I see no reason why these cannot simply be placed gently into an envelope and very easily taken to the post office and effortlessly mailed to a random person's address, but maybe someone in Texas would be better?

Because it's against the law.

So after an increased amount of Food Network viewing over the last few years, I've finally gotten a couple of new cookbooks (to increase my cookbook # from 1/2 to 2 1/2 ) and will soon be spending a fairly absurd amount of money to upgrade some kitchen equipment (stand mixer, which I've wanted for a while, a good quality stock pot/dutch oven, stuff like that).

As an early New Year's resolution, I hereby resolve to use something from one my two new cookbooks at least once a week. This doesn't necessarily have to be a completely new recipe - I've made mac and cheese before for example, but I'm obviously always looking for the best possible cheese and pasta combo - but I does have to be different from what I've done in the past.

Not all of it will be baking, but of course I'm happy to share all recipes/results if there's interest.

First up - leek and potato soup (with kielbasa). I have never bought a leek before in my life prior to this week, and am not entirely sure I've ever eaten them either, although given that they are essentially a sort of mild garlic/onion type root, it's certainly possible it was in something I had before and I just didn't know it.

Make sure to clean the leeks very well; I prefer chopping and then throuoghly washing in a pot of water (then obv drying them off). GLGLGL

As for the stand mixer, I noticed this deal: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...SIN=B00156E2NO

The pro models are vastly superior to standard imo, and that's a great price!

Too late, I already ordered a refurbished edition of the Artisan model for $170, which is also a pretty solid deal on an highly rated mixer.

Should be fun.

I have a KitchenAid stand mixer that I'm fairly sure is older than I am . The Pro looks beautiful, though...

bump

Ok, it's been a while since Mom made these so I did it myself.



I've got to play around with the topping a bit and I may cut the ring into chunks (so it sits better in the pan), but not too shabby for the first time out of the gate.

how bout delivery at the Rio in 2 weeks if I'm happy with the tweaks I make to it?

do.not.toy.with.my.tastebuds.

We'll see how many survive the drive.