bhnyc's Profile

From: New York, NY

Joined: June 6th, 2010

Chicken Fricassee with Meatballs from Back to Square One: Old-World Food in a New-World Kitchen

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recipe reviews (218)
book reviews (2)
useful review votes (196)

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bhnyc's Reviews

12 recipe(s) reviewed. Showing 1 to 12Sort by: Title | Date | Rating

Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?: Fabulous Recipes & Easy Tips

By Ina Garten
Clarkson Potter - 2010

This is really, really good. In the past, I haven't always been successful making creamy polenta. This recipe worked perfectly. I like that it uses plain old, easy to get, stone-ground yellow cornmeal. You don't need to buy Italian polenta.

You do need to be at the stove stirring for ten minutes, so plan accordingly. Worth the time, though.

useful (1)  

This is delicious and dinner was on the table in just over an hour.
Since I didn't have two lemons, I used one lemon and one orange. That combination was really nice. The sauce was good too! Be sure to do as directed and use a small pan to cook the chicken in. Then the onions will be soft and not burned.

useful (1)  

This was good- not great- and I wanted it to be great. I think it is a mistake to take the chicken off the bone. If I make it again, I will leave the bone on. It did smell delicious, though.

useful (2)  

I usually like my lobster totally unadulterated- butter only. So it was with some hesitation that I made lobster salad. I'm glad I did.

The only substitution I made was to use celery instead of chopped red pepper. Also- beware the salt. I only used the 1 tsp and did not add in the additional 4 tsps that it called for. That would have been horrible!

Easy, easy- especially since my market steamed the lobster for me. This was ready in minutes but has to rest in the fridge for a while so plan ahead.

I think you could easily substitute shrimp for the lobster. That would be really good, too.

I made this again and substituted basil for the dill. Either way is delicious!

useful (2)  

This was like a taste from my past. My grandfather's first job was as a soda jerk at a soda fountain counter. Long after moving on from that job, he used to make these for us when we were little. The ones I made were definitely not as good as his which were made with seltzer that had been delivered to the front door- but they were delicious nonetheless. So simple!

useful (0)  

This was a very easy and delicious way to prepare salmon. It took minutes to make and less than ten minutes to cook. I wish I had baked it for less than five minutes and will next time I make this. This is a great recipe to put into the weeknight rotation.

useful (0)  

This is a quick and simple recipe that just screams summer. I make it a lot when basil is plentiful and then freeze it in smaller portions to enjoy when summer is over.

Ina gives us the exact same recipe in three of her books: How Easy is That?, BC Parties! and Back to Basics. The pesto is good in many of her recipes but I also like it on plain pasta, on chicken or on a piece of fish.

useful (1)  

I will never drink plain old margaritas again! Peak-season grapefruit make these sweet and the lime balances it out. These are delicious and you could almost pretend that they are good for you with all that vitamin C in them! :)

The recipe was a little confusing because it says that the drink is blended. The photo in the book shows a drink that is definitely not blended. I chose to not blend them.

useful (1)  

These are very, very good. While I was slicing each and every pea in half lengthwise, I kept thinking, "No, this really isn't easy, and it's taking forever." However, the dish looks stunning because of this detail. It's a hit with guests. I love that it can be served at room temperature so it's easy to make ahead.

useful (1)  

These were really good. My six-year-old niece proclaimed them the best turkey meatballs ever. We didn't find them too spicy- they were fine. You could definitely taste the sausage but I'm not sure the prosciutto was entirely necessary.

The recipe makes a lot- 30 meatballs. I cooked what I needed and froze the rest (uncooked) on a cookie sheet and then placed the frozen meatballs in a Ziploc bag. They'll make an easy dinner another night.

I did not use store bought tomato sauce. I made the sauce that Ina uses for her Real Meatballs and Spaghetti from Barefoot Contessa Family Style.

useful (1)  

These are really, really good and very easy to make. I didn't have Stilton on hand so I used Maytag Blue instead. I love how peppery they are and the cheese and walnuts are so nice together. These are fabulous with a glass of red wine.

When I went to rotate the pan halfway through baking, I am glad that I peeked at the underside of the crackers. I found it necessary to actually flip each cracker over to make sure they baked evenly. Keep an eye on these.

useful (1)  

This is amazing! The photo doesn't do this justice and looks like it is showing just plain old popcorn. This isn't ordinary popcorn. What a way to elevate an ordinary snack.

useful (0)