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I made a scratch chocolate cake with apricot jam on top, covered with homemade French buttercream and shards of bittersweet chocolate https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2218627788691&set=a.2218517585936.109188.1337534713&type=1&theater

When my husb asked me to cook liver for him, I said, "Get a concubine."

Ahhh - the Holy Grail

Here is my take:

DONT handle the dough unless nec. DONT roll it into baguette shapes, it pops all the bubbles.

DO cook it on a pizza stone on parchment in a 500 degree oven.

Here's the trick for the steam: While the oven is heating to 500, put a large shallow pan on the bottom rack and let it get screaming hot along with the oven and stone. When you slide the loaves onto the stone, quickly toss 12 ice cubes (more or less) into the screaming hot pan and shut the door.

Don't open it until the rec says you should - diff sized loves cook for diff amts of time.

Back in the dark ages of my life when the summers would get so hot I couldn't even bring myself to cook, I'd start the day by pouring a bottle of real juice into a bowl, covering it and popping it into the freezer.

A few hours later I'd take it out, break it up with a knife, stir it around, and pop it back in. Then, every 30 min to an hour later, I'd repeat.

When it was dinnertime, I'd drop the broken up, frozen juice into the food processor and puree. It saved my sanity and cooled me off.

I've used lemonade w/ mint, raspberry juice, orange juice with rosemary and so forth. I still do it every now and then because I just LOVE it!

Casoulet. and Freshly Baked Bread

In the wintertime, the big deal over here is the once-per season Casoulet dinner with freshly baked bread and Caesar Salad.

I also usually host a pizza throw-down in the winter.

In 2007 my DH and I went to Spain for a few weeks. The flight over: no food, over-priced drinks, a bit of sleep. The flight home: (in coach): full meal with REAL utensils (even a real knife!) and all the red wine we could drink. Why don't we do this in the US? Want all your passengers to have a nice (sound asleep) flight? Get 'em full of red wine and good food. Done.

I LOVE GRILLED ARTICHOKES!! I made a little video to show you how:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDVd8p_IqD8

Can I get that 'to go?'

OOOOOOO Thanks for this! I have some wings for Sunday but really just didn't want to use BBQ sauce - so boring! This will be GREAT!

Stoup! AAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHH! English, you're better than this!!!!

I realized I was a cook at age 9 with the pie. I've been perfecting the crust ever since.

But recently, I told my husb that I forgot to plan dinner due to a heavy work load. I told him I'd make 'something' from whatever was available in the pantry and fridge if he was game.

His reply: "You're at your best in times like this."

And dinner was great!

for the packed lunch, I recommend baguette sandwich Paris style. We had these outside Notre Dame at a bistro one afternoon, and I'm making them for my vegetarian children and their families this holiday season:

Split, remove a little bread from and lightly toast a baguette
Spread with flavored mayo (garlic, mustard, herbs - whatever you like)
Line with greens
Add hard boiled eggs cut in half
Thinly sliced onion
Olives
Roasted Red Peppers

Wrap in plastic and allow to sit in the fridge for 30 mins. (you can make them the night before, too)

These are the BEST!