[aaronatthedoublef]

This was my p-week. I made pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and pizza... The big problem I ran into was shrinkage! My pumpkin pie is the classic pumpmkin pie from the KAF big baking book. It's crust was not blind baked and the pie actually looked nice. I had good crimped edges that held up. I cover it with foil after about 30 minutes so it did not overly brown and I was not embarrassed to serve it.

The pecan pie was another story. This is also from the KAF Big Baking Book. I cannot figure out how to properly blind bake for the life of me. I eve followed the six tips on Serious Eats HERE and my crust was still an embarrassment. I did chill both crusts before putting them in the oven but maybe I need to do it longer.

The other problem was that pumpkin pie definitely and pecan pie to a lesser degree need to bake at least a day ahead of when they are served. But since my wife decided to use the kitchen as her office and has non-stop conference calls it is very hard to find a a time to make them. So I was up early Thanksgiving morning and had them done by 11. They tasted good but not as good as they tasted Friday.

I also cooked my first turkey. I kept it simple and it was a small 9.5 lb bird. I listened to my wife and sister-in-law about when to take it out and I should have trusted my own instincts. The white meat was a little dry but the skin was crisp and it only took about 2.5 hours.

[aaronatthedoublef]

BA, you are lucky you only have to worry about chocolate in plan site. The scavengers in my house ferret it out wherever it is!

[aaronatthedoublef]

Len is right, aluminum is reactive so acid or high enough heat may cause changes in the foil.

I have 18 & 12 inch wide aluminum. I use the 18 inch to cover pans to make clean up easier. I will still put parchment on the foil on the pans to make things stick less.

Aluminum used to be thought to contribute to Alzheimer's but that research was faulty and has been discredited. It still seems to be floating around the internet. Not sure if there is any other health hazard that has been pointed out but I'll do some research.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Friday I made my mom's molasses cookies. She always called them ginger snaps and they have always been one of my favorite cookies. I am not sure why I only make them this time of year.

This morning (Saturday) I made biscuits. My wife is out of town and she is not a big biscuit fan which is one of the reasons I made them. I also haven't made them in a while. My kids were happy.

I want to try to make meringues this afternoon but I'm not sure I will get to the store and to the meringues.

[aaronatthedoublef]

I made chicken nuggets (or chicken maggots as my 4 year old calls them). This time I used BBQ sauce (it was a Kansas City sauce which may have been part of the problem) and panko bread crumbs.

I will try buttermilk and mayonnaise in separate batches. My oldest liked them, my middle did not, at least partly because of the BBQ sauce. My 4 year old would not eat them but can you blame her for not wanting to eat "chicken maggots"?

Thanks for the suggestions on quickening these up.

[aaronatthedoublef]

We've had a couple bats. The first one hid in the house for a week before we saw it again and caught it. We all went through a round of rabies shots which are inconvenient and expensive.

The second time we saw it I snagged it in a towel - apparently its claws get hooked in the terry cloth loops. I then put it outside for animal control.

We've had all sorts of creatures through our yard - coyotes, foxes, wolves, bobcats, and something that left major claw marks in my trash bins (I'm guessing raccoons). Some of my neighbors have seen bear. And we live in a fairly urban area. So it doesn't take being in the woods.

Reading about geckos, I had friends in Boston who had salamanders or chameleons (can't remember which) running loose in their apartment because they kept out the cockroaches better than any other trap.

• This reply was modified 7 years ago by aaronatthedoublef.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Sorry IC, for not responding and thanks, Mike for following up. The vanilla Mike described is what I have from Costco and it is good. I think I have a couple more pints but wish I'd bought more. Still, as Len says, compared to other places it's a pretty good price right now.

I may buy some of the Walmart cheap stuff just to test and if it's good I'll let everyone know.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Len, I did find vanilla for $16/pint at Walmart. I cannot vouch for the quality but it is real vanilla.

Costco is $24-25 and it is pretty good.

• This reply was modified 7 years ago by aaronatthedoublef.

[aaronatthedoublef]

I am using some bait called Tomcat and the mice seem attracted to it. I've used a combination of glue boards, snap traps, and live traps all of which have worked to varying degrees. My mice do not like peanut butter anymore. They did like granola.

A friend suggested some kind of bait that the mice carry back to the nest and then they try to get outside to water. I may try that next. But that friend is using a bucket of water and a plank baited with food to catch chipmunks.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Silly BA! Everyone knows Cinderella pumpkins are for making coaches not pies!

If you need some horses I have some mice!

[aaronatthedoublef]

Went to Walmart today and ironically the "Great Value" brand vanilla was the most expensive. The least expensive was Watkins Baking Vanilla which claimed to be double strength so as not to have the flavor "baked out" or "frozen out" two thing of which I have never heard. It was $8.24 for 8 oz which would be $16.48/pint. Pretty good.

I used Penzy's double strength because we had a bottle and did not notice a difference even using it one-for-one with a regular recipe. The biggest difference I ever noticed in vanilla was Mexican vs. Madagascar. Mexican was a little sharper. It came through in lighter-flavored baked goods liked scones but not stronger-flavored things like chocolate cookies or cake. I could tell the difference in pancakes and waffles without syrup but not once I added the syrup to them. I do not remember the brand. It was a gift from someone who went on a cruise to Mexico.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Prices will probably never go all the way back down. Some of this was caused by the disaster that struck the vanilla crop but part of it is the result of the increased use of real vanilla.

Coffee prices went up after something similar and they've never come back down. There was a WSJ article a week back or so that talked about people paying as much as $40 per CUP of coffee.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Yes. I stocked up too. Someone (Mike or BA) warned us here and I bought a gallon or so from Costco. It was $16 a pint last March and is $24 now which is actually still a decent price compare to what I can find anywhere else. I have to go to Walmart today for some flour so I'll check there.

My one question about the article is, do people who eat Hershey's kisses really care that they use fake vanilla? 😉

[aaronatthedoublef]

Just saw this... Didn't check the reply box. Sorry. Thanks for the reply BA.

We have a couple of v slicers/mandolins. If you do not know what you are doing and/or are not very careful these things are wicked dangerous. You might also get him a cut resistant glove to go with it.

Also, expensive does not mean better. Someone gave us a very expensive mandolin from William Sonoma that we've used twice and never again because it is dull and does not cut well (I suppose there must be a way to sharpen it).

We used to use our cheap Japanese box slice a lot but now we just use knives.

[aaronatthedoublef]

I made scones this morning. I used to make these almost weekly and now I just do this for special occasions. Not sure why as they are pretty easy. But my wife and kids were happy.

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