Emily_R

I've got to add that I love love love hot milk sponge cake. I use the recipe from the red and white checked better homes and gardens cookbook, and it's perfect. I often serve it with a strawberry compote and whipped cream. In fact, this thread may inspire me to make some tonight!

So my ex-fiancee and I used to make this recipe that his mother (from Eastern Washington State) gave him. It had lentils and brown rice cooked together and lots of coarsely shredded carrots... And that's about all I remember other than remembering that it was really tasty. If it helps, the family was methodist (dad was a methodist minister)... We didn't part on good terms, so I can't write him to ask for it... Does it sound familiar to anyone?

Why not just warm them up and taste them as is? Though be sure to let us know the results... A long time ago I used Minor's chicken base, which at one time was highly reviewed by cooks illustrated. I haven't in several years now (just fell out of the habit), and I've been wondering recently whether it would be a better standby than the Swansons low sodium broth I usually use...

So funny - I just purchased a pressure cooker about a week ago... I'd been holding off, but then this sale at Amazon pushed me over the edge. http://www.amazon.com/Futura-Hawkins-Anodized-Pressure-Cooker/dp/B000GR7776/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295838786&sr=8-1 My first night made a delicious (and insanely speedy) wild mushroom risotto in it... Am testing it out with a chicken paprikash recipe tomorrow... Emily

Sadly, Xiao Long Bao -- soup dumplings. I've tried twice now, starting with the whole making ultra gelatinous chicken stock by adding a piece of pig skin in, to making the filling and cutting the little squares of stock, to making the wrappers and wrestling to get filling and cube of stock in there, and then to steaming them only to find that... ARGH! All the soup leaked out! I've tried store bought wrappers and home made ones, with the same effect. I love love love soup dumplings, but I don't think I can go through the disappointment again.

I've recently started weighing my pasta before cooking, in an effort to cut down on our portion sizes. I try for about 3 ounces per person, but must confess its often closer to 3.5... Emily

Ok, and now time to add a soup of my own. I know, Pasta e Fagioli doesn't sound all that revelatory. But this recipe on Food52 just really did it for me -- super quick and easy for a weeknight meal (about 20 minutes start to finish), and really really flavorful for such a low investment of time and number of ingredients. The key thing I changed was to substitute pancetta for bacon, and I think that made a big difference. That, adding an extra celery stalk, and a pinch of rosemary were my only other changes. My husband and I raved about it when we had it two nights ago, and then I raved again when I had the leftovers for lunch. http://www.food52.com/blog/1599_pasta_e_fagioli Emily

Hi Molly -- I make fruit leather every summer on an Excalibur, and use parchment paper cut to size to line the trays. I take the fruit puree all the way to within about 3/4 of an inch of the edge of each sheet, and then cut them up into three roll-ups when they're done drying. I then just roll them up with the parchment paper still on them, and peel it off when I'm ready to eat! Emily

Hi there -- Nothing to add about what to dip in the fondue, bur just wanted to provide a link to what was the best fondue I've ever had -- a cheddar and whiskey fondue... http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/whiskey-cheese-fondue SO good. Emily

Made the Gordon Ramsay broccoli soup tonight and it was excellent, And so easy it was really ridiculous. I didn't have goat cheese, but added lemon juice instead. My husband added a little sour cream... The color and texture were truly amazing -- and I've never managed to get broccoli soup so smooth -- its always been grainy. Thanks rarerollingobject!

Just made this recipe for pasta e fagioli from Food52 -- it was quick, easy, and flavorful! I replaced the bacon with about 1/4 pound of pancetta, and used some homemade stock. With some toasted sourdough and a salad it made for a perfect weeknight meal. http://www.food52.com/blog/1599_pasta_e_fagioli

David Lebovitz' jam tart, which is fantastic, really needs at least one full day to rest, and then continues to improve/hold its own for another two or three days... Its a good one to preprare a day in advance for a dinner party, which takes the pressure off of baking that day... http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2008/07/jam-tart/

I found Martha's Gnudi recipe to have a fairly high spinach to cheese ratio, and if you look at the picture that accompanies the recipe, you can see that they are dominantly green... So I don't think a mostly spinach mix is a problem, and can in fact be delicious!

Just wanted to chime in -- while I use frozen spinach when making spinach lasagna, for something more refined like ravioli, that won't be smothered in a bucket of sauce and cheese, I was amazed at how big a difference steaming fresh spinach made. I made this recipe from Martha Stewart for Spinach and Ricotta Gnudi, and while they fell apart as gnudi, when I put that filling inside of ravioli, it was fantastic. http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/spinach-and-ricotta-gnudi-with-sage-butter

Wow -- both those broccoli recipes are exciting me so much I'm tempted to go into town on a broccoli run today. These will be made very soon and I'll report back!

The first recipe I made out of it was his Cranzac cookies -- they are a riff on anzac cookies, with Lyle's golden syrup, cranberries, coconut, and oats. While they sounded great in principle, in actuality I found them very one-dimensional and overly sweet. Not a fan at all... Emily

Hey Nakji -- I actually used creminis, but I'd imagine that shitakes would be a really good flavor addition!

I've had this Mushroom Bhaji recipe in my "to try" file for probably almost three years... Finally made it last night and its delicious! Mushrooms cooked in Indian spices and a tomato onion sauce... I served it with brown rice, and the full recipe plus rice and a salad was enough for dinner for two. Its easy to make, rich and savory and spicy and good. I never think of mushrooms when I think of Indian food, so this was a nice surprise. http://www.theperfectpantry.com/2009/11/cumin-recipe-mushroom-bhaji.html

Ok, I'm going to chime in here again, just like I did at the beginning of last year's post, to see if I can inspire anyone to join me in what has been a tremendously rewarding venture... Rather than commit to making specific recipes, for the past three years, I committed myself to making at least one new-to-me recipe every week. I track them in a little journal, and this year I made 84 new recipes! Looking back over my list, there are recipes that are total house favorites now, and I can't believe I made them for the first time last February... I can't say enough about how much doing this has expanded my repertoire and my skills... Just some food for thought :-) Emily

First meal of the new year was a new recipe for me -- Sichuan Dan Dan noodles. They were good, very numbing from the sichuan peppercorns, quite heavy and rich -- not an eat-em-everyday meal for me at least...

Good grief people! I am astounded by the intricacy of these menus -- I'm amazed that people aren't exhausted from all the cooking for Christmas. Tonight was dinner home just the husband and I -- menu was homemade wonton soup, including homemade broth and wonton wrappers. But I would happily have been an eater at pretty much any of your homes! :-)

One of the yummiest things I've had fried is very thin lemon slices. Thinly sliced lemons, dredged in heavily seasoned flour, and fried until crispy. Makes the most amazing topping for a fried fish sandwich.

I made an improvement on an old standby last night... I have a vegetarian friend visiting, and when she comes I often make pasta with zucchini, white beans, and rosemary (with lots of garlic and olive oil, and a splash of white balsamic)... Last night I had a bit of ricotta, and so I added it... But then, the revelation. I was out of romano, and so I grated up some ricotta salata that had been languishing in the fridge... Wow! It was a revelation -- added just the right mix of sharp and salty but creamy... It really took the dish someplace better than it has been before.

Has anyone mentioned grating cheese? Hate hate hate it, mostly because I consistently grate myself. This task is always offloaded to my husband, who doesn't seem to be so accident prone.

Rover -- that dauphinois sounds fantastic! It's going on the 'make it immediately' list!