Velma

Bacon flavored crackers (I think Nabisco made them) and Wonka candies-Peanut Butter Oompas and and the Skrunch Bar.

I'm easy to please--grated sharp cheddar cheese and diced onion held together with some mayo. Spread that cold on some sourdough bread and I'm good to go.

I love that one! It reminds me of something my mother might have done! ← Well, the story is even more humiliating than that. It was my very first attempt at bread making and I had no clue as to what I was doing. After 3 failed loaves of bread, I took the nutritional yeast back to the health food where I had purchased it and told them that their yeast was dead.

I will never again try to make bread using nutritional yeast.

I ordered the book which contains this recipe and it didn't come in time so I think I found the recipe on the internet. It says to strain the cream and then let it cool before blenderizing. I'm just curious as to why you need to strain it because I've never made a cream like this before.

Excuse me, but I am German by origin and these are most definitely German dishes, with the exception of the strudel that was invented in Austria, so I don't know what you are talking about. Pecan tassies are from the Southern United States. And, depending on where you live, pecans can be very expensive. ← I was referring to the pecan tassies not being remotely German, not the items you posted.

I don't think there is anything remotely German about these and they are probably more time consuming than expensive but have you considered pecan tassies? They are easy to serve and my family fights over them when I take them home at the holidays. The recipe is all over the internet.

That is beautiful and I am beyond envious. I have tried over and over again to make focaccia and it has failed each and every time. I'm pretty much giving up on it but it is nice to see that it can be done. I can just imagine how good that tastes.

I was in Auckland traveling alone and I took one of those lunch cruises off the harbor. It was all done by buffet and after lunch, they put out a dessert buffet. I walked over and saw a bowl of fruit and what looked like a bowl of vanilla pudding. That pudding looked REALLY good so, I happily filled my bowl with it (just pudding) while the table attendent was giving me strange looks. When I sat down and dug in, I realized it was not pudding at all but whipped cream meant to go on top of the fruit. He must have thought that I really had a hankering for a bowl of whipped cream

Great thread! When I think about all the bread disasters I have had over the years, taking pictures never occurred to me but I will do it next time! Maybe I will laugh instead of cry

One of the other posters here has requested the recipe from Cooks Illustrated and I would be willing to type it in but are there any copyright restrictions on posting recipes from cookbooks? Thanks!

I don't think he was too hot on it either. And now, I'm off to a dinner party. Taking some of the Black and Whites with me, for more opinions! ← Those are beautiful-you did better than I did! What was your baking time and temp? I definitely thought that the person who e-mailed me and said that they were the best cookies she had ever eaten was being way over enthusiastic. I would not rate them in that category. However, I thought they tasted better the next day. I guess they grew on me overnight. I do have a soft iced sugar cookie recipe that I like MUCH better.

Well, I wish I could describe a real one for you but I've never had one! This past week though, we had party day at work so based on a recommendation here, I used the recipe from Cook's Illustrated's Baking Illustrated book. I used a 1/4 cup scoop, scooped the dough into those muffin top pans from King Arthur and pressed the dough down with my fingers. A cookie sheet will work just as well but I bought the pans so I'm trying to find uses for them! Anyway, I got an e-mail request for the recipe after the party and she said they were the best cookies she had ever had (which I find hard to believe because I'm hardly Betty Crocker.) But, they seemed to like them. One person though cut off the chocolate half and left me the white half I had to adjust my baking time way down though. My oven temp may be off-I have not checked it recently. Thanks a bunch for the recipe recommendation!!

I really appreciate all the feedback on this request I can see that I will probably never succeed in her eyes because I have no clue what she is aiming towards. However, all the help has been invaluable. Just a note: I did change my name here to match my Chowhound name. I wanted to use my real name here and at Chowhound but it got complicated so, from here on out, I will be Jen in real life but known here as Velma!

I really like the Cranberry Walnut Celebration Bread from this book. I don't make a braid but instead make two boules.

I'm a few years late adding my response to this but, I'm new! I would say about 300 with most of them concentrated in the baking area. The Village Baker by Joe Ortiz is on the way and will be the next to join the collection

This was the last recipe I tried and it clearly fell short of the mark as far as she was concerned... http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/106171 I have not tried the one yet that you provided. I will give it a shot. I should cut my losses and move on but I'm obsessive when it comes to baking. I'll do it a hundred times to get it right.

I am trying to recreate black and white cookies for a friend who used to live in New York but I'm at a disadvantage because I've never had them. The kindest thing she has said so far is that my cookies need work. I have tried recipes on the internet but would anybody be willing to share a recipe, tips or at least provide a link to a recipe that is close to the real deal? This is bugging me. I want to hear something more positive than "Needs work." Thanks!

You did the right thing to pass on Zesto for a real meal. It is just a quick place to grab a sweet treat really. I'm sorry about the tomatoes though. It is sad that around here at this time of year, they could not do better.

Now we're talkin'! Zesto, will have to remember that name! Do they make ice cream? Any special flavors? What's their specialty?u.e. ← No, I don't think they make their own ice cream-it is just soft serve but it has been around a long time. It kind of looks like a dump but you walk inside and order at the window. They have malts, shakes, other ice cream treats and also some sandwiches. It is a local tradition more than anything else. We used to have one in Columbia but ours closed maybe ten years ago--not sure on that. When we are very bored and just want a drive, we'll make the 30 minute drive to Zesto for a Burgers country ham sandwich and a vanilla milk shake. We are easily entertained I hope I'm explaining this well enough-it isn't gourmet high end ice cream but like the Dairy Maids that used to be all over the Midwest when I was a kid. ← Sounds like a ma and pa DQ... u.e. ← Yes, exactly! But since it isn't Dairy Queen, that automatically makes it 100% better by default

Now we're talkin'! Zesto, will have to remember that name! Do they make ice cream? Any special flavors? What's their specialty?u.e. ← No, I don't think they make their own ice cream-it is just soft serve but it has been around a long time. It kind of looks like a dump but you walk inside and order at the window. They have malts, shakes, other ice cream treats and also some sandwiches. It is a local tradition more than anything else. We used to have one in Columbia but ours closed maybe ten years ago--not sure on that. When we are very bored and just want a drive, we'll make the 30 minute drive to Zesto for a Burgers country ham sandwich and a vanilla milk shake. We are easily entertained I hope I'm explaining this well enough-it isn't gourmet high end ice cream but like the Dairy Maids that used to be all over the Midwest when I was a kid.

I would add my vote for Das Stein Haus but, there is not much to get excited about food wise around here. I like Zesto for ice cream treats.

We try to avoid chains when we can because we like to support the local guys and last week, we had to take an 88 year old relative to dinner. I racked my brains with my husband trying to think of a local place she might like but she said "Do you have Applebee's? Can you take me there?" You know, it would not have been my choice but sometimes, it makes no sense to argue about it. At 88 years old, if Applebee's makes her happy then Applebee's it is.