BethNH's Reviews
265 recipes reviewed. Showing 1 to 50Sort by: Book Title | Date | Rating | Recipe Title 
The King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook (King Arthur Flour Cookbooks)
By Brinna Sands, King Arthur Flour
Countryman Press - 1992
The 17 year old gave them two thumbs up.
Another muffin from the P.D.Q. pages. Comes together very quickly - tastes like gingerbread.
I baked these in my muffin top pans but forgot to decrease the temperature to 350. Next time I won't forget.
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Best Loved Hershey's Recipes
By Publications International
Publications International - 2007
This is the basic chocolate frosting recipe that comes on every tin of Hershey's cocoa. It's simple and requires no fancy ingredients. You can even make it in the few minutes you have in the morning when you realize that although you did remember to bake a cake you forgot to make frosting.
It's smooth and chocolatey and everything you need in a frosting for a simple birthday cake.
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Website: The Food Network
Meh. Not worth the effort.
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Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook
By Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Terry Hope Romero
Da Capo Press - 2007
I used canned beans and my food processor and got a nice creamy hummus.
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Website: All Recipes
I was looking for a Greek dressing that would taste just like the one I buy from the supermarket but without the stabilizers and other nasty things. This dressing uses olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and dried herbs. It's quite good and will be my go-to recipe for Greek dressing.
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The Cook's Country Cookbook: Regional and Heirloom Favorites Tested and Reimagined for Today's Home Cooks
By The Editors of Cook's Country Magazine, Cook's Country Magazine
Boston Common Press - 2008
Best pancakes that I've made so far.
Pretty ironic that I found this particular recipe on the 4th of July - All American Pancakes. They were made with soured milk, all purpose flour, baking soda and baking powder. The batter seemed thin at first but thickened up nicely after just a few minutes.
We all enjoyed these very much and they were easy to put together with common pantry ingredients.
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Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie
By Ken Haedrich
Harvard Common Press - 2004
I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I've never made pie crust before. Generally, I use those very convenient Pillsbury pie crusts.
I followed the stand mixer directions for this crust and the dough came together easily. As I was rolling it out, it seemed a bit thick to me but it was difficult to get much thinner and it was the right size for the pie pan.
I prebaked this crust for use in a custard pie and it baked nicely with no bubbles on the sides. Served straight from the fridge with the coconut cream, it was rather tough. It had good flavor but it was rather difficult to cut with a fork.
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This is a super simple recipe that comes together quickly in a food processor. After baking the texture is quite nice with a nice chew. It is not overly sweet like some nut pies.
We thought that it would be improved by some chocolate and will have more pie tonight with Alice Water's chocolate sauce.
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The King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook (King Arthur Flour Cookbooks)
By Brinna Sands, King Arthur Flour
Countryman Press - 1992
When time is short or you're looking to make a hot dessert on a weeknight, Apple Crisp is a great go to choice.
Everything comes together in the time it takes to preheat the oven. I used a couple of extra apples (more like 6 or 7 cups of apples) with the same amount of topping.
The aroma that filled our home on a cold evening after the boys returned from sports practices was hard to beat.
Delicious!
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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
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.
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Emeril's There's a Chef in My Soup! Recipes for the Kid in Everyone
By Emeril Lagasse, Charles Yuen, Charles Yuen
HarperCollins - 2002
A mix of dried spices which can be used on almost any meat. We like to use it as a dry rub for pork chops.
The recipe makes about 3/4 cup and it keeps nicely in the pantry in an air tight container. I often add some to meatloaf, meatballs or even scrambled eggs.
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Website: Pioneer Woman Cooks
YUM!
These are simply delicious and very easy to make. I got some vinyl gloves to protect my hands and was glad I did. I stuffed half the jalapenos with cheddar and half with cream cheese. Both were equally good.
I brought the leftovers to my neighbors and they loved them as much as we did. They're equally good hot or room temperature (we don't have any left to test them cold).
I will definitely make these again.
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The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever
By Beatrice Ojakangas, Susie Cushner
Chronicle Books - 2008
I'm not sure what baked french toast is supposed to be like. I was surprised at how much the bread puffed up. The top of the bread was nice and firm while the middle was soft. I would have preferred a less soft middle but it firmed up a bit after it sat.
Even if I'm not sure about the texture, the dish was delicious and I'd make it again.
I halved the recipe and it made the perfect amount for three hungry people.
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Website: Smitten Kitchen
My middle son won a trail race this week and was awarded a large bag of kale as a prize. Not knowing what to do with kale, I turned to the one recipe I had heard about over and over on the internet - kale chips.
They came out thin, crisp and salty and ... absolutely disgusting. My mother and I both agreed these are inedible. Ugh! Nasty!
My son, however, who won the kale (seriously, who wins kale???) rather likes the kale chips and my youngest son, who likes very little, thought the kale chips weren't bad at all.
I just hope that if he wins the race next week that something else is ripe from the garden.
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Fat Witch Brownies: Brownies, Blondies, and Bars from New York's Legendary Fat Witch Bakery
By Patricia Helding
Rodale Books - 2010
What's not to love about bananas and chocolate together?
These bars take the best of brownies and mixes it with banana bread. The batter tastes like banana splits.
The brownies are moist and dense - more like banana bread than brownie. The taste is excellent with strong banana and chocolate flavor. The texture is kind of spongy and kind of threw me for a loop the first time I tasted them because I was expecting brownie texture. Once you accept that they're more like banana bread than brownie, they're actually quite good.
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Website: The Food Network
A very simple way to cook sausages in the oven. I used some wonderful local sausages and they were cooked perfectly using this oven method.
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The King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook (King Arthur Flour Cookbooks)
By Brinna Sands, King Arthur Flour
Countryman Press - 1992
This is a basic muffin mix which gives a recipe for a standard muffin to which any ingredients might be added. It uses only standard pantry ingredients and comes together in minutes.
I used the basic recipe and added 1 cup of cinnamon chips. I then baked them in muffin top pans - 1/4 cup of batter for each top baked for 15 minutes made 11 muffins.
These were made for my youngest son who prefers the muffin top. They are quite good though next time I'd add some cinnamon to the dry ingredients.
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How To Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food
By Mark Bittman, Alan Witschonke
Wiley - 2006
Baking powder leavened pancakes. These cook up nice and fluffy - more like the Bisquick pancakes my boys grew up on.
These are quite easy to pull together with basic pantry ingredients. They're not the perfect recipe (I haven't found it yet) but they're really quite good.
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The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying and Start Making
By Alana Chernila
Clarkson Potter - 2012
I'm one of those people who are scared of pie crust. I'm not really sure why and it makes me feel ridiculous.
Anyway, Alana posted a tutorial along with this recipe on her blog and I gave it a go. Just as she promised the crust came together nicely in the kitchenaid.
I split it in two discs and refrigerated overnight. This morning I rolled them out and the dough was nice and pliable with no cracking or sticking at all. It baked up nice and flaky though we haven't tasted it yet. I have the best looking apple pie I've ever made and I have to wait over 24 hours to eat it. So sad.
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Website: Simply Recipes
Delicious! A wonderful marinade made with olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, garlic and ginger. The kebabs had great flavor!
We'll use this marinade for our kebabs from now on.
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The Chinese Takeout Cookbook: Quick and Easy Dishes to Prepare at Home
By Diana Kuan
Ballantine Books - 2012
In celebration of Chinese New Year, we tried another recipe from this cookbook.
Like the other recipes in the book that I've tried so far, this one starts with a marinade and a sauce that are made with basic Chinese pantry staples. Once those are made the flank steak is marinated while the broccoli is blanched. Finally, everything is stir fried together and the sauce is added to coat.
I would actually give this recipe a 3.5. It was delicious but somewhat salty. The flank steak was very tender and the broccoli was nicely cooked. My husband and middle son each gave the dish and 8 while my youngest gave it a 6. It was good, and I'd make it again, but it wasn't as good as the chicken recipes we've tried from this same book.
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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
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.
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Website: King Arthur Flour
We did not let these rise over night. Instead we went with the quick one hour rise. The waffle batter was very thick going on to the waffle iron and it took quite a long time for the waffles to turn brown.
We found the waffles to be quite difficult to cut - definitely requires a knife - and we didn't really care for them.
I wouldn't bother making these again.
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The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook: 2,000 Recipes from 20 Years of America's Most Trusted Cooking Magazine
By Editors at Cook's Illustrated Magazine
Cook's Illustrated - 2011
It seems silly to follow a "recipe" for baked potatoes. Nonetheless, I decided to take a look to see what CI had to say about the humble baked spud.
CI says to wash, dry, rub with vegetable oil and bake in a 350 oven for 75 minutes. Only then is one to poke holes in the potatoes to release the steam. I was worried that my potatoes would burst in the oven without poking them ahead of time.
Sure enough, one of five potatoes burst open during cooking. It made a mess in the oven. The other four potatoes were very good - fluffier and drier than most baked potatoes. Next time, I'd be sure to poke at least one hole in my potatoes before baking.
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Website: King Arthur Flour
Wonderful!
This dough is super easy to make and work with. I kneaded it in the KitchenAid for 7 minutes. It rose well and was then divided into eight pieces for the hamburger buns. The buns themselves don't rise very much.
Hands on time for these buns is very little. They make a nice sturdy bun for messy things like pulled pork or hamburgers with lots of fixings.
Delicious!
useful (1)
Website: Smitten Kitchen
These did not end my search for the perfect brownie. I'm not ashamed to admit I'm looking for brownies with that nice shiny top that crackles and a fudgy interior - basically brownies just like those from a box.
These brownies did not satisfy. They are much too thin - about 3/4 inch. They are not nearly chocolatey enough. They just don't have the right taste.
They are decent tasting but they don't end my search and they're not even close to the best cocoa brownies I've ever made.
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The Bon Appetit Cookbook: Fast Easy Fresh
By Barbara Fairchild
Wiley - 2008
Not even close to best ever.
Fine maybe. Definitely not best.
It browned too quickly on the top and developed a thick crust. The bottom was kind of greasy. Too much sugar.
I'll stick with my tried and true recipe.
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The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook: 2,000 Recipes from 20 Years of America's Most Trusted Cooking Magazine
By Editors at Cook's Illustrated Magazine
Cook's Illustrated - 2011
Made during the Blizzard of 2015.
At the last minute we braved the grocery store lines before the blizzard hit to pick up the ingredients for this soup. Basically, onions, chicken broth, beef broth, some French bread and some Swiss cheese.
Despite what Serious Eats says, caramelizing onion in the oven in a Dutch oven worked wonderfully. Although it doesn't really cut down on time, it is certainly easier as you need to pay them almost no attention. Once I moved the onions from the oven to the stove they caramelized much quicker than the recipe suggested.
I omitted the the sherry because I didn't have any and I can't say we missed it. I also left out the thyme because I find the taste overwhelming. I also couldn't find Gruyere cheese at the store so we used Swiss. I didn't want to broil the soup in the bowls so I toasted the bread slices, toasted them again with the cheese on them, and then put them in the bowls and ladled the soup on top.
This was delicious and just what we needed on a snowy day.
useful (1)
Website: Pioneer Woman Cooks
Although I've made plenty of pasta salads in my life, I do not have a macaroni in my repertoire. With only a half hour to prepare a macaroni salad, I found this one on the Pioneer Woman's website.
The dressing is made with mayo, vinegar, pickle juice and a bit of milk. In addition to the macaroni, I added chopped pickles, onions, an egg and cucumber because it's what I had available.
The salad was very good without overwhelming mayo or vinegar flavor as is common in store bought macaroni salad. I'd make it again when I had a few more veggies to add but we were quite happy with it as is.
I'm quite sure this is not the BEST EVER macaroni salad but it was good enough for a family meal served with grilled hot dogs.
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Cook's Illustrated
(Jul/Aug, 2008)
These are the best grilled sausages we've ever had.
The great thing about this method - which is basically cooking the sausages in a disposable pan over a bed of onions - is that everything is cooked at one time on the grill. The sausages are nice and moist with no risk of burning and the onions are nicely flavored with sausage drippings and no additional oil.
Generally we end up with charred sausages with uncooked interiors but this method makes perfect sausages and onions. Yum!
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Cook's Illustrated
(June, 2011)
A very nice marinade make from common pantry items.
This was a nice change of pace from the usual marinade we use. This was a hefty amount for three pounds of steak tips. We'd definitely use this again during the summer grilling season.
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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
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.
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Cooking Light
(April, 2011)
YUMMY!
Black beans, spices, cilantro ... all mashed up into a yummy vegetarian burger.
I baked them for 20 minutes in a 350 oven and then pan friend them to crisp them up a bit. They are very easy to make and are simply delicious.
The mango salsa could be a complete meal to me. It has just the right mix of fruity and hotness.
Also found here http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/black-bean-burgers-with-mango-salsa-10000001973642/
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Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day
By Moosewood Collective
Fireside - 1994
I made this for dinner last night because we were having vegetarian friends for dinner. Using canned beans and tomatoes, it couldn't be easier to put together. I omitted the sun dried tomatoes because I don't like that much tomato flavor.
My friend raved about the soup and immediately took a picture of the recipe with her cell phone. We all thought the soup was very good though I would have preferred it a little thicker. Next time, I wouldn't add the water and I'd add a bit more spice.
Perfect dinner for a chilly Halloween.
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The King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook (King Arthur Flour Cookbooks)
By Brinna Sands, King Arthur Flour
Countryman Press - 1992
This is the exact same recipe as the Ruth Wakefield Cookie Bars in the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion except it adds two teaspoons of vanilla. I didn't even realize I was making the same recipe I've made dozens of times before.
The biggest difference was that these were baked in a 9x13 pan while the cookie bars are baked in a jelly roll pan. I found these much easier to remove from the pan in addition to finding them a bit more moist.
As usual, I find these make perfect bake sale fare as they are sturdy and package and travel well.
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Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook
By Martha Stewart
Clarkson Potter - 2005
Made with frozen blueberries picked last summer. Followed the recipe exactly and got 12 nice, large muffins. No special ingredients - came together in minutes.
Yum!
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Website: Pioneer Woman Cooks
This is the second broccoli cheese soup I've tried this year. While this one was definitely better than the last, I can't say it was very good.
I love the broccoli cheddar soup I get at Panera Bread and I've been trying to replicate it. This soup was good but it definitely needed something in the spice department. After using the immersion blender to make the soup smooth, it had a somewhat gritty texture.
My husband and I enjoyed the soup but the boys weren't terribly fond of it.
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The Cook's Country Cookbook: Regional and Heirloom Favorites Tested and Reimagined for Today's Home Cooks
By The Editors of Cook's Country Magazine, Cook's Country Magazine
Boston Common Press - 2008
Outstanding!
This is a wonderful shortcake recipe with three distinct parts. The shortcake is a brown sugar sweetened biscuit. The biscuit is made mostly in the food processor and includes both butter, sour cream and brown sugar. The dough is moist but still has difficulty truly coming together even when one uses one's hands as directed in the recipe. This is not a problem as the biscuits are formed by using a large ice cream scoop which worked perfectly for this dough. The biscuits are brushed with butter and sprinkled with sugar before baking which leaves them with a lovely crunchy exterior.
The fruit is macerated with brown sugar also which lends a nice flavor to the juice.
Finally, the whipped cream is made with heavy cream, sour cream and brown sugar. I like it even better than regular whipped cream without the sour cream.
Together, these three things make the most delicious dessert. Mmmm!
I will add that my very strange children do not like most fruits and had no interest in the raspberries I used. Instead, they had biscuits with whipped cream and chocolate sauce and were equally happy. One boy even had a biscuit for breakfast.
Very little effort for maximum taste!
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Joy the Baker Cookbook: 100 Simple and Comforting Recipes
By Joy Wilson
Hyperion - 2012
Another Rice Krispie variation.
This one uses browned butter and peanut butter. It calls for a bag of mini marshmallows but I used 7 oz. of marshmallow creme as it's what I had on hand.
At first the butter, peanut butter and marshmallow didn't really want to come together smoothly and it looked curdled. After quite a bit of stirring, I was able to get it smooth. There was plenty of this mixture to add to the 6 cups of rice krispies which made them a bit more moist than the classic recipe.
I sprinkled the top with a small amount of mini chocolate chips because everything peanut butter tastes better with some chocolate.
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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
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.
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The Chinese Takeout Cookbook: Quick and Easy Dishes to Prepare at Home
By Diana Kuan
Ballantine Books - 2012
Very nice cashew chicken. The recipe is well organized and includes a marinade and sauce. Once the chicken is marinating, there is time to put on a pot of rice and cook the rest of the ingredients.
This is basically a stir fry of peppers, onions, chicken and cashews with a delicious sauce.
Serving sizes are small and need to be doubled for my family of 5.
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Website: All Recipes
2013 is the summer of the cocktail at our house! We've been enjoying new cocktails on at least a weekly basis.
This is a very refreshing summer drink made with ginger ale, vodka, cranberry juice and lemon. We've substituted lime because that's what we always have on hand. It's light and a bit fruity and very delicious.
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Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook
By Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Terry Hope Romero
Da Capo Press - 2007
This is the first time I've ever made homemade baked beans.
I doubled the recipe because I'm bringing it to a large gathering. I followed the directions and cooked the onions and garlic on the stove and started the sauce there as well. I then added the sauce to the beans in a crockpot.
I cooked the beans in the crockpot on low for 6 hours before turning it down to warm. All the flavors came together perfectly - they're not too sweet nor do they taste of molasses. They're just right.
This recipe adapts perfectly to the crockpot and I'd recommend cooking them this way during the summer to avoid turning on the oven. They make the house smell wonderful.
EDIT: I have since made these in the crockpot again. This time I did not precook the onions and garlic on the stove - just tossed them raw into the crockpot - and the beans were still just as good.
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The Cook's Country Cookbook: Regional and Heirloom Favorites Tested and Reimagined for Today's Home Cooks
By The Editors of Cook's Country Magazine, Cook's Country Magazine
Boston Common Press - 2008
A low calorie bread this is not but who would expect cheesy garlic bread to be anything but decadent.
Italian bread is slice horizontally and spread with a garlic butter mixture. This is baked first in aluminum foil with the loaf put back together and then separated on a sheet to crisp things up. Finally, each side of the bread is topped with shredded cheese (monterey jack because that's what I had) and broiled.
My boys devoured an entire loaf of this in one sitting after returning from a 10 mile hike in the mountains. They all proclaimed it delicious.
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The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever
By Beatrice Ojakangas, Susie Cushner
Chronicle Books - 2008
Yummy! Easy scalloped potatoes with cheddar cheese and homemade white sauce. There was plenty of sauce to cover all the potatoes.
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Fine Cooking
(, 2006)
In my never ending quest for the perfect brownie recipe, I took advantage of the cool weather today to try this recipe.
The recipe uses both unsweetened powder and cocoa powder along with 1 1/2 cups of sugar. It bakes in an 8x8 inch pan.
Sadly, the top was not shiny or crackly in the slightest. The brownies were too thin and they were not nearly sweet enough. I sent them on their way with a bunch of hungry teenage boys and they ate them without complaint.
The recipe calls for baking the brownies for 35 - 45 minutes which I knew would be an error. I baked them for 25 minutes and could have probably baked them for a couple of minutes less.
My brownie quest continues. Alas.
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Website: Fine Cooking
In my never ending quest for the perfect brownie recipe, I took advantage of the cool weather today to try this recipe.
The recipe uses both unsweetened powder and cocoa powder along with 1 1/2 cups of sugar. It bakes in an 8x8 inch pan.
Sadly, the top was not shiny or crackly in the slightest. The brownies were too thin and they were not nearly sweet enough. I sent them on their way with a bunch of hungry teenage boys and they ate them without complaint.
The recipe calls for baking the brownies for 35 - 45 minutes which I knew would be an error. I baked them for 25 minutes and could have probably baked them for a couple of minutes less. Odd that not one review on the website mentions this obvious error.
My brownie quest continues. Alas.
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America's Test Kitchen
(December, 2012)
A sugar cookie made chocolatey by the addition of Dutch processed cocoa and chewy by the addition of molasses.
Simple drop sugar cookie with just a hint of something different.
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The America's Test Kitchen Quick Family Cookbook: A Faster, Smarter Way to Cook Everything from America's Most Trusted Test Kitchen
By America's Test Kitchen, Daniel J. Van Ackere, Carl Tremblay
America's Test Kitchen - 2012
My 17 year old son chose this recipe to cook for dinner tonight. It starts with frozen breaded chicken cutlets so is low on the actual "cooking".
Nevertheless, it's a pretty good simple dinner or lunch made with simple ingredients. We all enjoyed the sandwiches.
The best part of the cooking was when the recipe instructs the reader to use a Dutch oven to weigh down the sandwiches. My son insisted he didn't want help but had no idea what a Dutch oven was.
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The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime: Comfort Classics, Freezer Food, 16-Minute Meals, and Other Delicious Ways to Solve Supper!
By Ree Drummond
William Morrow Cookbooks - 2015
These were the best chicken enchiladas I've ever made. They were a little too much work for a weeknight meal but were perfect for a Saturday night dinner.
My youngest didn't care for them but I think it was a combination of the texture of the corn tortillas (I'd make them with flour ones next time) and the green enchilada sauce (I'd use red next time).
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