Erika L's Profile
Need a Recipe for a Coffee Cake to Travel
Whatever recipe you choose, it's probably best to leave it in the pan and just cover it with plastic wrap or foil.
Homemade birthday cake sent by snail mail. Any recipie suggestions?
I concur, that's a LONG time for any cake to remain edible. That said, you might consider a loaf cake rather than a layer cake, and to ship it still in the pan. Also, an oil-based cake will remain moist far longer than a butter-based cake. I can't imagine that any frosting would survive being jostled. Is there some kind of express shipping that wouldn't be cost-prohibitive?
What's the best thing you personally can make with white sliced sandwich bread?
Another vote for summer pudding, made with fresh-from-the-vines strawberries and razzleberries! In fact, using a more virtuous type of bread (whole grain, artisan) ruins it.
Wolferman's
Very bready, very bland, more like thickly cut bread than English muffins--they don't get crunchy. Halves are far too large to fit in a toaster--you need a toaster oven--plus, depending on what kind they are, they may have "inclusions" that incinerate on the heating elements. I got them as a gift and gave them away to a friend with three teenagers who will eat about anything.
Crouqembouche questions
Ditto, chocolate sauce will be too slide-y and will not provide any adhesive properties. You need something that will solidify at room temp which is why caramelized sugar is the traditional mortar. You might be able to use a fudge sauce--as in, a boiled sugar sauce--because that will set up at room temp. I wouldn't try it with more than three layers though (and a really small circumference), plus it will most likely rip the individual puffs when someone tries to remove one.
Does anyone still eat rice cakes?
They're a Godsend for gluten-intolerant or celiac folks. You can get them just about anywhere when you're on the road, even though they are basically edible plates.
oatmeal for a crowd
Not sure if this response is too late but maybe for your next turn as Snack Mama: crock pots make terrific large-batch oatmeal. Just google for proportions.
deviled eggs without the M word
Have you tried olive oil? I make Caesar eggs by mashing and then binding the yolks with olive oil, then adding some minced anchovy or anchovy paste, a little minced garlic, lemon juice, and some Parm.
Sauteeing Rosemary
Sauteeing chopped rosemary makes it bitter--it scorches very easily. I know this from personal experience. The oils in the needles seem to have a low tolerance for direct heat. I can't imagine toasting would work any better, as that's also a dry heat. I think you'll be better off very very finely mincing the needles (till they're like talcum powder) and sprinkling them on, or some other way that adds the rosemary at the very end. Wet heat is fine--in a pot of beans or soup, etc.
Why won't my lentils come out "fluffy"? Does anyone;'s lentils come out fluffy?
Brown and green lentils will cook up, well, separately--not sure what fluffy is. Red and yellow lentils won't, no matter what you do, because they're split and meant to be soupy. You don't need to soak any lentils, just cook them till crunchy-tender (the amount of time depends on what kind of lentils), then drain and proceed. For lentil salads, I cook them like noodles (in more than enough water, then drain) rather than like rice (just the right ratio of water:rice, no draining).
Does anyone "snack" on croutons?
Absolutely! They are in the same category as chips, crackers, nuts...I can't let them into the house because one bag = one serving, regardless of the size of the bag. Home made croutons are even more dangerous because they don't require a trip to the store--one batch = one serving.
Cookies for 200 people - questions
I use my largest scoop for muffins and cupcakes--it's smaller than an ice cream scoop but still too large for cookies.
Cookies for 200 people - questions
I've done non-holiday (ish) cookies with a cookie gun/spritz press, with the "ribbon" attachment that makes corrugated strips. I make them 1 1/2 - 2" long then, after baking, half-dip in dark chocolate and immediately sprinkle with sugar that I've buzzed in a food processor with lemon or orange peel. You get sparkles and flavor, all in one. I've also ripped off a recipe from I believe the late, lamented Gourmet and spiked the dough with cardamom, then drizzled the finished cookies with dark chocolate and and a powdered sugar/espresso icing. Another version had almond extract in the dough and then dipped in dark chocolate and chopped almonds. I've done these assembly-line style and, while not quite as fast as slice and bakes (which I vary by making some logs square, rectangular, or triangular) they are pretty darned fast.
Cookies for 200 people - questions
I recommend either "normal" sized cookies or even on-the-small-side cookies because it's more fun to try 2 - 3 (or more) diff cookies than to have one large one. That said, ditto all the suggestions for slice-and-bake. You can gussie them up by sandwiching them with jam, ganache, etc, or by half-dipping in chocolate, with or without sprinkles. Anything that can be portioned with a scoop or pressed out of a cookie gun will also allow you to make large quantities, very quickly. Save the shaped cookies (roll-and-cut, and sorry to disagree with karykat, but also spoon cookies--I've made them and it takes quite a bit of time to to form them quickly enough to fill a sheet). All of these will survive freezing nicely.
Favorite Chickpea Recipe - Here's Mine - What's Yours?
I can't remember where I got this recipe but I make it when leeks are in season:
3 - 4 strips of bacon, or an equal amount of pancetta
3 or 4 large leeks, split, cleaned, and white part sliced 1/2"
1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
about 2 tsp of vinegar--I've used Champagne and red wine
Chop the bacon or pancetta and brown in a skillet. Add the leeks and about 1/4 c water. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes, till the leeks are "melty." Add more water if necessary. Add the chickpeas and finish with the vinegar.
Anyone have a really CHEWY oatmeal cookie?
Here's how I get the chew into oatmeal cookies:
Use melted AND COOLED butter. The "cooled" part is important--I have no idea why but it makes all the diff; my guess is that it makes the butter absorb the dry ingredients differently. I melt it in the microwave and let it sit on the counter till it's room temp. I've even let the butter cool till re-solidifies and it works out just the same.
Use all brown sugar. And don't skimp on the sugar--that's what makes cookies chewy. I don't think it's possible to make a low-sugar chewy cookie.
Use only old-fashioned oats, not quick or instant oats.
Coarsely grind 1/4 - 1/3 of the oats in a food processor or blender, then mix that with the rest of the oats and proceed.
Chewy choc chip cookies all turning out cakey!
Oh, and--your butter may have a different water content/butterfat content than does US butter . European butter does.
Chewy choc chip cookies all turning out cakey!
Stick with melted and cooled (not warm) butter. Melting butter makes for chewy cookies--I will personally vouch for this. It changes the water content and also butter's ability to absorb the flour (in other words, melted butter reacts diff to flour than does creamed butter). Definitely mix by hand, not with a mixer. The flour you have in South Africa may have a diff gluten content than what we have in the US. You have to let the dough rest in order to let the gluten relax--same reason you chill pie crusts. Sorry to disagree with the poster who recommended high-gluten bread flour but in my experience, that makes for tough pastries and baked goods. You need a high gluten content in bread (and then develop it through kneading) so that it has the "stretch" to allow the yeast to off-gas carbon dioxide and make the bread rise. Best of luck! It took me several months to develop recipes for chewy choco chop, chewy oatmeal, and chewy ginger molasses (my co-workers were the beneficiaries of my experiments).
Blue Laws? & Best place to buy wine for hotel room near Inn at the Market?
Yes, you can buy wine on Sundays. Wine and beer are sold in many places but hard liquor is available only at state liquor stores. I ditto all the recommendations here.
HELP....BARBIE Themed Birthday Dinner
I'd go for things that are pink and sparkly. If those don't work (such as for an entree), small, cute things. I second tastesgoodwhatisit and would go with baby veggies, scooped out and stuffed cherry tomatoes, tiny stuffed mushrooms. Alternatively, you could go ladies' luncheon and serve chicken salad or chicken a la king over toast points or puff pastry shells. For dessert--definitely cupcakes or even baby cupcakes rather than a cake. That's too big and hulking! I love Barbie (the patron saint of girlness) but would also be stumped trying to compose a Barbie-themed birthday menu!
Frugal dining for athletes
Oatmeal--the real kind that you cook on the stove, not the instant stuff. It will fuel you for just about anything.
Ditto Joebob's comment--chocolate milk is a classic and readily available recovery food. You perform on what you ate within the first hour after your last workout, not what you ate last night. Recovery is a huge part of getting in shape and yes, chocolate milk has a good ratio of both protein and carbs.
Can frozen egg whites make a decent meringue?
Ditto all the comments. FWIW, I use a glass canning jar and then put a piece of blue painter's tape on the lid. I make another hash mark whenever I add an egg white. I don't know what's the longest I've collected whites before using them but it's definitely months, not weeks.
Rehearsal dinner options around Seattle University?
Cafe Presse has a back room that's usually part of their dining area--I wonder if they rent it out for parties? It's definitely walkable and they could probably do something within your budget, although it might be appetizers rather than a sit-down meal.
BTW, the chapel is glorious and the campus landscaping should be beautiful at that time of year. Congratulations!
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Cafe Presse
1117 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
Saturday dinner in Portland (with some requirements)
Many thanks--I'll see if I'm capable of making it to Lower Burnside, sounds like more choices.
Red bread ideas?
I've made tomato juice bread before--a yeast bread that uses hot tomato juice to proof the yeast. The finished product is sort of pink but it does have a nice tang and makes tasty grilled cheese sandwiches and also toast to accompany eggs. Apparently, the military served this regularly, as a way to increase the nutritional content of the bread, and troops referred to it as "red bread." I can't find my recipe but did an online search and found several versions that sound pretty close to the one that I've used.
Saturday dinner in Portland (with some requirements)
I'll be in Portland this Saturday, after having ridden STP (Seattle to Portland--204 miles) (on a bike). Does anyone have a suggestion for dinner? Here are the requirements: within walking (more like stumbling) distance of Lloyd Center; serves dinner after 8 or 9 pm; OK to wear jeans or other casual clothing; and comfortable for a single woman, eating alone (which I do frequently; I have no shyness about this, but some places just "feel" better to single diners). Help me spend my hard-earned calorie deficit! (I'm meeting a friend for Sunday breakfast so I'm covered for that one.) Thanks!
Raw yolks from old eggs—should I worry? (possibly urgent)
If the eggs are still in their shells, I agree, they're good far past the date on the carton. In fact, I don't use eggs for hard-boiled eggs unless they're at least two weeks since I purchased them--otherwise, the shells are difficult to remove.
Incongruently-named/Silly/Misleading Recipe Names
Nor are there tables in table wine! Duck sauce was the first item that came to mind when I read this topic title because I first heard the term when I was maybe 5 and was really looking forward to seeing Donald and Daisy and Daffy in the bowl! My family has yet to let me live this one down.
