Kim Shook

Welcome, Jenny! Like Smithy, I'd love to hear about the differences between TX and Australia!

Welcome, orangeblossomom! I think you'll find that we are all over the place as far as experience and interest. And I've found, to my delight, that all I have to do is confess ignorance and ask for help and people just pitch in. A VERY nice thing.

Welcome! Looking forward to your involvement!

Welcome, jpebbs! I want to know what PDX is, too.

I'm an idiot. I linked to the wrong recipe! The actual recipe is this one: http://www.recipecircus.com/recipes/Kimberlyn/CAKESandPIES/Gingerbread_Cake_w_Cranberry_Filling.html . I will do as suggested and weigh after measuring and add that to the recipe. I HATE it when weight isn't given. As much as I hate when a recipe calls for 'one medium onion'. What the heck is that? Thank you all for your help!

Thank you for responding!! The recipe is for meringue 'cupcakes'. It is a recipe I've actually made before, but not for a long time. Here's a link: http://www.recipecircus.com/recipes/Kimberlyn/GlutenFree/Pink_Meringue_Cupcakes.html . Maybe I should just measure and sift and not worry about weight this one time!

If a recipe calls for "4 1/2 cups of confectioner's sugar, sieved", do I weigh it before or after sieving? All recipes says that it weighs 3.6 oz. sifted and 4.4 oz. unsifted. I am confused. Thank you!!!

Red taster here, too. I didn't know it was so common.

Looking forward to your posts, Cate! Do you ever go back to Ireland?

Welcome! As an utter Anglophile, I'm always thrilled to see a new member from the UK! Can't wait to see your contributions!

Shelby – happy belated birthday. What a feast! Worth washing dishes for (though, doesn’t someone else eat at your house who could have washed dishes on your birthday? ). BeeZee – get well soon! Love having chili in the freezer when I have a cold! Mr. Kim decided to make dinner tonight. He was planning on smoking some ribs and a turkey breast, but it was supposed to rain all day, so he did some recipe searching on the internet instead. He came up with recipes for chicken salad and bean & bacon soup. Both were delicious! The soup: Autumn chicken salad with apples and almonds: Made into sandwiches with arugula and aged Provolone: And some pickly stuff:

Shelby – yep! I cannot eat chili without cornbread. Or else saltines . Your smoked turkey breast sandwiches have been calling my name since you had them. Mr. Kim is trying smoked ribs for the first time on Saturday and I think I’ve convinced him to put a turkey breast on the lower rack! Ann – gorgeous steak. And Mr. Kim would keel over at that mushroom sauce! I would do the keeling over at those lovely livers . Sigh. Tonight was pirogues and Gypsy bacon purchased from a Eastern European market near us, green beans from the Sanitary Café in Reidsville, NC (I love them and stock my freezer when I visit) and yellow squash: I’ve never seen bacon that looked like this:

Thank you so much for the sweet comments! I am feeling much better these past few days – I even started on a project that I suspended almost 2 years ago when all my issues started! I painted a second coat on an outside door and cleaned two more that I plan to paint tomorrow if the weather cooperates! I am also planning to concentrate on cooking a lot more than I have been. I would love to meet you in real life – I’ve met a few eG folks and without exception they have been wonderful people and are still friends. If you ever get up to the Richmond area, please let me know!

Welcome! Can't wait to see your contributions.

Thanks to everyone for the nice comments on my beef Burgundy. Here’s a link to the recipe for those who asked: http://www.recipecircus.com/recipes/Kimberlyn/SOUPSandSTEWS/Modern_Beef_Burgundy.html rotuts – see the link above. It was a TV recipe (America’s Test Kitchen), not one of the magazines or books. I can’t for the life of me remember which Burgundy I used. I know it was inexpensive – maybe Woodbridge? Shelby – love the combination of potato soup and toasted cheese sandwiches. You are the only person other than my family who I’ve seen make toasted cheese sandwiches in years. Everyone seems to only make grilled. I love both, but sometimes toasted works best! Basquecook – that is certainly some gorgeous fried chicken! I love fried chicken and contend that the ‘recipe’ (ingredients) are less important than the method (brining, soaking, coating). Do you agree? Ann – gorgeous pizzas! My favorite is a Margherita – always the true test of a pizza joint. And your peel is, as always, a work of art. Mr. Kim made chili for the UVA tailgate on Saturday and we’ve been eating it ever since:

Coderebellion – thank you! This particular thread induces cravings in me every time I read it! Glad to contribute. I made two poundcakes for coffee at church – Toasted Coconut: And pumpkin topped with candied pecans:

Hey, Crepes! Welcome! Glad you finally decided to de-cloak! It took me forever, too. I spent every summer of my childhood in Reidsville NC, so I'm always glad to see someone from Carolina. Looking forward to your posts.

Welcome! You've certainly found the right place if you want to hang with other bakers and chocolate makers! Glad to have you here!

I’ve been out of commission again. Was in NC on a trip for a while and came home with pneumonia. I’ve been looking at this thread and ‘liking’ lots, but not posting. I credit you all with restoring my appetite! Finally starting to cook again! Last night’s dinner was a test for possible Christmas Eve meal – America’s Test Kitchen’s Modern Beef Burgundy: It was absolutely delicious and extremely easy to do. The sauce is deep and rich tasting and everything you want in Beef Burgundy.

I'm with Shelby. They make my teeth ache when I've used them at other people's houses. I have one that lives in front of my toaster oven for putting hot pans on. It has cupcakes all over it (of course). I think I paid $3 for it at The Christmas Tree Store.

I don't know if this counts, but I was disinterring a roasting pan (never used - I usually buy a disposable one at $Tree) from my tip of an attic and discovered a brand new, never opened, programmable, computerized, 6 qt. Crock Pot. I have NO memory of buying or receiving this. Time to clean out that attic.

How about a tiny little line somewhere (under the opening hours would work) listing which credit cards they accept (or, more importantly, if they don't accept any)?

Beth – that is just astonishingly gorgeous! This was a Coca-cola chocolate cake that I made for a church potluck: Slice: Probably my best version of chocolate cake.

Patrick - thanks so much for your response. The idea of long, deep cooking of tomatoes and sausage really appeals to me. Sounds like a great dinner to welcome cooler weather with (if it ever gets below 90F in VA!). Mmmpomps – great first post! The eggs are perfect and so is that steak. Lovely meal! Coliver – it is ‘brined’ for at least 90 minutes and up to 24 hours. Here are the directions on my webpage: http://www.recipecircus.com/recipes/Kimberlyn/BEEFVEAL/Salt_Brined_Steaks_.html Norm – gosh, your chicken parm looks so crispy and good. Is there sauce under the chicken, on the pasta? And is your chicken coated with panko? Ann – your chimichungas are rolled so beautifully! Anything I roll has a blowout somewhere. That’s why I never make egg rolls at home anymore! Shelby – your turkey sandwiches are making me want to get Mr. Kim out in the yard! Gorgeous tomato salad, too! Cheese and soup for dinner last night. Creamy Red Pepper soup: I tried my hand at that cherry tomato jam: I had some nice little local tomatoes - very good, but I didn’t have any fresh basil and used dried and WAY overdid it. From upper left Cheddar, Thomas Hoe Stevenson Stilton (UK), Sartori Reserve Bellavitano (US), and Everona Earthquake w/ peppercorns and vegetable ash (local). See those nice little apple slices sitting with the dates? Well: Sliced the tip of my thumb damn near OFF. Crap. We’ve got a big cookout coming up this Sunday at church and I’ve promised a big chocolate cake and hot dog chili. Hope Mr. Kim doesn’t mind being sous chef while I am executive!

I will have to try that Worcestershire pepper idea. Do you know that we were first introduced to it at your house? Never heard of it before. C went out the back door and bought us a can of it to take home! We've used it ever since. This gave me a giggle, Katie! Since I am exactly the opposite. Cheese and mayo are, for me, such a perfect combination that I almost feel like they are the same thing. A plain cheese sandwich MUST have mayo. And a slice of cheese on a summer tomato and mayo sandwich is heaven. To me, they go together so well that when I make a deli meat and cheese sandwich, the mustard goes on the meat side and the mayo on the cheese side - ALWAYS. I think that you must be right about that DNA thing!