Quick and Easy Peach Cheesecake

Reviewed: May 17, 2013

Very easy recipe. I halved the recipe for one pie. I couldn't find peach preserves, so I used apricot. I made the low fat version with light cream cheese, cool whip free, and 10 oz. jar of all fruit spread. I think next time I'd leave out the powdered sugar. Don't think it needs the extra sweetness.

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Reviewer:

ReneePaj

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Living In: Brunswick, Ohio, USA

Super-Simple, Super-Spicy Mongolian Beef

Reviewed: May 17, 2013

Pretty decent. I used flank steak as called for and marinated it for 24 hours (prepped it along with dinner the night before so it would be ready for the next day dinner). The only thing I did different was to add about 1/4 cup red wine halfway through the marinating process. I did this because 1) I wanted to be sure the meat got tender and 2) the liquid had been totally absorbed from the original recipe and I feared that it would have no sauce -- as one reviewer complained. However, I realized that the meat will leak out all the stored up juice when you cook it in the pan. So next time I will omit the wine and see what happens. This was tasty and we'll be making it again. Thanks.

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Reviewer:

Erin

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Spaghetti with Broccoli and Chicken

Reviewed: May 16, 2013

I changed up this recipe a lot to suite my family's tastes after reading the reviews. I didn't use chicken breasts. (Didn't have any) I used ground chicken sausage. I browned it up in a nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Added some chopped shallot, mushrooms, and the garlic then deglazed the pan with about a 1/2 cup chicken stock. Reduced it by almost half. Added in frozen broccoli florets and some crushed red pepper. Covered the skillet to cook up the broccoli and then added the cooked pasta, which was farfalle. Finished it with 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil. It was good and we enjoyed it. I give it 4 stars made this way.

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Reviewer:

ReneePaj

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Living In: Brunswick, Ohio, USA

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Pearl Couscous

Reviewed: May 15, 2013

I love this recipe! I make a bigger batch so I toasted 2 cups of the pearl couscous and added 2 1/4 cups of broth, covered it and simmered on low for 10min. No liquid was left and the couscous was perfect. No need to add too much extra of all the other ingredients, just test it and add accordingly. I also like to add 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes along with fresh ones- makes it doubly good!

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Reviewer:

greatchinred

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Tucson, Arizona, USA

Living In: Cleveland, Ohio, USA

'I Hate Cucumbers!' Cucumber Salad

Reviewed: May 15, 2013

What a fabulous taste! Split the vineager with Apple Cider vineager and put in a little less, added a little extra mayo and sugar and extra fresh dill. I definitely like it with celery- gives it that extra crunchiness and flavor. This one is going in my 'favs'!

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greatchinred

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Tucson, Arizona, USA

Living In: Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Dill, Feta and Garlic Cream Cheese Spread

Reviewed: May 15, 2013

This was a nice flavor-packed spread for rolls. I couldn't find feta cheese so I used a salty white cheese with a similar consistency. I needed to use about 1/2 cup of sour cream to make it smooth and spreadable - if I wanted to use this as a dip (and it would make a great dip) I'd use use a full cup.

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Basg

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Living In: Jerusalem, Mehoz Yerushalayim, Israel

Broccoli with Garlic Butter and Cashews

Reviewed: May 14, 2013

delicious. I used frozen broccoli I cooked in the microwave.

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Reviewer:

ReneePaj

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Living In: Brunswick, Ohio, USA

Firecracker Grilled Alaska Salmon

Reviewed: May 10, 2013

This was absolutely delicious! Hubs grilled to perfection. I used a little less oil, about 1/3 cup, and cut the other ingredients down accordingly as my salmon filet was about a pound total. I only used about 1/2 tsp red pepper flake, next time I won't be so wimpy and I'll spice it up a bit more, maybe a shake or two of sriacha or tabasco? Thanks for sharing your recipe.

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Reviewer:

Saveur

Home Town: Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Living In: Columbus, Ohio, USA

Cheese Ravioli with Three Pepper Topping

Reviewed: May 9, 2013

this was ok. I took some of the other reviewers advice and put my spin on it. Didn't use any chicken stock, but a can of Italian flavored chopped tomatoes and white wine instead. Added some fresh garlic, salt and pepper, and finished it with a TBS of butter, grated parm and some fresh basil. I think it would have been better with even more veg, such as zucchini and mushroom. I also only cooked the peppers and onion until they were crisp tender. I might make again.

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Reviewer:

ReneePaj

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Living In: Brunswick, Ohio, USA

Avocado Peanut Butter Brownies

Reviewed: May 9, 2013

First of all, I did not make this recipe because it was vegan, I made it because it is a Myplate sponsored recipe. After reading the reviews, I decided to leave the oil out entirely. The recipe author said that the avocado replaced butter in this recipe, so I couldn't wrap my head around the need for any more oil if it was a replacement for oil. There is enough "oil" with the combination of the avocado, peanut butter and chocolate chips. Next, I halved the recipe and made it in an 8x8 baking dish. I used regular 1% milk in place of the soy milk (Again, not looking for this to be vegan) and doubled the amount called for. I didn't bother with "cooking the chocolate, sugar and pb until bubbly like candy"...I simply melted the pb with the chocolate chips in the microwave. I think cooking melted chocolate chips to this degree of heat would cause the chocolate to seize, giving you a gritty texture. I used my magic bullet to combine the milk and the avocado and then combined the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl (including the sugar, which I reduced to 1/2 cup for half this recipe). I added the melted chocolate/pb, the avocado/milk, a 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and the flour mixture together and combined until just mixed. I baked them for about 20 -25 minutes in an 8x8" pan and they came out really nice. Not greasy at all. Smooth and fudgy. With my changes, it's a 4 star, but giving it a 3 star because clearly, as written, something is not right.

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Reviewer:

ReneePaj

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Living In: Brunswick, Ohio, USA

Avocado Peanut Butter Brownies (Vegan)

Reviewed: May 9, 2013

First of all, I did not make this recipe because it was vegan, I made it because it is a Myplate sponsored recipe. After reading the reviews, I decided to leave the oil out entirely. The recipe author said that the avocado replaced butter in this recipe, so I couldn't wrap my head around the need for any more oil if it was a replacement for oil. There is enough "oil" with the combination of the avocado, peanut butter and chocolate chips. Next, I halved the recipe and made it in an 8x8 baking dish. I used regular 1% milk in place of the soy milk (Again, not looking for this to be vegan) and doubled the amount called for. I didn't bother with "cooking the chocolate, sugar and pb until bubbly like candy"...I simply melted the pb with the chocolate chips in the microwave. I think cooking melted chocolate chips to this degree of heat would cause the chocolate to seize, giving you a gritty texture. I used my magic bullet to combine the milk and the avocado and then combined the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl (including the sugar, which I reduced to 1/2 cup for half this recipe). I added the melted chocolate/pb, the avocado/milk, a 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and the flour mixture together and combined until just mixed. I baked them for about 20 -25 minutes in an 8x8" pan and they came out really nice. Not greasy at all. Smooth and fudgy. With my changes, it's a 4 star, but giving it a 3 star because clearly, as written, something is not right.

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Reviewer:

ReneePaj

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Living In: Brunswick, Ohio, USA

Lemon Lush

Reviewed: May 9, 2013

This is so light and luscious. I added 1 T. sugar to the crust since I like slightly sweet crusts. It was baked in just 15 minutes. Following reviewers, I used confectioner's sugar in the cheese layer, which made for a very smooth taste, and added 1 T. lemon juice. I couldn't get lemon pudding, so I used vanilla, and subbed 2 T. of the milk for lemon juice (next time I'd use more), and 1 T. lemon rind. I skipped the whip - it was good already, it felt like gilding the lily.

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Reviewer:

Basg

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Living In: Jerusalem, Mehoz Yerushalayim, Israel

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Reviewed: May 9, 2013

Simple and delicious. I subbed PB2 for the peanut butter to lower fat and calories and omitted the honey. For me, there is plenty of natural sweetness from the banana.

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Reviewer:

ReneePaj

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Living In: Brunswick, Ohio, USA

Grandma's Chicken Chardon

Reviewed: May 7, 2013

Simple recipe, great for a busy weeknight. I made half the amount of chicken called for, but used the same amount of sauce and mushrooms as written in the recipe and made it all in my cast iron skillet in the oven. I also replaced the egg with a 1/4cup eggbeaters. I also only baked it for 35 minutes, as my chicken breasts were small.

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Reviewer:

ReneePaj

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Living In: Brunswick, Ohio, USA

Mushroom Orzo

Reviewed: May 6, 2013

Delicious! So yummy, quick and easy. I'm on a mission to use up pantry and freezer items this week, and this fit the bill. I halved the recipe to 1/2 cup orzo, and used chicken broth and dry sherry I had in the fridge. I used a can of sliced mushrooms from the pantry and some shredded italian cheese I had to use. Lots of pepper. This was amazing! Just think what this would be with fresh mushrooms and good quality parm. It's a do-over for sure. Thanks for sharing with AR!

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Saveur

Home Town: Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Living In: Columbus, Ohio, USA

Zucchini Saute

Reviewed: May 6, 2013

Love this simple saute. It's a great side for just about anything from Italian to Mexican to BBQ. I used as a side for our Cinco de Mayo dinner last night by adding a tablespoon of cumin to the mix. I also added some sliced summer squash and shredded carrot. Simple, versitle, delicious and quick, what more can you want! Thanks for sharing.

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Reviewer:

Saveur

Home Town: Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Living In: Columbus, Ohio, USA

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Reviewed: May 5, 2013

I have to say this was pretty good. Although I didn't use pretzels. I ended up getting chocolate covered granola for the base, and used fresh strawberries. But I don't think it detracted from the point. It was light, yet sweet and a lovely cool food desert. Keepin' the recipe for sure.

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Reviewer:

TiffTiff

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Living In: San Diego, California, USA

Strawberry Muffins

Reviewed: May 5, 2013

These were pretty good. We went strawberry picking and needed something to do with all the strawberries. These were really nice because they aren't all that sweet and can be served with dinner like a roll in muffin form. My boyfriend loved them, and they looked beautiful.

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Reviewer:

TiffTiff

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Living In: San Diego, California, USA

Banana Banana Bread

Reviewed: May 5, 2013

It was just ok. It came out very dense and heavy. I probably won't ever use this recipe again. I'm kinda let down since the reviews were so good. I made another recipe and it came out fine so I DO have something to compare it to. I will give it that it is a very basic recipe so if you don't have a ton of ingredients but the standard kitchen staples, then this is a good one to fall on if need be.

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Reviewer:

TiffTiff

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Living In: San Diego, California, USA

Best Bean Salad

Reviewed: May 5, 2013

I'm a big fan of bean salads, and this one is very good! I made a few changes to the original recipe to suite my family's tastes. I used extra virgin olive oil reduced the oil to 1/4 cup and instead of white vinegar used red wine vinegar for a little more zip. Used two cans of green beans and omitted the wax beans. Replaced the green pepper with red (that's what I had in the fridge) and reduced the sugar to 1/4 cup. Will definitely make again. Makes a lot and is perfect for a potluck or BBQ. Thanks for a great recipe!!

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