A while back I made a quick and easy Caramel Apple Cheesecake using Jennifer's recipe. I also said that I wanted to try a variation using pineapple, so I made one for Thanksgiving.

The 'old-fashioned' recipe called for only 1 package of cream cheese, and the addition of 1 tsp of lemon juice. This resulted in a frothier and lighter cheesecake. Not better, just different. I used crushed pineapple (well drained) and coconut instead of apple, with 1/2 cup reserved for topping after baking. I also sprinkled more toasted coconut on the top.

Result? It's good. Mookie prefers the apple version, but she likes apple better anyways. I like 'em both, and they're easy enough to do two at the same time. In fact, maybe three, because I'm thinking about cherries with slivered almonds and maybe a splash of brandy, drizzled with dark chocolate...

Posted by: Ted at 05:35 AM | category: Recipes
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If you like biscotti with your coffee, tea or hot chocolate, you might like these traditional mexican dunking cookies.

Biscochitos

ingredients
6 cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
2 cups shortening
1½ cups white sugar
2 tsp anise seed
2 eggs
¼ cup brandy

¼ cup white sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Mix the ¼ cup sugar and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Set aside.
2. Sift flour with baking powder and salt.
3. Cream shortening with sugar and anise seeds until fluffy.
4. Beat in eggs one at a time.
5. Mix in flour and brandy until well blended.
6. Turn dough out on a floured board and pat or roll to ¼” or ½” thickness. Cut into shapes (the fleur-de-lis is traditional but I use a biscuit cutter and cut them in half).
7. Dust with the sugar cinnamon mixture.
8. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

makes 3 dozen

Posted by: Ted at 01:37 PM | category: Recipes
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* With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, it's time to buy new spices. Get rid of the old stuff in your spice rack or cabinet, and buy fresh. Do this every year around this time, and you'll notice the difference.

* Get a pepper grinder. You don't have to spend a fortune for one of those riot-baton sized monsters, small ones are available at Wal-Mart or kitchen specialty stores. Fresh ground pepper is a whole 'nother matter compared to the usual stuff folks buy.

* Along the same lines, try kosher salt for cooking. It's not iodized, so it doesn't have that metallic taste we've grown used to.

* Buy good knives. Unfortunately, quality costs. Even if you can only afford one a year (a present for yourself), it's worth the money. And regardless of the knife, keep it sharp. A sharp knife is safer to use.

* You should have at least two cutting boards. A wooden board for veggies and general use, and a glass or non-porous plastic one for poultry. Believe it or not,
wood is naturally anti-bacterial. That doesn't mean you don't have to clean them, just that the board itself is helping.

* Ever see Rachel Ray on the Food Network? Love her or hate her, one excellent idea she taught me was to keep a big 'garbage bowl' close at hand. That way you're not running back and forth to the garbage can all the time.

* The first time you make a recipe, follow the directions and measure carefully. That way, if you want to adjust things to your taste the next time, you have a known baseline to work from.

* Something I've found that really works is to do like cooking shows and pre-measure spices and such into little bowls ahead of time. Yes, it causes a few extra dishes, but makes it much easier during the actual assembly and you're not running around snagging items from the pantry and fridge when things get cooking.

* Keep up with the dishes if you can. It just makes things easier if your workspace isn't cluttered with bowls and pots and pans. Plus, if you do one or two when time allows during cooking, then you won't be discouraged by the memory of the mountain of dirty dishes created next time you feel like cooking.

These are just common sense and little things, but it's stuff that I've learned or been taught over the years. They work for me.

Posted by: Ted at 06:33 AM | category: Recipes
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1 Hmmm. The garbage bowl is a great idea! Gotta remember that.

Pre-measuring stuff is referred to as "misen place" in a professional kitchen. Apparently it's French for "everything in order" and I wouldn't be surprised if my spelling of it is wrong. Even if it is French, it's a good idea and I do it all the time, despite the protests from the gf that I use every bowl in the kitchen. Like Mozart, I use only the number of bowls required--no more or no less.

Posted by: Victor at November 14, 2003 07:55 AM (L3qPK)

2 Thanks for the site, good read! Keep up the good work. Also, drop in to my new site anytime

Posted by: cookbook at September 11, 2004 10:06 AM (CxqOL)

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It's cold outside - soup weather - here's another of our favorites.

Baked Potato Soup

ingredients
2 medium potatoes (about 2 cups chopped)
3 Tbsp butter
1 cup diced onion
2 Tbsp flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1/4 cup cornstarch (dissolved into a little warm water)
1 1/2 cup instant mashed potatoes
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp basil
1/8 tsp thyme
1 cup half & half

Garnish: shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled crisp bacon, chopped green onions

directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake potatoes until done (an hour or so). When cooked, remove from oven to cool*.
2. As potatoes cool, prepare soup by melting butter in a large saucepan, and saute onion until light brown. Add the flour to the onions and stir to make a roux.
3. Add the chicken stock, water, cornstarch, mashed potatoes and spices to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
4. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the contents with a large spoon. Discard potato skin. Chop the baked potato with a large knife to make chunks about 1/2 inch in size.
5. Add chopped baked potato and half-and-half to the saucepan. Bring soup back to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the soup for another 15 minutes or until it is thick.

Garnish and enjoy.

* If I know I'm going to make this soup, I'll go ahead and throw a couple of potatoes in the oven a day or two ahead of time if we're already using the oven. They'll keep in the fridge until you're ready to use them.

Posted by: Ted at 09:09 AM | category: Recipes
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1 MMMMMMMMM...better have a steaming potful ready for when I come home YUMMY!

Posted by: Robyn at November 10, 2003 10:02 AM (gWcjd)

2 MMMMMMMMM...better have a steaming potful ready for when I come home YUMMY!

Posted by: Robyn at November 10, 2003 10:03 AM (gWcjd)

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Not one of mine, but Jennifer's Caramel Apple Cheesecake is in the oven right now. I'll post the taste test results later, but what's not to like?

Here's the recipe.

Update: Yum! Thanks Jennifer!!!! One tip: I think I used too much apple in the caramel sauce. Go with her suggested one spoonful of apple and let the caramel flavor rule. Also, take the time to use her presentation tips as it makes for a pretty dish.

Something else I want to try, just to see the difference, is a recipe for 'old fashioned' cheesecake that came with the pie crust. It's identical except it calls for 1 tsp of lemon juice and only 1 pkg of cream cheese.

Another variation that occured to me was to use pineapple chunks instead of the apple. For the topping mix some toasted coconut with crushed pineapple and sprinkle with crushed macadamia nuts.

Posted by: Ted at 12:33 PM | category: Recipes
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1 That sounds soo good...

Posted by: Robyn at November 01, 2003 02:48 PM (gWcjd)

2 Well? What's the verdict?

Posted by: Jennifer at November 01, 2003 05:05 PM (d3XST)

3 Ted, I'll be making your Simple Chicken Stew tomorrow afternoon, One question: When you wrote "1 large boneless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces," do you one piece of packaged boneless breast, meaning half a breast? Or are you using two pieces; one whole breast?

And, yeah, how's the cheesecake?!

Posted by: Tuning Spork at November 01, 2003 05:42 PM (hGlpD)

4 Aso, I have an idea:
Substituting 1/2 of the chicken broth, the boullion cube and the parsley with Progresso French Onion soup (while having strained out the onions that are already in there, and only using the fresh chopped onion in the your recipe). Having had your stew already, what do think of the substitution? Or should I play it safe and just go out and get some more chicken broth?

Posted by: Tuning Spork at November 01, 2003 05:58 PM (hGlpD)

5 Spork, that sounds great! For vegetable soups and stews I consider the recipe nothing more than suggestions, and substitute whatever I have on hand.

Last night at BJ's (warehouse shopping club like CostCo or Sam's), I found both chicken and beef 'base', which is like concentrated stock - add water. I'll be using this instead of the boxes of broth because it's so much cheaper.

As for the chicken, I used a half breast because that's what I had. More meat is good.

Posted by: Ted at November 01, 2003 08:25 PM (2sKfR)

6 :-) Glad you enjoyed it.

Posted by: Jennifer at November 01, 2003 10:27 PM (iZF+K)

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