elderberry44’s Profile

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From Serious Eats

Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey

Cook's Illustrated's Roasted Brined Turkey and Pioneer Woman's Sweet Potatoes.

From Serious Eats

All-You-Can-Eat Restaurants: Great Deal, Or Bad Policy?

Bad, but for different reasons. I don't think they'll make you fat if you have any self control at all. I think they are a hotbed of germs and disgusting people with few, if any, dining manners at all. The first and last time I went to a buffet restaurant, I saw a little girl stick her grimy hand up to the wrist in the chocolate pudding bin. Blech!! Her mother didn't even chastise her or tell the lady at the counter what she did. When I think of all the people that came along and ate that pudding....I can't even think of going back to a buffet now!

From Talk

What strange things are in the door of your fridge?

Butter Compartment: 2 boxes of Unsalted Butter (for baking) and 1 pkg. cream cheese (also for baking).

Top Shelf: I gallon each of Red Diamond Sweet Tea and Red Diamond Sugar Free Tea w/ Splenda.

Second Shelf: Ketchup, Salad Dressing, Mustard, and an assortment of Jellies: Wild Elderberry (2 jars), Strawberry, Fig, Homemade Red Hot Apple Cinnamon and Homemade Apple Pie in a Jar.

Third Shelf: Steak Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, Bacos, a squeeze bottle of homemade Caramel Sauce, a squeeze bottle of homemade chocolate sauce, two bottles of antibiotics (for the kids) and a bottle of prescription eye drops.

Fourth Shelf: Grenadine Syrup (for Shirley Temple's), I can't believe it's not butter spray, Morello Cherries in Syrup, BBQ sauce, Very Teriyaki Marinade and a couple of cans of sugar free Red Bull.

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Recent Comments | Response to Comments

From Serious Eats

Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey

Cook's Illustrated's Roasted Brined Turkey and Pioneer Woman's Sweet Potatoes.

From Serious Eats

All-You-Can-Eat Restaurants: Great Deal, Or Bad Policy?

Bad, but for different reasons. I don't think they'll make you fat if you have any self control at all. I think they are a hotbed of germs and disgusting people with few, if any, dining manners at all. The first and last time I went to a buffet restaurant, I saw a little girl stick her grimy hand up to the wrist in the chocolate pudding bin. Blech!! Her mother didn't even chastise her or tell the lady at the counter what she did. When I think of all the people that came along and ate that pudding....I can't even think of going back to a buffet now!

From Talk

What strange things are in the door of your fridge?

Butter Compartment: 2 boxes of Unsalted Butter (for baking) and 1 pkg. cream cheese (also for baking).

Top Shelf: I gallon each of Red Diamond Sweet Tea and Red Diamond Sugar Free Tea w/ Splenda.

Second Shelf: Ketchup, Salad Dressing, Mustard, and an assortment of Jellies: Wild Elderberry (2 jars), Strawberry, Fig, Homemade Red Hot Apple Cinnamon and Homemade Apple Pie in a Jar.

Third Shelf: Steak Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, Bacos, a squeeze bottle of homemade Caramel Sauce, a squeeze bottle of homemade chocolate sauce, two bottles of antibiotics (for the kids) and a bottle of prescription eye drops.

Fourth Shelf: Grenadine Syrup (for Shirley Temple's), I can't believe it's not butter spray, Morello Cherries in Syrup, BBQ sauce, Very Teriyaki Marinade and a couple of cans of sugar free Red Bull.

From Talk

What desserts do you crave?

Sponge cake....I have a thing for sponge cakes. Filled with pastry cream and topped with chocolate for Boston Cream Pie.....Filled with whipped cream and strawberries and dusted with powdered sugar.....Rolled into a roulade and filled with chocolate mousse.....yumm. I love me some sponge cake!

From Talk

The Most Unhealthy Thing You've Ever Made

It has to be the casseroles I make once or twice a year....hashbrown casserole (hashbrowns, butter, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, onions and cheese) or chicken casserole (cooked, shredded chicken breasts, cream of chicken soup, ro-tel and crushed doritos...all mixed together and then topped with cheese and baked).

Dessert-wise: Chocolate Guinness Stout Cake...It has 4 sticks of butter in just the cake, that's not even counting the Italian Meringue Buttercream frosting...that has 5 sticks of butter!!

From Talk

I eat ______ out of the tin/jar/bottle...

Nutella and every once in a while, while I'm baking, I will sneak a little sweetened condensed milk from the can!

From Talk

Brownies: Gooey or Cakey?

Gooey and fudgy! And, no shame here, I love them from a box as well. Actually, more like a bag....the store brand.

From Talk

Dear Whole Foods,

Build one in NW Arkansas! It sucks that the closest one is like 4 hours away.

From Talk

Regional Fast Food Chains

I love Sonic for their half price drinks during happy hour....I always get a cherry limeade with extra cherry syrup. And Braums has the best burgers...they are HUGE and very filling, plus I love their crinkle cut fries. We used to have a Bojangles but they closed it down....they had great iced tea!

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: Eugenia Bone's 'Well-Preserved'

I like can anything to do with apples...jams and jellies and conserves and spiced apples are my favorite! I also like to can my own pumpkin puree for pies and I've always wanted to do veggies but I need to buy a pressure canner first.

From Talk

Costco and Big Box stores for food: way or no way?

We are a family of seven and we don't have a Costco here but we have a Sam's Club and I probably shop there at least 3 times a month. Things that I buy that I think are a great deal in bulk:

diapers
baby wipes
toilet paper
paper towels
ziploc bags
dishwasher detergent
dawn dishwashing liquid
dog treats (chicken jerky)
children's vitamins
chicken
steaks
milk
flour
nuts (pecans, walnuts and almonds....always a better bargain to buy in bulk)
pancake mix
cheese
kids snacks
bottled water
potatoes
lemons

and I always find their fruit to be fresh and a good deal to boot. DVD's are usually a good deal and so are their books.

From Talk

It Doesn't Taste Like Mom's

Enchiladas! They taste like magic, seriously. No restaurant even comes close to the real thing. They are so simple, just New Mexico red chile powder, homemade corn tortillas, ground beef and cheese but whatever she does to make them so good, I've never been able to duplicate. She also makes some amazing pumpkin empanadas.

From Talk

What to do with RAMPS

wow, ramps really seem to bring out the rage in some people.

We can't get ramps where I live so I have no idea what you do with them but it did remind of something my dad told me one. He grew up on a farm in West Virginia and went to a little one room school house. Apparently W.V. is the place to get ramps, they grow wild all over the woods but it gives you really terrible breath when you eat them and if any of the kids ate them, they were sent home from school immediately! Apparently the smell of the offender's bad breath would just permeate the school and make the teacher and other kids sick. I always thought that was a funny story.

From Talk

Guilty Food Pleasures

chocolate pop tarts

frito pie (also chili cheese tater tots)

hashbrown casserole

those cheap frosted oatmeal cookies

pizza hut pizza

and the most embarassing of them all....everyone once in a blue moon..... a few times a year.....a big meal from KFC with the works! Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, baked beans, cole slaw, biscuits, their little fried apple pies and and I even like their chicken strips. Soooo bad, but sooo good.

From Talk

Bugs in the cupboard

I store my flour and grains in airtight containers and I clean out the cabinets with bleach every 6 months or so. We had bug problems once a few years ago and we found that putting a bayleaf in each cabinet worked to drive them away....I don't know if it was the cleaning or the bayleaf but something worked and we have never had them since.

From Talk

What Do You Put on Your Biscuit?

I'm from down South and we eat biscuits a lot! We usually eat strawberry freezer jam, homemade apple butter, honey or candy apple jelly on our biscuits for sweet spreads. For savory, I like a nice peppery cream gravy, or sometimes we'll make a little breakfast sandwich with beef sausage and egg. They sell little round ones in the freezer aisle that fit perfectly on a biscuit. And once in a great while, the kiddos will get chocolate gravy on biscuits for a special breakfast treat.

From Talk

canning

I just started canning too! I went out and bought the canning kit like this: http://www.amazon.com/Jarden-Home-Brands-11102-Canning/dp/B001DITLL2/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I39WM8IOL164PN&colid=1JJGGZV8LNFDC

and made my first test recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Candy-Apple-Jelly/Detail.aspx

and it was a success! My jars sealed perfectly and I am now on the prowl for my next project. I can't wait until all the fruits are in season because I want to do a lot of jams and jellies and pie fillings. I have learned that old recipes are great but the techniques in old books....not so great. Always use the latest and up to date recommendations:

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/index.html

http://www.foodsafetysite.com/consumers/resources/canning.html

http://canningusa.com/TableofContentsGeneralBook2.htm

Remember never to invert jars like old canning books tell you to...they now say that can cause tiny particles of food to creep into the threads of the jar and spoil. Also use a pressure canner for low acid foods (veggies and meats) and like they said above, have everything ready and in place before you start. Good luck!

From Talk

Tres leches cake

Tres Leches cake is a standard dessert at all family functions in our family. Sometimes it is purchased from the local Mexican bakery, but most often my grandmother makes it. A dry yellow cake, baked either in 2- 8 or 9 inch pans or an 11 by 15 pan. Start with the bottom layer (or split the sheet cake )cake, dribble over about 1/3 of the tres leche mixture (sweetened condensed milk, heavy whipping cream and evaporated milk) and line the middle with sliced strawberries. Top with the other layer, soak it with the rest of the milk and the frost with heavy sweetened whipped cream, whipped to stiff peaks with a little sugar (just a small spoonful or two, you don't want it too sweet) and a little vanilla. Decorate with more strawberries.

Our family loves it with strawberries alone but it is also good with a mixture of fresh peach slices and strawberries in the middle and mango is also good too.

From Talk

You live where?

Born in New Mexico, raised in Spain and Germany, college in Washington DC and now I live in Arkansas.

From Talk

What is your "give up" meal?

Biscuits and Gravy (frozen Mary B's biscuits and homemade beef sausage gravy) or else some other breakfast thing....eggs and turkey bacon or turkey bacon and pancakes....I don't know but I like to cook breakfast when I'm feeling lazy.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Ten'

When I was pregnant with my twins, I had an a HUGE craving for a green chile cheeseburger, the kind you find in a small roadside diner on the backroads of New Mexico.....perfectly cooked thick burger, melty cheddar cheese and a huge scoop of roasted green chile. My wonderful husband drove me 6 hours out of state just so I could eat one for dinner and then he drove me back home like the wonderful husband that he is...I slept the whole trip through, both ways, only waking up to eat!

From Talk

My Mothers Mexican Chicken Casserole, basically th best thng evr

That sounds just like the Chicken Casserole my mom used to make when we were kids (and ok, I admit it....I make it a few times a year when I get nostalgic...and MY kids adore it as well) . You take:

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken tenderloins or breasts (we always use Tyson) and you boil them till they fall apart and then you drain them and shred them. Place them back in the pot and add one can of Ro-tel, two cans cream of chicken soup and about 1/2 bag of crushed Doritos (crushed really fine) You heat that on the stove until warm, spread it into a casserole dish, top with a lot of shredded cheddar cheese and then pop it into the oven for about 25 minutes at 350 (until the cheese is melted and bubbly).

It is so addictive and no, not very good for you at all, but I think if you're like us and only eat it 2-3 times a year, you'll be all right. And, oddly enough, we grew up in Arkansas too!

From Talk

Coconut: Way or No Way?

I love Italian Cream Cake covered with toasted coconut and coconut cream pie with toasted coconut, so basically I guess I really only like toasted coconut.

From Talk

Cream of Wheat: Way or No Way?

I LOVE cream of wheat (second only to Chocolate Malt-O-Meal and Co-Co Wheats).

What's really good is cream of wheat pudding served on a warm fruit compote. I also have a nice farina dumpling recipe that I used for warm fruit compotes too, from a German compote.

From Serious Eats

Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey

Congrats to our winner Mike Sula, and thanks to everyone who entered! The winner has been notified and the Contest Winners page has been updated.

From Serious Eats

Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey

I'll go with the Pumpkin Pie Brulee today. (But I'm still planning on making the Brussels Sprouts & Bacon)

From Serious Eats

Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey

i like the looks of the brussels sprouts gratin

From Serious Eats

Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey

Dorie Greenspan's Holiday Cake. To have 3 hours after dinner with a nice glass of something bubbly. (Probably Alka-Seltzer)

From Serious Eats

Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey

Mark Bittman's Cranberry Relish with Orange and Ginger sounds EXACTLY like the cranberry orange relish my mom used to make, except that she added pecans and made hers using an old-fashioned meat grinder (the kind you clamp to a counter top) instead of a food processor. I still make it every year!

From Serious Eats

Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey

I just made the scalloped yukon gold and sweet potatoe gratin for a work potluck....and will be making it again for Thanksgiving.

From Serious Eats

Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey

Sautéed brussels sprouts with bacon and some walnuts tossed in, is still my
choice.

From Serious Eats

Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey

The classic menu just sounds perfect, I can even smell the Turkey cooking now. I'm not so sure about the pumpkin pudding pie but as long as the rest of the meal goes as planned I'm sure it would be wonderful.

From Serious Eats

Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey

Chocolate peanut butter mousse pie. I would *so* make that if I could skip the pumpkin and apple pies (which I can't.) Le sigh.

From Serious Eats

Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey

I would try your pumpkin cheesecake... YUMM!

From Serious Eats

Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey

The peanut butter chocolate mousse pie sounds amazing. I'm imagining a Reese's peanut butter cup converted into pie form!!

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About elderberry44

Website: http://theberrypatch.blogspot.com/

Location: Southern USA

About: I like to bake rather than cook. I love to experiment with odd-sounding cakes and pies. I collect retro and vintage cookbooks.

Favorite foods: anything sweet, I have a whole mouth of sweet teeth! I really like coconut sticky rice, nutella, pancakes, pecan pie. Non-sweet: pastrami, homemade hash, latkes, brisket, hashbrown casserole, BBQ chicken.

Last bite on earth: