Lisa Shock

From the Nestle Website: "What is in a BUTTERFINGER? Freshly roasted peanuts are chopped, and made into a creamy peanut butter that is blended with a sugar candy. This unique substance is kneaded, rolled, cut and covered in a chocolatey coating." I love the use of the 'word' chocolatey, which has no legal restrictions.... Anyway, I suspect that if you use pure peanut butter, containing only peanuts, and add some salt, the sugar part will seem sweeter than it would with a PB that contains sugar.

I learned to make it by taking 2 parts dark chocolate and 1 part cream, you heat the cream to just under a simmer then pour over the broken up chocolate allow to sit for a minute or two, and stir until mixed. (add vanilla or other flavor if desired) Then chill, form into balls about the size of a ping-pong ball and freeze. Any chocolate cake recipe will do. My husband swears by the Miracle Whip chocolate cake recipe. I prefer American style cocoa cakes made with hot water; there's a great version in Rose Levy Beranbaum's Cake Bible. (and she uses weight measurements) If you need the recipe fast, search for the Hershey's Cocoa cake recipe from the the back of the canister of cocoa. I also adore Rose's Domingo cake, and it should work well as a lava cake. You mix up the chocolate cake, pour into some sort of small mold, drop a frozen ganache ball in the center of each one and bake. The rising cake will envelop the ball, which will be molten as the cake is cooked through.

I know that Butterfingers have confectioner's corn flakes in them, and they primarily affect the texture. My other thought is that I have always thought of them as related to what my family always called honeycomb candy, and some call Cinder Toffee. These have an appearance eerily similar to what Ewald Notter calls 'straw sugar'. When I get them from commercial confectioners, they have sloped ends, like a Butterfinger. But, they have distinct air holes in them, and Butterfinger does not, so I don't think a recipe will be very helpful. I suspect (but don't really know) that the commercial candy tastes sweeter because the sugar may be worked a bit before adding the peanut butter, so there are small stripes of peanut surrounded by candy shell. In other words, try cooking sugar (using any real-sugar recipe for pulling sugar) pull til glossy. Then lay it out as a wide rectangle, spread peanut butter on the top, and a dash of salt, for contrast. Leave a good centimeter of edge clean for a good seal, and begin pulling and folding the bar very carefully under your heatlamp. When you've folded it 6-7 times, trim with scissors, cool and dip in chocolate. After a practice run or two, you might be able to add cornflakes with the peanut butter for a more accurate bar.

There are books like this all over Amazon, it's marketplace sellers who have just one or two copies of a book and who list it high in hopes that a wealthy person from another country, or with an expense account, will buy it. To find more oddities, simple search for a word in the Books category and sort by price, high to low.

I do like how they show what everyone cooks in detail, while it's being cooked. I don't think the commercials for it do it justice, promising extremely exotic & challenging ingredients that turn out to be.....tofu!

Looks like BBC America will be airing the new season of this show starting Tuesday 1/27 2009. I can't wait!

I usually just make some cinnamon toast, or toast dope toast, or toast with jam. I also keep a jar of Cajeta Quemada, the traditional goat's milk type, in the back of the fridge for just such occasions. The friend who introduced me to the stuff (Coronado brand at the time, I now get locally made) when I lived in Santa Fe back in the mid 80's insisted that there was simply no better use for it than eating it from a spoon -and it was an essential pantry item for his fridge. One time, when the local market ran out, we drove to Mexico to get more.

I'd also love to have the job, but, I live in AZ. I would be well qualified, with 15+ years experience as a retail manager. And, as a bonus, I am an ACF certified chef and a member of the Bread Baker's Guild of America.

Canned beans (pinto, garbanzo, black) can be a lifesaver when you need to get a quick meal on the table. Canned tomatoes, as mentioned by many others in this thread, are a valuable resource for sauces when good fresh tomatoes are not available. Canned water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and baby corn can dress up a stir-fry. Pickles and pickled items like grape leaves and olives are tasty to some and available year-round, helping to add something different to the menu at home. I really see no modern use for canned carrots, green beans, potatoes, spinach, peas, etc. except as emergency rations. *** The canned vegetable aisle (ever shrinking as it is), is a relic of a bygone era. Go back in time 75 years, and the average grocer had very little available in terms of fresh produce in winter. Nuts, root vegetables, and occasional shipments of exotic fruits like bananas were all you got for months on end. (my dad worked for a local grocer as a kid in the early 1930s) Refrigerated train cars were around, and delivering produce, but primarily to the wealthy in large cities. You home-canned as much of what you could raise yourself, if you had an established garden. If you lived in the city, or were starting up a homestead, store-bought canned goods were the only game in town. You could buy exotic canned goods (pineapple) to expand your menus and add variety. Frozen foods, while developed in the 1930s, didn't appear in the average grocery store until after WWII. Many homes didn't have sizable freezer space until the mid-1950's when fridges started being configured like today's models with freezers large enough for more than just ice cubes. Essentially, canned goods were the only game in town for over 100 years, and people got used to eating them.

I was a kid during this time period, and it seems pretty accurate. I have an uncle who was in advertising and my dad used to comment on how crazy my uncle's office was compared to his job. My father traveled as part of business, and sometimes he was able to take the whole family along. However, us kids had to behave just like little ladies and gentlemen, or we'd be sent to the room to stay the entire time. For me, this included wearing gloves and corsages and learning to sip drinks carefully and balance canapes in a dainty manner. The kids were allowed one drink on special occasions... I can recall being taken to cocktail parties at business conventions starting at about age 5. I know that I was 6 when I first tasted caviar, and, by then Champagne was a familiar and favorite drink of mine. We occasionally ate out at fancy restaurants, and had to be super-polite (absolutely silent upon fear of death) because most fine-dining establishments discouraged having children on the premises. On a couple of occasions, we were only allowed to dine in the bar area because it was restaurant policy to not permit children inside. (even though neither my brother nor I had made the slightest sound while on the premises) So, I got a couple of very detailed lessons from old-school bartending masters of the day. I can also recall being sent to make drinks for family gatherings sometime around the age of 6. -That was the year that my dad started pointing out that I should watch how bartenders made certain 'essential' drinks, so I could start doing it right. (in particular, he wanted a more refined martini out of me...) I also recall my brother being taught how to take a ladies' wrap and hang it up carefully, and how to light a cigarette for a lady. He couldn't have been more than 6 at the time. And, lest you think it was all party dresses and champagne cocktails, remember that us kids (at least the girls) grew up learning to sew, darn socks, iron (not just clothes but bedsheets too!), cook and clean. I have vivid memories of being 6 and getting in trouble for not ironing my dad's dress shirts well enough. Several times, when my mother was sick in bed, Dad had me cooking all the family meals for a week or so. The first time it happened, I had just turned 4. The last time, I was 11, and wound up not just making meals but also cooking/hostessing a big cocktail party for his business associates. Thank goodness for good cookbooks!

I personally think that giving them 30 minutes for each course was a bit challenging. Many starches simply can't be prepped and cooked in that amount of time. I was disturbed by the woman who didn't know anything about green onions. But, overall, I liked that they chose regular working cooks for the show rather than celebrities.

My book is by Arnold James Cooley, Chemist, and interestingly enough has a handwritten inscription from 1865 identifying it as the property of a pharmacy. It's also, luckily, printed on acid-free cloth paper which is still bright white and in excellent condition. When it first arrived, I had to double-check that it wasn't a reprint, it looked so good! I own a few other similar books, but none is as old. This one also appears to have a real slant towards chemistry and the manufacture of real pharmaceuticals, in addition to the usual recipes for biscuits and gilding compounds. Latin names are given for most ingredients, in addition to common English terms.

I just got a (real, not reprint) copy of the 1865 edition of "Cyclopædia of Practical Receipts" (originally published in 1845) has an interesting recipe for Absinthe that is different from what I have read online and which uses an infusion of 'acetate of lead' in the process. There is quite a bit of precipitation and filtering after its use, but, I wonder how much lead remained in the final product, and if that might have been responsible for some reports of insanity amongst heavy users.

It was odd that so many people stumbled in the main challenge, it was so similar to what has been the final challenge of most seasons, that you'd think they'd have been dreaming of this moment from the time they first auditioned. Sure, there might be minor roadblocks, like the market not carrying an ingredient, but some of these people had really basic problems with conceptualizing their dishes... I just watch the show, but I have procedure/timeline for two complete 5-course meals memorized and ready to go. The new judge seems to have a penchant for movie references. I thought it was kind of interesting when the table disagreed with each other. I really wish they'd make the show longer so we could see more in-depth coverage of the cooking, and more descriptions of all the dishes.

For all the emphasis in recent seasons about making certain that when a chef calls something paella, it had better be paella with a crust, this quickfire seemed oddly lacking in standards. I recognize that they had to do something to satisfy the sponsor, but this was a mess. They had 45 minutes, which is a long time by quickfire standards. I would have been happier if the challenge was to make a satisfying dessert for 200 calories, without sugar.

I was just able to see the most recent episode. I can't believe that they implied that sugar was the major source of calories in desserts, and that removing it somehow made desserts diet food. I also can't believe that they allowed honey and agave nectar as substitutes, since both are close on the glycemic index and close in calories to sugar. Face it, most adults have a 'fat-tooth' not really a sweet tooth. -How many people choose a hard candy over a chocolate bar? How well does fat-free sorbet sell compared to full-fat chocolate ice cream, cake, pastry or pie? And, fat has a lot more calories than sugar; about 40 calories per teaspoon compared to just 16 per teaspoon for sugar. A fat-free sugary treat like hard candy or sorbet has a lot fewer calories than cheesecake or frozen custard. And, most of my cheesecake recipes have just a couple of tablespoons of sugar in them for the whole cake. Eliminating the sugar would result in a reduction of maybe 10 calories per serving -which is nothing when that slice starts out at around 750 calories. As I watched people grab nuts (walnuts are approx. 185 calories per ounce), mascarpone cheese (130 calories per ounce), and cream (103 calories per ounce), I wondered how those dishes could be considered 'diet food' by anyone. Sugar has 96 calories per ounce, but is a secondary ingredient to fats in many pastry recipes.

There's Water Joe, it isn't carbonated, but a seltzer bottle will fix that. Anyway, you could add flavors and sweeteners to it, or just drink it.

I'm sorry to hear of your situation -I've been there as well, and it's not fun! Here are my tips: Make from scratch whenever you can, since you now have time on your hands. For example, pre-shredded coleslaw costs $1.29 for a 12 oz bag, but whole cabbages are 39 cents per pound at that same market. Looks like you already do this, but maybe there are a few things you can look at, like crackers. Start a garden, at least for herbs. Freeze leftovers of all sorts. And freeze trimmings and such that cannot be used right now for soup later. Carry a notepad and note prices on items so it's easy to compare and get real deals. Grocery Outlet is your friend....Check their website to see if there's one near you. For me, they are an invaluable source for frozen peas and canned tomatoes. (and remarkably good wines) Smart & Final has as much or more variety than Costco at about the same prices, no membership required. (although they do have a free frequent shoppers card) They are an excellent place to buy cheese (5lb mozzarella for $11.99), oil, rice, and pasta. Some dollar stores have food. The chain called 99 Cents Only actually sells produce. I live in AZ, and most of the produce I have seen there comes from farms in AZ or CA. (I am avoiding Chinese produced foods.) I tend to buy onions, carrots and tomatoes there, but anything can show up -like artichokes and pomegranates! The big Asian supermarket in Phoenix has bags of all sorts of rice at the best price in town. I'm lucky, they stock food for pretty much every Asian country plus the Caribbean, so they have 20+ types/brands of rice in big bags. Of course, they carry all the sauces and spices you'd expect, often in larger sizes than the supermarket, at a reasonable price. They also have cheap produce -for example, they sell fresh leeks for 59 cents a pound while my regular market has them at $3. Beans/lentils/peas can be cooked into all sorts of dishes, falafel comes to mind as a good alternative to stews and soups. I roll mine into flour tortillas because they are cheaper to buy than pita bread, and, if you wish to make from scratch easier/faster to make. Don't forget tofu as a protein source! It can substitute for paneer cheese in Indian foods, and some meats in other dishes. Once again, my Asian market has it cheapest. The best grocery in AZ for produce is a co-op chain called Sprouts. I know they are only in a limited region, but if you have one check it out. Their produce varies wildly in availability and quality, but, they are a co-op of growers. One week, artichokes will be 6 for $1, next week, cucumbers will be a dime. Yes, it's winter and the variety isn't as good, but they are worth checking once a week for specials. +++ My favorite cheap dinner is tomato soup and foccacia bread: I get a big #10 can of whole tomatoes at Smart & Final for $2.49. I use an onion, a little oil and some garden basil to make soup. If, and only if, I have a little cream or a cheese rind, I add those, but they are optional. I bake bread. The leftover soup (and there's usually at least 3 pints) gets frozen into single serve portions.

There's a place just about a mile from my house that bakes a variety of baked goods (mostly breads) and sells sandwiches, salads and soups as well as selling the bread and pastry like a traditional shop. It's near an office complex and a mall and has been going strong since 1979. They operate in about 600sq feet, with a small indoor counter with seating, outdoor seating and sandwich delivery service. (I live in Phoenix, you can dine outside comfortably most of the year.) So, IMO, you don't need room after room to handle a bread setup. In a town of 10,000, even with tourists, you won't need to bake hundreds of loaves. If you sell 300 sandwiches a day and can get a decent ten slices out of a loaf of bread, you only need to bake 30 loaves. And, if you offer a couple types of bread, you are talking batches of 8 loaves at a time, which a small proof box, spiral mixer and one deck oven (and deck ovens can be used to cook a variety of items including roasts) can easily handle. The place near my house stocks an additional 6 loaves of each type of bread each day for people wanting to buy whole loaves, so, you might be making a total 15 loaves per day of 4 types of bread. I don't think that is all that intimidating. Even a supermarket bakery doesn't take up room after room of space, and they probably sell ten times as much bread as you will go through each day. If you get a chance, you might want to travel to other towns and talk to people running businesses like the one you wish to open and just look at their setups and see if they will answer some questions for you. When I was in pastry school, we got sent to interview business owners for papers we had to write and I was amazed at how much people were willing to talk about.

I really think you should reconsider making your own breads, well, having an on-site baker make them. This has several advantages: *You can make signature rolls or loaves that make your sandwiches unique in appearance. *Baking bread smells wonderful and will get people into your shop. *You can make more if needed. * You won't be at the mercy of the supplier's hours or days off. *You can make custom flavors. *You will control quality/freshness. *You can turn leftovers or mistakes into croutons or bread crumbs to use in other dishes or to sell packaged. I attended some classes with Ciril Hitz, and he did the entire class with $9,000 worth of equipment including: 2 deck ovens, one convection oven, spiral mixer, sheeter, tables, and a proof box. So the equipment isn't a huge investment -it' a matter of whether it's worth having an extra employee or two on the payroll vs paying for pre-made bread delivered daily. Also, the atmosphere and marketing are critical. I have seen places go under that served good, real food at fast food prices, but were located in working-class districts where the locals viewed the places as 'too yuppie' and wouldn't eat there. You've got to find a marketing campaign that your target audience identifies with and desires.

In the early 80's I worked in a gallery in Santa Fe, NM. There was a bar across the street that offered a small hot food buffet on a steam-table cart for a couple of hours in the early evening. Lots of people would go there and get a drink and fill up on a cheap dinner. IIRC the buffet included mini tacos and tostadas made on 2" corn tortilla rounds, mini-pigs in a blanket, and chile rellenos. I saw Buffalo Wings for the very first time at an art gallery opening in Annapolis MD in 1982.

If wrapped tightly, and stored in the fridge, your yeast should last 3-4 weeks before losing strength.

Judging from the picture, it looks like those cookies are piped out, kind of like a flatter Hershey's Kiss, and the indentation on the top is made by pressing a wet finger onto the point to flatten the top.

I spray with Vegaline and use parchment rounds after spraying.

It sounds like you didn't get enough water out of the mixture, re-cooking might do the trick.