lynsval

My great aunt used to make Spoonoodles with them. They are a no-bake "cookie." Very sweet but everyone loves them. BUTTERSCOTCH SPOONOODLES 1 (3 oz.) can chow mein noodles 1 c. honey 2 tbsp. butter 1/8 tsp. salt 1 c. coarsely chopped nuts (usually walnuts or pecans) 1/4 c. sugar 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1 (6 oz.) pkg. butterscotch morsels Combine noodles and nuts in mixing bowl; set aside. Combine honey, sugar, butter, vanilla and salt in saucepan and bring to a full boil over moderate heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add butterscotch morsels and stir until melted and smooth. Pour over noodles and nuts. Mix gently until coated; drop by heaping teaspoon onto wax paper or baking sheet and let set until firm. Wrap each separately in cellophane when set. Enjoy!

My nephew was married in January in Vegas. We all (50 of us) went over to Maggiano's italian afterwards. It is in the Fashion Show Mall with views of Wynn. The food was reasonably priced and very good. We had a private room, but 20 could be accomodated even easier. I had never heard of it prior to January, but I have friends here at work tell me it's one of the best in Vegas. Check it out. Maggiano's Location: Fashion Show Mall 3200 Las Vegas Blvd S Las Vegas, NV 89109-2612 Phone: 702.732.2550 Cuisine: Family style Italian Reservations: Not required Price Range: $12 - $30 Hours: Sun.- Thurs. 11 AM - 11 PM; Fri. - Sat., 11 AM - Midnight Attire: Casual Hope this helps! Valerie in San Diego

That is sooo cool! My cookie monster cakes will never look the same! Thanks for the info!

Pretty basic, but I put a sticky magnet on a Sharpie pen so there was no question as to being able to label the food. This saved people from having to scramble to find a pen that would write on labels.

I love licorice. Due to dental work, I have to stay away from any of the "filling lifters," I'm always on the lookout for the softest, creamiest licorice I can find. When I find a good batch, I run to share with my Dad who loves it as much as I do. Is the Kookaburra a soft-type of licorice? I know that some of the softest ones are Australian. This topic has my mouth watering... I'm in for a good old-fashioned tasting!!!

Randi-- Great first try! It looks like you may have slightly overcooked the cake. It is a very thin cake so you need to watch it carefully. Wendy's advice up thread about testing is good. Bet it tasted good, though! What did you put with the mascarpone? Did you just use it like cream cheese in the recipe? Val

You really have to make sure that you grease both the pan as well as the waxed paper before filling the pan. Otherwise, the cake will stick to it. I usually use Pam w/flour. Occasionally, I don't have that and use just plain Pam and it works great. Val

How would whipped cream hold up to being held and/or frozen for long periods of time? The beauty of these rolls is that they freeze well and can be sliced as needed. I like to serve them with whipped cream. Perhaps unsweetened cream would help cut the sweetness. I love the candied ginger idea! Or perhaps an orange filling (i.e., orange marmalade mixed with the cream cheese) Just thinking outloud. It's kind of dreary today here in Sunny San Diego, so it finally feels like punkin' roll bakin' weather!! Val

Wendy, I had no idea that you could just leave the cake flat to cool! Any suggestions about what to look for so that the cake isn't overcooked? Since it is such a flat cake, I sometimes have a tendency to overcook them. It hasn't seemed to matter because the filling somewhat rehydrates the cake. I look forward to this being a real learning year as far as getting this down. This is such a good, homey gift for people. Thank you for all your advice, I will begin this weekend and try your suggestions. Val

I just saw gold ones at the cake supply store I frequent. Here is their website: Do It With Icing Hope this helps. At least it's a place to start. Val

I did a search and found this. It is the same recipe that I use. Libby's Pumpkin Rolls There are other variations out there, but none as easy or tasty as this one. I'm definitely going to try the waxed paper only this year. Val

Thanks for the great suggestions! I knew I would get some great ideas. I love the idea of the parchment paper, Anna. I'll try it. I use flour-sack type towels also, specifically for cake baking. A thought just occurred to me -- I wonder if storing them in the freezer in a Ziploc bag would be the way to go? PastryMama -- the recipe I have calls for baking the cake on waxed paper. I usually peel it off prior to rolling up the cake. Any idea as to how the waxed paper would hold up if I roll it up with the waxed paper and just bypass the towel altogether? Would it disentegrate and just cause me more of a problem. Hmmmm -- since waxed paper is so much cheaper than parchment. I'll dig up the recipe for you, meredithla. It's getting to be that time of year! I'll be starting this weekend for a friend that wants me to show her how I make them. I believe it is a Libby's recipe. Very basic and readily available to all, but people fight over the silly things!! I make them both with nuts and without. As usual this forum is such a great resource! Thanks. Val

I have a question that has been on my mind for the past couple of years that I figured I would come out of lurkdome to ask the "pros." Every year for the months of November and December I bake pumpkin rolls for friends and family. Depending on my work schedule I have made anywhere from 60-120 of these bad boys. It's the jelly-roll style cake with the cream cheese filling. Anyway, my problem is the towels that I use to roll the cakes up in to cool. I find that no matter how long I soak them or what kind of bleach or detergent that I use to try and cut the oil, they still get rancid quickly. I always end up buying new ones every year because they smell so bad and I don't want to ruin my cakes. Does anyone here have any suggestions or any alternatives to the towels? Any special type of detergent that you use? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Val

Thanks for the "unofficial" welcome, Seth!! Here is the humble recipe. You could add raisins if you wanted to, but that is probably a whole 'nother thread!! Coconut Carrot Cake 3 eggs, lightly beaten 2 cups sugar 4 oz. jar baby food carrots 1 cup oil 1 cup crushed pineapple w/juice 2 cups AP flour 2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 2 tsp vanilla 2 tsp cinnamon 1 cup shredded coconut 1 cup walnuts, chopped Frosting: 8 oz cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened 3 cup powdered sugar, sifted 2 tsp vanilla 1 cup walnuts, chopped Mix all cake ingredients in large bowl until moist. Pour into 1-9 x 13 or 2-9-inch round oiled pans. Bake at 350 for 35 - 40 minutes or until it tests clean. For Frosting: Combine cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating until smooth between each addition. Cool cakes on rack. Frost then top with chopped walnuts. Can be served as is or frozen for later. Serves 12 I hope you enjoy this. My family and co-workers love it. On another note, I made the Coconut Cupcakes from Ina Garten for the 4th of July. I had coconut milk but no buttermilk. I substituted it straight across but put in a bit of vinegar because I was worried about not having the acid the original recipe called for. It worked great. Not sure that it was any better than the original recipe, but I liked the idea of using coconut milk to give it that extra punch of flavor. I also lightly toasted the garnish coconut. The adults went for those and they just kept getting better the longer they sat. Valerie

I've been watching this thread for a couple of days and I have a recipe for a coconut carrot cake that everyone always loves. I just tell them it's carrot cake and don't tell them what kind of carrots. It calls for a 4 oz jar of baby food carrots! If you didn't like the idea of baby food, I suppose you could just steam some carrots and puree them in the food processor. It really is a very rich and filling cake and you just can't seem to stop eating it. If you would like the recipe, I can post it. This is my first post here so I'm a bit nervous about posting a recipe when there are professionals around!! Valerie