merstar

Chicken breast, soft goat cheese, red bell pepper, tomato, red onion, green leaf or romaine lettuce, black olives, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, black pepper, on baguette.

Penne with garlic, roasted red peppers, black olives, fresh basil, EVOO. Topped of course with Parmigiano Reggiano.

Don't fear, things can change with time and therapy. My wife said this about me for the first fifteen years of marriage, but she seems to have finally gotten past it. Of course, she may really be thinking this and is just too worn out to tell me: You are soooo funny. Thanks for the laugh!

My absolute favorite is Tyler Florence. I also like Sara Moulton, and I liked David Rosengarten. I feel these three are more for real, rather than ego-tripping, wannabe superstars. Jamie Oliver is another one I like, and the Two Fat Ladies were great! Alton Brown gets on my nerves. He may know his stuff, but I can't get past his incessant grating silliness. Sandra Lee is an obvious loser and so insignificant, she's not even worth discussing. She gives food a bad name. Emeril is loud and obnoxious. Dweezil and Lisa are a really bad joke. I don't like Mario at all, he's much too pompous and in love with himself. The Unwrapped show and the other one about low-end food products/production are both wastes of time. Overall, I'm really disappointed and disgusted with the Food Network.

Garlic, onions, pasta, rice, canned San Marzano tomatoes, EVOO, Parmigiano Reggiano, dark chocolate, wine, butter, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and too many more to list.

Here's another recipe to consider from Bon Appétit, also with excellent reviews. MIXED BERRY TIRAMISU In a fresh interpretation of the classic Italian dessert, we've replaced the traditional chocolate and coffee with berries and fruit liqueur. For a garnish, we like the looks of fresh berries, but we used frozen berries in the filling to keep it moist. They're also more uniform in flavor--and less expensive. 1 12-ounce package unsweetened frozen mixed berries 12 tablespoons sugar 1 10-ounce package frozen raspberries in syrup, thawed 1/4 cup raspberry liqueur 3 4.40-ounce packages Champagne biscuits (4-inch-long ladyfinger-like biscuits) 3 8-ounce containers mascarpone cheese* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1-pint basket strawberries, hulled 2 1/2-pint baskets raspberries 1 1/2-pint basket blueberries *Italian cream cheese available at Italian markets and specialty foods stores. If unavailable, blend 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese with 1/2 cup whipping cream and 6 tablespoons sour cream. Use 3 cups for recipe. Cook frozen mixed berries and 6 tablespoons sugar in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until mixture resembles jam and is reduced to 1 cup, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes. Cool jam mixture. Strain syrup from thawed raspberries through sieve set over bowl, pressing gently on solids. Discard solids. Add raspberry liqueur to raspberry syrup in bowl. Using sharp knife, trim 1 biscuit to 3-inch (about) length. Quickly dip biscuit into syrup, turning to coat lightly. Place rounded end up and sugared side against side of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Repeat with as many biscuits as necessary to cover sides of pan. Dip more biscuits in syrup and arrange on bottom of pan, covering completely and trimming to fit. In bowl, whisk mascarpone with 6 tablespoons sugar and vanilla to blend. Set aside. Thinly slice enough strawberries to measure 1/2 cup. Gently spread half of jam mixture over biscuits in bottom of pan. Spoon half of mascarpone mixture over; smooth top. Sprinkle with sliced strawberries, 1/2 cup fresh raspberries and 1/2 cup blueberries. Dip more biscuits into syrup; arrange over fruit in pan, covering completely and trimming to fit. Gently spread remaining jam mixture over biscuits. Spoon remaining mascarpone mixture over; smooth top. Cover; chill at least 4 hours or overnight. Release pan sides. Transfer cake to platter. Arrange remaining fresh berries decoratively atop cake and serve. Serves 10. Bon Appétit August 1993

Here's a recipe you might want to check out from Gourmet - it had excellent reviews: RED, WHITE, AND BLUE CHEESECAKE WITH CHOCOLATE COOKIE CRUST Source of Recipe:Gourmet For the crust: 28 chocolate wafers, ground fine in a blender or food processor (about 1 1/2 cups crumbs) 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted For the filling: four 8-ounces packages cream cheese, softened 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 5 large eggs 1/2 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla about 1 1/2 cups raspberries about 1 1/2 cups blueberries Recipe Make the crust: In a bowl stir together the cookie crumbs and the butter until the mixture is combined well and pat the mixture onto the bottom and 1/2 inch up the side of a 9 1/2-inch springform pan. Chill the crust for 30 minutes. Make the filling: Preheat the oven to 325 F (300 F for dark pans). In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy, add the sugar gradually, beating, and beat the mixture until it is combined well. Beat in the flour, add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in the sour cream, the zests, the salt, and the vanilla, beating the filling until it is combined well. Pour the filling into the crust and bake the cheesecake in a foil-lined shallow baking pan in the middle of the oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes. (The cheesecake will not be completely set; it will set as it cools.) Turn the oven off and let the cheesecake stand in the oven with the oven door propped open about 6 inches until it is cooled completely and remove the side of the pan. Arrange the raspberries on top of the cheesecake in a star shape and arrange the blueberries around the star to cover the top of the cheesecake.

That's funny, that's what I had for dessert last night too. You weren't also at the Seaport Hotel were you? No, I made this cake myself. Interesting that we were having the same dessert on the same night. Where's the Seaport Hotel? By the way, I see you're from Brooklyn - I was born there (too many years ago).

The book is fantastic! I haven't made any of the recipes yet, but the following thread mentions her Classic Brownies and Chocolate Mousse (start with the last post on the first page, then check out the second page, about the 7th post ): http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=34743&st=0

Sorry about multiple posts - something wasn't working correctly. Too bad we can't delete posts on this site!

Last night was a 2-layer dark moist chocolate cake filled and topped with whipped cream and strawberries.

Last night was a 2-layer dark moist chocolate cake filled and topped with whipped cream and strawberries.

Last night was a 2-layer dark moist chocolate cake filled and topped with whipped cream and strawberries.

GG Mora, That's absolutely beautiful!

Two sets: Hermann Hesse, Johann Sebastian Bach, George Orwell, and Zero Mostel to balance it out! From "The Wizard Of Oz" crew: Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Burt Lahr, and Margaret Hamilton (If I could pick 5, I'd choose Frank Morgan also).

Here's another one to check out: http://www.gardenspotsfinest.com/Merchant2...Code=baksfflour

Trish, I'm glad everyone liked it! It's one of my very favorites. Thanks for letting me know how it turned out! Meryl

I like Tarte Tatin unadorned.

Chocolate.

Alice Medrich's "Bittersweet."

Homemade dark, dense, fudgy brownies with vanilla ice cream (actually had them for dinner).

Congratulations!

TrishCT, Thanks for the welcome! I'm glad you can use the Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cake for your Super Bowl Party - it's delicious. Let me know how it turns out!

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos, but you can view an image of the Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cake on the Epicurious site. The cake is beautiful, but the picture doesn't do it justice. Also, I don't pipe the topping, I do a smooth one with lots of grated chocolate on top. Here's a link to the photo (it's the cake in the front with the ladyfingers):Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cake

Thanks for the warm welcome, alacarte. Good luck tonight!