Tweety69bird

Oh. Thanks for that... I would have piled up on it!! I guess I'll have to make sure to get my fill before I leave!!!!

I don't think I will be going to Jerusalem, so thank you for the work you have already done, I think the places you listed will keep me busy for a while. I read on the Bethlehem link that one of the falafel restaurants sells the mix, I really want to go there and try their falafel and bring some mix home! That's the kind of gifts I like to bring back for friends. I looked up hawayej and baharat so I'm already better informed!

Thank you for all of your suggestions. I will be arriving into Tel Aviv, and travelling around after that. Rameh is a little village, and honestly, I'm not even sure where it is.... yet. I do hope to find some good ras el hanout, I've been looking forward to cooking with it since I did a project on edible flowers a while back. I don't know what hawayej and baharat are, but I shall educate myself. I am so looking forward to finding great falafel!!! Also, I am quite interested to see what desserts they have other than the obvious baklava. Swisskaese you are awesome!!!! Much appreciated!

No, I didn't. As I said, I was kinda winging it both times, and found that basic directions online were split about half and half as to whether or not it was necessary. I did buy the cake rounds, but once I saw they didn't *perfectly* match the layers (size-wise,) I opted out of them. Think that would have helped solve my problem, as well? ← So, your cake tiers were sitting right on top of each other and the dowels? Nothing in between???

I will be traveling to Bethlehem, Haifa, Rameh and I'm looking for some really authentic places to eat. Dessert places, street vendors for falafel etc... please advise. Also, what would you suggest I bring home for fellow foodies, as in spices etc, that I would find at the souks. TIA!

Do you have a favourite carrot cake recipe? I love a good carrot cake, but I rarely make them, and have been disappointed with the results - I've only tried my mum's family recipe though, which (shh! keep this quiet!) makes a rather rubbery cake. ← Go here.

Ok firstly, don't panic. You will be fine. Second, maybe you want to call your local florist and ask about the time frame... they will have a better reply for you. Are your flowers pesticide free? They shouldn't be touching the cake otherwise. (Sorry to stress you out more). Wilton sells flower picks that you can put a bit of water inside, and then stick the spike into the cake. Also, you can get away with putting the stem of the flower in a straw and then poking that into the cake. Or putting a piece of parchement or wax paper under the flowers on the cake where ever you can. I think if you end up putting the flowers on early, you'll be better off with the cake in the fridge, like they are kept at the florists. Good luck, and post pictures!!!

Thanks for taking one for the team! I think you're braver than most. For the record, I choose D.

Tim, it seems time for you to move on. You seem bitter, and don't get me wong, deservedly so... it must be quite hard to deal with the unexpected people and no shows all the time and lack of appreciation or compassion for your current issues. Leave on a high note, as you said, and look forward to your new adventure. Congrats on the new job!

What did they do to get 21 days?

I'm totally looking forward to it!!!!

Can you leave the packages unsealed until you reach outside, and let them acclimate to the change in temperature before you close them?

Omigod I have to try that!

You were the ONLY woman who applied out of 500 applicants? That's crazy. And you were one of the final five! Good for you!!!! I missed the show last night, but knowing FTV, I'm sure it'll be on 5 or 6 times this week.

A beautiful end result for all of your hard work! Very creative decoration, I might add. Congrats, and good luck for your next cake!!

Your last cake is quite an improvement!

Am I mistaken or wasn't it the two guys who won last year... they got a show on throwing parties or something of the like... I caught Dana on Just One Bite, and good for her. On the other hand, the host of the show isn't very good at keeping things flowing, there seems to be many akward moments on the show... I'd rather watch Chef at Home too... Do you guys think that this competition is going to be a yearly event?

When you are adding your flour mixture to your egg mixture, try using a spatula to fold in the flour mixture very gently instead of whisking it in. You should have ribbons in your egg mix before adding the flour.... what that means is that when you remove the whisk from the mix and let the mix drip back into the bowl, it should fall in ribbons and not dissapear back into the mix right away. Keep at it! It's great when you finally get it right and bake a perfect cake!!

Please take pictures of your spread and post!! Oh, and good luck!!

I can't offer you any advice since I'm behind you when it comes to developping my chocolate dreams, however I wish you the best of luck and I think it will be so rewarding to follow your dreams. It sounds like you have done your homework and will be off to a running start. I look forward to learning a lot from this thread! One question, what Norman Love thread are you referring to at the top, and what is the "G" series? Thanks!

The last thing I want to have happen while dining is to catch a whaft of dog from the table beside me. Many dogs smell and they shouldn't be allowed in restaurants. Plus, the dog hair that will be in the air, and the dog fights that could occur. Oh, and what about my friend who has a Great Dane. Can she come? Or how about my other buddy who has 3 dogs, can they all come when he goes for dinner? Did I mention one of them has fleas? This is crazy. If restauranteurs want to allow dogs on the terrasse, then so be it, but not inside.

Can you explain why the syrup? Moisture? Taste? you mean basicly taking the crust of the cake right? ← The syrup is for moisture mainly, and you can add in some flavouring if you wish - ie Rum. It's a simple syrup, which is same amounts of water and sugar on the stove until it boils, then stop and let it cool. Once it's cooled, you apply it as you are building your cake, with a brush. More syrup around the edges, and just enough to moisten. You don't want a soggy cake. And yes, I believe sanrensho meant for you to level off the cakes by removing the crust. I usually only remove the top crust and leave the bottom alone. Good luck!

If you mean the heavy 35% cream that just doesnt' say it's for whipping, then yes, I think you will have no problem using that. I have used that for other uses instead of whipping cream with fine results, as long as there is no whipping involved.

Have you looked in RLB's Cake Bible? She has a whole section on baking large cakes and the charts that you need to follow. She has done all the calculations for you, so you just have to multiply your size out using her chart. The biggest variable in the recipes is the baking powder amounts.

My goodness, that looks like it would be great! Need lots of napkins though. Cheese overload!