BethNH's Profile

From: , NH USA

Joined: December 16th, 2010

About me: I've been cooking and baking since I was a child and collecting cookbooks almost that long. Years ago, I lost my entire collection in a flood and I've been slowly building it back up. I cook for my husband and three sons who are not very adventurous eaters. We're on the go a lot with sports and school schedules. I love to bake and my boys and their friends appreciate all manner of baked goods.

Favorite cookbook: King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion


Latest review:

April 1st, 2017

Ginger Pork Meatballs with Cilantro and Fish Sauce from Dinner: Changing the Game

These meatballs and the dipping sauce were to die for delicious. Although there was a lot of chopping the recipe was easy to follow. Everyone loved it and we will definitely make this again. read more >


recipe reviews (265)
book reviews (8)
useful review votes (161)

BethNH's Reviews


Search Reviews:

20 recipe(s) reviewed. Showing 1 to 20Sort by: Title | Date | Rating

The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, Heavy-Duty Revised Edition

By America's Test Kitchen, Daniel J. Van Ackere, Carl Tremblay
America's Test Kitchen - 2006

23rd August 2011

Asian Marinade : page 418

I used this marinade for chicken breast prior to stir frying. The taste of the sesame oil was a bit overpowering. I believe 1 Tablespoon of sesame oil is simply too much.

Everyone ate it without comment or complaint but I probably wouldn't make it again.

useful (1)  


24th August 2011

Beer-Battered Fried Fish : page 270

Fail.

It's hard to believe it's the fault of the recipe so it must be the fault of the cook. I followed the directions exactly but the batter didn't stay on the fish and left a huge mess on the bottom of the pot. I rescued dinner by scooping the fish out of the hot oil, putting it on paper towels for a bit and then putting it in a 375 oven.

In the end, the fish was actually pretty good. It retained some of the spice from the batter even if it wasn't battered.

useful (0)  


22nd June 2011 (edited: 3rd July 2011)

Big and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies : page 499

Tastes just like a regular Tollhouse cookie only bigger!

I was looking for a recipe for large chocolate chip cookies like the ones found in bakeries and this recipe fits the bill.

This recipe uses melted butter and additional egg yolks which are designed to ensure a chewy cookie. If you put the cookies in an airtight container soon after they cool the cookies will remain nice and chewy.

useful (1)  


4th June 2011 (edited: 3rd July 2011)

Buttermilk Waffles : page 234

Light, fluffy waffles. Perfect!

These require a bit more effort than using a mix as they require whipping egg whites and melting butter but they are SO much better. I used soured milk in place of buttermilk and you couldn't tell the difference.

I believe we have discovered our new family waffle recipe.

useful (1)  


17th July 2011

Chicken Fajitas : page 308

Very fast and easy chicken fajitas! The spices were perfect.
Great dinner for those nights when you have almost no time to cook.

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12th February 2012

Chicken Pot Pie : page 323

Who knew that making chicken pot pie was so easy?

While my husband and I love chicken pot pie, I've always been happy with the refrigerated Mrs. Budd's. My children have never had pot pie because there's not enough in the premade ones I buy for all 5 of us.

This recipe is very simple and used mainly ingredients that I tend to have on hand. The filling was all cooked on the stove top - including the raw chicken which was cooked in the already thickened broth. The only change I made to the recipe was to add cubed potatoes which I cooked partway in the microwave (and perhaps should have cooked just a bit longer).

After cooking on the stove top, the mixture is poured into a 9x13 pan, covered with cream biscuits (or a pie crust), and baked for only 20 minutes. From start to finish, the whole pie took less than 45 minutes to cook.

A perfect meal after a cold day out on the slopes!

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24th December 2011 (edited: 25th December 2011)

Cinnamon Rolls : page 474

Homemade cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning!

This is the first time I've attempted cinnamon rolls. I made the rolls the day before and placed in the fridge overnight. The sweet dough came together easily but took a full 2 hours to rise - even in the same room as the woodstove.

The dough rolled out easily but because I read the directions incorrectly I ended up with a longer roll than called for. This meant I had 3 extra rolls.

I warmed my oven to 200 degrees, turned it off, and put the rolls in there to rise in the morning after I took them out of the fridge. They were good to go in about an hour.

Although the recipe calls for a 30 minute cooking time, mine were done in about 20 minutes. Oh my! Warm, gooey, cinnamony rolls for Christmas breakfast.

I used this icing to top them off : http://www.food.com/recipe/cinnamon-bun-icing-19239

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12th February 2012

Cream Biscuits : page 481

This Northern girl had never made biscuits before. I've made lots of breads and rolls but never biscuits.

From start to finish, these biscuits take only 30 minutes. Put ingredients in bowl, mix together, knead briefly, cut out and bake.

I used these biscuits as the topping for a pot pie and they were delicious. I'll have to make them again so I can taste them on their own. I was impressed at how quickly one could have a bread like product on the dinner table.

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25th July 2011 (edited: 25th July 2011)

Crunchy Pork Chops : page 367

Everyone in my family is a big fan of pork but I've never really been able to make decent boneless pork chops until now. This recipe is wonderful! All the boys gave it two thumbs up.

The coating is made with crushed Melba toasts and spices and the chops are coated with mayonnaise before patting on the coating. It sounds strange and rather 70s but it's amazing. The pork stays very moist and the topping is delightfully crisp.

We'll be adding this to the regular rotation.

useful (1)  


30th July 2011 (edited: 30th July 2011)

Fettucini Alfredo : page 191

Alfredo sauce is pretty basic and recipes don't differ much from one cookbook to another.

The boys are used to jarred Alfredo sauce and didn't care for this at all. My husband and I liked it but it had a funny consistency - kind of grainy - and tasted sweet. I may not have chosen the right cheese. None of this stopped my husband or me from eating large portions.

I'll make the sauce again with different cheese.

useful (1)  


14th January 2012

French Onion Soup : page 100

It's freezing cold outside and two of the boys have fevers. Seemed like a good day for some soup.

French Onion Soup recipes don't really vary all that much. This particular one uses Spanish onions and both chicken and beef stock.

The most difficult part was cutting all those onions. They caramelized nicely. I covered the individual bowls with toasted pieces of bread that I passed under the broiler with Swiss cheese rather than putting the bowls under the broiler.

The boys weren't excited about the soup but my husband and I both enjoyed it. I believe next time I'd use a recipe that didn't call for vinegar. I found the taste of the vinegar distracting though not overwhelming. I think I would have preferred the soup without it.

All in all, a nice dinner for a cold winter night.

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6th May 2011

Grilled Fajitas : page 387

I suppose most folks don't really need a recipe for fajitas but, having never made them before, I thought it might be nice to have a general guideline.

I made the Latin American Dry Spice rub (pg. 390) for the flank steak and it was quite good. The flank steak was grilled with the spice rub. Flank steak, sauteed onions and peppers, and flour tortillas - simple and delicious.

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6th October 2011

Grilled Southwestern Steak Tips : page 388

Absolutely, totally delicious marinade! There is no vinegar in this marinade - it's made with typical southwestern spices like cumin and cayenne pepper along with soy sauce and canola oil.

The steak tips marinated for about 7 hours and the flavor was very good when we grilled them.

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30th June 2013

Mexican Rice : page 155

A very nice Mexican rice dish which bakes in the oven while you cook dinner.

I made a few modifications - substituting canned plum tomatoes for fresh (because that's what I had on hand) and pickled jalapenos for fresh. I also used three different kinds of rice - medium grain, basamiti and jasimine - because I needed all three to come up with two cups of rice.

The rice is started on the stove in a Dutch oven and moved to the oven. I should have kept a closer eye on the rice once it was in the oven as it was probably done about 8 minutes earlier than I had anticipated. The rice was still very good but a little dry.

This was a bit spicier than I had anticipated but quite good. It made a huge amount of rice, however, and I would probably try to half it next time. This is a dish that is well worth trying again to see if I could perfect it.

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21st February 2015

Pan-Seared Shrimp with Ginger-Hoisin Glaze : page 272

This dish takes only as long to prepare as whatever you choose to serve with it. I served orecchiette. While the pasta boiled I shelled the shrimp and made the sauce.

Shrimp take only 2-3 minutes to cook and then the sauce is added. The sauce is wonderfully sweet and spicy due to the hoisin and ginger.

Delicious and super fast dinner!

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20th August 2011 (edited: 27th August 2011)

Pancakes : page 232

These are very good buttermilk pancakes. The recipe comes together quickly and is enough for 16 good sized pancakes.

As usual, I did not have buttermilk in the house and used sour milk. The pancakes don't rise as much as my boys prefer and they were a little more floppy than they like but they tasted delicious.

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1st January 2011 (edited: 3rd July 2011)

Skillet Ziti with Chicken and Broccoli : page 208

Very easy, one pot meal. Lots of flavor - just a bit of spice. The sauce covered the ziti really well and the chicken stayed moist.

Next time I'd add the broccoli closer to the end as I like my veggies with more crunch.

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20th October 2011

Slow-Cooker Barbecued Pulled Pork : page 430

A simple pulled pork crockpot recipe. I used store bought bbq sauce and it was still quite good. This recipe advises taking the pork roast out of the crockpot and then shredding by hand so the fat and gristle can be thrown away. The meat is then added back to the pot with some additional seasonings.

Even those in my family who are not big crockpot fans loved this meal. The pork was not shredded into tiny pieces nor was it mushy. It was delicious - especially served on the homemade hamburger buns that I made.

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11th December 2014

Smothered Pork Chops : page 366

Although this recipe keeps you in the kitchen near the stove for a bit, it's a simple week night dinner. It's easy enough to prepare the ingredients as other parts of the recipe are cooking.

I used boneless pork chops as that's what I had. Pork chops and onions are browned separately before going back in the pan with spices and chicken broth. Bacon is fried in the same pan and a gravy is made from the fat left over.

In the end, the reduced sauce is poured over the chops and the bacon is sprinkled on top.

I cooked the chops for about 15 rather than 30 minutes and they were cooked perfectly. There was an abundance of sauce which was very flavorful. I'd use less chicken broth next time. The bacon was good, of course, but it didn't really seem like a necessary part of the recipe and I'd probably omit it in the future.

The chops were moist and tender and everyone enjoyed this dinner.

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24th November 2014

Weeknight Skillet Fajitas : page 333

These are exactly the same recipe as the chicken fajitas from the same cookbook (though not listed together). Although my boys prefer beef, we didn't love these. I usually have great luck with flank steak but this was just too chewy.

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