natasha1270

Many, many things on eG have sent me to my cookbooks and kitchen and made me hungry but in particular I would mention Lucy's Tartiflette. N.

In high school (late 80's), I had a severe thing for Hostess Chocodiles. Sadly, they are no longer available on the east coast. But never fear! Thanks to the internet, all us chocodile-deprived can recapture the glory: http://www.freshchocodiles.com/ (I have no experience with this company but it is amazing what you can find out after a quick search!) enjoy! N.

Many of the low-carb and sugar-free recipes I've seen use xanthan gum for stabilizing/emulsifying. I can see the link from a hollandaise or chantilly sauce to buttercream. Good luck, sounds interesting... N.

Not sure if this will fulfill your textural needs but perhaps a savory mousse? Tomato Mousse? Goat Cheese Mousse? Rocquefort? Avocado? N.

kitchen counter real estate. very precious. currently, I have about 5 or 6 small electrics in the kitchen but I'll list some other stuff, too. on the counter: kitchenaid 5 qt kitchenaid blender dualit 4-slice toaster porsche 1.5L kettle (essential!) salt pig perfex pepper mortar & pestle henckels knives (professional-s) in block boos chinese butcher block mesh glass soda siphon glass trifle bowl cheese plate elsewhere: atlas pasta maker (non-electric) wafflemaker (name starts with a v?) KA food processor (don't really use this much) chantal fondue set (mom gift - never used) burton portable burner (just in case) probably forgetting lots of other somethings... If I had the room, I would add a rice cooker, ice cream maker & a bread machine. I'm also thinking about getting a hand held mixer but don't know if I'd really use it that much... If I could only keep one electric item, I would keep my kettle! It gets the absolute most use out of everything. The KA would be a very close 2nd. N.

Dear Santa, Thank you so much for all the wonderful cookbooks & gadgets I have gotten these past few years. Kitchen stuff is my my favorite present! This year, I'd like a new pizza peel. My last one got lost somehow. That's pretty much it... Well, if you happen to have some extra room in your sleigh, there are a few other things on my Christmas list I'd love to have, too. Zojirushi Induction Heating System Rice Cooker & Warmer (10 cups) Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme Bread Machine VillaWare 4-Square Belgian Waffler/Multi-Baker Musso Lussino Dessert Maker Nigella Lawson Multi Purpose Pot Various cookbooks Also, I'd like some room to store everything and the time to use them... Thank you Santa, I hope you like the hot chocolate & carrot bar I set up for you and the reindeer! Watchout for those smoking chimneys - remember last year! love and kisses, N.

here is a pic of some calaveras we made a few years back... I'm interested in what normally happens to them. Are they eaten? thrown away? left to melt? We started celebrating because I love the culture and my sons b-day is Nov 1. There are some wonderful books out on the holiday for all ages. http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b248/pin...e/calaveras.jpg please ignore the dark specks on them. i kept a few for reference and after a while they did not look too good. but they are all I had for pics... I would love to see some more pics of traditional designs. N.

Mmmmm, bubble tea! Bubble tea done right is wonderful. When we visited family in CA, they introduced us to Tapioca Express... I have not found an equal on the east coast. Even there, there are branches that have better tapicoa balls than others. An encounter with bad tapioca at a place in VA turned me off trying to find any more here. Things in drinks? growing up, my mom made some drink with shredded cantalope/or honeydew, sugar & water. Delicious! I'm not sure if this is specific to Philippines or not. Just thinking of it brings back memories. Also, Halo-Halo - not really a drink but texturally sort of a sip/chew/crunch thing going on. Nuts in latte? Do marshmallows or peppermint sticks in hot chocolate counts as things in drink? Cause I love those! Whipped cream with choc shaving on top, please. N. edit: cause i just looked it up and am embarassed of the boba meaning.

A sheet maybe 11x11? I have some in my freezer at home... it is very convenient. I don't mind paying $ for time if the product is worth it, which this one is. N.

Dufour is approx $9.99 @ Whole Foods & Balduccis. Is that right for the W-S? I don;t have my catalog with me but I thought it was 3 sheets... As if that makes a difference. $42.50!!! N.

So many books, so little shelf space... The bulk of my cookbooks are in & under 2 bookcases from ikea. I like these shelves because they are very sturdy and the shelves don't bow. I think there is a taller version with more shelves... I probably should have got that - room for expansion. Here is a pic of one: I have 2 shelves in my hall closet devoted to cookbooks, too. The rest are scattered throughout my home - by the bed, in the cupboard over the sink, on kitchen counter, etc. I would love to have an extra room filled with shelves... my other books are taking over, as well. N.

A little late but I finally tried the mega m&ms. They're decent. I don't know why I keep trying the cheap chocolate thinking it will be better...that must be the novelty candy fiend part. The chocolate thing with these m&ms is hard for me to tell. They are labeled milk chocolate but they don't taste like the milk chocolate from the regular ones to me. They don't taste as burnt as the dark chocolate ones either. I'd say they are a hybrid. N.

Recently tasted: Ltd Ed Key Lime Almond Joy - White Chocolate coating, Key Lime flavored coconut, almond. Verdict: Ok. Ltd Ed Passionfruit Almond Joy - Milk Chocolate coating, Passionfruit flavored coconut, almond. Verdict: Never Again. I have a small bag of the Mega M&Ms waiting at home. I hope they are like the Shrek M&Ms of last year which were definitely not the same as the dark chocolate ones. The dark chocolate had a very burnt taste and the Shrek was milk chocolate. N.

I have tried numerous recipes in my search for the best homemade pizza dough...Wolfgang Puck, Alice Waters, etc. Until recently, I ordered the '00' flour from King Arthur. A few months back, a local store started carrying Bel Aria '00' and I have switched to this. My main problem (I think) has been impatience. Waiting for the dough to rise. Waiting for the oven to heat. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. This remains an on-going problem. Last week/weekend, I tried Albistons 48-hour dough and it is great! The flavor, texture, stretch was the best I have been able to create at home thus far. But there is that waiting and planning ahead problem for me. I see alot of people have tried the American Pie/Reinhart recipe. Is this the same as his Pizza Napoletano in the Bread Bakers Apprentice? I am planning to try this very soon. Reading everyone's posts on pizza has been very helpful. Thanks! N.

I had one of these the other day: It had a chocolate to peanut butter ratio similar to the smaller individual sized reeses. Too much chocolate. In a full-size reeses, I think I prefer the regular style. N.

What a gorgeous block! Do you think the legs are the same wood? If you can't spring for the stainless base (Search for "John Boos" "BBS01", they cost about $390), I would think about sanding the legs and oiling them, too. enjoy! N.

I use Ina Gartens method...about midway through the baking, "rap" the pan against the oven to allow the air to escape. Perfect brownies every time. Her recipe for Outrageous Brownies is awesome! N.

My Family Heirlooms: Many, many cookies, pies and biscuits from that rolling pin. I also have some cookie stamps. My sisters also have some trivets and other stuff. Unfortunately everything else went to Goodwill. My kitchen is already overflowing with gadgets it is insane but I just had to make room for these. N.

I know quite a few people that either do not cook or do not enjoy to cook. Male and female. None to this extreme…although a few would probably like to live this way if they could afford it. I also know people that see food simply as something their body needs (this, btw, is very odd to me). Different strokes. Re: Foodtv. Was this just a throwaway bit of the article? Because when I read it it was the main thing that I focused on. I do think that more and more people are sitting and watching Foodtv and then going into the kitchen to nuke a quick meal. I find this very, very disheartening. Lucky for me, Foodtv has reduced its watchable content and (except for Alton) I am not watching it as much and cooking more. Perhaps if they keep showing Sara Lee, more people will turn it off and start cooking more, too. Re: Women’s Lib. Today we are lucky enough that we can choose to be in the kitchen instead of being expected to. That has not always been the case. Confession time: I occasionally watch MTV Cribs (not that I seek it out but if I flip pass and it’s on…) and it always makes me sad to see these fantastically rich people with great kitchens and then hear them say they never use them or see their fridge with nothing but soda or kool-aid in it. What a waste! N.

Top Secret Recipes has a clone of the Frappucino on their website: Top Secret Frappucino-like recipe It is essentially espresso, lowfat milk (2%), sugar & pectin. enjoy! N.

I saw this article online and thought some here might be interested: Wall Street Journal Online: Why are aged brews fetching $100? edit: for spelling

Johnny - While marble as pizza stone seems not like a good idea, you could still use the marble for pastry/chocolate work if you are so inclined. N.

I bought a mini-bottle to try at home and compare with my trusty Kahlua. Since I usually have it in either a White Russian or over Vanilla Ice Cream, I decided to make some white Russians. I was very careful to measure the drinks equally. My first impression was the drink with Kahlua was (very) slightly darker than the Starbucks version and I wondered if this might translate into a stronger coffee taste. As I went to take a sip, I noted another difference: the scent. The Starbucks had more of a coffee smell to it – very pleasant while the Kahlua smelled "sweeter". As far as taste, Starbucks also had an ever so slightl (to me) more coffee taste to it and again the Kahlua had a slightly sweeter taste. But I wonder if the “freshness” of my Kahlua might be in question and might try it again with a new bottle to compare. N.

Can I still keep my internet connection? While I dearly love all My Cookbooks, I find myself looking for recipes on the internet more and more. I didn’t have the wonderful gift of inheriting a family cookbook so I have decided to compile one of my own – asking around the family so other recipes won’t get lost. I guess this is the one I would keep and also my piles of magazine clippings and misc other recipes I have not yet added. N.

Isn't MSG the main ingredient in Accent flavor enhancer? A funny story from long ago: When I was younger (maybe 8 or 9?), I so wanted to make a cake from scratch for my dad's birthday. To be sure, I have sampled my share of batter in the day but for some reason this time I didn't. Well, Did I learn my lesson that night! I had assumed the jar of white crystals was sugar...nope, it was MSG. I can still taste that nasty "flavor enhanced" cake in my mind. I never made any assumption about unlabeled ingredients in the kitchen after that! N.