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jennywenny's Profile

Website: http://www.forayintofood.blogspot.com/

Location: San Diego

About: A Medicinal Chemist, slowly working my way further and further into the foodie world! Originally from England, which influences a lot of my opinions

Favorite foods: Golden Syrup, Smoked Mackerel, anything with lots of butter, cream etc in!

Last bite on earth:

The Ten Most Recent Posts By jennywenny

From Talk

Minestrone soup

I wonder if I can get some people to agree with me. My group at culinary class are making a minestrone soup for our group project. The recipe says to dump all the veggies, inc onions garlic and celery into a pot with water and boil. I would always sautee the onions, then add garlic, celery and carrots, then everything else to get a nice flavour. What do other people think?

If anyone has a minestrone recipe I'd love to see it!

From Talk

Corn syrup-is it really that bad? Replacements?

Hi everyone. Its struck me that if I'm going to be all crunchy and use great ingredients in my caramel type confections and goodies, I would be better off avoiding corn syrup.

Does anyone have any suggestions for substitutions? I think the corn syrup functions to stop the mixture crystallising and turning into a more fudgy type of stuff so is fairly relevant. I would imagine glucose syrup is produced in a similar way to corn syrup with lots of chemical production, but would rice syrup or something like that be better?

From Talk

Egg free sugar cookie

Can anyone suggest an egg free roll out cookie recipe for me to make for my friend? Dairy is fine, but I'd hate the cookies to be dry and nasty. I guess if there is enough butter they will just be like shortbread.

From Talk

What do I do with all this half and half?

I aquired a big container of half and half from my fundraising efforts and I need to use it up quick. Our preferred dairy is fat free, so I'm not sure what to do with it. Does anyone have any good baking recipes I can use it for?

From Talk

Granola bar recipe: any suggestions?

Hi all,
I'm hoping to find a recipe to make a really delicious granola bar that I tried recently. It was very crunchy and seemed to be a bunch of seeds, nuts and raisins held together with caramel, which was crunchy rather than gooey. Any suggestions?

The Ten Most Recent Comments By jennywenny

From Talk

Do you use/like Liquid Smoke?

Be careful only to use a little bit, if you use too much it will make you gag! I use it in my veggeroni seitan and its ok as long as its not overdone...

From Talk

Portland eating adventure

From Required Eating

Moo, Brittania: Oreos Make Splash in England

What!!! This has to be a cultural thing. Oreos to me taste like cardboard with margerine in the middle. Send me back home for a chocolate covered digestive, or a nice hob-nob any day, I strongly disagree that you cant get a good cookie in britain! The only thing that is a bit disappointing is a rich tea biscuit that seriously is just made of cardboard!

From Talk

What are you known for?

After all the creations I've made and slaved over, everyone just falls over my truffles. People seem to like most things but these are always the ones that are most commented on.

I just take a bit of heavy cream up to boiling, chop up some chocolate (trader joes bittersweet) and stir in, followed by a little butter. I then chill or freeze and make into little balls, rolling in cocoa powder/confectioners sugar and drizzle in white chocolate.

From Talk

Cookie question

Taste one and see. If its nasty then throw them out.

From Required Eating

Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 17: Is Exercise Truly a Food Critic's Best Friend?

I love to ride my bike and I think its a great form of exercise. I think the rule of thumb with any exercise is its better if you get a bit out of breath(or your 75% heart rate-measured by going as hard as you can for 10 mins then that heart rate is 90%), then you know you're burning calories.

I try to do strengthening exercises twice a week, especially those for my core. You could get a personal trainer for a short time. I use a mixture of free weights, a stability ball and sometimes machines. Whatevers available to me at the time.

If you ride your bike for longer than an hour at a hard pace you might want to take a snack.

From Required Eating

A Lesson for Omnivores: Vegetarian Myths, Debunked

This is awesome, thanks very much! This is still relevant. I was served chicken just a year ago as the vegetarian option!! So many things about this article just hit the nail on the head! A lot of restaurants are very accommodating, but I'm a bit tired of polenta too. Its an awful lot better than soggy pasta and tomato sauce as the option instead of a juicy expensive steak!!

I usually bring something big to a bbq like an enormous dinner salad with lots of beans in that can easily serve as a meal, then no-one feels bad if there isnt much veggie stuff.

From Talk

Minestrone soup

Thanks people! I really just wanted justification to put my foot down and say it was important to sautee the veggies first before we added the broth.

From Talk

White Chocolate HELP!

I make a white chocolate cardamom pistachio truffle, but its quite hard to get white chocolate to set up. Tastes amazing though!

From Talk

Do you subscribe to a CSA farm? Please share your experience!

I love mine, I end up eating all kinds of stuff I wouldnt have, and its recently included a lot more fruit, which really makes it worth my while. I hardly ever make it to the farmers market, so this is my way to eat locally and seasonally.
By the way I'm in San Diego and I get Bewise Ranch produce.

Responses to Comments by jennywenny

From Talk

Do you use/like Liquid Smoke?

I don't think anyone would dispute that smoking food in a smoker or on a grill is optimum. However, it isn't always practical or convenient, and for an intense smoke flavor requires long cook times which isn't appropriate for all foods.

If not overused (i.e. too much....the stuff is potent!) liquid smoke, like smoked peppers, will impart a natural, smokey flavor to anything.

I add a couple drops to my guacamole. A drop in your bloody mary rounds out the spiciness. Last night I grilled glazed salmon which cooks very quickly. I added a little bit of liquid smoke to the glaze to give it a smoked flavor. And of course, there is a favorite from my childhood: Turkey drumsticks marinaded overnight in liquid smoke & grilled....just like Ren Fest!

Also, per other Talk threads, there is the common complaint about gas grills (vs. charcoal) not producing the same "grilled taste" in the food cooked. I have a natural gas grill, so when I have an item to grill with a short cook time (like salmon) I'll add it in order to supplement the "real grilled flavor."

Using chipotle is a great idea, but sometimes you want the smoke without the particular spice. I find smoke...and in this case liquid smoke....to be similar to salt in that it brings out another dimension of food. Too much is awful, but just the right amount enhances the natural flavor of the food.

From Talk

Do you use/like Liquid Smoke?

ugh. The smell of it gives me a headache. Same with some of the hickory-smoke-flavored barbecue sauces. Maybe there's a good one out there, but I'd rather do without.

From Talk

Portland eating adventure

Well now, it will be interesting to see when the second copy of my post shows up now that the first version was allowed... Sorry about the eventual double post of essentially the same info.

Hope you have a good trip. It's a great place to visit.

From Talk

Do you use/like Liquid Smoke?

I insist upon using it when I boil my ribs but you have to be careful not to put in too much otherwise that is all you will taste.

From Talk

What are you known for?

1) Soup - specifically, Arroz Caldo. I get requests even when it's 95 degrees w/ insane humidity outside.

2) Salsa, asian style (I add lime juice, fish sauce and the tiniest bit of sesame oil. Don't knock it till you try it!)

3) Shrimp Salad (I cook whole shrimp in a pot chockful of garlic, green onion, celery, bits of whatever vegies are sitting in my fridge, lots of black peppercorn, and salt. After peeling, I throw the shells/head back into the broth to reduce. The dressing is nothing more than a good mayo, lime juice, sambal olek, green onions, celery and a few tsps of that concentrated shrimp broth.)

4) Anchovy pasta. Recipe courtesy of the NYTimes. I guess I'm the only one in the family willing to suffer through the smell of anchovies sauteeing.

From Required Eating

Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 17: Is Exercise Truly a Food Critic's Best Friend?

Glad to be of service - just got back from a weekend in brussels - so i am scale avoiding too, best of luck

From Talk

What are you known for?

1. Pastas - any kind, macaroni and cheese, lasagnas, baked ziti, you name it.
2. Carob chip, toffee and cherry cookies
3. Carrot Cupcakes
4. Party dips - Sweet Bell pepper with cream cheese and my Veggie dip
5. Hummus - very lemony and garlicky

Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking

From Talk

What are you known for?

@bisbee......I'm right here! You want I should bring a box of jello? Where's the party?

From Talk

What are you known for?

smoked bbq spare ribs..

From Talk

What are you known for?

Where is PerkyMac and her box of Jello??