skdouglass' Reviews
48 recipes reviewed. Showing 1 to 48Sort by: Book Title 
| Date | Rating | Recipe Title
The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, Heavy-Duty Revised Edition
By America's Test Kitchen, Daniel J. Van Ackere, Carl Tremblay
America's Test Kitchen - 2006
These meatballs are a constant presence in my freezer. They turn up regularly on my menu. Frying a triple batch is a long, messy business, but they respond well to baking.
useful (1)
A solid entry in the race for a decent family-style chili.
Most recent amendments (because I just can't leave anything alone):
- a spoonful of Penzey's beef base to bolster the anemic flavor contribution of the ground beef
- a chopped canned chipotle chile and a tablespoon of its adobo sauce which took the heat level from "interesting" to "moderately uncomfortable."
useful (1)
American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza
By Peter Reinhart
Ten Speed Press - 2003
I've used the dough fresh and after 6 weeks in the freezer. It is tasty, extensible, and well-behaved. It is currently my go-to pizza dough.
It is too crusty to fare well in my monkey bread-type adaptation, but used as intended it is outstanding.
useful (1)
Best Slow and Easy Recipes: More than 250 Foolproof, Flavor-Packed Roasts, Stews, and Braises that let the Oven Do the Work (Best Recipe Classics)
By Cook's Illustrated Magazine, Deborah Jones, Cook's Illustrated Magazine
Cook's Illustrated - 2008
Quick, simple, and tidy (pan, lid, chopping board, knife, stirring spoon). The ingredients are all pantry staples in my house. A likely canvas for endless improvisation.
However (and you knew there was a however coming), the amount of cheese seemed small; and yes, I needed to double the amount of Parmesan to lift it out of blandness.
The recipe appears in a chapter of side dishes and claims to serve 6-8. I think it could easily serve that many as a main dish. Good thing leftover risotto is also a simple problem to solve.
useful (3)
The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook
By Beth Hensperger
Harvard Common Press - 2000
I have prepared this recipe twice in the last two weeks. It has failed twice. I attributed the first failure to operator error, possibly a too-cold kitchen, or a bad recipe-machine match. Seduced by the short ingredient list, I tried again. Fool me once...I forget how the rest of that goes.
Specifics: it doesn't mix evenly and doesn't rise. It does, however, scent the house nicely. There are worse things, I suppose.
useful (3)
This recipe produced a decent, tall loaf; and I will make it again. The sour cream gives it a sourdough-type tang without the sourdough fuss. Its texture, while tighter than the usual bread machine white loaf, wasn't "reminiscent of a brioche or cake" as the author claimed.
Specifics: I opted for a light sour cream and SAF yeast, and followed the recipe.
useful (1)
California Rancho Cooking: Mexican and Californian Recipes
By Jacqueline Higuera McMahan
Sasquatch Books - 2003
A recipe given to the cookbook's author by Beth Hensperger. It is universally adored in this house. Don't be put off by the vanilla; it sounds odd but it gives the bread an exotic edge which will make all other corn breads seem lacking in comparison.
Make a double recipe on chili night and have it for a breakfast treat for the next few days. Heaven!
useful (2)
Unbelievably good, filling, versatile, and easy to prepare. It is a new desert-island food for me. Flavorful, but simply seasoned.
useful (0)
Website: Chocolate & Zucchini
This type of recipe is difficult to review since it isn't - and never was intended to be - the same thing twice.
As a means of using up leftovers languishing in your refrigerator, Oeuf Cocotte is way classier than Grandma's Soup. Don't get me wrong, I adore my Grandma's soup to the point of recreating it because - darn her hide! - she did not leave a recipe behind.
However, Oeuf Cocotte has a versatility that Grandma's Soup never will; it can be presented at any meal, perhaps supplemented with a salad and a slice of bread worth the eating. And since we don't do things by halves around here - white wine served in a tumbler. Grandma's soup could never pull THAT off.
You can never have too many use-what-you-have recipes. Plus, "oeuf cocotte" brings them to the table the way "baked eggs" never would. I'll have to remember that the next time I make Potage de Grandmere.
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Website: Chow
A nicely proportioned Lemon Drop. Here let me take a sip of this one by my elbow just to make sure. Yep - tasty. The only change that I would make - and that only if I were pouring to impress - would be to mix a little sour salt in with the rimming sugar. Sour salt is one of those mystery ingredients you whip out for (as Ann Hodgman calls it) "maximum guest intimidation." And just between you and me, isn't that what entertaining is all about?
useful (2)
Website: Chow
Once you have the ingredients - it's a short list, but I don't typically keep fontina on hand - Chow's Fontina Fondue is a quick and easy family supper.
We did not make the Polenta Fries, and so do not include them in this review. We are much more catholic when it comes to dunking food in cheese. It seems a good way to get vegetables into the children.
Recipe multiplies effectively. I haven't had a chance to assess its keeping properties but suspect its a here-and-now sort of concoction.
useful (0)
Website: Cooks Illustrated
Per 14-year-old: "It looks like the most depressing food on earth, but it was really good."
Per other 14-year-old: "If there is any left on Monday, I'll take it to school for lunch."
Both are accurate representations of this recipe; I can only chime in with the technicalities.
I added approximately double the feta required by the recipe and added some carrots for color; the salad is really quite drab-looking. The 5:3 proportion of the vinaigrette is nicely appropriate.
Two planning notes:
1. Unless you're potlucking or your family size approaches Duggar-esqe, I don't recommend doubling the recipe. One cup of lentils doesn't seem like a lot, but two cups produces a vat of salad. Keep in mind you'll need to pull a hot pot holding 8 cups of boiling liquid out of the oven. And
B. Plan ahead. The lentils are brined, then baked - two hours of lead time minimum.
We'll be making it again. But not for a while. I doubled.
UPDATE: If you intend to serve this salad in a less-than-immediate fashion (that is, leftovers or next day), keep the components separate. The mint turns a nasty color and the flavors overall are quite muted by sitting around.
useful (0)
Website: Cooks Illustrated
Add this one to your box; it's worth your time and ingredients. It is a comfortingly familiar cookie but subtly different that you expect. I won't divulge CI's secret, but I will remember its lesson when I pull out my spices next cooking-baking time.
This is one instance where size matters. Mind your cookies as they approach the end of cooking time. I found the published times did not reflect my reality. At all. Stupid non-standardized ovens.
My amendments: Used Sucanat instead of brown sugar, plumped my raisins in hot water, added a cup of tasted, chopped pecans.
Future change: mess with the sugar. The cookies were a little sweet for my tastes, but altering the sugars will change the chewiness. Good thing I'm up to the challenge.
useful (0)
Website: Cooks Illustrated
Lemon, Parmesan, pepper and olive oil all playing very nicely together on my pasta plate. I was tempted to bump up the lemon juice and zest, but resisted. And glad of it. Following the recipe as it stands, the strong flavors were balanced.
Composed of pantry staples and using one pot, the longest step is waiting for the pasta water to boil. Once the noodles are cooked, the rest of the recipe comes together very quickly.
Adding some poached chicken bits or some shrimp would not come amiss, and promote it to main-dish status.
I will make it again and I would cheerfully serve it to company.
useful (2)
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook: 2,000 Recipes from 20 Years of America's Most Trusted Cooking Magazine
By Editors at Cook's Illustrated Magazine
Cook's Illustrated - 2011
Keeper. Those as ate, praised. Easy to do and uses primarily pantry staples.
My changes: Used half again as much broccoli since it collapses down into nothing. Substituted an additional 2 c. chicken broth for 2 c. water. 3. Used half again as much of both cheeses; my experience with CI/ATK recipes is that they tend to be a little stingy with the cheese.
Recommend using a blender for pureeing. Since I had the food processor out and dirty from grating the cheese, I used it - messy and cumbersome.
useful (2)
CookSmart: Perfect Recipes for Every Day
By Pamela Anderson
Houghton Mifflin - 2002
As usual, Pam Anderson is dead reliable. Iced tea drinkable in under 15 minutes - tasty instant gratification. The microwave version takes just as long, but is slightly fussier - if preparing iced tea can be characterized as "fussy."
useful (1)
As usual, Pam Anderson is dead reliable. Iced tea drinkable in under 15 minutes - tasty instant gratification. This microwave version takes just as long as the stovetop method (p. 246), and is slightly fussier - if preparing iced tea can be characterized as "fussy." It is, however, a nice alternative if using the stove is unthinkable.
useful (0)
Website: David Lebovitz
Super easy and outstandingly good. Morphed into something different by the next day: a little softer, a little gooey, but still very, very good.
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Diners, Drive-ins and Dives: An All-American Road Trip . . . with Recipes! (Food Network)
By Guy Fieri, Ann Volkwein
William Morrow Cookbooks - 2008
A decadent, once-in-a-lifetime, artery-clogging, coma-inducing extravagance. We ate it for dinner, though it's more properly characterized as a dessert. It probably deserves another star, but my nagging nutritional conscience won't let me give it.
useful (4)
Eat Tweet: 1,020 Recipe Gems from the Twitter Community's @cookbook
By Maureen Evans
Artisan - 2010
"Self," I said, "there is no way this is going to end well." This recipe calls for 5 cups of liquid to cook 1 cup of rice. Unless the goal is porridge, this proportion is way off; there is no way rice is going to absorb all that liquid, especially not in the 20 minutes allotted to cooking time.
I should have listened. Evidently my self is very smart. Instead, I had to drain off the excess 3 cups of stock - liquid gold going down the drain. It sort of hurt my feelings.
And if you're only going to add the amount of cheese for which this recipe calls, you may as well not even bother. Assume at least double the parm to approach being perceptible.
Two stars because it resulted in an edible product. Hurt feelings would subtract one, but I'm trying to be grown-up about it.
useful (1)
The Essential EatingWell Cookbook: Good Carbs, Good Fats, Great Flavors (Eating Well)
By Patricia Jamieson
Countryman Press - 2004
Stellar waffles - now in regular rotation.
useful (1)
Fine Cooking
(Apr/May, 1994)
I've been making this recipe for years: occasionally doubling or tripling the recipe, sometimes adding Fiori di Sicillia or vanilla or Princess flavors. It always works. It never lets me down. The children never complain. And there are never, ever leftovers.
When you don't know what to make and haven't done the marketing, you can pull this one pretty much out of thin air. Nursery food? Maybe. Comfort food? Definitely. Suppertime magic act? Whatever gets the Philistines to the table.
useful (4)
Flatbreads & Flavors
By Jeffrey Alford, Naomi Duguid
William Morrow Cookbooks - 1995
The 14-year old made this recipe for a class project: her first batch of bread ever. The first ones out of the over required testing and sampling - for quality control purposes, of course! They were perfect and so tasty that she lost her fear of the blazing hot oven and baked the last half of the batch herself.
We used all whole wheat flour and baked them on my virgin baking steel. Brushed with a little olive oil, sprinkled with zatar, wrapped around some feta - heaven!
useful (0)
Website: Food In Jars
The butter is outstanding. At least, the tiny bit that wouldn't fit into the canning jars for processing is outstanding. Does processing change flavors? I hope not.
I am a novice canner. This will be the first time I've stored my product on the shelf rather than in the refrigerator. I know sugar has preservative properties, but the berries were so sweet I just couldn't add any more.
Doubled everything about this recipe except the sugar. Cooked on high for 12 hours. Interpreted "1 lemon, zested" as "the zest from 1 lemon."
useful (1)
Website: food52
Your lemons have better things to do than to end up in this tart.
I'm giving it a 2 instead of the 1 it actually deserved because it's LEMON. Lemon lemon lemon I love lemon.
Where to begin critiquing?
Let us begin with the ingredients:
-Butter. Groovy. In what state is this butter to be? Cold? Melted? Salted? Unsalted? IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE - perhaps not to Mary, but it does to me.
- "One large Meyer lemon" Nope. I had to double that in order to pass lemon-scented and sneak up on lemon-flavored.
- "Superfine sugar." OK that was fun. I ran the sugar in my Vitamix practically until it was powdered. It impressed every jaded teen in the house.
-"Your favorite tart shell" Listen. Anyone known as or aspiring to the title "Lazy Mary" does not have a favorite tart shell. Tart shells by their very nature are not for the lazy. If you're buying grocery store crust, just go ahead and get a whole pie for pete's sake.
Moving on the the directions which are - and I'm paraphrasing but only just - blend it, dump it, bake it for 40 minutes. No cues to determine doneness but the length of baking. Tarts are fussy creatures. Ovens are temperamental. Unless your oven is IDENTICAL IN EVERY RESPECT to the author's oven good luck with this.
And the headnotes which reference the smoothness of the filling and praise its lemony flavor. DON'T FALL FOR IT! The filling is full of lemon particles and no blender on earth can render a lemon into imperceptibly small particles - not my Vitamix, not your Osterizer. IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
This is my first foray into the Food52 world and I am underwhelmed. But since I have 4 more Meyer lemons sitting on my counter, I'm actually considering Lazy Mary's Improved Lemon Tart which seems to address most of my objections. It's possible I'm a slow learner. Or a believer in second chances. I'll let you know after it comes out of the oven.
useful (6)
Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More: 200 Anytime Treats and Special Sweets for Morning to Midnight
By Carole Walter
Clarkson Potter - 2007
A not-too-sweet, uncomplicated, unyeasted coffeecake. A Sunday morning coffeecake. A koffee klatsch coffeecake. If you have a longish novel to hand, a make-it-while-you're-home-alone-and-eat-the-whole-thing-before-anyone-gets-home sort of coffeecake. A stop-whining-for-an-afternoon-snack-and-make-this sort of coffeecake.
The 13-year-old put this together, requiring help only with chopping nuts for the streusel and cracking the eggs because her arm is in a splint.
I doubled the recipe for an 11"x17" pan, and blithely set the timer for the longest cooking time. Even before the shortest cooking time had elapsed - significantly before - the bottom had burned. Even if you don't double, start checking doneness early.
Another bit of wisdom: multiply the streusel recipe and freeze it to have on hand for any emergency which could be ameliorated by the near instantaneous production of comfort carbs. I mean - to have on hand for any emergency. That last bit was redundant.
useful (3)
Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients
By Jeff Hertzberg MD, Zoe Francois, Mark Luinenburg
Thomas Dunne Books - 2009
The dough for this bread came together easily and the resulting loaf quite respectable.
The convenience of having the dough waiting for me in the refrigerator whenever I'm ready to bake a loaf is addictive. It's not quite as instantaneous as "five minutes a day" leads one to believe, but still worth the effort and ingredients.
useful (1)
How to Cook Everything Fast: A Better Way to Cook Great Food
By Mark Bittman
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - 2014
Have the rice ready because you won't want to wait once this stir-fry is done. I docked a star because it left an oily taste in my mouth - probably the sesame oil used to finish the dish. Make sure your oils are fresh and use a light hand, but don't hesitate to add this recipe to your rotation.
useful (0)
How To Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food
By Mark Bittman, Alan Witschonke, Alan Witschonke
Wiley - 2006
A straight-forward,no-frills peanut brittle. I made 2 batches - one after the other - and both turned out beautifully.
The time estimate of 20 minutes was way off. Each batch took me at least an hour, but I'm a big fat chicken when it comes to melting sugar.
Move quickly when pouring it onto the buttered jelly roll pan; it sets up very quickly.
useful (2)
This recipe produced a lovely corn fritter. Its headnote insists that they are easy to fry and barely spatter at all - an assertion that I am now willing to endorse.
Executing the recipe as it reads, the fritters were tasty and tender. If you wish to personalize the end product, consider adding a bit more sugar for a sweeter sort of fritter or perhaps some cayenne for a savory one. In either event, don't be shy when salting "to taste."
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The Indian Slow Cooker: 50 Healthy, Easy, Authentic Recipes
By Anupy Singla
Agate Surrey - 2010
Twelve hours of cooking time spread over two days and nothing to show for it.
I followed the instructions as written and still ended up with a salty, scorched mess. If I had only started checking doneness sooner, I might have been able to soften its sharp edges with a bit of coconut milk or yogurt. But there's no coming back from scorch.
If you take a notion to make this, don't let me stop you. Most of my disappointment is preventable. I'd recommend switching to low for the last 4 hours of cooking or hovering for those last few hours. Or both.
My yield: 6 cups.
useful (0)
Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It: And Other Cooking Projects
By Karen Solomon
Ten Speed Press - 2009
This is a very tasty chai. While it's not difficult at all, it takes a while to produce; consider doubling the recipe to make the time investment worthwhile. I purchased my spices from Penzeys - totally worth it.
useful (1)
Website: King Arthur Flour
A lovely, lovely pound cake. Make it. Now. You know you want to.
What? You're still here. OK, then. The batter is very thick, bordering on a dough. Unless you're very careful transferring the batter from mixing bowl to baking vessel, you'll get air pockets. No amount of banging the pan on the counter will knock them out either.
Start checking doneness early and err on the side of not-quite-there-yet. Mine went from wet crumbs on the tester to overdone sometime between 60 and 70 oven minutes.
We're calling it caramelized.
useful (1)
More Bread Machine Magic : More Than 140 New Recipes From the Authors of Bread Machine Magic for Use in All Types of Sizes of Bread Machines
By Linda Rehberg, Lois Conway
St. Martin's Griffin - 1997
Following the instructions gave me a focaccia on the thin/crisp end of the spectrum. Though it behaved as expected, iit was lacking in the personality department - not its fault. What else would you expect of an unfermented, white-flour dough?
The recipe offers several topping options. Just before baking I spread the dough with Costco pesto. Twenty minutes into the baking time, I sprinkled it with about a cup of grated, store-brand, Parmesan cheese.
Next time I'll
-shorten the baking time to less than 30 minutes in the hope of achieving a softer, chewier product.
- not stretch the dough completely to the edge of the jelly roll pan with an eye to the same goal.
- spread the pesto shortly before the end of the cooking time to help maintain its color a little better.
useful (3)
Cinnamon, cloves, maple syrup, and baking bread: you wish you were at my house right now. I'd make this recipe again purely to recreate the lovely smell. Bonus! the resulting bread is tasty too. Spread with a bit of nut butter, it would be a portable breakfast or filling snack.
This iteration: I used the optional vital wheat gluten, SAF yeast, and substituted 2% Greek yogurt for the sour cream.
useful (0)
Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook
By Beth Hensperger
Harvard Common Press - 2004
Sauce was watery with lackluster flavor; chicken was overdone. Still, it was simple enough to throw together with a short ingredient list. And I'm willing to own that low-quality chicken may have played a part in its soupiness. After some tweaking, I may try it again, but I have to forget this iteration first.
useful (1)
Website: Orangette
I was pleasantly surprised by this salad. It is, as the author said, greater than the sum of its (pantry) parts.
It is in regular rotation - often as a lunch - and subjected to variation each time it is assembled: my tastes require more lemon, a bed of greens fancies things right up, decent olives are never wrong.
You may proceed with confidence.
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Website: Orangette
Four pantry staples plus water, salt, and some low-grade attention combine into a tasty, filling dish. I had to increase the salt substantially from the amount required by the recipe. Next time I intend to garnish the mujadara with feta. It may or may not be authentic, but I expect it will help balance the sweetness of the caramelized onions.
useful (0)
Website: Pioneer Woman Cooks
A basic, straight-forward variation on fried chicken. The seasoning is infintely adaptable to suit your own taste. The present batch used 1 T. salt + 1 T. Penzey's BBQ 3000 seasoning per 1.5 c. flour. Thumbs up.
I have successfully frozen the raw chicken strips. I thawed them before frying because I stupidly allowed them to freeze into one giant clump. I will be more careful to freeze the strips individually in the future, and experiment with frying them from a partially frozen state.
useful (1)
Website: Pioneer Woman Cooks
Easy, straightforward, tasty. The children were begging for it because it smelled so good while it simmered. They actually ate it, whch around here is high praise. I found it a little underseasoned as it stands - a circumstance easily remedied. One child proposed the corn kernels as a colorful, appropriate addition; I think she's right and will incorporate it the next time I make it. I brightened my portion with a squeeze of lime and suggest you do the same.
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Website: Pioneer Woman Cooks
I have a new staple and - finally! - a reason to stop regretting the purchase of that gallon-sized pitcher. Thanks, Ree!
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Website: Pioneer Woman Cooks
Confession time: for years I have struggled to make an acceptable vinaigrette. Pancakes too, but that's a tale for another time.
This is a perfectly acceptable vinaigrette. It is bright but not overwhelming, with enough going on that your salad won't get bored. It's going into rotation.
Your results may surpass mine if you use a decent Parmesan instead of the shredded waxy substance masquerading as cheese I used; and by giving it a chance to rest (as instructed, but I was in a hurry).
"Juice of 2 lemons" measured slightly over 1/3 c. for me.
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Slow Cooker Revolution
By The Editors at America's Test Kitchen, America's Test Kitchen
Boston Common Press - 2011
A homey, comforting, very respectable stew which utilizes an interesting technique to prevent the whole business from becoming a homogenous mush. The BEST thing about using a slow cooker is walking in the door at the end of the workday and having the smell of a delicious dinner greet you with the reminder that "oh yeah, I already made dinner. Whatever will I do with that extra hour now?" The thyme was so powerful when I came in I was afraid it would overwhelm the stew. It didn't. Proceed with confidence.
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Pro:
- prep fits very nicely into my day-off routine.
- pantry items as ingredients, nothing to defrost or saute or brown or chop.
- kids snarf it up non-stop until it's gone.
Con:
- short cooking time means it has to start mid-day thus disqualifying it for a workday supper.
- texture isn't anything to write home about. But then you weren't planning to serve it to company. Were you? I've tried a variety of pasta shapes to overcome this - no dice.
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Tassajara Bread Book
By Edward Espe Brown
Shambhala - 1970
This is my first foray into unyeasted breads and I’ll admit I was a little dubious about the outcome. But wow! it’s chewy, moist, dense, and delicious - not at all the brick I predicted it would be.
I had a lot of leftover multi-grain porridge (cooked in the Crockpot for breakfast). Combined with whole wheat flour, a bit of salt, a drizzle of oil, and just enough water to bring it all together, the KitchenAid did all the work. I proofed it for 24 hours. This recipe will be made again. And again.
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Website: Taste of Home Recipes
Where I go when I need a cheering up. I want to say it's the best lemon cake ever, but I haven't tried them all. Yet. So in all fairness I can't say that. Yet. I'm willing to take one for the team, and continue my survey of all lemon cake recipes. But I always come back here. It will naturally delay my report.
Make it better by souring up the glaze with a little sour salt, after which your salivary glands will never settle for less.
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Trader Vic's Tiki Party!: Cocktails and Food to Share with Friends
By Stephen Siegelman
Ten Speed Press - 2005
My daughter and I made the first batch strictly according to the recipe.
As with all food in the dumpling category, they were fussy and laborious to assemble. But you know that before you start any dumpling project. Don't hold it against this recipe.
What you can object to - after all that work - is the ultra bland result. If you consider the recipe to be a technique + a jumping off point for flavoring according to your need/whim, this is as good a place to begin as any. Or if you have some Asian-ish dipping sauces you want to showcase, these could also do for you.
After frying up the first batch and wiping away our tears of disappointment, we goosed the remaining filling with some dry mustard, some chili flakes, salt, and some thinly sliced green onion. And suddenly we have something worth eating and a new recipe to put in the family book.
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The Ultimate Pressure Cooker Cookbook: More Than 75 Foolproof Irresistible Recipes Tested in All the Most Popular Models
By Tom Lacalamita
Simon & Schuster - 1997
A solid, respectable, no-frills risotto. Half an hour start to finish, including time to find the weight for the top of the pressure cooker.
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