A new method for pancake making

I know its a blasphemous thing to say but I don't really like most hummus in restaurants/delis/groccery stores etc.  I also shy away from most tahini.  Then it struck me - the few times I have enjoyed hummus is when I enjoyed the tahini as well.  Does anyone have a tahini recipe they love?  Or is there a brand that people love and prefer?

I love home-made bread, but I'm getting tired of spending my whole afternoon with raising and whatnot. So, though I am loathe to saddle myself with another kitchen machine, I'm pondering getting a bread machine. Do you have one you would recommend? Price is a bit of an issue, but not a huge concern as I'm not sure when I'll actually get around to this.
Thanks!

After that fellow posted his youtube video of him making lasagna, I've been under the hypnotic sway of MEAT and CHEESE (plus I've been randomly saying LASIZZA to everyone, which has gotten me hit twice by my girlfriend). Thus, I made my second ever lasagna today.

For the sauce, I sauted up some onion, green pepper and a couple diced up cloves of garlic in a bit of olive oil. When the onions were goldy, I tossed in about a pound of hamburger and browned that up.

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Then I added a beef boulion cube and half a cup of wine, and cooked it until the wine was evaporated. Then I threw in two cans of diced tomato, a can of tomato paste and a couple teaspoons of sugar.

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I let it cook down for about two hours -- it was actually a freakishly good sauce. I wish I'd put a little more attention into any kind of proportion I did with it 'cause it is TASTY. Anyway -- then I cooked up the noodles, put some sauce on the bottom the baking dish thing, three noodles down. Sprinkled with shredded up mozzarella, dolloped on some ricotta, sprinkled on some fresh grated parmesean, lather, rinse, repeat.

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Then I baked it at 375 for 45 minutes, under some tented aluminum foil. It's a little bit sloppy, I think I over did the sauce, but it's damn tasty. I had to taste some before letting it cool, because I am weak.

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Or... those who aren't experts, but also know about whole grains XD

Okay, so the other night I had an absolutely delicious and simple side dish at a friends house; Baked Campari tomatoes stuffed with Teff and Amaranth grains, as well as parmesan cheese. (I'm going to have to get this recipe from her!)

So here are my questions:

1) Does anyone know of a reputable online site (or store in NYC!) that sells WHOLE grains, specifically Teff and Amaranth? And though not necessary, if you have a site that has good deals on grains, price-wise, I'd like to hear about that too.

2) This was the first time I'd even HEARD of Teff (T'ef... and there are other spellings too, I think?). So what exactly is it? And what forms does it come in? I assume it comes in whole grains, not just flour (which was all they had at my market)... just tell me about it, please! ^_^

3) Recipes, recipes, recipes, please! Especially using these two aforementioned grains. :D

Thank you very much! I can't wait to read all your replies.

--Rachel

Hello Pornistas... I am here to request your favorite super peanut butter fosting!! I have a chocolate cake ready to be lathered up with some super peanut butter frosting goodness but I need a good recipe to do so.

Thanks!! You'll make a birthday boy realllly happy!

Proof that you can use unripe fruits to your advantage!



These fluffy and light-as-air buttermilk pancakes with glazed peaches were absolutely devoured by my siblings...so no leftovers for me this morning :(

Just wanted to share a romantic dinner I made tonight for my husband...

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I just made this today out of leftover chicken my bosses had. It turned out soo good. I don't know exact measurements because I just winged it, but I'm sure you kids can figure it out, I'll put approximates.

Italian Chicken Salad Sandwich

Chopped chicken (maybe 2-3 cups)
Mayo (4-5 TBSP) (Use lite mayo for a healthier version)
Basil squish (the kind that comes in the tubes in the veggie dept) (about 2-3 tsp)
Finely chopped tomatoes (small like Tabouleh) (about 1/2 cup)
Butter lettuce

Mix and put between two slices of good bread, lettuce on top etc..I don't need to tell you how to assemble a sandwich.

And they didn't have any, but when I actually write out this recipe I'm adding fresh buffalo mozzarella, in the brine. Ho-lee-shit. Oh of course sprinkle with salt & pepper. I'm also going to write it out as using focaccia bread, I think that would be incredible. If you want to get really crazy you can grill it. Sooo good.

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I have been in a serious experimental cooking/recipe creation mode at the moment (two recent creations: smoked oyster and endive gratin; herb roasted potato and collards; etc.) and I am trying to come up with a neat way to organize my recipes. I've seen those old-timey index card boxes and might give that a try but I'm wondering whether any of you are doing anything more interesting/novel.

Thanks!