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cakewench

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    Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  1. I just did this. I made a new recipe which I'd seen on the Great British Menu series on BBC. It was a beef and Guinness stew, but with ginger and soy sauce added. VERY nice. Anyway. I made a special trip to the butcher for the beef, and the supermarket for everything else. I wanted it to be perfect, as it was for the in-laws. The item which I made the biggest deal out of purchasing was the little box of mushrooms. I'm not a mushroom fan, though I don't hate them as much as most people who know me think. I knew they were an important part of the dish, and I figured I'd just slice them up finely so I wouldn't be squicked out by the texture (the source of my dislike for them, really) and no problem. I made the stew. It was *amazing*. Compliments abounded. As we all sat at the table, finished and contemplating the iron pot with the leftover stew, I realized that the stupid box of mushrooms was still sitting in the fridge. The recipe called for them to be added towards the end of the cooking, and I'd just forgotten in all of the hubbub of having the in-laws over. Freudian, I'm sure. Thankfully, my husband likes the things, and he did something with them the next day. And I now know that the stew is just lovely without them, and won't be bothering to make the special purchase next time!
  2. I have to agree with some of the above teenager posts. My mother baked alot when I was young. In addition to the traditional cookies and brownies, she would also bake lots of cakes based around whatever was in season at the time. So, lots of apple cakes in the autumn, for example. Perhaps not every single one of my friends appreciated it, but many of them did. I had a lot of comments from them about how great her baking was, and they would really look forward to visiting our house. This was no group of gourmands, just good friends from random groups at school (jocks, or drama kids, etc.) If you only feed them Oreos, they are going to grow into adults who think baking is a Betty Crocker Warm Delight bowl. However, I do understand the frustration behind this post, and I do sympathise. I think my usual standard is that if I'm serving it in my home, I want it to reflect well on me. Or, if the item has a place of prominence somehow in the event. Once bitten, twice shy, though. I will remember if a particular group of people refused something I put a lot of hard work into, and I will certainly not make the same mistake twice.
  3. It was an extremely busy weekend, so I didn't have time to reply when I should have, but thanks so much for the responses here about that old thread! When I am home, I use the recipe (the Gourmet one listed earlier) as my old standby for a rich chocolate cake. I just didn't have access to it where I am at the moment, and really didn't want to settle for something I hadn't made before. Thanks again!
  4. alright, I'm looking for a chocolate cake recipe from a thread we had here a couple of years ago. It was the result of a some of compilation-contest thread where many members tried several recipes and there was a final decision as to which recipe was the best. It's an extremely rich cake with coffee in it. Yes, I have tried to search recipe gullet but strangely enough, I can't seem to find it there. I'm going through pages of results of a forum search on 'chocolate cake' but I think this is going to take a long time, and I'm on my father's dialup connection. *yawn* I have the recipe written down back home, but I don't have access to it here, and I'd like to be able to make it for my friend's wedding shower on Saturday! Any help here would be appreciated!
  5. Chufi beat me to it! FEBO is the way people go for fast food in Holland. There are also many falafel shops, the biggest being the Maoz falafel chain. I've lived in Germany as well, but I can't really think of a chain that they have which isn't also elsewhere. They are extremely fond of doner kebabs (sorry I don't have the accent on this keyboard) from the popular Turkish snack bars which are everywhere. *edit* nope it's come to me, Nordsee is a big German fast food chain, featuring fried fish. And there are various medium-sized chains which serve bratwurst, etc, Weinerwald being one of them.
  6. Indeed! The raspberry Godiva filling is by far my favorite of their offerings, and to be honest I don't usually like fruit fillings. My chocolate tastes are fairly simple, though, and I've really come to appreciate the average cashier checkout Ritter Sports which are so popular in Germany (and now readily available in the US! I noticed loads at Trader Joes last time I was home). The milk chocolate is fine, but I also love all levels of their dark chocolates, as well. mm..
  7. Absolutely, I use oven mitts. I've been a believer in them since I used a towel or something in someone else's kitchen, and burned my thumb badly when the weight on the tray shifted and my hand went crashing into the broiler coil. My mother-in-law also thought they looked a bit silly, and had avoided them because her own mother used them, but now has started using a pair since seeing me with them. Yes, they aren't as easy to store as a towel, but imo, are a far better option.
  8. Mark- I love the site listed for Toko Ikan Mas. link I am not sure if it's in there as a joke (if so, excellent!), but check out the Nemo photo they give as an example of sushi. Heck, even if it isn't a joke: excellent!
  9. What a nice thread! I have to agree about De taart van mijn tante. I have been there for the atmosphere (even though it often features children thundering back and forth along those wooden floors), and I love their hot chocolate, but none of their cakes has left me craving more. They did have nice apple pie. There are some nice places to get baklava in that area, though I don't have the names at the moment. We are in that area quite often on Saturdays!
  10. yeah. Glad to see the comments re: "sorry, we're out of that." I've been there a few times in the past (it's obviously not local to me anymore! ) and they never had the beers I wanted. Specifically, I was always looking for Coopers (Aussie beer), something they had on their great big ol' list of beers they have heard of- I mean, beers they supposedly stock. They never had it. ever. ev-er.
  11. Rachel, I was thinking seafood, too! Seems like it would be a nice luxury item. Assuming everyone eats fish, that is. One never knows. My best friend wouldn't touch the stuff until well into her 20s (and now loves it.)
  12. hey, I like airports, too. :) Here in Amsterdam, there is a nice little 'beenham' stand which sells hot ham rolls. Just chopped ham (not deli style, but actual ham) which has been cooked on the flat grill. Small soft roll, cut into, ham plopped in, and 'mustard sauce' added to the top. No, it's not haute cuisine, but it's a nice break from the legion of Burger Kings and McDonalds' there. It's also just a nice, perfect size. And nothing fried. (nothing against fried food, but it's a splurge for me, and I'd prefer to not be 'on the go' when having it.)
  13. Bennigan's (the chain) still serves one, a very good one in that. Although, it is the heaviest most dense sandwhich I think I have ever encountered.... I mean, a deep fried ham sandwich with sugar and jam, wow... ← My son waits tables part-time at Bennigans while going to school. He told me he has never seen anyone finish one of them. ← Then he's obviously never waited on me. Mind you, it's been since late high school/early college that I even had one of those things. (10 years ago) I loved them. If we're talking about menu items that were popular once, but not anymore, then I agree with whomever mentioned gooey brownie sundae-style desserts. Please don't get me wrong, I love the delicate and fancy ones, too, but there's just something nice about a hot, rich brownie and some Haagen Daaz. Simple carved roast dinners seem to be 'out', and that's a pity. mmm spinach dip...
  14. mm love that vintage Jinmyo. I'll eat any of the peanut butter-based cookies, and I confess that I really like the um... caramel and coconut ones. Those are really more like tiny candy bars or something, though. (it's been a few years, btw... are we still allowed to call them Samoas? Last I knew, the name was changing.) (and yes, I realize that's a regional name. If you haven't heard of the name, then, well, it's not from your region. )
  15. If you have the info handy, where is that frite stand located? I like them, but I avoid them (I am storing enough fat already). However, I do have a friend coming in from the US in a month, and she is expecting to have them. If I'm going to partake, I might as well have us go to the 2nd or 3rd best place around.
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