aj12754's Reviews
696 recipes reviewed. Showing 1 to 50Sort by: Book Title | Date | Rating 
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Fine Cooking
(Apr/May, 2006)
This is so delicious and healthy that my husband specifically requested that I serve this dish when his parents visited. The spices are cumin, chili powder and oregano (use Mexican rather than Italian oregano if you have the option) so the dish has a Mexican/Southwestern flavor. This dish also tastes great with a peach salsa (like the one in the Summer on a Plate cookbook).
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Barefoot in Paris: Easy French Food You Can Make at Home
By Ina Garten
Clarkson Potter - 2004
For lovers of blue cheese, this is absolutely delicious and, as souffles go, very easy. Served with the green salad and vinaigrette recipe in the same cookbook, this makes a lovely light dinner or lunch. I use the individual ramekins and this makes for a very nice presentation as well. Pairs well with a Sancerre.
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An excellent winter meal, full of hearty flavor and healthy ingredients. Somewhat labor intensive since there is a fair amount of prep but it can all be done ahead.
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One of my very favorite vinaigrettes. Just delicious although folks with immunity issues should be aware that a raw egg is involved.
2019 update. This dressing pairs perfectly with a French-inspired menu. Recently served this on a simple butter lettuce salad that accompanied a light feast of Anne Willan's paté [Country Cooking of France], two cheeses [a Brie and Roquefort] and a baguette. With a little champagne, it's a perfect celebration for a New Year's Eve at home.
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Quite a lot of prep work involved with the lentils but it is all easily done ahead...even an entire day ahead. Easy for a dinner party since the salmon can be done in under ten minutes. Just make sure your pan is really hot before you start the sear (I've made the mistake of inadequately preheating the pan and it led to some still tasty but unlovely to look at salmon). I like it with the green salad on p. 102 of this same cookbook. Good with a lighter red wine or your favorite rose wine.
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Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients
By Ina Garten
Clarkson Potter - 2008
Really tasty fall/winter salad. The addition of the dried cranberries to the roasting squash is a great idea. The warm cider vinaigrette is just wonderful. Had enough left over to use it (unwarmed) the following night on a salad with arugula, apples and cheddar shavings, and it was just as delicious with that combo.
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This has to be the easiest main dish ever. Ina uses red snapper but I only had tilapia in the house the night I decided to try this and it was delicious. Served with steamed haricots verts as Ina suggests and it's a nice match-up.
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Summer on a Plate: More than 120 delicious, no-fuss recipes for memorable meals from Loaves and Fishes
By Anna Pump, Gen Leroy, Alan Richardson
Simon & Schuster - 2008
All the elements of this dish, the fish, the tartar sauce, and the bread come together perfectly. It really is the taste of summer on a plate.
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A great summer side dish and easy as pie to make. Recipe calls for cilantro but cilantro-haters could easily substitute basil. Lovely colors from a presentation point of view.
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The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories, and Opinions from Public Radio's Award-Winning Food Show
By Lynne Rossetto Kasper, Sally Swift
Clarkson Potter - 2008
Outstanding "breakfast for supper" meal. The combination of Swiss chard and apple really works. This, with a side salad and a glass of white wine, makes for a real comfort food dinner. Note: the Spanish Paprika and Potato variation of this dish (p. 98) was not as popular with my family.
Jan. 12 -- Varied recipe (which calls for a mix of Parmesan or Asiago with Muenster or Jack) by using just sharp cheddar. Still excellent.
October 18 -- Variation starting with bacon, using spinach (still trying to use up that huge bag of Costco spinach) rather than Swiss chard, keeping the apple, using a mix of Gruyere and Cheddar (trying to clear out the cheese drawer as well) .... and ... we loved it. Just great for a light Sunday night meal.
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The Gourmet Cookbook: More than 1000 recipes
By Zanne Early Stewart, Ruth Reichl, John Willoughby
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - 2006
This is my go-to summer recipe for easy entertaining. Only five ingredients and all the prep work can be done in advance and the actual cooking time is about 10 minutes. The combination of corn, shrimp, scallions, basil and butter is magical and the dish is beautiful to look at. I generally serve it with an arugula/watermelon/feta salad topped with balsalmic glaze (available at William-Sonoma) and follow it with a dessert of panna cotta and roasted strawberries (Barefoot Contessa has a good one which she adapted from a recipe of Mario Batali). Nothing wrong with wrapping up with a little limoncello.
If you leave out the shrimp you have a delicious side dish.
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I ate my first dish of spaghetti alla carbonara more than thirty years ago in a small restaurant in Marina di Pisa. I was immediately addicted and probably had that dish 2-3 times a week for more than a year. This was the first dish I made from the Gourmet Cookbook and I was immediately transported back to Italy. Lovely, easy dish that makes a great and quick weekday meal. An arugula salad with a simple lemon vinaigrette is my favorite side for this dish.
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Barefoot Contessa Family Style: Easy Ideas and Recipes That Make Everyone Feel Like Family
By Ina Garten
Clarkson Potter - 2002
This is a really delicious lasagna; the addition of goat cheese to the classic ricotta and parmesan is a great idea. Adds a tang that takes the dish from very good to excellent.
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Another winner from the Contessa. Easy and delicious and if you buy your shrimp already peeled and deveined, dinner can be on the table in less than 30 minutes. Looks and smells great on the plate.
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Tyler's Ultimate: Brilliant Simple Food to Make Any Time
By Tyler Florence
Clarkson Potter - 2006
Absolutely delicious. There are never any leftovers and we have had houseguests actually ask to have this dessert two nights running.
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Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen
By Lidia Matticchio Bastianich
Knopf - 2001
I made the sauce first, then put the first bag of gnocchetti (mini-gnocchi) in the boiling water, done in about 2 minutes and plopped into the sauce, then put some Swiss Chard in the water for about 30-45 seconds, fished it out and into the sauce, and then finished up the 2nd bag of gnochetti and about 3 minutes later dinner was on the table. The sauce was so simple and so good and the entire meal (served with a side salad of arugula with a lemon vinaigrette, and slices of ciabatta slathered with butter -- although I wish I had taken the time to toast the ciabatta) came together in a matter of minutes. It's a perfect cold weather meal. And those gnocchetti are worth seeking out -- pillow light and fluffy.
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Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients
By Ina Garten
Clarkson Potter - 2008
I will preface this review by saying that I grew up in a "white bread, meat and potatoes" environment. And I am not big on the flavor of smoked food. Which means that I probably never would have made this dish. But my daughter was going through my cookbooks one week-end morning and picked this recipe to make. So off we went to the grocery store, picked up the smoked salmon and smoked whitefish it called for, and headed home. And we all loved it. I liked the flavor of the whitefish so much that I am looking for other things to do with it.
One little warning -- be judicious with the addition of salt.
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The New Basics Cookbook
By Julee Rosso, Sheila Lukins
Workman Publishing Company - 1989
For a number of years this was my "go to" recipe for New year's Day football marathons. Great flavor, filling for a crowd, and can be done a few days in advance. Really tasty and very easy.
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It takes some time and effort -- and it will add an inch or two to your waistline -- but this really is a delicious use of eggplants, peppers, mushrooms and three, count 'em, three cheeses. Easy to compose ahead of time and bake later.
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A microwave recipe for broccoli and the results are excellent with garlic, scallions and parmesan adding flavor and interest.
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Fine Cooking
(February, 2006)
Excellent master recipe; even my greens-hating kids wolfed this down.
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Mexican Everyday (Recipes Featured on Season 4 of the PBS-TV series "Mexico One Plate at a Time")
By Rick Bayless, Christopher Hirsheimer, Deann Bayless
W. W. Norton - 2005
This was a delicious weeknight meal. Healthy and full of flavor. Although I followed the recipe as written, Bayless includes ideas for streamlining the prep to get the meal on the table even faster.
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Classic American Food Without Fuss:: Over 100 Favorite Recipes Made Easy
By Frances McCullough
Villard - 1997
The flavor and texture of this bread is just wonderful. I omit the caraway seeds as my family doesn't like them. The bread should fully cool down before slicing and, if not toasted, is best the day that it is made. It makes a great breakfast toast the day after it's made. We like it served with the split pea soup from The New Basics cookbook.
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Mexican Everyday (Recipes Featured on Season 4 of the PBS-TV series "Mexico One Plate at a Time")
By Rick Bayless, Christopher Hirsheimer, Deann Bayless
W. W. Norton - 2005
Excellent and easy white rice pilaf -- about five minutes active prep time and then 25 minutes in the oven. Served with Pork Tenderloin Mexicana (p. 282) so I added cilantro rather than parsley. Simple but perfect.
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Wonderful weeknight meal. Robust spicy flavor and very healthy (although somewhat less so when paired -- as I did -- with the white rice pilaf on p, 88).
Not only will I make this recipe again, I am sitting down with this cookbook tonight to see what I want to make next.
Went well with the pinot noir I was drinking and even better with the German ale my husband was drinking. Go figure.
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The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
By Ina Garten, Martha Stewart
Clarkson Potter - 1999
Another Contessa recipe that is so simple it is barely a recipe. But this is the recipe that made my entire family love Brussels sprouts. Just delicious although I consistently find that mine don't need 35-40 minutes in the oven as Ina suggests. I usually plan for 20-25 minutes and I shake the pan every 10 minutes or so.
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Barefoot Contessa Parties! Ideas and Recipes for Easy Parties That Are Really Fun
By Ina Garten
Clarkson Potter - 2001
So simple, so inexpensive, so delicious. Until this recipe, cabbage meant coleslaw to me. Now ... so much more. :-)
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Alfred Portale's Twelve Seasons Cookbook: A Month-by-Month Guide to the Best There is to Eat
By Alfred Portale, Andrew Friedman
Broadway - 2000
A substantive risotto with real depth of flavor. Recipe takes a bit more time than your average risotto as the first half hour is spent making a mushroom broth. But the extra time is worth it.
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Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
By Marcella Hazan
Knopf - 1992
A classic version of a great soup. Great winter meal with a green salad and good bread.
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Full disclosure ... I have no memory of making this soup but a note from 1996 on the margin of the page in my handwriting says that it was "excellent" -- looking at the ingredient list, I have no doubt that it was. Save your Parmesan rinds to throw into this one ... or whatever your favorite minestrone is (another good one is in the New Basics by Lukens and Rosso).
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Great Cookies: Secrets to Sensational Sweets
By Carole Walter
Clarkson Potter - 2003
A bit time-consuming but worth it; the base cookie is a homemade graham cracker that is a treat to eat all on its own, even before you top it with marshmallows (the ones from Whole Foods take these cookies a cut above the cookies made with the bagged marshallows in other grocery stores so it's worth the splurge) and whatever your favorite chocolate is.
Note: One of Ina Garten's books has a recipe for homemade marshmallows. I have not made them but a friend has and insists they are the best ever. So next time I'll be making those marshmallows to use in these cookies.
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The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution
By Alice Waters
Clarkson Potter - 2007
This could not be simpler. Waters' recipe calls for a whole chicken (no need for any butchery or dismemberment here) - 1 chicken, 1 carrot, 1 onion, 1 head of garlic, 1 celery stalk, one bouquet garni...so simple -- add water and peppercorns and do the usual boil, skim, simmer. Salt to taste after straining. Savor the results.
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The New Basics Cookbook
By Julee Rosso, Sheila Lukins
Workman Publishing Company - 1989
A classic roast chicken, results in moist, tender chicken full of lemony, garlicky goodness. Great with the Garlic Mashed Potatoes on p. 273.
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Fine Cooking
(February, 2006)
I have had more soggy, semi-tasteless, too sweet tiramisu than I care to remember -- but this is not one of them. It has a wonderful texture, subtle not-too-sweet coffee flavor, and it looks beautiful.
I would save this dessert for after an Italian meal in which the flavors of the main dish are not too strong or spicy since an "over-worked" palate might miss the subtle pleasures of this dish.
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The New Basics Cookbook
By Julee Rosso, Sheila Lukins
Workman Publishing Company - 1989
My very favorite waffle batter -- light and with that buttermilk tanginess. It is a little more work than other batters since the eggs are separated, and the whites then whipped and folded into the mixed batter. But the result is a delightfully light waffle.
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A microwave recipe (although I always just make it on the stovetop as I enjoy the kitchen aromas as this dish is bubbling away) that is very quick and delicious. Most of the kids of my acquaintance (big and small) really enjoy this one.
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Great variation on the standard meatloaf. It has more fat (and more flavor) than most meat loaves. It is also a little more labor-intensive (lots of chopping) and time consuming (an hour-long chilling time for the sauteed veggies that go into the meat) , but there is a big pay-off flavor-wise. Terrific with garlic mashed potatoes.
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So worth the time it takes to make. Made this for my 100% Italian mother-in-law shortly after I married. I think it won her over permanently because she told me it reminded her of the minestrone made by her own mother. It's that authentically Italian and that good. It's a meal and more. Look for a great crusty bread to serve with this one.
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A great loaf but I've only made it once as my family doesn't include many rye bread fans. But well worth the effort if you are making corned beef, pastrami or reuben sandwiches.
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Excellent moist cake. Love the tang buttermilk (even a small amount as in this cake) adds to baked goods. This recipe is followed by Kathleen's chocolate icing on the next page. The latter is disappointing and I'd either pair the cake with a different chocolate frosting (the chocolate satin icing on p. 658 of The New Basics is great) or your favorite vanilla frosting.
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A lovely cake either for dessert (I like it during the holidays as the lemony kick makes a nice contrast to all the cinnamon-y, nutmeg-y, nutty flavors characteristic of the season). Also great as a late-afternoon tea cake any time of year. As it is a syrup-infused cake, it needs to be made at least 24 hours before it is served.
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Fine Cooking
(Oct/Nov, 2005)
Excellent soup, perfect for fall. I often serve this to holiday houseguests arriving the evening before a food-heavy day (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day). Wonderful savory flavor from the bacon and sage pairs really nicely with the tart-sweet apple. Goes really well with a salad of arugula, apple, toasted walnuts, and blue cheese dressed with an apple-cider vinaigrette (Barefoot Contessa has a great recipe for just such a vinaigrette in her Back to Basics cookbook.)
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Love Love LOVE these cookies. Sweet and moist -- tart cranberries, toasted pecan, white chocolate -- what's not to like? Recipe calls for a small amount of coconut flakes which I omit as we don't love coconut.
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Fine Cooking
(Oct/Nov, 2007)
Delicious. Recipe calls for two dozen littlenecks although canned clams could be used. But the recipe is so easy and really fun to make that the extra time is worth it. I really love this recipe in the cold weather because it's like a taste of summer in Italy to me.
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Fine Cooking
(Aug/Sep, 2005)
This salad was my introduction to grilled lettuce and wow. A wonderful and unexpected summer grilling treat. The dressing recipe is terrific. Perfect salad to serve with a grilled steak.
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Fine Cooking
(Jun/Jul, 2006)
A fabulous Italian bean salad that is at its best made a few hours ahead and held at room temperature. The recipe calls for dried beans but it is just fine (which means absolutely delicious) with canned cannellini beans. Great for a picnic or backyard BBQ. Even if you think you don't like anchovies, don't omit them from this dish -- they add flavor not fishiness.
The recipe is actually in the insert (10E) opposite p. 10.
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The Gourmet Cookbook: More than 1000 recipes
By Zanne Early Stewart, Ruth Reichl, John Willoughby
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - 2006
I made this chutney as a last-minute substitution for the peach chutney called for in the chicken dish I made tonight (chicken breasts stuffed with herbed goat cheese from the Union Square Cafe Cookbook) since I was missing 2 ingredients for the peach chutney. And the tomato chutney turned out to be a perfect match for the chicken (although I ended up wishing there had been a tad more of the goat cheese stuffing and that I had cut a minute off the cooking time and trusted my gut that the chicken was ready).
What makes this recipe so nice is that it calls for canned tomatoes and other pantry staples so you can get it bubbling away on the stove (and adding great aromas to your kitchen) while you work on the other elements of the meal.
I'll be trying this remainder of this chutney tomorrow on a grilled cheddar sandwich with a side salad of arugula, apples and an apple cider vinaigrette.
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The Union Square Cafe Cookbook: 160 Favorite Recipes from New York's Acclaimed Restaurant
By Danny Meyer, Michael Romano
William Morrow Cookbooks - 1994
I first encountered this recipe years ago when it was printed in the food section of the Washington Post. Immediate infatuation...and I whipped up batches of these addictive nuts (spiced with rosemary, a bit of cayenne, brown sugar and salt and pepper) when guests were coming for dinner.
Especially nice for fall/winter entertaining because they are best served warm. When I found a copy of the Union Square Cafe cookbook in a used bookstore, the first thing I did was check to make sure the book included this recipe.
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Fine Cooking
(Jun/Jul, 2007)
Lovely lightly creamy salad dressing. A little bit more work than your average vinaigrette but worth the extra time and effort.
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Fine Cooking
(Aug/Sep, 2007)
A delicious side dish ... made with fresh corn it is sublime.
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