[Italiancook]

Len & BakerAunt, thanks for all the info on the rings and how to use them. I'm no longer in the dark. I'm sure I'll end up buying one of them. Just don't know which one yet. I like the idea, Len, that it's long enough for cinnamon rolls.

[Italiancook]

Len, re: the Fondant Roller you mentioned on the 21st: I checked it out and am confused. What do the rings do for you when you're rolling? Do you remove all but only the width ring you want? How do the rings tell you when your crust is the thickness you want? Seems to me they'd make an indentation in the dough. I read the Q&As & some reviews and couldn't get a sense of how the rings help.

[Italiancook]

I don't think I had too much leaving, BakerAunt, since I didn't add extra baking soda. But I am going to add the 1/4 tsp. extra soda next time I use buttermilk just to see what happens. Mike, I keep my baking soda only for 6 months then replace it.

[Italiancook]

Thanks for the roux/milk suggestion, Mike. I hadn't thought of that. Broccoli went on hold until tomorrow. Took me longer to make the Endive Rice Soup than I expected.

[Italiancook]

I baked Blueberry Muffins this morning from Better Homes & Garden New Cookbook. Recipe calls for regular milk. I used 1 cup + 1 tablespoon buttermilk. I didn't add baking soda, because I use baking soda and cream of tartar in place of baking powder. I thought the 1/2 teaspoon baking soda in the formula would be enough for the buttermilk. I think I erred, because the muffins didn't rise as much as usual. What is the amount of extra baking soda to add for what amount of buttermilk? 1/4 teaspoon? Or is that too much?

[Italiancook]

I'm headed to the kitchen to make Escarole Rice Soup from the Romagnolis Italian cookbook. I also have some broccoli I need to cook. I think I'll make a Cheddar cheese sauce to go with it -- oops, can't do that, I don't have any cream. Plain broccoli suits me, too.

[Italiancook]

As BakerAunt said, I also had a 50/50% chance of having the right answer, and I chose the wrong 50%.

[Italiancook]

BakerAunt, my grandmother's recipe box has a recipe I've never tried. It's for a roll-out cookie. It calls for butter, but maybe you can adjust that to oil. I have no memory of eating these cookies growing up, so I can't vouch for the taste.

NEW DEAL COOKIES (Yield: About 2 dozen)

3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream butter & sugar. Add eggs & milk. Sift flour twice. Add baking powder & salt. Beat with other ingredients. Chill dough. Roll thin & cut. Top with walnuts. Bake 10-12 minutes in 350 degree oven.

All my grandmother's sweet recipes call for sifting flour at least twice. I tell myself flour is better now and only sift once. The time I left out sifting altogether, I was disappointed with the finished product.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by Italiancook.

[Italiancook]

My guess was correct.

[Italiancook]

It's great that you're experimenting with a cookie substitution, BakerAunt. I'm watching your attempts closely. I can have butter but am interested in non-butter. That's why I so often sub olive oil for butter in some recipes. Glad you like your final result. Good luck on your next attempt, if there is one.

[Italiancook]

I prepared Deviled Ribs from Cook-Ahead Cookery for tomorrow dinner. I'll serve it with oven-roasted potatoes. I haven't decided what else.

[Italiancook]

I had no idea so missed it.

[Italiancook]

Grocery stores are a source of irritation for me. I have easy access to 5. NONE of them ever have everything I need. Almost always, fulfilling a grocery list means going to more than one store. Sometimes, it means going to all 5. Frustrating! I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but I think they do this intentionally in concert with one another. Just to make sure each store gets some business. Okay, maybe I have one conspiracy theory.

[Italiancook]

Last night, I tried a new recipe for banana bread. The bananas are sliced instead of mashed. It baked the correct amount of time, but there were holes that had soft banana in them. Looked unappetizing. Eating was unpleasant, because the bread around the bananas was cooked, but the bananas were mushy. Too much change of texture. I threw away the bread. Maybe I needed to slice the bananas thinner. Or, maybe I needed to separate each slice before I put them in the bowl, instead of pushing them off the cutting board together. Maybe this is a cook's error and not the recipe, but I won't try this again.

[Italiancook]

I knew this, but I wonder about one of the tree nuts. Whether they're grown in the U.S. I'll have to search this later today.

[Author]

Posts