RWood

Fettuccine with home made pesto and sautéed baby zucchini and asparagus bits (leftovers from trimming for the pickled asparagus).

I’m Kennesaw, outside Atlanta, there is a store called The Last Dig. They have big boxes of returns, I think mostly from Amazon. You go in, and dig. Most days everything is $4, sometimes $3. I’ve gotten things like kitchen scales, bathing suits, a stainless steel coffee mug and warmer, a Breville espresso knock box I had been wanting. Just never know what you will find. I’m always looking for cooking related stuff, so jars, storage containers, etc. I got 4 silpat mats for $4 this past weekend. I’m sure there are other stores like it, we just found it one day by accident.

The jars came from an Amazon returns kinda place (I think they are actually boba tea related). I liked them because they were tall. The pickling is brine is 1 cup vinegar, 1 cup water, 2 Tbs sugar, 1 Tbs salt. You’ll have to determine how much you need for the about of asparagus you have. Then pack asparagus in jars with sliced shallot, garlic clove and dill. I added a pinch of chili flakes and black peppercorns. Pour hot brine over and then refrigerate overnight. These are just refrigerator type, not processed.

Some quick pickled asparagus. My mom will wipe out a jar on her own. I prefer this kinda thing in a Bloody Mary. I don’t like celery.

Easter Bunny 🐰. Carrot cake with cream cheese filling.

Just self taught in cakes, that kind of stuff isn’t taught in pastry school. I usually buy a small model of whatever creature I’m trying to make. I have to have a 3D reference. So, my T Rex now has a bearded dragon buddy 😉. Anything else, I just wing it and hope 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻.

Birthday cake for a friend’s daughter. She loves lizards. Marble cake with chocolate buttercream. Bearded dragon (sorta 🙃) is modeling chocolate.

A day late because of too much going on. Roasted corned beef with horseradish-butter roasted vegetables. And cheddar soda bread. Nowhere near authentic, but really tasty.

It’s marble cake, basic I know but it’s my favorite. I served it with raspberries and raspberry Pinot sauce.

Happy Birthday to me 😋. I finally had time to make my octopus cake. Dunno if I would make it again unless lots of money was involved 😉. Those suckers wore me out!

I had this same thing happen on a couple of my Valentine chocolates. I had thought it was because of the point of the heart at first. They are the ones that had the most problems. I had some along the edges of others. The temper in all the others were perfect. I think they just have to mess with you sometimes to show you who’s boss 🤷‍♀️.

This is one of our favorites with ground pork Chipotle Pork Burgers. I make a cilantro lime Mayo for them instead of plain. My mom loves the raw tomatillo on them.

Wagyu sliders-arugula, caramelized onions, Swiss, A-1 mayo, peppered bacon and toasted brioche bun. These were yummy 😋

Thanks, I'll check Chocolat Chocolat. I've ordered a lot from them in the past.

So, I wanted to get some opinions. I've been using Chef Rubber's colored cocoa butter since I started making chocolates many years ago. Lately I've just been getting their small bottles, and I need to restock. Has anyone noticed any difference in any of the other brands? I've never tried Roxy & Rich. Are their colors any different? Better? Or are they basically the same? Has anyone tried Chef Rubber's natural line? How are the colors? TIA

Valentine's chocolates, Success this time! After the Christmas disaster, I stayed in the main house and just microwave tempered all my chocolate (I airbrushed in my work room and it worked out.) I got the molds in the fridge at the right point, and the temper was great. They were trying to pop out before I was ready. Thanks to @Kerry Beal for the advice. Flavors are Raspberry Pinot, Mimosa, Espresso Orelys Pecan, Dulcey Hazelnut, Peanut Butter Crunch, Ruby Vanilla.

We don’t usually buy tots, but I came across a bag of green onion by Ore-Ida. Terrible! They were dry and had no flavor at all.

My mother's favorite are red skinned Spanish peanuts. Always on the lookout. They got scarce in CA, but here in GA, no problem. We went in a local grocery here and they had these on a big rack. They are pretty good, and they make brittle as well. It's good,especially with these peanuts, but they need to cook it just a little longer, it really sticks in my teeth.

When I was living in the Monterey/Santa Cruz area, a new coffee place opened up called Verve. Been hooked ever since. Now that we are in Georgia, I still have it shipped. The 1950 blend is our usual, Streetlevel is the one I started on, and their holiday blend the past two years has been great.

I always brush the tops with either melted butter or heavy cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Helps with browning and adds a nice crunch.

Sometimes you just need chocolate cake 😊.

It is a Lloyd pan. Mine is a 12x12 square. They make a lot of different sizes. Their website is Lloyd pans. I did get mine on amazon, no shipping with Prime. It made a huge difference in browning the bottom and edges.

I’m still adjusting to this kind of cold after being in CA so long 🥶.

Grandma style pizza. I’ve had to move indoors for pizza since there’s a windchill of 12F tonight ❄️❄️. My Ooni is on hold for awhile.

I was in Florida for a few days, so i haven't gone back to check the molds. Before I left though, I did the ice tray crack on them and they did release some. And the transfer sheets are on there, but you can see bloom in the background. Since these are just for family giveaway, if I have time before Saturday, I may attempt filling a few. I was gonna put a couple in the freezer and see if they will come out first.