jadenegro

I have one that drives myself nuts- I must eat m&ms two at a time, and they have to be the same color. Then when you are at the end of one color and you only have one left of that color, you have to decide whether to eat it by itself, or mix it with another color.... I've tried to stop myself, and the only good strategy is not eating m&ms at all. Otherwise I'm pretty normal.

I know you said you looked, but did you try at Walmart? I know I don't usually shop there for food either, except for a couple of items like cajeta (the Coronado brand pictured above is what I find -- but I buy it in a squeeze bottle). I would like to make my own because the commercial kind contains corn syrup as well as sugar. Keep us posted on how yours turns out!

Wow! Thanks for the suggetions. All I could come up with was spiked chai They all sound good. Apple, pear, orange, not to mention ginger, thyme and vanilla... I will need to go shopping, I think the first one to try will be the apple or pear suggestion. The other thing I was concerned about is color and the visual appeal once things are mixed together. The cardamom is a pretty good green color, not fake green looking like sour apple pucker or mint schnapps, but still pretty green.

I have a bottle of cardamom liquor and I'm not sure what to do with it. I was wondering if anyone has any ideas? It is "Licor de Cardamomo de Botran" made in Guatemala. It's 25% alcohol and a green color. It has a pretty strong cardamom flavor just sipping it straight. So I was thinking to sip it after a meal, but, thought I would check for more interesting ideas. Do you think it would be good mixed with anything in particular? Or served with anything? Maybe used in cooking? Or have any ideas on how to drink it otherwise? I'm not sure what to do with it and I really hate having a bottle sit around doing nothing but take up space. ETA: Oops, I see I spelled cardamom wrong on the title. So much for proof reading the post!

I always make some types of cake from scratch (coffeecakes, crumb cakes, tea cakes, pound cakes) and would never ever stop to consider using a mix for that type of cake. For layer cakes and sheet cakes that are iced, I have sometimes used cake mixes and sometimes made them for scratch. If I'm making a birthday cake I ask the recipient what they want. Sometimes they want cake mix. I don't have a problem with that -- plus it saves a ton of work. Sometimes they want scratch and that enables me to be more creative (but it takes much more time and uses more expensive ingredients). I refuse to use frosting from a can though, I just can't do it. Canned frosting tastes gross to me. I don't mind the taste of cake mix as much. If I'm making a cake just for fun I will make it scratch. If it's going to a potluck or similar event it will probably be an iced sheet cake from a mix. For me the main difference between scratch and mix is the texture. Scratch cakes always seem more substantial. I think especially with birthday cakes people are expecting the texture of the mix -- because lots of our mothers and grandmothers used cake mix for that type of occasion. On the other hand, the best brownies to come out of my kitchen as of yet are made from the Ghiradelli boxed mix. I'm still trying on that one. ETA: Also I thought cake mixes are in the "chiffon" cake genre and I don't think it's fair to compare a chiffon cake to a genoise cake or a butter cake. I've never made a scratch chiffon cake so I don't know how that texture compares to a mix.

Pork tenderloin sandwiches Also the only place I have seen broasted potatoes is in northeast Indiana -- I don't know if that's original to IN or not though.

I agree, maybe food is not exactly the highlight but Guatemala is a great place to take a vacation! Do you mean you had tortillas with black beans in them? My favorite roadside treat is roasted corn tamales. I would die to know the recipe for these. They are just corn dough but it's really delicious.

Ok, so I just ordered this book. Thanks to you all I hope DH doesn't intercept the package and wrap it. Everything looks so delicious. I can't decide what to make first and I don't even have the book yet.

Congratulations on your marriage and best wishes for your future together. I hope you enjoyed your trip. If you have time I would love to hear your report as well. We've been through Atitlan a couple of times but have never really ate there. We love to make day trips to Antigua but the only places I have ever really ate are Cafe Condesa and La Fonda de la Calle Real, Tre Fratelli and of course, Pollo Campero. If can give you a belated review of those if you are going back anytime soon!

Thank you for your advice! If I could just sum up what you are saying, we can break this out after dinner and drink it room temperature (as you would drink an aperitif before dinner)? I really appreciate your help. My husband is from Guatemala which is why he was given a bottle. I've spent my due share of time making fun of Guatemala's beer, so I wasn't sure what to expect from the rum. None of his relatives have tried the rum so we are all pretty clueless. His friend said it was award winning so I thought I would attempt some further research here. Thanks again!

My husband has been given a bottle of rum and we are searching for advice on how best to drink it. We aren't big drinkers and in the rum arena have previously used white Bacardi to make mojitos. That's it! The label is "Ron Zacapa Centenario", 23 years, made in Guatemala. "Mezcla de rones anejos de las mieles virgenes de la cana de azucar." The color resembles strongly brewed tea. Are we supposed to enjoy this straight or what? I have no idea how to serve it and would appreciate any advice. Thank you!