7/19/2004
Recipe Critiques
It’s that time again when grandmother posts recipes and gives her honest critique of the result. Copy those that you may like or follow grandmother’s suggestions and prepare only those she liked.
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Banana Cream Delight
3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
1/2 c. flour
2/3 c. finely chopped walnuts
1(8 oz) pkg. cream cheese; softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1(8 oz) container frozen whipped topping(evenly divided)
3 cups milk
1 (small pkg.)banana cream flavor instant pudding
2 bananas
Preheat oven to 350. In medium bowl, cream margarine and flour. Add walnuts, and blend thoroughly. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13" baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool.Mix cream cheese with powdered sugar then add 4 ounces frozen topping and blend. Spread mixture over cooled crust. In medium bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Pour over cheese mixture.Slice bananas and place on top of pudding. Carefully spread remaining 4 ounces of frozen whipped topping over all. Refrigerate for several hours before serving
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Rating, out of possible 5=4.8
Husband LOVES this concoction and it is simple enough to make. I’d consider using a prepared graham cracker crust instead of baking one as the recipe instructs. I am not a big fan of these kind of things thus a deduction of .2 from perfect.
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IMPOSSIBLE CHEESEBURGER PIE
1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
1/2 cup Original Bisquick
1 cup milk
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch pie plate. Cook beef andonion until beef is brown; drain. Spread in pie plate; sprinkle withsalt and cheese. Stir in remaining ingredients until blended. Pour intopie plate. Bake about 25 mins or until knife inserted in center comesout clean. Cool 5 mins.+++++
Rating out of possible 5=3.5
These sort of “impossible” pies were all the rage once and the recipes were generally found on boxes of Bisquick. The notion is that the “crust” bakes up like magic and in the process embraces the ingredients in the recipe. Which does happen in this recipe but I was a bit unimpressed with the results. Remembering that I am adult. Kids will love this recipe.
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Lemonade Cake
1 box Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
1 sm. box lemon Jello
3/4 c. boiling water
4 eggs
3/4 c. Crisco oil
1 sm. can frozen lemonade
1/2 c. sugar
Mix Jello and boiling water until dissolved. Let cool. In large bowl mixcake mix, eggs, oil and Jello mixture. Mix with a spoon, not a mixer.Spray bundt pan with Baker's Joy. Spoon in cake mixture.Bake at 325degrees for 1 hour, without opening oven door.In a small bowl mix frozenlemonade and sugar together. Then pour or spoon over cake as soon as itcomes out of the oven. Then allow to cool before cutting.++++
Rating-out of a possible 5=5
I’m giving this cake the entire five point rating because, well I ate every piece of it though it took ten days. Still, it’s simple, moist and yes it uses a pre-packaged cake mix (I did not use Duncan Hines; I used what I had on hand) but the tweaking in the recipe is a fine one.
I skipped the part with the frozen lemonade “icing” because I was too lazy. Instead I sprinkled some confectioners’ sugar over the bundt cake and it was good, moist and not overly sweet.
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Greek Pastitsio
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1/4 tsp. pepper
8 oz. elbow macaroni
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1/8 tsp. oregano
1/4 cup flour
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can tomato puree
3 cups milk
1 lg. onion, finely chopped
3 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Prepare macaroni according to directions. Rinse with cold water; drain.Stir flour into melted butter in a heavy saucepan. Gradually stir inmilk & cook until thickened, stirring occasionally. Cover & cool thewhite sauce. Brown the ground beef & onion in a large fry pan. Pour offdrippings. Sprinkle salt, pepper, cinnamon, & oregano over beef. Stir intomato puree & cook slowly for 10 mins. Beat together egg, & 1/3 cup ofparmesan cheese. Gently stir in macaroni. Gradually stir in 2 cups ofthe white sauce into the macaroni mixture. Place 1/2 macaroni mixtureinto a buttered 11-3/4 x 7-1/2 inch baking dish. Spoon beef mixture inan even layer over macaroni. Place remaining macaroni mixture over thebeef. Pour remaining white sauce over the top. Bake in moderate 375°F. oven for 20 mins. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese, & continuebaking 20-25 mins, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.Let stand 15 mins before cutting into squares. Makes 6 servings.* you can also substitute 1/4 tsp. nutmeg for 1/4 tsp. cinnamon - i findit comes out less "sweet" tasting this way. **Can be doubled**++++
Rating out of a possible 5=4
When I first saw this recipe I knew I would like it. And I did. Except, not so much as I thought at first. I wanted the noodles to have more of a béchamel type taste. Frankly I think the result of the recipe is not worth the work involved in preparation though I’d keep the recipe on hand when Greek friends come to dinner.
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Sicilian Meat Roll
3/4 cup bread crumbs
2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup tomato juice
2 tablespoons snipped parsley
1/2 teaspoon oregano, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 pounds lean ground beef
8 thin slices boiled ham
6 ozs. (2 cups) shredded mozzarella
Combine eggs, bread crumbs, tomato juice, parsley, oregano, salt, pepperand garlic. Stir in ground beef, mixing well. On foil or waxed paper,pat meat into a 12 x 10 inch rectangle. Arrange ham slices atop meat,leaving a small margin around edges. Sprinkle shredded cheese over ham.Starting from short end, carefully roll up meat, using foil or paper tolift; seal edges and ends. Place roll, seam side down, in 13 x 9 x 2inch baking pan. Bake in 350F oven for 1 hr, 15 mins or till done.(Center of meat will be pink due to ham.) Place cheese wedges over topof roll; return to oven for 5 mins or till cheese melts. +++++
Rating out of possible 5=4.6
This is a great way to serve a “meatloaf” kind of meal with a little pizzazz. Also makes great sandwiches. Put this recipe in your “dependable” file.
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Egg Noodle Lasagne
6-1/2 cups uncooked wide egg noodles
3 tblspoons butter
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
2 ¼ cups spaghetti sauce
6 ounces process cheese (velveeta) cubed
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Add butter and toss to coat. In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Spread a fourth of the spaghetti sauce in an ungreased 5 qt. sLow cooker. Layer with a third of the noodles, a third of the beef, a third of the remaining sauce and a third of the cheeses. Repeat layers twice.
Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until cheese is melted and lasagna is heated through. Yield: 12-16 servings.
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Rating out of possible 5-4.3
I love pasta and believe firmly that no-carb diets should be outlawed. This pasta meal, hey it was easy to make and kids would love it.
Though I like it too, I was bored with it after the first eating. I do cook for only myself and my husband and re-heating comprises quite a bit of my cooking skills. Not that I’m proud of that.
But I can cook a big batch of my spaghetti and eat it all week. This dish didn’t appeal after the first tasting. But yes, I’d make it again for its simplicity.
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