Neuromancer's Profile
What Christmas cookies are you baking this year?
I have plans for getting rid of leftovers! It would be harder on me if it were an exchange. ;) My coworkers do get a little sick of my cookies after a couple of weeks of me bringing a few kinds in to work every day.
What Christmas cookies are you baking this year?
I started at the beginning of the second week of December. I made cookies whenever I had a free night -- usually 2 kinds per night -- including most of the nights last week. And a good portion of the day Saturday and Sunday both weekends. I finished around midnight usually, but occasionally stayed up until 1 or 2. I froze everything until my freezer was full, then moved into a friend's freezer. When that was full, I moved to the fridge. I also made non-cookie items like meatballs, pralines, toffee, etc. I drive myself a little crazy every year, and my husband helps with the dishes (and the Crispix Mix), but it is all worth it at the party, which was last night.
I kept track of how many cookies I made and it was over 2200.
What Christmas cookies are you baking this year?
My final cookie menu ("NEW" means that I'd never tried this recipe before):
1. Black and White Espresso Chip Cookies - NEW!
2. Chocolate Peppermint Snaps - NEW!
3. Chocolate Wakeups
4. Citrus Sizzlers
5. Coconut Joe Froggers (vegan)
6. Cornflake Pecan Honeys
7. Deluxe Sugar Cookies to decorate
8. Magnolia Peanut Butterscotch
9. Margarita Cookies
10. Mrs. Fields Cookies (walnuts)
11. Nutella Cranberry Crisps (hazelnut)
12. Cocoa Snowflakes (pistachios)
13. Salty Oatmeal Cookies
14. Shortbread Jammies - NEW!
15. Snickerdoodles
16. Spritz Cookies (contain almond extract)
17. Triple Ginger Spice Cookies (vegan)
18. Walnut Rum Errors (2 ways) - NEW!
19. World Peace Cookies - NEW!
20. Boy Scout Bars
21. Pecan Turtle Bars
What Christmas cookies are you baking this year?
It's in the King Arthur Flour cookie cookbook, but also online here:
http://www.recipezaar.com/Chocolate-Peppermint-Snaps-King-Arthur-Flour-303331
What Christmas cookies are you baking this year?
I love this recipe. I make it for my vegan friends by using applesauce instead of egg and Earth Balance instead of butter.
What Christmas cookies are you baking this year?
I have a cookie party every year (this is my 13th).
So far, I've made:
Snickerdoodles
Chocolate Peppermint Snaps
Pistachio Cocoa Snowflakes
Spritz Cookies
Walnut Rum Errors (I had to rename these because I misread the recipe)
Magnolia Peanut Butterscotch
Chocolate Hazelnut Cranberry Crisps
Black and White Espresso Chip Cookies
Coconut Joe Froggers (vegan)
Triple Ginger Spice Cookies (vegan)
Salty Oatmeal Cookies
Citrus Sizzlers
Boy Scout Bars
I still hope to have time to make:
Deluxe Sugar Cookies to decorate
Margarita Cookies
Shortbread Jammies
Chocolate Wakeups
World Peace Cookies
Cornflake Honey Cookies
Mrs. Fields Cookies
How many cookies to bake for 150 people?
If there are just going to be sandwiches, I would make no fewer than 4 "pieces" per person. That's 600 cookies, or 50 dozen. The less "other" food there is going to be, the higher I would push that number. If there's a lot of the "other" stuff, you could get that down to 2-3 cookies/brownies per person. But I find church crowds to eat a lot of sweets!
Are you the only person making cookies and brownies? You can certainly bake these ahead of time. I have a cookie party every year, and usually bake over 2,000 cookies in the space of a month. Just so you know, most cookies do well stored frozen after being baked. Just take them out of the freezer 8 hours or so before you want to serve them so they'll be defrosted.
Radishes (not Daikon) - seeking soup or other recipe
Does anyone know of a flavorful recipe for radish soup? I do not have the greens - just the bulbs. I've been doing an internet search, but am finding very few options. Most "radish soup" recipes online call for Daikon radish.
Failing that, what's your favorite way to prepare radishes? I've eaten them raw and I've braised them in butter, so I'm looking for something different.
Thank you!
Mollie Katzen's new book [Moved from Not About Food board]
I've made 7 recipes with this cookbook so far and love it. I came over to ChowHound to see what other people thought and found this thread.
The recipes I've tried are Tarragon-Pecan Asparagus, Coconut-Ginger Carrots, Feta-Walnut-Stuffed Cucumbers, Best Ever Green Bean Amandine, Leek "Chips," All-Purpose Mushrooms (I added asparagus to this one), and Roasted Butternut Squash with Roasted Walnut Oil and Pomegranate Seeds. We're a two-person household, and both of us have been happy with each dish. I'm especially wild about the Tarragon-Pecan Asparagus and the Green Beans Amandine.
I think the recipes as-written are plenty flavorful, but in general I usually add extra garlic to dishes and I did add garlic and 2-3 extra tablespoons of lemon juice to the mushroom dish.
KitchenAid 12-cup food processor and liquids
Hello! I have been doing research (including reading a number of Chowhound threads) on food processors before buying one. Previously, I had a mini processor from Cuisinart that was a 3-cup version. I liked it (until it broke after about 5 years of use), but I would like something bigger for pie and pastry crusts. I'm sure I will use it for grating cheese and making mayonnaise, too, as well as chopping vegetables.
I was open to any brand (though I love my KA mixer), but have found that reviews have leaned me toward KA. I had almost decided to buy the KFP750WH 12-cup (not the extra-wide mouth) food processor from KitchenAid, but I have read several disturbing reviews suggesting that when the machine is used to process any amount of liquid (as in making homemade mayo), the power of the motor spins the blade and sprays the liquid up into the bowl above the join between the lid and main cavity of the bowl. Then, according to those reviews, when the liquid drips down the walls of the bowl it leaks out of the join and gets all over the outside of the machine and counter/table. Some people say both wet and dry ingredients spray out between the lid and bowl join.
Any Chowhound users experience this? Anyone have a recommendation for another model that has fixed this issue? I was hoping to get an 11- or 12-cup capacity bow for under $200, but it's not worth a bargain if I end up with something extra-messy. Will another brand be more versatile as far as liquids and dry ingredients are concerned?
Thanks!
What Christmas cookies are you baking this year?
I had my annual cookie party on Sunday evening. I made around 1250 cookies and a few other items. Here was the final list of cookies:
Featured Cookies
1. Snickerdoodles with Chinese cassia cinnamon
2. Nutella Mexican Wedding Cookies
3. Deluxe Sugar Cookies
4. Triple Ginger Spice Cookies
5. Spritz Cookies
6. Monster Cookies
7. Homemade Oreos
8. Chocolate Butter Cookies with Mint Glaze
9. Gingerbread Leaves (made into a vegan cookie)
10. A version of the "Mrs. Field's Cookies" (but no oatmeal; with both walnuts and pecans)
11. Brownie Cookies
12. Citrus Sizzlers
13. Peanut Butter Butterscotch Chip Cookies
14. Pear Rugelach
Bar Cookies
15. Pecan Turtle Bars
16. Boy Scout Bars
17. Cranberry Pecan Bars
I didn't make pignoli. The pine nuts and marzipan called for were too expensive.
What Christmas cookies are you baking this year?
Your list is amazing. I am still revising mine, and I feel inspired!
For my 11th annual cookie party, which my friends also demand every year, I have already made:
Snickerdoodles
Brownie Cookies
Spritz
Citrus Sizzlers (from the King Arthur Flour cookie cookbook)
Pecan Turtle Cookies (bar cookies)
And I am thinking about (as time allows):
Peanut Butter Butterscotch Chip
Monster (oatmeal) Cookies
Gingerbread
Nutella Mexican Wedding Cookies
Chocolate Butter Cookies with a mint glaze (Cook's Illustrated mag)
Mrs. Field's Cookies
"Faux-reos"
Vegan Ginger Spice (veganized from an Epicurious recipe)
Sugar Cookies
Pignoli
How is this list of cooking equipment for a beginner?
Personally, I'd choose the stainless saucepan. I have a similar one and love it.
Chefmate Dutch Oven for Target??
It was a month ago for me. My parents in Kansas (I'm in NY) bought the last one in stock from their local Target store for me (thanks to the information in this thread, especially the instructions from LilBigEater) on September 26th. I think it might have been marked down or on clearnace, as (with tax) it was $38 and change.
What are you serving for Thanksgiving dessert?
I'm from Kansas, and my mom does it, too. ;) Only she usually covers hers with "almond bark" because it's cheaper than chocolate.
What are you serving for Thanksgiving dessert?
Frozen would probably work...I figured I could find fresh peaches but they might be really expensive.
What are you serving for Thanksgiving dessert?
My sister-in-law usually bakes two or three pies, though I like to squeeze one of my own in there, too, since I love to bake. There are usually about 15-20 of us. We typically have an apple and a pecan and/or pumpkin pie from her and some ice cream. Last year there were a lot of clementines floating around the house, so I made a clementine-lime pie. It was delicious. This year I have a tentative plan to make my offering the Moosewood Dessert cookbook's peach and ginger pie in a gingerbread crust (if peaches aren't too expensive).
5 "Must Have" cookware?
I also usually am only cooking for two and my list is similar to Ziggylu's, though I could use something bigger from time to time (like that 12 inch skillet!). I can't afford the most expensive lines, so these are all mid-range to cheap products but work fine for me. My 5 most-used are:
1. 4.5 qt dutch oven
2. 4.5 qt taller "pasta pot" with colander insert and lid. (Used as "heavy-bottomed pot" Carswell describes).
3. 10" nonstick skillet (like Ziggylu, for eggs only)
4. 10" (2" deep)nonstick "everyday pan" with cover, which I really do use almost every day. If I got this again I wouldn't care so much about nonstick.
5. 2-qt. stainless saucepan with glass lid
And for a bonus, I also have a very small saucepan (4 c.) that is perfect for small jobs, which I use for melting butter, making small amounts of sauces, and more. It's almost too lightweight. It looks to be aluminum and it's a little old (a hand-me-down pot), so I'm looking for a new one in case I'm now eating my aluminum!
Non-alcoholic drinks and punches
As far as "more involved party things" go, I've made this "Cranberry Tea" for holiday parties and drink and serve it un-spiked, though some of my friends like to add a little bourbon or rum. It was meant to be non-alcoholic, as it was adapted from a cookbook called "365 Foods Kids Love to Eat."
Put 24 oz cranberries in a pot with water to cover and 2 cinnamon sticks. Boil gently until cranberries are soft. Don't throw out the water, but take out the cinnamon sticks and throw them away. Then, strain the cranberries through a collander into a container (not the sink; save that juice), pressing the berries into pulp. Set the chunky pulp aside. You don't need it for this recipe, but you can cook it on the stove for a cranberry dressing.
Add the cranberry juice that came out of the berries to the water that the cranberries boiled in. Add more water to make a gallon or so. Now add 6 cups of orange juice. Stir. Add 1/4 tsp of allspice, some cinnamon (and I used a pinch of cardamom once) and some sugar or honey. You can use any combination of sugar or honey. It should equal about 1 1/2 cups. I use 1/2 c. light honey and 1 c. white granulated sugar. Stir until sugar/honey is dissolved. Taste. If it's not sweet enough (it should be a little tangy), add some more sugar or honey.
Rice Krispies Treats as Pie Crust
Last weekend I had a chocolate peanut butter pie with a cocoa krispies crust. The crust was a little soft, but still had a good crispiness to it. I don't know the recipe, but it is possible.
My Easy Brownies are the Best I've Ever Made
Niki, I had a group of friends coming over last night for wine and nibbles and I made your brownie recipe. I didn't have enough chocolate chips (had about a cup) or walnuts (had about 1/2 a cup), but the brownies were still delicious. One tester said they were "the perfect brownie" and I think they might be just the right balance of chewy versus fluffy. They also had a nice crunchy edge. Thank you!
Pearfect Pears - just too many
The Moosewood dessert cookbook has a good recipe for gingerbread with fresh pears. It only useds 2 pears, but I'm already wishing I'd made more.
Good takeout mac 'n' cheese?
My sister just moved to East Boston and would be comforted by good mac 'n' cheese. I don't know the area at all and neither does she much yet, but I'll send her this thread for info. Any other super-cheesy choices (maybe even with Gruyère like her favorite mac 'n' cheese in Brooklyn) in that neighborhood or that she can get to easily by public transportation? She's on a tight grad student budget, but might splurge for a real treat.
Storing fruit pies
How was it the next day? I want to make the Moosewood Dessert cookbook's peach pie in a gingerbread crust for my coworkers and I am wondering if I can make it the night before. It is hard to carry a pie fresh from the oven on the subway in the morning!
Looking for good turkey bacon
Do you mean Jennie-O? If so, I agree. I did not like it.
Looking for good turkey bacon
At our neighborhood grocery store, the best-tasting brand is Louis Rich, but I've never tried the Trader Joe's brand Jacey describes and will have to seek that out.
Williamsburg Brooklyn Best Pizza Pie?
S. Cono has now "reopened" at their location across the street, but the name has been changed to Catch22, the menu is heavy on empanadas, and there are no more slices. They do still serve pizza, but I wonder if the management has changed. I thought it would be the same place (with the same pizza) in a new location, but it seems very different. Next time I need a whole pie, I'll try it out, but has anyone else eaten there since it opened?
