gildeddawn's Profile

I always do them at 350 for an hour and a half or so.

Overall, I like it, but, like the others, have one complaint. The titles of the articles are in too big of a font, and the centering makes the reading experience poor. The should be aligned left, and with a smaller font so they're less likely to wrap to two lines.

I use cornstarch as a thickener because it's so much easier and quicker than making a roux; it's also safer, since the chances of getting lumpy or underthickened gravy are pretty much zero. My method: after removing the turkey from the roasting pan, put the pan over two burners and bring the drippings to a boil. You may or may not want to add broth to the drippings, depending on how much you've got. Usually little or no broth is necessary, but a splash of white wine is a nice addition. Whisk together 4 tablespoons of cornstarch and a half cup of water until it forms a smooth slurry. Add half of the slurry to the boiling drippings and whisk it in. Allow it to return to a boil and assess the consistency. (My favorite way to decide is to dip a spoon in, turn it over and run my finger through the gravy on the back. If it makes a clean line that stays clean, it's thick enough.) Add as much of the remaining slurry as necessary for your desired consistency. Turn down to a simmer for a few minutes. Salt to taste.

This is Claire, despite the screenname.

We thought about spiced nuts, but wanted something a bit more snacky and lighter, since nuts tend to be really filling. Pumpkin seeds strike me as too messy.

I like homemade cheese crackers as an idea, and also spiced popcorn.

Has anyone tried the roasted hominy recipe from this site?

I think I might have the problem of overkneading. I have a stand mixer and I use it, and I feel like the dough is never done at 10 minutes. But I also feel like it's not done after fifteen, or even twenty. It never windowpanes at all. So, maybe I'm not checking it early enough? The bread seems to turn out ok, but is often sort of heavy and dense. Advice?

Submerging potatoes in water works fine for a few hours, but if you do it for a whole day, the starch will leech out of them and the texture will be ruined.

I think my biggest problem with chocolate fountains is that they turn out tasting kind of gross. You have to add a considerable amount of vegetable oil to the melted chocolate to produce the desired effect and it comes out, in my experience, pretty bland and a little, well, oily.

I use Newman's Own Sockarooni sauce, which is pretty excellent, and add sauteed mushrooms, green peppers, green onions, black olives, garlic, and chicken. Fast and very good.

My mom taught me to cook, but my dad taught me to experiment with cooking.

I remember learning to peel potatoes with my mom, when I was just a very little girl - maybe six years old - and being incredibly frustrated because of how fast she could go and how slow I was. And she told me that when I'd had thirty years of practice, I'd be able to peel potatoes fast, too. I'm not quite at thirty years of practice, but I think I do ok.

My dad taught me to make an omelette like Julia Child, with one tablespoon of ice water for each egg, and no milk (and it's still foolproof). But he also taught me to think about making up a recipe with what's in the fridge, and to throw some spices in if I felt like it. What's the worst that could happen, after all? No one minds eating pizza.

I owe them both for a lifetime of good food.

Isn't the plural piadine?