Misc. Reviews

[Grace]

Sorry, I know that everyone likes the subjects to be more specific, like Dec. Reviews, or even reviews of specific recipes, but I have too many from too many different issues. So here goes:

Buttermilk Pancakes (Dec 00) - These were easy and good. I used instant buttermilk (I usually have fresh on hand, but didn't this time). I made them for guests on New Year's Day and they all said "these are great!".

Three Kings Salad (Dec 00) - OUTSTANDING!! A definite repeater, and received raves at both our supper club and when I made it for Xmas Eve dinner.

Brussels Sprouts with Carrots and Almonds (Sep 99) - This one gets a 10 out of 10 on our scale. I found this in my software when I was looking for a veggie side dish to go with Xmas Eve dinner. My husband said it was his favorite part of the meal (after the beef tenderloin!), and said "he'd eat this anytime", so I've made it probably three times since. Now a STAPLE in our house (not just a repeater!).

Chipotle Chicken Stew (Dec 00) - Very good. a 7 out of 10 on my husband's scale. Easy, and used ingredients I had on hand. Made a lot, and was really low-cal/low-fat (173 cals per serving!)

Sun Dried Tomato Semolina Biscuits (Nov 00) - Made these to go with the Chipotle Chicken Stew. They were good, but nothing to get excited about. I probably won't do them again, but they went well with the stew.

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Biscotti (Nov 00) - These are excellent in my opinion. I've made them three times already, and I pretty much eat them all myself. These are so fast and easy, too, I'll probably make them often and keep them in a cookie jar to have on hand all the time.

Pear, Blue Cheese and Walnut Salad with Smoked Turkey (Nov 00) - This salad was fast, easy and wonderful. I had a friend over for lunch and served it to her - she wanted the recipe right away (especially after she watched me make it and saw how easy it was). A repeater for sure.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes (Jan/Feb 01) - Made these this morning, and they were really good. I actually liked them better than the ones from last month, but maybe that was because of the blueberries....anyhow, it made a lot and I put several extras in the freezer for quick microwave breakfasts. A repeater.

Curried Shrimp in Peanut Sauce (Jan/Feb 01) - I made this for dinner tonight and it was excellent!!! I used buckwheat soba noodles instead of fettucini, and thought it was terrific. My husband ranked it a 7.5 out of 10 (he claims he has to "save" the really high scores for the out-of-this-world recipes). I would make this one again often, except for the fact that a pound and a half of shrimp is a little out of my budget to do very often. I spent about $14 on them, and it only makes 4 servings. But it was fast, easy, and really, really wonderful.

I made a bunch of others too, like the Raspberry Strippers, Pecan Tassies, Cranberry-Hazelnut coffeecake, etc., but I already posted reviews of those elsewhere and didn't want to repeat myself.

One last thing, I was going through my new Jan/Feb issue with my husband tonight, trying to get a feel for the recipes that appealed to him so I could better decide which ones to make (almost all of them look good to me!). After he'd seen all the recipes, they must have all looked so good to him, because his response was (lightbulb going on over his head), "Hey, 'we' should make a new recipe from CL every night, and we'd never eat the same thing twice, and we'd get to experience every kind of food and cuisine there is!"....I was nearly speechless - REALLY?? "WE" should? (For those of you who don't know or don't remember, I have been an avid reader of CL for 10 years, and have every single issue in binders). It was as if he discovered something new and had a great new idea that I'd never thought of!!! What a riot! I nearly laughed myself silly (considering he does none of the cooking either, and went on about how "we" should try this great idea of his! Has he not noticed that he barely ever eats the same thing twice as it is?) I wanted to drag him to this BB and show him how we ALL whine about the fact that we can never get to all the recipes we'd like to, and show him my HUGE file folder full of recipes I've pulled off this BB, and on and on.....anyhow, sorry to go on so long, but you really had to be there to see that lightbulb moment of his.. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif




[This message has been edited by Grace (edited 01-07-2001).]

[shoyski]

Grace, thanks for the reviews and the smile at the end. That cracks me up, too!

[ElinorC]

Grace,
Thanks for the reviews. We also loved the brussel sprouts recipe and have it often. Chipotle chicken stew is still on my list of "Must try"! Isn't it strange how our DH's get these 'lightbulb' moments of things we've been discussing for years! I loved your description.

[This message has been edited by ElinorC (edited 01-07-2001).]

[Beth]

Thanks for the reviews. Chipolte Chicken Stew is on my list to try, and I will have to add the curried shrimp in peanut sauce (I still have shrimp in the freezer from that trip to the coast). I don't remember the Three Kings Salad, so I'll have to go back and check it out too. One of the good things about the commentary here is that it gets me to go back and look at recipes that might not have gotten my attention the first time.

[LindaHentzen]

"WE" should?"

Grace,

Your husband must know my husband! One day last year when my husband told the kids "we are going to do xyz" my 12 year old asked him if he meant the "royal we" (meaning me, myself and I) "WE" (as in all of you and not me at all) or "really truly we" (meaning I intend to help as well). I had to leave the room to keep my composure!

Gotta love 'em!



[This message has been edited by Grace (edited 01-07-2001).][/B]

[Grace]

Pat: Here are the recipes. The Three Kings Salad looks weird, and isn't one I would have made myself, but someone made it at our Supper Club and I was really impressed. Everyone at my house for Xmas Eve raved about it too. And it's soooo easy.

CookWare(tm) from Cooking Light(r)

Three Kings Salad

SOURCE: Cooking Light YEAR: December 2000 PAGE: 195

INGREDIENTS FOR 6 SERVINGS:
4 navel oranges
1 (15-ounce) can whole beets, drained
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons walnut oil or olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup slivered red onion
Pomegranate seeds (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:
The colorful trio of beets, oranges, and red onion represents the three wise
men from the nativity story. Section the oranges, cut the beets and onions,
and make the vinaigrette ahead of time (store them in separate containers so
the colors don't bleed). Assemble up to an hour before serving. This recipe
originally called for pomegranate juice (obtained by meticulously smashing
pomegranate seeds and straining the juice) and fresh beets. We found most any
fruit juice will work, however, and canned beets are fine, too.

1. Peel and section oranges over a bowl; squeeze membranes to extract juice.
Set sections aside; reserve 1-1/2 tablespoons juice. Discard membranes.

2. Cut beets into wedges.

3. Combine reserved 1-1/2 tablespoons juice, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper in
a medium bowl; stir well with a whisk.

4. Divide beet wedges and orange sections evenly among 6 salad plates. Top
each serving with 2 tablespoons onion slices. Drizzle with vinaigrette, and
garnish with pomegranate seeds, if desired. Yield: 6 servings.

Note: To obtain pomegranate seeds, put on gloves and cut the pomegranate into
quarters. Coax seeds out from the base with thumbs, being careful not to break
seeds. Remove and discard white membrane. Reserve 1/3 cup seeds for garnish.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
CALORIES 116 (37% from fat); FAT 4.8g (sat 0.4g, mono 3.2g, poly 0.9g);
PROTEIN 1.7g; CARB 18.6g; FIBER 4.8g; CHOL 0mg; IRON 0.7mg; SODIUM 363mg; CALC
53mg

CookWare(tm) from Cooking Light(r)

Brussels Sprouts and Carrots With Almonds

SOURCE: Cooking Light YEAR: September 1999 PAGE: 98

INGREDIENTS FOR 4 SERVINGS:
1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine
1-1/2 cups julienne-cut carrot
3 cups trimmed Brussels sprouts, quartered (about 3/4 pound)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon sliced almonds, toasted
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:
If your Brussels sprouts are really big, you may want to cut them into six
wedges.

1. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the
carrot; saute 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add Brussels sprouts; saute 5
minutes or until crisp-tender. Add parsley and remaining ingredients; cook 30
seconds or until the sugar melts, stirring constantly. Yield: 4 servings
(serving size: 3/4 cup).

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
CALORIES 84 (42% from fat); FAT 3.9g (sat 1.9g, mono 1.4g, poly 0.4g); PROTEIN
3g; CARB 11.3g; FIBER 4.4g; CHOL 8mg; IRON 1.3mg; SODIUM 208mg; CALC 47mg

Enjoy!

[emilycat]

I finally tried the Rosemary-Glazed Vidalia Onions and Balsamic-Glazed Plantains (although I used rosemary instead) and they're both wonderful! I'll definitely make both of them again.

I tried the Wheat Berry Soup with White Beans and Rosemary last week, too, and it was also delicious, filling, and sooo good for me. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif (only an added perk, of course)

I mentioned this on another post, too, but I also made the Halibut Wrapped in Greens and it was great. The sauce was really yummy...I'd make it by itself.

[Pat]

Grace, I loved your story about your husband's lightbulb moment and the one about reserving the highest ranking for the truly outstanding ones. It is a joke in my family that "Dad gets to eat at home all the time so he has gotten too picky and won't hand out the high ranking."

If it's not too much trouble could you post the brussell sprout and three kings salad recipes?

TIA

[RUSTYSMOM]

Yesterday I tried the Buttermilk Pancakes[B]- they were delicious and easy. I will defintaley make these again often - no more boxed mixes for us!

I also made the [B]Chicken Scampi[B] - also delicious and easy. I did however make the modification suggested by Lindarusso (I think it was Linda) to not bother with the breading step. I cannot see how this would add anything to the recipe. I am sure this will become a quick weeknight dinner standard.

So much for my [b]bolding attempt!

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

[Peggy]

Grace,

As always, I look forward to and appreciate your recipe reviews! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif I also loved the husband story. Too funny!!! I mentioned his rating system to my dear husband and ever since he has been rating my cooking on a scale of ten.

One question about the Brussel Sprouts: Do they really cook enough in the 4 minute time period? I'm not one that likes them crunchy. I would appreciate some input on this. Because of your favorable review my CL Supper Group is going to try this at our January dinner.

I will now add to the list of misc reviews. Being one of the last to receive their issue this month, I have been revisiting older issues to satisfy my need for culinary experimentation.

Lemon-Garlic Chicken with Blond BBQ Sauce (April 1997) - We thought this was very good (husband scale: 8/10). The marinade gave the chicken a nice flavor which enhanced the coating. I used boneless chicken breasts and adjusted the cooking time. My husband loved the "Blond" BBQ sauce. I thought it was OK, but wondered why they called it blonde...

Pasta with Chicken- Vegetable Marinara Sauce (April 1997) -Nothing super exciting but it was good and fairly easy. Probably won't repeat just because I have more interesting pasta recipes. This was one of those "I have everything in the house to make this and I don't need to go to the grocery store" recipes.

Sloppy Joes (Jan/Feb 1997) - Finally a recipe for sloppy joes that I feel is very healthy! My daughter loved them and wasn't able to detect the bell pepper, mushrooms, onion and celery in the meat mixture. Fooled her! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif I just chopped these ingredients up real small with my food processor and she never knew the difference. Will definately make these again when the sloppy joe mood hits!

Maple-Mustard Pork Tenderloin with Carmelized Apples (Jan/Feb 1998) - I thought this was pretty good. I liked the flavor of the apples with the pork. (Husband scale: 6.5/10) He did not appreciate the rosemary in the pork glaze and said I had too many other pork tenderloin recipes that he liked better. If it weren't for him, I would probably make it again...

That's all of the oldies for now! I just received my new issue today and can't wait to get going!

Peggy

[Pat]

Thanks Grace. I had completely overlooked these. I am willing to take your recommendations anytime.

[Grace]

Oh Peggy! Thanks for your reviews!! Isn't that 1-10 scale good? My husband used to give me one word answers as feedback. Like "Good" or "pretty good". What useless information THAT is. Then I would say, should I make this again? Is it a keeper? And I'd get some so-so head bobbing from him. Finally, it dawned on me to make him put it on a 1-10 scale to really pin him down on how he felt. Now it's SOP (standard operating procedure) for him to give his "rating"!! It really helps me decide whether something's a keeper recipe or not. As far as the brussels sprouts go, I buy only the smallest ones (they're not so strong tasting or tough), and I cut them either in half or in quarters even (if they're like medium sized). That's after I trim those brown stem ends off first. They usually do cook to the crisp-tender point in about 5 minutes, but I see no problem at all in cooking them longer if you like them softer. They were not crunchy, like raw, but more like the crispiness of vegetables in a chinese restaurant. Not limp and mushy. A little crisp, but definitely not raw. Do whatever you like - It won't really change the flavor of the dish, just the texture. Good luck, and if you already like brussels sprouts, this will be a good one, you'll see! (If you're not a brussels sprouts fan, you still won't like them with this dish...) Hope that helps!! And thanks again for your reviews. I will be trying those Sloppy Joes for sure!

[JJ40]

If it's not too much trouble, could someone please post the recipes for Sloppy Joes and for the Lemon-Garlic Chicken with Blond BBQ Sauce?

Many thanks!!

Julie

[Peggy]

Julie,

If no one sees your request before then, I will post them tonight. I'm at work right now...

Peggy

[cjm]

Julie - here ya go!

Lemon-Garlic Chicken with Blond BBQ Sauce

4 chicken drumsticks (about 1 lb), skinned
4 chicken thighs (about 1 lb), skinned
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
3/4 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Vegetable cooking spray
Lemon wedges (optional)

1. Trim excess fat from chicken.

2. Combine lemon juice, mustard, and garlic powder in large gowl; reserve 2 tablespoons. Set aside. Add chicken to lemon juice mixture in large bowl, turning to coat. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.

3. Combine reserved 2 tablespoons lemon juice mixture, mayonnaise, and next 3 ingredients. Cover and chill.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

5. Combine breadcrumbs and cheese. Remove chicken from bowl. Discard marinade. Dredge chicken in breadcrumb mixture. Place chicken on rack of a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden and chicken is done. Serve with sauce, and garnish with lemon wedges, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 drumstick, 1 thigh, and 2 tablespoons sauce).

CALORIES 301 (35% from fat); FAT 11.7 g (sat 3.3g mono 3.4g poly 2.7g); PROTEIN 27g; CARB 20.3g; FIBER 0.4g; CHOL 80mg; IRON 1.9mg SODIUM 1,222mg; CALC 106mg

[Peggy]

Julie,

Here is the Sloppy Joe recipe you wanted.

Sloppy Joes

1 teas olive oil
2 cups chopped mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 oz ground turkey breast
6 oz ground round
1/4 cup ketchup
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T Worchestershire sauce
1/4 teas salt
1/4 teas pepper
1 (8-oz) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
6 (1 1/2oz) whole-wheat hamburger buns, toasted

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and next 7 ingredients; saute 5 minutes or until meat is browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in ketchup and next 6 ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve on toasted hamburger buns. Yield: 6 servings. (serving size: 1 bun and 3/4 cup meat mixture.)

Calories 266 (30% from fat), Fat 9gm, Protein 17.1gm, Carb 29.9gm, Fiber 2.7gm, Chol 49mg, Iron 2.5mg, Calc 51mg.

Enjoy!

Peggy

[Peggy]

Grace,

Just have to let you now, our Supper Group made the Brussel Sprouts with Carrots and Almonds last night and everyone loved them! We did cook them longer than the recipe said because no one in the group likes crisp brussel sprouts. Thanks so much for the advise and pointing it out in the first place.

I also made the Three Kings Salad last week and we enjoy it. I love combining vegetables and fruit in salads and anything with balsamic vinegar is just fine with me!

Two more great recommendations!

Tonight I'm making the Cranberry-Chocolate Chip Biscotti. Hoping for another winner!!

Peggy

[This message has been edited by Peggy (edited 01-28-2001).]