fabricwench's Profile

When I do grilled pizza parties I grill the first side until done, then grill the second side until the dough is firm and no longer sticky, but not brown at all. Easier to handle and works great for grilling ahead.

Love my IKEA kitchen.Tons better than the big box cabinets we had before, and comparable to my sister's semi-custom kitchen. I really liked designing it myself, I'm the kind of person who likes bagging her own groceries because I enjoy that level of control. We worked with a contractor friend for the installation which kept us working hard and got the job done in a week, including a new floor and moving a wall.

The ordering process at the store took so much longer than we expected. We arrived at the store at 6:30pm and left at 10:30pm. And even with a lot of planning, we had to go back to the store 3 times. I don't know that I would do an IKEA kitchen if I didn't have a store near by for quick trips to pick up needed items or return damaged goods.

I do as saucefiend stated, I find the flavor keeps best this way and it is so easy!

What to mail for breakfast? How long do you expect the package to be in transit? If more than a few days (anything other than priority in the USA) then go with the granola and energy bar ideas above. Dried fruits, biscotti, coffee or tea are good travelers as well.

For short trips, the cake in a jar idea is fine as long as you use the jar as a baking/mailing container, not a long-term storage container. Rather than cake, though, I'd go with coffee cake or muffins/quick breads. Leave the lid off until the baked good is cooled to avoid that botulism risk mentioned. Use a recipe that is high in fat to keep the treat moist and fresh-tasting. Anything you would store at room temperature at home is fine.

I think that yellow onions are less sharp in flavor than white unless they are sweet onions. I don't usually buy shallots since I do stock red and yellow onions, scallions and dried minced onion. To sub for shallots, I will use less or do the soak in cold water mentioned above. I use onions all the time but my kids, professed onion haters, don't notice because I make sure they are minced small and cooked until soft and translucent. They blend right into a dish this way.

I love her, she reminds me very much of my husband's aunt, and her recipes are awesome. I don't blame her one bit for protecting her personal time. It's nice when celebrities make the gesture, but being famous isn't an obligation to say yes.

Interesting. I haven't had a problem with doubling quick breads or pancakes or other chemically-leavened foods. My pancake recipe is currently quadrupled, actually, to meet the appetites of my growing boys. Maybe the recipe was heavy on baking powder and baking soda in the first place?

I do, however, reduce the amount of yeast I use when doubling yeasted goods. Reducing the yeast a bit (I usually knock off a teaspoon or so when doubling the recipe) slows down the rise and gives me more time to shape the dough after the first rise. This is really helpful for rolls and bagels, especially.

Is this more of a problem with wall ovens rather than ovens that are stand-alone stoves? The article seems to refer to double-WALL ovens, but doesn't clarify this point. I think that stove/ovens are less likely to overheat during the self-cleaning cycle just because of ventilation.

SYGYZY, try Cook's Illustrated Stovetop Mac and Cheese, it uses eggs to thicken the cheese sauce and is delicious, my favorite. Make the recipe as given for super rich mac and cheese or double the cheese and double the pasta for my favorite version. I like a mix of sharp cheddar and monterey jack.

I find it is simplest if the jar is part of the gift. Sometimes I get jars back, sometimes I don't. The best is when I get the jar back with a request to fill it again - what a nice compliment!