cook's profile


FRANZISKA
 
Home Town: Lackawanna, New York, USA
Living In: Damascus, Maryland, USA
Member Since: Apr. 2002
Cooking Level: Expert
Cooking Interests: Baking, Slow Cooking, Dessert, Quick & Easy
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About this Cook
I'm first generation American from Austrian-Hungarian war refugee parents, so have a frugal European background of kitchen know-how and tastes. My two teenage sons' favorite foods are tacos and Pizza-Hut, and my husband is perfectly happy with a tossed salad for dinner. I received my first cookbook when I was 10 yrs old from a dear family friend who passed away a couple of months ago. I still have that cookbook.
My favorite things to cook
I have been told I make a truly great lasagne, which I enjoy making during cold weather. I like to make Haamantaschen anytime. I used to love making chocolate chip cookies, but it takes so long to make enough to last more than 5 minutes in my house. I have to make them when no one is home.
My favorite family cooking traditions
No traditions. My favorite cooking activity is usually making up care packages of homemade cookies, or preparing for family gatherings (of 25-30 members).
My cooking triumphs
Preparing a complete lasagne dinner for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary for about 50 people. My first dinner for my family when I was 10: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, buttered peas, and cake with strawberry meringue frosting! The first time I made really good biscuits that my brothers couldn't call hockey pucks.
My cooking tragedies
I have always loved to read. I have burned more hard-cooked eggs and potatoes, ruining the pots. I'd put something on to "boil" and start reading. I'd get so involved with what I was reading, that all the water would boil away and the eggshells would be burning. My Dad would get so angry, because invariably I would burn part of dinner on a night that he was really hungry and tired.
Recipe Reviews 3 reviews
Hungarian Nut Horns
This is an easy and quick yeast recipe. The dough does not have to rise and is not sticky. Everyone loves them, however they are not the sweet dough recipe that my Hungarian mother, aunts and grandmother use for nut horns. I used ground pecans as some of us are allergic to walnuts. I only used about half the filling that the recipe made. I used the remaining filling to bake meringues. Dropped them by spoonfuls onto parchment paper, baked at 200 degrees for 1 hr, turned off the oven and left them til the next morning. Crispy melt in your mouth cookies, a bonus to the nut horns.

7 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Dec. 21, 2010
Brown Sugar Chocolate Crackle Cookies
Cookies were tasty. But I'm wondering if 1 cup of flour is correct. The "dough" was more like batter til chilled for a long time. Even after 4 hours of chilling, the cookies still spread pretty flat when baking. 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of chocolate chips does not sound like proper proportions. Just wondering.

7 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Jul. 17, 2009
Creamy Buttercream Frosting
I TRIED THIS BECAUSE I WAS DESPERATE FOR A FROSTING THAT ISN'T TOO SWEET. I WOULD HAVE TO AGREE THAT THE TEXTURE IS MARVELOUS, BUT IT DOES TASTE MORE LIKE BUTTER THAN FROSTING. SUGGESTION: MAKE WITH UNSALTED BUTTER ONLY. WOULD THE SAME RECIPE WORK, CHANGING THE RATION OF BUTTER TO CREAM--LESS BUTTER, MORE CREAM?

17 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Apr. 17, 2002
 
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