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.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
The Cookbook Critiquers met on April 18th and boy did we have a lot of food to taste. Here's what we cooked.
Barbara did a cookbook called Weight Watchers All Time Favorites and the following recipes and critiques:
1. Silky Butternut Squash Soup- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was NOTHING SPECIAL. I wouldn't do the recipe again. For those who want to try it, buy the squash already peeled and chopped, they are a real pain to peel.
2. Dried Apricot, Chickpea and Bulgar Pilaf- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was NOTHING SPECIAL. I might do this recipe again, however, it needs to have the bulgar either pre-soaked or more broth than is called for.
3. Spicy Black Bean Cakes with Tomato Salsa- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was NOTHING SPECIAL. I wouldn't do this recipe again. If I was forced to do it again, I would not use the red pepper, i would substitute chopped tomato and maybe a small can of creamed corn for one of the eggs.
4. Dried Cranberry Stuffed Baked Apples- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was GOOD. I would make this recipe again.
Overall, I would not make any more recipes in this cookbook.
Patti did a cookbook called The I Hate To Cook Book and the following recipes and critiques:
1. Mrs. Vanderbilt's Cooks Wild Rice- easy to follow, this was expensive to make and the taste was GOOD.
2. Spinach Surprise- easy to follow, cost was expensive and taste was nothing special. I would add salt and pepper.
3. Can Can Surprise- easy to follow, not very expensive and taste was UGH.
4. Turkey Tetrazzini- easy to follow, expensive to make and taste was GOOD. I would add more spice, maybe pepper and garlic.
5. Cockeyed Cake- easy to follow, expensive to make and taste was in between nothing special and GOOD.
6. Skid Row Stroganoff- easy to follow, expensive to make and taste was GOOD. My husband liked this recipe- it was tasty.
Overall, it was fun to read Peg Bracken's narration and the recipes may be good for beginners, but I personally would tweak a lot.
Roberta did a cookbook called The Barefoot Contessa Foolproof and the following recipes and critiques:
1. Carrot Cake with Mascarpone and Ginger Frosting- easy to follow, expensive to make and taste was WOW. I would not add a 1/3 cup of crystallized ginger to the frosting, the taste was quite strong. I would suggest you keep tasting the frosting after adding small amounts of ginger.
Overall, I would definitely use this cookbook again.
Ruby did a cookbook called Food Everyday- Martha Stewart Living and the following recipes and critiques:
1. Winter Vegetables-Sauteed Kale with Garlic and Lemon- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was GOOD. Very simple recipe.
2. Lemon Ricotta Tart- easy to make, not very expensive to make and taste was GOOD. Very simple and yummy recipe.
3. Flank Steak with Parsley Garlic Sauce- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was NOTHING SPECIAL. I would add more seasoning like garlic and onion powder to the steak and less vinegar to the sauce.
4. Potatoes Anna- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was GOOD. This recipe does not need to be baked in the iron skillet it calls for but i does need to be arranged as shown
5. Barley Risotto with Corn and Basil- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was GOOD.
Overall, I would definitely use this cookbook again. Recipes were very easy and the book had lots of pictures.
The next meeting of the Cookbook Recipe Critiquers will be on May 18th at 11:30AM. New members are always welcome.
Barbara did a cookbook called Weight Watchers All Time Favorites and the following recipes and critiques:
1. Silky Butternut Squash Soup- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was NOTHING SPECIAL. I wouldn't do the recipe again. For those who want to try it, buy the squash already peeled and chopped, they are a real pain to peel.
2. Dried Apricot, Chickpea and Bulgar Pilaf- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was NOTHING SPECIAL. I might do this recipe again, however, it needs to have the bulgar either pre-soaked or more broth than is called for.
3. Spicy Black Bean Cakes with Tomato Salsa- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was NOTHING SPECIAL. I wouldn't do this recipe again. If I was forced to do it again, I would not use the red pepper, i would substitute chopped tomato and maybe a small can of creamed corn for one of the eggs.
4. Dried Cranberry Stuffed Baked Apples- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was GOOD. I would make this recipe again.
Overall, I would not make any more recipes in this cookbook.
Patti did a cookbook called The I Hate To Cook Book and the following recipes and critiques:
1. Mrs. Vanderbilt's Cooks Wild Rice- easy to follow, this was expensive to make and the taste was GOOD.
2. Spinach Surprise- easy to follow, cost was expensive and taste was nothing special. I would add salt and pepper.
3. Can Can Surprise- easy to follow, not very expensive and taste was UGH.
4. Turkey Tetrazzini- easy to follow, expensive to make and taste was GOOD. I would add more spice, maybe pepper and garlic.
5. Cockeyed Cake- easy to follow, expensive to make and taste was in between nothing special and GOOD.
6. Skid Row Stroganoff- easy to follow, expensive to make and taste was GOOD. My husband liked this recipe- it was tasty.
Overall, it was fun to read Peg Bracken's narration and the recipes may be good for beginners, but I personally would tweak a lot.
Roberta did a cookbook called The Barefoot Contessa Foolproof and the following recipes and critiques:
1. Carrot Cake with Mascarpone and Ginger Frosting- easy to follow, expensive to make and taste was WOW. I would not add a 1/3 cup of crystallized ginger to the frosting, the taste was quite strong. I would suggest you keep tasting the frosting after adding small amounts of ginger.
Overall, I would definitely use this cookbook again.
Ruby did a cookbook called Food Everyday- Martha Stewart Living and the following recipes and critiques:
1. Winter Vegetables-Sauteed Kale with Garlic and Lemon- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was GOOD. Very simple recipe.
2. Lemon Ricotta Tart- easy to make, not very expensive to make and taste was GOOD. Very simple and yummy recipe.
3. Flank Steak with Parsley Garlic Sauce- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was NOTHING SPECIAL. I would add more seasoning like garlic and onion powder to the steak and less vinegar to the sauce.
4. Potatoes Anna- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was GOOD. This recipe does not need to be baked in the iron skillet it calls for but i does need to be arranged as shown
5. Barley Risotto with Corn and Basil- easy to follow, not very expensive to make and taste was GOOD.
Overall, I would definitely use this cookbook again. Recipes were very easy and the book had lots of pictures.
The next meeting of the Cookbook Recipe Critiquers will be on May 18th at 11:30AM. New members are always welcome.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Each month we get together at the Port Jervis Free Library and rate recipes we have prepared from cookbooks we have borrowed from the library.
If after making the recipes(exactly as written)we happen to have any leftovers, we bring them in and all of us taste.
The recipes are rated: Ugh, Nothing Special, Good and WOW there goes the diet.
We 'll tell you the name of the cookbook, the name of the recipe, if it was cheap or expensive to prepare, if we would have done something different than what the recipe calls for, if we would consider doing more recipes from the book and if the recipe was easy or hard to follow.
We meet on the third Thursday of each month(except for July and August) between 11:00AM and 2:00PM.
New critiquers are always welcome.
If after making the recipes(exactly as written)we happen to have any leftovers, we bring them in and all of us taste.
The recipes are rated: Ugh, Nothing Special, Good and WOW there goes the diet.
We 'll tell you the name of the cookbook, the name of the recipe, if it was cheap or expensive to prepare, if we would have done something different than what the recipe calls for, if we would consider doing more recipes from the book and if the recipe was easy or hard to follow.
We meet on the third Thursday of each month(except for July and August) between 11:00AM and 2:00PM.
New critiquers are always welcome.
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