Jan/Feb Reviews

[Mamasue]

Good Morning!

Tried a few recipes this week end...here is my reviews...

Butter Crunch Lemon Chese Bars--The filling is very good and reminds me of chiffon pie filling. You would never know that cottage cheese was the main ingredient for these bars. I was disappointed though with the crust. It came out VERY hard, which was hard to chew and cut. I would make these again but only if the crust can be tweaked or use another crust recipe such as graham cracker type.

One Pan Whiskey-Flavored Pork Chops--I didn't use whiskey and used white wine in place of it. The sauce is missing something...very bland. I added a little garlic powder but that didn't seem to improve the flavor. Maybe the whiskey would make a difference. If anyone tries this I would be interested to find out your reviews. This one will be taken off my favorite list. Sorry CL! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Swedish Meatballs with Shitake Mushrooms---another one that will not be on my favorite list.

The above recipes just don't let my brain make those noises you make when you are enjoying food and its tastes. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[This message has been edited by Mamasue (edited 01-08-2001).]

[pmmahan]

What was it about the Swedish meatballs? I was looking forward to giving this one a try.
http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif

[Grace]

Poor Mamasue - a new issue, and the first three recipes a bust?!! That's pretty unusual for CL, too. Try the Curried Shrimp recipe - it's a winner.

Regarding the Butter Crunch Lemon Cheese Bars - do you think using a thinner crust might help? Or maybe not baking it as long? These looked good to me, so I'm wondering what "fixes" you might have so I won't have a disaster too if I try them! Thanks.

[emilycat]

Darn, I was really looking forward to the Swedish Meatballs, too....

Mamasue, I just wanted to add that I think the wine substitution probably made a huge difference the the results. Whiskey and white wine have a big flavor difference, and I'm not sure if you substituted equal amounts, but whiskey is far more potent than wine, and would deliver a much larger punch of flavor for the same amount of sauce.
If you think this dish has potential, I would find some Wild Turkey and give it another try. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Emily

[sal]

In ref to the Whiskey porkchops - do you think the proof of the whiskey will matter? My husband went to liquor store at Thanksgiving for bourbon, and got 101 proof Wild Turkey instead of the usual 80 proof that I use in sweet potato recipe. Thanks in advance for any advice. sally

[Wendy w]

Thanks Mamasue for your review. I am looking forward to making the Buttercrunch Lemon Cheese bars-especially since it has your blessing as you are a baking guru in addition to your stellar graphics skills.

Since I have not yet received the new issue, I had to look at it in the grocery store. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/mad.gif grumble...grumble. Maybe today.

[Holly in KC]

Thanks for the reviews, Mamasue. Since I had good results with 2 of Mauer's other recipes, the Whiskey Pork Chops were next on my list to try. I'll probably take this one off my "to try" list.

Maybe I'll try the pork tenderoin instead...darthchrista - what would you suggest serving with it?

[Natasha]

Mamasue,

Thanks for the entertaining and helpful reviews. I admit that I usually don t have time to read most of the reviews, but I couldn t miss yours...

About the new issue, I haven t yet gotten it, but I saw it in the store and my first thought was, YIKES! The color of the cover was, um, well, different, shall we say? I guess we ll never have any trouble identifying the Jan./Feb. 2001 issue amidst a pile of CL magazines, huh? Sorry, this is totally irrelevant to the content of the issue, which I m sure is great as always, and sounds very shallow, but that s all I ve seen so far! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif Did anyone else find this?

[darthchrista]

I have made the:

Superfast Salsbury Steaks-these were fast and yummy. The turkey meat makes the texture kind of funny, but the tast was fine. The sauce is what really makes the meal, I think. My husband saw the cover of CL and actually recognized it as what we were eating. I thought that was pretty cool.

Mashed potatoes with blue cheese-These were easy as well. My husband didn't think they tasted enough like blue cheese. They were really creamy though and the parsley added nice flavor as well.

Sweet and Tangy roasted porktenderloin-This is another winner in our house. It was easy, and fast. I marinated it before heading to church on Sunday and we were eating in less than an hour after we got home. (We had the pork, the mashed potatoes and I steamed some brussel sprouts). The pork was super tender and had a great flavored crust, which amazingly tasted just as the recipie suggests. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif It did take longer than the suggested 25 minutes for the pork to get to the correct temperature. Ours took about 30 mins, but worth the wait.

Ultradecadent double chip brownies-OH MY GAWD! These are super delicious. Mine have a fudgy middle and are soft and chewy. They make you want to have Vanilla ice cream, melting over the top of them, even when it is freezing outside.

On the agenda for this week to try are the lemon cheese bars, which Mamasue mentioned, Balsamic Chicken with Greens.

Has anyone tried the Vanilla Creme Brulee yet?

Happy cooking.

-Christa

[jjf]

i am anxious to try the pork tenderloin recipe since it is getting such good reviews! thanks for posting your opinions.

Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes - i posted a separate review, but thought i would mention it on this thread too. we thought these were wonderful! as i said in my other post, i boiled the potatoes and garlic in 1/2 low sodium chix broth and 1/2 water - i do all of my mashed potatoes like this and swear by it!
darthchrista - you mentioned that your husband didn't think they had enough blue cheese flavor - i wonder if the type of blue cheese you use makes a difference. i used a very strong gorgonzola blue cheese and used only 3/4 cup and it is perfect (i should mention that we like strong cheese). i wouldn't pass this one up if you love blue cheese.

also - i made the creme brulee this morning and it should be ready for dessert tonight - i'll let you all know how it is.

jen

[Nancy Z L]

Has an ingredient been left out on the Chicken Mole receipe ? The picture shows
what looks to be a rotelle or other pasta ??
Would like to make tonite.

[rissole]

I figured out that the picture is not for the Chicken Mole. It's for a recipe a couple of pages later.

[Marcie]

Just made the salisbury steaks. Loved 'em, will be repeating often. Note to CL: the cooking time is listed wrong. It says 5 mins prep, 18 mins cooking, but you have to brown the meat for 6 mins, then simmer covered 10 mins, then simmer 10 mins uncovered. Sure doesn't add up to 18 mins!

[Laura]

I made the Butter Crunch Lemon Bars tonight and thought they were great. I read Mamasue's post before and was worried about the crust. As it turned out one of my kids stopped the timer on the microwave that I use and so I had to guesstimate with the cooking of the bars. I probably took them out early but as a result did not have any problem with the crust. I might stop it after 20 minutes for the second baking. Oh yeah. We didn't bother to refridgerate them for 8 hours before eating (there was no way my kids would put up with that!) and they were fine.

BTW I like these better then the Easy Lemon Squares from this year or last. The filling was not as "gooey" and I like not having to deal with the powder sugar mess.

[This message has been edited by Laura (edited 01-09-2001).]

[darthchrista]

To Holly in KC,

With the pork tenderloin, we had the Mashed Potatoes with Blue Cheese, (recipe is on the same page with the tenderloin), and some steamed brussle sprouts tossed with lime juice and fresh ground black pepper. I don't have my magazine at work, or else I'd let you know the page numbers.

Enjoy!

Christa G

[Mamasue]

Laura...I also had to take a bite before they were chilled and found the crust just right, maybe because they were still luke warm. But when I refrigerated and cut into them the next morning the crust was hard as rock. Curious to find out how yours was the next day. I did only bake them 20 minutes on the second baking because I always check baking on every recipe at least 5 to 10 minutes before. The filling is SO GOOD in this recipe that I must at least try it again. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[lsdesign]

Oh yes, the photo is of the Chicken Mole, I made it last night and added pasta because of that photo. My review: it was ok, it was easy, the kids and DH loved it, I will make it again but I'm not crazy about it. Not enough flavor as you might imagine it to have as it has chili powder, cocoa, garlic etc. I also used chick breasts no thighs on hand and don't like them any way. I cooked it half the time in the micro because of the white meat.
Darn on the Whiskey Pork Chops! I was going to make them for company tomorrow. I will go with the Spicey Sirloin dish instead. Any one try that one?

[ElinorC]

I think the photo ldesign and others are talking about is for the Chicken with Chipotle-Tomato Sauce and Ziti which I made this week. I wouldn't make it again since it didn't have much flavor except for the chipotle chili! That is also the same opinion we have of the Chiles Rellenos Casserole which I tried from the 5 Star cookbook. It just didn't have the flavor to entice me to make it again.

Yeah, I got the bolding right!

[This message has been edited by ElinorC (edited 01-10-2001).]

[Joyce]

I am going to try the whiskey pork chops this weekend. I think the flavor will be entirely different using whiskey instead of wine. I will let you all know how we like it.

[lsdesign]

I stand corrected. The green peppers are mascarading as beans. The pasta is good with the Chicken Mole for those who dare try it.

[Laura]

Being the dedicated CL'er that I am, I felt it my duty to make an early morning check of the Butter Crunch Lemon bars to see if the crust had hardened up as it did with Mamasue. No matter that it was way too early for such sweets, and I had already had breakfast and a vanilla latte, I persevered. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif
The verdict? The crust did harden but not to the point that it was too difficult to cut and definitely not too difficult to chew. I really like these. Mamasue perhaps you could use the crust from the Easy Lemon Squares. I must admit I love the flavor of the nutmeg in the crust though. I wish I knew how long I had cooked them. They had only been in 3 minutes before the timer was stopped but I don't know how long it was before I noticed the timer stopped. Since I opened the oven door and actually took them out 2x to check on them the oven temperature was also probably less than the stated 350 degrees. Hope this helps. Laura

[Joyce]

I would like to try the Creme Brulee this weekend. Does anyone have a review???

[rissole]

That is also the same opinion we have of the Chiles Rellenos Casserole which I tried from the 5 Star cookbook. It just didn't have the flavor to entice me to make it again.


I made the Chiles Rellenos Casserole several years ago and was amazed at how tasteless it was. I was thinking "This is one of their top 10 recipes?"

[rissole]

That is also the same opinion we have of the Chiles Rellenos Casserole which I tried from the 5 Star cookbook. It just didn't have the flavor to entice me to make it again.


I made the Chiles Rellenos Casserole several years ago and was amazed at how tasteless it was. I was thinking "This is one of their top 10 recipes?"

[vermont2004]

I made the whiskey pork chops last night and used Jack Daniels Whiskey. I am not a big fan of pork chops and this recipe did nothing to change that. The sauce was pretty bland and nothing penetrated the pork chop. The pork chop is cooked in olive oil for several minutes that gave it a nice golden color but was totally flavorless. Must be more to the story - picture looked great.

Originally posted by Mamasue:
Good Morning!

Tried a few recipes this week end...here is my reviews...

Butter Crunch Lemon Chese Bars--The filling is very good and reminds me of chiffon pie filling. You would never know that cottage cheese was the main ingredient for these bars. I was disappointed though with the crust. It came out VERY hard, which was hard to chew and cut. I would make these again but only if the crust can be tweaked or use another crust recipe such as graham cracker type.

One Pan Whiskey-Flavored Pork Chops--I didn't use whiskey and used white wine in place of it. The sauce is missing something...very bland. I added a little garlic powder but that didn't seem to improve the flavor. Maybe the whiskey would make a difference. If anyone tries this I would be interested to find out your reviews. This one will be taken off my favorite list. Sorry CL! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Swedish Meatballs with Shitake Mushrooms---another one that will not be on my favorite list.

The above recipes just don't let my brain make those noises you make when you are enjoying food and its tastes. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[This message has been edited by Mamasue (edited 01-08-2001).]

[Mamasue]

Laura...I am curious now and will make these again following the original recipe and see what happens. Did you let the crust cool before adding the filling? I didn't. When the crust came out of the oven I immediately added the filling which was prepared while the crust was in the oven. This recipe is easy and like I said before the filling is really good. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Laura]

Originally posted by Mamasue:
Laura...I am curious now and will make these again following the original recipe and see what happens. Did you let the crust cool before adding the filling? I didn't. When the crust came out of the oven I immediately added the filling which was prepared while the crust was in the oven. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

No I poured the filling in right when the crust came out of the oven. It worried me a little because I thought it would cook the egg in the filling. I had another one tonight. The crust did seem harder to cut but still not a problem chewing. Just that first cut with the knife is a little difficult. I hope it works for you. Maybe I only cooked it 15 minutes. I really don't know. I know the custard (correct term?) seemed a little jiggly when I took it out. The edges were getting brown though and I didn't want to overcook it.

[SusanD]

Has anyone tried the Chicken Francais yet? I was going to do that this weekend.