reviews- new and old

[andrea]

an all-around thumbs-up:
- ooey gooey pb&c brownies
- southwestern lasagna
- ginger-peanut chicken wraps
- italian meatloaf

a weeknight thumbs-up:
- flank steak with corn relish

old summertime favorites:
- seared chicken and peppers with cilantro sauce
- yellow bell pepper soup
- garlicky roasted potato salad
- chicken with coconut couscous

[Beth H]

Just made the Tuna-Pasta Puttenesca (sp.) last night. This was in the "30 minutes or less" section of January's magazine. It really is a great, easy recipe.

[Denise]

Chicken with coconut couscous! Could you share that recipe!?

[Grace]

Ok, I'll add to this one. We had our CL Supper Club Tuesday night, and the food was fabulous!

The Tomato-Basil soup from the July issue was fantastic. I made it again last night. It's a great way to use up those garden tomatoes and basil!

We also had the Oriental Salad which I also thought was fabulous! I had to have two helpings of it. Our noodles were not crunchy at all - the salad had been made two hours before we ate it - the noodles had time to soften up a little - they were perfect. I will make this one again for sure.

We also had the Italian Meatloaf, which I had already made once at home, and it was really good. Also a keeper. Then it was Sesame Asparagus with Garlic. Also excellent. It is a cold side dish, but very delicious and I would make this again too.

For dessert I made the Zebra striped cheesecake, and while it was definitely good, I still like the lemon-swirl cheesecake better. So that was our dinner and the reviews of the recipes - next month we decided on a dessert only theme - that will really be fun!

Grace

[LIsaP]

My sister made dinner last night and made the Ziti with Porchinni Mushroom Sauce-it was wonderful! It had a great flavor(sorry for those of you with mushroom aversions)!
It is in the Sept magazine.
The four of us finished the whole thing! I am sure it was supposed to make more than 4 servings! Oh well!

[kltcarley]

Grace, could you share the recipe for the asparagus recipe you were talking about? Thanks,it sounds yummy!

[SClementson]

Just made the Grilled Summer Vegetable Lasagna last night. It was excellent, although quite time consuming. I would definitely recommend preparing the different components ahead of time, if you can. I didn't grill the vegetables, I just broiled the peppers and roasted the onion and squash in the oven. You still get really good flavor that way, and I just couldn't see lighting the grill just to put on a few vegetables. (I'm a grill-phobic though. I always let my husband handle that part...)I'm sure I used extra cheese, too...

[Grace]

kltcarley...

Here it is - it's from the August 2000 issue.

CookWare(tm) from Cooking Light(r)

Sesame Asparagus With Garlic

SOURCE: Cooking Light YEAR: August 2000 PAGE: 110

INGREDIENTS FOR 4 SERVINGS:
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 pound asparagus
1/4 cup water
Sesame seeds (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:
So you can cook the pasta dish on the stove, make this side dish ahead and
chill it.

This recipe is featured with the Chop-As-You-Go Pasta With Mushrooms and Ham
recipe found in the August 2000 issue.

1. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside. Snap off tough
ends of asparagus. Place asparagus and water in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish.
Microwave at high for 3 minutes or until tender; drain. Pour the vinegar
mixture over the asparagus, and toss well. Chill at least 1 hour or overnight.
Serve cold or at room temperature. Sprinkle asparagus with sesame seeds, if
desired. Yield: 4 servings.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
CALORIES 51 (44% from fat); FAT 2.5g (sat 0.4g, mono 0.9g, poly 1g); PROTEIN
2.7g; CARB 5.5g; FIBER 1.9g; CHOL 0mg; IRON 1mg; SODIUM 366mg; CALC 24mg

[MrsReber]

Well, folks, I really tried to make the bowtie pasta with cherry tomatoes, capers and basil, but by the time I was done, I had added a few more items to the list (sundried tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and eggplant). Overall, though, it was very tasty. I probably put more basil in than was suggested, but if you saw how much I have, you'd understand!

I have posted before on a couple of others, but I will post a short review here.

Chicken scampi from July - liked this alot and will make it again tonight, but no breadcrumbs on the chicken and reduced simmering time.

Peanutty noodles - have made this twice- husband won't eat it so it lasts all week (lunch and dinner).

Creamy Caesar Salad- was in the back of the magazine in the past favorites section- April, I think. I LOVE that dressing! I haven't made the croutons, but the dressig is excellent.

Italian meatloaf July- I liked it, but hubby didn't like the sundried tomatoes in it. Likes my good old ordinary meatloaf better.

Black forest cherry cheesecake - delicious! Think this was in June. Still, the lemon swirl cheesecake is THE best one I have tried so far.

Brown Sugar Peach Pie with Struesel topping - July - made it once with a crust, but it was way too juicy. It came out more like a crisp. Hubby loves the topping, ate most of the pie himself, think I had 2 peices. Made it again Tuesday night without a crust to see how it would work. Hubby still loves it.

This weekend, I am trying the black bean taco salad, the spinach and artichoke dip, and the ooey gooey brownies (the last 2 from August).

I also remember a few years back (97?) trying a meatloaf with sundried tomato gravy. Loved that gravy!! And even further back, I remember a recipe for meatball stroganoff made with ground turkey. I liked the flavor of that one alot. May have been a 96 recipe, but I want to go home and look for it so I can try it again.

[Peggy]

I made the Filet Mignon with Mushroom-Wine Sauce (August 2000) this weekend and it was to die for!!!! The sauce was incredible! We did BBQ the filets instead of cooking them on the stove just from personal preference. I highly recommend this one. The perfect main course to pair with a lovely bottle of Cabernet.

Peggy

[BethH]

I made the "chop as you go pasta with mushrooms and ham" (Aug. 2000) last night. I remember seeing a post reviewing this one as a little bland so I upped the garlic, salt and pepper and added some extra spicy Mrs. Dash and I still thought it was a little bland. The ingredients were so tasty looking...onion, garlic, shiitake mushrooms, red bell pepper, dry white wine...I thought it would be divine but, it was just good--not divine.

Darling SO thought it was super (but he claims to love everything I make so...I would tend to discount his review but always appreciate his love of anything I cook! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif ) so that would be the only reason for me to make it again.

I'm planning to eat the leftovers tonight for dinner and will let you all know if they improve substantially after blending overnight.

[This message has been edited by BethH (edited 09-05-2000).]

[MrsReber]

I have been dying to post some reviews! I am so glad the BB is working again!!

Okay, On Saturday, I made the peanut butter rice krispie treats (same page as the ooey gooey brownies). They were very good, but I found that after I drizzled the melted peanut butter chips on the top, it all fell off after it cooled. Oh well. Nothing too out of the ordinary as I usually melt chocolate or peanut butter chips in with the marshmallows anyway.

I also made the ooey gooey brownies. Hubby loves them! They are very good.

Spinach and artichoke dip- this was excellent, but just a little bit too thick. I added a litte extra sour cream to the leftovers and heated them up yesterday. It was perfect. I didn't care so much for the cheese melted on top, it made it hard to dig the chips in, but the flavor was excellent!

I also made the black bean taco salad. I was a little skeptical of the dressing. I didn't think I'd like it, but after I mixed up the salad, I couldn't stop eating it! I doubled the dressing recipe on the advice of others, but I do have quite a bit left now.

I also made a peach kuchen from CL. I am not sure what issue it appeared in as I found it on my Mastercook software at home. It was very tasty, but more like a crumb cake with filling, I thought. It wasn't very rich tasting.

Thursday night last week I made the chicken scampi again. I think it was in August. No breading this time and it was delicious. Needs extra garlic, but doesn't everything??

That was it for last weekend, just wanted to share my thoughts!

[andrea]

denise-- "curried chicken with couscous" is the official name...it's the most flavorful couscous recipe i've tried yet...i think it's from march '00...
can someone with mastercook post the recipe please? i "BB" from work so i gotta be quick!

grace-- 'desserts only' supper? wow! for october, i'd make sure someone does the nutty apple spice cake with butterscotch sauce...very 'fall' and ooh soo good!

[MrsReber]

Andrea, what issue is the nutty apple spice cake from? Sounds great and I have lots of apples at home.

[Vanessa]

Mrsreber that recipe you are looking for is in page 172 Oct 99

[lindrusso]

Originally posted by MrsReber:
Andrea, what issue is the nutty apple spice cake from? Sounds great and I have lots of apples at home.

The nutty apple spice cake is from October 1999. I also thought it was quite good, although I liked the Cinnamon-Apple Cake originally from Oct. 1997 better.

[MrsReber]

Thanks Vanessa and lindrusso! I have enough apples that I can probably try out both of those cakes! Have to get rid of the peaches first, though (I already have plans for them....)

[BeckyM]

I just made a recipe I've been meaning to for a few months -- I think it was called Spicy Chicken with Carmelized Onion & Red Pepper Relish. It was from a couple months ago, but I can't remember which issue, and I don't have them here with me at work. Anyway, this recipe was really great, and easy. My husband even said he thought it was the BEST chicken he had ever eaten! I've made that Balsamic Vinegar Chicken with Almond Peppers for him before, and he really liked that, but he thought this was even better. Personally, I like them both equally well.

I also made the Garlic Spiced Red Potatoes to go with it, and they were great too. I don't know if that's the exact name for those, but they were in a recent issue in an article for Indian Food. They went really well with the spicyness (is that a word?) of the chicken.

[Jen]

I agree about the Chicken with Sweet Onion Relish...it was fabulous! I've made it twice now. Very simple too. I think it would be great for company as most of it could be made ahead of time.

[ElinorC]

I make the Molasses-Barbecued Chicken Drumsticks (August 00)today and thought it was very good. The sauce was very pleasant tasting - not too much tomato or vinegar but not too sweet either. A different BBQ sauce. My husband liked it a lot and also because he loves dark meat chicken and gets tired of all the white meat. I think the sauce would also be good on white meat however.

[Peggy]

My Supper Club met last week and made a combo of new and old recipes.

Field Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette and Sugared Pecans (June 1999)- An outstanding salad! We got the idea from the Favorite Salad thread on this bulletin board.

Grilled Salmon with East-West Spice Rub and Orange-Soy Glaze (Sept. 1999) - We also thought this recipe was excellent.

Potatoes, Green Beans, and Carrots with Cashews (August 2000) - This was good but required a lot of chopping time, especially since we doubled the recipe to feed all of the spouses and children. We agreed we would probably not repeat it because of the time factor.

Carrot Cake (November 1999) - Everyone loved this one. It was easy to put together and we felt the frosting was really good for a such a low-fat recipe. Word of Caution: Watch the oven baking time. Our cake was done about 10 minutes earlier than the recipe stated.

We were very happy with our menu choices. Our token teenage boy commented, "Well, this is certainly one of the most colorful dinners I have had in awhile!" Colorful it was, and delicious too!!

This month we have made all of our choices from the September 2000 issue, with an emphasis on the "North of South America" recipes.

Peggy

[jmkenad]

Hi everyone! Glad we're back!! My mailperson obviously has my Sept. copy of Cooking Light so I've been tearing thru my back issues for recipes I have not yet made. Some "old but good" recipes I made over the weekend: balsamic vinegar chicken with almond peppers (p. 228 - june 2000), meatballs & peppers (p. 170 - june 2000) and barbecue shrimp (p. 130 - April 2000).


After reading everyones input on the Sept. isssue - I'm definately making a trip to the bookstore for my copy tomorrow. (On the bright side at least now I know which recipes are winners!!!)

[Abby]

I made the Peanutty Noodles the other night and I thought they were good, but they were too peanutty!!! Did anyone else have this opinion? The peanut butter just seemed to overpower the ginger, garlic, and soy sauce. I'll probably make it again with some modifications.

Also made the Oooey Gooey Brownies from September and thought they were ok. I may or may not make them again. I thought they were on the verge of being too rich. I really liked the Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies from one of the last few issues much better.

[lorilei]

I just want to post (again) that the Vanilla Glazed Pork Chops from June are excellent.

My husband made them for the third time last night, and I have leftovers for lunch today.

(slurp) :P

[CrystalB]

I made the Zucchini Lemon Muffins from CL June 1995 last night. Unfortunately they are not a keeper for me, they kinda tasted like lemon Pledge!!!! Oh well, tonight I'm trying the CL zucchini bread recipe from 1996. Hopefully I'll have better luck!

[newsomz]

i saw that no one had posted a review of the Churrasco with Chimichurri Sauce. The marinade for the beef was excellent!! It was very tasty. The sauce was pretty good too but, i was confused on whether or not to put the seed of the jalepanos in too.. so, i put in half the seed from one of the jalepanos and the sauce was very spicy.. also, next time i think i might add a bit more vinegar to the sauce and leave out even more of the seeds.. i will definately make the marinade again!

carrie

[Gail]

Originally posted by newsomz:
i saw that no one had posted a review of the Churrasco with Chimichurri Sauce. The marinade for the beef was excellent!! It was very tasty. The sauce was pretty good too but, i was confused on whether or not to put the seed of the jalepanos in too.. so, i put in half the seed from one of the jalepanos and the sauce was very spicy.. also, next time i think i might add a bit more vinegar to the sauce and leave out even more of the seeds.. i will definately make the marinade again!

carrie

Thank you, Carrie! At least I'm not alone, although I think Ralph also made this dish. If you'll check his thread (that LONG one called September Reviews) if you wade through all the extemporaneous stuff you'll find two other reviews on this same dish.

BTW, unless a recipe specifies seeding the jalapeños, it's assumed that you put them in. Ultimately, though, do what your tastebuds tell you. If you're not into blowing off the top of your head with chiles, you can always take the seeds out. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif



[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 09-07-2000).]

[Connie]

loreli,
I love your new smilie; I think CL should make it an option for us so we can get a real face!

I made the potatoes, carrots and green beans the other night with a basic, non-CL baked chicken recipe. We really liked them; I would make them again.

Also made the greek-style scampi over the weekend. It was good, but I think it's better to serve with company, as the shrimp gets a little chewy when it's left over.

[Shirley Panek]

Hi!

We just had a dinner party the other night, and this is what we had:

- Spinach & Artichoke Dip (Sep'00, pg. 133)
** Yum! Even the 3 & 4 year olds were slurping it up!

- Creamy Caesar Salad (May'00, pg. 236)
** I know there's another thread about this, but this has become my favorite! I make Old Bay croutons instead of cajun, though.

- Chicken Bruschetta (Aug'00, pg. 128)
** Yum yum! I love this dish. It's so tangy and summery. I usually grill the chicken, and I like to sometimes substitute portobellos for the regular mushrooms.

- Garlic Mashed Potatoes (Dec'96, pg. 95)
** Quick, easy, and delicious.

- Brown Sugar-Peach Pie w/Coconut Struesel
(Jul'00, pg. 120)
** We had this at our last CL Supper Club and it was great, so I decided to make it. My DH saw me piling on the peaches and asked why I didn't make two - I told him it would bake down. I was a little surprised it didn't - until I later realized I had only baked it a half hour instead of the full hour! Oops! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/redface.gif No wonder it leaked all over. It was very yummy when someone else made it, though! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

The only non-CL item was the homemade vanilla ice cream and the wonderful Beaujolais our friends brought.

Shirley