Kayakado

Mybe this will help. I made pizza last night, I always cook the pizza round untopped first, until it is just very barely starting to turn golden about 4 minutes on each side. I am trying to compensate for the all around well heated ovens in the pizza shop by doing it this way. I used to help a friend in his pizza restaurant and they started the ovens at 6am but never started baking pizza until 11am. They did bake bread and rolls for sandwiches from about 9-11. Your crust may get a few brown spots but not really browned and the crust will have become slightly crisp. I cook it on a stone with parchment under it, to help get it in and out of the oven. I mixed up the dough in the FP and left it for about an hour in a 65 degree kitchen. I just leave the dough in there with the lid on, I don't oil the dough or anything. I used a modified philly style dough, 1 1/4 cup of water, 1-2 tbsp olive oil, 3/1/4 cup flour, 1 tsp salt and 1 pkg dry active yeast. I preheat the stone at 450 for a minimum of 1 hour. Removed it from the FP, put it on a floured board and gently kneaded it and let it rest. Rolled it out and tossed it a few times to spin the disk larger. Baked the crust nekkid as above and removed it from the oven and then brushed it lightly with olive oil all over and slightly heavier on the edge. Then I put the toppings on, light sauce, provolone, mozzarella, parmesan and cheddar and mushrooms, artichokes, jalapenos. I baked it for about 25 minutes to get the cheese really melted and bubbling. This was spur of the moment, so all the toppings were canned goods from the pantry, that were well drained. The bottom and crust were crunchy but not tough. Under the topping was not gooey or mushy.

When I first made these cookies, I completely forgot about adding the salt with the dry ingredients. I ended up tossing it in when I added the final chocolate bits and really noticed (not in a bad way) the note of salt when eating the baked cookies. I would be hesitant about increasing the salt in fear of over-salting them. Perhaps if you try adding the salt later in the recipe it'll have a stronger presence for you. ← Too funny - I add the salt last at the same time as the chocolate chips. I love that bite of salt, like salty chocolate covered pretzels. They are not too salty for me and I've heard no complaints from my tasters. I also was mistaken and corrected myself. I was using Celtic sea salt. In my haze celtic means Irish or Scottish, I never connected it with French Sea Salt. I only realized it when I had to replenish my supply. I am going through it making cookies.

I made the white chocolate blonde raspberry brownies last night. I only had a pyrex dish the right size and that was a major mistake - I'll be going out this week to buy a metal baking pan. They took much longer to cook. I also couldn't wait for the brownies to cool before trying one - that too was a mistake, they were much better for breakfast this morning. I also subbed blackberries for raspberries. Last week I made the other chocolate layer cake, the one not on the cover. It was wonderful! One of the best I've had, tasted like a rich chocolate candy bar. I iced it with a cream cheese/butter cream icing and piped on red hearts for Valentines. I also monkeyed with a good thing (gasp). I added more salt to the World Peace cookies. I used a generous teaspoon of very granular Celtic sea salt and a heaping half tsp of French Country Sea salt. I figured my salt was probably not the same as called for in the recipe but it was what I had or I liked my chocolate a little more salty. My one friend calls these cookies the ones that make his mouth water.

Anytime I need Italian recipes I check Fante's website. They are an old standby store for cooking supllies in the Italian Market in Philly. Here's link to their recipe for cannoli shells and filling. http://fantes.com/cannoli.htm

Any potter's supply place is going to carry them, nice stainless steel ones and plastic bowls with screens set in to the bottom. They are used to sieve ceramic materials for clays and glazes.

Next time you are at a bar-b-que or at a campfire, try setting an open plastic water bottle on the fire/coals. As long as it has water in it, it doesn't melt. The heat is transferred to the water.

I am having issues with the Earl Grey madeleines. I know my oven is hot and I compensate for that and use a thermometer. I just haven't gotten around to adjusting the dial, but 400 degrees for 12 minutes seems way too hot for much too long. I made a batch last night and overcooked them because I forgot about the overcooking issue. I turned the oven down to 325 and 6-8 minutes seems to be plenty. These are the large shiny pans placed int he center of the oven. I am putting about 1 tbsp of batter in each. I checked Baking with Julia and Roland Mesnier and they seem to be using high temps as well (400 and 425), but they use only sugar. I think the honey in Dorie's recipe makes them brown much more quickly. Is it just me?

You don't have to use them all up at once. Lemons and their parts freeze pretty well. I have been the lucky recipient this year of more than a bushel of lemons. I juiced and froze, I zested and froze and I froze some whole. I will have homegrown lemons for months, if not until the next crop comes in.

These or products like them have been showing in the kitchens I was in over the holidays. http://www.asseenontv.com/prod-pages/smart...tml?gid=KITCHEN It certainly seems alluring that all those containers fit in a compact area. I'd have to say I am tempted. One friend bought a similar version at Big Lots for about $10. I have all my plastic ware in big bins (18X24X12) that fit onto two shelves in my kitchen cupboard. My kitchen is c1960, so pull-out kitchen cupboard drawers were not invented then, but the bins help access the dark interiors of those undercounter cupboards. When I need something I just pull the bin out to where I can see in it and it keeps all that stuff contained. However, it does wastes premium space that could be better used for more serious baking stuff. I have a hard time throwing away perfectly good plastic containers, but those bins and their contents need to go.

I was looking through my 1950 BC Picture Cookbook last night and was surprised to see Spinach Dip. I thought it was a 60s or later thing but obviously not.

my favorite is pumpkin ravioli with burnt butter sauce with toasted pepitas. I have had sundried tomato and basil stuffed ravioli, artichoke basil, and of course ricotta cheese. Eggplant would be good. How about something sweet like a prune or fig filling? Maybe a crepe cookbook would be good inspiration.

Well, I did my stint with shortbread cookies this past weekend. I made the butter pecan ones but added too much cloves. It over-powered everything else but they are good if you like cloves. Then espresso chocolate which I decided are the best of the bunch and lastly some lavender ones from recipe gullet for a friend for xmas. he's sick so they haven't been given yet. I loved the ease of putting the dough into a gallon plastic bag and then rolling it. It certainly limited the mess factor. I got lazy in the end and used a ruler and pizza wheel to cut the dough into squares for baking. Next will be thumprints with all the jars of homemade jams I received as gifts.

I've been baking to try out some new recipes. Roland Mesnier's Dessert University oatmeal cookies are killers. I tried his chocolate chip ones, too. I've been told they are good but I don't like my chocolate sullied by other ingredients like fruit or cookie ingredients. I also love pizzelles in plain, chocolate, or orange rum flavors.

You can see clips from this show on www.youtube.com Just search for Gordon Ramsey or Chef Ramsey

I made an assortment of marshmallows for thanksgiving. Mulberry - I found mulberry syrup on sale at the Middle East grocery. Rose - I bought rose water and rose syrup at the same grocery but have only used the rose water so far. Lavender - I bought a bottle of lavender at Penzeys and it is strong stuff. Chocolate - these didn't turn out very well but I think I made a mistake somewhere in the process. I ended up with chocolate fluff but it is wonderful in hot cocoa.

I've made the Earl Grey Madelines three times over the past two weeks and expect them to become a staple among friends and family. They are wonderful! It was my first time making an tea infusion with butter for baked goods and it will be the basis for a lot of new flavoring possibilites for me.

It was a cute movie. The last song was a good one and an old one from the 70's. It was called "Love You" by a group called Free Design. They did not include it on the soundtrack but if anyone wants to here it they can preview it here. Unfortunately the preview doesn/t include the stanza about cookies etc. http://www.last.fm/music/The+Free+Design/_/Love+You

I always have a box on hand for after turkey day. I make a turkey corn soup with it. I was inspired by Native American dishes to combine the left over turkey, turkey broth, Cope's corn and mild chili peppers, and spices to make a really hearty soup. I don't have a recipe, I just use the leftover turkey and go from there. It is always a hit, especially served with navajo fry bread and blue corn cornbread.

I would love to see a store that offered used kitchen appliances and tools for sale. Students here at our university won an award for the business plan for one but so far no one has started one. Just think -- cleaning out your cupboards to find loving homes for those working appliances or tools you no longer need or have out grown? Think of going to a single shop instead of combing the thrift stores to find that elusive tool or appliance to try out a new recipe? ... or maybe a used cookbook section?

I have a deBuyer and a Matfer and prefer the Matfer. I also recomend buying a cut proof glove as an accessory for your gift.

One of the current favorites at our local watering hole is breaded and fried macaroni and cheese. Breaded and fried little triangles of cheesy macaroni - yum!

Baking with a scale makes clean-up much easier, especially an electronic one with easily adjustible tare weight. I can use one vessel for liquid and a paper plate for dry ingredients, none of this multiple measuring cups for dry ingredients.

You probably have several -- they are also called drinking glasses and cleaned, empty cans. Seriously, an actual biscuit cutter may give you a somewhat sharper cut and therefore somewhat higher-risen sides after baking, but thousands of grandmas turned out thousands of perfectly delicious biscuits cut with an old tomato can or whatever, so don't let that stop you. ← Eureka! Thanks for juggling the grey matter awake. Using a safety can opener on one end and a regular one on the other end of the can gives you a sharp edge on one end and a rolled edge on the other to protect your hand! The normal can turned into a fancy biscuit cutter.

Julia Child's The Way to Cook, this is my standard wedding gift for novice cooks. Shinagel and Rosenthal's How Cooking works, this was my standard for many years. It explains why and how.

this website has recipes for cake balls, one of my cookbooks calls them cake truffles. www.cakecentral.com