[chocomouse]

This afternoon I made Ben and Jerry's Coconut Ice Cream, using their Sweet Cream Base #1, except that I used half and half instead of heavy cream. I know it is isn't as rich and creamy as using heavy cream, but it's still rich, delicious and better than store-bought.

[chocomouse]

For a potluck tonight, I made a salad with farfelle, spinach, black olives, red onion, and feta with Ranch dressing.

[chocomouse]

I've been traveling, but am now home for three days, leaving again early tomorrow morning, so I spent the morning in the kitchen. I made another batch of Chewy Maple Cookies, for the trip, and made KAF's Gruyere Stuffed Loaves but added chopped green olives. I used up odds and ends of cheese: Trader Joe's Cheddar-Gruyere, Cabot Bacon-Cheddar, and a gruyere from the freezer. I also rolled the dough out thinner, sliced it into 18 sections, and baked them in a pan that I think was intended to be a whoopie pie pan and some in a regular muffin tin. They should be good with baked beans for dinner tonight.

[chocomouse]

We ate two of the Wheat-Oat-Flax buns with dinner -- delicious! And very "sturdy". I think they'll hold up well with a burger and all the fixings, or any kind of a sandwich with wet ingredients such as lettuce and tomato. These may even replace my usual hamburger buns. Thanks, Baker Aunt!

[chocomouse]

Thanks for posting that Joan!

[chocomouse]

Baker Aunt, I'm planning to make the Jam Bellies from Sift soon, and am debating whether to make the small circles as she describes, or to make two larger circles and put one on top of the other with the jam in between.

I just took 12 Wheat-Oat-Flax buns out of the oven. My goodness, what lovely dough to work with. And the smell! And so colorful with the speckles of flax meal. I too skipped the oj and I used the whole wheat option. I think I'll serve them as dinner rolls tonight, with a seafood salad, macaroni-veggie salad, and green salad. I'm pushing spring pretty hard, but today and yesterday are cold and rainy.

[chocomouse]

I've cut back, and no longer use any vanilla in chocolate flavored goods. I do use espresso powder, which enhances the taste. I didn't put any vanilla in the peanut butter cookies I made the other day, and they were fine. I can't remember off-hand what other recipes I omit the vanilla. But basically, I think about the other ingredients - are there flavors that would overpower the vanilla? Or is the vanilla necessary for developing the flavor? So far, it seems like my choices have been OK, and we haven't missed the vanilla.

[chocomouse]

Joan, I'd love to know what you put in your Mexican casserole! It sounds like something we would eat.

I made mango gelato today, and it is really tasty. It's a KAF recipe, and also uses lime juice. I used frozen mango chunks, since I don't trust myself selecting really ripe sweet mangoes. I add about half a bottle of brandy, the little "airplane" size bottle to help prevent it from freezing too hard, but it still hard as a rock!

[chocomouse]

The Chewy Maple Cookie is from Taste of Home. I add about 1/4 cup of flour and get the perfect chewiness. I also use only pure Vermont (ours) maple syrup, the "robust" version, what used to be labeled "dark" or Grade B - no extract or flavoring. I've added pecans once, but we like them best without nuts. Be warned -- the recipe makes only about 30 two-inch cookies!

[chocomouse]

I have Harvest Grain (KAF) bread rising now. Yesterday I made the Chewy Maple Cookies again. Love that recipe, so tasty, and the cookies come out exactly the same consistency even when I double the recipe.

[chocomouse]

For our dinner tonight, I mixed Penzey's Mural of Flavor into ground turkey and cooked turkey burgers on the grill. With it, we had baked potatoes and asparagus. It was so nice to be outside, no snow on the ground, warm, 57*, and beautiful sunshine -- the first nice day in ages. Earlier today I went to a local nursery and bought yellow pansies, a rosemary, and lemon thyme for my herb garden. And then to the summer only ice cream place for a black raspberry soft serve! Spring had finally sprung! I hope the rest of you are also now enjoying good weather!

[chocomouse]

We had liver with sauteed onions, pan fries, and cole slaw.

[chocomouse]

I didn't cook tonight! My husband made omelets and I just toasted the English muffins!

[chocomouse]

We have about 2 inches of mixed freezing rain, sleet, and snow that's been collecting on the ground for 2 days now. Since great minds think alike, I also made soup today. I tried a new recipe, Ham and Potato Corn Chowder, from Kevin's Closet Cooking. I felt I was in a rut always making split pea soup whenever I had a ham bone, and I really don't care for split pea. I was doubtful about using the broth from cooking the bone and mixing it with milk, and was also afraid the garlic and thyme might not be enough seasoning for this. But after it sat for an hour for the flavors to develop, it's really good and I would make it again.

[chocomouse]

I made maple-pecan scones. I used my usual 1/4 cup of dark maple syrup, and then added about 1/2 cup of bits of maple candy, pieces leftover from when my husband made candy from our latest batch of maple syrup. I was curious to see if they would melt and just disappear into the batter, or if they would remain, sort of like maple chips. They melted into the batter. But they did add flavor and sweetness. I also brushed the tops of each scone with maple syrup as soon as they come out of the oven. We've stopped our sugaring operation for the season, but have plenty of syrup to last us the rest of the year.

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