Emily_R

A question for ErikaK and Pierogi -- I looked at that Chicken and Sausage recipe, and it says to marinate with the 1/2 cup of olive oil and then pour all that oil into the baking pan. That doesn't make the end product VERY greasy? I'm struggling to get my mind around the recipe (but very tempted to make it as I've got some good sausage to use)...

Great thread. For me the revelation of the year has been Giada's recipe for Beef and Butternut Squash Stew, which has sundried tomatoes, marsala wine, and fresh rosemary -- it is truly out of this world good. My one note is to cut some of the butternut pieces smaller than she calls for (she calls for 2 inch cubes, I cut them somewhere between 1.5 and 1 inch) and to cook for almost an hour longer than she calls for so some of the butternut starts to melt into the sauce and thicken it. Here's a link to the recipe... http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/re...6_97063,00.html And edited to say I'm glad you mentioned that book -- I love David Rosengarten and didn't know he'd written it... I just put a request in for it at my library, and will definitely try those cinnamon rolls!

Not my favorite, for all of the reasons described above -- just too thin, doesn't have enough bite to them. I don't think they provide enough counterpoint to the filling. Am curious what people's success is like with doubling them though... Emily

Seriously, I am with Natho -- it never makes it to cooking. It barely makes it to a cracker! Sometimes I barely even manage to get a knife before swiping at it with my fingers... MMMMMM! Oh, though my other favorite way to eat it is to hollow out some mushroom caps, spritz with olive oil, stuff with boursin, and bake at around 375 until boursin is browned -- ridiculously easy and delicious appetizer!

Wow! What an amazing job you've done! I'm totally wowed, and the fact that you are self-taught makes it even more incredible! Keep posting the pictures!

Hi all -- The best rhubarb I've ever had is in rhubarb peach crisp -- the combination is amazing! I used about 4 cups rhubarb and 1.5 cups peaches, added sugar and a bit of flour, and then topped with an oatmeal crisp topping (oatmeal, butter, little flour, brown sugar)... It is out of this world! Emily

Bruce -- we must have been on the same wave length last night, as it was my first time making carnitas as well! I served them with cilantro rice and little cubes of sauteed zukes... I thought they were good (though a little too salty, once all the cooking liquid had boiled off), but DH thought they were fantastic, so that's always nice... I think I cooked them a little too long before crisping them, since some of the cubes were starting to fall apart into shreds by that point...

WOW, congrats! What a find! Fabulous sink, and I LOVE the range. Not to mention that faucet is fantastic -- it looks like it is a new reproduction? Could you tell me who makes the faucet?

Just a quick note to say that I think the quality of stew beef depends on your market... I get it from Wegmans here and it is exceptional -- flavorful and cooks up very tender, with just the right amount of fat. But as a note, I think two hours of cooking is the minimum I've found for getting it as falling-apart tender as I like it... Emily

JAZ -- I'm glad to know that I'm not the one who found the silicone potholders useless -- I couldn't believe how fast they heated up... I actually returned mine to the store, as there was no way I was going to keep that in the kitchen! Thats really the only silicone produce I've tried... I just don't like the feel of them in my hand, so that's why I've stayed away, but it is good to hear they are useful in candy making...

Hi folks -- No picture, but made one of the best new recipes i've tried in a while last night. A Giada recipe from food network for beef and butternut squash stew that also included sun dried tomatoes, marsala wine, and fresh rosemary and thyme. It was truly outstanding, the most fabulous melding of flavors... SO good! Only modification I made to the recipe was to add a tablespoon of tomato paste and to cook it much longer than the 1 hour the recipe calls for -- about 1.5 hours covered and another 45 minutes or so uncovered. Also nice that with the butternut in there it really didn't need a major starch with it... I just served it with some garlic bread...

To me, the ideal nacho is made with real cheese, no meat, and is not complete without homemade refried pinto beans added on top. I layer the chips, beans, and cheese, and then cook in a high temp oven (rather than broiling, which is risky with my tendency to get distracted)... Agreed on the salsa to top (though I'm not personally a guac fan...) I'm partial to the Cape Cod veggie tortilla chips, vailable at most Wegmans'...

YES! That is absolutely the perfect comparison... I prefer bugles to fritos, but prefer potato chips to munchos... Go figure.

Emily_R, thank you, and enjoy your trip! Mrs. C starts with “maple mustard salmon” from Steven Raichlen’s BBQ USA. I don’t know how much help that will be, though, because Mrs. C is physiologically incapable of following a recipe. And proud of it. I couldn't find the recipe on the web, but I can send it by PM if you wish. I do know that she boils maple syrup, soy sauce, honey, mustard, and grated fresh ginger until the mixture is reduced to a thick syrup. The recipe calls for honey mustard, but she uses more mustard and less honey to control the sweetness. She brushes part of this syrup over the salmon and saves part to serve at the table. I think she also sprinkles salt and sesame oil on the salmon before baking (although the recipe calls for grilling). She baked the salmon until it was less than done, and then let it rest for 10-15 minutes to complete the cooking. Beyond those basics, I am quite certain that she makes it differently every time. Edited to ask about the frozen tangerine souffle. ← Thanks Bruce -- your description of the basic ingredients / process should be enough for me to give it a whirl!

Ok Bruce, after a description like that, can I beg you for that salmon recipe? Though I am drooling from the description of the meal as a whole, as tortilla soup is one of my absolute favorites... Good thing I'll be heading down to mexico for a visit in a week and a half!

Oooh, and I did mean to say -- equality5271, those chocolates look and sound incredible. The rosemary one is truly inspired!

Well, it appears I'm the first in a while to have a flop to post here! I made a mini-batch of margarita marshmallows... Lime juice as the blooming liquid, tequila and a bit of grand marnier in the sugar syrup... Sprinkled a tiny bit of sea salt on the top and.... They were just disgusting. I REALLY didn't like the salt on there, despite loving it on the drink... And on top of that, somehow.. They just tasted wrong to me. Big ick. I threw them out... Oh well...

Hi all -- Tried something new for myself today -- making Banh Xeo... Sigh. The filling (pork, shrimp, green onions, little garlic, fish sauce, thai basil, bean sprouts, chile) and dipping sauce was delicious... But the crepe part itself... Not good. I made it from a Banh Xeo mix I got at the asian market, much like what Ce'nedra posted above... Mixed that with water and coconut milk, but the resulting cooked crepe was pasty and icky. Any thoughts as to where I went wrong? Emily

Creamy Jif. I really don't like the all-natural versions in general... Peanut butter needs some sugar in it to taste good to me.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have condiment issues. Ketchup and mustard make me gag just smelling them, let alone tasting them. Won't eat like mayo (though not the same aversive reaction)... The other things that really produce that gag reflex for me are yogurt and buttermilk. I'll cook with those two, but have to breathe through my mouth while dishing them out...

Wow. I just made my first batch of coffee marshmallows (half batch, actually), and they are stupendous. Definitely my favorite so far. I subbed very strongly brewed coffee for all of the liquid (puree and liquid with the sugar), and the amount of coffee flavor is just perfect. I'll be dipping these in chocolate.... mmmmmmm.....

I'll be going to my local asian market here in a day or two, so I'll make sure to check for you...

Actually I have an old dough question... The times I've done dough and tried to retard in the fridge for a while, even with a coating of oil on the dough, the dough develops a tough "skin" to it. Steven -- how did you prevent this? And when you say it was in a plastic bag, was all the air pressed out of that bag? Or was there still room in the bag for the dough to grow? Thanks, and I am seriously drooling over that pizza -- it looks outrageously good!!! Emily

I totally disagree with the original thesis that leftover turkey isn't worth putting into new recipes and should be thrown out. My traditional day-after thanksgiving recipe is an asian turkey salad, with napa cabbage, bean sprouts, red pepper, scallions, lots of cilantro and thai basil, fresh peanuts, in a lime juice and rice vinegar dressing. It is fantastic, much better with turkey then when made with chicken, and I always look forward to having roast turkey so I can finally get around to eating this salad again! Emily

I'm a serious Callebaut devotee.... Emily