Misc. Reviews, thank you LauraBL and I MISS JEWEL!

[greysangel]

Yesterday someone bumped up a thread on the OMIGOD, chocolate peanut butter mousse cake. As I read through the thread, I suddenly felt all sad and missing Jewel. Not only are her recipes fabu, but her sense of humor and spirit solid gold. I hope whoever keeps in touch with her sends her my best!

So in honor of Jewel, I tried her Spicy Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars to make for a friend's birthday tonight. Though I haven't tried them yet, I couldn't resist tasting the batter and the crumb mixture separately before baking :o YUMMY. And the smells coming from the oven had my mouth watering. I cannot wait until dinner and dessert tonight!!! My pumpkin loving friend is going to be a happy camper.

Other reviews:

Southwestern Lime Grilled Chicken
CLBB JJSooner
Really good. I used this chicken to make quesadillas for DH and I just had mine with roasted sweet potato. Very easy and very tasty. I'm pretty sure I cut out all the oil and it was still terrific.


Hearty Banana Muffins
CLBB Wallingjan(Pam)
I mentioned these before, but they are worth mentioning again....DELICIOUS. I think these are my new favorites...definitely a contender along with Catherine's Banana Bread which I always make as muffins.

Vietnamese Noodles with Beef (From Republic) CLBB LauraBL

This was four star. I had this in my "to try" pile forever and now I'm going to have to go to Republic Restaurant :D This was really delicious. I love the lemon/lime flavor along with the basil and the heat of the chili sauce. YUM! I added spinach and cut all the oil but for 1 TBSP to stir fry the beef. Thank you so much Laura for pointing this one out to me. Even DH liked it and I was surprised as I thought it was going to be a little too hot for him. But I think he was taken with all the other flavors coming together :D

JeAnne

[Terrytx]

Originally posted by greysangel

Vietnamese Noodles with Beef (From Republic) CLBB LauraBL

This was four star.
JeAnne

Thanks for reminding me of this. I have it on my "to try list" also. I will have to bring it up front.

[NancyR]

What happened to Jewel.....does anyone know?

[linsleyd]

*pssst, JeAnne, do you think you could post the pumpkin bar recipe or send me in the right direction. thanks, much abliged :D

[Ohioan]

JeAnne, I agree with you about the Southwestern Lime Grilled Chicken. I just made it again last night, almost at the last minute, and even without the long marinading time, it was outstanding.

Cheers,
Phoebe

[SandyM]

Originally posted by NancyR
What happened to Jewel.....does anyone know?

She's fine. :)

JeAnne - I forwarded this thread to her, so hopefully when she's able, she'll check in and give an update.

I believe at this time she's on vacation in Pennsylvania, visiting the in-laws. She's been very busy at work and is unable to check in (but she absolutely loves her job!). For the record, The Caveman isn't doing so well. ;) :p :D

I know she'll enjoy the sentiments. :)

[greysangel]

http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32271&highlight=spicy+pumpkin+cheesecake+bars

Here's the thread with the bar recipe :)

Sandy - thank you for the update and please send her big hugs from me. I'm glad to hear both on the job and the caveman :D

j

[Wendy w]

Thanks for the reviews, JeAnne. These all got past me the 1st time. :rolleyes: :o

Sandy, thanks for the update on Jewel. Can't wait to hear the poop on the Caveman. ;)

[LauraBL]

JeAnne-I'm so glad you got a chance to try the Republic Vietnamese Noodles with Beef. I thought it was very eye appealing with all the red of the tomato, green from the basil, etc. I wish it were still watermelon season so you could go to Repulic and analyze their watermelon gazpacho for me! I love that stuff.

I made that pumpkin cheesecake bar recipe last fall but I don't think I did it with Jewel's spicy variation. Another for my list!

Laura

[linsleyd]

thanks!;) :) on the list they go for this weekends baking challenge!

[Jewel]

Hi everyone! JeAnne, thanks so much for making my day...Sandy forwarded me the thread at my work email and I couldn't wait to get home and look. ;)

My only excuse for being AWOL is that I finally have a job where I have to work. :rolleyes: Frankly, most of the time that I was posting on this board wasn't from home, it was from my job! I can't log on to the board from my current job, so naturally I lost about 90% of my board time! I didn't carve much evening time for the board either, so here I sit. :o

I'm going to try to do more than lurk around here, but I won't be the big mouth I used to be!

JeAnne, how did the Spicy Pumpkin Bars go over!? I'm leaving for PA to see my MIL on Saturday and I just might take them with me now that you've reminded me of 'em! ;)

[kima]

We love and miss your "big mouth" Jewel!

Keep up those casino winnings and you can quit your job and hang out here!:)

[Holly in KC]

Thanks for checking in, Jewel! I've missed you. Hope you can find the time to check back more often!

[greysangel]

YAYYYY JEWEL!!!!!

I'm so glad to hear you are doing well. The pumpkin bars were a SMASHING HIT!!!! The pumpkin lover was thrilled that I left the rest of the pan at their house ;) I used Penzeys' Apple pie spice and just added ginger and a little allspice. The crumb topping/crust was to die for.

Huge hugs and congrats on the big money :cool: Hope you found a fun way to celebrate :D

j

[LHBryan]

Hi, everyone. Jeanne and Jewel, thanks for bringing these to my attention. They sound so yummy! My DF LOVES pumpkin, but unfortunately he's allergic to nuts. How crucial are the pecans in the crust? Do you think I could substitute oats, wheat germ, flax seed, or crushed peanuts (or anything else with a little texture) without ruining the end product? TIA!

-Laura

[greysangel]

toasted oats sounds good to me though I'm not sure if you would sub in equal amounts? 1 cup nuts grinds down to a lot less than a cup :D

j

[swquilts]

Do these bars lift out easy? Or should I just serve them in the pan?

[greysangel]

Well mine chilled overnight before I cut into them and they lifted very easily ...musta been all the butter :D

j

[helene]

Congrats for that job you love Jewel. We miss you here


Thanks for the review of: Vietnamese Noodles with Beef

Now I want to try these Spicy Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars.

[Jewel]

Glad the bars were a hit JeAnne! I had totally forgotten about those until you brought them up, and now I simply have to make them. We're leaving Saturday morning but I might take the recipe to my MIL's house and dazzle her with 'em.

As for the nuts, I think they're crucial only in that they're so much of the texture of the crust. I think peanuts might be a little strongly flavored for this one. I'd say go with the toasted oats! Especially if you can find oat groats instead of the rolled oats. Maybe at Whole Foods? Something with a bit more substance. If not, I say the rolled oats should be fine, but add the oats a little at a time and stir. You want the mixture crumbly but not too dry. It has to be moist enough to press into the bottom of the pan. And they lift out beautifully, as JeAnne says, they're not light on butter! :rolleyes: I always chill the pan for about an hour before cutting and stacking on a serving plate, then I keep 'em in the fridge and serve chilled or at room temp.

Hope they're a hit! :)

[Shirley Panek]

I wanted to pipe up and say that I've missed you as well, Jewel. I'm glad to hear your new job is going well, and look forward to seeing more of you on the boards. :)