Raquel

OK. Here's a scoop. Someone I know is a make-up artist for the show, and she said that they are heading off to Hawaii in November for filming. They'll be based at the Hilton Waikoloa.

I agree. A couple layers seem to be missing. I am slightly disappointed not to see the corn husk go down in the oil w/ all the rest. Ah well... "Chronic(wha?)cles" of Narnia was pretty funny too. Samberg and Parnell are a great team.

I haven't been on this thread for a while and saw so many delectable treats while perusing the last few pages. gfron1 - beautiful chambord genois & candied kumquat cremoix CanadianBakin' - wonderful, colorful crooked cake Ling - unbelievable sweets in Seattle Klary - very pretty & delicate apple tart I really had a craving for cupcakes today, so I headed out to Sprinkles to get a dozen. They were really low on stock and there was a long line... but @ least I got to stand behind Jake Gyllenhaal ("I wish I could quit you") while I waited! The only flavors left were the basic Vanilla, Chocolate, Red Velvet, & Lemon Coconut. But boy were they ever good...

"How to refresh 5 hours old sour taste coffee" - Did anyone see this video? What is the white, granular substance used to take away the sour... Is it salt?

Alchemist, say "Hello" to Dufresne & Red for me...

Those are some of the most satisfying little crackers around ! I love them with the Stilton w/ ginger and mango............. ← Those SAVORY THINS are awesome. I usually serve them with a hunk of goat cheese and hot pepper jelly or Thai sweet chili sauce poured over the top.

I always thought the ice was there to reduce splashing.

Has anyone seen this before? FRENCH FRY ENCRUSTED CORN DOGS

Thanks for the tip, Ling! I'll have to check out Bon Appetit. I haven't seen this month's yet... I would say that the only thing in common this place has to Magnolia is that they picked up on the big cupcake trend. I've had the Magnolia cupcakes and (to me) they are different - drier, looser cake texture and a more gritty frosting that hardens on the outside as it dries. Sprinkles cupcakes are moister - both cake and frosting. And the flavor combinations are more involved, using top-notch ingredients. They do things like Chai Latte or Ginger Lemon. I tend to like the more simple flavors. My favorites were the Plain Vanilla and Orange flavors. The next time I'm out there I'll have to pick up a bigger box! But at $3.25 a pop, it can get pretty pricey.

Sure thing. The place is called SPRINKLES and they specialize in only cupcakes. It's on Little Santa Monica Blvd. right in the heart of Beverly Hills.

There are so many beautiful dessert photos on this thread! Went to a "trendy" place in LA with my sister and cousin to taste their famous cupcakes. We weren't really expecting much... but oh my, were they ever good! The cake itself was super-moist and dense. The tops still maintained that crispy/chewy/shiny texture under the frosting. The frosting was really thick and smooth with a very nice flavor. Clockwise from top: Red velvet cake w/ cream cheese frosting, Belgian dark chocolate cake w/ fudgy milk chocolate frosting, Madagascar bourbon vanilla cake w/ vanilla frosting, Belgian dark chocolate cake w/ bittersweet chocolate frosting. Also eaten but not shown: Fragrant orange cake w/ orange-vanilla frosting & Spiced pumpkin cake w/ cinnamon cream cheese frosting

Thank you M & SD for your informative posts. I've been eyeing some salt cod of late and want to try out this Bacalao al pil-pil dish. Also, I'll be traveling to San Sebastian in a few months and am looking forward to the different variations on salt cod in that Basque region.

I saw a method once where big hunks of de-salted cod are fried (skin side down) in lots of olive oil. After cooking, the dish is left to cool a little. Then the whole pan is swirled around so that the gelatin in the fish skin emulsifies with the olive oil. It turned into a beautiful, golden, thick sauce. Then a red pepper sauce (picarade?) is spooned on top and the whole thing is swirled around some more to incorporate. Does this sound familiar... and does anyone know what this dish is called?

A friend had a loft party Saturday night - much dancing and carousing. Had a wonderfully fresh caipirinha and then a few silo cups of some "wild" sangria (Champagne, brandy, Coke, apples, oranges, one whole pineapple... whole meaning a huge uncut mass floating in the middle of it all, red, club soda, and a bunch of other stuff I can't remember). Rolled home at 4:30 am. and was FAMISHED. A huge bowl of steamed rice mixed up with mounds of shredded cheese. Big chunks of roasted chicken crisped in a pan with some good evoo. Sliced sweet grape tomatoes mixed w/ minced garlic, lemon, salt, pepper, honey... Large, rough, toasted pieces of a sourdough baguette. Yummy gravy from the roast chicken poured liberally over all. And finally, Lea & Perrins poured all over the top of this already heaping mess. Fell into bed @ 6 am just as the alarm clock was going off...

I don't know if this is too subversive... but Trader Joes has a boxed brownie mix (Yellow and brown box I believe). On the side panel is a recipe for cookies using the brownie mix. I think you add 1 egg and a whole stick of melted butter. Stupidly simple... but a really good chocolate cookie. There are choc. chips in the mix, so every bite is pretty decadent. Because of the high butter content, they are chewy and rich. Just don't overcook them.