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[BakerAunt]

My college roommate created a version of Four-Bean Salad from a recipe in a Betty Crocker Cookbook. I will start with her original recipe, then include my current way of making it.

Marianne's Four-Bean Salad

1 (1 pound) can cut green beans
1 (1-pound) can cut waxed beans
1 (1-pound) can garbanzo beans
1 (1-pound) can dark red kidney beans
1/2-1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. whole celery seed

Drain and rinse beans, then drain again. Combine beans and chopped onion in large bowl. In small bowl, whisk together sugar, cider vinegar, canola oil, salt, and celery seed. Pour over beans and toss lightly. Chill overnight. (If making in the morning for evening use, you can stir it occasionally.) Toss before serving.

Forty years later, I gave the recipe a bit of a makeover. I don't specify a size for the cans of beans because we all know that no can now contains as much as it once did.

Revised Marianne's Four-Bean Salad

1 can cut green beans (no-salt added, preferred)
1 can cut waxed beans (These are hard to find, and I've never seen them as no-salt or reduced salt.)
1 can cut garbanzo beans (reduced sodium preferred)
1 can dark red kidney beans (reduced sodium preferred)
1/2 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil

2 tsp. whole celery seed

Drain Beans. Rinse any that include salt or reduced salt to remove some of it. Drain. Combine beans and onion in large bowl. Sprinkle whole celery seed on top. In small bowl, whisk together sugar, cider vinegar, and canola oil. Pour over bean mixture and lightly toss. Refrigerate overnight, or if making during the day for dinner, stir occasionally. Toss before serving.

Note: If you prefer less of a vinegar taste, then cut back the apple cider vinegar a bit more.

[Mike Nolan]

I thought the KA spiral was only available on the 6 quart model.

I've used a spiral on a commercial mixer (20 quarts, I think), it seemed to work faster.

[BakerAunt]

That's good to know, as I plan to bake even more rye breads.

I did the mixing a bit differently from Len. I use active rather than instant yeast, so I proofed it with the molasses, then mixed in the buttermilk and egg. I added the whole grains, mixed to incorporate, then allowed it to rest 10 minutes. I then mixed in the oil (I used canola), then the bread flour and salt. I let it rest for another 10 minutes, then I moved to the kneading spiral on speed 2, stopping and adjusting until it was coming together. I then kneaded on speed 3 for 5 minutes. (Remember, I have the Cuisinart; your times will differ.) I didn't need to add water.

[BakerAunt]

I thought that I posted it, but I looked and do not see it. After I have some at lunch--and see how I like it with the changes, I'll post it. My recipe is from my college roommate, who adapted one in my old Betty Crocker cookbook--probably more than forty years ago. (Where does the time go?)

[Mike Nolan]

I was putting in an Amazon order anyway, so I added that pan. (I found a Microplane nutmeg grinder that may be the replacement for the grate-n-shake, the Microplane 48060 Manual Spice Mill.)

[BakerAunt]

After dinner on Tuesday evening, I made a Four Bean Salad (green beans, waxed beans, kidney beans, and garbanzo beans). I cut the sugar, oil, and cider a bit in the marinade, but I did not cut the celery seed. (I have my priorities straight.) I wanted to use up these four cans of beans. The salt content is higher than I would like, although I used no-salt added green beans and reduced salt garbanzo and kidney beans. I omitted the ½ tsp. salt in the dressing. In the future, if I make it, I will cook my own garbanzos. I will have the salad with lunch the rest of this week and into the next, as my husband does not care for garbanzos and kidney beans.

[RiversideLen]

What is the problem with the white streaks in the giant chicken breasts?

Tonight I had leftover spaghetti sauce with some pasta and a garlic bun (the last bun from last weeks) and a nice salad. I used the last of my store bought tomatoes, the next one will be one of mine 🙂

[RiversideLen]

"When mixing this bread, the temptation would be to add flour, as it initially appears too wet. I found that stopping the mixer a couple of times, and using a bowl scraper to turn the sticky dough over, helped it come together........"

BakerAunt, that's what I have to do too. At first it appears too wet and if you add more flour it will be dry. And once the dough no longer appears too wet, I actually add a little water because otherwise it might be too dry. It takes a little getting used to.

Today I made a batch of buns with it. I normally bake them at 375 degrees but today I forgot to adjust the oven temp. With my oven I can simply press "bake" and "start" and 350 if the default setting. I bake 8 buns and my pans have only 6 wells (you know the one, from KAF) so I bake 2 batches of 4 each. After the timer went off, 14 minutes, I pulled them out and realized the oven temp wasn't right. The color of the buns was a little lighter but I temped them and it looked right, a tad over 200 degrees. So I reset the oven to 375 and put the second batch in. I was thinking about my error and how the buns appear to be good anyway and I forgot to set the timer. I realized it on time and took the buns out when the color looked right, temped them and they appeared to be spot on again. I won't slice into one until tomorrow but I think they'll be fine.

[Mike Nolan]

I won't buy chicken breasts if they look gargantuan. In fact, lately I've been more inclined to buy a smaller (3.5 to 4 pound) whole chicken and cut it up. I only buy the bigger ones if I'm making stock and want to make soup or chicken salad from the boiled chicken. I could eat chicken 4-5 times a week but my wife gets tired of it if I have it more than 2 or 3 times a month.

Tonight we had BLT's.

[navlys]

Since I am only making 10 more meals I am using up my freezer selection. I have some filets (beef) and a pork tenderloin and some chicken sausages and some pork sausages and 2 pkgs. of chicken thighs. Tonight I am making tacos with my ground beef. I also have 2 meals of hamburgers. Please I don't want to add it all up because I'm afraid I can't finish it all. I can't wait to move and start buying food again. We currently live in Carroll Count,Md. and will be moving to Lititz,Pa near Lancaster. Shoefly Pie "here we come"!

[Mike Nolan]

Grinding a nutmeg is more challenging than grinding salt, pepper or seeds, mostly because the nutmeg has to be pressed into the grinding element. That's why graters tend to work better.

We've got one that pushes the nutmeg into the grating grid with a spring, but the cap keeps coming off and I've never thought it worked very well even when the cap stayed on.

I've read a lot of review of nutmeg grinders and graters in the past few days, nobody sees to like the inexpensive half round ones (Norpro and others). The ones that look more like a pepper mill appear to have problems grinding the entire nutmeg. A hand-held grater tends to work better, but other than the now-discontinued grate-n-shake I haven't found one I liked. (I have tried the small microplane stick ones, I found them clumsy to use and hard to clean.)

[BakerAunt]

I had a grinder--something KAF used to sell, but after a while, it broke. (Am I sensing a pattern with nutmeg grinders here?) I just use my Microplane narrow grater and grate what I need, as I need it. I buy nutmegs whole from Penzey's.

I read somewhere that a marriage will always be happy as long as there is a whole nutmeg in the house. 🙂

• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by BakerAunt.

[Mike Nolan]

Do you buy pre-grated nutmeg? Many chefs believe freshly ground nutmeg is more flavorful.

Microplane has discontinued the Grate-N-Shake nutmeg grinder (the one that is shaped somewhat like an egg), I've been reading reviews for other nutmeg grinders but haven't found one I'm ready to order yet. My Grate-N-Shake developed some cracks when it got dropped on the floor and while it still works I'm afraid it won't last a lot longer. (I suspect problems with it breaking are why Microplane discontinued it. I can find one online in Germany, but the shipping fees are outrageous. Maybe some off-the-beaten-path cooking store might still have one, but I've checked the local stores.)

It appears OXO may have made a similar grinder but it too appears to have been discontinued.

[BakerAunt]

I saw my doctor last week, and she is still firmly on the Vitamin D train. I had cut back at the end of last March, so that I was alternating (every other day) a multivitamin with 1000 IU Vitamin D with a 2000 IU Vitamin D because I was concerned about taking 3000 IU per day, and frankly not keen on 600 IU in calcium supplements, as I am working to get most of my calcium from food. Well, they tested my Vitamin D levels and said, just as they did last year, that "they are a little low" and the doctor wants me on the 2000 IU and says it's ok to take the multivitamin with its 1000 additional IUs of Vitamin D as well. I may ditch the multivitamin. I am, however, wondering if I'm even absorbing most of the Vitamin D that I take.

I do not like being so confused.

[BakerAunt]

On Tuesday afternoon, I am baking Len's Rye/Semolina/Whole Wheat Buns recipe, but I am experimenting with baking it as two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaves. I 3/4 cup buttermilk for that much water in the original recipe, so I did that again. I decided to try, in my doubled recipe 1 and 1 1/2 scant Tbs. molasses instead of honey, and I'm using canola rather than olive oil. I'm using 3 tsp. yeast and 1 1/4 tsp. salt and only one egg. (I'm remembering Paddy's bread recipe where she specified that when doubling the recipe, do not double the egg.) My only other change was to add 1/4 cup special dry milk. I'll report back on the final result.

Note: The bread baked nicely, although I let it over rise a bit the second time. Thirty minutes would have been enough. I'm looking forward to cutting into it tomorrow.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by BakerAunt.