Kim Shook

Oh, dear, I'm an idiot! I directed you to a completely wrong recipe - I sent you to my MIL's Margarita cake instead of MY Daquiri Cake - here is the correct link! I'm sorry!

Thank you! It is an extremely easy cake that everyone loves. Here's the recipe. Hope that helps.

Like the telephone game, huh? Fun! For a BLT, I sometimes switch out tomatoes for fried green tomatoes and make my mayo with a little bacon fat.

Prawn – gorgeous meals and I was especially drawn to the tonkatsu (one of my favorites). And the hot pot dinner was incredibly impressive! robirdstx – perfect potatoes! djyee100 – everything you posted – the shrimp, the soup and the brownies looked wonderful. Thanks for posting the link to the soup – it looks so good that I might just go old school and actually put pen to paper to get that recipe ! MiFi – Those pork chops?? Just…wow ! I must stop buying grocery store pork and go a little longer distance to the butcher shop! Dinner the other night was pan sautéed chicken breasts, French fries, green beans and a whole grain baguette – all freezer/pantry food: Our Thanksgiving dinner was quiet and small and simple – exactly what I wanted. Only 6 of us and I really controlled my natural inclination to excess! My pallid turkey: This is what our turkeys always look like – it’s because of cooking it in the Nesco roaster. No browning, but the trade-off is the most moist, flavorful, delicious turkey I’ve ever made (even the leftovers are moist): Cornbread-Pecan stuffing: slkinsey’s Brussels Sprouts au Gratin: Marlene’s Cream Roasted Potatoes: Unfortunately, they didn’t get browned and crispy - I think that I crowded them in the pan. They still tasted divine, though. Candied Sweet Potatoes: Seriously, there are sweet potatoes loaded with butter, cinnamon and maple syrup under all those toasty mini-marshmallows ! Orange-Cranberry Sauce: Gravy: Rolls: Heart of Dixie Pecan Pie:

deensiebat – the kolache is beautiful and look absolutely delicious. And that coffee cake is a incredible – I can TASTE it! Blether – beautiful bread! Thanksgiving day breakfast: Eggs, sage sausage and chocolate croissants from Trader Joes.

Thanks for the info on freezing/thawing frosted cakes - I've printed it out to put with my cake recipes! This week I made a Margarita Pound Cake for a United Way auction for Mr. Kim’s office. It went for $22 :

Thank you! I did freeze the cake unwrapped and then wrapped once the frosting was frozen. But I unwrapped it and defrosted at room temperature. That was my mistake, obviously. What I'm wondering about is how my frosting won't get messed up if I defrost with the plastic wrap still on it. Won't it pull it away/mess it up?

Jeff – well, then, I have nothing further to offer . As I mentioned in the dinner thread, I had a job catering desserts and nibbles for 100 for my daughter’s sorority. It was all delivered last night. The menu was: Coconut Cake w/ Strawberry Filling and Fluffy White Frosting: Detail: Chocolate Cake with Fudgy Buttercream: Detail: The cake was the CI German Chocolate cake with a frosting that I concocted from combining chocolate buttercream and Abigail Johnson Dodge’s Fudgy Frosting. The buttercream was too stiff and the Fudgy Frosting too loose, but together they piped beautifully and tasted lovely. The decorations are just Snowcaps candies on top of frosting rosettes. The only problem was this: My frosting sweated! There were these little beads all over the entire cake. I froze the frosted cake and thawed it in the morning and a couple of hours after I set it out, I discovered this. I tried to blot, but that didn’t do any good. After it set out for a few hours, they had diminished somewhat, but were still very evident. So I took some clear sprinkles that I had – very large grains – and drifted them all over the top of the cake. It camouflaged it just fine, so crisis averted, but I’d like to know what I did wrong because freezing a fully decorated cake is a wonderful timesaver and I’d like to be able to do it again. Half of the Spicy Glazed Peanut Clusters: Close up: Cheddar Pecan Cheese Straws: Half of the Bleu Cheese Shortbread with apricot preserves: Close up: Butter Mints in sorority colors: It was an exhausting experience – one I don’t think I’d want to try again so close to the holidays and while working full time – but a really fun one, too. Jessica said that everyone loved all the food. She was supposed to get a picture of the cut cake, but didn’t. After we got everything set up Mr. Kim took me to Millie's Diner - a favorite local place for a celebration dinner. With everything – this catering job, work, going to NC to visit/help sick relatives and the holidays coming up – I haven’t been cooking much. We’ve been having quick food – sandwiches, breakfast, canned soup, take out – and I was in need of something real and good and well made. This really fit the bill. On topic, our dessert was their version of a Kit Kat - incredible little sticks of a firm chocolate mousse-like cream and a crust layer of darker chocolate with tiny crunchy bits. I really would love to know how they make this! I know that Michel Ricard does this dessert at Central in Washington, but haven’t had it there and don’t know if it’s the same thing. Does anyone have a recipe for this?

I wouldn't bother with Parker's in Wilson, but if you go to Short Sugar's in Reidsville NC and have a chopped pork with their amazing, singular sauce, you'll be glad you did. Keep in mind that lots of BBQ places (including Short Sugar's), especially the small town places are closed on Sundays.

Randi, I'm sorry for all of this. I'm quite sure that you did a good job and that it was appreciated by some and not by others. The problem with the boss was insurmountable once she decided that she didn't like/want you. Some things aren't fixable. I work every day with the same population that you were serving. Some of those folks just won't be pleased or satisfied, no matter what. After working with seniors for 2 years, I've decided that the next person who talks about teenagers being surly or entitled or ill mannered needs to work with the elderly for a few weeks. I know with your intelligence, energy and talent that better things are coming for you!

From the publisher: A remarkable portrait of American food before World War II, presented by the New York Times-bestselling author of Cod and Salt. Award-winning New York Times-bestselling author Mark Kurlansky takes us back to the food and eating habits of a younger America: Before the national highway system brought the country closer together; before chain restaurants imposed uniformity and low quality; and before the Frigidaire meant frozen food in mass quantities, the nation's food was seasonal, regional, and traditional. I am listening to this now and finding it absolutely fascinating. Is anyone else reading this book?

Blether – I think that your cheesecake looks delicious! I’d love a piece right now! I’m STILL devoting all of my evening time to the catering job, so dinner last night was EASY: Bacon, egg and cheese grilled sandwiches and canned bean with bacon soup ! The bacon was the always delectable Benton’s, though, so we didn’t suffer too much !

We have an 18 qt. Nesco and absolutely love it. We do turkeys, ribs, ham and huge amounts of chili, stew, etc. Everything turns out moist and wonderful - none of that slow cooker tastelessness even though I've heard people say that it is basically a giant slow cooker. You are never going to get crisp, brown poultry skin on it, though. We don't care about that anymore. It frees up the oven for everything else on holidays and I've never cooked a more moist, flavorful turkey. It does cook things faster than the directions indicate, though - check things early.

MattyC – lovely brioche. I’m up late tonight and wish I had the energy to make those. How wonderful they would taste with some sweet butter or my Tiptree strawberry preserves! chocoera – just utterly gorgeous! Jeff – do you chill your crust after rolling and before filling? That’s supposed to help with shrinkage. Just some bragging from me – daughter Jessica made her wonderful apple pie: This one was maybe her best ever. Perfectly cooked apples, not too juicy, not too dry. She really is the pie baker in this family!

Blether – I checked and we do have a St. Andrew society here. I’m saving the site so that I can watch for the dinner! Thank you! Mark – that paella is beautiful. I wonder if I could do something similar with orzo (I can’t tolerate rice since having a gastric bypass ). We’re still sorta working down the freezer, but other stuff, too. Saturday was some rib eyes from the freezer, cheese potatoes, a Costco demi baguette (also from the freezer) and slaw: The steaks were fantastic. We’d put the Montreal steak seasoning/brown sugar rub we always use on them before freezing (I seem to remember that they were intended for a dinner with my in laws that got cancelled for some reason) and Mr. Kim grilled them perfectly: Last night I took some sliced eye of round roast that I had in the freezer and made some rich gravy with some beef stock that I had in there and just simmered the slices in the gravy for a couple of hours. Some elderly potatoes from the cabinet, applesauce from the apples we picked a few weeks ago and another of the frozen baguettes: I am one tired puppy. I am doing desserts/nibbles for a 100 person alumni ‘gala’ for my daughter’s college sorority next Saturday. I’m doing a chocolate cake with chocolate icing, coconut cake, pecan cheese straws, bleu cheese shortbread with apricot preserves, buttermints in the sorority colors and spicy glazed peanut clusters. I frosted the chocolate cake tonight and it’s in the freezer getting solid so that I can wrap it. The coconut cake is in the freezer sans frosting, since I am using 7 minute frosting and will do that last thing on Saturday. All 200 mints are spread out drying on my dining room table. I’ll flip them over tomorrow night and wrap them up Wednesday night. The cheese straws are in the freezer and I’m going to try to get at least some of the bleu cheese shortbreads baked tonight before I snatch a couple of hours of sleep. The peanut clusters will have to wait until Wednesday night because tomorrow we are going to Charlottesville to see Jimmy Buffett. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz I’ll take pictures on Saturday when everything is done and post them in the desserts thread.

Dan - it's never too early! I'm already planning Christmas! And I've got the cranberry sauce and gravy in the freezer, too! I don't usually host Thanksgiving - Christmas eve is our holiday to have everyone at our house, but I decided to do a small one this year - just the three of us, my FIL and his wife and my mother and dad (eG's Ted Fairhead). I'm planning on turkey, pecan cornbread stuffing, Marlene's cream roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes (with marshmallows, I'm not ashamed to say - what I say is sweet potatoes without marshmallows and brown sugar taste like...sweet potatoes - ick! ), orange cranberry sauce, slkinsey's brussels sprouts au gratin, some kind of breadstuff and pecan pie with bourbon whipped cream. Donna - that dessert sounds wonderful! And as far as a do-ahead potato dish, we love twice baked potatoes - with good cheese, chives, sour cream, butter and a little cream cheese. These are a little dowdy, but delicious and everyone always scarfs them down and they freeze really well. You just thaw and heat.

I am testing some cakes tonight and want to try freezing them decorated, as I've been advised that I can do. Now I need some specifics. I assume that I freeze them for some time uncovered and them cover them somehow. Do I wrap them in plastic, or will that mess up the frozen frosting? Do I just put them in a box covered with plastic over (but not touching) the frosting? FYI - I am using a cream cheese frosting and a chocolate frosting that is made with chocolate, butter, sweetened condensed milk and corn syrup. Thanks so much!

Not yard sale shopping, but I wasn’t sure where else this belonged. It’s all old stuff, so I guess its ok here! My grandmother is doing some clearing out at her house and, this weekend, during my visit loaded me up with a PILE of books: I think I have a community cookbook from every church in Reidsville NC ! But these were actually kind of cool, I think: Here are the title pages and front photographs: These books were all published in the early 40’s and I can’t wait to read them like novels! I was fascinated by these books as a child and can remember wanting so badly to go to a party that was serving that platter of petit fours!

Blether – I keep thinking that I would probably like haggis and everyone I know thinks I’m insane. Wonder where I could try it? MiFi – beautiful meals – every single one of them! Got home last night from a trip to NC to visit my grandmother who has just gotten home from being in a rehab center (I told her that makes her sound like a Hollywood druggie ) since her stroke in July. Mr. Kim and Jessica made a lovely dinner. Mr. Kim’s spaghetti w/ meat sauce: Jessica’s wonderful salad with her delicious balsamic vinaigrette: I got started on some things for Thanksgiving/Christmas. I roasted my turkey wing/veg mix and then simmered them to make stock. I’ll make the gravy tonight for the freezer. I also made the cranberry/orange sauce: The only thing that I cooked in NC was a dowdy little casserole that my grandmother has made all my life – you know, pre-Hamburger Helper beef/noodle casserole. It was most certainly NOT photo-worthy, but tasty and something that she could eat (she’s still having to eat fairly soft foods). Having eaten nothing but institutional food since July, she was in the mood to party – on Saturday, she had me go get BBQ for lunch and fried flounder and baked potatoes for dinner!

Jeanne - is it this place?

Still trying to work down the freezer food. Last night’s dinner was more HAM : Biscuits w/ ham and Swiss. <sigh> And some vegetable/alphabet soup: Why, no, I’m not embarrassed to be showcasing Campbell’s soup, why do you ask ? Actually, I am not a big fan of canned soup, but I don’t hate it and Mr. Kim and Jessica actually eat it a lot. And this variety is one that I actually do like. I am trying to get ready to go out of town Friday mid-day and need to bake a pie to use up the apples we picked 2 weekends ago and do some cooking to take to my grandmother, so cooking for us just wasn’t a priority. Tonight I met Mr. Kim at one of our favorite local places, Melito's. I had a lovely fresh salad and an egg salad sandwich. It was wonderful and not a speck of freezer burn on anything !

I don't think Bomo, my mother's mother ever drank from anything else! Bebo, my father's mother never drank from anything but a highball glass!

kay – I love the beans and corncakes. I’ll be making that meal soon! percyn – the buffalo is gorgeous – juicy looking and perfectly cooked! Sunday football snacks – ham, cheeses, crackers: Dinner – was supposed to be a wonderful change from HAM, but it turned out to be tasteless and boring: It was a slow cooker chicken dish; with chicken, black beans, corn, salsa and cream cheese. It is a family favorite from one of the ladies at another website that I participate in . I served it in taco shells with tortilla chips and local peach salsa. We ate a LOT of chips and salsa. It was watery and bland and utterly unfixable. We just tossed it out.

Darcie, that cake is absolutely adorable! You could serve it anytime during October and November!! I really love it.

CanadianBakin' - thank you! That will help Well, we spent last night doing the pricing. I'll call the organizer tonight and we'll see. I'd like to get this job - it would be a fun challenge and it would please my daughter - but if I don't, that's ok, too. Mr. Kim and I were talking last night and I was worried that it was beyond their budget, but my daughter says not and she used to coordinate stuff for them when she was an active member. If they want supermarket cakes, they can just get them from the supermarket - I don't feel like doing all that work on boxed cake mix cakes. Thank you all for your help and advice! I'll let you know what happens!