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Worst Cooks didn't disappoint this week with a culinary tour of the world. By way of meatballs. I didn't know that learning to use a meat grinder immediately followed acquiring water boiling skills in terms of NTK, but I guess it does. Read more about Worst Cooks in America: Lingonberry sauce?
In recent years, I have developed a major beef-- no pun intended-- about grocery stores' approach to food safety. They simply do not get it; and two out of three have shown no concern for customers' feedback on this issue. The way it affects me personally is I live a distance from the major grocery stores, and time and time again shopping does not result in being able to cook and eat.
Read more about Food Safety is Necessary... 
One mistake I have made when preparing various foods from recipes was not reading the recipes in advance. This sometimes resulted in not having all of the ingredient on hand before starting preparation. In some instances, I managed to get creative-- ending up with an edible product, although it was not the way it was originally intended.
Read more about Errors Do Not Need to Become Kitchen Nightmares 
When some local people talked about cilantro, mint leaves, and herb gardens, I had nothing to contribute to the conversations. Later, when I commented that I rarely add anything to food, some seemed to think this was very unusual. I added that I figured it depended on what a person is familiar with-- their preferences in preparing, serving, and eating food. While I will add spices if they are called for in a recipe, I rarely have any in my kitchen cabinets except garlic powder and cinnamon.
Read more about To Spice or Not to Spice 
I admit it! I over-steam vegetables on a regular basis. This probably explains why my vegetable-loving son is eating less and less of them, and my vegetable-hating daughter is not coming around. I used to use an electric steamer which timed things right and controlled the steam levels to produce wonderful textures, but the toxins released in plastics when they are heated have me nervous. So, now I'm using a metal insert on the stove with very disappointing results. Hence the quest for better vegetable-cooking strategies.
I'd tried those ready-made cinnamon rolls a few times-- the kind that comes in a can-- but I didn't like the topping, and the rolls themselves were a little too sweet. It wasn't that I object to "too sweet" foods, only that it was not what I was looking for. Drawing from memory, I recalled something I enjoyed when rolls, biscuits, etc., did not mean whacking a can on the countertop or slicing something that came in a plastic wrapper. I knew them as Pinwheels. Pinwheels were not nearly as sweet as the cinnamon buns you can purchase in packages, and they do not have that super-sweet topping.
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.
Read more about Buttercream: the Only Frosting You Will Ever Need
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
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
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