Profile

littlestcapy

Grad school student, studying library and information science at Simmons College in Boston, MA. I have lived in MA, ME, NY, and Munich, and currently live and cook and eat with my fiance; we are semi-adventurous eaters with boundaries :-)

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  • Location: Sudbury, MA
  • Favorite foods: Homemade soups! That's all that comes to mind, since deciding on favorites is too hard.

Best Frozen Spinach Brand?

I like the organic chopped version from Trader Joe's; I haven't found one anywhere else I like as much (although with most TJ products, it is the same as one brand name product, just repackaged).

Bake the Book: Old School Comfort Food: The Way I Learned To Cook

Eggs and buttery toast! Nothing quite like it for familiar, cozy, comforting goodness.

Cook the Book: 'Vegetable Literacy' by Deborah Madison

Asparagus tips and fresh peas, stirred into a light, white wine and lemon sauce over pasta, with a little parmesan...mmmm.

Cook the Book: 'Classic Snacks Made from Scratch'

Cheez-its! Or those weird cinnamon star cookies from Snackwell's (during the reduced-fat craze in the 90's)

The Vegan Experience: The Best Buffalo And Korean Fried Cauliflower

"Batter the cauliflower once, fry it briefly, pull it out, let it rest, batter it again, and cry until crisp."
I can't stop picturing someone sobbing next to a frying pan full of cauliflower...

Vacation Advice: US Virgin Islands

If you're looking for the best atmosphere (views of the bay at sunset) AND delicious French food, ask for a balcony table at Asolare (near the Cruz Bay end of the island). The food is divine and the mixed drinks from the bar are also wonderful.
At the other end of the island in Coral Bay, Sweet Plaintains has amazing island-style food and offers rum tasting flights which is really something special. The bartender can answer questions about the different rums and tell you what to look for when tasting each.
For something more casual and less expensive, Skinny Legs is a great local spot (towards Coral Bay) with burgers and such, and often has local bands playing.

What is the paddle attachment actually *for*?

Any time you need to beat or mix anything--I've also heard it called the "beater blade". Batters, cookie doughs...it also works great as a potato masher!

Pudín Mary (Simple Orange Cake)

Made this today as a "recovering from the flu" project and it is delicious. Took about 55 minutes in the oven and came out with a lovely caramelized outside and tender cakey inside. Lovely orange flavor (2 TB zest and 3 TB juice used almost exactly one large navel orange).

Valentine's Day Giveaway: Win This Prime Rib

Candles, wine, cooking together...and then a cuddle!

Using Ground Turkey

My husband and I are moderately obsessed with the zucchini-turkey burgers in Ottolenghi's JERUSALEM cookbook. Much like a regular burger (egg, spices--cumin, salt, pepper-- and ground turkey) but with 2 C shredded zucchini, 3 sliced scallions, chopped parsley mixed in. Serve with a tahini/lemon juice/sumac/Greek yogurt sauce (divine)

Cook the Book: 'Stewed'

Winter vegetable minestrone with lots of kale and some white beans & pasta.

Bouchon Bakery's TKO Cookies

@Tammy Coxen: The book says roll 1/8" thick (got a copy for Christmas)...so I guess a J is about 1/8 of an inch thick :-)

No gluten :( Subsitutes and product suggestions?

In terms of crackers, pretzels, I've had luck with Glutino; I like their pretzel twists and their cheddar crackers especially. Udi's bagels and breads are pretty good--they are a far cry from "real" bread but a decent substitute. Good luck!

Bake the Book: 'Joy the Baker Cookbook'

Mine is Obviously Sweet but I also love Smitten Kitchen...and many others. But those are the top 2!

Healthy Restaurant Options

When we go out and have a healthy-to-us diet in mind, we usually look for seafood restaurants (love the grilled seafood at Legal's) or sushi (simple rolls are our go-to's: tuna maki, salmon maki, and rolls with daikon radish and/or cucumber, with a side of edamame). Generally, lean protein + veggies is what my husband and I think of.

Making a layer cake but don't have enough pans...help please!

I've done as @lux_lisbon suggested with success...I'm not sure I'd risk cutting one large cake into layers since I'd probably destroy it; also, you risk the middle being a bit mushy and the edges being dry.

Foods that start with X

Xochitl tortilla chips are awesome, packaged, and peanut-free!

A Cookie A Day: 'Fine Cooking Cookies'

Everything I've made from both the BAKED cookbook and the Martha Stewart Cookies cookbook has been a success, but for no-fail cookies I turn to chocolate black pepper cookies, a roll/refrigerate/slice type cookie. Easy, delicious.

What should I include in my Wedding Registry?

My favorite kitchen wedding gift (I was married last weekend) is my Kitchenaid Pro 610. Love. It. I use it several times a week and the dough hook rocks!
Another favorite is my new knives, despite a mishap last night that means I'm off to the doc tomorrow to have my finger properly bandaged.
I'm loving my new All-Clad pots, and also the decent wooden spoon/tool set.
Nice wine glasses, nice everyday plates, nice flatware.
Registering is so much fun; I hope you enjoy it!

If you could only make one...

I'd have to go with Krumkaker, since my husband can't have Christmas without them...but I'm glad I don't really have to pick just one!
Growing up, sugar cookie cutouts were our go-to Christmas sweet, so we'll do his traditional and my traditional this year (our first married Christmas).

Best loaf pan?

I love my Pyrex one! I think the new Le Creuset Heritage ones are beautiful but I haven't tried them. The bread out of the pyrex always looks so much better than when I bake in metal, so I like to stick with that.

New Pots & Pans: the wedding edition

Sorry; I clearly didn't provide enough background!
I am already the proud owner of a 6-qt. Le Creuset dutch oven and a 12" LC frying pan.
I have nonstick pans in 10" and 12", and a large stainless steel (but not All Clad) stockpot.

I'm just working on the saucepot portion of my collection and was looking for a set of 3 reasonable sizes of All Clad to use daily, forever. I can't really foresee hefting that beastly 4-qt pot on a regular basis--surely if I need a pot that big, I would just go ahead and either use the stockpot or the dutch oven? Maybe not? I am open to more reasonable and experienced minds than my own.

My one true love uses our tiny saucepot right now to make his Ramen noodles for peanut noodles, but he is amenable to whatever I want since it's really my kitchen.

Gjetost Cheese: Yay or Nay

Ugh. I am not a fan. My fiance and his family love it, though (but he is Norwegian, so I guess that's fair). They are very partial to one particular brand and insist other brands are not as delicious.

Grocery Girl: What Your Grocery Store Says About You

I shop a little here and a little there, so I guess that reflects my split personality? I get fruit and veggies at the local farmstands (Verrill and Wilson's) and local meat from a couple of farmers and from a natural food store. I get bulk foods and sometimes meat and seafood from Whole Foods or from the natural food place. I get spices from Penzey's. I get egg whites and basic food items from Stop & Shop, Roche Bros, or Star Market. We buy in bulk from BJ's. We get wine and some specialty packaged items from Trader Joe's. I'm all over the place!

Vegetarian French onion soup recipe anyone?

Deborah Madison's red onion soup with red wine is fabulous--not quite the same as traditional French onion soup but oh! so good.

New Pots & Pans: the wedding edition

Although I thought at the time I'd done my research, now that the gifts have started to come in (I got married just this past weekend) I'm started to have doubts!

If you could register for new pots, what would you want? I just need your standard set of 3 (small, medium, large) saucepots for a gas stove.

I got 2-, 3-, and 4-quart All Clad d5 stainless. I am probably going to swap the 4-quart for a 1-quart.

Is there something I should have done differently? I can still exchange (haven't used anything yet).

I am currently using my parents' old, old set (which they used for camping for a long while), so whatever I get will be an upgrade, but I do a lot of cooking and love being in the kitchen, so I'd like to get something I'll enjoy forever.

Thanks in advance for your excellent advice!

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