This dish was delicious, but I felt like it needed a little more flavor. I used a low-sodium chicken broth (my friend made this and said it came out too salty with regular chicken broth) and I added 1 tbsp of cinnamon (instead of 1/4 tsp) and 1/2 tsp of ground ginger (instead of 1/8 tsp). It gave it a more savory flavor. The cinnamon croutons were a perfect touch as well. I wasn't going to make them, but was so glad I did!
I love this recipe! It was my first attempt at risotto and was a success. I've made a few modifications and it still comes out fantastic! I seemed to not have a lot of the ingredients called for, so I made a lot of adjustments. In place of a shallot, I used a small yellow onion. I also added a clove of garlic when cooking the onion. After the onion and garlic were lightly browned, I added panchetta (Italian cured bacon), but 2 slices of chopped bacon would work as well. I didn't have chicken broth, but I had chicken boullions and made chicken broth by adding one to hot water. I also did not have chives on hand, but I had fresh basil, so I chopped up a few leaves after adding the last cup of chicken broth (dried basil will also do). Even with all of these substitutions, the risotto was still so delicious. Don't let a lack of ingredients stop you from making a great dish! This recipe can be modified to your liking. Enjoy!
I love these squares - I have to limit myself to one per sitting because they are so good, it's hard to stop! I made this twice. The first time, I did not have a candy thermometer on hand and undercooked the caramel. It was still very yummy, but the caramel oozed when trying to cut into the squares. The second time, I had a candy thermometer and cooked the caramel to the firm ball stage, but the mistake I made was using a little dark corn syrup - I was running low on light corn syrup. This altered the overall flavor. They were still good, but the taste was not as light. Lastly, to help with the smoothness of the chocolate on top, I added 1 tbsp + 1 tsp of shortening to the chocolate chips as I melted them. The shortening also gave the tops a nice sheen, and prevents the chocolate from cracking when cutting into it.
This recipe is amazing for not only strawberries, but anything else! I have dipped marshmallows, shortbread cookies, pretzels and more using this recipe. The shortening allows the melteed chocolate to be a great dipping consistency. So, when asked for melted chocolate in any other recipe, remember 1 tbsp of shortening to 1 c. of chocolate chips!
This was a HUGE hit at my office Halloween potluck. I received so many compliments! I used a great gingersnap crust recipe: 2 c. gingersnap crumbs, 3 tbsp. brown sugar and 1 stick of melted butter. Place in a 9" springform pan and bake at 325 for 10 min. For the filling, I took SOUTHERNBELLE0908's recommendations, but made some substitutions. I used 3 8oz packages of cream cheese instead of 2, but increased the sugar to 3/4 c. I also added 1/2 cup of sour cream that was folded into the cream cheese mixture after adding the eggs. I also increased the pumpkin puree to 1 8oz can, but used 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice instead of all of the spices called for (I did not have cloves). She made a great suggestion by cooking the cheesecake in a waterbath (make sure to cover the bottom of your springform pan with a lot of foil!) and leave it in the oven with the door propped for an hour. It came out perfectly! Thank you Stephanie Phillips and SOUTHERNBELLE0908!
