Notes about Recipes in this book

• Sweet and sour sauce

  • twoyolks on October 24, 2012

    I used apricot jam in place of the apple jelly. I think apple jelly would be superior to the apricot jam. Because of the sweetness of the jam, I needed to add additional white vinegar.

• Chicken chow mein

  • hbakke on November 24, 2019

    I left out the mushrooms and sprouts and used a thicker yakisoba noodle, but this turned out well. The chicken prep was kind of strange and I'm not sure it made that big of a difference. I would make this again with additional celery and carrots.

• Cincinnati chili

  • Rinshin on May 18, 2015

    Was intrigued by this recipe after watching the show. Never lived in Midwest so never heard of this unique American style of combing chili and pasta. Loved it. I made it Chili 5 ways.

• Crunchy potato wedges

  • twoyolks on March 24, 2013

    The crust for these is very reminiscent of fried chicken.

• Crispy potato tots

  • twoyolks on October 24, 2012

    These turn out very reminiscent of the hash browns from McDonald's.

• Beer-battered onion rings

  • damazinah on March 26, 2016

    Very good, batter cooks up light & crispy.

• Crispy baked potato fans

  • chawkins on January 10, 2014

    Impressive looking baked hasselback potatoes and pretty tasty to boot. Seemed like a lot of work but was actually quite simple. I was pretty liberal with the olive oil when brushing it on the potatoes, but somehow the potatoes did not seem to be able to soak it all up, there were little puddles left on the pan, so will use less oil next time.

• Whipped potatoes

  • Shewi128 on January 10, 2020

    Easy and delicious. Makes a HUGE portion

• Syracuse salt potatoes

  • Shewi128 on January 10, 2020

    Easy and delicious, but obviously on the salty side.

• Easy chicken tacos

  • taste24 on June 18, 2020

    These chicken tacos are DELICIOUS. One of my regular rotations. I like to double the sauce, so it makes the chicken extra flavorful and moist. Side note: I do not like cilantro, so don't include it.

  • Shewi128 on January 10, 2020

    The chipotle was overpowering, and I overall did not like the combo with the orange.

• Authentic beef enchiladas

  • twoyolks on June 27, 2013

    Instead of simply braising the beef, I pressure cooked it at high pressure for 50 minutes. I also made sure to season the meat after it had been cooked. I only ended up with 10 enchiladas instead of 12.

• Baked manicotti with meat sauce

  • hbakke on October 13, 2019

    Fantastic meal. This makes a ton of sauce. It spilled over a bit in the oven because the dish was so full. I would make this again with more garlic and at least double the amount of red pepper flake in the sauce. The recipe describes the sauce as "spicy" from the pepperoni addition, but it was not spicy in the slightest. Don't forget to season the meat sauce before putting it in the baking dish. I nearly did that.

• Huli huli chicken

  • Rinshin on September 18, 2020

    The last time I made this I had to oven bake due to weather and this time cooked on grill outside. Sticky and delicious with that Hawaiian taste coming through from pineapple juice. Again reduced the garlic chile sauce and it was plenty spicy for us. Brined for 6 hours and that was perfect. Served with Hawaiian macaroni salad and Japanese style cabbage, pak choi, and corned beef saute. Photo added.

• California barbecued tri-tip

  • twoyolks on May 18, 2013

    I cooked the beef in a marinade sous vide. Then chilled it and cooked it on the grill. Because it was a thinner piece, it ended up overcooked. It did have good flavor but would be better only cooked on the grill.

• Wood-grilled salmon

  • twoyolks on May 28, 2013

    The salmon became much too smokey.

• Amish potato salad

  • Rinshin on April 14, 2014

    Simple and tasty. The balance between tart and sweet is spot on. The inclusion of sour cream tempers the sweet/tart flavor perfectly. Having lived in the Amish area in during my teen years, I have many fond memories of food from the area and this one reminded me of those simpler times. I know they were going for the traditional taste, but I wish they added green onion as a topping for color and taste. Otherwise, I plan to repeat this recipe with just minor changes.

• Ranch potato salad

  • taste24 on July 09, 2020

    Absolutely loved this. Not too difficult to make. I subbed parsley for the cilantro and added 1 extra clove of garlic. The dijon & vinegar mixture that gets mixed with the cooked potatoes before cooling is sharp after you taste the finished product, but it's not a bad thing. The salad paired perfectly with the grease and cheese of grilled cheeseburgers.

• Cat head biscuits

  • damazinah on January 17, 2016

    Really good biscuit, easy to make, and as the recipe warns, they're huge - definitely as big as a cat's head!

• Morning glory muffins

  • chawkins on March 17, 2013

    They are good muffins but not sure if they are worth all that work. Coconut and walnuts need to be toasted and then processed to a fine powder in the processor, pineapple and shredded apple need to be strained and resulting juice cooked down and cooled before everything is combined.

• Brown soda bread

  • Shewi128 on January 10, 2020

    Tastes like a giant bland pancake.

• Italian cream cake

  • Piebaker on November 27, 2016

    An excellent, attractive cake. Will make again. Light and very flavorful. Awesome icing. Four and a half stars because the coconut flavor is too subtle. Cream of coconut in the frosting is overpowered by the cream cheese. In the cake, ground toasted coconut adds depth of flavor, but is overshadowed by the pecans. Frosting: instructions call for creaming the butter and confectioners' sugar, adding cream of coconut and then chunks of cream cheese. Even with softened cream cheese, some small lumps remained after the required mixing time. Next time I will remove the butter-sugar mixture from the bowl, add the cream cheese and beat smooth, then add the butter-sugar mixture in gradually. If you have access, it is worth watching the video to see how they assemble and frost the cake. Pecans: I chopped the pecans more finely for the cake than the ones pressed on the outside of the frosted cake and was pleased with the results. Fresh pecans are a must, I got mine by mail order.

• Cider-braised pork roast

  • Shewi128 on January 10, 2020

    Literally one of the most perfect pork roasts I've ever eaten.