sturlington's Reviews
13 recipe(s) reviewed. Showing 1 to 13Sort by: Title | Date | Rating
The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
By Ina Garten, Martha Stewart
Clarkson Potter - 1999
Barbecued Chicken : page 120
Last night I made oven-barbecued chicken. I didn't end up making this barbecue sauce exactly as written (and my God, I don't need a quart of sauce), but I mined it for ideas in creating my own barbecue sauce.
useful (0)
Vegetable Coleslaw : page 107
I liked Ina's suggestions for shredding the cabbage using the slicing blade of the food processor and putting the wedges in horizontally. This resulted in long strips that really enhanced the coleslaw, I thought. It didn't work as well for the carrots -- the slices were too thick -- so I ended up grating them after all. I don't care for mayonnaise-based dressings anymore, so I ended up substituting a modified version of Thomas Keller's coleslaw dressing.
useful (2)
Turkey Meatloaf : page 138
Based on the other reviews, I had to try this, as meatloaf is not in our normal rotation. It is a good starting point (and my husband was grateful to get meatloaf), but I'd definitely make some tweaks. First, the recipe itself states that it can be halved, but I don't know how to halve 3 eggs, so I reduced it to 1/3 instead; I think the math was actually easier. This still made a good-sized loaf, more than we could eat, but we have the leftovers for sandwiches. Second, even though the recipe calls for this to be cooked on a baking sheet, next time I think I will use a loaf pan to prevent all the fat from leaking out and the loaf from spreading. The baking sheet method worked fine, though.
I would also like to add more veggies to the recipe, maybe roasted peppers or tomatoes, to make it a little moister. I'm not a fan of ketchup, so I used barbecue sauce as the glaze and that worked very well; next time I would reserve some sauce to re-glaze at the end of cooking. Even with the modifications, this was a yummy and easy meatloaf recipe. I would make it again.
useful (3)
French Potato Salad : page 96
A good recipe, although I'm not sure what the initial step of adding the chicken stock and white wine to the potatoes adds in terms of flavor. I vary the herbs according to season.
useful (1)
Grilled Lemon Chicken : page 48
An easy recipe, very adaptable, but quick enough to throw together in the morning and leave to marinate all day. I will probably incorporate this marinade into my regular rotation. I did not make the satay sauce but would like to try that sometime.
useful (1)
Roasted Carrots : page 149
This was such a simple recipe. I think there are only 3 ingredients, not counting salt and pepper. The results were very good, and a nice change of pace for when we have extra carrots.
useful (2)
Indonesian Ginger Chicken : page 125
This was a simple recipe, and the ingredients are staples in my pantry, so it's easy to make without a special shopping trip. I was able to reduce the amounts down to two large bone-in breasts with no problems. My husband liked this a lot and thought it had a subtly sweet flavor. I would definitely make this again.
useful (1)
Parmesan Smashed Potatoes : page 158
What's not to like about these potatoes? They are very rich and flavorful. It was also nice that I usually have all the ingredients I need on hand. I halved the recipe and still had plenty of leftovers, because they were so rich that I kept portion sizes small.
I don't have a standing mixer so I just used my potato masher and they came out fine. I finished them using a trick I learned from a local diner. I spooned out the portions on a hot griddle and let them get browned on both sides. They go very well with eggs that way.
useful (3)
Roasted-Tomato Basil Soup : page 84
This was a very tasty soup, quite redolent of basil. I think it is a good late-summer recipe for using up the remaining basil and tomatoes in the garden. Roasting the tomatoes is a great remedy for tomatoes that didn't ripen fully. Contrary to what Ina says, I don't think you could make this all winter long, as fresh basil isn't available/cheap then, although I suppose you could substitute frozen, pureed basil. I halved the amounts and still made enough soup for three or four meals, so some will go in the freezer.
useful (2)
Parmesan Croutons : page 87
There isn't much to this recipe, but it's quite useful nonetheless. You could slice up a whole baguette and have enough croutons to last for 2 or 3 meals. The croutons are particularly nice with soup. I would make a couple of changes, though. I would omit the salt and pepper, as parmesan is plenty salty enough. Also, I would cut the baking time down to 10 minutes. I left mine in for just about 15 minutes and they got a bit too brown on the bottoms for my tastes.
useful (1)
Broccoli with Garlic : page 100
I thought this was good, a nice garlicky flavor, and not difficult to make. I had it warm the night I made it and cold the next day. Like the other reviewers, I thought it tasted better warm.
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Vanilla Extract : page 199
This is exactly how I make vanilla extract, except I usually use rum. This is much cheaper than buying the little bottles because you can essentially keep it going forever. Be sure to use a brown bottle, not clear, for storage. I use an old, overlarge beer bottle with one of those attached porcelain corks.
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Turkey Tea Sandwiches : page 58
I tried this because I happened to have all the ingredients on hand and wanted something new. I didn't really care for the combination of cream cheese, raisin bread and turkey, but my toddler liked it a lot. Any new healthy food I can serve him and he will actually eat is a good discovery.
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