Kim Shook

Note to self: Go get Sept. Gourmet! That cake is gorgeous, Meg! I want to make that! Thanks, everyone for the kind words. Shaloop's cheesecake was truly amazing - tasted fantastic, easy to make (and to make pretty ) and it cut beautifully! Ann_T, that pie is lovely - makes me want to go pick apples (will have to wait a few weeks for the good stuff).

On commercially baked goods, I often see what seems to be just sugared strawberries decorating the cake/cheesecake etc. I especially noticed this in Lorna and Henry's blog on a cheesecake that they showed from Macrina Bakery. Here is that one: As opposed to the weepy, gooey one of mine that oozed down the sides of my cheesecake: It's hard to see in my picture, but believe me - it gooed and oozed ! How can I avoid this and get that nice crisp looking strawberry half on my cake?

Ok, I guess I can stop patting myself on the back now . In my last post, how come my final photo posted as a link and not as the photo?

As I said on the dinner thread, I have JUST figured out how to post pictures and having only a regular (not digital yet) camera, I will have to post desserts that I have gotten the pictures back from! Not too far in the past are: Strawberries-and-Cream Cheesecake: shaloop's Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake: Chocolate Bar Cake: And finally, this really, really pretty, I-am-so-proud-of-my-bourgeoning-decorating-skills, but totally tasteless from mix cake: http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11579268...3570_217736.jpg

Abra - this loaf is one that you roll up before putting in the pan to rise and the lines along the side are from incomplete pinching, I think - I always get them, more or less, when I make this loaf. The top is just criss cross slashing that I do with my paring knife. I just hone it right before slashing and spray the knife w/ cooking spray.

I was going to say the exact same thing re: Ann_T. She certainly belongs at this thread with her bagel and bread! Grub - don't apologize for that bread. I'd eat it and that sandwich looks delicious. I have to confess my ignorance. I was puzzled at first by the many references to Def Lepard - my misreading of Dan Lepard - I couldn't figure out what in the world some 70's hair band had to do with bread making !

I am in awe of the photos in this thread! I am going to try to post a couple of pictures of my latest effort. It is a loaf of American sandwich loaf from Cooks Illustrated baking book. It is my first loaf of bread in a very long time! The loaf: sliced: I really hope that I can post these photos. I haven't been able to before.

I smell a possible new topic: "FN Shows Most Amenable to MST3K Treatment." (The challenge, of course, will be to keep it relevant to food and eGullet, as opposed to totally spinning off on quirks of the host, etc.). I personally don't have the bandwidth to start such a topic, but I'm not above inciting someone else ... ← I do it every day I can with Sandra Lee!

I heart Fresser. Where is he lately, by the way?? I haven't 'run into him' lately here. What Racheld said about the knives. Not that I necessarily want to use them, but I want to have them. I thought it said buttocks, too. Fabby, I want to live next door to you. I want to cook with you, meet your cool boys, share a bottle with you and your funny husband and my pug, Otis, wants to chill with the incomparable Jean-Luc! I also love the freezer - mine looks just like that (minus the fish cubes). I also have little bags of butt ends of french bread that I am going to make into bread crumbs one day ! I am enjoying your blog so much!

My dad asked me a question that I had never thought about before and I realized that I really didn't know the answer. Regarding baking a crusty loaf of bread, he asked: "If you're using a stone does it help to also put a pan of water in the bottom of the stove, to develop more crust? That seems to defeat the idea of the stone." I have always used both the water in a pan and the stone, but is he right? Should I just use one or the other? Thanks in advance!

I'm thinking that this is going to become a saying in the Shook household!

Yes it is! Please post pictures!

Good God! She can write and cook. So jealous. I am enjoying this so much. These blogs are one reason why I am so glad that I found egullet. Thank you!

Has anyone seen Cindy Pawlcyn's Big Small Plates? It is being offered this month by The Good Cook book club and sounds like my kind of food (I always prefer the appetizers when I am out, plus I've had a gastric bypass and they are a better size for my appetite).

! Miss Amy, you must watch tv the same time that I do! Every day I can manage it, I sit down at 5:30 eastern to shout at Sandra and hoot with laughter and then race to the remote at 6pm to turn off Rachel before she can start the semaphore-ing ! I don't know why I find Sandra hysterically funny and Rachel nails-on-a-chalkboard irritating, but I do!

I had not tried Green & Black before, but bought a bar of "A Darker Shade of Milk Chocolate" today at the grocery store. I am an avowed milk chocolate lover who is trying to expand my palate. I have enjoyed some darker chocolates, but still love my milk the best. This bar was very good - not waxy or bitter, but not bland either (I have discovered that in expanding my palate, I am minimizing my love of some brands of milk chocolate while widening my appreciation of some darks!). Melts nicely under my tongue and I like the thickness of the bar (I don't know why this should matter, but it does).

This is what I do - haven't had a bad ear in years since I started doing this. I just make sure that the husk is tight to the ear and I actually find the smaller, thinner ears more tender.

I just heard Michael Chiarello say that he was going to "tong up some chicken" onto some crepes to serve. This is among the most ridiculous phrases I have ever heard anyone utter. I know that every discipline has it’s own jargon, but I haven't heard that one! Anyone have any other phrases that have made the hair on the back of your neck stand up?

Iron Chef competition: This is a draw, in my opinion. Sorry, Lorna, I think that you'll have to stay another week and blog for us again ! A Ling & HhLodesign playoff!

Ling, that cake was gorgeous! I would be proud to make a cake that looked like that! Most red velvet cakes I have eaten have been very dry - doesn't seem to be an issue with yours! I am loving this blog so much - let me get on the bandwagon and say I was so excited when I heard y'all were next.

This is so true. Smoked salmon made an appearance at both my daughter's (Episcopalian) Christening and Confirmation parties! And Christmas morning without bagels and cream cheese would be impossible!

I went to the library this morning and copied that recipe (the milky way tart, too!). I cannot wait to make this.

The segment with Chris is coming on right now!

sweetfreak, there in nothing wrong with pastries and fruit salad - I would definately go with that and then add to them. By the time you finish up at church and get back to the house, it will be almost brunch time, which broadens your target foods a bit. I love serving tea sandwiches, mini croissants w/ chicken or country ham salad, chocolate dipped fresh and dried fruit, these rolls, deviled eggs, ham biscuits (tiny ones) and of course a big cake and champagne.

Yep, that just went in my quotation file, duly credited to you, k8!