Lisa Shock

Bacon can easily be formed into roses for garnishes. Take raw bacon and fold over one end to 90° to make a pointed center and roll it up in the same manner as making a ribbon rose. Run a skewer through the base (you can put multiple flowers on one skewer) and bake until very well done. You can also weave raw bacon then place it over an upturned bowl and bake to make a bacon bowl.

I usually serve my avocado sauce over ravioli that I have filled with mashed up baked potato and chipotle in adobo sauce, so that the insides are red and the sauce is bright green. You could add bacon to the filling pretty easily, thus combining both items into one dish.

Saltines. I made them once and they came out almost exactly like the ones from a box, except less precisely docked. Taste-wise there was no real difference in quality. So, I spent over an hour making a quantity equal to a quarter-box of crackers when I could have purchased a whole box for 99 cents at the time. The only upside is that I now have the experience of making saltines and can pretty much top anyone in conversations about odd things anyone has made at home.

I sometimes chop up avocado and heat it up with a little lemon/lime juice, diced seeded green chiles, salt and garlic and use it as a hot pasta sauce.

I don't think you'd do any harm in replacing the liquid, but, I also don't think that they'll improve much, either. I'd make something with them, like egg salad, rather than toss them.

What about paletas? You'll have some of the same issues as gelato, but, no scooping, no bowls, no spoons, etc.

A case of Rosè of Tempranillo to mainly use in making a huge batch of Vin d'Orange. I was gifted a lot of citrus in the past week and decided that it was time to try making my own aperitifs. I used clementines, a Tahitian vanilla bean, one allspice berry and one juniper berry -and infused them in grain alcohol for two days before adding 4 750ml bottles of today's wine. I also picked up a bottle of Massenez Creme de Peche just for fun. I'll try it in a Daisy sometime in the next week or so.

There are a couple of traditional Spanish cookies that use it. Here's a good recipe for Bizcochitos. The final result is crisper than other fats, similar to butter but harder. Obviously, it's lacking 'buttery' flavor, so the final result won't be as seemingly rich as a butter cookie. Since lard is 100% fat, it does affect some formulas (like cakes) that were created for butter, because butter is 20% water. Your current blend won't be radically different because the percentage of lard is low. However, if you are looking to alter future recipes, you might want to look at formulas that call for high ratio shortening, as that also has no water in it. Some recipes rely on the water/fat emulsion in butter to further emulsify other ingredients -like the procedure for making a savory beurre blanc sauce. Be cautious of any recipe where you are asked to beat or mix in small bits of butter over time, like brioche or some sweet doughs.

Pepsi Throwback reigns in my household.

Pastillage would be be my choice. You could cut it out into shapes if it isn't too time consuming.

Italian buttercream is very white and shiny despite being made with real butter. It's the egg whites and boiling sugar that do the trick.

I agree, abandon the Rose's. I see a Tequila Daisy made with fresh lemon juice, a little sugar and the Monin as the dash of flavoring.

When I lived in Santa Fe, Smith's had errors on about 30% of their shelf tags where the per unit price was incorrect -usually much lower than it should have been. So, if a 5lb bag of sugar was $1.50 the per/lb listed in smaller print might say $.20/lb. So, if you were trying to comparison shop brands and just looking at a per/lb prices you could be swayed into buying something thinking it was cheaper than it really was. The store manager did not understand that this was a problem. I still do not trust the per each section of shelf labels. The store brand tonic water would never scan at the price of the store brand soda pop in the same size containers. It was always shelved with the other store brand sodas and marked on the shelf at the same price, but the cashiers and manager would argue that it was a different price because it was a 'special water' not a soda pop.

Sounds like a sweeter, more syrupy version of a shrub -and shrubs are definitely delicious!

I've used the Nielsen Massey in mousses and I like it. I haven't tried it in cakes or other baked goods.

Party Down is about a catering company and episodes are titled for the affair being catered.

The upside, as I see it, would be absolute consistency (as long as foods were stored and handled properly) so, you'd never suffer underripe fruits or mediocre tomatoes. The downside would be absolute consistency, so that there would never be those moments of tweaking a formula or method and getting something new and exciting.

I have gotten good cookware at T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods, Ross, and other clearance discounters. The selection varies; items come and go, never to be seen again. But, the prices make the hunt worthwhile.

I suggest getting ahold of the original Trader Vic's cookbook. Green Goddess salad is a must.

I think it's the proofing. The top didn't have as much rise alter on in the oven, so the top was more evenly baked all over.

A lot of episodes of Dragnet and Adam-12 take place in restaurants and bars. Most of them are merely shadowy prop sets, but a few are interesting like the early 1950's Dragnet episode that has much of the action take place in a health food luncheonette.

Sorry, I tend to use the term as slang for the tiny canapes I produce at my PT catering gig for high-end fashion industry clientele who don't actually eat much.

Depends on the crowd. At fancy events, people eat 1-2 bites per person. At events that effectively replace dinner, with people who aren't fashion models, it can be more like 8 per person -or more.

You can get small 4-5 oz disposable cocktail cups at a party supply store and make panna cotta. An easy, delicious flavor can be created by infusing the milk/cream mixture with orange peels and vanilla bean. You can top with berries after they set. -Easier than brulee, no baking and no flaming. If you have flexipans in serving sized shapes you could make small flavored cheesecakes and place them on pate sucree bases just large enough to hold them and not show. I'm thinking something like lime pyramids on square bases or domes on round bases. Verrines are always good, pastry cream and mousses are your friends here. Add some fruit compote, crushed nuts or cookies and you're good to go. Again, use the disposables from the party supply store.

You can infuse vodka with it for a tasty drink.