Help needed from bread makers! I've tried making bread a couple of times, and it NEVER comes out right. I even messed up the "no knead bread" that even a 7 year old can supposedly make. Its always too dense, and the outside is always so hard! Can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong? Too much yeast? Letting the bread rise for too long? Any easy recipes would be greatly appreciated.

I would like to make a plain white sandwich bread loaf, if someone can help with that. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I am here to solicit your wonderful ideas for a birthday dinner in midtown. Either east or west is ok, and I am looking at a price range of about $55/pp without drinks. Steak is a last option.

Thank you for your suggestions!

I have a cheese grater, and am thinking of buying a mandolin because it just takes too much time to slice up my veggies. Is there an instrument that is grater + madolin in one? Perferably including a container that catches the grated cheese/veggie slices. I tried to look for one, but I have been unable to find anything. Thank you for your help!

Lasagna shells and cheese are on sale, and I just saw some great looking eggplants. I'm thinking of trying to make a veggie/eggplant lasagna. If anyone has some great recipes, I'd be grateful if you would share them. Thank you!

I just saw a picture of these apples! II've never seen or heard of them before. Where can I get them in NYC?! They look so pretty, and delicious.

I was walking through the market this weekend and saw people sitting outside the lobster place eating oysters and lobsters! Has anyone ever tried this? Is it worth it? It looked so delicious that Im hoping to make my way there this weekend. Anyone have any tips on what/how to ask for?

A couple months ago, someone posted a link to a great website that tells you how to store different foods, and how long they last. Thats where I learned you can freeze whole lemons. Anyone remember that site?

Last week quartered chicken legs were on sale, so I bought a whole packed and baked them using different seasonings. I hate them. I ate almost all of them because it would have been such a waste to throw them out, but now I am left with 2 pieces and I cant eat it anymore. What would you recommend I do with them?

1 leg is baked with different seasonings
1 leg is baked with a soy sauce mixture

sun-dried tomatoes - I have a container of sun dried tomatoes that have been opened. Do these expire? After a couple days of opening them, they turned really dark, and almost look black. Can i still eat them?

Beets - I went beets crazy over the weekend, and made a WHOLE LOT of beet salad. Does anyone know how long they will last? I sure hope I don't need to throw them out.

Eggs - how long do boiled eggs last?

Marinara and pesto sauces - homemade. They last a while, right?

I cannot for the life of me make soup! The recipes for cream of mushroom soup seem easy, and I've tried, but it always turns out absolutely horrible! I'm just going to have to stock up on the packaged soups. What are your favorites?

I like trader joes creamy tomato soup and campbells cream of mushroom. The cream of mushroom goes well with tabasco sauce. =)

I have a few servings of chili left over from last week, and I hate to throw it away and waste. How long does chili last in the fridge?

Is this possible? I like to cook in batches on the weekends, and I look forward to this time because its a stress reliever for me. I usually dont make anything tooooo complicated because I dont have very much time. I figured I'd always come up with new things to make, and I'd be a merry person. But, I actually think I ran out of things to cook. I dont like sweets, so no cake making for me. Everything at the supermarket seems.....blah and expensive. Will I have to starve for the next week? What do you make when you cant get it together? Do you have a default meal? I just made a batch of chili.

whats the recipe? my campbell's soup doesnt have it on the back! I have strange strange craving to taste it. It better be good. Thanks!

I've been carrying around shopping bags for my lunch, but most of them wont horizontally fit my rectangular containers. so, i'm thinking of getting a tote. This one :

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10023676

What do you think?

A couple days ago, I put up a topic asking for tips on making bread by hand. Those who responded said it was easy and that bread is forgiving. I took hope and made my bread this morning and it came out terrible! The outside is hard as a rock, but the inside seems to be soft. I havent tried it yet, but i stuck a knife in there. Can someone tell me what I did wrong? The ingredients I used were just flour, water, a little salt and honey, and yeast. I let the dough stand in the refrigerator overnight and baked at 400 degrees for about an hour (until the outside was brown). I must have done something terribly wrong. =(

Hi everyone!

Im thinking of making corn chowder this weekend. Does anyone know how difficult/how much time it will take? Care to share any really good recipes? thanks!

(I come here to learn how to cook).

There was a previous thread about hand made bread v. bread machines, and everyone said how both tasted better than store bought bread. Ive never even thought to make bread because I thought it would take too much time. Well, after reading everyone's comment about how delicious the bread is, I want to try it this weekend. I have not the slightest clue about bread making, so if someone can give me a recipe, some tips, suggestions, time cutting advice, etc. please help!

FYI - i dont have any fancy equipment - no mixers, blenders, food processor, etc. The only device i own is a hand held mixer.

Thanks!

HOW do you get eggs the way its pictured on the front page? Ive been a failure at it. =(

Hi! would anyone be willing to share a gooooood recipe for homemade tomato/marinara sauce? I would like to make it this weekend. Thank you!

wow - I'm on a roll today. 2 threads in 1 day!

I read that you shouldn't use the meat you used to make the stock. Can anyone tell me why?

I usually check out foodnetwork.com for recipes, but I realized I dont really like a lot of stuff on there. Does anyone have a recommendation for internet sites where I can find manageable recipes? Thanks for the help!

Hi everyone. Can anyone give me some suggestions on what to do with left over cranberry sauce? The whole berry, in a can kind. I had some with my pork chops the other night, but now, I have no idea what else I can do with them.

Thanks!

What do I do with them? I have a lot of ricotta left over from making a lasagna, and thats really the only thing I use it for. What do i do with the rest of it?

I also have some tofu left over from stir fry. I usually also eat it raw with some soy sauce, or fry it up, but was wondering if there were any other suggestions.