JeanneCake

In Lowell, try Centro, at 24 Market Street. It's been open since Sept and is terrific.

I really like the one in the Cake Bible - moist, firm but not too dense; I like it better without the nuts, personal preference. It calls for safflower and walnut oil; but I've used all veg oil. It's more flavorful with the the safflower/walnut oils but fine with the veg oil. And, the banana cake from there is pretty good too. Even better with a ganache topping

Home Cooking: A writer in the kitchen and More Home Cooking: a writer returns to the kitchen These have been at the bedside night table for years.

I've held batter for 6 hours chilled in the pan with no ill effects; when I held it overnight there was a slight loss of volume and it took longer to bake (to be expected). I think you are going to have to try it with a batch.

well, the moral of the story is that if you jam a pen into the side where the cage "locks", eventually you will get some sugar stuck in there and it will stay that way. For how long I don't know but for now I'm grateful When that stops, I'm definitely going to clip some of the wires, thanks for the suggestion.

I have no idea... the method for most pound cake recipes is to cream the fats, combine the dry then alternately add the the dry and the liquids (in this case, the eggs and sherry). Then add the nuts. You might have to experiment with this since none of the results I found from googling the recipe included the method. Hold back a little on the sherry and see how fluid or dry the batter is when you finish mixing it. I think it if were soaking the cake with the sherry, it might have listed the sherry as 3/4 cup sherry, divided so you'd use some of that 3/4 cup in the recipe and the rest as the soak after it bakes.

I tried to google "Harvey's Bristol Cream Pound Cake" and most sites just list the ingredients, no method. This seems to be standard, hope it helps: 1 c butter or margarine 2 tsp baking powder 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg 2 c sugar 3/4 c harvey's bristol cream sherry 6 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp salt 3/4 c pecans; finely chopped 3 c flour Edited for typos

I have a vague memory of Sarah Bernhardt cookies in a cookbook from Rosie's Bakery (a Boston based company). Unfortunately I don't have the book to check it for you. They don't show the cookies on their website, but if you called, they might be able to tell you if they could ship them to you. Rosie's Bakery

here is a link to another gum paste (flower paste) recipe that might work better for you. It calls for adding an egg white, so maybe you could try the same with your existing paste and see if helps to salvage the situation... Flower Paste Recipe Link

Amoretti is very generous with samples.....

I like the Ungermatic boxes from The Unger Company - they might be too pricey for you but call and see if they can send you a few samples and you can see if they'll work for you. I find that if I tape the sides shut on the regular (kraft inside) boxes, the box is sturdier and lasts a little longer. I can stack them that way, but have the same problems when I don't tape the box shut. Another alternative is to investigate what I call "fish buckets" - you can sometimes find them in larger sizes, but call around to a local seafood company and see if they'll sell you some new fish buckets and see if that works. It works for my regular accounts for the individual desserts like the cheesecakes, key lime pies, etc.

My son used a personal-sized, portable battery powered fan at camp this year. It was about the size of a small flashlight. I found it with all the other summer seasonal stuff so you might have to wait til spring or look for one in those camping catalogues....

Lookin' good! What's that you're holding?

In downtown, there's Eastern Baker's Supply - I've never been there because there are two others closer to home for me. Gerrish Peters is in Lawrence, and United Restaurant in Lowell (www.unitedrestaurant.com)

I like Sunnyland Farms for mail order pecans - I especially love their midget (aka junior) pecans for baking. The nuts (and everything else I've ever ordered from there) has been well packed, fresh and exactly as described. I usually get their home packs because I'm buying for myself, but my mother in law once got us a gift pack and it was just as good! Online at Sunnyland Farms

I got a catalog in the mail today and I'm intrigued by the opportunity to send something other than the usual tower of treats to far flung relatives for the holidays. The photos look great, of course, but I've never heard of this company before now. The URL if you're interested is Meduri Farms Fruit Has anyone bought from this company? What did you think? Worth it or not? ETA: the catalog is definitely geared to the individual consumer, the website looks like wholesale but the product line is the same.

Or dragees!!!

It was/is CherryBrook Kitchens. I had a wedding client on Sunday with a child guest allergic to eggs so we made a batch of yellow cupcakes from that mix. I'm embarrassed to admit that I messed up (not used to this sort of thing) and had to buy another box because I read the water measurement as oil and the oil as water. I dont know what I was expecting, but the brown sugar smell was very nice as it baked. One box made 12 regular sized cupcakes so I didn't get to sample any to know how it compares to cake in general. They also make an eggless frosting mix, as well as brownies.

Maida Heatter took Hepburn's brownies, and layered them with raspberry jam in one of her books. If you have any pepper jelly, you could do the same (it is off topic from your original question, which I would answer with adding a lot of freshly ground pepper to get the kick you want. Start with 1/2 tsp for the normal batch of Hepburn brownies in an 8" pan.) The technique is to make a batch (or a double batch), pour it into the pan and freeze it; layer on the jelly/jam/preserves and pour on the remaining brownie batter (or make a second batch while the frozen layer thaws). Bake as usual, but the toothpick tests with a few moist crumbs clinging as usual. If you like nuts in your brownies, you could always make a spiced pecan with the pepper powders and use those in the recipe....

then use the coarser texture to stuff cored berries with. Or halve them and put the pesto in the center...

Will you be able to add bottled water periodically to your rations? You could use powdered milk if you are concerned about the UHT milk. A two to one ratio of powder to water always got a better reaction from people it was served to... I've been known to eat baked beans from the can, but I'd never let anyone catch me doing it...

Cal Java has the best flowers and they also sell to Pfeil and Holing, which is close to you. Plus, P&H won't charge you for shipping - min order is $50 (the cost of the flowers is a little higher than CJ - if you register with CJ as a business you get a discount and it all sort of works out to the same price between the two places). You could also check out Avalon in NY - Avalon Pfeil and Holing is at P&H

Thanks! I ended up doing a holiday gingerbread house for a magazine photo shoot, which was fine (I found all the leftover candy canes from last year, good thing this was for show only!!) but I still have the bug about a haunted house, which I will attempt after Columbus Day. This coming week is too hectic with weddings. The patterns look great, and I'm looking forward to it, especially after all the fondant, lace, and gum paste flowers I'll be living with all week.

I love this cranberry walnut tart from Epicurious - it is a huge seller for me in the fall once the fresh berries come in. You could sub hazelnuts or pecans... Cranberry Walnut Tart I also like a layer of gingerbread cake with a layer of pumpkin mousse and a layer of white choc mousse and spiced pecans for garnish. Chocolate dipped gingerbread cookies (think choc covered graham crackers, same idea)

I'm about to join you in your search - I'm moving to new space and will eventually need/want my own oven(s), probably some time next year. For me, I think I might have to go electric - because I don't have to vent it and I'm still renting and not in a position to buy real estate. I'm going into my third place in 8 years. I'm still sharing space, I'm not ready to grow the business to be on my own (my child is still young). I looked into Doyon ovens - they are a Canadian manufacturer with a good reputation. Their ovens cycle through fan speeds but from what I remember, you can't turn off the fan completely. In fact, I have had mixed opinions on turning off the fan on a convection oven - some people tell me you shouldn't do it, while others say they do it all the time with no ill effect. I don't know what to think on this - the convection I have now is so old that if you look at it wrong, it would stop working. I've also been told that Deluxe Ovens manufactured in Florida is a good brand for me because it is electric - but it is not convection. I don't think this would be good for you because of the breads, but it can't hurt to look into it. I did ask the repair guys what brand they had to work on the most, and they said Baker's Aid, so that's a brand I'd think twice about based on that.