June recipe feedback

[Jen]

Hi everyone! I just realized that I've made so many recipes from the June issue - and almost all of them I would make again. I thought I'd share what I've made:
BBQ Chicken Quesadillas: quick and good!
Blackberry-Lemon Upside-down Cake: an easy way to use fresh berries (I used a mix of blackberries and raspberries). I ran out of white sugar, so I used brown instead, and it gave a really good, caramel-like taste. Great for a quick family dessert.
Indian-Spiced Roast Salmon: very good (I had a cold when I made this, though, so I couldn't taste the spices too much - but my husband the non-fish guy liked it!)
Sesame Shrimp-and-Couscous Salad: excellent! Great for lunch.
Ditto for the Chicken-Avocado Couscous Salad and Nectarine-and-Chickpea Couscous Salad.
Blue Cheese-Pepper Steak Wraps: very good and easy (but kinda hard to eat).
Spicy Ranch Chicken Wraps: these were delicious, but I had lots of runny sauce left over that tasted good, but couldn't go in the wraps (or else it all dripped out - believe me, I tried!). Next time I might try cooking longer to thicken the sauce. Leftovers tasted great!
Chipotle-Marinated Pork Chops with Chimichurri: Yummy! But the sauce was kind of liquidy - maybe I forgot something?!
Chicken Marsala Casserole: good, but too much sauce. I'd try again with less sauce, maybe some veggies.
Curried Beef with Potatoes and Peas: delicious and really fast! Great comfort food.
Meatballs & Peppers: Also very good - didn't look great on the plate, but had a more complex taste than I expected.
Crispy Zucchini Sticks with Salsa Dip: Very good, but needed more spices in the coating. Loved the dip (and so simple...why didn't I think of that?!)
Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Brownies: Yum! But 16 servings per 8x8" pan? No way, Jose!
Raspberry Cream Cheese Brownies: Also good, but I think I overcooked slightly as they were sort of dry.
Jagerschnitzel: Very good and quick, once the chopping is done! I might add more spice to the veggies next time (maybe a little balsamic vinegar).
Balsamic Chicken with Peppers: good, but I too had the sticking problem. I may try again - but I was expecting much better with all the rave reviews it got!

I can't believe I cooked all that in just a month! It doesn't even seem like there are enough nights in the month! In the next couple of days I'll also try the Shrimp with Feta.

[Peggy]

I can't agree with you more! The June issue is among my favorites. I've been cooking from it for several weeks and still have recipes I want to try. I forwarded my comments to many of the June recipes on an earlier posting so I won't repeat them here.
Since then I have made the Chilled Summer Squash Soup with Curry and the Garlic-Herb Meatloaf. Both were very good.
I am planning to try several more June recipes this week. Will let you know if there are any more winners.
Jen - I want to thank you for responding to my question about the spiciness of the Chipotle-Marinated Pork Chops. Your reply reassured me and we will be making it at our Cl dinner club later this month as planned.

[CATHIEA]

JEN- Glad to see your post today. This weekend I made 2 June recipes: Meatballs and Peppers and Shrimp & Feta (the makeover reader recipe). I was looking to see if anyone had commented on these before. My take: Meatballs & Peppers-"Soupier" than I expected. Flavor was good though. Oddest thing-I did the sourcream potato side from the meal planner section and they were WAY too watery. Ended up having to add another 3/2 cup potatoes. My huband said he didn't care for it, then sneaked the leftovers for lunch yesterday. Shrimp & Feta- Outstanding. I made fettuchini instead of linguini and found fettuchni to be too thick. I was thinking penne would be pretty good, if you tossed the sauce with the penne and then added cheese and melted in broiler.
CathieA

[Lchiles]

Originally posted by CATHIEA:
JEN- Glad to see your post today. This weekend I made 2 June recipes: Meatballs and Peppers and Shrimp & Feta (the makeover reader recipe). I was looking to see if anyone had commented on these before. My take: Meatballs & Peppers-"Soupier" than I expected. Flavor was good though. Oddest thing-I did the sourcream potato side from the meal planner section and they were WAY too watery. Ended up having to add another 3/2 cup potatoes. My huband said he didn't care for it, then sneaked the leftovers for lunch yesterday. Shrimp & Feta- Outstanding. I made fettuchini instead of linguini and found fettuchni to be too thick. I was thinking penne would be pretty good, if you tossed the sauce with the penne and then added cheese and melted in broiler.
CathieA
CathieA; You must be reading my mind; I wanted to make something tonight with Pasta and Shrimp, just looked at the Shrimp & Feta in the June issue and was pondering trying it. You've sold me on it. I will try it with linguini since I have some leftover. Thanks for your input, will let you know what we think tomorrow. LaurieC


[This message has been edited by Lchiles (edited 07-03-2000).]

[Liz K]

I made the Jagerschnitzel last night and my family loved it. It will definately be a repeater. I added an extra can of tomatoes because I didn't have enough bell peppers and it still turned out great.

[Lchiles]

I tried the Baked Shrimp w/Feta last night and CathieA is right, it was fabulous. Definitely a keeper for us. Amazingly easy as well. Yummy. LaurieC

[Peggy]

Ditto on the Baked Shrimp with Feta Cheese! It was so simple and so delicious. I think when I make it next time I will complete the recipe in the skillet and just sprinkle the feta cheese on at the last minute. I don't think the oven step was necessary. (One more baking dish to wash...I get very lazy with dishes!)

Other June Recipes I tried this week: I made the Nectarine and Chickpea Couscous Salad for our 4th BBQ. It was excellent! I probably never would have tried it without all the positive feedback I saw on the bulletin board. I'm so glad I did. I also made the Lavender Lemonade. Surprisingly, the kids loved it. It had a very nice "bouquet" and the lavender did seem to enhance the flavor of the lemons. I also made the Spicy Fruity Oatmeal for breakfast yesterday. My family really enjoyed it. Will definately make it again this winter.

I'm working up the courage to try the Java Crusted Chicken with Mushrooms. It sounds so unusual... Anyone tried it yet?

[Peggy]

I think chicken would work just fine in that dish!

[shoyski]

So do you guys think the Pasta and Shrimp would taste half as good if I substituted chicken? Thanks

[CATHIEA]

Shelly- If you substitute chicken, you might want to cut it up into serving pieces before cooking. Also, I'd marinate it a bit in lemon and oregano before cooking because I don't think it will pick up the flavors the way the shrimp does. I'd be interested to hear how it works. Another option would be to skip any meat and increase the cheese!
CathieA-Who is from Wisconsin where cheese isn't just for breakfast.

[shoyski]

Thanks for the feedback. CathieA, my husband's motto has always been,"There's no such thing as too much cheese." Although he has made one amendment and that would be,
"Except in the case of feta."
I will try this recipe next week for sure and let you know how it goes with chicken.

[Nanci]

I made the Ginger-Peanut Chicken wrap and it was (is actually as I am sitting here eating the leftovers) very good. I grilled the chicken breasts, and I will definitely make it again.

[lorilei]

Mmmm... feta shrimp recipe is wonderful! A And can you believe how easy that one is?

I'll admit. I did play with it a little bit. I halved the recipe so that my hubby and I wouldn't have leftovers. I used fresh oregano and added fresh basil to the mix as well. Oh, and whole wheat pasta... and my only complaint is that it seemed a bit "juicy" to me. Possibly my fault?

Nevertheless, I could've died -- shrimp on the table in less than 1/2 hour. Happiness!

[Kerri]

Ok, I haven't heard anyone talk about the ground round recipe with potatoes and peas and curry. I only bring it up because I thought it was very tasty and very easy to make, so somebody should! The only thing I did differently was cook the potatoes a bit longer than it said. I think too much longer would have made them mushy, but I just didn't think they were done at that time. Also, the spicy herb crusted salmon - YUM! and I usually don't like salmon recipes. I haven't tried the shrimp yet, but I think I will after reading everyone's comments. I am a little wary of shrimp I get here in Dallas, but we will see.

[karen w]

All this talk about the yummy shrimp and pasta recipe makes me want to try it too. One problem, though. I'm allergic to shrimp. However, I'm not allergic to scallops which I've often substituted in shrimp recipes.To all of you who have made this dish, do you think it will work?

[Grace]

Originally posted by Peggy:
After all the positive comments, I have a negative review on a June recipe. I made the Steamed Dumplings with Spicy Turkey Filling earlier this week and was very disappointed. The filling smelled wonderful when I was mixing it but after the dumplings were steamed, I thought it was very bland. Just wasn't worth the time and effort. Will not repeat this one. I also felt that the Cantonese Dipping Sauce was way to salty, even with the low-sodium soy sauce. Oh well, I guess all of the recipes can't be wonderful. Has anyone else had a similar experience with this recipe???

Peggy...

Someone brought this to our CL supper club last month, and we thought the dumplings were terrific (not at all bland), but as you noted, the sauce was REALLY salty - except for that, I think it would have been really good. Since I didn't make it, I don't know what ingredients were in it (other than soy sauce) that would have made it so darn salty, but I'm sure it could be modified somehow. But I'd make the dumplings again for sure, they were great!

[Peggy]

After all the positive comments, I have a negative review on a June recipe. I made the Steamed Dumplings with Spicy Turkey Filling earlier this week and was very disappointed. The filling smelled wonderful when I was mixing it but after the dumplings were steamed, I thought it was very bland. Just wasn't worth the time and effort. Will not repeat this one. I also felt that the Cantonese Dipping Sauce was way to salty, even with the low-sodium soy sauce. Oh well, I guess all of the recipes can't be wonderful. Has anyone else had a similar experience with this recipe???

[CATHIEA]

Kerri- I made the beef and potato curry. Posted my review in an earlier thread. I agree with you- very easy, good recipe that will be repeated. My only comment was it was a bit soupy and I ended up serving it over rice, which of course upped calories!
KarenW-I think scallops might be too sweet with this recipe. If you try it, maybe use the big scallops and cut in quarters intead of the little bay scallops?
CathieA, who should go back to work.

[Mary Ann]

I'm still working my way through the June issue, especially with all the desserts in the July issue.

Hot-and-Spicy Asian-Rubbed Chicken: the rub kept the chicken moist, but like the reviewer of the Java-Chicken said, I didn't even like the smell of this as it was cooking, and I like Chinese Five-Spice. Will not make again.

Tomato Pizza with Capers, Basil and Garlic: Excellent, although leftovers were a little soggy even when reheated on pizza stone. Will definitely make again.

Pizza Dough recipe: Very easy, and very tasty. The dough I used for the tomato pizza had been in the freezer for about 3 weeks, and it was just fine. I'm going to make it again today, and just keep it in the freezer.

[anna]

I just made the banana-oat bread from June 2000 and my husband and I loved it. It was really easy and the oat and brown sugar topping makes it very tasty. I didn't cook the full hour -only 50 minutes and that was plenty. A definite repeater for us - glad to have another use for those ripe bananas!

[BJennif]

I also tried the shrimp and feta dish. We liked it but found the shrimp and feta and tomato dish in the foil packet from the issue about 2 months ago to be much much better. That dish would easily substitute scallops for shrimp. I also made the raspberry cream cheese brownies. They were excellant--nobody believed they were light. Also really liked the lemon couscous salad but substituted black olives and white kidney beans. I don;t have the issue in front of me but I will definitely try more recipes that I otherwise wouldn't have from all your feedback! thanks!

[christinew]

Is it me or was there more in the June vs the July issue. I tried:
BBQ chicken quesadillas..easy and delicious.

Teriyaki Burgers....great but way too many green onions....looked kind of funny but terrific and a crowd pleaser.

Chicken Marsala Casserole...excellent but did not freeze well for a later entree http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif

Summer Squash and Corn Saute..reproduced quite nicely and delicious, despite my distaste for obvious onions in a recipe!

Has anyone tried the Mushroom and Spinach Quiche in an Oat Crust??? Looks interesting but I am wondering how difficult and if there is enough return on the investment!

Thanks and Cheers,
Christine

[lorilei]

Actually, someone gave the spinach quiche a good review on a different thread... so you might check there! (see thread requesting quich recipes)

[Peggy]

Christine,

I posted a favorable review on the Mushroom and Spinach Quiche in an Oat Crust on a different thread. I used egg substitute in place of the eggs and egg whites. I also simplified the crust portion by not rolling out the crust between wax paper. I was in a hurry and just hand-fit the crust into my quiche dish. It ended up even and was just fine. If your like vegetable quiches, I think you will like this one.

Peggy

[lorilei]

It was you, Peggy. Sorry I didn't remember.

Christine- She also posted a scrumptious looking seafood quiche recipe that you've gotta check out http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif I'll bump the post up for you a bit.

[KimberlyE]

We have made the Teriyaki Burgers about 3 times and they are really good and we got raves from friends and family...They are really juicy. (: I don't even eat red meat but make an exception for these. Oh and we used King's Hawaiian Bread hamburger buns and they went really well.

[This message has been edited by KimberlyE (edited 07-12-2000).]

[christinew]

Peggy! I will try that. I am into easy to do at this point until I develop my confidence.

Lorilei,
I will look to you to tell me where Peggy's Seafood Quiche is!

Thanks Ladies!

[Peggy]

More good reports on June 2000 recipes.

I agree with everyone about the Vanilla-Glazed Pork Chops. Delicious! We also liked the Chicken-Avocado Couscous Salad with Tomatillo Dressing. To help diminish the squash supply from the garden, I made the Chessy Squash and Rice Pie and the Lemon-Glazed Zucchini Quick Bread. Both were good but the quantity of lemon glaze the recipe made was excessive. You could get away with halfing the powdered sugar and lemon juice!

Peggy

[Peggy]

Christine,

I just saw your post. If you haven't already found my Seafood Quiche recipe, it is under the "Quiche Anyone?" post.

Enjoy!

Peggy

[CarolC]

No one has mentioned the Mocha Double Fudge Brownies. They are wonderful. A friend at work couldn't believe they were low fat, they tasted so rich.

I just made the Teriyaki Burgers for the second time in a week. The first time I didn't have any green onions, so just used a 1/4 cup of chopped onion. This time I used green onion. Think I like them better with regular onion.

I thought the Peanut Butter brownies were good, but that was before I made the Mocha Double Fudge brownies. The peanut butter ones don't compare, but maybe I should take into consideration that even though I like peanut butter, chocolate is better. (Reese's Pieces wouldn't make it without the chocolate.)

We made the Blackberry Upside Down cake for our CL supper club, where it was a hit. I had made it myself already, and found it delicious, though not as attractive as some other desserts.

The mandarin orange salad on the menu page is very good and very easy. We had it for our supper club dinner as well, and agreed that the flavor was more complex than one might expect from so easy a salad.

Also made the Balsamic Vinegar chicken, which I thought was great and marked to cook again. However, if someone has an answer to the sticking problem, please pass it on.

After reading the comments, I am looking forward to trying the Shrimp with Feta Cheese. It calls for "medium" shrimp, but our stores all describe shrimp by the number of shrimp per pound, as in 16-20, etc. Does anyone know what the "count" is for medium shrimp?

[laden]

I made the Cheesy Squash and Rice Pie (pg. 176) which was one of the recommended recipes. It was pretty good, but nothing special.

The Marinate Vegetable Salad (pg, 154) was excellent! It makes a beautiful side dish.

[Peggy]

My Supper Group made the Summer-Squash Gratin with Gruyere at our dinner last night. Everyone was very happy with it. This is a good one for anyone that has a lot of summer squash and zucchini to eat up from their garden.

[Angela]

June 2000 recipes I have tried.
Barbecued Chicken Quesadillas- very good
Raspberry-Cream Cheese Brownies- very good
Blackberry-Lemon Upside-down Cake- very good
Indian-Spiced Roast Salmon- I'm not a fish eating person, but we made this at our cooking group dinner and it had a nice flavor and very easy to prepare (though there were 4 of us preparing it http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif)
Couscous-and-Cucumber Salad with Buttermilk-Dill Dressing- not very good nor nice appearence (very monochromatic)
At this very moment I'm making the English Summer Pudding, hope it's good.