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2 and 1/8 c. flour is an odd measurement. Is this correct? How does breaking the dough ball in half etc make it a chewier cookie? I'm going to try this recipe...just want to make sure of the flour measurement.

I've been making the Marcy Goldman honey cake since the book came out a few years ago. I've made it with either coffee or strong tea-both are a hit with my family and friends. It's a one bowl cake and the whole thing can be done in an hour and a half total, most of it baking time. If you make it in a 9X13 pan it may have to go a little longer than she says. Mine was done at 55 mins instead of 45. Not much of a difference and it might have been my oven.
Some people put rye or whiskey in it. I don't care for the taste so I just do a half cup of orange juice with an extra half cup of coffee or tea. I also cut down on the white sugar by about 2 tablespoons. The honey flavor-especially if you use Golden Blossom-comes roaring through. I made this cake last Monday and it is as fresh as the day I made it and even tastier. I think there is a marciegoldman.com website. The book is (someone correct me if wrong) Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking. There's another book with a similar title by Joan Nathan..not the book I'm talking about.
Try it! You'll like it!

Native Spanish speaking friend says "si, there IS a "tilde" in jalopeño" and you pronounce it with same. Besides, without it the word just sounds...like a different pepper!

My Peruvian friend says the proper Spanish pronunciation of chipotle is
shih-PO-cle with the final syllable kind of dropped quietly away (hard to describe, easy to hear). This could be a Peruvian Spanish version of the word... or not.
It bugs me that many Americans think it is pretentious to pronounce a foreign word (food or otherwise) correctly. For example, I have a friend who insists on saying "Cardy-er" when she means "Cartier". I didn't know what she was referring to and had to ask what she meant. She explained that it was the American way to say the name of the fancy jewelry store. As I imagined rolling my eyes my counter was...do you like it when someone screws up the pronunciation of YOUR name?
She just looked at me with her eyebrows up. She had never made that connection!

what size loaf pan?

Great cookies, Kumiko.
I refrigerated the dough for about 15 hours. When I took it out of the fridge it was a rock so I left it out for about 4 hours. 5 hours. At about hour 6 it was finally malleable enough to form balls. However, I had to really work at it to soften up! When I was finally able to bake the dough balls into cookies, however, they were perfect. I did use my convection oven. What startled me was a) how long it took before the dough was usable, and b) how dry and crumbly it was before it took its final shape. It was only because of the warmth of my hands that I was able to create the ball shape. Was this your experience? I've never worked with a dough like this before.
@neine, the full amount of butter makes them light and crispy on the outside but full of flavor on the chewy inside. You might want to try just butter next time to compare. Just a thought.
Today is cookie day 3 and they are still just right. Thanks!

The Canal House restaurant is in Lambertville NJ, on the Delaware River between PA and NJ.

I suggest 44X10 . This oddly named place is on the northeast corner of 44th St. and 10th Ave across from a huge Hess station. The focus is on comfort food-mac and cheese to die for AND to share as it is a large portion-and the servers are not only pleasant but also easy on the eyes. I've walked in there and sat right down, but it is still better to reserve as it is very popular. You can reserve the same day. Not at all fancy...the in-laws will love it. One caveat; it can get quite noisy but even in all the din you can miraculously hear others talk!

any other ideas about where to find that laser thermometer?

Arthur Schwartz' American Jewish Home Cooking (the title is something like that and it only came out last year) has a recipe for a Russian soup called schav. It isn't creamy unless one adds sour cream at the end-it's usually served cold and with boiled potatoes.

potluckcraft: perhaps your oven is miscalibrated and as a result it has "slowed" down. Your oven manual should tell you how to conduct the simple calibration test. Once you've done that and you've corrected the temperature you should of course try this recipe again. Brownie soup does have an interesting sound to it though.

Question for TamNgo; why not use strong brewed coffee in place of the instant coffee? Is it just a matter of dry v wet ingredient that would change the way the brownie comes out?

jlewfoodie, that was a beautiful way to put it..funeral food is anything that is served straight from the heart. Lovely and true. When my dad died in 2006 I didn't have to lift a finger for anything. After making sure there were round foods-symbolizing the circular nature of life and the first foods a mourner is usually given after the funeral-my friends, true to Jewish tradition, not only brought meal-type food (not just sweets) but also cleaned up after everyone and stayed for the evening prayers as well. This went on for 6 days. I was able to cry at will,( which was most of the time), or talk, or not. They took care of me in the best sense of the word.

I always bring food, usually not sweets because so many other people bring cakes etc when I go to a condolence or shiva call. In Jewish practice the food is really not given to feed all comers. It is given so that the family won't have to do anything about feeding themselves. I never expect to eat at a condolence call. However, I know that other people do and that families sometimes tell their visitors to have something to eat. To each their own.

My great-grandfather died when I was 13. It was the first family death I had experienced. After the funeral we had a gathering at a family apartment. I was appalled by what I thought of as a party atmosphere. What I couldn't understand then and only understood later as an adult was that people often need to talk about their loved ones and hear stories about them. At my dad's post-funeral gathering I couldn't get enough. I even told some and was able to laugh with everyone. My dad would have loved it. I know that some people don't want to hear a sound, some people definitely WANT the distraction of NOT talking about the deceased, and still others want something else. It is important to feel this kind of thing out and respect others' wishes. No one says you have to agree with them!

My advanced directive gives instructions for my post-funeral gathering; as I love to cook for friends and family, I want anyone who shows up to be fed (by a caterer, although anyone who feels like it is welcome to contribute) the way I'd want them to be fed; that is detailed and will be pre-paid. I also want my daughter to be cared for the way I was, but I know I don't have to have that in writing. I see nothing weird or morbid about this. It is like any form of pre-planning for one's own last days and funeral. It is a kindness to your family, especially if you know that things will have to happen in rapid sequence (as someone else said, Jewish law says 24 hours, 48 max if possible, and Muslim is similar). Catboy, you are a special person and your aunt was lucky to be able to do some of the planning with you. I am so impressed with you and yes, this is an outstanding thread. All the food suggestions are just right!!