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Carrie Havranek
- Location: United States
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I was told I must produce eggnog cheesecake..help!
For a total shortcut, you can also buy egg nog flavor from the King Arthur Baker's Catalog. Use it like an extract.
Growing Cilantro?
This piece of information about it going to seed is extremely helpful. I had the same thing happen to mine--weedy and flowery--and got sad because I wanted to have cilantro all summer long. I trimmed it back, but I suppose it was too late at that point. I'll keep this in mind for next summer.
Needing creative advice for a cupcake cake
I remember root beer barrels. I haven't seen them in ages. And Varuna77, don't be afraid of fondant. It can be your friend. :)
Needing creative advice for a cupcake cake
Your project sounds great. I have an idea, although it won't yield you a barrel per se; it will yield you a cake-size cupcake cake (wow, that's a lot of cake). The Baker's Catalog has an oversize cupcake pan that might fit the bill: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/detail.jsp?select=C80&byCategory=C137&id=5875
Maybe it would give you the height or size you want, if a popover pan is too small. This makes a cake with an eight-inch diameter.
surplus OJ?
Swap out the liquid in a cranberry orange muffin recipe for orange juice. You can also buy those cool retro plastic freezer pop holders and turn them into ice pops.
Can't-miss dining spots in Bar Harbor, Maine?
In terms of casual places, don't miss the Lompoc Cafe. Good gourmet pub fare and because of their close historic ties to the brewery, they serve Atlantic Brewing Company's beer on tap (including their very excellent blueberry ale). My husband and I usually eat there on the first night we arrive (we've been going to Bar Harbor for several years now). I would also recommend Cafe This Way, which has an eclectic menu and serves a fast, excellent breakfast. I would also suggest Havana for good Nuevo Latino fare (and a thoughtful wine list); it's not prohibitively expensive but it's a tad more formal than the restaurants I just mentioned. Oooh, I wish I were going back. I love Maine and Acadia. Have fun.
How do you eat your sweet corn?
Ok, if we're talking style, then, my husband (and his uncle and his dad) all eat it in the most ridiculously haphazard fashion possible. I think it's genetic, along with their tendency toward serial sneezing.....
Crab Cake Recipe?
I don't have a URL for this, but the recipe in Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything was easy and delicious. We used it after we came back from Seattle with some fresh Dungeness crab. Good luck!
How do you eat your sweet corn?
I can't believe this post. It seems kind of inane. I mean, it's corn! It's delicious! You eat it. There are rules for this??? That's news to me.
That being said, Penzey's 4/S is very good on corn, but this is not relevant to the question of the method of eating corn; it's just a nice alternative to regular table salt.
Baked Goods: Cookie Tins And Other Means Of Transport..
I agree with Sadiepix. You can find these items pretty easily at places like Michael's and Target. Also, Michael's carries these super cute boxes with wax paper liners made by Martha Stewart, complete with labels you can write on yourself, for baked goods as gifts, or at the very least, baked goods you can bring to someone's house for dessert. They are a little pricier, but for gift situations, they're worth it, and that's coming from someone who is not a big Martha enthusiast. Good luck.
A slice of 9th avenue
I don't mean to be mean, but I had to chuckle a bit at your question. In New York, there are pizza joints literally on every block and your description could apply to almost any of them. However, it could have been one of the many Ray's, but most of those are not on numbered streets in that neighborhood but on avenues. Some people debate about the pizza--how good it is, which one is legit (there are many incarnation of names: Famous Ray's, Famous Original Ray's, etc.)--but there are a few locations of Ray's in the general vicinity you describe. Good luck!
Muffins!
Agreed. I'd also add some lemon juice to the wet ingredients.
I heart mustard..do you?
Oh my gosh! I can't believe there are so many other mustard enthusiasts. I've got at least four or five in my fridge at all times. We were just on vacation in Maine and bought at least three kinds: Raye's Stone Ground Old Fashioned Gourmet Mustard (they say they're the only traditional stoneground mustard mill left in the U.S.), and two by Stonewall Kitchen: one with Blue Cheese (my husband's pick) and the other is called Maine Maple Champagne mustard. We always have a dijon in the fridge as well. In any case, Raye's makes several really good mustards including a brown sugar-ginger one that's great for marinading.
Mustard on french fries: Agreed, a must.
As for French's: it's mass-produced fake yellow stuff; I'd never touch it unless there were no other options.
Vacation destinations with a kitchen.
I like the idea of a nonstick pan if there isn't one present. But I would also say this: it's vacation. Try not to overthink it. Make do with what you've got. I think I"d have the same problem--I'd want to pack everything. If I were in your shoes, I would take my small wire whisk, which I bought from Nigella's Living Kitchen collection. It is great for whisking salad dressings, pancake mix, scrambled eggs, or other things. It's small--it could fit in a pocket or a purse--but super useful. And don't forgo the wine bottle opener, whatever you do!
Food Network
Emeril is actually not leaving the network--they're just not taping Emeril Live anymore. Essence of Emeril will continue. A friend who works at the FN says that he's still within their confines, so to speak, and that he's working with them on "new vehicles."
The problem I see with FN is that it's more about infotainment and competition-oriented shows and less about instruction. When Nigella Lawson's newer shows (the ones that were done for Feasts) went from the Style Network to FN, they became less about details and instruction. The Food Network treatment of Nigella dumbed down what made her other incarnations of programs (Nigella Bites, Forever Summer etc) so much more engaging and educational.
As for Ms. Ray............agh! We specifically bought store-brand "Triscuits" because we refuse to purchase something with her perky face on it. Hopelessly mediocre!
Cook's Illustrated's Foolproof Pie Dough
My money is on Chris Kimball and the CI team coming up with this one and perfecting it on their own--they are just that good with the science of cooking. I can't want to try this out!
Do you know any great places in Maine...
You've hit on a place I've visited frequently and love, love, love. Maine in the fall is just great. On MDI, I would recommend Lompoc Cafe in Bar Harbor; cheap gourmet pub fare, lovely outdoor seating area with a bocce court, excellent local beers from Atlantic Brewing Co and others. Another good option that's not too pricey is McKay's, which has a menu that includes entrees but also smaller dishes, lots of salads, and again, a nice outdoor seating area that always fills up in the summertime. Both places are committed to using local ingredients/organic ingredients whenever possible. In town, there are plenty of places to choose from, really, and many of them are not expensive--there's Mexican, seafood (Galyn's is also good--it's across the street from the Bar Harbor Inn), and of course lobster. We've had consistently good lobster at Beal's--but you probably have already been there.
Chocolate cake recipe??
I have a recipe that I just made the other day for a bundt cake, and it involves sour cream and espresso powder, which seriously helps with flavor. I second Jerzee Tomato about buttermilk; many recipes with that are bound to be good. If you want the recipe, please let me know and I can email it to you.
A Healthy Diet
I agree with K, but only somewhat. I don't think there's anything wrong, for example, with eating low-fat or fat free Stonyfield yogurt, because they don't dump it full of chemicals or treat the ingredients the same way as many of the larger companies do. I cannot eat any Dannon low fat or light yogurts because they just taste like aspartame. Ick. I think the bottom line here is: read the labels on anything you buy that's not produce or that does not directly come out of the earth and go directly onto your table.
A Healthy Diet
I see what you mean. Well, perhaps lighter in calories but often, other things are added to the food to make up for it; more sugar, for example, especially in things like Snackwell's or other pre-packaged light or reduced fat processed foods. I generally buy light cream cheese and light sour cream (fat free tastes like glue and doesn't perform well in cooking) with few issues in terms of cooking performance or taste.
I once read, probably something by Dr. Andrew Weil, that you should try to eat as many colors as you can during the day, and that will help ensure that you are eating a healthy balanced diet. The colors of course reflect vitamins, antioxidants, phytonutrients, etc., with the idea of the more, the better.
Good luck!
A Healthy Diet
I had the same question. Fewer calories? "Light" pre-packaged foods? Low-fat?
On the Contrary: Batali Shooting Two 'Iron Chef' Shows Next Week
I agree. The Food Network has deteriorated seriously in terms of the quality of its programs and the quality of instruction in its programs. I don't like that Alton Brown is barely found on the FN anymore, so let's hope that Iron Chef will give us something good!
Flat cookies?! Unacceptable.
I second the comment about the butter being too warm, which can make your cookies spread. The other possiblility--or additional issue-- is that maybe you're not consistently measuring the flour, so that's affecting whether or not the cookies hold together when they bake. Using a scale is really helpful. There was a post last week about making consistently good cookies, and the consensus there, too, was on keeping your ingredients at the right temperature, using real butter, and using things like Silpat or parchment. Maybe check that post out to see if any of those comments are helpful. Good luck!
Cookie Search
I can see how corn syrup would do that, and I'm not so sure it's gross. Sounds intriguing.
Baking with margarine, on the other hand, is definitely gross, in addition to blasphemous.
Heh-heh.
agreed. lard has no place in this magical equation!