In high school I had two Spanish teachers. One was from Barcelona and the other from Puerto Rico. The teacher from Barcelona called this caramelized milk dulce de leche while the Puerto Rican teacher called it cajeta. I think what makes dulce de leche different from cajeta is the milk: Dulce de leche is made with cow’s milk and cajeta is made with goat’s milk. Some prefer cajeta over dulce de leche and say that it isn’t as cloying, but I think they are both great.

Since goat’s milk is hard to find and I don’t have time to sit and constantly stir a pot of milk and sugar for an hour, here is how I make my caramelized milk:

1. Get a can of sweetened condensed milk
2. Peel off the label and scrape away residual glue (a spoon works well for this)
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil
4. Drop the can of sweetened condensed milk into the boiling water
5. Boil for 3-4 hours (3 hours for a lighter, more syrupy dulce de leche or 4 hours for a darker and thicker consistency)
6. Let cool before opening can

WARNING: Watch your pot frequently and add more water as needed to keep the can covered. DO NOT let the pot boil dry! Your can could explode if you let the all the water evaporate from the pot.

After 4 hours of boiling time, this is what I got:

I found this post on my beloved Tastespotting and thought it looked like a good use for the dulce de leche: Salted Cashew Cookies from Natalie’s Killer Cuisine. I’m a big fan of sweet & salty combos, so these are perfect. It’s like eating a Pease’s cashew in cookie form.

I’ve been a fan of the Food Network for a while now. Over the past year or so, I’ve noticed a distinct change in the programming and the entire feel of the network…and it’s not a good change. Programs featuring talented, informed chefs like Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse are being cancelled in favor of big mouths like Rachael Ray. There is a great article over at the NY Times that discusses the change, which includes the demise of “Emeril Live” and the addition of a new show hosted by Rachael Ray. Because Ms. Ray will be so busy in ‘08, the Food Network is having her make 20 less episodes of “30-Minute Meals”. At least something good is happening.

Chef Batali has summed the whole thing up better than I ever could in this brusque statement:

“They don’t need me. They have decided they are mass market and they are going after the Wal-Mart crowd, which he said was a smart business decision. So they don’t need someone who uses polysyllabic words from other languages.”

Too true. Give me more Ina and Emeril! I can’t survive on the bobbleheads you are promoting!

We had quite a dumping of snow over the weekend, so today I decided to make a meal that reminds me of a little restaurant in sunny Arizona – Pasta Pomodoro. They have a great butternut squash ravioli, which I always order when I’m there. I found some pre-made frozen butternut squash ravioli when I went to the grocery store the other day and thought it would make a convenient meal.

Boy, was it ever! I put about 1/2 stick of butter in a fry pan along with the rest of a package of fresh sage leaves I had leftover from when I made lasagna on Saturday. I let the butter brown and become infused with the sage and poured it over the ravs which I had boiled. The brown butter and sage sauce was just like they make at Pasta Pomodoro. My favorite part of the whole dish is how crispy the sage leaves become. They just melt in your mouth when you eat them…delicious. I felt like I cheated a little by using the frozen pasta, but I didn’t mind when everything came together so quickly and easily. I was thinking of adding a few pine nuts over the top, but I didn’t have any. I also didn’t bother with any Parmigiano-Reggiano, but you could certainly add some to this dish.

Not only does Mr. Firth produce drumsticks and mallets, he also has a line of kitchen accessories. They look really well made and are endorsed by hotshots Oprah and Mario Batalli.

I have my eye on the Dark Orange “Ciudad” pepper mill.

The moment I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it out. The bright red of the cranberries and the dusting of powdered sugar makes this a perfectly festive holiday treat. The original recipe calls for a 9″x9″ baking dish. Since my 9″x9″ pan is over at The Boy’s house, I decided to use my 10″ round baking dish instead; turning the “bars” into a tart.

Feel free to add some orange zest or cinnamon into the cranberries as they cook on the stove. You could also just use your leftover relish from Thanksgiving. I enjoyed the tartness that this recipe yielded, but I might add more sugar the next time around. The shortbread-like crust could be a bit richer for my taste. Maybe a little more salt? Or salted butter instead of unsalted?

P.S. Cranberries are full of antioxidants so eat up!

Recipe follows More »

neon paint splashes, banana seats and streamers, peeling the paper off of stubby crayons, clapping erasers, M.A.S.H., cinnamon and sugar soldiers, boxy cars, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese wheels, Donkeylips, Beakman and the Sea Monkies, twirling in dresses, the time step, and new white Keds

If you’ve ever watched Alton Brown’s show Good Eats, then you know how awesome his Kitchen Aid mixer is. This website claims to give you the same hot rod Kitchen Aid look for around $20 instead of the $150 custom paint shops charge. Using vinyl stickers you can instantly transform your mixer into something Alton would approve of.

FlameKA.com: Custom Kitchen Aid mixers

5min.com Life Videopedia has a lot of great videos for learning how to do just about anything. From skateboarding tips to how to change a diaper and burp a baby, you can find it all. I love the Food section because there are a lot of good basic kitchen tips and recipes.

This video for a Low-Fat Fettuccini Alfredo recipe has Giada-wannabe written all over it. From the awkwardly traditional Italian pronunciations to the low cut top and exuberant smile, Sandy Gold has really done her Food Network homework. It even looks like she has the same makeup artist.

Edit: Turns out the fact she wears a lot of makeup is no coincidence. Ms. Gold is a professional makeup artist. Here is her blog.

I apologize for the lack of posting lately. Finals are coming up and I don’t have as much time to sit around on my computer and look at DumbStuff let alone blog about it. Also this weekend was beautiful, so I spent a lot of my time out of doors and away from the Internet.

Eddie and I grilled some burgers and enjoyed the warm weather even if most everyone was out of town and couldn’t join us. It seems the only time that Eddie ever gets excited about cooking is when it’s done over his Weber, so maybe I’ll use this to my advantage and have him grill things other than burgers (even though he does an excellent job with burgers). Hmmm…this will call for a recipe search…maybe some grilled peaches or pork chops. Maybe I’ll wait for the Market at the Square to inspire me. Can’t wait for May 12th!

P.S. Spring! (hopefully for good!)

I love these salt and pepper shakers! $24.00 at A+R Store