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Life's Ambrosia
Twitter: @DesereeK
URL: www.lifesambrosia.com
Twitters about: New recipes I post, my passion for food and a little here and there about what I am up to on any given day.
Have you ever been snowed in and what did you eat?
About 5 years ago we had a big snow storm followed by about 4 inches of freezing rain and where was I stranded? My then boyfriend (now husband's) townhouse that he shared with two other boys. The only thing I could find was a box of pasta. They also had some dried oregano that I bought when I made spaghetti once. So that is what we ate for two days. But it was kinda fun, we dont get snowed in that often.
We did have a windstorm a couple years back that cut out the power so we went to our friends who had a gas stove and made spaghetti and garlic bread.
Pasta seems to be a common thing here....
Condiments hate them or love them?
I am not condiment crazy, but there are some things that just go great with them. Like NanaJoie mentioned you gotta have them for hot dogs. I am also a huge fan of ranch on things, fries, tatertots, breadsticks, chicken tenders. Apparently any way to make fried food even more unhealthy for you ;-)
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Cakespy: Homemade Candy Corn
Oh I should not have looked at this. Now you are telling me that I can get candy corn year round? I'm in trouble. Can't wait to try it though :)
A List of Food Bloggers Using Twitter
Life's Ambrosia
Twitter: @DesereeK
URL: www.lifesambrosia.com
Twitters about: New recipes I post, my passion for food and a little here and there about what I am up to on any given day.
Have you ever been snowed in and what did you eat?
About 5 years ago we had a big snow storm followed by about 4 inches of freezing rain and where was I stranded? My then boyfriend (now husband's) townhouse that he shared with two other boys. The only thing I could find was a box of pasta. They also had some dried oregano that I bought when I made spaghetti once. So that is what we ate for two days. But it was kinda fun, we dont get snowed in that often.
We did have a windstorm a couple years back that cut out the power so we went to our friends who had a gas stove and made spaghetti and garlic bread.
Pasta seems to be a common thing here....
Condiments hate them or love them?
I am not condiment crazy, but there are some things that just go great with them. Like NanaJoie mentioned you gotta have them for hot dogs. I am also a huge fan of ranch on things, fries, tatertots, breadsticks, chicken tenders. Apparently any way to make fried food even more unhealthy for you ;-)
Birthday Food: What's your must have item(s)?
Happy Birthday! I would have to say the Gelato cake would be a birthday wish of mine. I fell in love with gelato when I was in Italy about 1 1/2 years ago and recently found one geletaria in Seattle that makes getlato that tastes pretty darn close to what we got there and best of all...they make gelato cakes! I bought one for my husband for his birthday, so yummy!
Food Blogs?
I really like to check out the photograzing page on this site, tastespotting and foodgawker. You can find some great food blogs on there.
I also read The Pioneer Woman blog, she's great!
Cooking for your Valentine?
Since it is a Saturday, I'll be getting up to make a special breakfast for my husband and then we are going out to our favorite little Italian place. We chose somewhere off the beaten bath so that it will be a little more low key.
I heart stuffed ________
Jalapenos, flank steak, mushrooms, artichokes...mmmmmm!
Home-Baked or Store-Bought? Or: Huh? Are you kidding me?
I'd always go for the homemade! They are usually so much better then that store bought stuff. I sometimes wonder if people don't like homemade stuff because they are worried about where they were prepared. I had a coworker who wouldn't eat anything homemade because she didn't know what the kitchen looked like.
How to get my sweet potato fries crispy in the oven?
I don't usually do sweet potato fries but for my russet potato fries I like to parboil them first until they are about 3/4 of the way cooked and then strain them, pat them dry and cook them in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. I then turn on the broiler and cook for another 5 minutes. They are super crispy! Perhaps this could work for your sweet potatoes?
Anchovies: Way or No Way?
I second the no way on pizza. But I do like them in certain pastas. If you mince them up and cook them they almost into the sauces creating a great flavor. I also like them in Caesar salad, as long as the dressing is made correctly and doesn't taste too fishy. It's a fine line.
Looking for a great cook-all-day dinner party recipe
I actually really like a big pot of spaghetti and meatballs, its great for a crowd and the longer the sauce cooks the tastier it gets.
What did you end up eating or serving for the Super Bowl?
Ate way too much! I made crunchy jalapeno bites, jalapeno cream cheese filled wontons, seven layer dip and pizza bites. Ohhh they were so good, but I probably should've paced myself a little better, I was still full this morning when I woke up. :)
Grilling: Stuffed Jalapeños
I agree there is something about cream cheese and jalapenos that just makes my mouth water. But I bought one of those chile grille things and I was actually kind of disappointed. You have to make sure that you have exactly the right size jalapenos to fit in it or they slip through. I've only used it a few times, I found it easier to cut jalapenos in half lengthwise and fill them that way before baking them.
Pancakes or Waffles & What Goes With Them?
Waffles! I just got one of those professional waffle makers for Christmas and I LOVE it. It makes huge waffles. Now I am just messing with different kinds of recipes to figure out which ones I like the best. I love to serve them with bacon or sausage to offset the sweetness of the waffle and syrup.
Food for 3 in the AM.
There are these hot dog stands stationed outside of the bars in my neighborhood that sell hot dogs with cream cheese. I never heard of it before I moved to Seattle, but my god they are amazing drunk food. We like to pick one up before we stumble home.
Your Lunch Today (Had it before?)
I usually eat leftovers for lunch. But today there weren't any so it was a quesadilla for me. Not gourmet or anything, but it fed me.
Kitchen Smells - Your Favourite and Least Favourite Ones?
@dbcurrie: I agree about the air freshener floral scents. They are awful!
@gourmetgal: I agree that fresh homegrown tomatoes are some of the best smells. Oh I can't wait for tomato season!
My favorite smells coming from the kitchen are onions and garlic sauteing, bacon cooking and a pot of spaghetti and meatballs simmering on the stove.
Now I mentioned that bacon cooking is my favorite smell but the lingering smell of bacon that just kind of hangs around all day after you cook bacon is probably one of my least favorites.
Will you succumb to Girl Scout Cookies?
I am a huge fan of the thin mints, I love to put them in the freezer and then crumble them on ice cream. ohhhh yum! But I haven't seen anyone selling them yet, I'll have to be on the look out.
Rediscoving old food favorites. Have you? I sure have!
@dbcurrie I LOVE deviled eggs. Growing up they were one of the things that my mom would make for appetizers at holiday functions.But I never have them that often anymore, maybe I should start making them again.
One of my other things that was a staple when I was growing up that I have started making again and always have in my freezer is Lumpia. For those of you that don't know they are Filipino egg rolls, that have various meats and veggies. Endless possibilities. YUMMY!
Super Bowl Snacks: Slow-Fried Buffalo Wings
I was looking for a wing recipe for this upcoming week. I have tried baking them for 40 minutes at 425 and have had success making them very crispy. But I had never thought about slow frying them, I may have to give this a try.
Thanks!
My Shocking Food Confession: What's Yours?
@pjracz10 that is quite the crazy concoction, I am pretty sure I never would've thought to do that!
@hungrygrl7 I must admit that I too do like the flavor of the raw noodles. :) And I also LOVE LOVE LOVE fries with milkshakes. There is just something about the sweet and salty.
How much do you tip the food delivery person?
I always tip 20%.
Ribs and ... Ice Cream? What do you eat when you're blue?
I fifth the no eating If i am really really sad. But for times when I just have a bad day, I usually crave some spicy food and beer. Or a pizza with the works.
Favorite Sandwiches for busy weeknights
I have to go with grilled cheese as well. My favorite combination is cheddar, pepper jack, Havarti and Gruyere. I also like to top it with some pepperoncini before I grill it. Served with homemade tomato soup, and I am in heaven!
A List of Food Bloggers Using Twitter
Twitter: peekandeat
URL: peekandeat.com
Twitters about: NYC and international restaurants, random recipes, cooking adventures, nerdy or cool food news
A List of Food Bloggers Using Twitter
The Haute Kitchen
Twitter: thehautekitchen
URL: TheHauteKitchen.com
Twitters about: family and budget-friendly food, wine, & recipes
A List of Food Bloggers Using Twitter
RawMazing
Twitter: Rawmazing
URL: www.Rawmazing.com
Twitters about: the healthy, tasty world of raw food.Great recipes, pictures and lifestyle information
Cakespy: Homemade Candy Corn
I made these over the weekend and they came out great. Everyone loved them. I did use vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla so it had a richer taste, but other than that, they were very tasty. I need to do some work on making them hold together better, but I only had about 1/4 lose their tips. I did discover if I lightly misted the rolls with cold water before pressing with the rolling pins, it helped stick together better.
Cakespy: Homemade Candy Corn
I made these and was lucky enough to have the consistency come out great! I used a thermometer and went a little over the recommended temp of the Wash. Post but way under the cooking time in the recipe posted here. I may try using some honey next time, as recommended. I thought they tasted 'ok' but not really like real candy corn (which I do have a problem with...I am unable to stop eating them once I start) but everyone else that tasted them really liked them because they didn't taste just like candy corn. In any case, they were so cute I didn't care that they didn't taste just like I expected.
Cakespy: Homemade Candy Corn
Whoa, be very careful with this recipe! I was following these instructions, was boiling the corn syrup, butter and sugar. I turned off the heat and added the vanilla, and BOOM, the candy EXPLODED! I was lucky enough to be out of the way.
Follow the instructions on the Washington Post article. They tell you to put the vanilla in to boil, rather than putting it in later.
Otherwise, it's very good so far! That was just a scary moment.
Cakespy: Homemade Candy Corn
You can't just go by a time for boiling when making candy. Your altitude (and I suppose you attitude so some degree . . .) changes the boiling point. The higher the elevation, the longer it takes to get to the boiling point. We need to know the "ball" stage.
Cakespy: Homemade Candy Corn
I cooked mine to the temps listed in the Washington Post link, and they turned out super soft, like when I made tall narrow pumpkins out of it within 15 minutes they were short and flat. They didn't hold their shape at all. Next time I'll cook it longer.
pictures here: http://sarahjbakes.blogspot.com/2009/10/home-made-candy-corn.html
Cakespy: Homemade Candy Corn
Okay so I just made this and followed the recipe exactly. I completely agree with the other comments that said that it was boiled too long on a high temperature. The end result was a bunch of crumbs as hard as rocks. My advice is to cook the wet ingredients on medium heat and then turn it down to low and continue stirring for 3 or 4 minutes. It was fun anyway! :)
Cakespy: Homemade Candy Corn
I've made two batches now One came out hard as a rock; probably boiled it too hard for those five minutes - should have simmered! I found that adding about a tablespoon of honey with the corn syrup, then adding another tablespoon of honey with the vanilla gets you closer to that Brach's taste. I also dabbed paste colors on - orange and yellow - the colors were fine.
Cakespy: Homemade Candy Corn
I was wondering if I could use honey instead of corn syrup. I like the taste of Brachs candy corn made with honey.
Cakespy: Homemade Candy Corn
Beckyleeprice: Generally the paste food colorings are super concentrated, so you would want to add a lot less. I don't have much experience with them but it's worth a shot. I would just add a very little bit at a time.
Cakespy: Homemade Candy Corn
Would paste (or gel) food colors work the same as liquid food coloring or do you think the color would be too intense?
A List of Food Bloggers Using Twitter
Bouchon For 2 - Mel
Twitter: BouchonFor2
URL: BouchonFor2.com
Twitters about: Beloved Recipes, Delicious Photos, Culinary Misadventures around Vancouver.
Cakespy: Homemade Candy Corn
butterfinger- Corn syrup (like Karo) isn't high in fructose, but is mostly glucose, one half of what makes up sucrose (the other being fructose) and is usually used to reduce uncontrolled crystallization and make a creamier mouthfeel and more consistent result in home-made confections. It's used in making caramel or other sugar syrups for the same reason. It also lends an appealing shine to the product. Any other glucose syrup or invert sugar should have the same effect.
Cakespy: Homemade Candy Corn
@thoomin: this recipe is identical with one that comes from a Washington Post article, but it has temps: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mighty-appetite/2007/10/getting_handy_with_candy_corn.html
Also, I've had awesome success adding peppermint extract instead of vanilla, dividing the dough into two portions, one colored red, and twisting to make candy canes.
Cakespy: Homemade Candy Corn
I just tried making these. I boiled it for 5 minutes which was probably about a minute too long. It far too stiff. I managed to get two colors formed into logs but not the third one. The two that I managed to snake-ify were too dry to stick to each other. We ate some bits of it though and it tasted good. I'll try again.
Cakespy: Homemade Candy Corn
Sounds good and got me thinking about the use of corn syrup [HFCS] with high glycsemic index # and since most all candy recipes were reworked from about 1967 on why not go back to useing cane sugar or some other granulated sugar such as palm sugar or other sugars with unique flavor tones. It's probably my ignorance as karo syrup has been around longer than I have and it may be necessary to achieve a soft texture to the candy please educate me. This is because I'm a diabetic and if I'm gonna cheat a low glycsemic index would make me feel better about it.
Cakespy: Homemade Candy Corn
This looks fun! I have a ? tho. The recipe is what appears to very similar to what used to be or is sometimes still used as an icing for cupcakes. It gets poured on. Not a frosting but somewhat similar to the thick icing on petit fours. (Fondant like-but a little lighter.) Does anyone know a recipe for that.
Many thanks
Gail
Cakespy: Homemade Candy Corn
Thanks everyone!
Thoomin: I actually made these without a candy thermometer. Now, I am sure that this is probably a crime, but they actually turned out just fine. I made two batches to make sure it wasn't just dumb luck, and both times they were ok!
Jujyfruit: I am not 100% sure but I think that these candies are built to last. The one concern is that they probably shouldn't be stacked on top of each other because they might stick.
Cakespy: Homemade Candy Corn
The one thing this recipe is missing is temperatures...too hot and it'll be a rock solid brick of orange. I'd love to make it though, do you have any suggestions for what temp to cook the sugar to?
A List of Food Bloggers Using Twitter
Twitter: SevillaTapas
URL: http://azahar-sevilla.com/sevilletapas/
Twitters about: Tapas in Sevilla and other parts of Spain, usually with photos attached.
A List of Food Bloggers Using Twitter
StellarEats
Twitter: christellar
URL: stellareaats.blogspot.com
Twitters about: Food, eating food, cooking food, nutrition, food labelling, graphics, eco-sustainability, organics, animal-friendly formulas, whatever else I find interesting
A List of Food Bloggers Using Twitter
Eat Chicken!
Twitter: chickenftw
URL: EatChicken.com
Twitters about: All things Chicken! Need a chicken recipe or dinner idea? We've got you covered.
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About Deseree
Website: http://www.lifesambrosia.com
Location: Seattle
About: I love everything about food. I love eating it, shopping for it and especially cooking it. To me there is nothing better than to share a wonderful meal with your family and friends.
Favorite foods: I like all kinds of foods. I'm not particularly picky. I love comfort foods like mashed potatoes and fried chicken. I also LOVE pasta, there are just endless possibilities when it comes to that. There is probably more, but too much to list.
Last bite on earth: Hmm it might have to be Lumpia.
Oh I should not have looked at this. Now you are telling me that I can get candy corn year round? I'm in trouble. Can't wait to try it though :)