recipe skimming

[cakeinoz]

Itching to be inspired by something new, I've been perusing online recipes posted by various food blogs and other trusted sources. In the process, I've found another use for the load of blackberries the freezer can barely contain. I've also made some observations I felt like sharing here:

Comments

[cakeinoz]

I had to find the link again, but the recipe is here. You might not be able to access it without signing up to the website. If so, let me know and I'll type it up. It's a Berry Buckle recipe. Hers calls for blueberries, but I used the blackberries and it's quite tasty. I also made a cobbler and a crumble, but Thomas prefers the buckle because it's more cakey. I think I liked the cobbler the most (I just went with some basic cobbler recipe which appeared on several sites because it had won some bake-off awards. Dead simple, too.) This whole project has made me wish I had some of the cookbooks from the TX state fairs I went to! My ex's mom used to enter the contests there, and bob knows anything that actually won in that sort of competition had to be good. :D

I seriously laughed at your Sandra Lee anecdote. I don't mind Cool Whip really, but once you're opening the package and stirring things into it, yes you might as well just whip some cream yourself. It tastes MUCH better, and it's one of those dead simple things you can do yourself that you could just serve with some plain strawberries and have everyone delighted. I'm just amazed at the crap she pulls off and the fact that she's still on the air!

ooh this reminded me of something I think you'll appreciate. Delia Smith, a famous home cook/ cookbook author here in the UK, recently came out with a controversial cookbook which incorporates some ready-made foods to hypothetically make cooking less stressful/ difficult and thus inspire more people to do it. Except that she's ended up with recipes calling for disgusting things (canned beef?) which ruin the rest of the dish, or things which don't even shorten the prep time. A panel of chefs tested the recipes for the Guardian last year. One recipe actually took longer because she'd called for dehydrated mushrooms for a risotto instead of fresh.

I'm babbling. I think people are unnecessarily intimidated by cooking.