A lot of times, I'll be poking around the internet and then stumble on something that I want to try making right away. "I'm so hungry!" my stomach will whine. My mind will try that trick even if I've just finished eating dinner. kitiara posted a link to this recipe for Hungarian Mushroom Soup that I had to try. I wasn't sure what that would taste like but ( Read more... )

I forget now which restaurant we were in but we were somewhere in Cape Cod or maybe the Boston area. In any case, many years ago, my previous boyfriend and I were looking over the dessert menu when he said gleefully, "They have Indian pudding!" I had never had it and was reluctant to split a dessert that was unknown to me. "You'll love it," he ( Read more... )

I wanted to make cheesecake. I had even bought a small springform pan so that we wouldn't have too much cake to eat for only 2 people. Problem was...when I started looking at cheesecake recipes, I felt intimidated. All these warnings about water from the water bath seeping into the pan. Tips on how to get a smooth surface so it doesn't crack. I ( Read more... )

I love fresh bread. Many years ago, my then boyfriend gave me a bread machine for Christmas. I was still in college at the time and after dinner, my roommates and I would throw ingredients into the bread machine and turn it on. Then a few hours later, we'd have fresh hot bread for our study break. It was magic! I tended to make this Cranberry Bread ( Read more... )

It's been so long since I've posted a recipe that I'll posted two here. First the mushroom risotto and then a description of what to do with the leftovers to make Baked Arancini. (though I think I'd rather fry the arancini instead of baking them next time)


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Last week I asked for ideas of what to cook with pork shoulder. You guys must think I'm a really well-stocked cook or a really ambitious cook. I got recipes with herbs I don't have, equipment I don't have, and techniques I don't know. But! Your ideas did indeed give me great ideas ( Read more... )

One of the dishes that I had wanted a cast-iron skillet for was corn bread. It just seemed like the thing to do. But even though I received a skillet for Christmas a few years ago, I had not made skillet corn bread. So when I was thumbing through Ciril Hitz's book, Baking Artisan Pastries and Breads, I saw this recipe and immediately set about ( Read more... )

*gasp* It's been hot and humid. On one of these muggy nights, I asked my boyfriend, "What do you want for dinner? I could make something with the sausage and zucchini or I saw a recipe for ( Read more... )

I kept seeing this recipe in the coupons inserts in the Sunday papers. Since I'm the only one in the house that likes jello, I made a half batch of this, substituting in chopped pecans instead of chopped walnuts since that's what I had at home. Pouring them into paper cupcake liners made for ready-made portion sizes and a cute presentation. Problem ( Read more... )

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