Mssmltzr

I have heard nothing but good things about the Waring Pro series. I will be doing nothing more than making smoothies, milkshakes, and various crushed ice beverages. Although the Vita-mix would be an amazing blender to have, I think it is a bit much for my simple needs. Honestly, I can't see using the blender more than twice a month. However, it will be getting a lot of use at the end of this month (I will be getting my wisdom teeth removed)

I am interested in purchasing a blender. I am willing to put some money into it and I would like to purchase something that would last several years. I would like to know which brands you have enjoyed over the years and which brands/styles aren't worth the money. Thanks in advance for your input!

My grandma favorite apple to use is Rome. She peels the apples first then cooks them. If she wants to add some color to the sauce, she just cooks the peels seperately in some water until the water starts to turn pink. Then she adds the water to the cooked apples. She isn't a huge fan of adding spices to it, but when she does she adds the cinnamon right before she is ready to eat it. Im not sure why she does this. I would assume that it would taste much better if you added the cinnamon to the apples while they were still hot. Thanks for the link GG! I did find it interesting

Grandma and I just finished making some homemade applesauce made from NC grown apples. She has a really simple recipe which made me curious as to how others make their applesauce. Is there only a certain apple that you will use? Do you add spices to your applesauce? How much sugar do you add? I would be interested to see the different techniques. Cheers! Mary

I think that's it! Thanks for your help!

I know that a new french restaurant has opened in the triangle. There is a possibility that it is in Cary. I know this is a horribly vague question--but has anyone heard of this restaurant and could give me the name? I have done a few google searches without any luck. Thanks! Mary

I will be in Munich from July until late September. I need to be able to eat at the cheapest (yet edible) places I can find. Would any of you be able to offer me any suggestions? PS: I will be at the Goethe-Institute, to give you a better idea of my location.

Just the suggestions I was looking for. Thanks everyone!

My boyfriend has expressed interest in cooking and I am doing my best to encourage it. He wants his first project to be a breakfast casserole. It needs to be very, very basic. Nothing that includes too many "fru fru" ingredients that may intimidate him. I really just need a recipe that works well for throwing stuff into a dish and sticking it in the oven. A good recipe to build upon--so he can eventually make it his own. Anyone have any tried-and-true recipes that they don't mind sharing? Thanks for the help!

I am looking for a candy thermometer that is easy to read (it's for my grandma). Anyone have any suggestion? Alton Brown at one point listed his recommended thermometer but has since changed his website and I can no longer find it. So let me know what you would recommend!

I actually work as a baker in the Old Salem bakery, which is featured on the MHA-Net website. I was actually surprised to see that some brick ovens require that you have a live fire while baking the bread/pizza, etc. At my bakery, we let the fire burn down to coals and ashes, rake the coals and ashes into a small pit in the oven, and then allow the oven to drop to the appropriate temperature. Therefore, the hot bricks bake the bread, not fire itself. Well...there's my two cents.

-Homemade peach cobbler -Ben and Jerry's or Cold Stone ice cream (because I can't go to Cold Stone without getting a waffle bowl and adding at least three toppings) -Mac and Cheese. Oh how I love Mac and Cheese. Even better with a thick slice of ham. Ooooh. -Doritoes. I can easily eat an entire bag, especially when drinking -Hostess Cupcakes -Those new butterfinger crisp bars. Man, it's like a kit-kat but with peanut butter. That's what Im talking about. -A giant chocolate milkshake with a plate full of fries. One of my summer favorites. And something that was a pleasure before, but wasn't aware that it was such a guilty pleasure... Slushies. Apparently those bad boys carry about 800 calories to them. Dang.

I did go to the Manhattan location. I think I remember seeing two, maybe three small tables in there that sit two people each. Honestly, I wouldn't want to eat on site, it is just too tiny. Oh but they have great stuff. Update: Tonight I am meeting the pastry chef that works at Lever House (http://www.leverhouse.com/index_flash.html). I may even make it to the kitchen to see her work! I will fill you in on the details.

My good friend Kate reminded me of my lack of devotion to the blog recently. So, by God, let's catch up! I have been to only two bakeries since our last visit. One of which was Two Little Red Hens (www.twolittleredhens.com). I loved it. This one is a winner for all the right reasons. No it's not "so-French-it-hurts." It is pretty bare bones. It sells the basics that we all love and can some times be hard to find (banana nut bread, ginger bread, carrot cake). But what it is really known for are the the cakes, tarts, and cheesecake. Oh lord was it hard to make a decision. But I finally decided on their cheesecake, which so many of you have recommended. It was worth every damn penny. I only wish I could have ordered more. In fact I still may go back for the key lime pie. I also made a visit to the Little Pie Company(www.littlepiecompany.com). Being silly as I am, I did not buy a little pie. I really don't know why---for goodness sake, I didn't buy a pie from a pie company! Regardless, I did buy a cupcake. But not just any cupcake---a German Chocolate Cake cupcake. Ooooooh yeah. That was good. They put about 1/2 inch of toping on that sucker, and got no complaints from me. It was big cupcake too, worth the $2.25 I paid for it. In Raleigh, I would have paid $5 for at Cafe Carolina. Kate reminded me that I must make it to Les Halles while I am here. I couldn't believe I had forgotten about it! Im not even sure if they would let me into the place. But maybe I could stop by to just take a picture of it. Maybe say hello to Anthony : )

Well, I did make it to William Greenberg Jr. I stayed long enough to realize that they sell the basics (brioche, croissants, brownies). Those basics I'm sure are great (although their brownies looked like something a 5 year old could make) I was in the mood for something I couldn't get anywhere else. Since I passed by Quotidien (www.lepainquotidien.com) on the way to Greenberg, I decided to give them a run for their money. Quotidien looks like a really neat place to eat lunch---everyone eats at a long, common table. The service was pretty friendly too. They weren't sugary sweet, but they didn't make me feel rushed to make a decision. Ah, by the way, I now know they are a chain. Doesn't really shock me. However, their pastry selection was a bit limited. They have several small fruit tarts, a chocolate mousse dessert similar to the Louvre, pain au chocolate, brioche, muffins, and the biggest chocolate chip cookie I have ever seen (about 7 inches in diameter). They also sell breads, but that wasn't what I was interested in. I ordered a pistachio tarte that had been kept cold a little too long. The filling was a syrupy with a slight flavor of lemon. And that was about all the flavor I could find in it. The crust, which was really quite thick, was also rock hard. Man, this pastry just didn't taste good. So what's on tap for tomorrow? I may try to get to Silver Moon tomorrow. That peach brioche sounds incredible. I'll let you guys know.