[chocomouse]

Yesterday I made cheesecake. I made one batch of dough for a 9" springform, but split it in half and flavored one with chocolate and the other lemon, and put them in two 7" pans. Eat one and freeze the other. I had a near disaster that I was able to salvage, as this was just for the two of us to eat and not to share with others. I was moving the lemon cake over to the island oven when I heard a "clunk." Back on the other counter was the chocolate version, but the ring part of the pan had popped off. Some of the crust was crumbled on the counter and the filling was oozing over the top. I got the ring back on - firmly snapped on. I was able to dump the whole mess into a bowl, scoop up the loose crumbs and sort of press them back into the springform, and then pour the filling back in. It tastes fine. And the lemon cheesecake? Not a blemish or a crack in it!! I'm going to try to post a photo, but have not that before.

[chocomouse]

luvpyrpom, have you checked to see if KAF posted a recipe for the Almond Schmear? I'm pretty I've seen a substitute for the chocolate schmear in their recipes, so maybe there is one for almond. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if S Wirth has shopped at Nuts.com and can give you some feedback when she checks in here.

[chocomouse]

I love to eat out of the freezer! whether it is raw foods or leftover meals and soups that I have prepared. And at this time of winter, it helps me a lot to focus on using up all the veggies from last year's garden, because then I will really start to believe that spring WILL arrive, and it WILL be followed by summer! We are forecast to have a pretty significant ice and snow storm from tomorrow into the following day and that is good cooking and baking weather.

[chocomouse]

Yesterday I made scones filled with grape jelly. Taste OK, but just OK, not great. Too sweet and not enough grape jelly taste.

[chocomouse]

Tonight I made Aebleskivers. I mixed Pizza Seasoning and grated parmesan into the dough, and filled them with a cube of cheddar cheese. Very good.

[chocomouse]

Len, those look great! Making buns is time-intensive anyway, compared to shaping a loaf of bread, and I can understand why you made only 2 basketweave. Your buns are big; mine are around 71-73 grams each, which are plenty big for our "mature person" appetite.

[chocomouse]

Last night we had ribs (cooked on the grill on the deck with the temp about 20*) and oven roasted veggies. Tonight I made Shepherd's Pie - with ground beef, whole kernal corn and mashed potatoes with lots of onions and garlic.

[chocomouse]

Italiancook, thanks! I'll try to find the 30-Minute Meals on the Food Network online.

Baker Aunt, I think that I've not ever used durum flour in my pizza dough. I do use a cup of semolina, and then 2 more cups of flour, some combination of AP and whole wheat. It does make it chewy, as we like it. I knead it in my bread machine, as I do all of my breads.

[chocomouse]

Some foods, along with other things, were rationed in those days! We didn't have any "fast food" places then either, and when some did open, my family couldn't afford to eat there. We went once a year to a decent (good food, reasonable portions, reasonable prices) seafood restaurant, and once each summer to a seasonal soft-serve ice cream place. I simply cannot imagine eating most of your meals at a fast food joint, as many families do these days. However, I do note the trend is now toward more home-cooked meals.

[chocomouse]

My year of birth isn't shown!

[chocomouse]

Len, I'll wait 'til you adjust the seasonings for your sausage before I try making some. But that sounds like a good start.

I have questions for those of you who bake your pizzas at 500*:
1. Thin or thick crust?
2. Lots of toppings, and do you pre-bake the toppings?
3. For how long? Thanks!
When I have baked mine (thick crust, lots of toppings, no pre-bake) at 450* the crust has been overcooked (almost burned), nearly raw in the middle, veggies charred.

[chocomouse]

I made farfelle and marinara with ground beef, onions, peppers, and chopped cauliflower. I wasn't sure about the cauliflower, but since it does not have a strong flavor, there is plenty of it in the freezer to be used up this winter, and I'm always looking for ways to add more veggies to our diet, I thought why not give it a try. It was really good and I'll do it again.

[chocomouse]

Today I made sandwich bread using KAF's Harvest Grain mix, a favorite of ours. I also made Blueberry Orange muffins, using some leftover candied orange peel I made a month ago.

[chocomouse]

Italiancook, I should think you could make a whole wheat crust, maybe use a little semolina if you can eat that? I always add herbs and spices, like garlic and onion powder, Italian seasoning, oregano, basil, etc or a prepared pizza seasoning. We like the dough to be as tasty as the ingredients in the topping. Do you have a cast iron skillet? That would make a crispy crust. I'm not an expert, but I think tomato paste is a bit thicker than a prepared pizza sauce; if you can get your tomato sauce to the consistency of the paste, it might be what you're looking for. I'm not sure why your toppings of onions, peppers, mushrooms made your crust too wet; I use those ingredients and my crust is never wet. My problem is finding the right temperature and time -- the temp has to be high enough to make a crispy crust, but not so high that the center of the dough doesn't cook through. I usually bake it at 400 for about 25 minutes, but always check the underside before saying it is ready.

[chocomouse]

Tonight we had venison steaks with roasted root vegetables: parsnips, carrots, butternut squash, sweet potato, white potato, and onion. I drizzled them with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and added rosemary and thyme.

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