blue artichoke

It's What Pay-Per-View Didn't Want You To See!

I started classes again on Monday. In an attempt to keep this blog from turning into a rant about the state of education today, I’m beginning a new theme. Past themes have included the cooking school era and my restaurant days (significantly less interesting than Kitchen Confidential, the book and the tv show). New theme, as you can see by the new tagline, is the Ultimate Snackdown, a no-holds barred recipe competition. I assume most home cooks are like me in that they collect more recipes than they actually cook and one day discover, “aack! 40 chocolate chip cookie recipes!” All slightly different, but all claim to be the best. In the interest of decluttering recipe boxes across the land, I’m going to pit these recipes against each other in a battle to the death. I will test only recipes already in my collection or in the cooking magazines piling up by my bed; only after announcing the victorious recipe will I accept reader challenges. Note to challenger: You better make sure your recipe can stand the heat, because if you lose the battle, your humiliation will be public and legendary.

Current battle on the main stage: The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie.
New battle begun on the side stage: The Ultimate Pumpkin Cheesecake.
Battle brewing: The Ultimate Banana Bread.