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Kim Shook

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Posts posted by Kim Shook

  1. Dinner tonight was Slow Cooker Chinese Orange Beef – this was actually pretty good. Because of being cooked in a slow cooker, it was more like Chinese pot roast, but that was ok with us and the flavor was great. I also served Ramen noodles:

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  2. I made a ‘Ho Ho Cake’ for a birthday at work tomorrow:

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    Devil’s food cake w/ Italian meringue buttercream, decorated with Ho Ho’s. I was completely disappointed in my IMBC today:

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    The taste was fine and it was fluffy, but it wasn’t smooth at all like when I’ve made it before. I have NO idea what I did wrong, but, to be honest, icings have never been my thing – for that matter, as much as I love it, baking is a huge challenge for me. Oh, well, better luck next time.

  3. For dinner tonight I made Rachel Ray’s Blue-rugala burgers. Stupid name, great burgers! I used WF grass fed ground beef. You add garlic, parsley and Worcestershire sauce to the beef and then caramelize some onions adding brown sugar and brown mustard to them. When the burgers are done you top them with Cambazola cheese, the onions and arugula. I served them on brioche buns. Really terrific burgers. Alongside, I served corn and slaw”:

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  4. Kim -

    When I looked at the recipe you pointed to, it instantly reminded me of pastry cream.  I did a quick look, and pastry cream uses more eggs and corn starch and less sugar and more egg yolks as a percent of the total weight.  It got me thinking though that if you wanted a firmer texture, you might start with a standard pastry cream formula and substitute brown sugar in place of white sugar.  When refrigerated, pastry cream has a firmer texture that what you seem to describe and illustrate in your picture.

    Alternatively, you could simply add another egg yolk and another tsp or 2 of corn starch to the current recipe.

    It sounds delicious.

    Steve - thank you for this - I'm going to print out your advice and put it with the butterscotch recipe, so that I can try what you suggest! I really appreciate the help!

    Tri2Cook - I think you are probably right! I'll be doing this again because Mr. Kim loves butterscotch pie, but I'll be making some adjustments!

  5. Ilana - I'm not sure that I'm the one to answer, but I can tell you what I understand. In the US, as far as candy goes - caramel is chewy and smooth, toffee is crunchy and butterscotch is a hard candy that is very buttery. Here are some pictures: Caramel, Toffee, Butterscotch. I hope this makes sense!

    Butterscotch pie, on the other hand, seems to be a custardy type pie made with eggs and brown sugar. Actually I need some help here - could someone describe a perfect butterscotch pie to me? As I said, I'm not familiar with it and was expecting something firmer, but most of the recipes that I am finding seem similar to the one I used. Thanks!

  6. Ann – I just put peameal bacon on my wish list (I have a birthday coming up), but have a question. The Real Canadian Bacon Co. offers whole peameal roasts or slices. I am leaning towards a whole roast, but which would you suggest?

    Breakfast this morning was a drippingly, sweet, floral cantaloupe:

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    At least that’s what Mr. Kim said. I’m not a fan of cantaloupe. I can manage bland, not-so-good melon, but a good one is somehow too fragrant to me – they always taste almost rotten to me.

    We also had banana pancakes and new (to us) bacon that I found at Whole Foods - Wellshire dry rubbed Black Forest bacon. The bacon was very good, much better than anything usually found in a regular store, but we still prefer the flavor of Benton’s. The pancakes were fantastic – we can’t wait for blueberry season to try them in the pancakes!

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  7. I made Paula Deen’s butterscotch pie today:

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    I’m not a big fan of butterscotch, but Mr. Kim loves it. He liked the pie, but thought that the flavor could have been stronger and that it was a little ‘loose’ and puddingy. I don’t know if I’ve ever had butterscotch pie, but I did expect something firmer. It was more firm than pudding, but not a lot. So – a mixed success, I guess.

  8. Menuinprogress – your Char Siu Bao looks wonderful. I’d love to try making them sometime.

    Shelby – lovely shrimp alfredo and a beautiful picture!!!

    Tonight’s dinner was a salad, a baked pasta w/ Italian sausage, spinach, tomatoes, pesto, ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses and pancetta-Fontina biscuits:

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    The pasta was a recipe that I got off the food network. It was very good. I adapted it a bit – used shells instead of ziti, shredded the spinach instead of leaving whole, used fresh mozz instead of…whatever the processed stuff is called – aged? But it was really good and we’ll be eating a lot of it in the next few days – the recipe said it would serve 6-8, so I halved it and ended up with enough for 8 – 10 people :shock: !! The biscuits are another food network recipe. They were wonderful. The recipe called for serving them with a vanilla/cinnamon/sugar butter, but I thought that sounded weird, so I left it off.

    Dessert was a disappointment:

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    We stopped at a new cupcake place near us. The chocolate frosted one is called ‘Chocolate Covered Strawberry’ – strawberry cake filled with strawberry puree frosted with chocolate Buttercream, the other is key lime – graham cake filled and frosted with key lime Buttercream. Both were bad – sour, off tasting fillings, tough cake and the chocolate frosting was crusted and overly sweet. Cupcakes finally get to Richmond and they are no better than supermarket ones – just ‘fancier’ and $2.75 a piece! :angry:

  9. Kim--I love that cake!  If you want to send some my way, you're more than welcome to!  Is that a 7-minute frosting?  Or some kind of meringue (Italian?)?

    I am ashamed to admit (HERE of all places) that it was canned fluffy white frosting! I was asked to make it the night before and worked all day that day and just didn't have time for anything else. :blush:

  10. I was so busy last night (out of town guest coming by to visit our daughter, end of the week chores, etc.) that I had no business EATING much less cooking :wink: , but I NEEDED to cook (y’all know what I mean) so I made some fries:

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    with some cool black Mediterranean sea salt that I found.

    And tried out a new recipe for hush puppies that a friend sent me:

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    Much, much better than last time! These were lighter, much more flavorful and just better all around!

  11. schneich - those petits fours are gorgeous! The blueberry one just speaks to me. I adore the tiny little sugar sprinkle across the top!

    Rob - your mousse is just incredibly lovely. I love the little yolkish dollop of puree on top and the sprayed on white chocolate effect. How I wish that we had something even approaching the quality of what you do!

    Um...er...ah...down here at a WHOLE 'nother level :laugh: , I made this coconut cake last night for a party that my MIL is giving:

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  12. Growing up in VA and NC, I've always had macaroni and cheese as a side dish. Just to show how ingrained this is, when I used to inspect day care homes and vet menus for the USDA, no matter how many times I reminded them, every month someone would have a meal disqualified because they counted mac n cheese as a 'vegetable'! :biggrin:

  13. Gorgeous food everyone! 

    Kim, I wish I was there to eat some of that yummy looking food.  I love your array of salads! 

    Yesterday I made some homemade pasta and bolognese sauce.  It was my first time ever using cream in my sauce---it really made it good!  For sides I made cream braised brussel sprouts and roasted eggplant and tomatoes.

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    Thanks, Shelby! That meal looks wonderful - I'm very jealous of your mad pasta skills. What really grabbed me was the brussels sprouts! They look amazing! Could you post a recipe?? I want them!!

  14. Octaveman, those ribs look great.

    Kim, I could go for some of that fish right now as a late-night snack.  I'm curious to try the key lime tartar sauce.

    Dinner tonight was fried soft-shell crab sandwiches:

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    Made a quick salad for Sunday afternoon - chopped romaine, cucumber, hard-boiled egg, and a strawberry balsamic vinaigrette:

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    Nate - Here's the recipe for the tartar sauce and I will trade any amount of fish to you for a soft shell - my VERY favorite way to eat crabs! And that salad is pretty gorgeous, too. Crabs and strawberries - add a couple of ears of Silver Queen corn and you have the perfect summer supper!

  15. Hush puppies:

    These were so disappointing!  Unbelievably dry.  I like a really moist, oniony hush puppy.  Does anyone have a good recipe??

    Kim, check out this topic on Hush Puppies. I do know that Malawry, who posted, is well-known among folks from a Pig Pickin' for her hush puppies!

    Thanks, Susan! I am trying again tonight and will look at that thread!

  16. Here I haven't cooked in ages and I'm following myself tonight!!

    Dinner tonight was fish and chips, corn pudding, slaw and hush puppies.

    I made key lime mayonnaise:

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    So that I could make this:

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    Tartar sauce – I just played with it - worchestershire pepper, tarragon, parsley, grated onion, dijon, sweet relish, dill pickles, salt. It was really good!

    Fish:

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    I used my regular CI recipe, but subbed rice flour for AP and it was so incredibly crispy. I'm a convert!

    Chips:

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    Corn pudding and slaw:

    gallery_3331_114_90964.jpg

    Hush puppies:

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    These were so disappointing! Unbelievably dry. I like a really moist, oniony hush puppy. Does anyone have a good recipe??

  17. Ann – that steak is just amazing looking and the photography is just as good! I am sitting here still full from lamb burgers that we had out tonight, not to mention a couple of cookies and I want just ONE BITE of that steak!

    Bruce – I’ll take one fork swirl of the spaghetti with my bite of Ann’s steak!!

    Dinner last night was salad, hamburgers w/ pimento cheese, roasted potatoes and Silver Queen corn (I found this frozen at The Fresh Market – it was the best frozen corn I’ve ever had and better than lots of ‘fresh’ corn I’ve had):

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  18. Bruce – the fish in coconut milk looks so lovely and silky!

    Soba – the gnocchi is fantastic looking! I’ve never made traditional gnocchi – only the Jacques Pépin Gnocchi Parisienne, but I’d really like to try Ricotta!

    Ann – gorgeous prawns <sigh>

    I finally have a chance to post my Mother’s Day dinner. It was mostly a salad/sandwich meal with desserts. A friend contributed her wonderful quiches – one was ham and the other sausage:

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    Rachel’s “Paminna” Cheese:

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    Rachel’s Chicken Salad:

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    My new standard for chicken salad – it really is the best I’ve ever tasted.

    Egg Salad:

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    Oddly enough, this seemed to be everyone’s favorite thing on the table. I have to thank eG for that, I think! When I was searching for ways to fix my wet, watery egg salad I got a LOT of help here!

    Cold Cuts & Cheese:

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    Arranged beautifully by my daughter.

    eG’s Doddie’s Ham and Crab Salad:

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    This has been a favorite of ours for awhile now. Doddie makes it with surimi, which I like quite well. It’s not really crabmeat and I don’t expect it to taste like crab, but it’s a nice, firm, mild fish that I like in a lot of things. But Americans are funny about it, so I made this one with blue crab. It was delicious and very popular.

    Assorted breads and Petit Croissants:

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    My mother’s vegetable soup:

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    This usually has shredded cabbage and some kind of pasta in it, but some people (especially KIDS) are funny about cabbage and we have a niece who has to have gluten free now so I left those out. Missed them, too.

    Apple/Manchego Salad w/ Marcona almonds:

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    Chinese Salad with ramen noodle/sesame/almond crunchies:

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    Rachel’s son’s Sweet Piggies:

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    I showed these on the thread about my trip to Rachel’s and they disappeared, just like at Rachel’s :biggrin: .

    Dessert table:

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    The same friend who makes the quiches also makes a famous and awesome almond pound cake. That’s the cake on the right.

    Jumbo Cupcakes:

    Martha Stewart’s Gluten Free Chocolate w/ 7 Minute Frosting:

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    this was very good – a tiny bit tougher than regular cake, but the flavor was wonderful – our niece was very happy and took home all the leftovers!!

    Coconut:

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    not my regular – I did a shortcut with a mix, but it was very good.

    White Cake w/ Pink Fluffy Frosting and Polka Dots:

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    the polka dots were sour fruit slice candies, rolled out and punched out into circles – really a cute cake

    The combination of using my new 600 KA mixer and the jumbo cupcake pan caused 2 of the cakes to fall slightly – they tasted fine, but I need a little more practice with both.

  19. What I need are one or two more really solid dips(creamy or otherwise), to complete the platter. I have been searching the internet in vain for days, and I just can't find anything that screams Delicious. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
    Have you tried Kim Shook's coobook? Some GREAT stuff here: http://www.recipecircus.com/cgi-bin/recipe...login=Kimberlyn
    I second the motion. The Hot Bacon and Swiss Cheese dip is absolutely fantastic with broccoli and cauliflower florets. I also made baby tomato "roses" on the tiny wooden fork type picks which went like wildfire with that dip. I have one of the tiny 2-cup crockpots and I think I refilled it at least half a dozen times - 30 people. And, I had a lot of other dips and things but this got the most action.
    That recipe looks wonderful, but no suggestions as to which potential dippers are best. Does this work equally well with chips, crackers, etc., as it does with veggies?
    I found people mopping the stuff out of the little containers with chunks of bread after they had been removed from the table.

    I think it will work with just about anything. Give it a try.

    Made this last night for a small get-together. It really is delicious, but it's also very heavy and rich, so I wouldn't plan on serving it as an opener for a heavy meal. We had some Ritz Crackers handy, as they were called for in the recipe, and served the dip with that, but also, some toasted baguette slices. Our crowd thought that the plainer bread allowed the flavor of the swiss cheese to come through better than the Ritz. I can really see, though, how it would be superb with broccoli or cauliflower florets. I'm definitely taking this dip the next time I go to a gathering where I'm supposed to bring an appetizer.

    Thanks Kim, and everyone.

    Well, thank you all! I'm honored! Judging from the ingredients, I think that this is probably one of those Jr. League/community cookbook recipes. It is simple, but really, really satisfying.

  20. Kim Shook! If you don't mind I would LOVE a recipe! Once this lady who makes gluten- free goods from her home told me she had made fudge. I bought some and they were just dense brownies. She told me that they were "fudge like in America!" Hah!

    Your confections/pastries are totally great and that fudge looks intriguing- who knows it may be that you will shake my town with fudge! I am sure it will be a treat for my family to taste some.

    I'll be glad to share! Here are three of my favorites:

    Aunt San's Fudge This is just a classic creamy milk chocolate fudge (I've also made it with dark chocolate, too). It's the one that my great aunt started making as a young girl - she hated that WWI interrupted her fudge making - all the Hershey bars were gone! Apparently fudge making was an important part of a young ladies social life in those days!

    Chefette's Fudge Our own chefette sent me this recipe when I was lamenting the cruddy fudge that I was trying to make according to Shook family tradition. It is wonderful - rich and dark and complex, but not bitter at all (that was the lamentable part of the Shook fudge :wink: ).

    Cherry-Almond Dark Chocolate Fudge

    Let me know if you like these at all! They are VERY American, I understand :biggrin: .

    So Kim - do you have a recipe for the type that Mr Kim likes that is less sweet? That's what I'm always in search of.

    Well,sorta :rolleyes:. If you read all my notes and the update, I haven't really mastered it yet. If you try and have success, PLEASE let me know. I find this stuff so frustrating that I have given up. Everyone in Mr. Kim's family just tosses it off with no trouble - I'm convinced they are hiding something from me :biggrin: !

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