starwitness's Profile

Oh my goodness, I've been waiting for a post like this... I have a tiny, tiny "kitchen" (more like a nook) in my studio apartment... The sink is microscopic. It's not that I mind being forced to do dishes constantly (there is no where to pile dirty plates), but I hate that I end up splashing water everywhere when I try to rinse. It gets on me, it drips down the cabinets below, it gets IN the cabinets and makes things gross and moldy... UGH. Other than that, I actually love the fact that I am still able to make amazing meals in such a confined place.

I still don't get how the secret email account will help with passwords - you create a fake identity, then email yourself all your PWs? That doesn't seem to at all be what Mat Honan is advocating.

This made me think of something I've seen but never done: simply boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk, much to the same effect as the recipe you linked to:
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/a-twist-on-condensed-milk/

Personally I prefer the different kinds of flavored coffee creamers you can buy (like International Delight) over the syrups. Plus they come in some "diet" forms if people are concerned about that type of thing. I think you'd be able to buy more varieties of those than the syrups for the same money. I guess that doesn't exactly answer your question! If you are going for the syrup, I'd get something like caramel, peppermint, vanilla, and maybe a sugar-free option. For recipes, they have a helpful search section right on their site: http://www.torani.com/home/recipes

Maybe frozen veggies don't count, but I started adding a bunch when I make rice - my boyfriend taught me a trick where you boil rice in lots of water (rather than adding just enough to make the rice tender), and I've taken to throwing in the veggies about mid-way through the cooking process. I've found some nice mixes in the frozen section, and it's a painless way to cook them.

I want to rush home and immediately make all of these! YUM. It's hard to read these right around dinner time.

I always wondered why you just gave the vegs a rough chop. Wouldn't cutting them into smaller pieces increase surface area and therefore flavor?

Wespennester a.k.a. explosion cookies that my mom makes. They are essentially meringues with ground hazelnut and cocoa powder or chopped chocolate mixed in. The are crispy and craggy and oh so delicious. I am not sure why we started calling them that, maybe because they kind of look exploded (they typically come out hollow on the inside), or that they sort of explode in your mouth when you eat them. I've tried making them on my own, and they are never as good as they way mom makes them.

I always imagined using a bigger piece of bread (is that from Tartine?! What a waste!) i.e. a slice of white bread. I figured that it was the surface area of the bread that blocked the chemicals emanating from the onion.

I've started using arrow root powder for my puddings, so I am wondering if it could serve the same purpose here.
Still trying to perfect the technique and amount to add.

I was impatient the last time I made a batch and I think added too much, so it was a little thick (thinking back, I should have just added more milk!) Didn't matter too much, since they were for frozen pudding pops and are incredible.

The consistency (not frozen) is a little strange, but I like the texture and flavor of the finished product more than those I've made with cornstarch.