Recipe Reviews! Week 2

This week's recipe choices stemmed from the ingredients I had leftover from Week 1, which was mainly turkey, cabbage, celery, and rice. I'll begin the recipes with...

Stuffed Peppers

The recipe on the left was my Grandma's; the recipe on the right was one Jason found online when he decided to make Stuffed Peppers last year. The recipes are very similar, although Jason and I didn't think the online recipe to be that good when he made it a year ago. I did deviate from Grandma's recipe and used
red and yellow bell peppers instead of green, because that's what I had on hand.

(The picture of my plated serving was not very attractive.)

The Honest Review: It was good, but we didn't think it was amazing. Some dislikes that we had was the bread crumb topping; there was just way to much of it. And, I don't ever remember having the bread crumb topping as a kid. I also thought the ratio of rice to meat was unbalanced. Grandma's recipe is staying in our collection, but we are tossing the online recipe.

Alterations for next time: add more spices, especially garlic; increase the amount of meat (or decrease the amount of rice); use red and yellow peppers again; use 1/4 amount of the bread crumb topping, definitely no more than 1/2 the amount, and letting the backs of the peppers shine through to maybe get a bit of a roasted pepper effect.

Turkey Chowder

I have never seen this recipe before, and was unsure of whether we would like it, or not. I used chicken broth, although I didn't have quite enough, and added ham broth to finish it off. (Again, using what I already had on hand.) For the vegetable, I used baby lima beans.

(Let me remind you, if you're looking for pictures of pretty foods, see Miriam.)

The Honest Review: I didn't know what to expect, and wasn't quite sure what I thought of it. It was good, but different. Jason said it would be better with clams, but that it was good. This recipe is staying in our collection.

Alterations for next time: try it with clams; add garlic.

Meatballs

I served these with spaghetti noodles and a version of mushroom sauce using: basic white sauce, cream of mushroom soup, and mascarpone cheese. I did start out browning the meatballs in a skillet, but for sake of time, I ended up just putting them in the oven as the recipe said.

And a side of basic green beans.

The Honest Review: They were really good!! They are a simple, but really good meatball. Because they don't have a lot of different spices in them, they would compliment any great sauce recipe. Jason requested them with spaghetti sauce next time. Skillet browning does give them that nice "edge," for lack of a better word, but the oven method works just fine. This recipe is staying in our collection.

 Turkey Turnovers

(Which has a front and a back to the recipe.)

Turkey Turnovers cont.

This recipe was one of my favorites when I was a kid, and I haven't had them in a long time. I wondered if they would be as good as I remembered, or if I would be disappointed.

The Honest Review: They are delicious! Just as I remembered them being! Jason and Pumpkin also approved wholeheartedly. The recipe is a little labor intensive, but very worth it. The turnover crust is very flakey and yummy, and the filling is delicious by itself, too. This recipe is staying in our collection.

Baked Asparagus

I made this as a side to go with the Turkey Turnovers (pictured above). We all love asparagus. I had found another recipe to try, but wasn't sure if Jason would appreciate me deviating from the "norm." Maybe next time.

The Honest Review: We like asparagus, and we like garlic! So, of course we liked this recipe! I have actually made asparagus just like this, only grilling it, or broiling it in the oven. We prefer the grill or broil method, but baking it in the oven works just fine, too. This recipe is staying in our collection.

Crunchy Cabbage

This recipe comes out of my Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. I had cabbage leftover from making the Braised Pork Chops with Cabbage and Apples last week, and was looking for some way to fix it with ingredients I already had. And, I was hoping to find a recipe that didn't take vinegar, for Jason's sake.

(It might look prettier if it was made with green cabbage.)

The Honest Review: Jason and I both thought it was good, but different; Little Pumpkin seemed to like it. I think some folks would find if delicious. Jason said he wouldn't eat "just that," and I told him it was supposed to be a side dish, not the main dish. This recipe will stay in our collection at this time. 

Molasses Crinkles

I'll make a confession here: I did not actually make these last week. I made them in December, and had some left in the freezer. I wanted to post a dessert recipe, but didn't have the ingredients to make one. So, this filled the need this week! (And my sweet tooth!) If I remember correctly, I tend to use closer to the 3/4 cup amount of shortening; just 1/2 cup seems to be a bit too dry, and the dough won't form a nice ball. The dough is sticky, and your hands will be, too, after rolling all the dough balls. But, when rolling the dough balls, it should form into a nice, smooth ball; not an icky-sticky, doughy ball.

The Honest Review: Delicious!!! You can't go wrong with these cookies. They are not a gingersnap, so they don't "snap." When baked right (meaning, taken out of the oven when the tops start splitting, and left sitting on the cookie sheet to finish baking for a minute or two), they are moist on the inside with just a little crisp to the outer edges. This recipe is staying in our collection.