Sofistafunk's Profile

I received a handcrafted Space Needle-shaped pepper mill for my birthday last year. There's nothing special about the pepper grinder mechanism itself, but I truly love how striking the mill is as a display piece. It's one of my favorite things in my kitchen.

http://www.madeinwashington.com/product_information.cfm?ID=1813

I'd love to see a related post on different types of peppercorns!

I also have a secret love for Pop Tarts -- the cherry variety. I feel so guilty about them, though, I that I can't even bring myself to buy them. Usually, I'll just stare at them for a bit in the grocery store aisle until my guilt drives me away. ~sigh~

What would you use instead of golden syrup?

Advance apologies for this remedial question, but I'm in the market for a new skillet and have been wondering whether enameled cast iron is functionally equivalent to bare? I'm aware of the obvious differences, but do they otherwise work the same?

Also, I know that the non-stick coating will build up on bare cast iron as you use it. As a vegetarian cook, will it be more difficult to build up the non-stick coating because of the lack of animal fat? Will I just need to season it in the oven more frequently than if I were cooking meat?

I'm allergic to pecans, is there a good substitute? Almonds, perhaps?

I bake a lot of cupcakes, especially for parties, so I have found a cupcake stand very useful.

I have a wire stand from Wilton, which comes in a few parts (three or four, I think) that are easy to assemble and take apart for storage (just keep the box). It was cheap -- retail is $10 at Michael's, but there are almost always coupons in the Sunday paper that you can use. The only problem I have with it is that if you put a ton of frosting on your cupcakes (as I am wont to do), it can be a tight squeeze between the tiers.

http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=4BD856D4-802D-F658-02A787D3CB120535

I'm really obsessed with Halloween, so I couldn't resist buying a Haunted House cupcake stand when I found one at party store. It's made from printed cardboard that can be taken apart to store flat. My advice for this kind of cake stand is to lay something down, maybe parchment paper, underneath the cupcakes to prevent grease stains on the cardboard -- unless you're using heavy duty grease-proof baking cups.

http://www.orientaltrading.com/ui/browse/processRequest.do?sku=25/5711&requestURI=processProductsCatalog

This is only a tangentially related question, but does "American Pie" also have the Neapoletana recipe? I don't think I'm quite ready for "The Bread Baker's Apprentice," but "American Pie" is on my wish list.

Thanks for posting my question and for the responses! I'm really excited to try freezing and have falafels any time.

Wow, who knew crushed tortilla chips were so useful! Thanks for the ideas, I'm looking forward to trying all of them.

This looks divine. Where does one procure rosewater? I've never come across a recipe that calls for it before.