Cooking Badly

Buttercream: the Only Frosting You Will Ever Need

between standard buttercream and variations, there is something for everybody

Whenever I go to local stores to buy cakes, I find they're covered with something called "whippy." I don't know what it is, but I don't like it. In the past, I also tried a boiled glaze frosting; in my opinion, it was just plain awful. Whether you have a sheet cake, layer cake, cupcakes or brownies, the best possible frosting is buttercream. It is easy to make, delicious, and can be made with number of variations.

Keep It Simple

On this week’s installment of Celebrity Cook Off, there were several individual challenges. Coolio and Lou Diamond Phillips squared off with a fried chicken challenge. I don’t know if it’s racist or not, but it seems odd Coolio was sent to the fried chicken challenge and Joey Fatone was sent to make pasta! Come on people! Coolio’s family recipe protected him from elimination. Secret ingredient, hot sauce and corn starch.

The real shocker of the show is how poorly Summer Sanders handles the pressure. She comes unraveled rather easily. I would think that a gold medal athlete, someone who performed on the world stage, and then the Nickelodeon stage, would be able to shrug off the pressure and focus. She is a basket case in the kitchen. She did win her individual challenge making a steak with some kind of bloody mary mix on top that did look half way appetizing.

In the three way elimination challenge, the contestants had to make grilled cheese. Lou Diamond Phillips’ was over the top complicated. Some would call it over-dramatic. Cheech Marin’s, under done and greasy. How can a grilled cheese be greasy? The winner, Joey Fatone. He grilled two slices of bread with a slice of cheese and made a tomato & pickle smiley face. Simple. Winner. Sad to see you go Cheech, you seemed to have the most knowledge in the kitchen and you were a sleeper pick to win. How is Taylor Dane still in this mess, let alone beating Joey Fatone at a pasta dish? Read more about Keep It Simple

Just Desserts

Last week’s installment of irrelevant B-list celebrity cooking was all about dessert. First off, I’ve got this show figured out, the ex-celebrity that gets the most camera time is the one that goes home. At least that’s sort of the way it appears. It really doesn’t matter who got voted off. This week it was some former Miss America. She didn’t matter then, and really doesn’t matter now. But beauty pageants are a different topic all together.

The best part of this show is that now we get to see some of these B-listers true colors. My money at this point is on Coolio. Yes, you read that correctly, Coolio. For those who don’t remember, or are slightly younger than me, Coolio was a mid-90s two-hit rapper with such ear candy as Fantastic Voyage and Gangsta’s Paradise. That being said, he is a genius in the kitchen. This week Gramma’s Lemon Puddin’ Cake was a hit. Maybe even more so than Gangsta’s Paradise.

Read more about Just Desserts

Peach Custard Cake

sweet enough, but not too sweet

When I was a child, dinnertime always included dessert. Lunches usually did, too. When thinking about the desserts I enjoyed as a child, this #1 Favorite came to mind. Peach Custard Cake is not difficult to make, if you follow the instructions. It is likely to become one of your favorites, too.

Read more about Peach Custard Cake

Gone Eatin'

So I have this fascination with terrible reality TV and the B-list of celebrities that they attract. A few seasons ago, there was a show called “Gone Country.” It featured a vast array of washed up singers, actors, and nobodies from Sean Young to Mickey Dolenz. Yes, the guy from the Monkees. The premise, to produce “the next big thing” in country music, as discovered by country sub-celebrity John Rich. Yes, the “Save a Horse” guy.

Read more about Gone Eatin'

Feather Cake

I like making recipes from the late 1800s - early 1900s and this recipe is no exception. I enjoy seeing what types of food they came up with back then and compare it to how we make and eat food today.

This one is called Feather Cake and is from 1921. Read more about Feather Cake

All About Food and Regional Differences

food may be universal, but there are many different approaches to it

Foods, the way foods are prepared, and even what they are called, varies from place to place. As one example, I spent a few years looking at a product in local grocery stores, noticing it looked good, but always deciding to not buy it because I didn't know what it was. It was only a few months ago I finally purchased a box of these interesting-looking products called Bismarks-- only to get home and find they were a favorite I'd been familiar with most of my lifetime: jelly doughnuts. In this area, people do not use the word barbecue as a verb; and, while I've heard they do not use the term frying pan, I've not yet found out their word for it.

Adult picky eaters

The stigma and the problems.

Picky eaters are usually perceived to be children. They won't eat tomatoes because they look like little, red baby heads. Mundane things like eggs and milk are untouchable "yuckies." But we think they'll outgrow their pickiness by introducing new foods, slowly, into their diets until they're normal adult eaters with a range of culinary interests.

But not all adults grow out of it. Some picky children grow up to be picky adults. Read more about Adult picky eaters

Banquet Homestyle Bakes

a complete dinner that is surprisingly good

I went to the grocery store to buy the ingredients for a chicken dinner: a package of fresh chicken, stuffing or potatoes, and possibly a vegetable. A product I had noticed before caught my eye, and I decided to buy that instead. As prepackaged meals I'd tried before required adding chicken, ground beef, or tuna, I was especially interested when I saw this product did not require anything other than water.

The Easiest Brownie Recipe

if you like cake-style brownies, this is the recipe for you

I found a recipe for Hanukkah Brownies in a cookbook many years ago, and made a few changes. If you prefer cake-style brownies rather than the super-gooey variety, you will definitely like these.