Procrastibaker's Profile
Paprika Speck?
Hi all,
I have a nice looking .5 lb hunk of paprika speck hanging out in the fridge. I've never eaten speck and am not sure the best thing to do with it. Can it be eaten as-is? Sliced thin for pizza? What do you all suggest?
Thanks!
What's for Holiday dinner 2011?
So excited because my FIL finally gave up on turkey for Christmas (he's English) so we're having prime rib. The insurrection has been slow but
successful... keep trying!
family lunch in Baltimore
All great suggestions, everyone. But now that our plans are going to take us to the Science Center, any recommendations in that area (Federal Hill/ Locust Point)? Thanks!
family lunch in Baltimore
Thanks ronandaim. We love Neopol. I've actually not found another place like it. We usually stop in to get smoked mussels, etc. to take for Thanksgiving apps.
family lunch in Baltimore
Hi,
We'll be returning to Baltimore (my home town) next Wednesday for the holiday and have a day to play in the city before meeting up with family. We're looking for a really good, but somewhat kid-friendly place for lunch (toddler and a 4yo). I have some ideas, but it's been a long time. We usually just go to Lexington Market for crabcakes or to Belvedere Square for sandwiches/soup. This time we'd like something sit-down. We're flexible as to area and type of cuisine, but no chains please. Thanks!
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Lexington Market
400 W Lexington St, Baltimore, MD 21201
Black Onyx Cocoa Powder
Thanks, all, for the great tips. I think I'll try the KA product since they are tried-and-true. Seems like a holiday season must-have if you're a dark chocolate lover.
Black Onyx Cocoa Powder
Hi,
I was tempted by this product on the Joy the Baker blog but stopped short when she says it's more low-fat than normal cocoa and might make things dry. Here's the link for what I'm thinking of ordering:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IR6E5A/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=joythebak00-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B005IR6E5A
Does anyone cook with it or have any experiences to share? Is the dark chocolate flavor substantial or really subtle? Do you think it might work in a homemade hot chocolate mix? I'm trying to decide if it's worth buying some.
Thanks!
Dining/living in the Oltrarno area of Florence
Thank you! This is great to know. I appreciate all the input everyone.
Dining/living in the Oltrarno area of Florence
Thanks all! Just found our neighborhood is La Gavinana if that helps.
Dining/living in the Oltrarno area of Florence
Hi all,
We will be living in this area for six weeks starting next week. We'll have a good kitchen and I'm excited to cook while there. We have visited the city before but not for many years and not for this long. I'd love any information on where to shop or on places to eat out, especially places that won't mind small children. Thanks!
Feeding a Family in Florence
Hi there,
We just found out we will be living in Florence for about 6 wks (May-mid-June). We have a one year old and a three year old and will be living in a flat of some sort, not yet sure where but likely pretty central-- should have a minimally equipped kitchen. Any tips on places to shop for food? Markets? Specialty shops? More basic grocery stores? It's been years since I did any food shopping in Italy so have no idea really what to expect. Any special items you think we should try to make/buy while we are there? Sorry this is so general, but we're just starting to plan. Thanks!
help tonight with sauerbraten cube steak issue
I defrosted what I though was stew meat and mixed up the marinade to make sauerbraten, only to open the paper-wrapped meat and see that it was actually cube steak, like what you make chicken fried steak with. Oops. So on an impulse I just went ahead and threw it in the marinade. It's time to make it tonight-- any chance this will work OK? I was just going to roast/braise it as my recipe suggests but for a shorter time.
Swiss dessert recipe
Wow. That sounds yummy. Will have to file for another time. I ended up making an apple weincreme tart-- good but I'd have rather had the chocolate!
Swiss dessert recipe
Hi all,
I'm in a dinner club and am looking for a good, tried-and-true (and preferably not too complicated) Swiss dessert recipe. Something with chocolate would be best for this crowd!
Thank you
soggy crusts
Good luck! I always struggle with this b/c I insist on using my pretty emile henri stoneware pie pan and it never gets the bottom crust done quite right! My own fault, but I'm a sucker for the nice looking plate...
soggy crusts
Also try baking your pie on a pre-heated baking stone. And I've read that metal pie plates are best. And are you baking the pie long enough? Pies need a long bake time, IMO. At least an hour for a double crust fruit pie.
best honey wheat bread recipe
Hi all,
I'm a fairly experienced home bread baker looking for a great, basic honey whole-wheat recipe. I could probably tinker around and concoct one, but am wondering if any 'Hounds have a recipe they love-- one that is sweet, wheaty and not overly dense? Thanks!
bonless leg of lamb dilemma
I am making Madhur Jaffrey's shahjahani leg of lamb this weekend for a large dinner party-- it's a recipe where the lamb marinates in yogurt then is cooked for a long time (3-4 hrs.). Due in part to poor planning and in part to the lame place I live I can't get a bone-in leg. So I got a boneless. Any thoughts on how this will change the recipe? How much it will shorten the cooking time? Will the meat still get fall-apart tender (I'm thinking yes, as does a chuck roast if it cooks long and slow)? I also do have a beef soup bone I could throw in to add some collagen to the sauce. Help me, 'hounds! Thanks!
dinner between Edinburgh and St. Andrews
Hmm. All good questions. We are going to the British Open. My concern with staying in St. Andrews for dinner was that it might be really busy with long waits and/or needs for a reservation which I don't want to make since I'm not sure what our day will bring. By decent, I guess just generally fresh, well-prepared food at a reasonable price. Type is open-- we like it all. We are actually going back up that way the next day so husband and father in-law can play at a course near Crail, so perhaps we'll eat in Anstruther or environs that evening.
dinner between Edinburgh and St. Andrews
Hi all,
We will be driving back from St. Andres to Edinburgh next Wednesday probably about 6:30 or so. We're looking for a decent place to get a meal. Two kids in tow and a long day behind us will mean we're tired, so reasonably quick service and a simple but quality menu are important. Anything other than fast food worth stopping for? Thanks!
not your typical birthday lunch or dinner in Edinburgh
Thanks all. I think we may try the Grain Store though I've put the other suggestions on the map as well. Phil, "fun" in the sense of lively atmosphere, creative menu, thoughtfully prepared food-- this place seems to suit. Do you think kids would be OK there for an early dinner (6 PM)? I'm always cautious of bringing our kids to dinner as I never want to disturb people out for an adult evening, but going early usually works unless the place is very upscale.
not your typical birthday lunch or dinner in Edinburgh
Hi all,
We are headed to the UK for five weeks, the first in Edinburgh. We are staying in a flat in old town, traveling with two small children (toddler and infant) and grandma and grandpa. My birthday falls during our time in Edinburgh. I'm wondering if there is a fun, casual, delicious place to go for a lunch or early dinner that would be kid-friendly? Or, alternatively, a great place to buy cheeses, charcuterie, etc., for a lavish night in? Thanks!
griddle-- stovetop or electric?
Hello all. My very sweet husband got me a griddle for Mother's Day. I've wanted one for a while, mostly for making pancakes. I had initially thought of getting the type that plugs in. But he went to restaurant supply store and the guy there recommended a version that fits over two burners. I see two potential problems here: first, half your stove is used up. Second, I fear it might not heat very evenly (that said, electric griddles can have hot spots too). On the plus side, the stovetop version, being flat, would be easier to clean and store. So what do you all recommend? I'm really on the fence here. And what do you use your griddle for?
Revels Meats in Tallahassee
Hi all. Friends used to use this butcher shop years ago and suggested I check it out when I mentioned Tally's lack of good places to buy meat. Has anyone been there recently? Is it any good? Thanks!
Internal temperature of baked goods
I totally agree on the bread temps-- will have to try the others. This has helped me really improve the outcome of my breads. I've never found the "bake until it sounds hollow when tapped" to be nearly precise enough.
Salted vs unsalted butter?
There's an awful lot of debate around the real risk of salt for the average person (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/science/23tier.html). It probably depends more on each individual's health situation.
Don't tell the kids...NYT food section today
I'm not clear on why everyone is misinterpreting people's opposition to this article/event as based on sentimentality. From the posts here, the majority seem more concerned with whether this is an appropriate way to bring people a better understanding of how their food is produced. Unless you're buying a farm or planning on raising animals for meat, (which admittedly a few in the article were) I don't see any reason for an untrained person to slaughter an animal just for the experience. Whether it's a bunny or a calf or a cow is irrelevant to me. Not to mention, "exercises" like this isolate the killing part of meat production. These people come in and kill a random rabbit. They don't raise it. So the amount of understanding you're getting seems doubtful at best. Send people to a rabbit farm for a week or three, have them actually farm the animals, then slaughter one, then tell me about it. I just don't really see the point.
Don't tell the kids...NYT food section today
I wonder about the humane aspect of letting totally untrained people do this... I'm guessing one gets better the more slaughtering one does-- more confident and less apt to mess up and cause unnecessary suffering. So, no, I still don't think there is a good rationale for doing this sort of thing "for the experience" and this is totally unlike hiking the Himalayas. For the average person a more significant (and socially beneficial/ morally conscious) scenario would involve changing slaughterhouse practices into something consumers would be comfortable seeing, as opposed to the sort of scary, closed-door plants we currently have. I'm not sure the answer to large-scale and inhumane animal slaughtering by companies is small scale and possibly inhumane animal slaughtering by curious individuals.
Make ahead for hot breakfast grains?
Use a slow-cooker. I think Alton Brown has a recipe available online. You might have to experiment a bit to get the right proportion of liquid to grains since cooker temps vary somewhat. We start ours before bed and have a nice batch ready in the AM.
Best Coffee, Breakfast and Brunch in Tallahassee
We had such a disappointing brunch at Another Broken Egg the other week. Usually the place is fine-- nice enough, not great (I like the beignets and the blackberry grits). But this time it was downright bad. I got a biscuit and gravy-- dry biscuit; gravy like wallpaper paste. My husband got the grit cakes with Andouille ($8). They came out on a bread plate (seriously-- the plate was tiny) and looked a lot like vomit. It's rare that I've seen a dish this poorly presented, particularly for the price (other items priced this way seem to include more-- maybe there is an upcharge for the tiny amount of andouille in the sauce??). I mentioned my complaint to the waitress and she admitted the pricing on the menu is kind of strange but didn't offer to make amends (she was, though, quite nice). We will not go back any time soon.
