weaponxgirl's Reviews
72 recipes reviewed. Showing 1 to 50Sort by: Book Title | Date | Rating 
| Recipe Title
Rachel's Favourite Food for Living
By Rachel Allen
HarperCollins UK - 2007
this was a great idea that i just had to try. Leek and potato soup generaly needs quite a bit of salt to taste really good anyway, just do away with that step and add blue cheese instead.
The result is a salty savory taste wich comes through the soup mellowed with a bit of cream. mmmmm, a perfect variation to a staple cheap and easy soup.
useful (0)
Real Food
By Nigel Slater
Fourth Estate Ltd - 2000
First of all this recipe uses double cream, so be warned. this dish is amazing and uses one of my fave cheap ingredients wich is good for you, smoked mackeral. If youve got a good fishmonger near you, use them as from my experience their mackeral tends to be subtler and more melt in the mouth wich works perfectly in here.
This is very easy and undemanding for the cook to make, pretty much consisting of mixing all the ingredients together and then bunging in the oven till its creamy and soothing.
I would serve this with a good green salad without a dressing to wipe the plate with and keep telling myself that the oily fish is good for me.
useful (1)
The 30-minute Cook
By Nigel Slater
Penguin Books Ltd - 2006
What can be better than eggs and asparagus.
useful (0)
Forgotten Skills of Cooking: The time-honoured ways are the best - over 700 recipes show you why
By Darina Allen
Kyle Cathie - 2009
i couldnt find buttermilk anywhere, when looking for some for making muffins. This was both a lifesaver and easy to make.
useful (0)
How It All Vegan! 10th Anniversary Edition: Irresistible Recipes for an Animal-Free Diet
By Tanya Barnard, Sarah Kramer
Arsenal Pulp Press - 2009
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.
useful (0)
Nigella Express: Good Food, Fast
By Nigella Lawson
Hyperion - 2007
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.
useful (2)
Real Food
By Nigel Slater
Fourth Estate Ltd - 2000
This was gorgeous. salty pancetta and cream is such a winning combination. I made this for a couple of hungry boys and they loved it, nuff said really.
useful (0)
this was so much easier to make than i thought it would be, and it turned out of my oven looking like the picture in the book. The only thing i would say about this recipe is that it needs to be eaten straight away as it was horrible cold.
useful (0)
World Food Cafe
By Chris Caldicott, Carolyn Caldicott, Carolyn Caldicott, Chris Caldicott, James Merrell
Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd - 1999
This is one of those recipes that you make once and never stop making. This dish has a great kick to it from the black pepper, it also survives substitutions very well. Always retaining the origional feel of the dish. I just cant recommend this enough, and your veggy friends will be chuffed that you made the effort to serve them something different.
useful (0)
this was another winner, thi is used in a few of the other recipes in the book. Keeps well in the fridge and is well worth the effort. You do need at least a handblender to make this.
useful (0)
this recipe looks very complicated due to the long list of ingredients. But once youve got everthing together its actually very easy. This is well worth any effort that may be involved.
useful (0)
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 is a lovely easy dish to make. Its a great lunch dish with strong flavours, perfect for when you need something quick to eat.
useful (0)
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.
useful (0)
Rachel's Favourite Food
By Rachel Allen
Gill & Macmillan Ltd - 2004
these are amazingly quick to make and tasty to eat. Ive only recently started to bake properly and these are a real confidence booster. Who knew that almonds, egg whites and sugar could be this tasty? Use the leftover yolk for scrambled eggs in the mornig.
useful (1)
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!
useful (2)
The Afternoon Tea Book
By Michael Smith, Michael R. P. Bartlett
John Wiley & Sons - 1989
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.
useful (0)
Cupcakes: Over 80 Delicious Recipes for All Occasions and Tastes
By Sue McMahon
New Holland Publishers Ltd - 2007
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!
useful (1)
Nigella Express: Good Food, Fast
By Nigella Lawson
Hyperion - 2007
I loved the flavour of this salad! sweet, tangy and substantial. The only things i changed was that i bought a different cut of meat and cooked mine in the oven as i can never pan fry to perfection. I also used less fish sauce, but as brands vary so much its down to personal preference. delicious.
useful (0)
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.
useful (1)
Amaretto, Apple Cake and Artichokes: The Best of Anna Del Conte
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.
useful (2)
Rachel's Favourite Food for Living
By Rachel Allen
HarperCollins UK - 2007
very moist and chocolatey. it would be a bit of a pain to make without a food processor, but an absolute doddle otherwise.
useful (0)
great recipe that can be made with things that are mostly from the store cupboard. Wonderfully filling, a lovely winter warmer wich was loved by my bloke and my landlord.
useful (0)
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.
useful (0)
The 30-minute Cook
By Nigel Slater
Penguin Books Ltd - 2006
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.
useful (1)
A lovely and simple way of cooking asparagus, which is a nice change from boiling. It gives the asparagus a chewy tecture.
useful (0)
sooo good, a nice uncomplicated dish.
useful (0)
Rachel's Favourite Food for Living
By Rachel Allen
HarperCollins UK - 2007
does just what it says on the tin, a lovely cake to have with tea. I used dried apricots in mine and the whiskey marinade was a nice touch. Best eaten on the day of being made.
useful (0)
this worked perfectly and i had muffins suitable for a flashy cooking program wich tasted as good as they looked! the only problem may be finding buttermilk for the recipe.
useful (0)
How It All Vegan! 10th Anniversary Edition: Irresistible Recipes for an Animal-Free Diet
By Tanya Barnard, Sarah Kramer
Arsenal Pulp Press - 2009
Nothing like a commercial hash brown, but incredibly tasty none the less. I adored this with ketchup and veggy sausages.
useful (0)
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.
useful (1)
Rachel's Favourite Food for Living
By Rachel Allen
HarperCollins UK - 2007
this was another winner from this book for me. These biscuits turned out gooey in the middle but lovely and crunchy on the outside. My only gripe was that the dough is very stickey and hard to shape and handle. Apart from that they were great and good keepers in the biscuit tin.
useful (0)
Real Food
By Nigel Slater
Fourth Estate Ltd - 2000
This is one of those things that you cook when your on your own and its cold and dark outside. This was pure moreish comfort food, easy to make and easy to consume great amounts of.
useful (0)
The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen
By Nigel Slater
Fourth Estate Ltd - 2007
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.
useful (1)
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.
useful (1)
World Food Cafe
By Chris Caldicott, Carolyn Caldicott, Carolyn Caldicott, Chris Caldicott, James Merrell
Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd - 1999
I really liked this, it had nice spicing to it. for non veggies it would go well with fish.
useful (0)
How to be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking
By Nigella Lawson
Chatto & Windus - 2003
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.
useful (0)
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 is exactly how a hash should taste, just pure comfort food.
useful (0)
Rachel's Favourite Food for Living
By Rachel Allen
HarperCollins UK - 2007
a really nice midweek meal, with big flavours. This is the sort of easy going meal that youl never need to look at the recipe for ever again.
useful (0)
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
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.
useful (0)
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.
useful (1)
Nigella Express: Good Food, Fast
By Nigella Lawson
Hyperion - 2007
this was super quick and has real zing to it. just serve with nice bread and youve got a great snack or starter.
useful (1)
Ballymaloe Cookery Course
By Darina Allen
Kyle Cathie - 2007
very easy , delicious and good to eat in the summer.
useful (0)
Afternoon Tea Parties
By Susannah Blake, Martin Brigdale
Ryland Peters & Small - 2008
this was an interesting way of making a cake, but it turned out beautiful and moist. i loved this cake.
useful (2)
Cupboard Love: How to Get the Most Out of Your Kitchen
By Tom Norrington-Davies
Hodder & Stoughton Ltd - 2006
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.
useful (0)
The Alice B.Toklas Cookbook
By Alice B. Toklas, Sir Francis Rose
Serif - 2004
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.
useful (2)
Tender: v. 1: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch
By Nigel Slater
Fourth Estate Ltd - 2009
classic combination that always works. perfect with some nice bread to dip into it.
useful (0)
Rachel's Favourite Food at Home
By Rachel Allen
Collins - 2008
this was great for being made with things i normaly have in the house somewhere. yummy and quick, nothing spectacular. but not every meal can be. Id say it would benifit from a splash of lemon juice.
useful (0)
All-American Cook Book
By Charlotte Turgeon, Frederic A. Birmingham
Arrow Bks. - 1979
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.
useful (1)
Amaretto, Apple Cake and Artichokes: The Best of Anna Del Conte
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.
useful (1)
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.
useful (2)