bananie's Profile
meal suggestions for 7 women in a condo in aspen
I agree that roast chicken is a great idea, add a pan of your favorite roasted vegetables. For another meal, penne w/ vodka sauce, a nice salad and plenty of wine. This recipe is a great one:
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/penne-with-spicy-vodka-tomato-cream-sauce/Detail.aspx
Blind baking question
I'm planning on making a tart and a quiche for brunch and need to blind bake both crusts first. I wanted to do it the night before so that morning I can just dump the fillings in. Will this work or am I risking a soggy crust? And would I keep the crusts at room temp or do I throw them in the fridge? Thanks for your help.
Villa Rosa?
My mother just gave us a $50 gift certificate to Villa Rosa. I admit that I have never eaten there, but I can tell from what I've heard this is not my kind of place. Best way to use this thing up, order pizza to go? Is there a bar? Maybe a few drinks would put a dent in it?
Looking for great mint brownies
I'm looking for a great brownie recipe featuring mint. I'm thinking of trying Dorie Greenspan's one with the peppermint patties mixed through ("Brrrrrownies" in Baking From My Home to Yours), but wanted to check on the board in case anyone has a favorite. Thanks!
Epicurious Double Chocolate Layer Cake - scaling down recipe?
I know this is an old post, but I while comparing chocolate cake recipes I happened to notice that the chocolate cupcake recipe in Molly Wizenberg's book, A Homemade Life (of the orangette blog) is the epicurious recipe divided by 3. It's not credited as such in the book, but she does have a blog post from several years back where she makes this cake. The only difference for the cupcakes is she uses yogurt instead of buttermilk, which is a pretty common substitution, and when reducing the baking soda in the recipe brings it down from 2 tsp to 1/2 tsp. Otherwise it's exactly a third of all the other ingredients to yield 12 cupcakes. Thought this might be helpful for others, I plan on trying it out tonight.
savory biscotti?
Anyone have a good savory biscotti recipes that they have tried? Something that could be dunked in soup. There's a recipe on the King Arthur site for Savory Cheese Biscotti that I might try, but thought I'd ask around first for recommendations.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/savory-cheese-biscotti-recipe
Thanks!
Italian Christmas Cookie Crisis
These are my favorite Italian cookies:
Italian Anise Cookies:
http://foodforahungrysoul.blogspot.com/2009/04/italian-anise-cookies.html
What to serve with clam chowder?
Oh horrors, New England of course! My yankee roots hardly allow for acknowledging the other! No offense to those who enjoy the Manhattan version. Thanks for that thread, I had missed it.
What to serve with clam chowder?
I plan on making a large batch of clam chowder for Christmas Eve, any thoughts on what else to serve to round out the meal? At first I was going to put out an antipasto salad and then serve a couple of different soups, but got requests for the chowder. Doesn't seem like an antipasto goes with it. Also, thoughts on a second soup? There will only be 10 of us and envision this as a casual sort of thing, not formal sit-down. And plenty of cookies for dessert!
coconut rice - how do you do it?
I've made the coconut rice from here before and it is delicious!
http://wednesdaychef.typepad.com/the_wednesday_chef/2006/01/steven_raichlen.html
Best price for nuts?
I like to make a few batches of sugared or spiced nuts this time of year and am looking for good prices on nuts, specifically pecans. Saw them at Shaws for $10 a pound last night, and couldn't bring myself to put them in my basket since I wanted 3 or 4 pounds. Any tips for a better price?
Thanks!
Appetizer with "Wow Factor" to bring to a Friend's House
Yum, I can vouch that this is very good. I've made a shallot cherry confit recipe (from Martha Stewart maybe?) that is very similar and it was a hit and very easy.
defrosted shrimp has white spots?
I just defrosted some raw shrimp (deveined but with their shells still on) and some of them have a small white spot or two. Is this freezer-burn? They don't smell bad or anything, but I've never seen this before and I buy the big bags of frozen shrimp like this fairly often. Safe to cook and eat or should I toss them and the rest of the bag that's in the freezer?
Ice Cream Favorites?
I'm going to finally use my ice cream maker for the first time, any favorite recipes?
Christmas Eve dinner
I had a very similar situation with my boyfriend, now husband, several years ago. We went to the butcher and picked up two really good (and really expensive!) filets and made filet mignons with a mushroom wine sauce, scalloped potatoes and asparagus. We now make those steaks almost every time it's a special occasion with just the two of us, although the sides often change. We'll start with shrimp or a nice salad or soup. It's probably become our favorite meal.
Turkey-Day Hits and Misses
I finally made the first good gravy of my life and the spinach gratin was a huge hit, even with the young nieces and nephews. Wasn't thrilled with my stuffing, a little too dry, I think I should have added more broth. Desserts were picked up from the store by my sister-in-law, next time I'll do them myself, a lot of people just passed on them as they weren't incredibly tempting.
Help! Professional chefs coming to dinner.
I agree. This one is really wonderful:
Mixed greens with pecans, goat cheese, and dried cranberries
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/108714
Best Creamed Spinach Recipes?
This is the recipe I always use and it is really good. I often make it the day before and then reheat.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/231198
Trader Joe's pumpkin butter. GOOD!
Try this recipe if you can't find it at TJ's:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pumpkin-Butter/Detail.aspx
Make-ahead turkey
I've seen tips about making a turkey ahead of time, slicing it up and putting it in a pan covered with broth to keep moist. Then just putting it in the oven to reheat before serving. Has anyone had success doing this? I'm thinking of trying it this year for Thanksgiving but don't want it to taste like leftovers. (I would do the turkey the day before.)
Is there anything you just can't make, no matter how hard you try? [Moved from General Topics board]
Meatballs.
looking for a recipe for a gourmet cranberry sauce that remains relatively traditional
I make this recipe which has a pint of blueberries in it, it is absolutely delicious. I actually use frozen blueberries.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Blue-Cranberry-Sauce/Detail.aspx
Fresh key limes: recipe ideas? (not including pies)
Key Lime Bars, summarized from Cooks Illustrated
5 ounces animal crackers
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar (light or dark)
Pinch table salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled
slightly
Filling
2 ounces cream cheese , room temperature
1 tablespoon grated lime zest , minced
Pinch table salt
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup fresh lime juice , either Key lime or regular
Garnish (optional)
3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut , toasted until
golden and crisp
350° oven
Line 8x8 inch baking pan with foil and spray w/ non-stick.
Pulse animal crackers in a food processor add sugar and salt and pulse. Add butter and pulse until combined. Press crumbs firmly into bottom of baking pan. Bake until golden, 18-20 minutes, then cool. Stir together cream cheese, lime zest, and salt in a bowl. Add sweetened condensed milk and whisk until incorporated and lumps are gone. Whisk in egg yolk then the lime juice.
Poor into crust and bake 15-20 minutes or until set and edges start to pull away slightly from the sides of the pan. Cool 1-1 ½ hours then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Garnish with toasted coconut.
Favorite dips and spreads
I just did a search myself, here you go:
2 10-ounce packages frozen spinach, thawed and drained
8 ounces cream cheese (about 1 cup), softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sliced scallions
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped chipotle in adobo sauce, or more to taste
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, or to taste
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
Dump in food processor and combine
Favorite dips and spreads
Looking for your recipes of favorite dips and spreads. I love Ina Garten's pan-fried onion dip and her roasted eggplant spread (both on the food network site). Thanks!
Ina Gartens Cheddar Corn Chowder
I've made this several times, including using frozen corn, and it's still delicious. I've never frozen the soup though so I can't help you there. I generally serve it with greens dressed with a simple vinaigrette and cheddar biscuits or crusty bread. Have also served it with crab cakes.
Once Upon a Tart
I just picked this book up from the library and was wondering if anyone has suggestions for recipes to try...
Your tips for making GREAT crab cakes
Except for the red pepper, this is identical to the recipe I just made tonight from epicurious. It was very good, as was the greens with lemon vinaigrette they pair it with:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/5762
Ideas for vacation rental cooking
Renting a vacation house with friends for a week and want to plan ahead in regards to meals. What are some of your favorite easy meals to make while on vacation? So far I'm planning on making ahead of time a big batch of granola and also mixing up in a ziplock the dry ingredients for pancakes. Of course we'll grill. Does anyone have any other ideas?
