Whitney Recipe Reviews (Pg. 1) - Allrecipes.com (10985019)

Mama's Italian Wedding Soup

Reviewed: Feb. 22, 2012

good and easy to make. If you don't like making small meatballs just make big ones; they break up easily with a spoon once cooked.

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Tip: If you drain/rinse the sauerkraut it takes care of complaints about this soup being too sour. I did this and I think it's more of a sweet-sour. I also drained and rinsed the other veggies...rinsing reduces the salt content. Also, I used polish turkey sausage; I think that worked very well and probably lowered the calories a bit more from those calculated. To make it healthier, next time I'm going to use fresh carrots, fresh potatoes, and figure out how to make the base cream soups from scratch. I did use home made chicken broth this time just like I do for everything.

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Hungarian Mushroom Soup

Reviewed: Jan. 9, 2012

Follow the directions as stated except I used canned mixed gourmet mushrooms...and dumped some black eyed peas in. Should have left the peas out. My rating is for how it would have been without the peas.

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Gin Rickey

Reviewed: Jan. 6, 2012

Lower cal version 2oz gin juice of one lime club soda...filled highball glass with ice pour in gin and squeeze in lime top with club soda....won't be as sweet as original but only cals are from the gin...use more lime if need more flavor

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Quick and Easy 20-Minute Chicken Posole

Reviewed: Jan. 5, 2012

Very good. I halved the recipe but used the same amount of spice called for in the full recipe and used 6 cloves garlic instead of onion (my husband won't eat onions but we both like garlic)...the extra spice would probably fix it for anyone who find the original bland. Used corn instead of hominy because I had corn. Didn't use the chilies because I didn't have them. Threw in a bit of lentils for added fiber. I didn't used canned anything; just fresh or frozen...the olives (leftover from a party tray) added plenty of salt. Chicken broth and pieces were turkey because I had roasted a turkey earlier this week. A very versatile recipe that is easy to throw together based on what you have on hand.

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Yogurt Chocolate Chip Cookies

Reviewed: Dec. 16, 2011

Very good. I used greek yogurt and I think that is why mine didn't spread out much...will use normal yogurt next time. Tasted great either way.

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Mushroom Slow Cooker Roast Beef

Reviewed: Dec. 1, 2011

This was very good. I typically have been using potatoes as a base for setting a roast in the slow cooker and hadn't thought about mushrooms. I was afraid they would become too soft but they held up well during cooking. The only thing I would change is using real onion instead of flakes; the tiny pieces of cooked onion flakes make it harder to save the leftover broth for later use and looked a little odd stuck to the mushrooms.

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Tomatillo Salsa Verde

Reviewed: Nov. 30, 2011

Very good. The only place where it needs improvement is that the salsa is a little thin if made per the directions. After blending I put it back on the stove on high for about 5 minutes and let the salsa boil down a little; stirring frequently. Next time I'll just add less water; 1.5 cups would probably be about right. I used this to make an enchilada casserole.

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Baked Beer Can Chicken

Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2011

Very good; using green onions to plug the top and covering with foil at the end made a big difference over more simple beer can chicken techniques. I left out the seasoned salt and salt because I rarely add salt (especially that much); it definitely didn't need it added as there was plenty of salt in the liquid the chicken was packaged in. I threw some cut up potatoes in the bottom of the pan while cooking and they came out great too.

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Jalapeno Jelly

Reviewed: Nov. 19, 2011

This was my first time to make my own pepper jelly and my first time to can anything. This recipe is good but I think it could be better. Harry and David's pepper jelly is what I'm use to and this recipe isn't to that level. I followed the directions exactly other than using a red bell pepper instead of green (for color). Problems I encountered: The liquid pectin comes in 3 ounce packets but this recipe calls for 4 ounces (that's just not very thrifty). If you actually get all the liquid out in step 2 it actually ends up making enough to fill 4 - 8 oz jars; I had to quickly wash an extra jar and I had 3 ready just in case it filled more than the 2 specified. It does not say how long to process the jars (from looking at other canning recipes I assumed 20 minutes; Ball's instructions says the recipe should indicate canning time). UPDATE: After sitting for a couple days in the jar the flavor improved significantly. It is also highly jelly so I think the liquid pectin could be cut back to 3oz so that only one packet could be used. So I'd give it a 4 for flavor but the odd amount of pectin as written makes stay a 3.

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Lower Carb Potato-Leek-Bacon Soup

Reviewed: Nov. 17, 2011

This was very good. The only change I made was using home made chicken stock because I had some in the freezer. I also didn't think there was a need to add salt (especially not if using canned stock) I would eat this even if it were not healthy and will make it again.

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Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

Reviewed: Nov. 7, 2011

It's ok as written but isn't a favorite. The only changes I made at the end were blending everything together because I didn't like the consistency with whole beans. After tasting I added a couple tablespoons of fat free sour cream; that helped a lot. I think that if I make this again I'll add half and half or whipping cream to the soup toward the end of cooking. I may also try it with two cans of pumpkin to see if that is better. If you are looking for pumpkin flavored soup then this is not the recipe for you; it tastes similar to normal black bean soup. I ended up throwing most of it out.

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Roasted Beets 'n' Sweets

Reviewed: Nov. 2, 2011

I think I would like this better if I was a bigger fan of beets. But it did taste pretty good and is pretty.

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Baked Pear

Reviewed: Nov. 2, 2011

Very good and easy to make. I don't know why the intro says it's not a dessert because it's not a side; too sweet.

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Broccoli Beef I

Reviewed: Nov. 2, 2011

Not at all like Chinese Restaurant Broccoli Beef; which I assumed it was poorly trying to imitate. Also not good. With some last minute add ins of extra soy sauce, extra ginger, extra sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper flakes I was able to cover up the flour taste of the sauce. I plan on trying to make broccoli beef again at home but don't see a reason to try to make this particular recipe work by tweaking as there is little worth saving...I knew it was odd that it called for flour when most asian dishes use cornstarch; should have read the 1 star reviews first. If you make this and also don't like the sauce use a slotted spoon to salvage the good part.

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Patti's Mussels a la Mariniere

Reviewed: Oct. 31, 2011

I followed the recipe except that I doubled the sauce, garlic, and added the tomatoes towards the end as suggested in other reviews and it was very good. I usually don't like mussels that much (made if for husband) but loved them this way. The sauce goes great with whole wheat pasta.

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Yummy Lemon Salmon Burgers

Reviewed: May 12, 2011

These were easy and very good. You don't need to use very much oil when cooking; I just lightly brushed my pan with less than a tablespoon of canola and could have left that off since my pan doesn't stick. My husband hates onions. If you are in the same boat just cook a some onion slices in the pan after the burgers are done and serve to those who do like onion. I didn't have mayo so instead I mixed 0% greek yogurt with some lime juice, onion powder, and lemon-pepper and that was a nice compliment to the salmon burgers. It also works well to use old bay seasoning instead of or in addition to the basil. I served these on drop biscuits which were cut in half and added a slice of tomato, chopped fresh onion, and the above mentioned grilled onion and yogurt spread.

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Broccoli-Stuffed Sole

Reviewed: May 11, 2011

I thought this was very good. The only major change I made was leaving out the rice since I didn't have time to cook some. I also used lemon pepper seasoning instead of plain salt. I may have ended up using extra cheese (regular mild cheddar) too but am not sure since I cut the recipe down to 3 filets and didn't measure. I had some hush puppy mix so I made that and some corn seasoned with old bay and pepper as a side dish. But since this is such a heavy dish compared to what I'm use to; (esp if I had used rice) I'll not use the hush puppies next time (only had them the mix left over from a party anyway). Reduced fat cheese doesn't melt very well from my past experience; so I'd suggest just using less of a sharp cheddar if you are trying to keep calories low; an easy place to cut out calories is the butter...cut the amount in half and skip the option to top the filets with butter; you will have plenty of liquid for basting later on in the cooking process.

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Mixed Seafood Curry

Reviewed: Feb. 27, 2011

I made this as written and it was okay. The flavor doesn't really stick to the seafood. This is a good base for a curry dish but needs some tweaks.

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Vegetable and Tofu Stir-fry

Reviewed: Jan. 6, 2011

The sauce poured on just before serving really makes the dish. I will be memorizing it so I can make stir fry as a quick go-to healthy meal. This was my first time to stir fry in a good wok and it turned out great. I used different vegetables with the tofu and threw in some seafood at the end (hubby think meat must be in every meal...sigh). I also forgot the ginger that I had bought specifically for this...oops. Case in point, as long as you get the sauce right you pretty much throw anything in your wok and it will come out great if you use the sauce from this recipe.

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