<p>The few changes I made were in spices, as some people said it was bland. I spiced up the filling with cumin, a little bit of cayenne pepper, black pepper, and cinnamon (this really was great in this dish), and I topped the filling with parm and browned that before taking it out of the oven. I also sauted garlic with my onion. For the chopped meat I elected to mix ground turkey with ground beef. I used red peppers for stuffing and I did not add bell peppers to the filling (definitely too much bell pepper). The colors of spinach with in the mix with red pepper and tomatoes made it look very appealing.</p>
<p>Here’s a warning about a recipe that DID NOT WORK for me; cornbread.</p>
<p>Bought a package of Indian Head brand white cornmeal. Had been wanting to try homemake cornbread since watching Alton Brown make it. Followed the instructions on the back of the Indian Head package to the tee. Clearly the measurements were flawed. A complete failure. Warning!</p>
<p>Did you use corn meal or corn masa? I once made horrible corn bread using masa. I didn’t notice I was using the wrong thing until after I made it. Yuck. I usually use the Jiffy mixes to make corn bread. Cheap, easy and great with chili.</p>
<p>The Krusteaz cornbread mix is steps above Jiffy! </p>
<p>I recently tried a cornbread recipe where I used a mix and then added jalapenos, some sharp cheddar - can’t remember what else - it was FANTASTIC!</p>
<p>Onward, did you make the Chicken San Remo last night? How did it turn out? I am making it again tonight, but trying it with half skim milk, half light cream and part skim mozzarella cheese. I am also going to triple the spinach and serve with whole grain angel hair pasta instead of the regular ziti my SIL uses. I will let you know how it compares to the original.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any good sweet potato recipes?</p>
<p>@northeastmom, not necessarily for Thanksgiving, for everyday meals. I am trying to wean my husband off white potatoes and so far, the only recipes he likes are really high in sugar. The one from Oprah.com looks really good, thanks! I am going to modify it a bit and give it a shot.</p>
<p>The one from Oprah looks super sweet to me, not to mention the fat in that dish. I wonder if you couldn’t use yogurt instead of cream and saute apples in a little oil rather than butter, with only a small amount of brown sugar (more cinnamon, and less sugar)? In fact, maybe taking out that sugar altogether would work.</p>
<p>You should know that you can subsitute parsnip and white turnip (and maybe Jimica, too)for white potato in many dishes. Also, the root called eddo or taro can be used for potato in some very savory dishes. You’ll find eddo at Asian and Latino markets.</p>
<p>I really enjoy parsnips and turnip. In fact I am pretty sure that I have mashed potatoes that has some turnip mixed in. I never heard of eddo or taro, so thanks for that information.</p>
<p>fishymom, I have never made brisket like that, but I am sure that it would be good because I have made brisket with some of the ingredients that are in that dish (ie: prunes and carrots). At someone elses’ home I have been served brisket that was cut into small chunks like one would find in beef stew, but made with prunes (don’t know what else). The meat was very tender so I assume that it cooked for hours. It was excellent, but very sweet!</p>
<p>I made a brisket with tsimmis last week with a recipe from our local paper. The meat was tender, but I thought a little dry. It was good, but like a lot of Jewish cooking I thought it could use some zipping up. (Not really into bland comfort food!)</p>
<p>That Oprah sweet potato recipe explains why she couldn’t keep the weight off. I mash my sweet potatoes with OJ but no cream and just a couple of tablespoons of butter. I like the idea of topping them with apples though. I’ve got no problem with using real butter for the taste, but with moderation!</p>
<p>You know what’s good? Sweet potato hash with leftover meat. You bake the sweeties the night before and then refrigerate them until the next day. Cut everything into whatever size pieces you like, salt, pepper, a little cayenne, a little paprika, a little onion and fry it up till it gets a crust. If you go with nonstick, you don’t need a lot of fat.</p>