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The Ten Most Recent Comments By ptrap

From Recipes

Pillsbury Bake-Off Million-Dollar Winner: Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies

I just came back from the bake-off as a contestant. And I read lots of blogs where people complain that its just using pre-made or pre-packaged stuff. Yes, I cringed a little when Sandra Lee told us all that we were all "semi-homemade chefs". But that's kind of the point of the contest. To enter, you are given two lists of assorted Pillsbury and other sponsor related products. Your recipe has to include at least one item from each list. That really limits what you can make. And that's why you see some really weird combos pop up in this contest. For me, it was just the fun of entering and the very remote chance of winning $1 million; I wasn't trying to create the next great American recipe. I will enter again next year; it was fun!

From Talk

Question of the Day: Did you see 'Ratatouille' this weekend?

I did. As a food movie, it was great and touched on a lot of subjects. As a movie-movie, I got really tired of all the trials and tribulations and set backs which seemed to pile up on top of each other. The last 20 minutes, however, brought tears to my eyes and was worth the wait.

From Talk

What is your favorite kind of cookie?

Martha Stewart's Chocolate Chip Cookies. Amatuer Gourment led me to them. They are buttery, crispy, yet chewy in the middle...simply little changes take the normal, cakey average Tollhouse cookie into something sublime.

From Talk

Interesting food combinations

Ketchup on scrambled eggs.
Sliced cheddar cheese on bbq potato chips.
McDonalds fries dipped into chocolate shake.
Cottage cheese and honey.

From Required Eating

Waitering, Part Two

Jeez...all you current or former waiters are a surly bunch. I don't think Adam was asking for your judgement. He was honest and told a story.

From Talk

Who's your most/least favorite food personality on Food Channel?

Love Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. She makes food I actually want to eat and its unpretentious and uncomplicated.

While I do not mind Rachel Ray's food I can't watch her mannerisms. They are very distracting...the overuse of her hands, the eye rolling, the catch phrases, the laughter at anything. It's just too much.

From Talk

Ok all, I need some inspiration.

Spanikopita is delicious and freezes well.

From Required Eating

Food at Work

What's up with that cake in the picture and how do I get the recipe??
(to share at work, of course)

Responses to Comments by ptrap

From Recipes

Pillsbury Bake-Off Million-Dollar Winner: Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies

A recipe, according to Webster's, is a set of instructions for making something from various ingredients. That makes this and other recipes calling for the use of convenience food ingredients "real." The contest is clearly designed to generate recipes using specific brand-name products. If that's not your thing, look elsewhere for your recipes.

From Recipes

Pillsbury Bake-Off Million-Dollar Winner: Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies

At first I was excited to see a peanut butter cookie recipe that was worth a million dollars until I saw that it was made with a premade cookie dough! I have never used a premade store bought cookie dough & never will! Every cookie from scratch is my idea of a million dollar cookie, not some premade shortcuts. No thanks, I wouldn't even try this recipe. Maybe they need a crock of butter to go along with this recipe.

From Recipes

Pillsbury Bake-Off Million-Dollar Winner: Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies

oh geez, I was expecting a real recipe. =(

From Recipes

Pillsbury Bake-Off Million-Dollar Winner: Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies

According to the article about her in yesterday's Washington Post, this lady has entered the contest every year for the last 15 years. She came up with this recipe because it uses five of the sponsors' products. Her husband is a financial planner, so I'm sure they will figure out what to do with the money.

From Recipes

Pillsbury Bake-Off Million-Dollar Winner: Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies

@ptrap - congratulations on making it to the finals! I used to enter the State Fair of Texas contests before moving to Arizona and there were a couple SFT ladies in the finals, too. One, Gwen Beauchamp, won the fan's favorite recipe (or whatever it was called).

From Recipes

Pillsbury Bake-Off Million-Dollar Winner: Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies

I think the recipe was a good choice. Have had to explain waffe-stick stuffing for the past two years, I am glad Carolyn just has a cookie to deal with. It's pretty straightforward and I think it's one that normal people will make when they need to provide cookies for a group.

Having said that, I've seen many versions of that recipe. Some with chocolate coating, some made with peanut butter cookie mix. I think the cleverness of combining a snickerdoodle with a filled peanut butter cookie is what the judges liked. She took an old favorite and put it in a convenient, easy to replicate recipe.

My only problem is the recipe didn't specify salted or unsalted peanuts. I made them with salt and the sweet/salty makes your forget about the refrigerated dough. I can imagine the cookies might be a little flat without the salt. But that's just my opinion. I like salt.

I also think there should have been a higher ratio of peanut butter to sugar....like 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/3 cup powdered sugar.

From Talk

Who's your most/least favorite food personality on Food Channel?

Rachael, Guy and SLoP should be BANNED. Every Rachael recipe I've tried has come out like s**t.

I love just about everyone else on the FN.

From Talk

Interesting food combinations

LOL I thought I was the only one that dipped french fries in my Frostys -- milkshakes and sundaes too. Yay!!!

When I went to McDonald's as a kid, I used to throw 4-5 french fries in my saimin* and fish them out later. They were soggy, but for whatever reason, I loved it.
* Hawaiian version of ramen except in a fish-based broth, with fishcake, green onions, and char siu on top.

@Chisai - I introduced the mayo+soy sauce as asparagus dip to my husband years ago and he LOVES it. He uses it with fish sticks, french fries, anything you can think of.

I always...always...dip my french fries in mayo-ketchup-mustard (1/2 mayo, 1/3 ketchup, 1/6 mustard), unless I'm at a Greek place, then I dip them in the tzatziki. Replace "mayo" with Kewpie mayo when I am at home.

Growing up, I used to dip my fries in honey, mainly because it was leftover from the fried chicken. I would also dab brine from pickled jalapenos on my fried chicken and eat it with whole jalapenos. I was also one of those kids who loved digging for and eating marrow. What a mess!

French onion dip lightly spread on fresh sour dough bread and sour cream and onion potato chips in the middle.

From Talk

Interesting food combinations

i have a lot of weird food combinations, but i just remembered some more

avocados and raisins
goat cheese and salsa (instead of cream cheese and salsa)
speaking of which bacon cream cheese bagels are delicious
waffles honey maple turkey, sharp cheddar and little bit of maple syrup and butter
carrots and dijon
pretzels and applesauce

wow i eat alot of strange things

From Talk

Interesting food combinations

Best snack - candy corn and salted peanuts
Toasted bagels with cottage cheese and applesauce on top.
Speaking of applesauce, one of my friends just loves to dip potato chips in applesauce!
Back in the day, used to love blue box mac & cheese w/ tuna and peas, Haven't had that in years.