[Italiancook]

I agree with you, chocomouse, I wish I had known about baked pancakes years ago. KABC has a recipe for sheet pan French Toast. Eventually I'm going to try it -- not with their custard mixture which is more work than I want to go to first thing in the morning. I'm going to use my mixture (2 eggs, 1 cup milk, lots of cinnamon & a smidgen nutmeg) and follow their instructions for the baking. I may need to adjust it somewhat, but it certainly has to be easier than standing at the stove babysitting 2 slices French Toast at a time in the skillet. Here's the KABC recipe:
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sheet-pan-french-toast-recipe

[Italiancook]

My opinion is that your opinion is 100% correct -- at least where my new slow cookers are concerned, navlys. Today, I made slow cooker Florentine Potato Soup. The recipe from old, good slow cooker era calls for it to cook 7 hours on low. In my new slow cooker, the potatoes were cooked in 5 hr. 10 min.! You called it right, navlys.

[Italiancook]

I notice Len's pepperoni is on top of the cheese and wonder why he makes it this way. I put the cheese on top of the ingredients. The reason: When I was a teen, I spent many Friday nights sleeping over at a friend's house. Her parents would go out and spring for us to order pizza and Coca-Cola's. Those pizzas always had a full covering of cheese on top of the ingredients. I never fully cover the ingredients on my pizzas, to save calories. My pizzas look nice with wisps of ingredients peeking through, but Len, your pizza looks scrumptious. And I'm wondering what the greenery is on top.

[Italiancook]

Aaron, I had to Google to find out why challah is round for Rosh Hashana. Thanks for the education!

You probably explained this question last year, but I don't recall the answer: How do you determine who receives each loaf of challah? Do you rotate so that each family eventually receives one?

[Italiancook]

After BakerAunt posted about Banana Oat Muffins, I searched for the recipe on allrecipes.com. In the process, I found a headline for "25 Ways to Bake with Olive Oil Instead of Butter." https://www.allrecipes.com/gallery/baking-with-olive-oil-recipes/

I baked their Olive Oil Bread yesterday afternoon. It took 2 hr. 10 min. Prepping the bread took 28 minutes. The remainder of the time was rising and baking for 40 minutes.

The finished product was slightly larger than a steakhouse boule served at the table. We ate half of it for penne with Rao's red sauce. The bread is delicious. I'm keeping the recipe for an "emergency" when I want bread with minimal effort at the last minute. I don't like foccacia with pasta, so this bread will work for me as a substitute for baking fresh foccacia, which also only takes a couple of hours.

BakerAunt, in this collection of recipes is one for Olive Oil Sugar Cookies.

[Italiancook]

BakerAunt, I appreciate your previous information about KAB's Soft Wrap Bread and how you'd freeze it. I printed the recipe but haven't ordered the potato flour. I'm debating with myself. Theoretically, I'm not supposed to eat potatoes. Because of the phosphorous. I do, but never without trepidation. On the KAB website it says potato flour makes baked goods softer. If I purchased the potato flour, I know I'd also use it in KAB's recipe for onion buns. They're very good, but not as soft as I prefer bread products. So I've been debating whether I should risk have a pantry product with phosphorous AND a sack of potatoes in the larder. If this debate ever ends with a purchase, I'll post here when I make the Soft Wraps.

[Italiancook]

BakerAunt, the KA soft wrap bread looks interesting. Glad you told us to fold them when hot and place under a towel. Question: Do you freeze what you don't eat? I much prefer baking bread to eating it. I'll eat some when it's fresh baked and freeze the rest until needed. If I make these wraps, I'd only need 2 on baking day. I can't envision how I'd freeze the remainder. Any suggestions?

[Italiancook]

I searched through my recipes tonight, didn't find what I needed, but found this Taste of Home recipe. I've never baked it; we don't grow zucchini.

Zucchini Pineapple Bread

[Italiancook]

Our trash collection company will give racoon-resistant bungee-type cords to secure the cans . . . free. We have to call and ask for them. They mail 2 or 3 to the house at a time. No charge. The extras are because they sometimes end up in the garbage truck when trash dumped in. They're easy to install and easy to remove the hook to thrown in bags.

[Italiancook]

skeptic7, your explanation of cutting a long quick bread is helpful to me. Thank you! I never thought of doing that. I like sticks. I cut foccacia into what I call soldiers. Sticks perfect for dipping into all the Italian soups I make. That reminds me:

BakerAunt, you were helpful when I was struggling to master KAF's recipe for foccacia. I did eventually "get" it right but didn't really like the flavor. I found a different foccacia recipe from I-don't-know-where that is thinner, an attribute I like better. I also didn't like its flavor.

It finally dawned in me that it might be I don't like the olive oil I've used for decades. It's the brand my mother-in-law used. The last time my husband went to Costco, I asked him to buy a Kirkland brand olive oil. He said they offer 3 Kirkland brands of it, so he just guessed which one to buy. This week, I made "My Favorite Foccacia" with the Kirkland EVOO, and I like the oil much better.

[Italiancook]

Mike, I appreciate the link you gave us. I printed the chart. I like charts -- I keep them next to my stove so I can easily reach for them when cooking or baking. The first chart you offered at your site that I keep handy is the can number sizes. I've only needed it once, which means I think it's useful. Never know when I'll again need to know how many ounces are in a specific can number. As I type this, it occurs to me that with shrinkflation, the information may be obsolete!

Speaking of shrinkflation: Four months ago and recently, I treated a relative to a Sam's shopping spree. Mike, is this my imagination: It seemed to me on the recent trip that package sizes were smaller, i.e. 6 cans to a pkg. as compared to 8 cans four months ago. It seemed to me that nuts were in the same size container but candy bars were in a smaller package. Could I be dreaming this?

[Italiancook]

Joan, I'm also going to try your technique with sweet corn when the farmer's market has it. In the meantime, we've enjoyed pre-shucked sweet corn from Sam's. It's so deliciously sweet, however, that I wonder if it's been innoculated somehow with a sugar solution. Regardless, it's a welcome relief to a winter without corn on the cob.

[Italiancook]

navlys, I made pizzelles 3 or 4 times a year until my pizzelle iron was lost in a move. I always used anise extract. At that time, it was sold in the grocery store section with other extracts. I don't know if grocery stores still carry the anise extract. I've never worked with the oil, so I can't advise you about that.

I never used a scoop. I placed a heaping tablespoon in the center of the iron, closed the lid, and often it'd seep out the edges. Made a mess, but I didn't care. I wanted perfectly formed pizzelles.

I'm not an expert, but maybe part of your problem is the recipe. My theory is that if something goes wrong repeatedly, it has to be the recipe's fault. Below is the pizzelle recipe I used. It came with the iron I purchased, and we think it's a winner winner chicken dinner recipe.

PIZZELLES

6 eggs
3-1/2 c. flour (I used Gold Medal or Pillsbury)
1-1/2 c. sugar
1 c. margarine (1/2 lb.) (I use butter)
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons anise or vanilla (I use anise extract)

Don't use more than 1 cup margarine & DON'T use oil

Beat eggs, adding sugar gradually. Beat until smooth. Add cooled melted margarine & anise or vanilla. Sift flour & baking powder & add to egg mixture. Dough will be sticky enough to be dropped by spoon.

Yield: 30 - Put the pizzelles in a closed container (I use cookie tins) for a day or two to make the vanilla or anise flavor stronger.

CHOCOLATE PIZZELLES

Add the following ingredients to those in the recipe for regular pizzelles. Sift with the flour & add to egg mixture:

1/2 cup cocoa, an additional 1/2 cup sugar, an additional 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

PIZZELLES WITH NUTS

Add 1 cup walnuts or pecans chopped fine to batter.

[Italiancook]

Joan, I send my sympathy and empathy to you. My prayer is that God will comfort you and heal your grief. 1 Peter 5:10.

[Italiancook]

I baked pancakes for the first time this morning. I used my go-to pancake recipe, (1-1/4 cup flour, 1-1/4 cup buttermilk) and added a diced banana. It was perfect amount of batter for my 1/4 sheet pan. I baked at 400*, because online recipes I checked used that temp. Took about 25 minutes to reach browning on top, but that length may have been the result of using the lower-middle rack instead of higher.

Baking these was wonderful. I didn't have to stand at one spot in front of the stove. While they baked, I cleaned up the kitchen & had a short rest. I'll definitely bake all future pancakes.

Mike, would you please explain to me the heat in an oven. Since hot air rises, and I am guessing the heat in my oven comes from the bottom, will a baker obtain quicker and better browning by raising the rack?

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