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 51 to 79Sort by: Book Title | Date | Rating | Recipe Title

Website: The Kitchn

www.thekitchn.com
 

This was a huge success! The creamy squash replaces the texture of the ricotta, but adds a richness and sweetness to the whole dish.

My only minor complaint is that I would prefer an actual measurement for the amount of squash to use (instead of the given, "2-2.5 lb squash") so that I could use the already prepared roasted squash I had on hand. But I guess it is lasagne, so its pretty flexible.

Ok, I admit that I used regular button mushrooms and spinach instead of cremini and chard, but I don't think that impacted the overall falvor.

useful (3)  


Website: King Arthur Flour

www.kingarthurflour.com
 

I made this, and I think I added too much broth. It was definitely thinner than I like. Measuring a pound of cauliflower isn't really a helpful measurement when working with the whole head. I just put in what looked right, but the cauliflower cooked down more than I thought.

The flavor is good though, and I would definitely try it again.

useful (0)  


Website: Martha Stewart

www.marthastewart.com
 

9th January 2011

Spicy Mussels and Chorizo

This is a good basic mussels recipe. Because of that, it very much depends on the quality of the wine and the chorizo you use.

Not the best written recipe. The instructions kind of fade away, without any sort of hint as to how you know the mussels are done. (When the shells open - just a few minutes usually.)

useful (0)  


Real Stew: 300 Recipes for Authentic Home-Cooked Cassoulet, Gumbo, Chili, Curry, Minestrone, Bouillabaise, Stroganoff, Goulash, Chowder, and Much More

By Clifford A. Wright, Neverne Covington
Harvard Common Press - 2002

Easy classic take on a simple traditional beef stew.

A few small tweaks we make as available:
Add ground thyme to the flour mixture.
Replace water with dark beer
Add bacon and/or any other veggies on hand.

useful (1)  


Fine Cooking
(Aug/Sep, 2010)

 

8th January 2011

Bananas Foster

Bananas foster is so much easier than I thought it would be. This was so simple for such a wonderful dessert, and the flambeing just adds a little bit of excitement.

useful (1)  


In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite: 150 Recipes and Stories About the Food You Love

By Melissa Clark
Hyperion - 2010

8th January 2011 (edited: 8th January 2011)

Creme Brulee French Toast with Orange Blossom Water

The title of this recipe is totally misleading. It actually comes out more like a sticky bun than a creme brulee, and it is amazing! All of the sticky goodness with far less effort.

I left out the orange blossom water (apparently my bottle expired 20 years ago!) but didn't miss it. I used leftover challah, which was a little mushy, but tasted great. I served it with bananas, which were a nice complement to all that sugar. Next time I think I will add some pecans to the brown sugar base. Definitely a keeper!

useful (2)  


Website: Epicurious

www.epicurious.com
 

4th January 2011 (edited: 4th January 2011)

Warm Lentil Salad with Sausage

Tasty. I made it with chicken sausage, which was fine but I could see that something spicier would make this more interesting. I like the mustard and vinegar vinaigrette.

useful (0)  


Whoopie Pies : Dozens of Mix 'em, Match 'em, Eat 'em Up Recipes

By Sarah Billingsley, Amy Treadwell, Antonis Achilleos
Chronicle Books - 2010

30th December 2010 (edited: 30th December 2010)

Classic buttercream (filling)

This is a basic buttercream recipe, and works fine for whoopie pie fillings, but I really have to urge everyone to go with the classic Fluff filling.

useful (0)  


This is the perfect whoopie pie filling. I made butter cream the first time, and it was fine. But commit to the Fluff and Crisco combination, and you will get the ideal filling! We topped ours off with some crushed candy canes, and they are just awesome!

useful (0)  


30th December 2010 (edited: 7th January 2011)

Classic Chocolate Whoopie (pie)

Awesome! I am a huge whoopie pie fan, and this recipe creates excellent chocolate cakes. I even got over my aversion to Crisco to make them and get the correct shape. No special pan needed!

useful (2)  


The Pizza Book: Everything There Is To Know About the World's Greatest Pie

By Evelyne Slomon
Crown - 1984

29th December 2010

The 30 minute pizza

This has been one of our family staples for years. Having homemade pizza in 30 minutes is the best! We have passed this recipe on to so many of our friends. We used to make one big pizza, but we've found it's even better for making our own small size pies - we can each add our own toppings to our heart's content.

Some tricks we've developed over the years: A dusting of corn flour on the bottom of the pan or pizza stone adds a nice crunch to the bottom.
There's also a new Fleischman's yeast that's specifically for pizza dough. It makes it much easier to roll the dough out evenly and stretch it further. Definitely a new pantry staple!

useful (1)  


Muffins

By Elizabeth Alston
Clarkson Potter - 1984

Love this recipe. Almost always double it, because who needs to have a half a can of pumpkin around when there could be more muffins to share!

useful (0)  


A Taste of the Tropics: Traditional and Innovative Cooking from the Pacific and Caribbean

By Jay Solomon
Crossing Press - 1992

29th December 2010

Jamaican Beef Patties

We love love love this recipe. There's something about turmeric and curry that is just so tasty. Its a great little visit to the Caribbean on a snowy winter day. I adjust the jalapeno, and even got approval from my 6 year old.

useful (1)  


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

By Joanne Chang, Christie Matheson
Chronicle Books - 2010

28th December 2010 (edited: 4th January 2011)

Cranberry-maple-pecan breakfast cake

Tasty, but I expected more somehow. For all of the steps involved (chopping cranberries, toasting and coating pecans) it came out like a pretty basic cranberry bread.

useful (2)  


Website: Nick Malgieri - BAKE!

www.nickmalgieri.com/blog
 

23rd December 2010

Lemon Ginger Bars

These are so good, but you really need to be a ginger fan! Kind of fussy to have to chop the candied ginger and zest the lemon, but since they are bar cookies it evens out.

I might consider making them in a smaller pan, so that they are thicker, but that's a personal preference.

useful (1)  


Website: Nick Malgieri - BAKE!

www.nickmalgieri.com/blog
 

Yum! Not too dry, nice flavor, an excellent scone!

useful (1)  


Cook's Illustrated
(, 2009)

 

16th December 2010 (edited: 4th January 2011)

Easier Chicken and Dumplings

Very tasty and easy version of chicken and dumplings. Would probably add a bit more broth next time, but that's more a matter of personal preference. The thyme was the perfect seasoning.

Nice thing to be able to make in under an hour!

useful (0)  


The 1997 Joy of Cooking

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

10th December 2010

Banana Bread

Definitely the best banana bread recipe I've tried!

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Website: Epicurious

www.epicurious.com
 

7th December 2010 (edited: 4th January 2011)

Lora Brody's Rugelach

This was an excellent rugelach recipe. I even got a thumbs up from the Jewish grandmother in attendance at the party where I served them.

I did play around with the filling, and ended up making a few variations. I like the cinnamon and sugar combo (although with pecans, as I'm not a walnut fan) in this recipe. My daughter liked the chocolate (just chopped up some chocolate) and my husband liked the apricot cherry jam version.

A bit of effort, and definitely be sure to allow some time for the dough to chill, but well worth it!

My only complaint with this recipe is that the written instructions are way too detailed! I don't need the conversion to grams, the hints at the end are kind of obvious - its sort of written for a toal beginner cook. I had to edit it before I could print it out so that I didn't go crazy!

useful (1)  


Fine Cooking
(Aug/Sep, 2010)

 

So tasty! Loved the mustard flavor with the swiss chard.

useful (0)  


Martha Stewart Living
(October, 2010)

 

This was really excellent. The spaghetti squash is bland on its own, but with the meatballs, mushrooms and greens it all was a nice flavor.

Due to what I had on hand I used chard instead of spinach, regular mushrooms and beef stock. Minor substitutions, and still surprisingly tasty. Will be adding this to the family recipe book.

useful (1)  


Website: The Kitchn

www.thekitchn.com
 

This is really yummy. Slow roasting the tomatoes makes them sweet and wonderful, and the added butter gives it a fantastic finishing touch.

I think the instructions are for too high a heat and/or too long a cooking time. In my oven there were a lot of blackened tomatoes after about 1.5 hours at 350 degrees.

Worth some experimentation to tweak - just keep an eye on it the first time you make it.

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Website: Epicurious

www.epicurious.com
 

This is an excellent vegetarian chili. I'm not a vegetarian, but had a bunch of squash to use up. This came out as rich as my usual meat chili, with a lot of flavor from the squash and greens. Definitely a great addition to my regular rotation! The hardest part is peeling the squash, but if you want to cheat and buy the pre-peeled squash then its really easy to make.

useful (1)  


Website: Serious Eats

www.seriouseats.com
 

2nd August 2010

Home made ricotta

A great recipe to have on hand when you just need a little bit of cheese. Worked great, tasted terrific.

useful (0)  


Website: King Arthur Flour

www.kingarthurflour.com
 

2nd August 2010

cherry clafouti

So very good, and so easy!

useful (0)  


Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It: And Other Cooking Projects

By Karen Solomon
Ten Speed Press - 2009

2nd August 2010

Pickled green beans

I tried these to use up some of the green and yellow beans from my CSA farm share. They come out very vinegary, but are great in a salad. I didn't can them for real, just keep them in the fridge.

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Website: Martha Stewart

www.marthastewart.com
 

This has become one of our favorite quick dinner dishes. Even my 6 year old likes it! Its got a nice blend of flavors, and is a great one pot meal.
My only tweaks are to use canned tomatoes (a pantry staple), and I susbstitute chicken tenders to the thighs, again to make it quicker.

useful (1)  


Website: King Arthur Flour

www.kingarthurflour.com
 

9th April 2010

Classic pretzels

My 6 year old and I made these one day and had a great time. Lots of dough to play with, and then a fun final product to eat. They are best eaten right away. We found they got soggy pretty quick.

useful (1)  


Website: Epicurious

www.epicurious.com
 

Simply the easiest and best recipe! Pecans are awesome in salads, terrific on their own, and are so so easy to make so you have them on hand any time! A family favorite.

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