lemonadesandwich's Profile

From: Woburn, MA USA

Joined: March 30th, 2010


Latest review:

November 5th, 2012

apple dappy from Cinnamon, Spice, & Warm Apple Pie: Comforting Baked Fruit Desserts for Chilly Days

Aside from the great name (apple dappy apple dappy apple dappy), this is a very tasty recipe. It's easy to put together. It tastes sort of like a cobbler, but in the form of a dessert roll. I'd suggest... read more >


recipe reviews (79)
book reviews (6)
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lemonadesandwich's Reviews


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79 recipes reviewed. Showing 1 to 50Sort by: Book Title | Date | Rating | Recipe Title

Cinnamon, Spice, & Warm Apple Pie: Comforting Baked Fruit Desserts for Chilly Days

By Ryland Peters & Small
Ryland Peters & Small - 2010

5th November 2012

apple dappy

Aside from the great name (apple dappy apple dappy apple dappy), this is a very tasty recipe. It's easy to put together. It tastes sort of like a cobbler, but in the form of a dessert roll. I'd suggest making the apple filling earlier and let it cool a lot more than the recipe indicates. My filling was still warm and started to melt the dough. But it still worked. I might also add some cinnamon. It's odd that there no spices.

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Website: The Food Network

www.foodnetwork.com
 

Made this as written, and it came out very tasty. It's very rich, and has good flavor. Great use for the abundance of broccoli right now!

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Website: Smitten Kitchen

www.smittenkitchen.com
 

I found I needed a lot more flour than called for - probably due to overly juicy berries. These were great right out of the oven. Somehow, I kept expecting them to be like scones but they were light and definitely biscuit-y. Not too sweet either.

They do not keep well, as she says in the recipe. Better to eat them all right away!

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Website: Serious Eats

www.seriouseats.com
 

This was a nice change from my usual roasted aspaaragus. The sauce was rich and tasty. The mustard I used was not very grainy, and I think it might be even better next time. Definitely a keeper.

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Website: The Food Network

www.foodnetwork.com
 

One of those classic disasters. I'm willing to take my part of the blame for choosing the wrong pan to cook this in, but a 2.5 lb pork butt still wasn't done in 3 hours, and the spices used in this recipe were terrible. We couldn't eat it.

useful (1)  


Breakfast Book

By Marion Cunningham
Knopf - 1987

31st December 2011

Plain pancakes

I've had lots of good recipes from this cookbook, but this basic pancake recipe is not one. They always come out flat. Try Joy of Cooking instead.

useful (1)  


31st December 2011

Potato Bacon Pie

A great use for leftover mashed potatoes. Add bacon, bake and you have a great breakfast side!

useful (1)  


31st December 2011

Apple Pancake

Love this recipe! Have been making it for years, and it's always a great breakfast.

useful (1)  


31st December 2011

Baked German Pancake

I've made this a bunch of times. It's very tasty, but often comes out very thin after it deflates.

useful (1)  


Website: Epicurious

www.epicurious.com
 

Having never made collard greens before, I was surprised at the variety of cooking times out there! This recipe seemed like a good mid-level, of about an hour. This came out terrific - we really liked the vinegar with bacon and greens. Will definitely make it again.

useful (1)  


Website: King Arthur Flour

www.kingarthurflour.com
 

27th November 2011

Belgian Style Yeast Waffles

These waffles are much less sweet than my usual recipe. Not a bad thing some times. Great to set up the batter the night before and be ready to go in the morning. Definitely have a yeasty flavor.

useful (1)  


Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe

By Joanne Chang, Christie Matheson
Chronicle Books - 2010

27th November 2011

Oatmeal Maple Scones

These are so good. Very easy for scones, and I could make them on a whim with panty items. I did use milk instead of cream. Definitely do not skip the glaze!

Despite the comments, I found that the scones actually lasted pretty well for a few days.

useful (1)  


Website: Epicurious

www.epicurious.com
 

28th October 2011 (edited: 28th October 2011)

Roast Pumpkin with Cheese Fondue

This is such a treat! Foundue + roast pumpkin is just awesome.

Definitely don't skimp on the cooking time, I undercooked mine, and the pumpkin did not scoop out easily. But I'll be making it again soon.

useful (1)  


Website: Epicurious

www.epicurious.com
 

This is a great recipe to have on hand for improvising based on what you have on hand.
You definitely need to double the eggs and cream/milk, otherwise you don't have enough batter to cover everything.
I'll admit that I always use a frozen crust, so can't comment on that part of the recipe.
I've made it with the ingredients as written, but also substituted different fillings (mushrooms, tomatoes, pancetta) cheeses based on what I have on hand.

useful (1)  


Website: New York Times - Recipes

topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/r/recipes/index.html
 

5th October 2011

Simplest Corn Pudding

This was a nice change from eating plain corn on the cob. Grating the corn is tiresome after a while. I think next time I have to cook it longer - it might not have been as brown and caramelized as intended, as a result it just tasted like corn and nothing more.

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The 1997 Joy of Cooking

By Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker, Irma S. Rombauer
Scribner - 1997

3rd October 2011

Basic Waffles

This my total go-to recipe for waffles. I keep coming back to it!
I use 1 stick of butter (recipe varies 4-16 teaspoons) to get a relatively crisp but not too greasy waffle.

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Website: Epicurious

www.epicurious.com
 

3rd October 2011

Jim' N Nick's Coleslaw

I've never made coleslaw before, and I think I'm set with my recipe going forward! This was a big hit! A little sweet, but with some tanginess.

My only mistake was not shredding the cabbage in the food processor - it was a bit thick in parts.

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Website: Epicurious

www.epicurious.com
 

3rd October 2011

Warm Peach Compote

The recipe is for french toast too, but I just made the compote and served it with my favorite waffle recipe (Joy of Cooking, btw).
As written there is way too much cinnamon, I would halve it next time. But it was wonderful and warm and sweet with the waffles, and with some whipped cream made for an excellent treat.

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Website: Epicurious

www.epicurious.com
 

I never had celery root before. This was an excellent introduction. This was easy and really tasty, a little sweet even. No other spices needed - just make it as is!

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Website: Smitten Kitchen

www.smittenkitchen.com
 

19th September 2011

Tomato and Corn Pie

I have been obsessed with trying this recipe, and unfortunately it did not live up to my hopes. It was a lot of work (peel and seed the tomatoes, make the crust, shred the cheese, etc.) and the end result just didn't merit it. Maybe I was too light on the herbs or the cheese, but it just came out bland.

I loved the biscuit crust. I wish I liked the end result more.

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Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006

By Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker
Scribner - 2006

18th September 2011

Basic Waffles

After trying numerous variations, this is my go-to waffle recipe that always works for me. I generally use 1 stick of butter or slightly less (it calls for a range of 1/2 to 2 sticks) to get a relatively crisp waffle without being too greasy.

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Website: Epicurious

www.epicurious.com
 

16th September 2011

Macaroni and Cheese

I was looking for a simple unpretentious mac and cheese recipe. This hits the spot, using only cheddar and permesean cheese. The panko crumbs give a great crunchy topping.

The first time I made it there was too much liquid. The second time I fortuitously ran out of milk but went ahead anyway, and it was much better. I recommend cutting the amount of milk in half based on my experience.

It is scaled for a huge amount, so plan to cut things in half already if you are not feeding an army. Keep an eye on the instructions too, since some ingredients are not listed on top, and it casn be easy to forget to adjust those ones.

useful (2)  


Website: Smitten Kitchen

www.smittenkitchen.com
 

12th September 2011

Blueberry Crumb Bars

Pretty easy to make. I've given up on using a pastry blender and just use my hands to make the crumbs, and it works so much better. I think I added a bit too much lemon, but otherwise they were excellent.

Storing them in the fridge, as suggested, works fine, but they are slightly better at room temp

useful (1)  


Website: Smitten Kitchen

www.smittenkitchen.com
 

12th September 2011

Blueberry Crumb Bars

Pretty easy to make. I've given up on using a pastry blender and just use my hands to make the crumbs, and it works so much better. I think I added a bit too much lemon, but otherwise they were excellent.

Storing them in the fridge, as suggested, works fine, but they are slightly better at room temp

useful (1)  


Cinnamon, Spice, & Warm Apple Pie: Comforting Baked Fruit Desserts for Chilly Days

By Ryland Peters & Small
Ryland Peters & Small - 2010

This is a wonderful variation on strawberry shortcake using a meringue instead of shortcake. It was so good - the meringue was simple to make, although it crumbled a lot. I'm not sure that the instruction to let it cool while rolled in a towel is a good one. A 250 degree oven is manageable even on a hot day.

When I try this again, I'm thinking I'll make the meringue as separate separate rounds and top them with the strawberries and whipped cream for a less crumbly as well as less dramatic presentation.

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Website: Smitten Kitchen

www.smittenkitchen.com
 

27th July 2011

Pina Colada Cake

A very moist cake, lots of coconut and pineapple flavor. It's not difficult to make, and came out really well.
It uses about half a can of cream of coconut, so there's still some left so you can make your pina coladas.

useful (1)  


Website: Epicurious

www.epicurious.com
 

Love this recipe! I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the relatively simple ingredient list, but it is just really tasty.
I used the beet greens (sauteed separately) on top, and some feta cheese, and it was really delicious.

useful (1)  


The New Basics Cookbook

By Julee Rosso, Sheila Lukins
Workman Publishing Company - 1989

A rare recipe for a baked strawberry pie. Very tasty, but give it plenty of time to cool overnight. It definitely needs fresh whipped cream too!

useful (2)  


Fine Cooking
(Aug/Sep, 2010)

 

This was really tasty. Fried chickpeas are awesome. The zucchini absorbs more of the spices. Together, they are terrific.

useful (1)  


Website: Saveur Website

www.saveur.com/recipes.jsp
 

An excellent use for garlic scapes. Super easy, and the beans mellow out the sharpness of the garlic scapes. Great with pita bread,crackers or carrot sticks.

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Not Your Mother's Casseroles

By Faith Durand
Harvard Common Press - 2011

A good recipe to have on hand as kale starts arriving in droves from the CSA. Don't skimp on the cheese.

It's basically sauteed greens, mixed with pasta and cheese and baked. The lemon adds some nice flavor. Plenty of room for experimentation, and a good make-ahead recipe.

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Website: The Kitchn

www.thekitchn.com
 

29th June 2011

Spiced Lamb Meatballs

These were very tasty. I liked a simple baked meatball idea, and these worked well. I had a light hand on the spices, since it seemed like a lot of flavors, but you can definitely punch it up even more.

It does make lots, so plenty to freeze for later.

useful (1)  


Cinnamon, Spice, & Warm Apple Pie: Comforting Baked Fruit Desserts for Chilly Days

By Ryland Peters & Small
Ryland Peters & Small - 2010

I really wanted this to be good. I made my own ricotta, I sepnt ages pitting and slicing cherries, I used phyllo dough and lots of butter. But it just didn't work as well together as all of the component parts.

There was too much filling for the phyllo dough, which might have contributed to some sogginess. But it was also lacking any strong flavors - ricotta and cooked cherries came out pretty mild, and there were no other spices in the recipe as written.

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Website: Smitten Kitchen

www.smittenkitchen.com
 

21st June 2011

Shaved Asparagus Pizza

Yum! I forgot the scallions, but it was excellent anyway. A nice change of pace. I can definitely see trying some other cheeses.

I made this with Whole Foods pre-made pizza dough, and homemade mozzarella.

useful (1)  


Website: Smitten Kitchen

www.smittenkitchen.com
 

20th June 2011

Strawberry Summer Cake

Really easy and very tasty! I'm sure I will be making this again during this great strawberry season.

useful (1)  


The 1997 Joy of Cooking

By Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker, Irma S. Rombauer
Scribner - 1997

This was an excellent summer salad.

We grilled the shrimp, and used a jar of roasted red peppers that I canned last fall, and they were delicious. The pine nuts added a great flavor and bit of crunch.

Definitely worth adding to the summer recipe list.

useful (2)  


Website: The Kitchn

www.thekitchn.com
 

16th May 2011

Halfway cookies

These cookies are a bit more fussy than your average chocolate chip cookie, but they use basically the same ingredients, and make something much more interesting. The meringue topping makes it all worth it.

A couple of suggestions: When they say push in the chocolate chips so that they don't move around, it's really worth doing it. It's not a disaster, but my chips definitely migrated around a lot during the meringue spreading for some uneven distribution. Also, as the recipe says, the meringue is really sticky. I found an offset spatula the ideal tool for spreading and smoothing it.

useful (1)  


13th May 2011

Bread Pudding

I was specifically looking for a bread pudding recipe that didn't use cream. This one uses milk, and only 4 eggs. Given that, it came out very well. Not the amazing richness of a bread pudding with heavy cream and 8 eggs, but still tasty. I replaced the raisins with dried cherries, which I really liked.

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Website: White On Rice Couple

whiteonricecouple.com
 

Not too complicated, tasty, nothing spectacular. We liked it and will probably make it again, if we have spaghetti squash on hand from the CSA.

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Website: Smitten Kitchen

www.smittenkitchen.com
 

2nd May 2011 (edited: 6th May 2011)

Warm butternut squash and chickpea salad

This was good. Nice flavors, good texture.

I wasn't sure what to serve it with, and on it's own it seemed to miss something. It seems kind of heavy to be a side dish, so I'm still at a loss.

It was actually even better for lunch the next day. I think it will be a great salad to bring to a pot-luck.

useful (1)  


Website: Waffleizer

www.waffleizer.com
 

29th April 2011

S'moreffles

How can you resist something called a S'moreffle?

I tried this and made a huge mess though. The graham cracker waffle was too dry, and impossible to get out of the waffle iron. That made it even harder to put back in the waffle iron to melt the chocolate and marshamallows. We managed to get a few pieces to eat, and it was tasty, but it was just not meant to be.

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Website: MoonPie

www.moonpie.com
 

29th April 2011

MoonPie Bread Pudding

The recipe looks totally excessive, until you realize it makes 2 9x13 pans, which is way more than most people need!

Overall, it was a tasty bread pudding, although the recipe has too much cloves, which I think overpower the flavors. Other than the melty marshmallow bits, it was hard to tell that there were MoonPies there. It was fun, and a big hit at my office, but I can't say it was any better than just using bread.

I think that in the future, I'll keep my MoonPie and bread pudding obsessions separate.

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Light & Healthy 2010: The Year's Best Recipes Lightened Up

By America's Test Kitchen
America's Test Kitchen - 2010

This variation of the Sweet Chili Glazed Tofu was a big hit. Relatively easy to throw together, good texture, tasty sauce. I made only half the recipe for 3 servings, so didn't have to deal with frying batches, or keeping the tofu warm, which was a big plus. Definitely will make again.

useful (1)  


Bon Appetit
(March, 2011)

 

11th April 2011

Fudgy Meringue Cookies

These are fudgy and excellent cookies. No flour in these and not too bad for those on a diet. Not too hard with the KitchenAid to whip those egg whites. I was a little concerned about the texture when everything was mixed together, as they seemed kind of crumbly. The cookies came out a bit more lumpy looking than the photo, but were definitely a wonderful texture and super chocolatey. I used basic supermarket available Ghiardelli cocoa, and a mix of Toll House and Ghiardelli chips, and results were great. The note says they're best the day they're made, but a day later I'm still enjoying them. I don't expect the texture to hold up more than another day or so though.

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Website: Epicurious

www.epicurious.com
 

27th March 2011

Shepard's Pie

A big success.
As written, it seemed a bit bland. We looked at other comments on Epicurious, and did increase the overall spices - added some salt, pepper, thyme, worcestershire sauce to the meat, as well as garlic to the mashed potatoes.
A great inaugural dish for the newly seasoned cast iron pan.

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Website: Weight Watchers

www.weightwatchers.com/food/index.aspx
 

A surprisingly tasty one-pot meal.
Our biggest problem was we weren't sure how to serve it - it was kind of soupy but not really a soup, and not thick enough for a stew. If it wasn't for the weight watchers issue, I would serve it with rice or noodles probably. But perhaps a bit more flour to thicken it some.

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Website: Mark Bittman

markbittman.com
 

This recipe worked really well. Usually, my stir fry comes out kind of bland, but this one was very appealing. Fried tofu adds some texture. Flavors are simple but work well.

I used scallions instead of onions, red pepper flakes instead of fresh hot peppers, baby bok choy and added some sesame oil.

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Website: Epicurious

www.epicurious.com
 

When a recipe has 1400+ reviews and 91% of the people say they'd make it again, you can be pretty sure that its going to work. This recipe did not disappoint.

A few notes just from my perspective - yes, it has a lot of sugar. The batter also felt very greasy (not the best for licking the beater;-) but that just leads to a moist cake. It also cooks a surprisingly low temp (300) for a surprisingly long time (1 hour) but all does come out well. I was glad to have all those reviews to reassure me that it would work.

This was a big success for a child's birthday cake, and may become my new standard.

useful (4)  


Not Your Mother's Casseroles

By Faith Durand
Harvard Common Press - 2011

This was an easy recipe to put together, definitely a plus for a breakfast dish. I didn't have apricot jam, so substituted a good orange marmalade. It definitely depends heavily on the jam used, so don't cheap out.

The description is accurate that its not too rich like many breakfast bread casseroles, but that's not a problem. It was tasty. But somehow it's not very compelling. I can't put my finger on what it needs to bump it up a little.

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This was a nice recipe. Nothing awesome, but something a little different from my usual fish preparation. I left out the jalapenos and cilantro, as I didn't have them on hand. One or the other would probably help perk this up.

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