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MrsSell

I'm a housewife who got thrown into cooking in the deep end, so I figured I'd learn as much as I can to make it as fun as possible!

  • Website
  • Location: SoCal
  • Favorite foods: Bread. Sweets. Nacho Cheese Doritos.

Dear Oreo, What In The What Are You Thinking?

Raspberry sherbet, whipped cream vodka, and fruit. Blend. Yum.

What to make my sauce smooth?

This helped me a lot when I was trying to make a queso blanco dip. The white American cheese seems to be the secret. Might be worth a try?

Coolwhip frosting

WHY are Famous Amos so amazingly good? They're tiny, dry and hard, and I cannot stop eating them.

Round vs. Oval Stewpots

What is it made of? If the material conducts heat well, the burner shape won't matter as much. I just got a 6-3/4 quart oval cast iron dutch oven, and it works fine on my (smallish) gas burners. I really like the oval because I can put a whole chicken in there, and if something needs to be 'partially covered,' I just turn the lid 90 degrees and it sits solidly.

Cook the Book: 'Pati's Mexican Table'

Something I copied from a 'No Reservations' episode where Tony has tacos from a street vendor: grilled carne asada on a corn tortilla with a sprinkle of chopped onion, chopped cilantro, and crumbled queso fresco and a drizzle of salsa verde.

Greek Yogurt Cake

How disastrous would it be to use a regular 9" cake pan instead of a springform? I have everything I need to make this cake right now except for that...

No fridge, no freezer: what would you eat?

My in-laws use coolers as extra fridge space, but they put dry ice in it; it lasts a little longer. Might be worth a shot?

Cereal Rant: Why Buzzfeed Is Wrong, These Cereals Should Not Be Obliterated

Grape Nuts = ice cream topping. Let 'em sit for a little while, they get a little softer, mmmmmm.......

What's the best chocolate chip cookie recipe?

I love the Tollhouse version. My mom always used butter-flavored shortening instead of plain butter, and people were always amazed at how light and fluffy her chocolate chip cookies were.

Spice Hunting: Turmeric

I recently found a little carton of turmeric at my Middle East grocery, but it is labeled 'turmeric zarchuba.' Does anyone know what this means? Is it a different kind of turmeric, or just a different name for the same thing?

Good restaurants in Monterey/Pacific Grove, CA?

The Whaling Station. Epsilon. Compagno's (mandatory). Mandarin Gourmet. The Loose Noodle.

Foolproof Pan Pizza

Problem with dough rising: I've made dough for this four times, but have had to throw it out unless I shape it or chill it EXACTLY at the 8-hour point. When left to rise for 24 or 10 1/2 hours, it starts smelling awful (not like strong yeasty smell, but seriously bad alcohol/vinegar stench). I've used the same ingredients every time: tap water, Gold Medal Better for Bread Flour, Red Star Quick Rise Yeast, house brand evoo and Morton Kosher Salt. It's not particularly warm or humid in my kitchen. Anyone have any ideas about what I'm doing wrong?

Behind the Scenes at Lake Meadow Naturals Egg Farm in Ocoee, FL

@RobC_

Yeah, but did the chicken's taxes pay for the roads and bridges? ;)

Potato Knish

Is it supposed to make 8 knishes? The yield says 4, but the directions seems to indicate 4 twice. This does look delicious. I'll take anything that involves potatoes in a starchy wrapping.

Ask The Food Lab: Do I Need To Use Kosher Salt?

THAT'S why my attempts to pinch-and-sprinkle table salt have failed so miserably!

What should we do/eat in San Diego?

@korenni

Well, to each his own. My husband LOVES Irish pub food, and I have literally had dreams about the French dip.

I'm definitely going to check out the places you mentioned; we're getting bored with all our normal joints! Do you recommend anything specific at any of those restaurants?

In a pickle

My father-in-law pickles hard-boiled eggs, onions and beets all in the same container so the eggs pick up the other flavours. He does them in 'regular vinegar brine,' but I don't really know what that means. :) Can just do the eggs by themselves, too, I assume.

What should we do/eat in San Diego?

If you're willing to drive a little ways, there is some great food south of La Jolla:

Jalisco's (South Bay)

Zorba's Greek Buffet (Chula Vista)

McP's Irish Pub (Coronado)

There are a ton of pho restaurants, but my favorite is at 665 Saturn Blvd, San Diego. (South Bay)

There's a ton of Mexican food, but it's coastal Mexican, like fish tacos and stuff. Good, just different from inland Mexican.

Food to avoid at all costs: Phil's BBQ. It's supposed to be 'the best barbeque in the county,' but that's only for people who have never left Southern California and tried real bbq. Blech.

Be aware when going to the zoo: it is HUGE. I recommend taking the bus tour; you don't have to walk as much, and you get so much good info! I wish I had done it my first time.

Go to the beach, but don't expect to swim. It's cold.

If you like some historical stuff, Old Town is pretty cool, and it's surrounded by great Mexican restaurants where they're pan-cooking tortillas practically on the sidewalk. :)

Can you share a easy and quick dinner recipe?

I have a couple quick things I call Italian skillet and Mexican skillet:

Italian skillet:

1) Brown ground meat (Italian sausage, beef, turkey, whatever) in a large skillet; drain.
2) Pour in some canned diced Italian tomatoes.
3) Cook some pasta (whatever kind you like); drain; add to skillet.
4) Heat up some frozen green vegetable (broccoli, green beans, peas...); add to skillet. (If you have a little longer, you can put them in the skillet frozen.)
5) Cover and cook until heated through.
6) Sprinkle grated cheese over (Parmesan, Romano...).
7) Enjoy!

Mexican skillet:
1) Cook some beef or chicken in a large skillet (ground, chopped, whatever. I usually marinate chicken in this seasoning packet before cooking); drain.
2) Drain some canned beans (pinto, black...) and add to skillet.
3) Drain some Rotel and add to skillet.
4) Add either canned or frozen Mexicorn or plain corn to skillet.
5) Cook some instant rice (white or brown) and add to skillet.
6) Cover skillet and cook until everything is heated through.
7) Enjoy!

This seems long, but the only thing you're cooking is the meat and the starch; the rest is just dumping in cans or frozen veg. These do make a lot, so they're good for families or for a lot of leftovers. (I wrap leftover Mexican skillet in large tortillas.) And you can change or adjust any of the ingredients so it's the way you like it!

Foolproof Pan Pizza

Kenji.

My god, man.

You've done it again.

My oven is broken and this was still so good I nearly cried.

Announcing: Your Best Slice

My all-time favorite is Eureka; unfortunately it's a three-day drive from where I live now. (sad trombone)

Side of Bread Loaf Broken... What Went Wrong?

@ Hydra -

I totally agree! Sometimes we need reminders that there are natural processes over which we don't really have that much control. :)

Foolproof Pan Pizza

Question about the dough rising: I have a large plastic bowl with a tight-fitting lid that I normally use for no-knead bread. Can I use that lid instead of plastic wrap, or is there a specific characteristic of the wrap that makes it mandatory?

Side of Bread Loaf Broken... What Went Wrong?

@lemonfair

Thanks! So could we conclude that it shouldn't be stretched too tightly? Perhaps the tops slits need to be deeper?

Side of Bread Loaf Broken... What Went Wrong?

Did it look like this?

I formed this loaf just like all my other ones; it looked and felt perfect before it went in to the oven. I have no idea what happened.

Sweet vanilla butter

I had a ton of leftover whipped cream, and someone recommended continuing to whip it until it made butter, which freezes better than whipped cream. (I'm going out of town and can't eat it all.) The thing is, I forgot until I had finished rinsing the butter that I had added sugar and bourbon vanilla extract to the whipped cream for flavor, so now I have super-sweet, slightly alcoholic fresh butter.

So if anyone was thinking about using up extra whipped cream that way, bear that in mind... Alternatively, if you want custom-flavored butter, you could do it on purpose. :)

No-knead bread on a cast iron griddle?

I love baking free-form, no-knead bread, but I have yet to invest in a baking stone. I just got the Lodge cast iron reversible 20x10 griddle, and was wondering if I could preheat that in the oven just like a baking stone and then slide the bread on. Would that be too much thermal shock for cast iron? And would there be a sticking issue? The griddle is only lightly seasoned so far.

Glass or metal lids for pots and pans?

I'm looking to upgrade my cheap, non-stick pots and pans, and I'm looking at the Tramontina Tri-Ply line in 18/10 Stainless Steel from Wal-Mart. However, it looks like they're revamping the line; the main difference seems to be the old ones had glass lids and the new ones have stainless steel lids. Should I snap up the old glass-lidded versions, or wait and get the new editions with metal lids?

Eggs in a Hole + Grilled Cheese = Grilled Cheese Eggsplosion!

Eggs in a Hole + Grilled Cheese = Grilled Cheese Eggsplosion! View Slideshow

Like the infamous Fatty Melt (that's a burger made with two grilled cheese sandwiches as a bun, the brainchild of our own Adam Kuban), the Grilled Cheese Eggsplosion is a hybrid sandwich, combining elements from two or more sources into a single glorious dish. In this case, it's a simple grilled cheese sandwich between two eggs-in-a-hole (or bullseye eggs, eggs-in-a-basket, whatever you want to call it) replacing the plain old bread. More

The Food Lab: How To (Sort Of) Make Naan at Home

The Food Lab: How To (Sort Of) Make Naan at Home Get Recipe

In many ways naan resembles really great Neapolitan pizza crust. It's a soft dough cooked at extremely high temperatures. When it's at its best, it should be puffy with a crackling thin, crisp crust spotted with bits of smoky char that breaks open to reveal airy, stretchy, slightly chewy bread underneath. Painted with melted butter (perhaps flavored with a bit of garlic) and sprinkled with good salt, it's so good on its own that sometimes I have to talk my curry down from its fits of jealousy. More