janiecem's Profile

From: Sammamish, WA

Joined: December 4th, 2009


Latest review:

May 29th, 2010

Creme Sauce (Sauce Supréme) from Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006

Very buttery cream sauce with a wonderful flavor. read more >


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janiecem's Reviews


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12 recipes reviewed. Showing 1 to 12Sort by: Book Title | Date | Rating | Recipe Title

Easy Baking Hershey's Cocoa

By
PIL international - 2004

26th January 2010

White Chip Brownies

These were excellent. I don't think I have ever made brownies from scratch. I always use those store bought mixes, but this wasn't that much harder. The brownies came out very light with just the right amount of chocolate flavor. They weren't gooey or too chocolaty. I would definitely do this recipe again.

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The Escoffier Cookbook and Guide to the Fine Art of Cookery: For Connoisseurs, Chefs, Epicures Complete With 2973 Recipes

By Auguste Escoffier, H. L. Cracknell, R. J. Kaufmann, Charlotte Adams
Crown Publishers, Inc. - 1969

24th February 2010

Andalusian Salade

The salad came out pretty well, but the cookbook is very difficult. The recipes are really only guidelines, and this book is meant for professional chefs who know what they are doing. They aren't laid out the way most cookbook recipes are, with a list of ingredients right up front. It's a little more like The Joy of Cooking but still not easy to follow. An interesting thing is the lay-out of the chapters. Salads are included in the chapter on Roasts and Salads.

Here is the recipe for the salad:

Peel and quarter some small tomatoes; cut some mild peppers julienne-fashion; cook some rice plainly in salted water, keeping each grain separate; add a little crushed garlic and chopped onion and parsley.
Season with oil and vinegar.

That's it -- no quantities, no definition of mild peppers (I used some miniature bell peppers I happened to have). No idea how much rice, and how to keep the grains separate. Anyway, I used the little miniature peppers, one tomato (it's all I had), some leftover green onions, and enough rice to serve four, and bottled vinaigrette. It came out good, no leftovers, and my family gave it three stars.

The cookbook is valuable for its sauces and its historical nature, but not a cookbook I would recommend for the casual family chef. I'd give it 3.5 stars overall.

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Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006

By Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker
Scribner - 2006

14th February 2010

Snickerdoodles

These Snickerdoodles were my contribution to a potluck dinner I went to last night, and everyone said they were delicious. I followed the recipe exactly, and these came out very light and crunchy. They have just the right balance between sweetness and cinnamon. However, since the only other Snickerdoodles I've ever had were my Aunt Martha's, and hers were chewy, I wonder if I did something wrong. Anyway, if they are supposed to be crunchy, they get 4.5 stars, if not, they only get 3.5.

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Did not call for any seasoning prior to cooking so I added salt and pepper.

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25th April 2010

Blender Béarnaise Sauce

Made to accompany steak. Very good, smooth sauce.

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25th April 2010

Croutons

The best croutons I've ever had. Will never buy store bought again.

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Very buttery cream sauce with a wonderful flavor.

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New Cook Book, Special Edition Pink Plaid: For Breast Cancer Awareness

By Better Homes and Gardens, Tricia Laning
Better Homes and Gardens - 2006

29th May 2010

Spinach Quiche

The quiche was very flavorful, and the crust was excellent. I had to pre-bake it, and it actually came out without the bubbles I got the last time I pre-baked a crust. The quiche was a little watery in the middle, even though I cooked it for an extra five minutes. Next time, I might try slicing steam holes in the top of the quiche once it has baked long enough to set a little. My theory is that the steam couldn't escape the way it can in a regular pie that one cuts vents into the crust for.

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Old El Paso Sun Country Mexican Cookbook

By Meredith Publishing Services
Meredith Corporation - 1978

4th February 2010

Mexican-Style Eggs

I had to substitute canned diced green chilies for the black olives, since I didn't have any olives in my pantry. If I were to make this again, I would substitute chorizo for the ground beef, or season the ground beef better. Overall, it wasn't a bad meal and had great texture. The corn tortillas really added to the taste.

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Weight Watchers Annual Recipes for Success 2003

By Weight Watchers
Oxmoor House - 2003

This was a surprisingly good recipe. I ended up marinating the steak for over 24 hours because I didn't have time to prepare it on the day I originally planned. I think this helped the steak become even more tender. The recipe didn't need as much additional salt as Weight Watchers recipes usually do, and the flavors weren't overpowering. I would probably do this one again, though not in the winter when I have to unwrap the grill and stay outside when it's cold and rainy.

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Weight Watchers Annual Recipes for Success 2006

By
Oxmoor House - 2005

This was pretty good. I had some black-eyed peas in the pantry I wanted to use, so thought I'd try this one. The hardest part was finding collard greens in Sammamish, Washington. I added a full teaspoon of salt, because I knew it would need it (the recipe didn't call for any). I also made this into a main dish by putting it in a bowl over corn bread and adding crumbled bacon. The whole family tried it and liked it. The greens added a nice bit of freshness to what would have been a pretty dull bowl of beans.

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Weight Watchers Annual Recipes for Success 2008

By Terri Laschober Robertson
Oxmoor House - 2007

4th January 2010

Mexican Lasagna

I love using these cookbooks for menu ideas and often don't even use the recipes. The backs of the books always contain several weeks worth of daily menus, and I always use one of the books (I have four) when writing my grocery lists. When I do use the recipes, they are consistently good. They almost always need additional salt (this one was no exception). I usually make substitutions with regular cheese and 1% milk if such things are called for. I don't think it adds that much to the calories. The Mexican Lasagna was a hit with my mother (who is visiting), and my husband said he would eat it again. It's made with corn tortillas and beans, rather than pasta and meat, so it would be a good vegetarian meal.


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