cathrynapple

the platinum collection is pretty, kind of. not spectacular. we recently got a shipment of godiva pop chocolates. cranberry orange and a raspberry. they have a form of pop rocks (remembe rthose?) in them. they fizz in your mouth. awesome.

wow. i have an itchy-mouth allergy when it comes to fresh pineapple. you are my hero now.

a bowl of italian meringue. don't worry, some did make it to the oven. but secretly? imake meringue just so i can eat a bowl. also some hot-out-of-the-oven asiago cheese bread with some salty butter.

yes, it's gorgeous. but everything she does is gorgeous. i mean, the holiday baking magazine alone pretty much gave me an orgasm. sometimes i just like to hug the baking book for long periods of time. and then bake something. the ginger pear bundt cake? out of this world.

my "secret" fruitcake recipe includes sparkling grape juice, coffee, and apricot juice. it's very dark, moist, and ENGLISH. it's a standing rule that ONLY brandy may be used to soak the cake.

tonight i attended a christmas musical at my parents' church, followed by a dessert. it was mentioned just before the musical that a "team of volunteer bakers" had been working hard all day on the desserts, and we should all look forward to it. i was so excited. when the performance finished, we all shuffled across the icy parking lot to the hall where i expected to find cakes, brownies, cookies, pies, puddings, mousses.... but alas: there were plates and plates and plates of jello cherry cheesecake, made in aluminum foil roasting pans, cut into LARGE (like five by five inches here) squares. was this the only choice? no. there was a hgue bowl of chex mix at the end of the table. i refrained from making comments, although i wanted SO BADLY to ask SOMEONE how i "team of bakers" "working all day" could have come up with somethign so gross. i ate a few mouthfuls of the stuff. no flavor, just SWEET PASTE with a dyed red gel on top. disgusting and sad.

i'm pretty sure butter has saturated fat, not trans. shortening is the hydrogenated one, like margarine? i like martha stewart's ginger snowflake recipe. (on her website)

yum! i had mango mousse...basically mango and sugar blended with tofu...so delicious. and sugar cookies, because my brother requested them. i'll add that i eat raw cookies constantly. i prefer them that way. never been sick.

hahahah! i feel the same way about meringue...i DREAM in meringue. the KA mixer has changed my meringue forever, so i recommend just that. itlaian, swiss, whatever. lemon cake with a curd filling, smothered in italian meringue and JUST browned in a broiler or with a little torch.

i just got on for my birthday, and there isn't anything i HAVEN'T used it for. all my friends are currently eating cake. and i mean all of them.

a small bowl of italian meringue (left over from a baking project for a BOY) four or five teaspoonfuls of dulche de leche. (actually labled Nestle Treat, which i mail ordered)

i only recently starting baking (and cooking, a bit) SERIOUSLY. judging by the goegeous new bright white kitchenaid (artisan model) on my counter, i'd say they "get it!" incidentally, my friends have all suddently gained a few pounds! my peers don't always "get it," but they're always excited to eat my stuff.

is that the sweet potato pie that was in Gourmet? i made that a few weeks ago to try it out, and i thought there werne't enough spices in it. what did you think? my sweet potatoes were a little too big, though.

PHEW! i'm done! everyone has left with leftover plates and i'm picking at the cake and turkey. has anyone else tried a sarah lee smoked turkey? this is what i bought ( i have no idea how to cook a turkey...i just wanted things to go smoothly the first time i'm in charge on this monstrosity that is thanksgiving!) it was really flavorful and good.

hahahaha! that's terrible! tonight i wrapped asparagus in bacon, stuffed loads of mushrooms, and set the table. maybe at midnight i'll go wine shopping? (since i'll be 21 then )

dark chocolate pecan bourbon pie, apple tart, chocolate cake with meringue frosting, ice cream.

The grapefruit is a hybrid between the pomelo and the orange. In some markets, grapefruits or pomelo/grapefruit crosses will also be sold as "pomelo" or "pummelo". i love these facts.

i made a sweet potato pie with gingersnap and pecan crust (from Gourmet magazine.) very good, and not too sweet. i'd add some fresh grated ginger to the crust, though. or the filling.

my biggest food influence? my dad. no contest. my father had to teach my mother how to cook when they got married. my dad makes indian food best. i crave his curry. he always demanded i try "something new" at restaurants. i grew up in a tourist town in south africa, so there were lots of WONDERFUL restaurants. (not that we could afford them much!) on sunday afternoons we'd drive out to the country and eat lunch at a hotel. the hotels grew their own veggies and milked their own cows. everything was so fresh and wonderful! my dad taught me to appreciate finer foods. he also taught me to hate picky eaters! haha but i think th most valuable thing he taught (by example) was to eat whatever my mom cooked, no matter what. or else.

my birthday's on thanksgiving! it is also my 21st! we're having roast leg of lamb with mint sauce, roast turkey (of course) with sage dressing (of course) butternut coconut milk soup (somethign i made up) in small portions because it's so damn rich blanched baby asparagus with a warm garlic vinegrette mashed potatoes (which are actually a treat, because i never have them) mushrooms of some sort and i'm thinking maybe some kind of small stuffed sweet onion...anyone have a recipe? for dessert(!): whatever the final recipe for the best chocolate cake ends up being with a meringue frosting (i just want a big white cloud with candles, please) chocolate pecan bourbon pie apple tart

whoever's missing these women, please come and PICK THEM UP from the restautant (uh, DELI) where i work, because we're about to start charging them rent if something doesn't change. let's remember that i live in Lafayette, IN. there is no high society here. unfortunately, many women (most of whom have made a career out of having parties catered by us) consider themselves to part of teh "ladies who lunch" group. they come in, get overpriced spinach salads, and stay for appropximately six or seven hours. the red hats visit us frequently. some groups are more enjoyable than others. we have no idea why they've chosen us. to be honest, there's a much nicer place a few blocks away. better food, same prices, better atmosphere, and consistent music. out place is a groumet deli witha small grocery section run by us, a group of rowdy twenty somethings. we choose the music and make roast beef sandwiches for husband's dragged in and ladle soup for the very elderly. maybe it has something to do with the grossly seasonal decor? (currently, there are fake autumn leaves pressed between the plexiglass (yes, plexiglass) and tablecloths. there is ornage tinsle hanging from the ceiling. they love this. the more of it the better. the ladies stay utnil four or four thirty (we stop serving at two pm.) they ask for any and all music to be turned off while we're mopping and sweeping. they ask us to microwave the half cup of coffee they've been nursing for an hour over and over again. (heaven forbid we bring a fresh cup! they aren't finished with the first!) so yes, we have our own version of this group in lafayette. and, like a said, it's about time for them to go home.

those are just adorable.

then why do so many cake makers swear by freezing their cakes first? is this just for convenience during the decorating process?

i'm a sucker for pear and apple...and fruit tarts in general! yours looks wonderful. i had some mango juice and about seven ginger lemon creams..can't remember the brand name, but they're very gingery, a little spicy, and the lemon filling is tart and lovely.

the stupidest part? that lamb probably had a much better life AND death than a factory farmed lamb, chicken, duck, cow, etc. to me, a prepackaged discount supermarket chicken is much more horrendous don't eat what you don't feel good about, is what i say.