from this site) and it worked very nicely.

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Southwestern Chicken Salad

Reviewed: Jun. 17, 2010

We had this for dinner last night and really enjoyed it. I used leftover grilled chicken breasts, frozen corn (thawed), and the jicama. I served the chicken mixture over red and green lettuce. We loved the different textures of this salad, but found the dressing a bit bland (we are not ranch dressing people, so I made my own from the Ranch Dressing Mix recipe on this site) - next time I think I will use a 50-50 mix of the dressing and the b-b-q sauce. Thanks for a nice entree salad - just in time for summer!

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Spicy Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew

Reviewed: Jun. 17, 2010

Very nice. I used leftover grilled chicken, and a little more sweet potato (actually yam) than the recipe called for, just because I didn't want to save a small portion of it. It had a very nice flavor, but it was a little harsh, so next time will add a little sugar to bring out the sweetness of the tomatoes. I found I did not need to add any thickener as the starch in the yams seems to have done the job. Thanks for another addition to the recipe box!

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Goat Cheese and Arugula over Penne

Reviewed: Jun. 5, 2010

I am giving this a 4 because I made a couple changes (I know, shame on me!), but I was wanting to use up some mushrooms I had on hand. Plus, I know from previous experience that raw garlic can be very overpowering, so I sauteed the garlic with some sliced mushrooms, and then proceeded with the recipe as posted (oh, I only used a tablespoon or so of the olive oil - but otherwise it was the same!). My husband gave it two thumbs up. Just add a simple salad and a glass of wine, and this is a very light and tasty, easily-made dinner after a long day at work!

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Southwest Pork and Bean Salad

Reviewed: Jun. 5, 2010

This was very tasty, and a good way to use up the rest of the pork tenderloin that we had barbequed thinking that there were going to be 4 for Sunday dinner, and ended up being just hubby and me. I garnished the finished salad with some diced tomatoes and a bit of avocado. Next time I think I will "marinate" the cut up pork in the dressing for a few hours before adding the vegies (maybe put the pork in the dressing just before leaving for work in the morning). Served it on a bed of red lettuce, with warmed flour tortillas on the side. This has been added to the recipe box, and will be used a lot this summer - I bet this would be good with chicken, too!

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Sweet and Sour Chicken III

Reviewed: May 4, 2010

Very nice. I followed recipe as directed but had a bit more chicken, so increased the vegies accordingly. Also added about a quarter of a cup more water, and a tad more of everything else except the soy sauce, to make sure I had enough sauce and help decrease the sodium a bit. It was very tasty, but next time I think I will remove the chicken and vegies from the pan before I add the ingredients for the sauce, and bring the sauce almost to a boil before adding everything back, as it took so long for the liquid to come to a boil that the meat was a bit tough and the vegies were a little overdone for our palates (and I was using a big saute pan with a lot of surface area). I can see making this a part of the rotation - by cutting up the vegies the night before, and storing in a container in the frig, and maybe even mixing the ingredients for the sauce (sans pineapple juice and corn starch), again storing in the frig in a covered container, this could make a really quick dinner: with most everything cut up ahead of time, by the time the rice is done cooking, you could have yourself a meal! Thanks for making dinner a little easier!

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