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From Talk

Homemade funfetti cupcakes...

I feel ya on the box mix thing, but here's another vote for biting the bullet and using the mix, unless your friend has said otherwise. Made from scratch would definitely be *better*, but your friend is probably expecting a very specific texture and flavor that you really can't duplicate at home.

From A Hamburger Today

Hamburger America: Missoula Club in Missoula, Montana

Heh, I always do a double-take when I see my hometown mentioned *anywhere* outside of local sites. :)

I also may be the only person who has lived in Missoula but not eaten at the Mo' Club. Oops.

From Talk

brussel sprout smell

I also haven't found a way to get around the brussels sprouts smell. I brought leftover sprouts to work one day (the skillet-roasted type are actually really good cold, with some extra salt and balsamico), and was *still* paranoid that I'd stunk up the lunchroom.

Same with cauliflower. Even cold, roasted cauliflower has that distinctive smell that really bothers a lot of people. I've resigned myself to not eating any of the cole family veggies in a public setting.

Some things are just meant to be enjoyed only in the privacy of one's home, you know? :)

From Talk

Food Priorities--how do you prioritize these factors?

Great question!

1. Nutrition - but not at the expense of
2. Taste! Flavor is always critical, but it's important that the food not be highly processed junk.
3. Ethics - with sub-priorities of local, then organic, then ethical (free trade etc)
4. Cost - I do pay attention to price when I shop, and often the factor that decides What's For Dinner is What's On Sale. :)
5. Lifestyle - We have varying schedules and only get to eat meals together once or twice a week. This does affect the way I cook because I try to make meals that reheat well and make good leftovers.
6. Culture - This doesn't really come into play for us. We're not of a particular cultural background. The flip side is that there's not much variety of ethnic foods available where we live anyway, so it's a moot point.

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What to do with cheap chocolate?

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From Talk

Homemade funfetti cupcakes...

I feel ya on the box mix thing, but here's another vote for biting the bullet and using the mix, unless your friend has said otherwise. Made from scratch would definitely be *better*, but your friend is probably expecting a very specific texture and flavor that you really can't duplicate at home.

From A Hamburger Today

Hamburger America: Missoula Club in Missoula, Montana

Heh, I always do a double-take when I see my hometown mentioned *anywhere* outside of local sites. :)

I also may be the only person who has lived in Missoula but not eaten at the Mo' Club. Oops.

From Talk

brussel sprout smell

I also haven't found a way to get around the brussels sprouts smell. I brought leftover sprouts to work one day (the skillet-roasted type are actually really good cold, with some extra salt and balsamico), and was *still* paranoid that I'd stunk up the lunchroom.

Same with cauliflower. Even cold, roasted cauliflower has that distinctive smell that really bothers a lot of people. I've resigned myself to not eating any of the cole family veggies in a public setting.

Some things are just meant to be enjoyed only in the privacy of one's home, you know? :)

From Talk

Food Priorities--how do you prioritize these factors?

Great question!

1. Nutrition - but not at the expense of
2. Taste! Flavor is always critical, but it's important that the food not be highly processed junk.
3. Ethics - with sub-priorities of local, then organic, then ethical (free trade etc)
4. Cost - I do pay attention to price when I shop, and often the factor that decides What's For Dinner is What's On Sale. :)
5. Lifestyle - We have varying schedules and only get to eat meals together once or twice a week. This does affect the way I cook because I try to make meals that reheat well and make good leftovers.
6. Culture - This doesn't really come into play for us. We're not of a particular cultural background. The flip side is that there's not much variety of ethnic foods available where we live anyway, so it's a moot point.

From Talk

SE users: please introduce yourselves.

I love reading these intros!

My nickname stems from an episode of The Backyardigans. My other usual internet nickname was taken. :)
I'm a mild-mannered 31 year-old tech nerd at a bank by day, mother and loving wife by night, and a home chef on the weekends. We live on a few acres in a rural area, which allows our family to have a some chickens and a huge garden. In the upcoming year we're going to try our hands at canning some of our lovely produce.
I'm a pretty good all-around cook who likes to learn techniques and the science behind them, then use the knowledge to make my own recipes. I love to cook for people, and believe that the act of providing a wholesome and delicious meal is one of the most important and loving things you can do for a person.

From Talk

Waffles vs. Pancakes

I love to eat both pancakes and waffles. Waffles slightly more than pancakes.

I love making the batter for both- pancakes are so easy, but folding in egg whites for waffles is fun!

BUT. I prefer cooking pancakes strictly for the fact that you can turn out a griddle-full of lovely small fluffy pancakes in the same time it takes to make one or two waffles. Sure you can hold waffles for a little while in the oven but it's not nearly the same as having them hot from the iron. When I make waffles, it's like we all eat our breakfasts seperately and that's not as fun.

From Talk

3 Lemons in bag turned to green dust. Keep the rest?

ZOMG alien lemons from SPACE!! :)

I think the green dust is some kind of dry mold. I've had a few citrus fruits do that in the past. It is really weird, because they don't rot like you'd expect- they dry up and crumble. I've also never seen any fruit other than citrus do that.

I'd think that a firm, dry-surfaced fruit like a lemon (especially because it's waxed) would be okay to use as long as it was not moldy or squishy itself and you washed it thoroughly.

From Talk

original Iron Chef, or Iron Chef America?

I loved the original Iron Chef for entertainment value and a sort of... cultural education. I used to watch it late at night, cradling my crabby newborn, semi-delirious from lack of sleep. It was a trip. :) Wish it was on somewhere...

I like the American Iron Chef for it's instructional value. I learn techniques and ingredient combos that are far more applicable to my cooking than the Japanese version was. I also love to see Jeffrey Steingarten rip on a chef in his own unique style, though that doesn't seem to happen as much these days.

Anyway: I'd Tivo the former, but only watch the latter if it happens to be on.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'The Food You Crave'

I was thinking cauliflower soup until I read hrobb's kale dish. Mmm.

From Talk

Foodnetworks top 100 recipes for 2007....

I'd like to know the criteria for this list too. Maybe it was the top 100 searches of the year? It's definitely not rating or number of ratings.

Top Whatever lists always bring out my inner pedant, and she is not usually a happy lil' sunbeam!

From Talk

a trifle disaster

Custard, like romance, takes time. Curdling isn't a function of temperature in and of itself- it happens when eggs are heated too quickly and/or haven't been adequately denatured before you start tempering.

I've had good luck with custards as long as I:

a) beat the egg yolks very, VERY thoroughly when you start the recipe,
b) temper very slowly and carefully, even if the recipe doesn't specify you do so,
c) use a double-boiler, and
d) whisk like a mofo. :) Not whipping, just stirring constantly with a whisk.

I've used a recipe that incorporates some cornstarch when you whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, and that provides some thickening and curdling insurance. It gets a little gelatinous for my tastes, but it makes an excellent base if you'll be mixing in other ingredients anyway.

Good luck!

From Talk

Suggestions for good (sort of difficult) baking cookbooks?

I second Tellicherry's recommendation (oh how I love that book!), *if* you are interested in working with unusual (for the US) ingredients and techniques and by baking you mean more than just desserts. Don't get me wrong, there are some pastries and such, but the focus is primarily on daily breads. If you're pretty much just interested in upscale dessert bakery, then it's not really the book for you.

From Talk

How to cut super-fudgy brownies cleanly

I've read that a disposable plastic knife works well, but haven't tried it myself.

I've used a bench scraper with success, but my scraper has a fairly sharp edge. I've also used a pizza cutter on thinner bar cookies, but never brownies.

From Talk

I know that this is sacreligious, but...

The slimy texture and the eggy/dairy smell of eggnog... blergh! I want to like it because of the spices and booze, but no dice.

I love mulled cider. KtMc24, your recipe sounds wonderful.

From Serious Eats

Does Anyone Really Love Pumpkin Pie?

Sometimes I like to have a sliver of pumpkin pie to garnish my dessert plate full of whipped cream. :) Otherwise, I don't much care for it. Love pumpkin cheesecake in a gingersnap crust, though!

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Dolce Italiano, Desserts From the Babbo Kitchen'

Tiramisu. Like the little girl with the little curl: when it's good, it's very very good, but when it's bad it's horrid.

From Talk

I've never really understood the appeal of ...

I'm like psychsara- no pudding. I try to avoid anything with a gelatinous, slimy texture. Especially pre-made chocolate milk that's been thickened with carrageenan... ARGH! I do understand why other people like pudding etc., but that dreadful slimy chocolate milk turns my stomach.

@corycm - candied veal eyebrows... hysterical! No offal for me either, TYVM.

From Talk

How do I revive a tired sourdough starter?

You'll know it's gone bad if it smells rotten or really boozy or otherwise gross.

I've "spiked" sourdough starter with a bit of rye flour from time to time when refreshing it and that seems to perk it up well. I substituted half of the wheat flour for a given feeding with rye, and did this maybe every fourth refresh or so.

From Talk

I top my oatmeal with ______

I use a locally grown and processed rolled oatmeal; it has some of the chew of steel-cut but cooks much faster. Cook it with a cinnamon stick and sometimes dried cherries or cranberries. Top with lots of chopped toasted pecans, a smidge of butter, a little brown sugar, and a splash of buttermilk.

Ohhh, now I'm hungry!

From Talk

What is your favorite book about baking bread?

Home Baking: The Artful Mix of Flour and Traditions from Around the World (Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid) is a favorite of mine. Gorgeous and evocative, with genuinely good recipes.

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About pieninja

Website:

Location: Montana USA

About: By day I'm a mild mannered nerd girl and help-desk monkey. By night I am... THE PIE NINJA! Pastries quake with fear for their delicious flaky little lives when I'm around.

Favorite foods: Simple stuff, mostly. Pie and pastries. Fresh-from-the-garden veggies. A medium-rare grilled ribeye steak. Chocolate cake with a glass of milk. Italian food that doesn't contain offal.

Last bite on earth: A perfectly ripe tomato still warm from the garden sunshine.