Famous Recipes in the New York Times December 27, 2006

Famous Recipes

Famous Recipes in the New York Times

The New York Times Food and Dining Section talked about Famous Recipes today in this article about the rise of populism in cooking.

In part the article said this:

Food for the People, Whipped Up by the People

By JULIA MOSKIN

Published: December 27, 2006

IF you wanted to appear in a food magazine or publish a cookbook in 2006, to star in a television cooking show or increase the traffic on your Web site, your best move was clear: don’t be a chef.

Food Network

DOES HER OWN CHOPPING Paula Deen, above, brought Southern home cooking to the Food Network. “The Taste of Home Cookbook” is one of the best-selling cookbooks of the year.

It was the year the people took back the food. Expertise was out: the Food Network edged aside chefs like Mario Batali to make room for home-cooking queens like Paula Deen, Sandra Lee and Rachael Ray. The most popular new food magazines and cookbooks were collections of recipes from real home cooks (or those who pretended to be), often stamped with the irresistible words “home-style,” “country” and “everyday.”

And one of the Web’s most popular independent food blogs, according to data collected by Alexa, a Web information company, was an undiscriminating one titled World Famous Recipes. Bill Austin of Scottsdale, Ariz., collects recipes and recipe links at famousrecipes.wordpress.com, presenting them unedited and without comment. The site’s motto: “Famous and not so famous recipes — who are you to decide? Who am I to decide?”

Today’s home cooks want to decide for themselves, or learn from others like them.

“When you have the Internet, who needs cookbooks?” said Amy Cisneros, an avid cook from San Antonio. “I look at all the different recipes, and then I make it my way.”

… More at the NY Times site

Rocky Road Fast Chocolate Fudge December 26, 2006

Rocky Road Fast Chocolate Fudge
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup Hershey’s cocoa
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 cup nuts
1 cup mini marshmallows

Line a jelly-roll pan with foil.  Set aside.  In medium microwave proof bowl
  Microwave butter on high to 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until melted.  Add cocoa
 stir until smooth.  Stir in sugar and vanilla; blend well (mixture will be
crumbly) stir in milk.  Microwave on high 1 minute, stir.  Microwave an
additional minute or until hot.  Beat with wooden spoon until smooth; add
nuts, mix well.  Add marshmallows, stir.  Pour into prepared pan.  Cover;
chill until firm.  Cut into squares, store in tightly covered container in
refrigerator.

No-bake chocolate balls No Bake Chocolate Christmas Cookies December 26, 2006

No-bake chocolate balls 

No Bake Chocolate Christmas Cookies

Yield: 48 servings

1 c  Brown sugar
1 c  Granulated sugar
1/2 c  Milk
1 t  Vanilla
1/2 c  Cocoa powder
3 c  Quick cooking oats
1 c  Sweetened desiccated coconut
1 c  Diced glac, or maraschino
Cherries
1/2 c  Chopped walnuts, optional
Icing sugar

In medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, cocoa powder and
milk.  Over medium heat, bring to a boil, stirring, until
sugar is dissolved.  Pour into bowl; stir in vanilla, add oatmeal,coconut, cherries and walnuts if using.  Cool to room temperature(about 1 hour). Shape into 1 1/2″ balls.  Roll in icing sugar.  Store in airtight container in single layers between waxed paper.

TIMESAVING HELPERS FOR THANKSGIVING & CHRISTMAS December 26, 2006

TIMESAVING HELPERS FOR THANKSGIVING & CHRISTMAS

* Make the dough for your bread or rolls a few weeks ahead  of time. Allow the dough to rise fully once, shape it, wrap it well in freezer-safe plastic wrap or foil and freeze. When ready to bake, thaw the dough in the refrigerator. This will usually take a least a few hours or overnight. Set it in a warm place and give it its second rise and bake.  

* If you have a bread machine use it to mix the dough.  Bake the bread the night before the big day and refresh  it in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes just before serving. 

Blog Of The Day Award December 26, 2006

Blog Of The Day Award

We were a Blog Of The Day Awards Winner for Christmas Day 2006 December 25, 2006

Christmas Cookies – Raspberry Tassies Cookie Recipe December 25, 2006

Raspberry Tassies Cookie Recipe

Pastry Dough:
1/2 C. butter or margarine, softened
3 oz. cream cheese
1 C. flour

Filling:
1/4 C. raspberry preserves
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. almond paste (2 ounces)
2 egg yolks
3 T. flour
2 T. milk
1 T. orange juice

Pastry Dough: Blend softened butter and cream cheese. Stir in flour. Cover and chill. Divide dough into 24 balls. Press into sides and bottom of small muffin tins. Fill with almond-raspberry filling.

Filling: Put 1/2 teaspoon raspberry preserves into each unbaked shell. Use your fingers to combine sugar and almond paste. Add egg yolks one at a time. Beat well as you add each yolk. Blend in other ingredients. Spoon into shells. Bake in a 400ºF oven for 15 minutes. Cool before removing from pan. Store in refrigerator or freeze.
Makes 24 Tassies.

Christmas Quotes – Christmas Jokes