Reviews

Sometimes your instinct is better than the recipe instructions... Go with your GUT!
First and foremost – IT WAS DELICIOUS! I’m not just saying that – but take a look:
Espcheeseck
Three layers of flavor – the crust, the mocha cheesecake and the coffee cheesecake - they unite to make a delightful end result. But the process was a little different and inadequate - hence, the little white chunks, which did NOT please me... You don’t pre-bake the crust. Okay, I can see that. And my improv for Ant’s benefit, using half graham and half chocolate wafers worked just fine. After re-reading the recipe just before I made it, I realized that there would be no coffee flavor in the top layer – perhaps “authentic Starbucks”, but not what I wanted. So I used half the espresso powder in the chocolate blend, and used the other half in the egg blend (the only wet ingredient). Ah, the eggs… Therein lies the big problem. The recipe said to lightly beat them and then add them all at once? And THEN it said not to over mix. After reading a great article from Cooking Debauchery about making DENSE cheesecake (Ant’s preference), I had been careful not to include too much air into my blending. I don’t care how long you stirred – adding all that egg at one time into a cream cheese base was NEVER going to blend. Hoping that the lumps would melt away, I gave up. As you can see, they didn’t. Wish I had used the food processor at that point, but… So you reserve about half, add your mocha mix to the rest, and bake that first. Then you gently pour the reserved over the top and bake some more. I DID use a water bath and slightly lower temp, longer cooking time, but not to the extent the “debaucher” prescribed. NEXT TIME – oh, yea, it was good – I’ll use the food processor, pour the eggs in slowly, and try her temperature tricks. Delicious, dense, and so much flavor. My nephew was VERY pleased wink But next time, no little white dots!

Posted by Linda :
Sunday 04 March 2012 - 20:05:20
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Another birthday, another new cake!
Actually, it’s the birthday of two friends! As I know that they both adore coffee, I’m making a layer cake that is loaded with that flavor. Coffee in the batter, coffee in the icing… oh yeah, they’re gonna love this! The Pioneer Woman is really coming through for me wink Ah, but they don’t exactly get along – so I’ve prepared two ½ layer, layer cakes (they each live alone, so it’s okay)…
Coffeecake
As I nibbled on both the batter and the frosting, I know that this is pretty awesome! Happy Birthday Barbie and Uncle Punkle! PS The flavor is just what you’d think – the cake like a cup of black coffee, the icing like with sugar and cream… The texture is VERY different – I’ll have to have another piece to make up my mind if that’s good or bad wink

Posted by Linda :
Saturday 18 February 2012 - 00:20:19
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Well, a bottle cap didn’t work quite right. Neither did the recipe.
I know I told you to check your recycling bin for useful tools in cutting out dough. The soda can and bottle top worked perfectly for the first few cuts of my potato mixture…
Pring1
But I got tired of scraping the dough out of the cap! Okay, once upon a time (believe it or not) I earned an engineering degree – so using those much ignored brain cells, I realized that I could get the same size hole, without having to evacuate the mold, by using the bottle itself! By slicing the bottom off the plastic bottle, I could simply push them through – and it was even easier, ‘cause I could twist into my delicate dough using the existing threads wink It worked, and worked well. I kept two “donut holes” pressed together to make an alternative shape – I wasn’t about to wait another chill time. About that – I told you the recipe then says to coat and then freeze? I truly think that’s backwards. My first few beautiful rings could not handle the process now that they were room temp. So I froze the rest, THEN dipped and fried.
Prings2
Those were my successes – most ended up looking like this:
Pring3
The flavor is spot on, as long as you added salt to each step – sort of a cross between a curly fry and a bloomin’ onion. The ranch dip prescribed was super easy and fast – no trial and error required there wink I guess I have mixed feelings – the taste is pretty awesome, as long as you added enough salt (potatoes need a lot of it). The technique – even once I was truly able to do what was asked – didn’t seem practical. I’d probably make this again, but just skip the shaping process – the little “blobs" are tasting pretty good right now.

Posted by Linda :
Sunday 22 January 2012 - 23:07:15
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Coffee and chocolate – need I say more?
Papa found a recipe a while back. I’d go somewhere with Mom, and she’d tell me Papa baked “those cookies again last night”. I’d be talking to my brother on the phone, and he’d yell at one of the kids “Hey, Papa brought those over for ME!” Then he’d mumble (a guy who isn’t particularly into sweets?) “I even have to guard those cookies from my kids!” Apparently, they loved them, too. At a concert Anita says, “Linda – you HAVE to write about those cookies Papa makes”… and I HADN”T HAD THEM YET!!!! I mentioned it to Papa. “Yeah, everyone seems to like them. Oh. You haven’t?!? I’ll have to make you some.” So when Christmas rolled around and I found a little box with four cookies in my stocking (yes, the adults still get stockings wink ) I trusted that these were the “special” ones. And boy, were they!
20cookies
These are NOT just “another chocolate chip” cookie. A coffee flavored, not too sweet dough with both dark and white chocolate chunks – yes, what will forever remain in my mind as Papa’s cookies are truly delightful. Addictive, but delightful. The true credit for creating the recipe belongs to “The Baker’s Catalog”, Spring 2005, but sometimes the talent of RECOGNIZING a great recipe is worth considerable mention. Papa has never used the cinnamon chips, which I did in my recent batch (along with the little box, we each got another dozen and a copy of the recipe that day)… Honestly, I agree with Papa and don’t think that they’re needed – unless you like cinnamon in your espresso... You decide. But exercise caution – you’ll find yourself “guarding” them as well wink

Posted by Linda :
Wednesday 18 January 2012 - 22:24:28
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Nooks and Crannies – that YOU can make!
I was amazed at how simple one of my favorite breakfast (or snack) items can be made – really, all it takes is time to make your own English Muffins! You heat some milk, stir in some flour… Okay, there’s a little more to it (actually, not that much), and fortunately Sheryl Canter did all the research and experimentation smile Her recipe is for a batch of six (though I made them “sandwich” size, and got four) and is easily multiplied. The best part is that you can play with her recipe, and make your own variations… Want less sourdough flavor? Cut the milk by diluting it with water. Want whole grain? Add your preferred flour for half of the All Purpose. In both cases, it IS important to only go half-way - you need at least half the milk and half the AP to preserve those precious nooks and crannies. You can also use semolina as opposed to cornmeal for that authentic “crunch” – but definitely use one or the other…
Engmuffins
My only “complaint” with this process is that it takes about 90 minutes in the last stages (final rest, pan “baking”, cooling)… I don’t want to wait that long for breakfast! So my plan is to start the fermentation in the morning, do the finishing in the evening, and then split and toast in the morning – they’ll still be incredibly fresh. And nothing – NOTHING – beats homemade!!!!

Posted by Linda :
Saturday 31 December 2011 - 13:51:39
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Be still my heart! Uh, maybe I’d better re-phrase that…
If you visit a lot of “foodie” blogs like I do, sometimes you come across the same recipe over and over… Usually that means that it is something great. I’ve found essentially this same recipe on at least six sites – and trust me, it’s awesome! Just realized - I’m so excited about this, I’ve even forgotten to tell you what we’re making – Bacon Jam! Smoky, spicy, sweet, salty… I’ve been dreaming of ways to use this since I first heard of it…
20jam
I believe that I have found an original at Not Quite Nigella wink If you prefer metric measurements, then The Bacon Bible has you covered. It’s really a simple process; it just takes time and patience. Both links have beautiful pictures and delightful commentary – “must” reading, whether you decide to try this or not. But you must wink Because of the long cooking time and the promise of pure delight, I opted to make a quintuple batch (5x!) – my grocer sells “less than pristine” slices of bacon in bulk packs - two and a half pounds for ten bucks?!? Perfect for this application. My choice of Chipotle Hot Sauce (I used 2 Tblsps, about a tsp per batch, though I’ll probably use a touch more next time) provided enough smokiness and delightful background heat as well. Took forever to fry all that bacon (I could have baked it quicker, but I wanted all those drippings!)… Oh so worth it! The rest of the process is simple, and a sheer delight having your house smell so delicious. Because of the bulk, I cooked it a little over an hour longer than prescribed, and used my immersion blender for the final processing.
Baconjam
OMG! Even BETTER than I expected!!! Looks like I’m having a “Bacon Christmas” this year – this is just too good not to share.

Posted by Linda :
Wednesday 30 November 2011 - 16:04:04
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I’ve never made much candy before…
Oh, I’ve made peanut brittle a few times, and even cashew brittle… but these last few months have been different. I've given my grandmother's candy thermometer a work out! So far I’ve made pumpkin fudge, bacon caramel, and today (drum roll, please), Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough FUDGE! My friend Sandra shared the link, and I just HAD to find out if they tasted as good as they sounded. It’s a different technique than most fudge – you cook some of the ingredients, add the usual as well as flour (?!), let the mixture sort of cool, and then scrape it up into your mixing bowl… Odd, huh? You won’t think so once you see the results.
Chipfudge
This is a really soft fudge, so I highly recommend a parchment paper “sling” in your oiled 8x8” pan – much easier to remove and slice these wonders. You’ve got to give these a try. Oh yeah, they’re as good as you think wink

Posted by Linda :
Sunday 13 November 2011 - 23:59:06
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LOOK before you run to the store
Before the first heavy frost was expected, my neighbors gave me two of the last eggplants from their garden. They were such cute babies! Now, I couldn’t make the obvious choice of Eggplant Parmesan… I shamefully admit that I haven’t been to the grocer’s in a few weeks - not only was I out of both parm and romano, I didn’t have any tomatoes?!? So on to my search engine… Just grilling slices all by themselves didn’t appeal to me – I was looking for a meal. I’ve got lots of pasta – nope, all the recipes call for tomatoes in one form or another… How about Eggplant Croquettes? Onion, cheese, egg… sort of like a potato pancakes using eggplant. I have to warn you – the mixture looks AWFUL before it’s cooked – sort of a grayish-brownish-greenish slurry… Make sure that you use a non-stick pan!!! I didn’t, and got something more like eggplant hash browns? Awfully good, though.
Eggpl
I would have never found this tasty item if I’d had the time to go to the store – I had to use my other resources wink Honestly, the flavor and texture reminded me of turkey stuffing – you could probably get the kids to eat this one!

Posted by Linda :
Wednesday 02 November 2011 - 21:08:29
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Simple Decadence
When I first presented my Pecan Pie Trifle as the “show stopper” for Mom and Anita’s birthday dinner, Papa told Jeff that I had dropped the pie, and had had to improvise. Jeff believed him?! No, though I wish I could take credit for this masterpiece, I had the guidance of “Shiny Plastic’s” experience.
Trifileside
During the super easy preparation, I realized that somehow, while I had the caramel, I had neglected to purchase or had misplaced the fudge sauce?!? Not having all the ingredients to make my own, I cheated and grabbed the bag of mini chocolate chips – hey, we couldn’t go without chocolate…
Trifletop
Pretty! They added another texture as well, so it really worked. I have to question the premise that this feeds a crowd - for a party, I would definitely double or even triple this (a single recipe filled about two-thirds of my 2 qt bowl). I say this because even after a very generous Italian dinner out, SIX of us devoured pretty much the entire trifle. I think they liked it wink Thanks again, “Shiny Plastic” – I have no doubt that my family and our friends will be enjoying this for years to come.

Posted by Linda :
Sunday 16 October 2011 - 16:34:45
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There’s a new green in my life
I’ve only had those rich, somewhat bitter greens like collards, chard and kale in stews and soups, or sautéed to pure mush. I can’t say that I was impressed with any of them as a side dish. But like brussel sprouts, I’ve found that the secret to MY pleasure is in the preparation. When I made Rachael’s sausage and potato cake dinner, roasted kale was the side dish. “Kale Chips” are being acclaimed everywhere – and even though I chopped them a little too small (about one inch pieces which were a little hard to get on a fork) – I quite liked the flavor. Cooking just for myself that night, I found I had purchased WAY too much kale. So the search was on for another use. Lots and lots of kale chip recipes, as well as simple sautés with olive oil and garlic… Then I found this one. Sweet and savory with dried cranberries and almonds, this is a must try!
Sskale
Some of the reviews thought that there was a tad too much sugar, so I used a tablespoon of Agave instead of the four teaspoons of sugar asked for. Perfect! There are a lot of different flavors going on here, so this would be a perfect side for a basic pork chop or chicken breast. I could see a baked potato – or even a sweet potato – to round out the plate. White beans are traditional with kale, and would add protein and keep it vegetarian - sub veggie stock, of course… I’ve always adored spinach, gotten over my dislike of brussel sprouts… and now I have two ways to prepare kale. Dark greens are on a roll!

Posted by Linda :
Saturday 01 October 2011 - 23:00:23
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