DiH

How do you keep the rolls/cookies so perfectly round? Mine always sag. Di

Windex too! Di

Yes, tiny... only about 4 inches across. I've since figured it out tho'. From their website's pdf document, I was able to plant a "snapshot" of the pattern onto my computer's Clipboard, then re-sized it in MS Word. Thanks for your help -- and for all of your pictures and tutorials. Like everyone else here, I am sooooooo in awe of your work! Andiesenji, your lacey ideas make me want to run right out and buy an airbrush. Ah, but the $$$... Di

Annie... after downloading the pattern, how did you enlarge it? Di

Careful, a little vacuuming goes a long way. I did that one time and all the air was sucked out of the cookies too. Airless cookies. I'll bet that was a shocker. ← Yep, one gummy 'n gooey mass of cookie. Not bad tasting tho'. Di

Careful, a little vacuuming goes a long way. I did that one time and all the air was sucked out of the cookies too. Definitely made 'em chewy tho'. Di

I'm curious... do you think that adding corn syrup or glucose to royal icing might do the same thing? Or not? Di

Just one observation......if you mix the powdered sugar and butter together first, you don't have to worry about lumps, and you don't have to sift the powdered sugar. I hate sifting if I don't have to. If you add powdered sugar to the creamed butter and cream cheese, make sure you sift first. ← Great advice but I've never messed with sifting... and never have any lumps. Of course, now that I've said it, that'll probably change tomorrow. Di

8 oz. cream cheese 1 stick of butter 4 Cups/1 lb. XXX sugar Vanilla can be added... but I prefer the c.c. flavor to take center stage Cream together the c.c. and butter. Add the sugar and mix well. Very spreadable; works well for piping. Never soupy. Di

Nicely designed website... a great combination of thought, creativity and hard, time consuming work. I'm having a problem tho' with the thumbnail photos. When I "click to enlarge" any of the photos, I get either: 1) nothing at all, or 2) an enlargement of the tiered cake as shown in your logo. Ah, the neverending trials and tribulations of a new website. Keep up the good work! Di

I've never even heard of the B&J chips... which Sam's did you see them at? Hmmm, I don't s'pose they'd open a bag for sampling, huh. Di

I think G's flavor is better than Hershey's and especially it's better than Nestles. That's my opinion tho'. Everybody has their preferences, y'know? To clarify, my primary attraction to Sam's big bags of G-chips was initially all about the cost... lots for less. Then it became about the flavor. When it comes to ganache, mousse, etc. - and PH's chocolate ice cream - where chocolate is at the forefront, I suppose I'll have to shell out the big bucks from now on. Otherwise, I guess I'll be biting the bullet and buying whatever's cheapest. hehehe You're right about the flavor of some of G's products not being as good as other brands. Although the chocolate chips and baking bars are excellent, the powdered cocoa totally sucks. Hershey's still remains my cocoa of choice. I did find G-chips yesterday at Tom Thumb. Just as I suspected, $2.79 for a lousy 12 oz. bag. Guittard was $2.19 for the same size bag. I have never used Guittard chips -- does anyone here have experience with them? How's the flavor? digigirl... "However it also shows "Out of Stock." Maybe Ghirardelli is discontinuing the regular chips since they have the double chocolate ones now?" Hmmmm, interesting thought. You might be onto something there. Also, does anyone have any experience with mail-order chocolate? I mean, in this Texas heat... euwwwwww. Di

I can understand that... are you at least able to name the individual components, bottom to top? That dessert looks soooooooo luscious. Nice work! Di

Yeah, I know. That's why I posted here... hoping that someone might know of a source for reasonably priced 4 or 5 lb. bags of something better than ol' run of the mill Nestles. Robyn and BROWNSUGAR... the only Costco I regularly shop at is their location at I75/Springcreek Pkwy. Although I haven't been there recently to know which particular brand they've got stocked now, I did call them the other day and was told that they don't carry Ghirardelli chips. Di

I had emailed Sam's/WalMart Corp. to ask why they'd discontinued the G-chips... like, did I think they would really tell me??? Bwa ha ha ha ha! Anyway, here's the response that they did send... "We will be carrying the Ghiradelli Dipping Kits and Baking Chips this coming Christmas Season. We have discontinued the Ghriadelli Semi Sweet Chocolate chips and will be bringing in a Ghiradelli Double Chocolate Chip in September." Soooooooo it would appear that I'm stuck with 12 oz. bags til September. Thanks, everybody, for all of your suggestions... y'all are such a big help. Raynickben... I pulled up Cost Plus's website for a store locator. Are they all now called World Market? I've been to the World Market on I75 and wasn't thrilled... felt like I was in Pier I. Is their Preston store any better? IML... I'd thought about Central Market too but figured I'd wait out the responses here before driving the distance. Susan G... Wild Oats is a new one to me; I'll have to see if we've got any of those around here. What type of store is it? joiei... I hear what you're saying. When I saw piles and piles of Nestles chips where the G's had formerly been, my first thought was that Nestle's had probably cut Sam's a better deal. Di

Sam's Wholesale Club has told me that Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips have been discontinued in all of their stores nationwide. Almost worse news was hearing that they'd also had a major 5#/$.88 clearance sale to rid the product from their shelves. Does anyone know where I can find the Ghirardelli chips in this area? I'm looking for in-home baking quantities... less than is sold by a food distributor but more than than a grocery store's typical 12 oz. bag. The 5 lb. bags were perfect for me. Thanks in advance for your help! Di

What I used was "Nestle Carnation Instant Nonfat Dry Milk" from the local grocery store. I'm not sure if it was the right substitution or not but the results were pretty outstanding... in fact, I'm planning to make another batch today! Di

thanks for the recipes! PH's chocolate ice cream (and the sorbet) are definitely high on the list, but I would just feel too guilty making them while A is still out of town ← I made PH's chocolate ice cream the other night -- outstanding!! Lucky for me that Hubby's out of town or I'd have to share! Di

I have... 3-5 days in a cake safe sitting on top of the kitchen counter here at the house. Cream cheese icing is our favorite and none of us have gotten sick yet. Di

Thanks! Yes, thaw the berries. Actually, mine were unsweetened so I dumped about a cup of sugar on 'em for the juice, then drained 'em later. If yours' are already sweetened, that puts you one step ahead. Di

Made this yesterday and it is oh so delicious... The recipe I used is out of an old Czech fundraising cookbook: 3 C. flour 2 C. sugar 2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 t. salt 4 eggs, lightly beaten 2 cups well drained and sliced frozen strawberries; reserve sweetened juice 1 C. vegetable oil 1/4 C. milk 1/2 C. chopped walnuts or pecans Sift together (3 times) nuts and all dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients over top and fold in. Bake at 350 degrees, 65 minutes or until you can pierce with knife blade that comes out clean. Immediately brush hot loaves with the reserved juice. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack(s). Recipe makes two loaves. When cooled, I glazed loaves with same Powdered Sugar Glaze recipe as previously contributed by Kew, using 2 Tbsp. milk, microwaved for 1 minute, then added about 1/4 C. butter to eliminate the flavor of the raw powdered sugar. Definitely a Keeper Recipe! Di Edited to say... uh well, it just needed editing!

Terrific idea! Sorry from me too... I got sidetracked as well. Di

Welcome! Okay, so call me dense... I don't do many cakes but would like to work on perfecting this challenging skill. Would you mind walking me through, step-by-step, exactly what you do, i.e. type of buttercream (meringue, etc.) used, fresh or crusted over, room temperature or chilled. H-e-l-p, pleeze. Thanks! Di

My trusty ol' BH&G cookbook cautions, "To prevent weeping (the watery layer that forms between the meringue and filling), spoon meringue onto piping hot filling to help the underside of the meringue cook at the same rate as the top surface. Don't underbake meringue." Di

For anyone sensitive to the trace bitterness caused by the red food coloring, I replace it with a "healthy teaspoon" of gel coloring... no bitterness and a very pretty color. Di