"cooking live" news and stories

I must admit that I could eat leftover mashed potatoes for days. An extra dribble of moisture (water, milk, gravy), a little spin in the microwave and I am good to go. However, I do realize that there are other folks out there who possess slightly more elevated palates. They want something more than mashed potatoes for days after Thanksgiving. For those folks, I suggest turning those mashed taters into cakes.

The sibling of latke, these potato pancakes are creamy on the inside and crisp on the outside. Search for mashed potato pancakes on the internet and you'll get a vast assortment of recipes. My favorite way to do it includes a couple of beaten eggs for binding, a few tablespoons of flour for extra texture and some finely diced onion or chives for a bit of extra flavor. You can also stir in some shredded cheese if you to give them added flavor (Parmesan cheese is excellent in mashed potato pancakes). After the jump you'll find my favorite recipe, which originally comes from Sara Moulton's Cooking Live show.

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Since we were talking about the best apples to use in making pies last week, it put me in the mood to make one myself. I love making pies because, even though there is some prep work involved, the procedure is very straightforward. Also, I really enjoy making homemade pie crust. It's fun to get your fingers dirty and a flaky, homemade crust is better than one you can buy at the store - especially because you can taste the work that went into making it.

If you've never made a homemade pie before, winter is the perfect time to start and apple is the best kind to start with. Not only are the apples easy to work with, but the fact that the weather is colder makes it easier to handle the dough for the crust. In summer, you need to work faster to keep the butter from melting as you work it in to the flour. After the jump, you'll find a photo-heavy, step-by-step guide to making both the crust and the whole pie. I make my crusts with a combination of shortening (non-hydrogenated, for those who are concerned) and butter. The combination of butter, which adds flavor and some leavening, and shortening, which adds tenderness and flakiness will produce the best crusts. I use a 3-1 ratio, so not much shortening is needed.

I was watching Food Network on Saturday night (yes, I have a very thrilling social life) and I saw an ad for their All-Star Thanksgiving special that starts airing on November 18. Is that the special from last year or the year before and not a new special? I ask because Sara Moulton is featured on the show, and I'm not sure if this is a new special or a special from the last couple of years.

I used to love Cooking Live every night and think it was a bad move to cancel that show. Moulton went on to another show, Sara's Secrets.

Nicole reported last year that Moulton was leaving the network, so are these Sara Secrets episodes repeats? I can't tell from the schedule at the site. When I saw the ad for the Thanksgiving special, it made me cringe a bit, because I know that she's basically not doing much for the network anymore, unless the episodes of her show that are on every morning are new and not repeats? To be honest, I didn't even know the show was still on anymore, and I usually don't watch Food Network that early in the AM, so I'm not sure if they're new or repeats.

What is a birthday party without a birthday cake? A disappointing celebration, that's what. Any dessert can be appropriate for a birthday if you stick a candle on top, but a lovely cake doesn't need candles to be appropriate - especially if the birthday boy/girl doesn't want to think about how many candles should be topping of that cake. This cake recipe is from Cooking Light and is a lovely, easy-to-make layer cake.

The cake itself is light and moist, and the frosting is fantastic. The brown sugar mix melts in your mouth and develops a slight crunch on the outside as it sets. I had to double the original recipe to make enough frosting to cover the cake and a tiny bit left over that was a great dip for some pretzel sticks. I would make the icing alone again and serve dipped pretzels as a salty-sweet snack food, but I wouldn't hesitate to make the whole cake again, either. I just need another occasion.

Since I love to bake, I prefer to make breads for sandwiches and things, rather than buying bread. Granted, I won't turn down a crusty baguette from one of my favorite bakeries, but I like homemade better than the bagged rolls and loaves that they sell at the market. Although it takes more time to bake the buns than it does to go out and buy them, the buns are not that difficult to make and the result is completely worth it.

These buns are neither too heavy nor too light and spongy (like some pre-made rolls). They will absorb any juices or condiments that leak off your burger without getting soggy. And on top of all that, they taste great.