BeckyL's Reviews
101 recipes reviewed. Showing 1 to 50Sort by: Book Title 
| Date | Rating | Recipe Title
Bon Appetit
(November, 2009)
My first time using the beet greens with the beets and it turned out very well. My only problem is that this dish is supposed to be a one pan dish, meaning you make the chicken and set it aside while you make the greens in the same pan. The chicken overcooked (my fault) and was dry by the time the rest of the dish was ready.
I've used the beets and greens part of this recipe as a side dish for other main courses and it's still one of my favorites.
useful (0)
Website: Boulder Locavore
The tomatoes alone would make a great side dish. This was so good, I'm a bit ashamed to say that my husband and I polished off an entire pie crust's worth. We ate it as a main and I used leftover tomato filler on a salad.
useful (1)
Website: Cooking Channel
These were very tasty, but we weren't quite sure when they were cooked all the way through. The cauliflower filling had a great flavor!
useful (0)
Website: Cooking Channel
This was so good! The yogurt adds a great creamy texture to the dish. We ate this with jasmine rice and the cauliflower roti.
useful (0)
Cooking With Cajun Women: Recipes and Remembrances From South Louisiana Kitchens
By Nicole Denee Fontenot
Hippocrene Books - 2002
This sweet dough recipe is just like my grandmother's. Use it as a base for all kinds of sweet dough pies.
useful (0)
These are amazing! Everyone loves them. My grandmother says they're the closest recipe she's found to what she remembers having as a child.
useful (0)
The Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine
By John D. Folse
Chef John Folse & Company Publishing - 2004
I have yet to make the oyster accompaniment to this dish, but the soup is utterly wonderful. I use fresh mushrooms from the farmers market, in season, and dried, rehydrated mushrooms when they're not. Turns out great either way.
useful (0)
We have frozen crawfish tails (Louisiana farmed) flown to us so that we can make this. It's a favorite amongst all of our friends. Don't be intimidated, it's super easy to make as long as you follow Folse's instructions, which include making the roux. Simple.
useful (1)
A Louisiana favorite! Another dish that may seem intimidating, but as long as you do what Folse says, it will turn out great every time. You can play with the main proteins a bit, as this is essentially a paella style dish.
useful (1)
Website: Epicurious
This dish was pretty tasty, but you have to be careful not to let any of the components get cold. It made a nice, hearty dinner and was a nice way for us to use up some spinach (should have made extra of that!).
useful (2)
Food Network
(June, 2010)
This was like a fake out risotto that tasted almost as good as the real thing. Overall, I thought the dish could use more seasoning, but it was a really simple weeknight meal. The recipe calls for trout, but says you can substitute chicken. We went the easy way out and used precooked rotisserie chicken to save even more time.
useful (0)
Food Network
(Jul/Aug, 2010)
This recipe only takes as long as is required to roast a couple of peppers and cook a box of pasta. Very good and very simple! Also pretty versatile considering you can really add just about any veggie to the dish.
useful (0)
The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life
By Ellie Krieger
Taunton - 2008
I am terrible at healthy. I found this recipe to be incredibly bland and negated almost all of the nutritional info by adding walnuts (for texture) and brown sugar (to sweeten it more). After that, it was pretty darn tasty.
useful (1)
I was surprised at how great these turned out. I followed everything exactly and was pleased with the seasonings and the flavors. Very tasty and healthy to boot.
useful (2)
Website: The Food Network
From the first episode of Sandwich King! I loved this sandwich. The fig spread is fantastic and we've used it on all kinds of things since trying this recipe.
useful (0)
Website: The Food Network
These were very tasty. Peas and edamame in place of chickpeas -- interesting variation on a falafel.
useful (0)
Website: The Food Network
I never would have thought to combine these ingredients in a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, but they work together so wel!
useful (1)
Website: The Food Network
Jeff Mauro really captures all the classic gyro flavors in this simplified Greek pita "taco." We added a little extra spice by making a harissa hot sauce to go with it.
useful (0)
Website: The Food Network
We've been trying quinoa recipes lately and I have to say Aarti's use of it in Tabbouleh here is really great. It makes a hearty and veggie filled side dish that's perfect for summer (I could eat a whole bowl of it as a meal!).
useful (2)
Website: The Food Network
We found a local kebab place recently and were inspired to try making some on our own. Aarti's cherry and cashew filled kebabs here are really great. They're full of flavor and easy to put together. It's so hot out, we grilled them rather than frying them indoors. Yum!
useful (3)
Website: The Food Network
This is an excellent summer dessert! So creamy and the mint complements the strawberry so well.
useful (1)
Website: The Food Network
These really are the most creamy and decadent mashed potatoes ever! I loved the flavor and the consistency, which is something I always struggle with when making mashed potatoes.
useful (0)
Website: The Food Network
This is one of Pioneer Woman's recipes from her new show. Overall, I found there was too much oil in the dressing/marinade for my taste. Had I cut that just a bit from the recipe, I think it would have been a great salad. We served this alongside ribs and Ree's mashed potatoes.
useful (0)
Website: Homesick Texan
www.homesicktexan.blogspot.com
This New Orleans style BBQ shrimp is soooo good. Super easy instructions to follow and pretty quick to put together, too.
useful (1)
Website: Homesick Texan
www.homesicktexan.blogspot.com
I use this gravy on fried pork chops. It's great on mashed potatoes, chicken fried steak, chicken fried chicken, and anything else you might use brown gravy on. A Southern staple!
useful (0)
Website: Homesick Texan
www.homesicktexan.blogspot.com
The soup itself is really tasty. I had some difficulty with the pecans, though. They didn't quite get as crispy as I would have liked. Rather than toasting in a skillet, I'm thinking next time I'll try doing them in the oven instead.
useful (0)
Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life
By Jamie Oliver
Hyperion - 2008
First off, I'm not a huge fan of zucchini, but I am a huge fan of carbonara. Jamie's use of zucchini in this recipe is actually, in spite of my preferences, very good. My one recommendation is that you be sure your bacon or pancetta is a good one as it will add a lovely flavor to the dish that you will otherwise have to compensate for with seasoning (or salt as the case was with mine).
useful (3)
Jamie's Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals
By Jamie Oliver
Hyperion - 2009
I've never had Yorkshire Puddings before. I was a bit intimidated, but they turned out magnificently.
We ate them as a side with our Traditional Beef Roast.
useful (0)
Excellent. Again, Oliver gives instructions that are simple to follow so that your dish turns out exactly as you'd expect it to. So often, I've tried to make roasted veggies and come out with the wrong texture and very little flavor. Not at all the case here.
useful (1)
We eat a lot of gravy in the south. I think that had I not been in a hurry at the time, this could have come out better. However, it was bland for my taste and thin for my gravy standards.
useful (0)
With Jamie's easy-to-follow instructions and pictures to help you along the way, I don't think anyone could mess this recipe up.
useful (0)
If you're looking for oatmeal variations, this book has a few of them. The Banana and Cinnamon version turned out pretty well and tasted wonderful.
useful (0)
Admittedly, I had to make a few substitutions with this recipe since I didn't have exactly the ingredients called for. It was excellent, though, so I've no doubt that with the appropriate ingredients, this breakfast dish is to die for.
useful (0)
THANK YOU, JAMIE OLIVER! I have never in my life successfully made an omelet. Each and every attempt has become scrambled eggs until now. This is the best set of instructions for making the perfect omelet that I have every come across.
useful (0)
I was trying to make a healthy and light meal for dinner. My issues with this recipe were not the recipe itself, however. Jamie's directions were easy to follow and the food actually turned out delicious. I'm not very experienced with cooking seafood and so am definitely one of the ones he mentions in the book as missing out because of this fear. This is a super simple way to ease into cooking fish.
useful (0)
This dish is amazing. So simple and so rich! If you're a big fan of cheese, you definitely have to try this out. The mix of the garlic and rosemary with the oozy camembert over pasta is comfort food at its best.
useful (0)
This is another of Jamie's "quick pasta" dishes. Like the others I've tried, quick, flavorful, and super simple. Salty bacon, the creamy sauce, and the peas make this a great alternative to plain mac and cheese (or shells and cheese).
useful (0)
I have to say that I'm not normally a big fan of cauliflower. In attempting to try it out in a way that I might actually like it, I turned to Oliver and his cheesy soup. As with most in this cookbook, the recipe was very easy to assemble and the flavor was actually pretty good (even from a non cauliflower fan). I would recommend using a higher quality Cheddar so that you get the full cheesy impact (I accidentally bough low-fat and added a bit of cream to the dish to make up for it since I find low fat cheeses to be more oily than creamy).
useful (0)
I'd previously only used leeks in soup and was really excited to find another alternative here. We ate these alongside roast and they were amazing.
useful (0)
Website: JamieOliver.com
Summer is soon arriving and this is one my favorite recipes for salad. I use it as a guide for making my own versions, but the dressing is always the same.
useful (0)
Living Raw Food: Get the Glow with More Recipes from Pure Food and Wine
By Sarma Melngailis
William Morrow Cookbooks - 2009
This is a totally vegan, raw candy. They actually turn out very well and have a great amount of flavor.
useful (0)
Though these turned out wonderfully, we had a bit of trouble getting the Brazil nuts to cooperate. I actually used about twice the amount called for in order to get a cookie that would hold its shape. Tasted great when they were done, though.
Again, totally vegan and raw.
useful (0)
These were fantastic. Vegan and raw, and full of flavor. The salsa itself can be used in many ways.
useful (0)
Make It Italian : The Taste and Technique of Italian Home Cooking
By Nancy Verde Barr
Knopf - 2002
This is one of my favorite comfort pasta dishes in this book. I've tried both variations and found them each to be equally fantastic depending on what veggies you have in the house and what you're in the mood for. Easy to make as well.
useful (0)
Excellent vegetarian lasagna. This does not use traditional red sauce, but it's fabulous anyway. Easy to put together and bakes up great.
useful (0)
I love this simple soup. Others find the egg a bit strange, but on a cold day with just the basics in the cabinet, this is perfect!
useful (0)
This is a great alternative to pasta salad when you're looking for a warm weather pasta dish. The raisins add an interesting element that I really enjoyed.
useful (0)
I liked this dish alright. It's a bit bland, though, so folks who like things a bit more spicy might like to add red pepper flakes in addition to the black pepper called for in the recipe.
useful (0)
Definitely one of my favorite ways to serve broccoli.
useful (0)
Easy and inexpensive salad option that tastes great every time. Warning, though, do not dress too early or the arugula will begin to wilt. Prepare and serve immediately.
useful (0)