"This recipe truly exceeded our expectations. This is an earthy flavored dish, and the combination of rice and black eyed peas were actually quite good together.

The only variation on our part is that instead of using a ham hock we used a smoked shank. They are essentially the same. After cooking the dish most of the way I pulled out the shank,"

"My wife made this recipe for my birthday, and just like every Ina Garten recipe we try, it turned out absolutely fabulous! My wife followed the recipe exactly. Interestingly, we thought this cake was even better two, three, and four days later."

"This is one of our "go to" recipes when we want to spend some time in the kitchen, nosh along the way (the rice and meat by itself is great), and cook some fantastic food. These are a favorite in the extended family. Lots of work, but well worth it."

"Once again Giada provided an outstanding recipe. I was a bit skeptical because I'm not a fan of roasted peppers, but this recipe really was a tasty dish. There were complex flavors in each bite and we loved the mix of tomatoes, peppers, sausage, and cheese. We didn't find the ricotta that is listed (and quite honestly I had never heard of it), "

"Amazing! The preparation of the shrimp really exemplifies the "less is more" concept. The cocktail sauce reminds me of the very classic recipes -- nothing fancy, simple, but powerful in flavor. We loved this and will make it many more times I'm sure."

"Easy, tasty and very surprising! Like some of the other reviews, we always have celery left over that turns to rubber, but not after finding this recipe. It really was a pleasant surprise for all of us in the family -- even my two young kids liked it.""

"Just made this last night and it was outstanding. Ours didn't seem to hold together like Alton's, but it was still a really good meatloaf. The glaze is what really puts this dish over the top with flavor. I wouldn't change a thing with this recipe.""

"Love this meatloaf! It is juicy and flavorful, and no pun intended, this is the way every mom should make it. Forget about those ketchup smothered meatloaf recipes. Since veal stock isn't always available, we tend to use 1 cup of beef stock and 1 cup of chicken stock, but really you could use whatever you have.""