meredithla

Olive oil cake topped with a bitter orange marmalade glaze. I love the flavors in this cake: anise seed, rosemary, orange juice. Really good! I must confess, this was breakfast today.

Mmmmm Shaya, Kim, Marlene....gratin, braised short ribs, steak, almost makes this cold winter-esque weather tolerable if only for one more chance for those cold weather dishes. Though I must confess Wendy I'm green with envy over your dining al fresco pics. (sigh) Bruce I planned to make wings stir fried in black bean sauce tonight but the package of chicken wings was smelling FUNKY! Plan B---chicken with coconut milk, lime, thai basil and jasmine rice alongside hzrt8w's Sichuan Style Dry-Fried String Beans.

Bruce-that fish looks wonderful! We made Octaveman's Mongolian Beef on Friday night. It was attacked before I could take a picture. Definitely a make again recipe. Easter dinner for only 3 of us + 2 kids... Turkey breast deboned and stuffed with spinach, basil, yellow raisins and parmesan Potato gratin with sage and smoked gouda Asparagus wrapped in proscuitto (or not) with a balsalmic glaze Finally dessert...rhubarb cardamom crisp with vanilla ice cream inspired by Chufi's rhubarb desserts!

Last night, by kids' demand...pizza and American Idol! Homemade make your own pizza. Pepperoni and cheese for the kids, for us: buffalo mozzarella, marinated oven roasted yellow tomato and prosciutto. The tomatoes tasted like summer.

meredith la, I don't have that cookbook. Where's the "smoky" come from? Chipotle? Did you use canned chipotle? Any other standout flavorings in the braise? Thanks - I'm trying to expand my taco repertoire. ← agalarneau-Yup, the smoky is from the chipotles, adobo sauce and fire roasted tomatoes. Also has garlic and onions and potatoes, worcestershire and oregano. I'm trying another recipe tonight: braised pork shoulder with tomatillos, pickled jalapenos, garlic, worcestershire, cilantro and white beans.

Nishla-Tell us about those fabulous soup bowls! They look similar to ones Shaya has too?

Two nights in a row of not only cooking but posting. I might be on a roll... Bruce-your pics of your creations always get me. So today, a trip to the Asian market. Long beans, bok choy, Thai basil, pancit canton, pork belly, Pocky (of course) and all the ingredients to try Octaveman's Mongolian Beef this week. agalarneau-Tonight Mexican with pork sounded good to me too... Smoky Pork Tinga Tacos with potato, queso fresco & avocado-Rick Bayless-Mexican Everyday

I've cooked a few things from this book. The Parsi Deviled eggs-just ok for me-they weren't my favorite flavor combos. I tried two versions of the vodka spiked tomatoes-one version blanched and peeled and the other without blanching and peeling. Peeling is definitely worth the effort. These are really addictive! Tonight, the shrimp with grits and garlic roasted green beans. Both delicious!

So many amazing meals to be inspired by! Finally resolved to break the camera back out and rejoin the Dinner thread instead of just stalking and drooling...Tonight two recipes from The 150 Best American Recipes book. Shrimp with bacon and scallions over cheesy grits and roasted garlic green beans with anchovy and lemon: Both got big thumbs up from the hubby and kids. I especially couldn't stop eating the green beans.

I second the Smoking Loon Viognier! Great to just sip with friends, with hors d'ouevres, etc.

I don't know how everyone puts such fabulous meals on the table on a consistent basis. The stars have to align at my house to a) plan the dinner ahead of time b) actually have all the ingredients in the house to make it and c) remember to take a picture before it's eaten. I've been living vicariously through all the dream meals: Ann_T, Bruce, Blissful Gourmet & many others--such beautiful photos and wonderful fare! Last night...seared scallops with blood orange vinaigrette with a side of homemade mac n cheese for the little muggles.

Yes, you can use this substitution for 1 cup of buttermilk: 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk to make 1 cup

I have the cookbook holder that doesn't get used enough for lack of counterspace. So my cookbooks look well-loved. I treasure the spots, stains and creased pages with my own notes and adjustments to recipes. I hope to pass them on to my kids one day. However, now with a computer in my kitchen I do more cooking off of recipes on it. Guess I'll have to pass on my hard drive to my kids one day!

Our dessert thread has been a little slow lately--all those New Year's resolutions making us scarce?! I can fix that! We hosted a dessert party last night and here is some of what we served: Lemon Tart w/Candied Peel Chocolate Coconut Truffles Rosemary Pinenut Tart Brown Sugar Blackberry Cake Chocolate Caramel Tart w/Sea Salt Pumpkin Pecan Bourbon Cheesecake Grilled Pineapple Raspberry Tart w/Chipotle Cream Chocolate Fondue Fountain Not pictured because they were consumed too quickly: Meringues w/pastry cream, kiwi and pomegranate seeds. Everything was served with a selection of ports, muscat, ice wine, champagne and of course an iced carafe of milk! My favorites were the Brown Sugar Blackberry Cake and the Rosemary Pinenut Tart--which was surprising because I'm usually a little iffy on rosemary.

My tart pan is not non-stick. So I think I will try one with butter and one with parchment and see if that works. My other thought was maybe it is the filling in this particular tart--lemon, butter, sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch. I made some individual tarts with this filling and also couldn't get them out of the mini molds. At the same time, I blind baked just the crusts in a few and they came out no problem. Maybe my filling is seeping through the bottom and glueing the tart to the pan?

Ooooh, I like that! I did try a very thin flexible spatula but my crust was sticking to the bottom in places and then starting to break. That's why I thought partially freezing might be better first?

I have a round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Is there an easy way to get the tart off of the removable bottom? I need to reuse the tart pan. Would lining the bottom with parchment work or would it inhibit the baking? Today I tried putting a baked lemon tart in the freezer and then trying to pry it off when it was partially frozen (it was too delicate at room or fridge temp). I then had to cut it down the middle to get each half off separately. There must be a better way?

I need to tort, fill and freeze a cake before I carve it into a 3-D shape. Can I do this using a filling of just whipped cream and oreos? I only need to freeze it briefly to carve but I'm nervous because usually cream doesn't freeze and defrost well. Can anyone advise? Thanks

I have volunteered to cater a fund-raising wine tasting/food event for my daughter's preschool. It's going to be heavy apps and desserts for about 100 people. Of course, I'm not a professional nor am I being paid but I'm trying to act as if I am! I'm trying to be as organized as possible in estimating the food costs, proposing the menu and making my own organizational "to do" and shopping list. Does anyone have a template that you could PM me that would help? I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and good paperwork makes me feel more in control...

Chris, What a great job you did! I'd love to hear the details on how you did everything and if any part gave you trouble. For fun, you might want to check out some video of Chef Duff (Ace of Cakes) doing this same Campbell's soup cake! It's at www.aceofcakestv.com

Clean out the freezer before '06 ends, that's my leftover motto! Last night I took out the puff pastry, frozen broccoli florets, grated Gruyere & Parm and roasted garlic to make a tart/pizza. Served with a salad of greens, feta & peas with lemon garlic dressing. My guests said "This is leftovers?!"

Susan, I have also made the Guiness Stout Ginger Cake from her cookbook The Last Course. I made it in a bundt pan and used the Pam baking spray. I didn't have any problems with sticking. However, I did feel that my cake was slightly overdone even when I took it out of the oven before the suggested baking time of 1 hour. Also, the book's recipe may be different: 1 c. molasses 3 eggs 2 c. flour 3/4 c. oil 1 c. stout 1/2 c. sugar 1/2 c. brown sugar fresh ginger, spices (not in odd measurments like you noted) Does this look like your recipe?

I think I'll try this one K8, without the baking powder as Jeanne suggests. Thanks everyone and I'll report back!

I would also suggest Martha Stewarts recipe - the problem is that I can't find the one that I like on her website. She had an all cookie magazine out a few years ago - if you can find the recipe from it that calls for 5 cups of flour and a pound of butter, that's the one I like. If you can't, I'd give one of the other ones on her site a shot. ← I think I have that issue. I'll check it out, thanks!

I am in search of a sugar cookie recipe that will hold its shape and sharp edges when using cookie cutters. Every recipe I try puffs up and rounds out. Even when I chill the shapes on the cookie sheet before baking they still don't retain their definition or flat tops. Aaargh! How can I get cookies that look like this? http://www.rollingpinproductions.com/Cookies.htm