Miss Pea's Profile

Well this is pretty simple, but I mistakenly bought cinnamon graham crackers when making a graham cracker crust for my cheesecake. I didn't even realize it till I started grinding them up. It turned out really well and now I can't seem to bring myself to make a graham cracker crust with regular grahams.

I may have to try that ganache idea from above though - that sounds amazing!

I've done just the turkey breast before and it's not bad, but I feel like it dries out faster than using a full bird. Honestly, unless you're opposed to having leftovers (which is my favorite part of Thanksgiving) I'd say go ahead and make the full meal. You don't have to buy a huge turkey either. And if you don't like leftovers, there are dozens of creative and delicious recipes devoted to what to do with all those leftovers. (Just watch Food Network the day after and you'll see what I mean.)

The boyfriend and I always end up cooking a few turkeys even after we have two Thanksgivings (his family Thursday and then my family on Friday) because we love the stock and soups you can make with it afterwards. It's the only time of the year we seem to even eat turkey so we tend to go a little overboard making one after the other.

I don't think there could have been three better chefs up there for the finale. I was really on Hubert's team, but watching Rick win was awesome.

Top Chef Masters proved why those chefs are master chefs. The one thing that struck me from episode to episode with each new batch of chefs was just how much they respected and appreciated each other. They were actually humbled by each other and it was refreshing to see. There was no back stabbing, no undermining, no cockyness... none of what you see with new chefs who have very little experience. Top Chef is still a favorite of mine, but Top Chef Masters is at top of the list now.

The can tapping thing was shown on Food Detectives with Ted Allen but he also showed it on bottles and it worked! I buy those sparkling water beverages you get at the grocery store near the seltzer. Those have a tendency to explode almost as bad as seltzer and I've actually remembered this trick a few times. Sure enough, it actually does help. I've found I need to tap it a few times to let the bubbles fly up to the top and then if it looks like it might blow when I start opening, I tap it again a few more times.

I replace the apples with chunks of rotisserie chicken (store bought) in this recipe from Giada de Laurentis:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/israeli-couscous-with-apples-cranberries-and-herbs-recipe/index.html

Adding the chicken makes it a hearty one bowl meal that is very filling. I'm not her biggest fan, but every now and then she churns out a recipe that I can't resist.

I love sugar snap peas ice cold out of the fridge or just barely steamed. For some reason I LOVE pairing up cold snap peas with cold strips of raw red pepper - probably because those are also a bit sweet. There's something about this combo that is truly satisfying.

I live in an apartment so I can't grill, but it's not that different from campfire grilling. The boyfriend loves to camp (and loves to drag me with him) so I insist on having at least one really good meal over the fire. Roasted garlic just became my new camping staple. <BR><BR>We have a big plastic storage box that houses all our standard camping gear year round and I keep some kitchen basics (like a cutting board, knife, roll of foil, etc.) in there. It's pretty easy to slice off the top of a bulb of garlic, wrap it in foil, and stick it near the base of the fire just outside of the hot embers, rotating it half-way through so it evens out the cooking. It takes about 30-45 minutes depending on the strength of the fire and then you pull it out and squish it over your item of choice. <BR><BR>On our last trip we (over)cooked a flank steak and topped it with a bit of horseradish sauce and then squished the garlic all over that. We served this with bagged Caesar salad kits and fresh corn on the cob (pulled the husks back, removed the silks, rubbed with butter and cajun seasoning, pushed the husks back over, wrapped in foil, set near fire) and it was the best campfire meal I've ever had.

This is the kind of post that makes me want to become more traditional about the holiday. I grew up with mixed faith parents and it made it difficult. Plus, when money is tight and times are rough, it's hard to remove so much food from your home so I always feel like a bad Jew when I don't follow that specific tradition. I feel like maybe I should follow Blossom's lead and get closer to my roots!

I think I'd scream if I had to have a kitchen that small, but if it looked like this, I wouldn't lose my mind entirely. That is an incredible change and looks amazing, especially when compared to the before pictures. You made the right choice with the darker cabinets over white. They look sleek and elegant paired up with those stainless steel appliances. Well done! One question though... how did you do with your budget? I tried to follow along in the reading, but I can't figure out where you finished.

I have a balcony garden going that I've worked hard on and have been learning from trial and error. I started from seeds. The other day I discovered that I have baby roma tomatoes growing and the excitement was almost too much to handle!! Basil is doing well and the jalapenos are growing, but not doing much. My chives don't look too bad either. Failures: parsely looks bad and the sugar snap peas did not survive a freak heat wave that hit us in early June. I keep the progress recorded on flickr (here if you're interested: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chickpea981/sets/72157604576569012/ ) One day I'll do this right and not have any major failures. I long for the day that I have a small pot of land to plant in.