Kim Shook

I make bourbon syrup every Christmas to pour on top of sweet potatoes. It has always worked just fine. But this time it crystallized and is hard instead of syrupy. Here is the recipe that I use: Bourbon Syrup. Any ideas what I did wrong this time and how I can do it right? Also, I assume that I can't do anything about the solid mass of bourbon rock candy that I have in a narrow necked pitcher . Thanks, Kim

Here is the recipe. Kim ← I was just thinking about making butter mints for the holidays. Do you think this recipe would work well with molds as well? I have a jillion candy molds, and need to justify their existance every once in a while I'm guessing that the ingerdient "16 oz. box (4 c.) 10X, sifted" is superfine sugar? thanks for any guidance, I've never made mints... ← Yep, as alanamoana said, it's powdered sugar, and I am sure that they would work just fine with molds. They were extremely easy to make!

Chris, we really enjoyed this one. Had a friend visiting from FL and made him watch, too. He travels a lot and hopes to have one of those burgers someday!! They were......awesome !

We ate at Edo Squid last night and had a fantastic meal. Started out with Scungilli Insalata, Fried Squid and Fried Oysters. The scungilli is something we always get. I have never had such tender meat and the dressing is so good that we always ask for extra bread for dunking. The squid and oysters were sweet and tender and perfectly cooked. Main courses were Penne w/ Gorgonzola, Penne Al' Amatriciana (sp?), Spaghetti w/ sausage, ricotta & brocoli rabe and the Rockfish special. The gorgonzola dish and Al' Amatriciana are regular dishes for us and we love them and we had the Rockfish one time before (simple and perfectly cooked - the kind of dish you want to give fish haters so they will understand how good fish can be), but the sausage, ricotta and rabe was a new try. Really hearty and good. There were also tomatoes in the sauce and the sausage is, I'm sure, house-made. Lightly spicy, but not hot and a little loose textured. I am so glad that I have a little appetite - I brought my leavings home and it is enough for at least 3 more meals.

MIL wants to make divinity now and serve at Xmas if she can. Does anyone know how and how long to store it? This is one of my main pet peeves. When I am Queen of the Universe, the law will be that all recipes must tell you exactly how and how long you can store something. Ta!

Kerry - the texture of the benne candy depends on when you make it and how good your thermometer is . Last time they were very chewy (almost like a Squirrel Nut Zipper, if you know them), this time they were more crunchy, but not hard since they have so many sesame seeds in them. Kim

Looking on the bright side, these tacky people will give you something to snicker over privately in years to come . And get used to it, I guaran-damn-tee you this won't be the only tacky thing they do over the years.

Perfect orgy of goody making this week. Chocolate dipped sponge candy (chocolate is still warm - that's why it is so beautiful and shiny - I am not gifted at tempering): Benne Candy (sorry for the crappy lighting - still getting used to my wonderful new digital camera!): And Cheese Straws (don't really belong in this thread, but I wasn't sure where else to put them):

Here is the recipe. Kim

Kerry, I rolled them out and cut them with a cooky cutter. Really easy! Kim

Anna N - your chocolates are just so shiny and gorgeous! I can't believe that you are new to candy making! I made old fashioned butter mints for an anniversary party for my in laws: I had forgotten how good freshly made butter mints could be!

My most recent cupcakes were some that I made for an "Alice in Wonderland" style tea party. They were just nice vanilla cupcakes with different colored buttercream. Simple but good!

Now that I finally have a digital camera and have figured out how to post the pictures from it (thank you, Mr. Kim), I thought I'd post some things I've been doing. A Raspberry-Chocolate Ganache cake that I sold for a birthday celebration - my first cake sale! A couple of desserts I made for my in law's anniversary: Black and White Celebration Cake: Sliced: Million Dollar Pound Cake - note the beautiful crown? This is what what UNDER that beautiful crown - it was empty, but tasted great! I also made a bunch of cupcakes that I sold for an "Alice in Wonderland" tea party that I am going to post on the cupcake thread.

Me, too. I want to live with Rachel - not in any scary, internet stalky way , I just love everything I read and see and experience in all of your posts here, Rachel! I am so glad you printed your entire Fairey Tea poem. I just love the poem and the story behind it. The artist is wonderful, too! Thanksgiving dinner looked wonderful. I really missed my pimento cheese this year. MIL has a little yankee in her and never has it! Oh, well, I am in charge of Christmas Eve dinner and it will be there! Kim

Rachel, So glad to hear Chris is feeling better. My MIL suffers from kidney stones and it just takes so much out of her. She just had one blasted last week and is feeling great now! Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful. I did say a little thank you this morning for you and this blog! Kim

eeeek!!! But then they taste like......shudder...shudder.... - sweet potatoes...shudder....shudder...shudder.

Someone upthread mentioned southern fried chicken. Living in Indiana, we were stunned and abashed to discover (being card carrying Southerners) some of the best fried chicken we had ever eaten! They have entire restaurants devoted to serving fried chicken - some places out in the country that are only open on weekend nights and have lines out the door. When there would be community parties in our little town these guys would arrive with huge oil drums full of oil that they would fry mountains of chickens in. Have you found this phenomenon, Rachel? In the lower South , fried chicken seems to be mostly home food - cooked at home and taken somewhere perhaps, but mostly home cooking. We never met any Hoosiers who fried their own chickens, but in our little town (pop. 5000) there were 2 restaurants within walking distance that sold stellar fried chicken! Your spoonbread made me drool! Miss Kitty is regalness itself. Your breakfast reminded me that I had one jar of my step-Gramma Jean's pear preserves left on the shelf and I opened it to have with mine! We made it together last fall when I wasn't working and I haven't made any this year yet. It was the first time I made it with her and the weekend was just a gift. Have a lovely day!

In the spirit of the Miracle Whip thread and in honor of those brave souls who admitted liking it, I am making this confession....I love that sweet potato casserole with the marshmallows on top. I know, I know - time to turn in my card. Now I'll go on that list and I'll never be able to get a reservation at any important restaurant again for the rest of my life, but dammit, I love that stuff. Roasted sweet potatoes - mashed, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, maple syrup, brown sugar, marshmallows on top and when they just melt, stir them in and put a few more on top to brown (and sometimes burn - then you scrape them off and start that layer over again). Bourbon syrup served on the side. I know it sounds like a dessert, but I'm Southern folks, and we serve lots of sweet sides. Some of us have also admitted a sneaking liking for congealed salads and green bean casserole (not so much), so I am being brave here. Anyone else?

those things scare me a little.

Chris, I loved this episode. My parents lived in Chicago for a few years in the early 80's and absolutely loved the city. I spent summers there (I was in college) and did a LOT of eating. Greektown was probably our favorite place to just wander into a restaurant and take a chance. We always got a great meal. Saganaki is probably my favorite food on the planet. I must have missed something, though. No lobster this show???

Rachel! I am so, so glad to find you blogging! I was just a leetle down this week - lots to do, no time, numb hands, sore feet and then "what to my wondering eyes should appear" when I take a moment to check out egullet, but Miss Rachel writing her wonderful, evocative prose ! Thank you so much for sharing this week with us. I know that I will be including you and this blog in the thanks that I give on Thursday morning! My grandma’s were Bomo (pronounced Bawmaw – baby pronunciation of Grandma, I think) and Bebo (not sure where that one comes from). The first couldn’t cook a lick, but made delicious Duncan Hines chocolate cakes . The other was a former flapper who had dance cards from the White House in her cedar chest. She gave me Metrical cookies and delivery Chinese when I spent the night at her house and cooked one wondrous meal a year – Christmas Eve. You live in INDY!! We lived in Batesville for a couple of years! Have you ever been to Metamora? It is a little ersatz, but charming on a snowy day when all the tourists are gone – your little couple from the Feast of the Hunter's Moon would fit right in. Blog on, ma’am – we are all breathless with anticipation!

We just started carrying these little fellows in the store today. They are called buddha hands, but I think they look like chicken feet. Apparently you use the zest for flavoring, but as they are $10 a piece, I will have to pass on that . Kim

I like the combo of green and orange and purple. Mainly green and purple with the orange as accent. Pears, green apples, some gourds (not the real warty ones, they skeeve me out a little - I don't like to be reminded of skin eruptions while I'm eating ), eggplants and mini pumpkins. Around this time of year, you can sometimes find a gorgeous hydrangea that is a deep dusky olive green and purple with an almost bronze tinge to the edges - beautiful with the green and purple fruits and vegetables. Kim

Chris, we watched the show tonight with a special interest. I am that rarest of creatures - a District native. I was born in DC and raised in Northern VA. My mom was here visiting from NC. We all loved the show. I remember eating at Ben's during high school - just around the corner from there is the Florida Ave. Grill - great breakfasts - you can even get the half smokes instead of sausage/bacon! When we go up next (we now live in Richmond), we plan on stopping by Julia's and the Cantina - Mr. Kim wants one of those drinks! My mom noticed something that I hadn't before - you are a lefty! All three of us watching (momma, Mr. Kim and I) are lefties, too! My mom said that next time you are in the area, you have to venture into Arlington and go to Mario's on Wilson Blvd. for a ham, steak and cheese sub - the best sub in the area (don't try the pizza, though - you have to be fed it in utero, like I was, to appreciate it). The crab cake looked good, although you seemed to have given it short shrift next to that lobster roll ! Loved the look on your face when you bit into the roll!

Can I freeze a peanut butter based soup? This is the recipe. Any special considerations.? Kim