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Marmish

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Posts posted by Marmish

  1. 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?

  2. 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.

  3. I've been fighting the urge to buy an ice cream maker for some time now (I can sit and eat ice cream all day, and I mean ALL day), but that photo is pushing me in the "buy it, buy it!" direction. And the combination of that ice cream with a glass of wine is one I would never have thought of, yet they look like they are absolutely born for each other. And that's only post #1! I'm very much looking forward to the rest of your blog.

    I was, too. Then my DH got me the Cuisinart for my birthday :wub:

    Buy one. You won't regret it.

  4. 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.

  5. For decorating, is there a certain style that you are drawn to?

    Are you interested in learning more about baking or are you looking for more of a collection of good recipes?

    Are you able to visit either your local library or bookstore before making a purchase?  Sometimes that helps b/c it allows you to see exactly what you are going to get before ordering.  Of course, they may not have as good of a selection as Amazon, but it will allow you to preview the book.

    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. :wink: 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.

  6. 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

  7. I'm one of those less than  inspired cooks who need a recipe...can anyone recocomend a cookbook for ic's and sorbets prepared in a home electronic maker...beyond the instruction booklet from cuisinart?

    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.

  8. 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...

  9. I found the topic that had some more information. . .the focus is on feeding kids, but the idea is the same. Lots of food for not too much money. And the suggestions are good.

    Unfortunately, I've never linked to an internal eGullet topic, and my patience on how to figure it out is too short at the moment  :biggrin: so must just give you the name of the topic (maybe an administrator will come along and nicely clicky-clicky to make a real link for you. . . :rolleyes: )

    "Feeding a Bottomless Pit; Dear God What Do I Do?" is the topic title, and it is in the General Foods forum. . .

    Feeding a Bottomless Pit

  10. 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.

  11. 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

  12. Your meals all sound delicious!

    What else is on the "dirty dozen" list besides strawberries and potatoes?

    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?

  13. Moselle, Ruwer and especially Saar wines are often 'Spritzig' and one can  not only feel the quality in your mouth but actually see the bubbles in the glass. It should not have a foam or mousse like Champagne but be very subtle. It is a very refreshing quality and implies no fault with the wine. Some Rose wines also possess this quality. Since you didnt specify the grade of the Urzsiger, I would assume a Kabinet wine as the quality is rarely evident in spatlese or above. -Dick

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

  14. 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.

  15. Marmish, what you came up with is loads of fun! I'm not surprised it went over well. I also really enjoyed looking at your cakes, Wendy.

    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.

  16. >>>Marmish you did great!!! Whooo hoooo Wow, first time with fondant wasn't it??? I especially love the humor around the sides!! Your golf ball is awesome!!! Great stuff!!!

    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! :raz:

    My husband and I are already planning next year's cake.

    Wendy, what is the ball on the first cake made of?

  17. 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. :rolleyes:

    Here are a few pics as requested:

    gallery_8693_1357_67913.jpg

    The golf ball being shaped.

    gallery_8693_1357_25057.jpg

    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.

    gallery_8693_1357_15603.jpg

    The finished cake frosted in buttercream with a fondant/BC banner and white chocolate words around the back

    gallery_8693_1357_49356.jpg

    gallery_8693_1357_133257.jpg

    Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I think it turned out pretty well. Sorry for the blurry pics. New camera.

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