Season's Besgt S/S 2010 Recipe Reviews

[wadesgirl]

Had family here for dinner Saturday night made the artichoke bacon bites they were delicious.
However, I think for a party I would double the ingred and bake or micro it in the mini baker and let guests spoon it onto their plates

I was wondering that. I'm making them for a party tonight and thought this may work better. Thanks!

 

[wadesgirl]

Oh yah, for those who made the churros, is one batch enough for 7-8 people? I am serving other food but didn't want to not have enough. Also are they best served warm or can I make these ahead of time?

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Oh yah, for those who made the churros, is one batch enough for 7-8 people? I am serving other food but didn't want to not have enough. Also are they best served warm or can I make these ahead of time?

We had about 12 people at our cluster meeting, and of course, there was a lot of other food, but I know that she took some churros home with her. Everyone had at least one. (I had two! ) Oh - and she had made them ahead - they were great!

 

[wadesgirl]

Tonight I made Corn Bread Chili Bake, Artichoke thingys and the trifle. I'm going to offer these all for the next season! Corn Bread Chili bake was so simple and quick to put together. Got rave reviews. Artichoke thingys were great too. I made them as a dip in the small round baker and served chips on the side. The trifle was yummy too. I had to use pound cake. The only thing I didn't like was the pound cake layer looked too much like the pudding layer. There wasn't much color except the strawberries that peaked through. I got a pound of strawberries but it didn't make much of a layer that showed in the picture.

 

[etteluap70PC]

Had family here for dinner Saturday night made the artichoke bacon bites they were delicious.
However, I think for a party I would double the ingred and bake or micro it in the mini baker and let guests spoon it onto their plates

OMgosh! Thank you for this Idea! I did this for my event last night and it worked wonderfully! I just did the normal recipe and put it in the mini baker.

I was not super crazy about it too peppery for me. I will add more tomatoes next time and maybe a bit less seasoning.

I also did the cool crunchy Tacos WOW!!! sooooo good! I served it like a salad on the large bamboo tray and had tortilla chips on the side. Next time I will dice the mango and jicima a bit smaller to serve it this way.

 

[meganmcg]

I made the Bacon, Linguine, Tomato Recipe last night - yum! I used 3 cups instead of 4 cups of broth and a little more than the 4 ounces of cream cheese and it was so good! I also didn't use the cherry tomatoes, thought it was great without them. DH said it was nearly better than his favorite dish at Olive Garden!

 

[ChefJWarren]

I made:
Cornbread Chipotle Chile - VERY easy to make. The chili part was good, but didn't care for the cornbread part - no taste! I'm doing a Tasting Event with close friends as my dinner guests so I will let them decide.

Trifle - My husband almost ate all the pudding mixture out of the bowl. He LOVED it! Heck, we all loved it! I used a container of frozen cut strawberries. I spooned in some of the 'sauce' - gave it more color and strawberry flavor.

Now I can't wait to make the Artichoke things but in the mini baker - that sounds easier and yummier.

BLT is next definitely!

 

[babywings76]

I made the Bacon, Linguine, Tomato Recipe last night - yum! I used 3 cups instead of 4 cups of broth and a little more than the 4 ounces of cream cheese and it was so good! I also didn't use the cherry tomatoes, thought it was great without them. DH said it was nearly better than his favorite dish at Olive Garden!

For Valentine's, DH and I went to Olive Garden for dinner. It was so funny, because as I was eating my meal I thought to myself that it wasn't as good as I remembered it. I guess the yummy recipes I keep making are just pretty darn good, that eating out isn't tasting better--it just keeps me out of the kitchen and off my feet.

 

[LeslieSGI]

...I also did the cool crunchy Tacos WOW!!! sooooo good! I served it like a salad on the large bamboo tray and had tortilla chips on the side. Next time I will dice the mango and jicama a bit smaller to serve it this way.

That is an awesome idea that I may just borrow. We made this per the instructions at our Cluster meeting last Monday and what a mess -- putting them together takes a while and as they were being eaten pieces were falling out on the floor and down our shirts, etc. I thought, hmm, not a great party recipe -- too messy. But the taste was fabulous so your salad with chips idea is a great one! Thanks bunches.​

 

[etteluap70PC]

That is an awesome idea that I may just borrow. We made this per the instructions at our Cluster meeting last Monday and what a mess -- putting them together takes a while and as they were being eaten pieces were falling out on the floor and down our shirts, etc. I thought, hmm, not a great party recipe -- too messy. But the taste was fabulous so your salad with chips idea is a great one! Thanks bunches.​

For the leftovers today I crunched up the tortilla chips and sprinkled them on OMG!!!! Soooooo good! I will serve this with the crushed chips next time!

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

Becky, I like your adjustments. Sounds like your tomato sauce was an adjustment for the chili sauce in the beans and your tomatoes were an adjustment for the salsa! Sounds much healthier.Does anybody know if you can make the cornbread without the sour cream, using oil and milk instead? I don't keep the vile stuff in the house, though I can live with it if it's cooked into a recipe.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Becky, I like your adjustments. Sounds like your tomato sauce was an adjustment for the chili sauce in the beans and your tomatoes were an adjustment for the salsa! Sounds much healthier.

Does anybody know if you can make the cornbread without the sour cream, using oil and milk instead? I don't keep the vile stuff in the house, though I can live with it if it's cooked into a recipe.

Di - at the bottom of the recipe page for the Cornbread Bake, in the cooks tips, there is a recipe for cornbread that you can use w/o the sour cream. I used my own recipe, but modified it to include the sour cream, since I LOVE sour cream! (I buy mine in the huge tub at Costco!)

 

[pkd09]

I, too, loved the BLT Pasta. I am thinking of substituting shrimp for bacon for a Friday night dinner since it is lent. I have a lot of shows on Friday nights (ladies nite out) and sometimes we have an issue with deciding on a demo recipe at this time of year. Shows a lot of great product and is another great "one pot" meal. Plus it serves a lot!

 

[Jen1409]

I can't wait to make the jalopeno popper things

 

[TrishPCMommy]

I, too, loved the BLT Pasta. I am thinking of substituting shrimp for bacon for a Friday night dinner since it is lent. I have a lot of shows on Friday nights (ladies nite out) and sometimes we have an issue with deciding on a demo recipe at this time of year. Shows a lot of great product and is another great "one pot" meal. Plus it serves a lot!

During Lent, on my Friday Shows, I'll be doing the Loaded Baked Potato Chowder, especially since it's still a bit chilly outside, it's quick & easy...
The Kiwi-Lime Dessert Cups and Churros are an alternative for Ladies' Night (the Host can provide "adult beverages" or regular drinks).

 

[jestframes]

CHILI CORNBREAD RECIPE So my children are very picky- so I didn't add the bell peppers, or the onions and I seasoned the beef with seasoning salt and garlic salt, and just made the corn muffin mixture with the sour cream and egg. didnt add any seasoning (chipotle) - Did everything else the same. It tastes GREAT!

 

[Aunticooks]

okay, so when doing these recipes don't run back and forth from the counter to the stove to read the recipe!!!! I put in 2 tbsp of red pepper flakes instead of 1/2 tbs for the BLT pasta. OMG!!!! The DH loved it since he loves spicy things. Thank goodness I had my cold glass of wine to wash mine down with. Lots of great flavor but WOW what heat. LOL oh well, DH has lunch for tomorrow and I now know to read and prep ingredients first on not to fly around!!!! Other than that love the recipe and will be a fun one to "Play with" adding different proteins. ie chicken, sausage, shrimp.

 

[JAE]

Last night I made the Quesadilla cups with Nectarine Salsa. EXCELLENT! Not sure that it's a good show recipe because I don't like using the mini muffin pan and doing tedious things like pressing down the tortilla wedges or filling each one with salsa. BUT, they were so good, I might reconsider. PLUS, (Sorry for the capitalization, I'm just so excited about this recipe!) they only take 5-7 minutes to bake. I love that! I added up the product used, and surprisingly it came to $477.75 if using the stainless bowls instead of the batter bowl. That includes a SA platter for serving, too.

I also made the Quick Fudgy Brownies last week, and they were good. I used $421 worth of product and the ingredients were under $4 not including normal pantry items like flour, sugar, and baking powder. I baked them instead of microwaving them because I was taking them to a meeting rather than eating them right away. If a host wanted something extra at a show this would be a quick recipe to make up ahead and then place in the microwave towards the end of the presentation.

 

[BeckyC5830]

In the earlier posts about the Chili Cornbread Bake there was concern on how to pour off the juices. I put the smallest stainless colander in the sink to catch any meat that might fall out of the DCB. I carefully poured off the juices through the colander trying to be careful so most of it stayed in the DCB. Toward the end some meat fell into the colander, but no problem, just put it back into the DCB when it was all drained.

I felt that the Cornbread lacked something -- like 1/2-3/4 c. corn for some texture?? The second night I served it (leftovers) we had corn on the side and it was a nice compliment to the CCB.

Tomorrow I make the the Strawberry-Coconut Tres Leches Trifle for my Open House -- sounds so good. But could not find the Lady Fingers at the four grocery stores I stopped at -- so pound cake it will be.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Last night I made the Quesadilla cups with Nectarine Salsa. EXCELLENT! Not sure that it's a good show recipe because I don't like using the mini muffin pan and doing tedious things like pressing down the tortilla wedges or filling each one with salsa. BUT, they were so good, I might reconsider. PLUS, (Sorry for the capitalization, I'm just so excited about this recipe!) they only take 5-7 minutes to bake. I love that! I added up the product used, and surprisingly it came to $477.75 if using the stainless bowls instead of the batter bowl. That includes a SA platter for serving, too.

I also made the Quick Fudgy Brownies last week, and they were good. I used $421 worth of product and the ingredients were under $4 not including normal pantry items like flour, sugar, and baking powder. I baked them instead of microwaving them because I was taking them to a meeting rather than eating them right away. If a host wanted something extra at a show this would be a quick recipe to make up ahead and then place in the microwave towards the end of the presentation.

Yeah - that capitalization can be SO annoying. (hahahaha!)

I'm going to have to try the Quesadilla Cups - any tips?

 

[wadesgirl]

LOVE the churros! Really easy to put together. Want to try with the new apple sprinkles. I have never worked with puff pastry before so I put too much butter so some of them didn't puff up. The dip was good but I don't like coffee so if I make it again I'll leave that out. Even just the churros by themselves are really good!When I made the corn bread bake I lifted the DCB up by one end and moved the hamburger to the end up. Then used the mix n chop and a paper towel to clear the grease. I do like the colander idea but my dad would freak out if he knew I dumped the grease down the sink (long family story!).

 

[BethCooks4U]

When I made the chipolte chili corn bread bake I used 93% ground beef and didn't have any grease to drain off. If I had I would have used the baster to get it out rather than trying to juggle that hot stone... I L:love:OVE our baster and cleaning brush. Next time I make that recipe I'll use just 1 Tbsp of the chipolte though - it was a bit spicy for us.

 

[babywings76]

LOVE the churros! Really easy to put together. Want to try with the new apple sprinkles. I have never worked with puff pastry before so I put too much butter so some of them didn't puff up. The dip was good but I don't like coffee so if I make it again I'll leave that out. Even just the churros by themselves are really good!

When I made the corn bread bake I lifted the DCB up by one end and moved the hamburger to the end up. Then used the mix n chop and a paper towel to clear the grease. I do like the colander idea but my dad would freak out if he knew I dumped the grease down the sink (long family story!).

When I made the chipolte chili corn bread bake I used 93% ground beef and didn't have any grease to drain off. If I had I would have used the baster to get it out rather than trying to juggle that hot stone... I L:love:OVE our baster and cleaning brush. Next time I make that recipe I'll use just 1 Tbsp of the chipolte though - it was a bit spicy for us.

I used the same lean ground beef, but ended up with a ton of juices. I think they were actual juices, not grease. So in that instance I guess it would be fine to go down the drain. But you could use the colanders w/ bowls and then pour the drippings into a used can or something.

I actually just bought the baster to use for sucking up grease. I'm going to try it out and hope I like the results. My sister does it all the time and says it's so much nicer than using a spoon or straining food.

 

[wadesgirl]

I used the same lean ground beef, but ended up with a ton of juices. I think they were actual juices, not grease. So in that instance I guess it would be fine to go down the drain. But you could use the colanders w/ bowls and then pour the drippings into a used can or something.

I actually just bought the baster to use for sucking up grease. I'm going to try it out and hope I like the results. My sister does it all the time and says it's so much nicer than using a spoon or straining food.

Good idea!

 

[leftymac]

I just made the Chicken Tomato Pesto Flatbread and it's so delicious! Very quick, very easy, and I think it'd make a great show recipe. Cut it in smaller squares for appetizers, or larger ones for a main dish!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I just made the Chicken Tomato Pesto Flatbread and it's so delicious! Very quick, very easy, and I think it'd make a great show recipe. Cut it in smaller squares for appetizers, or larger ones for a main dish!

That picture is MUCH better than the Cheeseburger Turtles!

So - do you think this could be made with store-bought pesto? Not that I'm averse to making it, but in a moment of weakness, I bought the HUGE jar of pesto at Costco...just lookin' for ways to use it up!

 

[leftymac]

That picture is MUCH better than the Cheeseburger Turtles!

So - do you think this could be made with store-bought pesto? Not that I'm averse to making it, but in a moment of weakness, I bought the HUGE jar of pesto at Costco...just lookin' for ways to use it up!

Now come on..those cheeseburger turtles were so cute!! Creepy, but cute!

I'm sure it can be made with store-bought pesto. I don't see why not. Just mix that with the chicken and provolone (I used a mixture of mozzarella and provolone b/c that's all I could find). It did take two seconds to make the pesto at home, though. I did feel like I was cheating though b/c usually I use a food processor if making it.

 

[Jennie4PC]

I did the crunchy chicken tacos the other night and they were really good. My kids didnt like it but what is new. I bought the jicama in the produce isle at smiths and I live in a really small town. the closest mall is 3 hrs away =)

 

[heat123]

Chipoltle chili cornbread was a Winner at a family dinner!

I soo want to try the BLT pasta~ and pretty much all of the rest~

 

[leftymac]

I did the crunchy chicken tacos the other night and they were really good. My kids didnt like it but what is new. I bought the jicama in the produce isle at smiths and I live in a really small town. the closest mall is 3 hrs away =)

I live in New Jersey and the grocery store, while big, never seems to have the "weird" ingredients. We have an Asian supermarket, but there won't be jicama there. There isn't a hispanic market nearby that I know of.