Marmish

I made the oatmeal cookies this evening. It says it yields 8. I got 10. They came out very good. They are soft and didn't flatten out too much. I didn't add raisins or nuts. The only other thing I changed was subbing some brown sugar for part of the white sugar.

We nabbed two 4-packs of 8 oz. cans of the new Halloween Jones Soda flavors, Caramel Apple and Strawberry S'lime. Both were pretty good. The caramel apple tasted sweet and appley, followed by caramely aftertaste. Surprisingly good, sweet, but not tooo sweet. A small can is just about all I could drink. The strawberry was also very good. The "lime" part of the S'lime cut any sweetness of the strawberry. The other flavors are Scary Berry Lemonade and Candy Corn. Anybody else try them yet?

SethG, I also bake often for others, but for just us, it's nice to make something for dinner and not have to eat it for the next 3 days. Some things, like cookies, I do scoop and freeze a full batch. Plus, it doesn't take a lot of ingredients to make a small batch of something. Claire, I'll definitely check out your blog to see your results.

I've made several things: the poundcakes, cornmeal cobbler, chocolate birthday cake, vanilla shortcakes. I liked the poundcakes the best. The birthday cake is baked in a tin can, which was both better and worse than I thought it would be. The size is right. I used a can that had ridges - I think most do, though I never really paid attention - and while the cake came out pretty easily, it didn't have clean sides. Not really important when baking for only 2 people, I guess. The cobbler wasn't really to our tastes, because of the cornmeal, I think. The shortcakes spead a lot, if I remember correctly. Could have been me. I don't think I tried them again since I was trying several recipes this summer. I do like that the recipes aren't basic or run of the mill, and that the author acknowledges leftover ingredients and gives you tips on dealing with that. They also don't require lots of special equipment. Baking rings, maybe some ramekins, tart pans, and saving some cans from other things will pretty much do it, in addition to things you probably already have like muffin tins and loaf and mini loaf pans.

I asked The Mister what he would be. "Something really yucky so no one would eat me." I also say potato. It's so versatile and can be prepared so many ways. It's comforting and homey, but also can be dressed up.

I need that caramel cake! Everything looked scrumptious. Not the thread to read at dinnertime with an empty frig, though. How many people attended this year?

Just start with the dishes mentioned upthread. No need for a thesis! Sorry I wasn't more clear.

I'm not famililar with Moroccan dishes. Could you describe them a bit more?

I was, too. Then my DH got me the Cuisinart for my birthday Buy one. You won't regret it.

Wow! What a ton of suggestions! I'll be busy checking these out before purchasing. As an aside, I bought a lazy susan type thing at Ikea last trip, and used it to frost a cake last night for a dinner today. Wow! What fun to spin that cake around! I can't believe I didn't already have one. FWIW - it was a Haleakula Cake (sp?) white cake with pineapple filling and marshmallow frosting. Used up all the egg whites left over from recent ice cream making. Yum. Coconut sprinkled on top. Nice summery cake.

I tend to like clean styles. Not too fussy or cluttered. I have only used fondant once, and I couldn't pipe the buttercream for love nor money - but I'm blaming that on the buttercream. I certainly will check out the library/bookstore. I rarely buy anything with out doing so, as shelf space is limited. I'm interested more in techniques and how-to and ideas than in recipes. And lots of pictures. I'll be checking out the titles posted above, but keep 'em coming. Thanks.

I just received an Amazon gift certificate for my birthday. I would like to spend part of it on a pastry/baking book. I bake at home, and make birthday cakes once a month for 40-50 people for work - I am NOT a professional by any means. But I would like to increase my skillls. I don't know anything really, about different types of frostings or decorating skills, but would like to learn. I am trying to take an intro to cake decorating class at the local community college. They have a 3 part series, each class is 4 weeks. I don't think it's Wilton, at least the catalog doesn't say so, and they seem to have a pretty thorough culinary program, so I am hoping it is good. I guess I want something clear, concise, and instructional. Books I currently have, if it helps: Baking With Julia Maida Heatter's Cakes Chocolate for All Seasons (or something similar) several cookie books -edited to add list

I really like Williams-Sonoma "Ice Cream". It is a small but beautifully illustrated book and the recipes I have tried have been successful. ← I'll second that. The Chocolate Raspberry Truffle may be my favorite ice cream of all time.

Hey Mimi! Your thread made Saute Wednesday! (snippet below) Keller vs. Blumenthal By Bruce Cole June 2005© All rights reserved. Iron Chef match up we'd like to see: Thomas Keller of the French Laundry restaurant (Yountville, CA) versus Heston Blumenthal of the Fat Duck Restaurant (Bray, UK). . . . Host: The host is busy reading Mimi Sheraton's eGullet Gourmet Magazine rant on his laptop, and looks up with an embarrassed grimacing smile as someone hands him one of Blumenthal's cooked beans...

Feeding a Bottomless Pit

The Williams Sonoma Ice Cream book has some excellent recipes. We've been working our way through it. The Chocolate Raspberry Truffle is the best ice cream I've made. The only one I didn't like was the cherry. I plan on trying the caramel later this week. We've got a blueberry tart to finish off first.

I always use this one, but I don't remember where I got it: 1/2 c oats 1/2 c orange juice 1 t orange zest 1/2 c oil 2 eggs beaten 1 1/2 c flour 1/2 c sugar 2 t baking powder 1/2 t slat 1/4 t baking soda 1 1/2 c blueberries Bake at 400 for 25 minutes

Thanks - I do my best! You can get your own "dirty dozen" wallet card (and more information) here: http://www.foodnews.org/reportcard.php The dirty dozen are: apples bell peppers celery cherries imported grapes nectarines peaches pears potatoes red raspberries spinach strawberries The twelve least contaminated are: asparagus avocados bananas broccoli cauliflower corn (sweet) kiwi mango onions papaya pineapples peas (sweet) ← Thanks for the list and the link. In light of having more waste with organic potatoes, how do the other 11 of the dirty dozen compare, organic vs nonorganic?

Your meals all sound delicious! What else is on the "dirty dozen" list besides strawberries and potatoes?

Thanks for the clarification.

Can you define and expand upon terms appropriate to Reislings - kabinet, spatlese, auslese, etc.?

I herniated a disk at L5 S1 in March which landed me in the hospital and caused my left leg to atrophy. I am still in physical therapy trying to get my leg back. I have a small bit of understanding and tons of empathy for your wife. It is very scary and very frustrating. My thoughts are with you and your family as you fight through this.

Thanks everyone for the compliments. I'd also love to see pics of more golf cakes. They are already talking about doing another outing in August before we go back to school.

Thanks! It was a lot of firsts - fondant, piping words, sculpting something. Most of the golfers were first time golfers, so I thought it appropriate to have some profanity worked in. Two people actually came pretty close to getting hit, so I was also accurate! My husband and I are already planning next year's cake. Wendy, what is the ball on the first cake made of?

Wendy, I love that first one! The cake was a hit today. They all had fun golfing, and were very impressed with the cake, if I do say so myself. Here are a few pics as requested: The golf ball being shaped. The ball covered with fondant. I think I should have rolled it thicker so the indentations could have been deeper. (There aren't any indentations yet in this picture.) I folded the fondant underneath. The finished cake frosted in buttercream with a fondant/BC banner and white chocolate words around the back Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I think it turned out pretty well. Sorry for the blurry pics. New camera.