It's so hard to recommend when I don't know what your tastes are, but Christmas is for reading (it really, really is) and as a shot in the dark here are my 3 favorite reads of the year so far:

• Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier; 1930s era Gone Girl-esque suspense/romance/mystery novel where you can't trust the motives of any character and there are like 3 monster plot twists that completely change everything. Not to mention it's also just a super funny, engaging read, and a good one to snuggle up under a blanket with. Daphne du Maurier is best known for writing The Birds, that short story that inspired the Alfred Hitchcock movie. :)
  
  
• Ancillary Justice by Anne Leckie; I'm not a big sci-fi person and this is definitely SPACESHIPS AND ALIENS IN SPACE level sci-fi. It's worth giving a look even if that isn't usually your jam, though, because it's got Game of Thrones-level political machinations, really compelling characters/backstories, and some super interesting, weird experimentation with perspective (the protagonist is the AI of a ship). This novel is the first book to ever win the sci-fi "triple crown," as it won the Hugo, Arthur C. Clarke, and Nebula awards for best novel this year.
  
  
• Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones; I'm not sure what I was expecting when I picked this short little book up, but it really impressed me! It's absolutely nothing like the Miyazaki animated film of the same name (which is kind of a...war movie?) - it's actually a clever riff on fairy tale tropes, totally worth a look if you've enjoyed any of the fairy tale reimaginings that have been popular over the past few years. The protagonist is the eldest of 3 daughters, certain that nothing interesting will happen in her life because everyone knows only youngest and middle children experience magical good fortune and excitement.
  
  
  This snowflake cookie cutter I'd like for holiday baking is $5.32 with prime shipping! If you don't have prime, this amazing seasonal spiced apple cider tea is about $6 including shipping.
  
  

I love Luna! That's awesome you're going to be her for Halloween! She's so great! Hehe.

I think I'm gonna be BMO for Halloween... just because I already have a BMO dress. There's some other costumes I was looking at on Amazon but I can't really decide on which is best and I don't have a ton to spend so I think I'm just gonna go with BMO. Which is still Mathematical!

And I suppose my most needed Halloween item would be either these awesome treats that I would hand out for Halloween (THEY HAVE GLITTER HALLOWEEN TATTOO'S I'M SO TICKLED BY THEM) or these Halloween cookie cutters for awesome cookies and maybe even jello treats!! I think I wanna have some people over the week of Halloween for pumpkin carving so having cute little treats would be great! :D

Awesome contest! Thanks so much! And I'd wish you good luck at your interview, but you totally don't need it! You got it! ;)

A few thoughts based on my own past mistakes learning experiences.

• I agree with the other comments, it sounds like it curdled. It's also possible that you got some water in with the custard which will make a gross mess, but without a photo it's hard to know for sure.
  
  
• Convection or no convection: I prefer to do it without. If you decide to use it, make sure you COVER THEM if you aren't already. The fan will blow it everywhere and you'll never get a smooth top. And if you cover them, be sure to a) poke holes in your foil to allow moisture to escape. Otherwise you'll get water dripping back in which will make the gross mess I mentioned in the last bullet. And b) make sure that your foil won't cave in and ruin the tops. (I prop it up with two of these in a full hotel pan when I need to bake it that way.)
  
  
• How cool was your mixture before pouring into the ramekins? I find that making the batter at least a day ahead of time makes for a much nicer end product. The bubbles from tempering and straining will have dissipated, and the cream will have thickened up to a beautiful velvety texture. This makes for much easier pouring as well, since it doesn't splash out. Whenever I make the batter fresh and put it in the oven still hot, I get bubbling and much less desirable results, although I think a lot of people have success that way. (I strain the mixture and put it in the cooler, but put the pods back in for extra steeping time.)
  
  
• More water bath! I don't boil the water but I use HOT tap water.
  
  
• A few thoughts on temperature/baking time. Everyone's preference seems to vary greatly. I've gotten the best results with a 300* oven for just under an hour (27 min, gently turn, 24-27 more minutes), uncovered. This is with cold batter and a deck oven, so YMMV. Remember to pour out your water bath right away so it won't continue cooking them.
  
  Hope this helps!

Dear Morthy and Akeleie,

Thank you for this fun contest, you two are so funny when you are bored :D

1. An englishman needs a moustache - especially a cookie one off my kitchen list
   
   
2. I would be seen in public with just about anything, as you guys know, but I guess this would be the one thing my husband would not be seen with me in off my PJs and wigs list
   
   
3. Oh phallises. How I love thee... 7 inches with a lovely mushroom head off my kitchen list.
   
   
4. GEEKY!! Wrapping my lips around Dr Who would give me chills off my Things I would never buy myself list
   
   
5. My goal - I love this item as it will make me accountable for everything I do, plus it tracks my sleep patterns! OMG Would I ever love this!
   
   
6. If I had a deck of cards on my list I would link that because every time I start to play solitaire someone shows up to point out moves, I'd be rescued right away. Sadly I do not, so I would take all the pictures I could before the battery died off my Stuff I would never buy myself list.
   
   Again, thanks for the contest, it was actually fun to go through my lists again, it's been a while!
   

This isn't baking, but I loved my ice cream machine so much that I got it and a recipe book for a friend with a soy allergy who has a husband with celiacs. It's something easy, fun to do, and you can control the ingredients in your ice cream.

Fun baking items are the embossed rolling pins you can get off Etsy and the pie crust cutters (e.g. like this https://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Andersons-Baking-Cookie-Cutters/dp/B008724IF6)

I could go on and on but another item I can't live without is my Cake Boss circle cutters. I use them for home made biscuits and cookies all the time. Mine came in a sweet box which is great for storage because I'm so sick of having loose cutters in my drawers. It looks like it's this one on Amazon though it doesn't mention the box - https://www.amazon.com/Cake-Boss-Decorating-9-Piece-Fondant/dp/B00FB9PAE6

Edit: and if you don't have one - immersion blenders are life changing if you make things like soups. No longer need to take soup off, let it cool, put out in unwieldy food processor, process (in batches if processor is too small), then put back in soup pot to finish soup.

Artsy for life!!!

I'm a jewelry maker and sculptor. I work in polymer clay primarily. You can see some of my work here if you're interested. :)

I started this because I wanted to keep my hands busy and I wanted to try and use my artistic skill to help provide for my family.

I'm in a bit of a creative rut at the moment. Stress from various real life issues (mostly family stuff) and Etsy being a pain to deal with has really taken the wind out of my sails and is really throwing off my creative groove. I'd love to have some new supplies to relight my fire to start creating again.
I chose a few options:

These rhinestones are really different than the round ones I usually use and I think I could do some dynamic pieces with them. The colors I like most are ruby, peach, blue zircon, and amethyst. I love to add some sparkle to most of my work.

This bat cutter and this shell mold would both allow me to explore some new shape and design options. The bat would become Gothic/vampire necklaces and the shells would be mermaid inspired.

And this octopus wax seal is $21 and change but I REALLY want it to seal my jewelry boxes or letters with as I make a lot of octopus inspired pieces and it is my favorite animal.

Thank you for this contest. :)

C is for Cookie!

If I can link properly, this is on my Baking wishlist. 💖.

PS ilu 💖💖💖

KIDS!!! I love kids.

Cookie cutters and a bucket of sugar cookie dough + colored frosting and sprinkles! Maybe messy, but tasty!

Nap mats are great, for "camping" in the living room...

BOOK OF DINOSAURS Because what kid doesn't like dinosaurs? paired with these toy dinos or some just like them. And you can also read about Harry and his bucket of dinosaurs.

Don't forget such fun games like "the floor is LAVA!" (throw pillows and cushions on the floor, and you bounce from cushion to cushion without touching the floor). ;)

I'd love this cookie cutter for the next time I bake - because MUSTACHE COOKIES! :)

Thanks for the contest!

Catching all the green lights makes me super happy. There's nothing like breezing through a long line of them to make you feel lucky.

I've been upgrading my kitchen, and there are a few small things I could really use

Pizza slicer

Christmas cookie cutters

I used something like this to cut the dough.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B017Z802RK/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1522713088&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=leaf+cookie+cutter&dpPl=1&dpID=41oOMijO2DL&ref=plSrch

I cannot share the recipe because my friend is writing a cookbook and that is one of the recipes from the book. Is that something you’d be interested in? I could share the link once the book is out 😉

A shelving unit like that or the rubbermaid ones.

I know it seems weird, but hear me out. We live in a smallish apartment, two adults and a kid. We have an outdoor storage closet and a living room closet. Well, we live in Florida, not a lot of need for lots of coats. So we got a metal shelving unit that fits into our living room closet and it has become a pantry since we have a TINY kitchen with almost no space.

The outdoor storage closet on our patio was useless as is, but with the rubbermaid shelves, we have SO MUCH STUFF in there that we use, but can't store inside. My husband's tools, my gardening stuff for my few flowers, and the like are all in there along with some gaming stuff of my husband's for miniature painting that he wants to get back into.

Apartments suck on storage, the shelves have been a godsend!

My stepson and I would have fun with these

Here is the donut cutter I use and love; it's 3.5 inches: https://www.amazon.com/Ateco-2-Inch-Stainless-Doughnut-Cutter/dp/B0000DDYZN

I got mine from Bed Bath and Beyond. :)

These or these!

Fun cooking things are my favorite.

kitchen rosettes brings up the tool, plus some cool tart cups for the same purpose. I guess I'm also integrating new xmas traditions because these are damn beautiful!

Mobile so here's a terrible link lol

Norpro 3286 Cast-Aluminum Rosette/Timbale Set, 7-Piece https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0000VLYB8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_SlMDDbFKPP2ES

For me, my favorite holiday is Christmas because everyone seems so much happier around then, yes, I know a lot of people get depressed around then, but well...it just feels like Christmas!

Baking is calming! I hope you feel better soon!

Science Theme!!! Or, possibly, awesome cooking accessories.

My husband is a cattle farmer, Angus to be exact! We don't raise for meat, but breeding purposes. We do raise one or two a year to be slaughtered. I used ground beef for almost everything I cook. I don't like steak that much! But hey! I love using ground beef for enchiladas!

No soup for you!

This is on my kitchen wishlist for my daughter and I! Cookie Cutters

Chuck Finley



I need these cookie cutters cause I learned the kids I nanny will eat healthy food if its shaped like animals!


http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0000VMITA/ref=aw_ls_1_1?colid=6QA91OKMI5IJ&coliid=I1D2DF2VEC9URA

No one needs mustache shaped sandwiches, but my son would certainly think they're cool.

Look at these for my Tiny guy! Timmy Thompson ate the teeny tiny pickles too! Thanks!

I bought mine at a thrift store.

If you go new (https://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Rosette-Timbale-Piece-Set/dp/B0000VLYB8/) you will need to "season" the irons like a frying pan. Just leave them in the hot oil for awhile, let cool and repeat a few times.

Fixed your link

I hope I didn't jump the gun, but you got your link syntax backward! Don't worry bro, I fixed it, have an upvote!

• Cookie Cutters
  
  
  
  ^Bot ^Comment ^- ^[ ^Stats ^& ^Feeds ^] ^- ^[ ^Charts ^] ^- ^[ ^Information ^for ^Moderators ^] ^- ^[ ^Live ^Image ^Feed ^]

I used the maple leaf from the William Sonoma fall pie crust cutters set and the one from this set on Amazon. I threw in a few other shapes from the same sets just for contrast. And thank you!

I'm not sure how to slice it other than eyeing it. I mean, you could learn the size of the cake and measure to the center, but that seems like too much math in cake eating. Maybe try this or this

[This] (http://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001D1FJ2E/ref=aw_wl_ov_dp_1_6?colid=3I1OXHM8HXTWA&coliid=I3GZ4J2KY03D9H&vs=1) because I could make sugar cookies to cheer people at work up. Mike Mike Mike Mike Mike Mike

>I think a quality, albeit a possibly niche one, is that cupcakes are more consistent in terms of portions per serving than a cake. If you were concerned by calorie or sugar intake, it's easier to have a more accurate measure with cupcakes that are more uniform in portions than haphazardly slicing a traditional cake.

There are cake cutters/servers, for both round and rectangular cakes, on the market that you can use to get consistent cake portions.

my favorite item for under $10 is /u/0hfuck



or these


drama llama

grottos uses something like this

Donut Cutter

As for thickness, just make sure you're rolling the dough to a relatively even thickness.

Link

https://www.amazon.ca/Norpro-3286-Cast-Aluminum-Rosette-Timbale/dp/B0000VLYB8/ref=rtpb_2/146-5424679-4350565?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0000VLYB8&pd_rd_r=de17e9d7-e592-46ce-99d2-fab6c2f60d9e&pd_rd_w=ebC1T&pd_rd_wg=FlNtH&pf_rd_p=8be81024-438a-486d-bed3-651dd7aed771&pf_rd_r=3TGV45HMXKQCYFSPC9GT&psc=1&refRID=3TGV45HMXKQCYFSPC9GT

/u/ihaveplansthatday - Cookie cutters because BAKING and AWESOMENESS!!!

And ...

/u/kyriya - A penguin mug because....PENGUINS and AWESOMENESS!

Bam! Under $6. I have this set.

Or, for more realistic pressed cookies I also own this and made bad ass gingerbread dinosaurs for my younger cousins to decorate.

I highly recommend this handy gagdet to use in conjunction with that Raspberry Pi.

Seriously, I am the worst at technology