moderndomestic's Profile

I'd rather just get a cake stand - you can use them to display cupcakes, but they can also display tarts, cakes, and even stacks of appetizers (they'd look lovely stacked with, say, a pile of apple turnovers). and you can get varying sizes and stack them, if they're sturdy enough.

If baking soda isn't enough, I've used salt as a mild abrasive before to help scrub off stubborn stains, and it's worked well. I second the baking soda/vinegar solution comments. That's worked well for me in the past.

I recently made the scones from The Bread Bible and was very impressed - they were light, buttery, and nicely crumbly. Otherwise, I grew up making currant scones. I think we used the recipe that was on the back of the current box.

Savory scones is territory I'd really like to try.

http://moderndomestic.wordpress.com

I've tried a bunch of recipes from Bakewise, and I feel very mixed about it. On one hand, I like how precise O'Corriher is (you know every recipe has been extensively tested) and I love her scientific explanations. Those alone are worth buying the book.

But her palate runs very sweet, and everything I've made from the book has been way too on the sugary side. I found her Even Greater American Pound Cake to be much too sweet for my taste.

Also, although I appreciate that she wants her desserts to be perfectly textured, I don't like the way she achieves that texture through the use of shortening and oil. I made one of her chocolate cake recipes and the cake just reeked of canola oil. The texture of the cake was perfect, but the taste was ehh.

I want to try more of her recipes, especially the savory ones, but so far I wouldn't make anything from Bakewise a second time.

I agree with Palmetto - I like Rose Levy Beranbaum's baking bibles much more. Her cake recipes come out perfect every time, and she only uses butter in her cakes. Although I'm not a huge fan of her buttercream - my quest continues for the perfect buttercream.

For anyone who's interested, here's my much more detailed take on Shirley O' Corriher's pound cake (http://tinyurl.com/cjx5kl), vs. Rose Levy Beranbaum's pound cake (http://tinyurl.com/ca2ey6).

My mother had these very special rolls that she only made on Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter. They're delicious - buttery and light and slightly sweet. They're without a doubt my favorite Easter food.

You'd have to cut the bread too thin to fit in my toaster. And I agree with kdkaboom - all the cheese would fall to the bottom of the bad. It also wouldn't lend itself well to add-ins, like bacon or tomatoes and such.

Bottom line is a good satuee pan and butter is much more versatile.

I agree - so many of the worlds problems could be solved if people just cooked at home more! But cooking is becoming more and more of a spectator sport - people watch HGTV, but they dine on frozen or pre-prepared food. If you think about it, preparing food is such a huge part of culture, human survival, and yet so many people these days don't even know how to roast a chicken. It's crazy.

Anway, I blogged about recession meals last November: (http://moderndomestic.wordpress.com/2008/11/18/whats-your-recession-meal/), and I actually really like the trend towards more budget-focused cooking articles, both in the press and on The Kitchn. I work for a nonprofit, so I'm always budget cooking, and now I have more ideas and sources than ever.

Oh my god, this was so on my list of 2009 domestic resolutions. I've kind of done it, but I think I could do more . . .

This is awesome - I just volunteered to make a savory baked good for my office Christmas party and now I have so many recipes to choose from.

I actually made up a batch of Ina Garten's Parmesan Black Pepper Crackers, which were almost like a savory cookie, and which I highly recommend. They had the texture of a buttery cookie, but were flavored with Parmesan, pepper, salt, and thyme. They were such a hit that I kind of want to make them for Christmas. I wrote it up on my blog here (and have pics): http://moderndomestic.wordpress.com/2008/12/11/holiday-appetizers-savory-parmesean-black-pepper-crackers/

My mother used to get us the gingerbread house kits growing up, which had pre-made gingerbread pieces. All I remember is that I was always unsatisfied with my final product, and that I used straight pins to hold together the gingerbread because I could never get the icing to set properly. But it was still a lot of fun, and I'm toying with the idea of making one myself this year.

Also, I just saw some great gingerbread houses at Gingerbread House contest at Swedish Embassy in DC. I have pictures on my blog here (I especially like the Empire State Building): http://moderndomestic.wordpress.com/2008/12/08/gingerbread-houses-at-the-house-of-sweden/