I second this. I would recommend that you get the Betty Crocker Picture Cook Book, with the red and white cover. The original one is old, but an anniversary edition was just released (in a handy loose-leaf format). It's the best cookbook I've seen for learning.

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Nid yw'r hoff o lyfr yn fyr o gyfaill.

A wonderful idea. Here is my mother-in-law's favorite. It is actually low-fat, but don't let that deter you, it doesn't taste low-fat. It doesn't have a regular cake texture, more like a cross between a cheesecake and a cake. I take this one to work a lot, for morning meetings.

Cinnamon-Apple Cake

1-3/4 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup stick margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 ounces block-style far-free cream cheese, softened (about ¾ cup) (you can also used reduced-fat cream cheese)
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (or more – I love cinnamon, so I use more, and I usually use Vietnamese cinnamon, which is stronger than the normal variety)
3 cups peeled, chopped Rome apple (about 2 large)
Vegetable cooking spray

1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) Beat 1-1/2 cups sugar, margarine, vanilla, and cream cheese at medium speed of an electric mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes).
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until blended.
3) Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon.
Combine 2 tablespoons cinnamon mixture and apple in a bowl; stir apple mixture into batter.
Pour batter into an 8-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.
4) Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cake pulls away from sides of pan.
Cool cake completely on a wire rack, and cut, using a serrated knife.

Note: You can also make this cake in a 9-inch square cake pan or a 9-inch springform pan; just reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes.

Yep, it was this handy loose-leaf edition that I replaced my 1979 edition with. I found it completely untouched in a used bookstore and paid a whole 5.00 for it. It was so untouched that I had put the different sections and dividers in the notebook myself. What a happy day that was! http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...miles/wink.gif

http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...es/biggrin.gif
Moni



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http://members.aol.com/lasttrueprincess/images/ltp4.gif

Well, I'm kinda new here, and was hanging out in Cloudy's Cafe with a big mug of Chai. Thought this might be appropriate for a first post.

CHAI CREME BRULEE

1 cup Darjeeling tea leaves

12 extra large egg yolks, beaten
1 cup brown sugar
4 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon chai spice powder
1 cup light brown sugar

Chai Spice Powder:
1 teaspoon Cardamom
1 stick Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon black pepper corns
1/4 teaspoon whole cloves

Steep 1 cup Darjeeling tea leaves in 4 cups boiling water for 7 minutes. Strain tea leaves and reduce to 3/4 cup. Grind spice to powder. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large heat-proof mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Place the cream in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Warm just until bubbles form around the edge. Remove from heat and, whisking constantly, pour into the egg and sugar mixture. Add the spice powder and the reduced tea liquid. Continue whisking until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is well combined. Pour the mixture through a very fine sieve into 6 crème brulee dishes, filling them only half full. Place the dishes into a shallow baking dish large to hold them without crowding. Place the dish on the middle rack oven. Working quickly to preserve the heat, finish filling the dishes with the custard mixture, making sure that it comes right to the top of each dish. Then carefully fill the baking dish with very hot tap water so it comes halfway up the sides of the filled dishes. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the custard is set in the center. Remove the custards to a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until ready to use. When ready to serve, preheat the broiler. Pass the brown sugar through a fine sieve to eliminate all lumps. Generously sprinkle the top of each chilled custard with an equal portion of the brown sugar, taking care to cover all of the custard, so that it gives an even finish. Place the chilled crème brulee dishes under the preheated broiler and broil for about 2 minutes, or until the tops are crackling brown. Remove from the broiler and serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings

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"That looks pretty fatal. I think you have to return to the Character generation section."
One player to another

[URL=http://www.asnsoup.com/Nachtrafe%20273x1361.jpg]

[This message has been edited by Nachtrafe (edited 09-08-2001).]

Maybe...http://www.ironworksforum.com/ubb/no...s/rolleyes.gif
Have I really been unable to get in here so long that this thread has gone down to the second page? Wow! I'll have to go get a few of my recipes from the Mithril Hall Board and post them here...


And why hasn't this moved back up after I responded?
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"Beware fool that you put too much stock in the power of the spoken word, lest the unspoken one trample you from behind."
Kormar

[This message has been edited by Kormar the Wanderer (edited 08-11-2001).]

*BUMP*

umm... Now we have two recipe threads. Never mind, I'm sure it'll work out...
Thanks for unearthing this thread, Moni! http://www.ironworksforum.com/ubb/no...iles/smile.gif

I can't find this cheesecake recipe... come to think of it, one of the ingredients is quark, which I haven't seen yet in America.

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I am the great Kazara

[This message has been edited by Kaz (edited 09-01-2001).]

Epona said she would add a link to this one in the other one http://www.ironworksforum.com/ubb/no...iles/smile.gif
Now she doesn't have to look for it. http://www.ironworksforum.com/ubb/no...miles/wink.gif
http://www.ironworksforum.com/ubb/no...es/biggrin.gif

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http://members.aol.com/lasttrueprincess/images/ltp4.gif

You know childhood is over when a puddle seems like an obstacle instead of an opportunity.

Is Too! Is Not! Is Too! Is Not!

Gods, people, I'm away for a couple of hours and this lands on page 2!! As I want to bake a cheesecake today, I unearthed the recipe. Not sure you get all the ingredients in the US, and I'm having trouble with the translation. Here it is...
TADAHHH!!!
Ingredients:
For the dough:
125g sugar
125g margarine
1 packet vanillin sugar
1 egg
1 smoothed teaspoon baking powder
250g flour
For the top part:
500g quark (you can use cottage cheese I think but it doesn't taste NEARLY as good)
200g sugar
juice of one lemon
2-3 eggs
1/2 liter milk
1/2 cup oil
1 packet custard powder/pudding powder (?) (German Sahnepuddingpulver)

Knead the ingredients for the dough together and press into a greased cake form (German Springform - can anyone help me here?). Mix the other ingredients to a soupy liquid and pour into the form. Bake 60-90min at 160-175 degrees celsius.

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http://faceweb-004.facelink.com/edit...72/4711972.jpg

I am the great Kazara

On the Chefs thread, Liliara requested a recipe for Tamales. I lost my original recipe when we moved, but this is a close approximation. I only really followed the recipe in order to make the dough (and usually I just read the dough recipe off of the side of the masa flour bag -- luckily I've studied a bit of Spanish). Sorry I can't be more helpful. If I find a more precise recipe, I'll post a link.

If you have trouble finding the specific type of peppers, you can experiment with whatever variety you have available.

Tamales:
1 (7-ounce) bag of corn husks
1 recipe masa (tamale dough)
1 recipe cooked pork (3lbs or so) or chicken (whole chicken)

Prepare the pork or chicken ahead of time. The best way I've found to do this is to put a pork roast in a crockpot or slowcooker with some garlic (6 cloves or more), oregano (a couple of tablespoons), salt (add until it tastes right? -- sorry, I don't usually measure salt), and about six ancho cili peppers (I've only been able to find dried peppers here in our town). If you feel really adventurous throw in a half dozen jalapenos or so. The jalapenos add a real zip to your pork -- take the seeds out if you don't want it too spicy. I usually let the pork cook all day and prepare the tamales at night. *Make sure to save the broth from the pork roast. I also trim some of the fat off of the pork and save it for the dough.*

To make the dough is pretty simple. It's just masa harina (a finely ground corn flour, lard (although I use vegetable shortening and some of the fat from the pork roast), salt, and water (I add the broth from the pork first and then water after).

I modified the rest of these instructions from a recipe at http://chickenrecipe.com/az/tmls.asp

To make the masa (dough):
BEAT 2/3 cup lard in large mixer bowl until creamy. Combine masa harina (the corn flour stuff) and salt in medium bowl. Alternately add masa harina and broth to lard, mixing well after each addition. Gradually add melted lard, mixing until consistency of a whipped cake frosting.

To make the tamales:
SPREAD 1/4 cup masa dough, using back of spoon, to form a square in the center of one husk. Place about two tablespoons of meat filling in center of masa square. Fold right then left edge of husk over masa. Fold up bottom edge. Repeat with remaining ingredients. If your corn husk is too small, you can use two husks to roll the tamale, although it is much easier to just use the big husks.

To cook the tamales:
Steam in a vegetable steamer for about an hour. Most recipes say to steam the tamales for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, but I'm not that patient. I usually finish the tamales by baking them in the oven (350 degrees) for about 20 minutes after I've boiled them.

I've had tamales of all different varieties. Some add green beans and other vegetables. Some use beef instead of pork. The other great thing is that tamales can be frozen and saved for another day. They reheat very well in the microwave (just leave them in the corn husks when freezing and reheating).

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Most Subtle Official Straightman of the Laughing Hyenas -- Grammarian Brigade.