Brown Soda Bread

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 45 - 50 minutes
Cool Time: 1 hour

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (February 2013)
Recipe Source: Cook's Country TV (Season 6)

For such a simple recipe, this was surprisingly good. Often these quick breads are just okay, but I really loved this one. The crust was super flavorful and the interior moist and but not gummy.

I have made this twice. The second time it took longer than 50 minutes to reach 195 degrees, and the top was getting extra brown. I had to put some foil on top to keep it from drying out.

It toasts up nicely and is still good for a few days.

Angel Biscuits

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Rise Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 14 minutes

Grade: B

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (August 2007)

These are biscuits with the rise from yeast and baking powder. I thought they were ok, but not as good as regular biscuits and not as good as some dinner rolls I've made. They can be made fairly quickly, but are more work and time than regular biscuits, so I won't be making again.

Meatballs for a Crowd (or your freezer)

Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes

Grade: A+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (November 2010)
Recipe Source: ATK TV (Season 12)
Recipe Source: Pasta Revolution

These are possibly the best meatballs I have ever had. They are a bit of work, but the recipe makes a huge amount of sauce and meatballs. I got 39 medium sized (less than 2") meatballs from the recipe.

I came very close to making these just ok meatballs, when I almost didn't add the proscuitto. I had to go to Trader Joe's to buy it and I didn't want to. But decided if I didn't, the salt would be off, and I didn't want to mess with the original recipe that much. I'm so glad I got it, because it really added a lot to the recipe.

My least favorite part of making these was grating the onion (1.25 cups). I might use the food processor for that next time. The tears were pouring out of me.

The meatballs are baked instead of pan-fried which is nice, because a lot of the fat renders out and it is a bit easier with so many. The sauce and meatballs are finished in the oven. They use 6 cups of tomato juice because supposedly the sauce cooks down. I only used 4 cups, and even took the cover off the last half hour, but still felt the sauce was a little thin. I would use less next time. but I like a thick sauce.

As I said, this made a lot. I have a lot of leftovers in the freezer, which makes me very happy. I will definitely use this recipe again, but not that often, since it makes so much. !

Twice Baked Potatoes with Cheddar and Scallions

Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Cool Time: 10 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes (while shells bake)
Cook Time: 10-15 minutes
Cool Time: 10 minutes

Grade: B-

Make Again: Maybe, with more seasoning

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 1999)

These are not hard to make, but take a lot of time. I did shortcut the cooking time a bit by using the microwave to kick-start the potatoes.

The mixture tasted very delicious before I baked the potatoes the second time. But the final product tasted a bit bland for some reason, like it was under-seasoned. I was a little disappointed after the work. They weren't bad at all, but I'm not sure the effort is worth it. I might just prefer adding all the good stuff to a regular baked potato.

Buttermilk-Thyme Drop Biscuits

Prep Time: 9 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe
  Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2005)

These are lighter biscuits with only 4 T of butter to the recipe. The thyme adds flavor though, and I liked these. I'm not sure I will make again, since there are so many good biscuit recipes.

I should mention I used 1/2 t. of thyme instead of the full t. I think the flavor would have been too strong with the full amount.

These biscuits were really good with the Chicken Barley soup.

Tall and Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits

Prep Time: 12 minutes
Bake Time: 22 minutes
Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (July 2004)

Other bloggers have the full recipe here or here.

These biscuits are probably the ones I  have made the most out of all biscuit recipes. They are a little lighter than most biscuits with less butter (4T per 12 biscuits). They almost end up like dinner rolls, but they are extremely easy to make. The only negative is that it can get a little messy tossing these in the flour before you put them in the pan. The recipe calls for adding 2T of butter to the top. I always add just 1T, which seems enough. This recipe without any butter at all on top, was put into the Best Light Recipe, and I think each biscuit has about 125 calories, which is pretty good for a biscuit!

I've made this recipe so many times, I'm shocked I haven't reviewed it yet. It is definitely a good way to use up buttermilk and because these are a little bit lighter (at least for biscuits) it is a good recipe to have.

Buttermilk Biscuits (Lighter)

Prep Time: 75 minutes (1 hour from freezing some ingredients)
Cook Time: 17-20 minutes

Grade:B+
Make Again: Maybe
Recipe Source: Light & Healthy 2010

These were good, and very pretty, but I probably won't make them again. They were very flaky, I guess thanks to freezing the light cream cheese and butter. But I missed the buttery flavor from the other biscuits I make. And with 10,000 other biscuit recipes, I think I will just use one of the others.  The Tall and Fluffy biscuits are lighter than most biscuits and I will use those when I want something light. (I just looked for a link to my review of that recipe and can't find it. I can't believe I wouldn't have reviewed this one.  Coming soon, hopefully.)

One interesting thing from trying this recipe. The recipe tells you to arrange them upside down. The tops looked much nicer and smoother, and I thought they would be prettier, so I only turned about half upside down. It turns out there is a reason. The upside down biscuits rose considerably higher. (See photo above - the one on the left was turned upside down, the right one was not.) I guess I should know that they don't tell you to do something if there isn't a reason.

Update: I froze the leftovers, and reheated some today for dinner. I liked them better today. Not sure why that is. I may or may not make these again. So many biscuit recipes, and so many that I probably prefer over this one. 

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Bake Time: 22-25 minutes
Cool Time: 20 minutes plus more out of pan

Grade: A-

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (June 2007)

I just made blueberry muffins recently, but I'm still trying to use up frozen blueberries that I have from last summer.  I never even bought any this year.

If I were grading on taste alone, these would get an A+.  They are delicious.  However, there was way too much streusel and  I ended up using only about 2/3 of because I knew it was going to fall off the muffins and be wasted anyway.  I love streusel, but hate the mess when it falls off.  And also it just adds calories that aren't necessarily appreciated.  I think enough to cover in one layer is enough to give the textures and flavor, but more isn't worth it.

Here is only part of the mess.  There is more on the counter and floor. It just seems like a waste to me when it all falls off.

I have another recipe for a coffee cake with blueberries that I will stick to because it ends up being less messy, and probably easier to make, even though this one was very, very good.

Cornmeal Biscuits

Prep Time: 23 minutes
Bake Time: 13-15 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (February 2009)

This taste great, although most biscuits do.  I've never had cornmeal biscuits before, but I love cornmeal, so I knew I would like these.  However, even though you soak the cornmeal, I still found the biscuits to be a tad gritty.

Also, I feel like 12 T of butter is a lot, even for biscuits.  Most biscuits use 8 T per 2 c. flour, and still taste quite buttery. 

I did struggle with the dough a bit - it was too sticky for me to knead.  I'm guessing that is the reason these didn't rise as much as they should have. 

I may make these again, but since they take a little longer than my other biscuit recipes, I'm not sure if it will happen or not.  Maybe if there is something that I think would really go well with the cornmeal flavor.  They would probably be great with Chili, of course, so maybe then.

Best Blueberry Muffin

Prep Time: 32 minutes
Bake Time: 16-18 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (May 2009)
Recipe: America's Test Kitchen TV Show  (Season 10)

I have to say once more that I really like the ATK TV show website. (It's free but you must register first.)  It is really nice to go watch the video before I start the recipe.  The videos are usually around 8-10 minutes, and well worth the time since it will answer many questions you might have while following the recipe.  Not that CI's recipes aren't complete - they are. But they can be long with small print, and I sometimes miss things!

Anyway, the video helped me know how the sugar and eggs should look, how the jam should look, and how to really get the jam into the muffin.

Yes, these take a little longer than many muffin recipes, because you have to make a little blueberry jam, and then swirl it in.  However, I feel that these are worth the effort.  I love the lemon sugar topping.

I do think they could handle a few more blueberries in the regular batter.  Not a lot more, but maybe 1/4 c. more total.

I froze these and took some out for a road trip last week.  The crunchy sugary topping (made from sugar and lemon zest) wasn't all sparkly like it was when they were fresh, but it was still crunchy and very good.  

Chocolate Peppermint Cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 45-60 minutes
Cool Time: 1 hour
Glaze Time: 10 minutes
Rest Time: 1 hour

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (December 2004)

I made this for desert on Christmas Eve, and it went over very well. Even my 3 year old neice said "this is very good!" The mint is only in the frosting, so it could be skipped. The cake is very moist and dense, almost like a brownie. I didn't do a good job with the glaze, I don't think I really got the boiled cream to the chocolate fast enough, and it wasn't super smooth. Then I went back and tried to even out a part, which made it look even less smooth. It can be very pretty and shiny when done correctly.

Chicken Pot Pie (Lighter)

Prep Time: 60 minutes ???
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: The Best Light Recipe

You would probably be surprised if you tasted this, that it was considered light. It has a very rich taste to it, and the biscuits on top taste buttery. They are made with 4 T of butter and buttermilk and it is enough to make them still taste great.

I'm not sure about my prep time. I believe I got most of the prep work done for everything including the biscuit ingredients done in 35 minutes. However, the cooking of the chicken always takes a long time. I finally cut the breasts into smaller pieces. But the waiting, shredding and moving pieces around while I tried to get it all cooked probably took me more than half an hour. I believe that if the chicken cooked faster, the entire thing would have been put together quicker. I'd say 35 minutes, plut 10-15 cooking time, plus another 10 to shred the chicken, thicken the sauce, and assemple the dish.

Anyway, this is a good one and I will probably compare to the original (non-light version) this summer. But I will make this again, for sure.

P.S. I forgot to take a picture, so the above is leftovers (which is why the peas looks dingy!) The leftovers are still really good, the biscuit is just not as crispy on top.

Strawberry Scones

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (June 2005)

These were good and tasty, however, getting the strawberries into the dough didn't work great for me. They got a little mushy. I really prefer the "Best Blueberry Scone" recipes, which is wonderful (but I have not added here yet.)

Rieska

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 15-20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Whole Grain Baking

Rieska? I had no idea what this was, but decided to try it because I had some rye flour to use up. This is a great recipe. Super easy, like all quick breads, but different. It is a cross between a biscuit and a quick-bread really. It doesn't use a ton of butter, but enough to give it that biscuit-y taste. And it is all whole grains, so a nice way to get them in when you want something more biscuit like. (I tried making whole wheat biscuits before, and was not that impressed.)

I calculated that my 3x2.5 inch squares (15 from a 9 x 13 pan) had only about 100 calories, which is not bad! I think these would be excellent for serving with soup. I also think it might be great for making little breakfast sandwiches, since the bread is kind of flat.

The recipe in the book, made a huge amount to be baked in a 13x18 jelly roll pan. I made a half recipe, which I will probably stick to. However, if serving a crowd, it might be a good recipe to use if you want to make something to serve with soup or chili.

Actually, looking at the recipe now, I realize that I left out the regular all-purpose flour (it called for 1/2 c. per half recipe) in addition to the rye flour, whole wheat flour and oatmeal. I didn't miss it at all, and might just skip it next time.

Peanut Butter Muffins

Prep Time: 18 minutes
Cook Time: 22 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Whole Grain Baking

I had high hopes for this recipe, but it wasn't quite as great as I thought it would be. I could tell that the muffins were made with whole wheat, I think. However, the frozen muffins tasted better to me, so maybe I like them more than I first thought. They were not as sweet as I thought they might be. I did not add the optional chocolate chips and that might have helped!

Gingerbread Muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 18-22 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (Dec 2006)

Yes, I've been baking a lot lately. My freezer is getting full. But there will be a time coming up where I won't have time to bake as much and it will be good to have my stash then. I especially like to have muffins for a quick breakfast I can take to work or a snack before a workout.

I don't usually like gingerbread, even though I love ginger and spicy cookies. It is just my non-love of cake, I guess. But I do like muffins, so I tried these. And they were very good, moist and flavorful with all the spices. I like that they are made with dark brown sugar and you don't need to get out the molasses. These are not light, 1 1/2 c. of brown sugar and a full stick of butter for 12 muffins. I'm sure that is part of the reason why they are so good!

Honey-Whole Wheat Biscuits

Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 20-22 minutes

Grade: B-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Whole Grain Baking

At first when I tasted these, I wasn't sure if I really liked them. The one thing that bothers me is that the butter flavor is not very pronounced, and since this recipe calls for a full stick of butter, I want to be able to detect it. I had even brushed the tops with a little melted butter. But the taste of the wheat was stronger, so the butter flavor was not as strong.

But these do really taste good - just different than what I was expecting. I'm freezing the leftovers, and I will try to report back on how they taste.

I was impressed with the ability of these to create those flaky layers that I love in biscuits.

Update: I didn't love the reheated biscuits as much, and when I do other biscuits (with regular flour) I do usually still like them almost as much as the orignals. So, I probably won't make these again. I think I want a lighter texture and flavor with biscuits.

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Muffins A to Z

This recipe called for 1 c. vegetable oil, which seemed like it might be a misprint. Most of the other muffin recipes call from 1/3 to 1/2 c. of fat, so I only used a 1/2 cup. The batter was very liquidy that way, so maybe it really was a misprint. These are really delicious muffins - cinnamon and apple flavors with a touch of maple syrup.

I would definitely make these again, but next time I need to make sure I use paper cups, because I had a hard time getting these out of the pan.

Almond Crumb Cake Muffins

Prep Time: 17 minutes
Cook Time: 22-25 minutes

Grade: B-

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Muffins A to Z

These muffins were good, but just not my favorite, because the base of them, was rather plain and more cake-like than muffin like for me. I did like the topping though, and I had forgotten about the idea of using melted butter for the crumb. It allows you to use less butter and makes the topping easier to put on top of the muffins. I first saw that idea in the Best Light Recipe (from Cook's Illustrated) and I should use it more often.

Spice Cake

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 32-35 minutes
Cool Time: 2 hours
Frosting: 10 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 2008)
Recipe: America's Test Kitchen TV Show (Season 9)

I really liked this, but I'm not sure if it was a hit with the rest of my family. I didn't get any positive comments. It is very flavorful, but I might have over baked it just a tiny bit.

I love the frosting on this, and it is similar to the Carrot Cake frosting but uses some of the spices from the cake instead of sour cream. It does take a little bit longer to make because of browning some butter and blooming the spices in it, but I think that bit of extra effort is worth it.