cheesecakegoddess

my mother is a great, if unadventurous cook. but growing up in Alaska years ago, fresh produce (unless it was red delicious apples, iceberg lettuce, or mandarin oranges at Christmas time) was limited, and usually not particularly good. fruit and vegetables came in cans or freezer bags. So when I visited Europe the summer after high school graduation, I was introduced to all kinds of wonderful things, like tomatoes that didn't look (and taste) like oversized pink golfballs, and figs that didn't come in Newtons, and plums that didn't resemble superballs. even had my first fresh pear, and was amazed at how much better they tasted without the heavy syrup...

cheesecake, my husband would say (he can never make up his mind between the german chocolate one and what he calls the 3-pounder (NY cheesecake, lots of it), followed very quickly by chocolate mousse and the spicy creme brulee (a healthy amount of guajillo chilli powder mixed with the sugar on top). I'm gluten-intolerant, so my desserts are flourless (and usually decadent)... belgian waffles, would be the response of the Christmas morning brunch crowd (I make waffles until no one can eat any more. was busy til after two pm the last time). of course, the fresh strawberrries and whipped cream don't hurt the enthusiasm levels any

I'm with Marlene...All-Clad rocks! I use the copper core version, and love it to death. if you use the right heat levels, things don't stick, and if they do, there's steel wool. and I love being able to pick the thing up by the handle without a mitt (handles are made of another metal, and never get warm to the touch). just have to remember that not everything I own is All-Clad (yet) and that I still need mitts in the kitchen...

we did something years ago we called Sunny Lemon Cough Remedy (originally Sunny Lemon Rum, but it really went over well during cold season). just fill the jar of your choice with rinsed, quartered lemons, top off the jar with gold rum, and sit in the sun (inside if it's cold out, outside if not) for several weeks, shaking occasionally. strain, add warmed honey to taste (coats the throat nicely, if you're going the cough syrup route; any form of sugar is an option otherwise), and bottle. also good on vanilla ice cream...

unless you have a professional stove in your kitchen, I wouldn't use a wok at all. I usually use my All-Clad saute pan to do the individual ingredients, then pile everything into a preheaded oversize cast iron for the final mix/heat. stovetop woks can't maintain the necessary temps on residential stoves (all that surface NOT exposed directly to the heat). I own a wok, but it's been years since I've used it (eagerly awaiting a commercial stove in my kitchen, which will no doubt be a while).