Darienne

Interesting posts. I am married to a man who salts his food without tasting it. Oh well... According to my personal anecdotal and totally unscientific evidence, Americans use more sugar than Canadians, while Canadians. on the other hand, use more salt than Americans do. Certainly Canadian butter is saltier than American, while American grocery-store purchased bakery goods are far sweeter than their Canadian counterparts.

I love the sheep. :wub:

There wasn't anything I could reply to your questions, but I am eager to know what you did in the end and how it turned out?

I've never tried anything like this, but I think I'm going to... Thanks.

I'm really enjoying this.

We are not what you would call social drinkers. I quit drinking for the most part a few years ago and DH drinks one neat vodka before bed. Oh, I sip vodka if I have a coughing fit in the night. Not exciting. Last weekend was the Annual Dog Weekend which meant lots of food and lots of drink. American dog friends brought an assortment of stuff with them, most of which I have never seen before and have no idea of whether I could get them in Canada. Left to right: * Kirkland Tequila – in Ontario we can get liquor only in an LCBO * Patron Silver Tequila – very nice, very expensive in Canada, for sipping * Svedka vodka – love the snazzy red, white and blue bottle. Keeping the empty bottle in the Americana Room, assembled in the beginning to annoy our anti-American friends. Yes, there are anti-American Canadians (idiots) * Patron XO Tequila Café – very tasty for sipping * Pinnacle Chocolate Whipped Vodka. It was served by a friend from DE mixed with cherry juice. I have no idea why. I thought it was awful, but others liked it. From France * Three Olives Vodka – empty bottle; I never got to taste it. * Fireball Red Hot Cinnamon Whisky – ironically made in Canada, exported to the USA, and brought back across the border. I love pretty much anything with a bite. * Vincent Van Gogh Dutch Chocolate Flavored Vodka – just opened it and tasted it. I hope that without being rude or hurting our friends, I can dissuade them from bringing either of the chocolate-flavored vodkas again. (No, they don’t belong to eGullet.) There was much drinking of frozen Margaritas made from Goya Peach, Mango, and Pear. Personally, I like the regular lime based best by far.

I seldom eat cottage cheese now, but my childhood memories are wonderful. With my Papa (Mother's Father), a bowl of cottage cheese, sour cream, pumpernickel (I mean REAL pumpernickel) and salt and pepper. :wub:

I look forward to seeing the little critters.

I hope you are being well paid for this extravaganza. Wonderful little figures, PanaCan.

You didn't specify 'commercial'. My late F-i-L made his own wine...mostly terrible...but the worst of all was celery.

Dog Weekend is upon us and tonight's pie is such a winner: Margarita Pie, a combination of two recipes plus my own intervention. With Tequila, Grand Marnier, whipped cream, lime juice, crushed pretzels, etc, how can you lose?

Good one Kim. The DL cookies. Do try the cake balls with 'real' ingredients. Of course, they taste amazing. I have a big batch ready for the Dog folks (who will begin to arrive in just under one hour.)

First laugh of the day. Sounds like something a kid would like. Or the kid in an adult! Could make one out of apples with cheddar cheese and then it would be technically a quesadilla I guess.

So I googled quesadilla and it suggests making desserts also. I must make some of the savory kinds.

So, it's basically a sandwich made with a tortilla, folded over a filling and fried on both sides? I think the quesadilla machine works somewhat like a cheese sandwich grill. You eat it with a fork and knife? I know, I know, I should know...but I have never had one or seen one. And my brain can encompass only so much at once. (Extreme old age )

I've never actually made one. What do you put in them? Do you use flour or corn tortillas? Do you make your own tortillas? Do you use a quesadilla making machine? I've seen them for sale and wondered if they were a useful purchase. Any photos please.

Very beautifully done, Nigelodeon. And welcome to eGullet.

The birthday cake looks lovely and you are a good son's girlfriend -not -in -law?

Oh my! Two wonderful pieces from JustinThyme...and welcome to eGullet...and PanaCan. Wonderful about left-over chocolate and similar goodies.

:laugh: I usually adjust for baking at 4500', but it's surprising how many folks don't. And if I don't, it really doesn't matter all that much. I'm not trying to sell the results.

Do you have a wide spread in humidity as we do in Ontario? Well, from 50% to 100%. Or are you like the Southwest...8% to 56%? (I probably have both sets of figures wrong. ) I know that when I make muffins in Moab and don't adjust for altitude (4,500 '), my muffins runneth over.

I think I need a simply-worded explanation for verniers. Speaking of "doohickeys" and "doodads" this time I made the Mocha Molasses Cake properly...is it good!!!...and then have turned most of it into cake doodads with the addition of much rum, butter, 54% chocolate, icing sugar and they are currently resting gently in the freezer. Half to go for the Dog Weekend and half for a (shudder) Tupperware Party I can't get out of (unless the hostess reads this post). Good luck with your own doohickeys. You'll be stunned at the lustful reaction they provoke.

The Angel Food cake mix is made and the crumb is truly awful for Cake Doodads. Too squishy. I didn't think it would be a suitable cake to make into balls and now that's it's done, it isn't. I'll go back and make the original cake I messed up the first time and use it: Dark Mocha Molasses Snacking Cake Recipe from Smitten Kitchen adapted by Always Order Dessert. http://www.alwaysorderdessert.com/2012/08/dark-mocha-molasses-snacking-cake.html. Found a note online that suggested freezing the formed balls before thawing and dipping. That sounds about right for me. The recipe calls for 1/4 cup Kahlua, for which I used Panama Jack, but I still don't feel confident about the storage part with a regular cake dipped in chocolate.

I wasn't actually 'thinking' of putting any liquor/liqueur into the mix, but just might do that in order to get them made sooner rather than later. Would half the amount of rum/liquor of the quintessential rum ball mean that they would keep half as long? Might add some Panama Jack (a Canadian fortified cream wine, tastes quite a lot like Bailey's, but a bit less sweet and a bit sharper and a LOT cheaper Less sweet than the American equivalents. Hmmm...half the alcohol content.) Thanks. As always.

Last week I ruined a wonderful chocolate cake...didn't hear the timer...and made cake balls/pops/truffles with the crumb, dipped in tempered 70% chocolate. An interesting first. They were delicious. Oh my. Gave them all away. Serious complaints were forthcoming from friends who are attending next weekend's Annual Dog Weekend. So, I found an old...not too old I hope...Angel Food Cake mix in the cupboard and will add some 52% chocolate to the resulting crumb and then dip the balls into tempered 70% chocolate again. Question: what would be the shelf life of the "Cake Doodads"? They'll be eaten Friday August 17 until they are gone. How early next week can I actually make them? (I need to make as much as I can ahead of time to accommodate my old and doddering bod.) Thanks.