LizD518

I made a few batches of fudge. The milk powder worked great. It doesn't use up much, but it didn't affect the taste. Unfortunately, I had trouble getting the syrup up to temperature without burning and ended up pulling it off the stove too early in both cases. Right now I have a nice fudge sauce for ice cream waiting in the fridge...

Has anyone used powdered milk in making fudge? I found an old fashioned fudge recipe that calls for cocoa and milk, and I'm thinking of using the powdered milk for that. Bonus that it would be a good item for making in large batches and giving away.

I was going to make hot cocoa mix for Christmas presents this year, but I don't like how any of my test batches have come out and I am scrapping the idea. But that leaves me with a large quantity of powdered milk and no idea what to do with it. Ideally, I'd like to find something that I can make to substitute for the hot cocoa mix, so something that can be made in large batches and isn't too delicate. Any and all suggestions are welcome!

I'm going to put together a box to send to my friend's family in Indiana and I;m thinking of including fudge. I'd like to make penuche, which is my favorite flavor - can anyone point me to a good recipe?

I'm thinking of making this cake. I'm thinking of replacing the lemon extract with the lavender (maybe increasing it some) and upping the amount of lemon zest to compensate.

Yes, she did grow her own flowers and I think the extract is alcohol-based, like vanilla. The color is almost as dark as homemade vanilla. It smells sweet, but the flavor is more floral than sweet. So far, I've only used it in ice cream - I basically kept tasting the mix to figure out how much to use. I think I ended up with about 1 1/2 tablespoons for a standard 3-cup of milk/cream and 5 egg yolk mix. It had a nice subtle flavor.

The topic title says it all. I have some lavender extract that my Mom made and I'd like to try it out in a few recipes I've found. But all of the recipes call for dried lavender instead of the extract. Is there any sort of guideline I should follow, like how much extract might be appropriate for a certain amount of dried, and how to compensate for using a liquid instead of dried?

I'll be in Plymouth, MA next week, from Sunday evening until Friday morning. My days are taken care of, as I'll be working for a large banqueting operation there, helping set up, and then execute, Thanksgiving Brunch. But I'll have Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (and possibly Sunday) evenings on my own. I may go see friends in Providence one night, and I am also thinking of driving in to Boston one evening - I went to school there and have some ideas of where I might go. But I'll have at least two nights to have dinner in Plymouth. I'm not looking for any fancy meals - just good food and hopefully a decent atmosphere where I can sit at the bar and strike up a conversation. I generally like brewpubs, anything ethnic (Indian, Thai, Chinese, Mexican, or whatever). I'll be staying at a hotel off of Rt. 3, a little south of downtown, but I'll have my car, and would prefer going somewhere with a more scenic setting, as I also hope to take my camera around and take some pictures (mostly likely it will be dark, so, we'll see...). Friday morning breakfast suggestions down by the water would be great, so I can have some opportunity to get some nice photos then too. Any suggestions greatly appreciated!

In my Mother's family, my Grandmother served Thanksgiving dinner at 1pm. And then she brought out the meat pies (French-Canadian)at 6pm, whether we were hungry or not! A group is usually sitting around playing scrabble by then, and some people are int he den watching whatever movie is on tv that year. We're not really football fans, at least not college football. At my parent's house, we prefer to eat around 5pm, and nosh all day. We try not to get over-stuffed, but sometimes the noshing is the best part!

I actually made some this morning and I have extra - I just cooled the dish, covered them and put them in the fridge. I will add just a splash of milk and put them in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stove. I've done this before and I think they are kind of like stew, in that, they get better the next day. I also toasted the oats in a little butter, added a bit of applesauce and baking spice for flavor.

I've been gorging myself on Halloween candy since the beginning of September. And in the last week I have had three Starbucks Frappuccinnos, after not having had one for probably a year. On top of that, I ate 4 scones yesterday. Ok, they were homemade and had apple and gruyere in them, but still. I also had (for lunch), Biscuits, covered with bacon, scrambled eggs, & cheddar, then smothered in cream gravy, alongside hash browns. Dinner was one of the aforementioned scones, and some pasta with a little butter, garlic, red pepper flakes and parmesan. What are these fruit and vegetable things that some people talk about?

Made some wonderful tomato soup last weekend - used the Cooks Illustrated recipe, which came to me via Smitten Kitchen's blog. Probably going to do some sort of chicken soup or stew later this week, as I am roasting a chicken for dinner tomorrow night. I'd like to do a nice chicken tortilla soup - can anyone point me to a good recipe?

The only things I cook for other people with any frequency are baked goods for co-workers. I never fail to receive compliments and for the most part I have learned to just say thank you. However, a few people go on and on, and it feels like overkill. I mean, to me, all I did was bake something (usually homey - the last item was pumpkin whoopie pies). I feel like anyone can do what I do, so over-effusive compliments are undeserved.

A little more "homey", but what about a gingerbread with a whiskey creme anglaise (sp?)? The proportions of the flavor may be a little off, but both of those applications would carry the flavors well.

I don't have a problem with "cook with one pot" as a challenge, or with "use vegetables as the main ingredients in your dessert" as a challenge. I thought putting the two of them together was unnecessarily restrictive though.

I bought "parmesan" cheese to go on my pasta the other day. Yes, the stuff in the green can. I've used the real thing for years, but, I just have decided that I like the flavor of the canned stuff. Childhood nostalgia maybe?

No picture, but I made pumpkin whoopie pies with cinnamon cream filling last night. The recipe I have made 11 (and a half) 4" pies, but only enough filling for half of them. I wrapped the extra cakes in parchment and plastic wrap and froze them, so I'll have to make the filling again next week. I brought five pies into work and people were saying how great they were all day. I have to say - I agree!!

Time for the yearly thread-bump... I was feeling like a light lunch today and made myself a Waldorf Salad using a modified version of the recipe in The Waldorf-Astoria Cookbook. This is my version: Two apples (one Granny Smith, one Braeburn), skin-on, julienned About 1/2 cup julienned celeraic Walnuts - "candied" using the egg-white method, with brown sugar, a bit of cinnamon & cayenne & salt Dressing: 1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt lemon juice (didn't have any, used tamrind this time!!) 2 T walnut oil 1/8 tsp truffle oil (recipe uses chopped truffles - ha!) - I may leave this out next time, too strong Toss apples, celeraic and chopped walnuts with dressing, garnish with more walnuts and a bit of flat-leaf parsley (recipe calls for celery leaves). This was a perfect light lunch, although I don't love the truffle oil - even the small drop I used had a big presence. Maybe if I paired this with a grilled chicken breast or something to bulk up the meal it would balance out that truffle for me.

Girl Scout Cookies. I sold A LOT of Girl Scout Cookies, and we had a lot of them at home. Unfortunately, they just don't hold up anymore. I still like the Tagalongs (or Peanut Butter Patties, to some of you) and Do-Si-Does (Peanut Butter Sandwiches), but Thin Mints taste waxy and I only really liked Samoas as a little kid. I love coconut and caramel, but they are too sweet.

Have to disagree on this one. I too was craving Oreos for weeks recently. Since I don't buy cookies or things I can bake better myself, I found a recipe online that was supposed to be like homemade Oreos, and while they were good, they weren't quite the same. Finally bought a bag of classic Oreos and finished them within 3 days!! Sooo good. Now, hopefully my craving has been satisfied for another 10 years and I can leave them alone!

I don't take pictures in restaurants, but if I did, I would probably carry it without a bag. If I carried it in a bag, I think I would feel much more self-conscious about taking it out, whereas, if it is already out, its is just a more matter-of-fact experience. Besides, when I am walking around a city or somewhere where I am taking pictures, I always have it out anyway so that I can just take pics on the fly if something interests me. For me, that would include the trip to the restaurant and the outside, lobby area, bar, etc...

I used to get up late when I worked mostly evening shifts, so breakfast was really lunch foods, then go into work at three-ish and get out around 11pm - midnight, stay up for about an hour and go to bed. I usually ate dinner at work so I didn't have to eat when I got home. But about 6-7 years ago I switched to more traditional 9-5 schedules and I have to have something in the morning. It is usually pretty light - some yogurt with maybe some granola or fruit, or a bowl of cereal. Occasionally on my days off I will make eggs of some sort or go out for a bagel, but I still try and keep it light. I do love a good breakfast sandwich though - especially if I've been drinking the night before, or after a long run, when I typically don't eat beforehand. And coffee is more a mid-morning thing. I only typically have one cup a day and it isn't to wake me up, so I wait until...right about now. Gotta go!

I confess, I also work for one of those huge, institutional food companies. Although I now work in an upscale museum account, I've done my time in corporate cafes was well. We made some pretty good food in our cafes too. The deli and grill stations offered made to order items, including a menu of sandwiches and burger recipes that are similar to items found on a lot of quick service and casual restaurant chain menus. Soups were all homemade and entrees were made fresh daily, from real food, using institutional recipes usually. Our chef was CIA trained and turned out some good food, although his main job was really running the kitchen and seeing to the administrative duties, rather than actively cooking. One of the things we had almost every day for breakfast was cheesy hash browns. For one hotel pan: a bag of frozen shredded potatoes (5#?), an equal amount of shredded cheddar, a quart of milk, some cayenne and salt & pepper. Toss together and top with some more cheddar, then bake until bubbly and browned. Sooo, so good. When I had to work the opening shift, this was often breakfast, along with some scrambled eggs from the grill station.

This - The stove in my apartment is at least an inch to an inch and a half away from the edge of the counter and I can see down there, but can't reach. I don't think it was pulled out and cleaned before I moved in 3 1/2 years ago and I am not attempting it... Ugh...

I am not a candy-maker AT ALL... But, would there be a way to put down a grid that you could pour onto, or alternatively, set into the toffee as soon as you pour it onto a sheet pan, that would separate the pieces? If you could do that (I'm thinking of something like this, but thinner, could it be left there until the toffee started to harden, then removed so it would be easier to break the pieces apart? I'm probably not the first person to think of this, but I have no idea how well it would work. Good Luck with your quest!