For example, the last post in the Food section was from Dec 9, and I know that there have been posts since then.

Just got back from a trip back East. My friend and her husband hosted 4 adults and 2 babies. I wanted to bake/make something special for them as a gesture of gratitude (2 babies is alot even for experienced folks). The only requirements are that it needs to survive a few days in the mail and not melt into a puddle in the current heatwave that's hitting the Northeast US.

Any ideas? I'm sort of stumped because what I know they'll like (e.g. chocolate) is just too fragile, perishable, or meltable.

Last night I made carnitas. In addition to some good meat, I also have quite a bit of salty rendered fat. It seems a shame to throw it out, so I was wondering if I could roast some potatoes in this rendered fat. Any reason this wouldn't work?

Ok, I saw this and had to post it, because it's kinda cool.

http://www.thekitchn.com/the-sprayracha-diy-sriracha-mist-you-have-to-try-reddit-172013

My next food project/challenge is tempering chocolate. I am totally intimidated by it and I would really like to make chocolate covered truffles for this year's Xmas care packages.

What's your next food project or challenge?

You still look and taste great, even after 100 years!

What can I do with a Meyer lemon marmalade that's a bit more bitter than expected? I made a batch this weekend and while it's not bad, it's more bitter than I like. I can give it as gifts, but I would still have about 4 half pints. Any cooking ideas?

Looks like I posted something 3 times. I swear I only hit the submit button once. Anyway to remove the extra posts?

Yesterday, I made a buttered rum mix, but the rum that we have isn't the greatest (I'm not even sure that I bought it). Could someone recommend a good brand? Under $20?

Anyone seen this yet?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/food/stew/chi-food-law-chikfila-asks-vermont-man-to-stop-using-eat-more-kale-slogan-20111205,0,6755981.story

Since everything tastes like chicken, I guess I can see why people would confuse kale with chicken...NOT.

My BFF is having her annual holiday party in about 2 weeks. While I don't hate chocolate, I know from past years that most of the desserts will be some form of chocolate and I wanted to bring a spectacular dessert that did not have chocolate in it. Something that has be bit of "Wow" to it. Any ideas?

This past weekend, I ordered a sticky toffee pudding from a restaurant. My friend asked what it was and I told her it was made with dates. The waiter than informed me that this sticky toffee pudding didn't have any dates in it. Hmmmm...is it still sticky toffee pudding if it does not have any dates in it?

I've got a major craving for salted fish and chicken fried rice. Where in the Asian supermarkets are they located? What is it called or labeled? I'm not Chinese so I have no idea what it's called. I'm in the SF Bay Area and have great access to Asian ingredients, but this one is giving me a headache. Looked all over 99 Ranch Market and am about to venture into Marina Foods. Does anyone know what and where I should be looking?

I have a ton of shrimp shells in my fridge and am planning to make stock this weekend. I usually use the stock in my gumbo. But got to thinking about what other recipes use shrimp stock. Any ideas?

I went to the San Francisco Street Food Festival on Saturday. Had a terrific time and ate until my belly was bursting. One of the highlights was a little drink called a Shrub N' Soda. It was so good (and non-alcoholic too) that I had to search the web for a recipe. Turns out it's a vinegar based syrup which would account for it's lovely tang. And it seems easy to make, basically simmer fruits in a sugar syrup and then add the vinegar. Serve up with club soda or seltzer.

The festival was great and hope you were able to attend. I avoided the long lines by going way early and doing recon on the trucks that I wanted to hit. It was a blast! See you guys at the festival next year!

So last year, I had some very ripe, but delicious white peaches that I had to do something with quickly. So I threw them into some vodka and then totally forgot about them until yesterday. I've filtered out the spent peach and now have a yellowish, but clear liquid that still smells fruity. Haven't sampled it yet, but I read somewhere that infusions of this sort don't last beyond a few weeks. Something about the taste of the fruit would be gone quickly since this is just an infusion and not a liqueur.

Is that true? Or should I sample and see if the stuff is still drinkable?

I'm in need of comfort food and it has to be Chinese. Not sure why, but that's what I want. For all you Chinese/Asian lurkers out there, what's your Chinese (or Asian) comfort food?

Does anyone have an Irish Cream recipe that results in a very white liqueur? I met an Irish woman who had made her own Irish cream liqueur. Hers looked like no Irish cream that I've seen before - it was snow white suggesting just alcohol and cream, and sugar. I don't think it had coffee or chocolate syrup in it (these ingredients seem to be on all the recipes online). Does anyone have a recipe that sounds like this?

I have a friend who will be visiting me in about a month and I wanted to make some vegetarian entrees that do not include any mushrooms or too much cheese. She's open to tofu provided it's well prepared (i.e. not just thrown into a salad or on top of pizza). I've a lot of recipes for pizzas, stews, soups, and salads, but it feels like a limited menu, I really need an entree. She's Punjabi and has access to excellent Indian food at home, so I want to give her something different, but just as delicious. Any ideas? I'm kind of stumped.

My cousin and I are planning a baby shower for our best friend and she's requested a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. My questions are: will I be able to pipe a simple border around the cake with the cream cheese frosting? Is it firm enough to hold for a few hours? We won't be outside and the shower is in early April so it will not be hot either. Or should I use a buttercream for the decorative piping?

Last week, I was looking at recipes for marshmallows and encountered 2 types of recipes: recipes that include egg whites and recipes that did not contain egg whites. My question: Is there any detectable difference in final product between the 2 recipes? Just wondering.

I did make marshmallows using a recipe that did not use corn syrup (I ran out). Delicious and reminded me why I preferred homemade marshmallows.

I spent the weekend cleaning out my garden, pulling up the tomato plants that were still hanging on. There were a lot of green unripen tomatoes that would have killed me to throw out, so I made a simple green tomato jam (actually I had enough to make to batches) seasoned with cinnamon and allspice. I plan to give some away as Christmas stocking stuffers, but I know that I'm going to get that "What the heck do I use this jam for?". I'm sort of stumped myself. I've read that it's good with meats, on sandwiches, and with cheese and crackers.

What kind of sandwich would benefit the most from a smear of GTJ? What kinds of meats (e.g. roasted, baked, etc)?

Any other ideas, SErs?

I have a great recipe (from ATK) for a pumpkin cheesecake, but haven't been successful in getting that perfectly smooth looking cake, i.e. on the sides. Am I not greasing the springform enough? Should I be using greased parchment? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

I was thinking of drizzle pomegranate molasses on some bacon wrapped dates (cooked and warm from the oven). I should not have to do any additional cooking to the molasses, right?

Can these be made ahead, say about an hour or two? If do they need to be consumed immediately? I've been asked to bring an appetizer and want to make cheddar gougeres, but the dinner party will be held an hour away. I was wondering if it would be possible to bake them an hour before we leave to the party. Would they still be ok?