Hi Everyone,

The Cookbook Critiquers met on May 16th and we had a feast of tasty morsels.  The following is what was said about the recipes we all did.

Ruby did recipes from Pioneer Woman Cookbook by Ree Drummond and here are her critiques:
     1. Chicken Fried Rice- The recipe was easy to follow, didn't cost much to prepare, taste was GOOD.  Her comments about the recipe were "Love the recipe.  Steak more juicier. Love the gravy over it."
     2. Red Velvet Cake- The recipe was easy to follow, didn't cost much to prepare, taste was NOTHING SPECIAL.  Her comment was "Cake was a bit dense and dry, I would add more buttermilk and one more egg."
     3. Angel Sugar Cookies- The recipe was easy to follow, didn't cost much to prepare and taste was GOOD.  Her Comment was "Love the dessert, easy and yummy."
     4. Creme Brulee- The recipe was easy to Follow, didn't cost much to prepare, taste was GOOD.

Ruby's overall opinion was "This cookbook was absolutely delicious." She will use this cookbook again.

 Patti did recipes from The Best Skillet Recipes cookbook and her critiques were:
     1. Peach Crisp- The recipes was easy to follow, didn't cost much to prepare and taste was WOW.
Patti's comment was "Add one more pound of peaches since they cooked down somewhat."
     2. Spring Vegetable Pot Pie- The recipe was easy to follow, cost was prohibitive and taste was VERY GOOD.  Her comment was "I didn't use vermouth- used chicken broth."
     3. Indoor Barbecued Chicken- The recipe was easy to follow, cost was prohibitive, taste was GOOD.
     4. Pan Seared Turkey Burgers- The recipe was easy to follow, cost was prohibitive and taste was GOOD.

Patti's overall opinion was that she would use this cookbook again.

Barbara did recipes from Fix it and Forget it Cookbook and her critiques were:
     1. Busy Day Beef Stew- The recipe was easy to follow, didn't cost much to prepare and taste was UGH. Her comment was "Taste was awful- had to doctor it up by adding wine and vegetable broth and then thickening it with flour and water."
     2. Tracy's Italian Meatloaf- The recipe was easy to follow, didn't cost much to prepare and taste was NOTHING SPECIAL. Her comment was "Taste was okay but extremely dry.  Recipe just said to use Ground beef- it should specify the fat content of the ground meat- I only had 90% on hand and since there was no specification I used that, even though I knew it was not a good idea."
     3. Michelle's Barbecued Ribs- The recipe was easy to follow, didn't cost much to prepare and the taste was WOW.  Her comment was " I would double the recipe for the spice rub, otherwise this was really great."
     4. Baked Chicken Breast- The recipe was easy to follow, didn't cost much to prepare and taste was GOOD.  Her comment was "needed a little salt and I would have added pearl onions and maybe some baby carrots.  Possible stick one pearl onion with whole cloves and don't cook for the amount of time stated.  If possible check the chicken for doneness after six hours.  Next time I will put it on for only the six hours and keep it on warm until I get home."
     5. Scalloped Pineapple- The recipe was easy to follow, didn't cost much to prepare and taste was GOOD.  Her comment was "I would use less butter and more pineapple."

Barbara's overall opinion was that she would use this cookbook again.