#CincoDeMayo Recipes, Equipment, Drool-worth photos

Should I make this stuff?

I love trying new cooking techniques and I've been know to make recipes just for the process of cooking. Case in point:  cheesecake. I can't stand the stuff. Well, if you completely drown out the cream cheese flavor than it can be acceptable. But baking a cheesecake is fun. The crust, the filling, to-waterbath-or-not-to-waterbath. It's a process.

There are a few kinds of treats that I've never managed to make, and I'm wondering whether they're worth it, in part because I'm not sure if I'll actually want to eat the results.

1. Cake Pops. Starbucks has been serving these. They are, so far as I can tell, made of cake blended with frosting, formed on a stick, and then frosted some more. I've seen adorable ones, like these Easter Egg Cake Pops. But I'm still afraid that most of the work is in the decorating and not the preparation...
2. Whoopie Pies. I love the idea. Two, light-cake-like cookies sandwiching a yummy filling. Folks are making them in every possible flavor combination: Chocolate, Oatmeal, Zucchini???  I have to do more investigation on the cookie part. My cookie recipes are all heavily butter-based and come out dense and chewy. Yummy, but definitely not cake-like. Even my Amaretto Cookies the other day (made with an actual cake mix!) were not whoopie pie material.
3. Gluten Free anything. Well, I suppose I have made treats that are gluten-free naturally (Do they add wheat-based ingredients to Rice Crispies?).  I've never tried a traditionally flour-based treat as gluten-free. I kind of wonder what the point would be (as my family and I have no problem with gluten). But then I see recipes like this Chocolate Almond Cake and wonder if I'm missing out on a new baking technique.
4. Homemade Pasta. Oops, non-sequitur. Pasta isn't exactly a sweet treat. But I've never made it and I've kind of wanted to try doing it, and yet I use boxed pasta as a super-quick dinner option. Is fresh really enough better to turn a 10-minute dinner into a huge to-do?

What about everyone else? Are there any recipes or techniques you've been wanting to try, but aren't sure you would actually eat the results?

Link Soup: Cooking Contests

I am not a die-hard recipe contest entrant, but I've entered a few. I've never won anything, except for a bake-off at my daughter's school where I suspect that the total number of entrants was exceedingly low :) If you enjoy putting fresh twists on favorite recipes, you might try entering a few. You never know if you'll win, and the process of coming up with new dishes can be quite a lot of fun (especially if you have willing taste-testers around)

I would caution against anything that requires an entry fee, and make sure you read the rules carefully. For a lot of contests, the sponsor retains the right to publish your recipes later even if you don't win (potentially without paying or notifying you), so know what you're doing before you click that "submit" button.

Here are a few that I found recently. I have entered both the Pillsbury Bake-off and the Better Homes and Gardens contests in the past. Happy Baking!

Pillsbury Bake-Off The winning recipe earns $1 million. Hurry, recipes are due in April!

Better Homes and Gardens magazine This contest runs monthly in their magazine. The winners get cash and publication in the magazine.

Better Recipes seems to be run by Better Homes and Gardens. This site hosts a weekly theme contest and a yearly grand prize winner.

Cupcake Cup Photo Challenge This one looks like fun for bakers who are more aesthetically inclined than I am :)

The Perfect 3 from Cooking Channel. Looking for the "perfect recipe" in each of 13 different categories.

Link Soup: Twitter Edition

Looking for interesting food tidbits to liven up your day? Here are a few of my favorite food-related twitters (tweeters?)

Jamie Oliver
Martha Stewart
Pillsbury
Cooking Light
America's Test Kitchen (aka Cooks Illustrated)
Yours Truly

Who do you follow? Anyone have recommendations?

Link Soup

As I get this blog up and running, I'm hoping to post links on a regular basis to articles, recipes, whatever that is food-related that caught my eye.  For starters, here is a partial list of the cooking and food-related websites that I visit regularly. I'm always looking for new blogs and equipment/ingredient sources, so feel free to add your own favorites in the comments (pimp your own blog if you like, as long as its food or cooking related)


Cooking Blogs I love
Baking Bites
Joy the Baker
Smitten Kitchen
Simply recipes

Recipe Sites
Cooking Light
Food Network
America's Test Kitchen
Martha Stewart Recipes
Better Homes and Gardens

Sources
Penzey's Spices
Cooking.com