weaponxgirl's Profile

From: norwich, england

Joined: January 7th, 2010

About me: My two great loves are books and food. I try and eat seasonal and organic food wherever possible, but on a very limited budget. My cookbook collection covers the space of three bookcases at the moment and is still growing! im also on librarything under the same name.

Favorite cookbook: anything by nigel slater!

Favorite recipe: peanut butter curry


Latest review:

May 28th, 2010

baked pasta with aubergine from Amaretto, Apple Cake and Artichokes: The Best of Anna Del Conte

this is a classy version of cheesy pasta bake with aubergine. this dish is a bit time consuming and did use nearly every pan in the house and every hob. really good but you do need a while to prepair it... read more >


recipe reviews (72)
book reviews (13)
useful review votes (27)

weaponxgirl's Reviews


Search Reviews:

72 recipes reviewed. Showing 1 to 50Sort by: Book Title | Date | Rating | Recipe Title

Website: 101 Cookbooks

www.101cookbooks.com
 

this went down very well in my house served as part of a mezze with dips. Very well flavored, my only problem is that it is a bit time consuming. Its not hard to make but with all the roasting then cooling then mashing and cooling again it did take a while. I also used plain flour instead of gram flour to no ill effect. Great taste but i doubt ill make them again.

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125 Best Vegan Recipes

By Beth Gurney, Maxine Chuck
Robert Rose Inc - 2005

Quite a nice recipe apart from the addition of dry mash potato flakes. Why you would use this in a soup recipe is a mystery to me as you hardley need to do much to a fresh potato in soup for it to naturaly thicken it. I also found that you need to bump up the seasoning a bit for my palate personaly.

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25th January 2010

curried vegtables with tofu

horrid! dont try.

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25th January 2010

almond cookies

very nice, but easy to overcook in the oven.

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The 20-minute Cookbook: 200 Fuss Free Recipes - Quick and Easy Cooking for Every Kind of Occasion, with Over 800 Photographs and Step by Step Instructions to Guarantee Success

By Jenni Fleetwood
Lorenz Books - 2006

10th March 2010

kofta lamb patties

these were so simple and tastey that ill deffo make these again. I served these with chips, salads and pitta bread. It was like having a homemade takeaway.

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The 30-minute Cook

By Nigel Slater
Penguin Books Ltd - 2006

18th January 2010

indian spiced aubergine

this was a great easy recipe that i cooked for a friend with extreme dietry needs who loved it. If you ever have an aubergine sitting about i would highly recommend this. the book calls for fresh tomatoes but ive used tinned before to great success. It also works with additions such as peppers or courgettes to make a spicy style ratatoulli.

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25th January 2010

grilled asparagus

A lovely and simple way of cooking asparagus, which is a nice change from boiling. It gives the asparagus a chewy tecture.

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25th January 2010

dipped asparagus

What can be better than eggs and asparagus.

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sooo good, a nice uncomplicated dish.

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Too salty for me and it tasted horrid cold the next day.

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Website: About.com food

www.about.com/food
 

a pretty standard recipe, turned out nicely, but not mindblowing.

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The Afternoon Tea Book

By Michael Smith, Michael R. P. Bartlett
John Wiley & Sons - 1989

8th April 2010

sables 1

these were so nice it was almost unbelievable, i did use less flour than specified though. Im assuming that because i did mine all by hand rather than with a blender that i couldnt incorporate it as thougherly. they turned out really well . watch them carefully though as i burnt the second batch, all my own fault for getting distracted by the news.

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Afternoon Tea Parties

By Susannah Blake, Martin Brigdale
Ryland Peters & Small - 2008

22nd April 2010

Orange and Almond Cake

this was an interesting way of making a cake, but it turned out beautiful and moist. i loved this cake.

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The Alice B.Toklas Cookbook

By Alice B. Toklas, Sir Francis Rose
Serif - 2004

27th April 2010 (edited: 29th April 2010)

roast chicken in cream

This was a wonderful dish, but it does need a bit of fiddling with. This book was published in 1954 and like quite a few cookbook from this time explanations are a bit sparse. what i did was use chicken legs, brown in a pan then, and shove the whole lot in the oven with the onions. i then deglazed the pan with wine and lemon juice and added just enough cream to make a lovely sauce using all the chicken juices. The sparse instructions are the only reason this didnt get a five star rating, i like fiddling with recipes but it can put some people off.

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All Asian Cookbook

By Jacki Passmore
Spring Books - 1979

This tasted amazing! I live near a really good indian takeaway and this is as good if not better than theirs. The list of spices is quite long and the book could maybe have done with bracketing wich ones were for the marinade to be made into a paste and wich were to be fried in the curry, but its a small niggle. once you`ve got everthing together this was pretty easy to make, and it has the quality of the best indians of being flavourful and complex tasting without quite being able to tell exactly whats been used. also it seemed a pretty authentic recipe, using spices that must have been a bit of a chore to get in the 70s or 80s.

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All-American Cook Book

By Charlotte Turgeon, Frederic A. Birmingham
Arrow Bks. - 1979

17th May 2010

Oatmeal Muffins

ok, for us brits muffins are sweet like cakes all the time and these arnt. This however i was expecting after reading the recipe and as far as i can tell they should be treated like we treat a scone. warm from the oven with butter these were delicious, and im going to be eating these over the next few days with jam, cream , butter and whatever else i can get my hands on. theyre like a softer mini loaf of bread. lush! im also hankering towards adding apple next time as i think the added flavour add softness are the only things that can make these taste better.

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Amaretto, Apple Cake and Artichokes: The Best of Anna Del Conte

By
Vintage - 2000

This seems like a weird way to cook chicken, using an awful lot of vinegar in the process but it turns out lovely. Halfway through cooking when you taste the dish it seemed very tart and I was a bit worried but the information to finish the sauce off at the end leaves you with a flavoursome silky sauce. The other thing I liked was that because she suggests a variety of herbs you could make it with just one or a combination really making this dish your own. This doesn't require too much work from you, mainly attention at the end with the sauce so a real winner. the only thing I'd say is don't buy the cheapest red wine vinegar or you'll be adding a lot of sugar at the end.

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26th May 2010

meat and potato pie

another recipe that looked nice with techniques that id never tried. this was mainly the fact that the beef and pork are stewed in red wine and milk. the flavours are really deep and probably more suited to winter, the only reason that i didnt give this 5 stars is that the meat was still a bit chewy. this though could be down to my oven and hobs being great for high heats but rubbish for a simmer. Im planning to buy a simmer matt and put it on earlier in the day to see if i can get a melt in your mouth meat. if i do i may re review this in the winter.

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28th May 2010 (edited: 6th June 2010)

baked pasta with aubergine

this is a classy version of cheesy pasta bake with aubergine. this dish is a bit time consuming and did use nearly every pan in the house and every hob. really good but you do need a while to prepair it so make sure your not feeling harrased when you attempt this. i dont think that this recipe needs any tweaking being the perfect comfort dish.

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Ballymaloe Cookery Course

By Darina Allen
Kyle Cathie - 2007

very easy , delicious and good to eat in the summer.

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Chocolate & Zucchini: Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen

By Clotilde Dusoulier
Broadway Books - 2007

Im gonna admit that i cheated and used tinned beans. this was so simple to make using those and a hand held blender. I served this alongside some chicken and it was a lovely little side dish, i did have to fiddle with the measures given though, using more oil to get a pesto consistency that i liked. Oh and more lemon juice too.

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ok, i once again cheated and used ready made pastry as im a scardey cat when it comes to making it myself. this was a really nice flavoured quiche, lovely with salad as suggested. my quiche however had no chance to go "wobbly in the middle" as it promtly shot up like a souffle in the middle. it did however sink again to look more like a quiche, but definatly no wobble. also not quite enough filling but that could be due to me not rolling out the pastry thin enough.

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The Credit Crunch Cookbook

By Hamlyn
Hamlyn - 2009

1st February 2010

margherita pizza

the base didnt come out too well, a bit too doughey even though i followed the recipe to the letter. the tomatoes were lovely though, i used a mixture of tinned and fresh. very nice overal.

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Cupboard Love: How to Get the Most Out of Your Kitchen

By Tom Norrington-Davies
Hodder & Stoughton Ltd - 2006

I made this for a small group of us, when i needed something quick easy and tastey. It really hit the spot. One thing that i loved about this was that when you bit into a tomato you got a nice taste of the wine, but without the alcohol, so make sure you buy a nice bit of plonk.

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this is hes basic recipe that you can add variations to, wich is why it works so well. Its my new fave spartan tomato sauce for pasta, very quick to make. I added feta to the sauce recently as i had some that needed using up. lovely.

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Cupcakes: Over 80 Delicious Recipes for All Occasions and Tastes

By Sue McMahon
New Holland Publishers Ltd - 2007

these were quick and easy to make, taking me no more than 45 minuits to complete and they tasted great. squidgey and appley and made from easy to find ingredients. yum.

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Theres no denying that these were tasty, but i feel that the recipe left too much out. There wasnt enough bottom with the amounts given and came out of the oven looking great and then promptly sunk in the middle on cooling. Looking back, its probably due to the fact that you have to take these out halfway through cooking to add a sour cream topping wich probably should have been at room temp. I dont mind when things go wrong but i do like a warning so that i know when to be careful!

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8th May 2010

lemon crunch

super easy and super tastey. it took about 30min to do from start to finish and they were all devoured there and then. try these!

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Delia's Complete How to Cook: Both a Guide for Beginners and a Tried and Tested Recipe Collection for Life

By Delia Smith
BBC Books - 2009

this was far too sour for my personal taste. easy to make.

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This is a lovely easy dish to make. Its a great lunch dish with strong flavours, perfect for when you need something quick to eat.

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This is exactly how a hash should taste, just pure comfort food.

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Every Day

By Bill Granger
Murdoch Books - 2009

This was a brilliant meal, although I will admit to a few changes. My balsamic vinegar started to burn in the corners of my roasting dish, so the whole lot (minus the burnt bits) got poured into the pan with the sausages. Then I added a stock cube and enough water to come halfway up the sausages and shoved the lid on. What I ended up with was the best gravy ever right there in the pan. All the flavours were the same, and the chili made the gravy pop. Also with the flavour of the gravy you don't need to add parmesan to the mash. I'll make this again in the same way to save putting the oven on. Lush!

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Forgotten Skills of Cooking: The time-honoured ways are the best - over 700 recipes show you why

By Darina Allen
Kyle Cathie - 2009

28th January 2010

homemade buttermilk

i couldnt find buttermilk anywhere, when looking for some for making muffins. This was both a lifesaver and easy to make.

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Home Cooking

By Rachel Allen
Collins - 2009

I happened to have a savoy cabbage in the house so i decided to try this out. I normaly avoid steak recipes due to the cost but this one made it so that one steak easily served two of us.
I found this a really nice change after the heavy christmas season, being light whilst still using winter produce wich can be a chore sometimes.
The book specifies egg noodles, but i used rice and it still tasted good. It will probably work with whatever you have kicking about.
A good un that i shall try and cook again.

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How It All Vegan! 10th Anniversary Edition: Irresistible Recipes for an Animal-Free Diet

By Tanya Barnard, Sarah Kramer
Arsenal Pulp Press - 2009

29th January 2010 (edited: 29th January 2010)

vegetable tofu scrambler

this is a nice easy breakfast dish. Its at its best if you have homemade salsa on hand. Not a fave but definatly worth a try.

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29th January 2010

heavenly hash browns

Nothing like a commercial hash brown, but incredibly tasty none the less. I adored this with ketchup and veggy sausages.

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29th January 2010

mighty miso gravy

I loved this! Its got a really good savory meaty taste. I used brown rice miso to get that savoryness but experimenting with the misos would make it suitable for all types of dishes.

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29th January 2010

eazy breezy cheezy sauce

i made this for a friend who cant eat the cheese stuff, and made a cauliflower cheese with it. It actually works quite well. Not the same but a very good substitute. The mustard is essential, as i found out by forgetting it once.

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How to be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking

By Nigella Lawson
Chatto & Windus - 2003

this is a proper homestyle cake, it comes out all cracley on top and is great with a cup of tea. The only problem i have with it is that its a bit too buttery for my taste which is why it got 4 instead of 5 stars.

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16th February 2010

coconut macaroons

these turned out exactly how i thought they would. I did stray from her advice about using shredded instead of dessicated as i could only find the latter and they were still lovely. An absolute pain to make by hand though.

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Jamie's Dinners

By Jamie Oliver
Michael Joseph - 2004

my bloke and i have a obbsession with bangers and mash, and are therefore willing to try a new variation on the theme. This was nice, but not spectacular. my boyfriend wasnt blown away by the addition of the horseradich sauce. i liked it but to be honest i think the strongly flavoured components of this meal should be good sausages and gravy. Ill stick to the bill granger recipe for gravy from everyday for now i think.

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The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen

By Nigel Slater
Fourth Estate Ltd - 2007

13th February 2010

dal and pumpkin soup

this is a lovely soup for the winter. Inexspensive to make with a nice kick to it. I served mine with yoghurt to negate the kick a bit when it got too hot.

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Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights: Guilt-free Eating with Abandon

By Sophie Dahl
Harper - 2008

this was pretty easy to make and the boyf loved it. If im honest though this is something that you can find in other better cookbooks. I had to bumb the flavorings up for my palate and used butter instead of olive oil in the mash. It just felt to darn saintly for me otherwise.

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26th April 2010

breakfast burittos

this ws a fair meal, nice but it didnt stand out.

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Nice N Easy
(January, 1981)

 

7th January 2010

beef goulash

a nice recipe, you want to use some better quality ingredients then where available in the 80s. This can be frozen wich is very useful.

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Website: Nigel Slater Columns, The Observer

www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/series/nigelslaterrecipes
 

11th May 2010

grapefruit jelly

ok, mine didnt set properly but i changed the quantitys to half, so ill blame it on that. A really good flavour if you like grapefruit. id serve with icecream as its quite tart, but in a grapefruity way. If not up the sugar a little maybe.

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Nigella Bites

By Nigella Lawson
Chatto & Windus - 2001

this was really easy to make, with a nice spongey texture. Id recommend not just frying in butter as it made the kitchen very smokey, just add a little oil to stop the butter burning. Very yummy though.

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Nigella Express: Good Food, Fast

By Nigella Lawson
Hyperion - 2007

7th February 2010

Mustard pork chops

this was great, and i couldnt beleive how easy it was. As nigella suggests gnocci is lovely with this, but i would add a green veg or salad on the side as otherwise its too rich.

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22nd March 2010

smoked trout pate

this was super quick and has real zing to it. just serve with nice bread and youve got a great snack or starter.

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I have mixed feelings about this dish, my boyf loved it wheres i thought it was a bit bland. If like my man you like subtle comforting food, you`ll love it. If however your like me and can eat spicy and strong tasting foods till they come out of your ears try something else. Super easy to make and a nice enough meal.

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