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.

• Gumbo

  • sarahawker on September 02, 2023

    Really solid recipe. I did not have okra on hand and used green beans and my family loved it. Otherewise followed recipe to the letter.

  • anya_sf on February 06, 2024

    I didn't have time to make the roux in the oven, just used the stovetop (1/2 c oil, 1/2 c flour). I only had 6 oz sausage, 3 small boneless, skinless chicken thighs, and 10 oz langoustine tails, but used a whole pound of frozen okra, so the gumbo had more veg and less meat, but we liked it. I wasn't sure about the fish sauce, but it provided a depth of flavor without being identifiable.

• New Orleans muffulettas

  • Shewi128 on May 14, 2024

    This was delicious. I couldn't find spicy capicola, so some spice was missing from the sandwich. If you can find it, it would probably be better. Anyways, this was easy to make ahead of time and impressive with looks and flavor. I'll definitely make this again.

• 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.

• Oklahoma fried onion burgers

  • sarahawker on July 23, 2022

    This was simple and very tasty. Ext time season the beef before forming the balls and smashing. I did use one full pound of beef for four burgers

• Glazed meatloaf

  • sarahawker on March 09, 2021

    Simple, tastes like a throw-back to 1970's classic meatloaves. The glaze being applied in multiple steps seems a bit fussy but it's not a ton of extra work. We did have a lot of extra glaze leftover that I'll be looking for ways to use.

• Classic tomato soup

  • taste24 on December 15, 2020

    This is my favorite tomato soup recipe. The baking soda is ingenious... excellent recipe.

• 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.

  • sarahawker on September 02, 2023

    Pretty good rendition of the chili I've had in Cincinnati but I had forgotten quite how mild it is. My family added chopped hot peppers and hot sauce. Not quite what we think of as chili but a decent pasta sauce.

  • gamulholland on July 05, 2025

    I’ve been making this for years, and it’s delicious. I send it with a package of spaghetti and some shredded Cheddar for anyone who’s had a baby or surgery or any other reason to need a meal— it freezes well. Notes: I doubled the garlic. The onions take longer to cook than it says. And for anyone who says it’s not chili: you’re correct. It’s a northern Greek/ Macedonian meat sauce brought to the U.S. by immigrants in the late 1800’s/ early 1900’s and labeled as chili to sell to American customers. It’s just a really good spaghetti sauce, basically. :)

• Colorado green chili

  • Shewi128 on March 12, 2021

    This is such a good recipe. The one weakness this recipe has is roasting the chiles. If you over-roast them, they get too crispy and you can't peel off the skin. Other than that, the recipe is perfection.

• Crunchy potato wedges

  • twoyolks on March 24, 2013

    The crust for these is very reminiscent of fried chicken.

  • Shewi128 on August 28, 2023

    I would give these 5/5 stars for flavor & crunchiness... but only 3.5 total for the fact that the 2nd breading attempt did not work all the time. Some of the potato wedges ended up bald after the dip in the buttermilk. It was also a huge hassle for the breading process. I don't think I'd make them again for that reason alone.

• 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

• Duchess potatoes

  • Shewi128 on July 08, 2022

    For whatever reason, we did not love this mashed potato casserole dish. The texture wasn't right, maybe? I wouldn't make it again.

• Syracuse salt potatoes

  • Shewi128 on January 10, 2020

    Easy and delicious, but obviously on the salty side.

• Easy chicken tacos

  • Shewi128 on January 10, 2020

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

  • 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.

• Easier chicken chimichangas

  • Shewi128 on July 11, 2024

    I like that this recipe is personalizeable. I used some extra shredded pork instead of chicken. Also, their technique of sealing the tortillas is legit.

• Tex-Mex cheese enchiladas

  • Shewi128 on February 25, 2026

    I've made this a few times, and it is a hit every time. It isn't very difficult, and the sauce is 100x better than canned enchilada sauce.

• 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.

  • Shewi128 on July 11, 2022

    The sauce makes this dish. However, you only put it on after the chicken is done cooking, so it wasn't glued to the chicken as much as I'd like. One thing is that the sauce took double the amount of time to thicken down to 1 cup. Also, I didn't use whole chicken, but chicken thighs with skin and bones instead.

• 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.

• Green chile cheesburgers

  • sarahawker on September 02, 2023

    Put this one into rotation. I have a huge amount of jalapenos from CSA and garden plot. This has just enough spice to keep it interesting without overwhelming the taste of the burger.

• Chinese-style glazed pork tenderloin

  • Shewi128 on November 21, 2022

    Wow--we liked this more than expected. Everybody finished their portions, even the kids. Be careful to not overcook the pork on the grill as it can be easy with the butterflied tenderloin. I would make this again.

• Wood-grilled salmon

  • twoyolks on May 28, 2013

    The salmon became much too smokey.

• Spicy home fry grilled potato hobo packs

  • Shewi128 on May 11, 2024

    This was an easy summer-style meal. We added andouille sausage, and it made it an almost-one "dish" meal. I'd make this again.

• 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.

• 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.

• Brown soda bread

  • Shewi128 on January 10, 2020

    Tastes like a giant bland pancake.

• Spicy cheese bread

  • taste24 on December 15, 2020

    LOVE this bread... it's a process, but fun to make. It is a take on the Spicy Cheese Bread from Stella's Bakery in Madison, WI.

• Hot fudge pudding cake

  • Partyof7 on February 16, 2021

    Delicious. So quick and easy to have ready for right after dinner. Fabulous with vanilla ice cream!

• Baked apple dumplings

  • Shewi128 on October 12, 2021

    Worth the tedious nature of measuring out the dough. Really delicious!

• Sour orange pie

  • Shewi128 on July 07, 2022

    Tasted exactly like it sounds--sour orange with a hint of lemon. It was a simple but good pie. I don't know if I'd make it again, but mostly because these kinds of pies aren't my favorite.

• Mississippi mud pie

  • Shewi128 on August 08, 2022

    My husband has declared this the best recipe and chocolate dessert ever. He is a chocoholic, so it works for him. For me, it is incredibly rich, and one slice is too much. However, the crust, brownie, mousse, and crunchy wafer topping combo just hits all the right notes for chocolate lovers.

• Whole-wheat blueberry muffins

  • sarahawker on June 30, 2024

    Beautiful tall muffins. Nice texture and sweetness. I subbed the buttermilk for a mix of yogurt and milk. Make again.

• French coconut pie

  • kshell on April 11, 2026

    Omitted the extra yolk. Custard was cooked just shy of 40 minutes. The weight measure for the coconut is far from the volume measure. I really packed it in and got 3 oz. and I don't think I would have wanted more coconut in the filling. It was just right.