Gifts for Samara (& Aaron) and Erin (& Anthony)

We receive tons of emails & calls every day with questions like, "I just made beer cheese soup and the cheese is staying at the bottom of the pan burning and the whole thing is greasy. What should I do?"
And "I tried making the margarita cake, but it never fluffed up. What went wrong?"

Also, "We love your blog so much, we want to get you and Erin something nice to say thank you. What should we get foodies like you."

First, Throw that greasy mess away. And next time make sure your shredded cheese is lightly coated in flour and and small batches of cheese at a time whisking it in over low heat until melted.

Second, I did not create this recipe, so I would ask Better Crocker. It was probably old cake mix. I've had that happen too sometimes. :(

Finally, foodie gift options include fun kitchen gadgets. Erin needs a 9 cup Cuisinart food processor, so do I. Well, I use need lightly since I have a 3 cup, but with the way I cook, I need something bigger. Much bigger. We also have this weak spot for chocolate. And we both have been dying to try Vosges Chocolate, especially the Mo's chocolate bar. (Yes, Erin will eat the bacon if it is coated in chocolate.) And really who can resist flavors like:

• Barcelona Exotic Candy Bar hickory smoked almonds + Fleur de Sel grey sea salt + deep milk chocolate
• Mo's Bacon Bar - New Applewood smoked bacon + Alder wood smoked salt + deep milk chocolate
• Organic Enchanted Mushroom Candy Bar Organic dark chocolate + mushrooms
• Goji Exotic Candy Bar Tibetan goji berries + pink Himalayan salt + deep milk chocolate
• Black Pearl Exotic Candy Bar ginger + wasabi + black sesame seeds + dark chocolate
• Oaxaca Exotic Candy Bar Oaxacan guajillo & pasilla chillies + Tanzanian bittersweet chocolate
• Calindia Exotic Candy Bar cardamom + organic walnuts + dried plums + Venezuelan dark chocolate

This sounds like a fun taste explosion, but with each cand bar costing about $8.00 each, I don't think either one of us will be getting any of these for ourselves any time soon.

Just a few suggestions.

Hot Brown--It's a Kentucky thing.

In honor of Derby I decided to make Hot Browns. Think of a warm open-faced turkey and bacon sandwich smothered in a cheese gravy and topped with a tomato. It is legended to have started at the Brown Hotel. It's not very good at the Brown Hotel. I think the Hot Brown at Lynn's Paradise Cafe (when it is on the menu--The Bourbon Ball Milkshake is stupid good too!) is better. I think the cheese sauce is better at Lynn's. But This is the recipe from The Courier-Journal. It's ok, but not super. I added cheddar cheese to the sauce to make it cheesier.

Gather together

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
3 to 3 1/2 cups milk
1 beaten egg
6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese- shreaded
2 tablespoons whipped cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Slices of roast turkey
8 to 12 slices toast (trimmed of crusts--I used Texas toast, but feel free to use french bread)
8 to 12 slices cooked bacon

Melt butter and add flour, stirring with a whisk or spoon to make a thick roux.

Add milk gradually and whisk to blend completely before adding more. As the sauce thins you can add milk more quickly. Bring to a boil. Beat a little of the hot mixture with the egg. Remove sauce from heat and beat in the egg mixture. Add (in small batches) cheese and stir. Fold in whipped cream. Season to taste. For each Hot Brown, place 2 slices of toast on a flameproof dish. Cover with a liberal amount of turkey. Pour a generous amount of sauce over the turkey and broil about 6 inches from the heat until the cheese sauce begins to bubble. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese.

Place dish under broiler until sauce is speckled brown and bubbly. Remove from broiler and top with a 2 pieces of bacon. Garnish with tomato slices, if desired. Serves 4 to 6.

This is goooood! And way easier than it sounds to make. It only took me about 15 minutes. I cooked the bacon in the microwave while I made the sauce. Then the broiling only take a few minutes. It this quick and easy. Give it a try.