[Italiancook]

Well, Mike, if it's a #10 can, how do you keep the fat from dripping all over the garbage bag? Bacon fat will harden somewhat, but liquid oils won't. I "recycle" empty quart mayo jars for fats, and most of the time, it's quite liquidy when I finally throw it away.

My mother-in-law always had bacon fat by her stove, also. She used it to make refried beans. Her refrieds were the best ever, but I've never had the courage to use bacon fat in mine.

[Italiancook]

Last week, I made a grilled cheese with leftover mozzarella and fontina. I loved it. I like fontina more than I thought I would. So that's dinner tonight.

[Italiancook]

Aaron, Rachel Ray on Food Network made a lot of different sausage when her 30 Minute Meal was regularly aired. Of course, she used pre-ground pork, instead of grinding it herself. The only reason I haven't tried her recipes is that I never know how long to cook sausage patties. With links, I cook until brown on all sides. Seems to me patties have more sausage, and I'm worried that they cook all the way through. End result is hard, crunchy patties.

[Italiancook]

BakerAunt, you may have said this in one of the cooking/baking threads, but I don't recall. What do you use in place of the cheese on pizza?

I can't have tomato sauce but can sub garlic oil. I can't imagine a substitute for cheese.

[Italiancook]

I'm glad you did it, Joan, because I missed it!

[Italiancook]

Mike, too much protein and too much fiber.

[Italiancook]

Thanks for the link, Mike. It's helpful. I just skimmed it, but will read it more closely tomorrow, when I have more time.

[Italiancook]

Aaron, do you remember what your family didn't like about par-baking the crusts?

I made KAF's Now or Later Pizza Crust today. It's only my third homemade pizza, and I still find them daunting. Prepare the topping, after shopping for the toppings. And, I'm not the least creative with food, so I agonize over the toppings. Make the dough if there's none in the freezer. Turn the dough into a crust. Bake, in this case, par-bake and bake. Take it out and cut it. By the time I eat it, I'm worn out.

When I made the first two pizzas, I chalked it up to the learning curve. After today, I think I'm still near the base of the curve, far away from the peak.

The good news is that I really liked this crust. It was thinner than the other 2 KAF crusts I made and didn't like because they were too thick. And, the crust itself had flavor because of olive oil in it. What worries me is that part of the reason I liked the crust is the semolina flour in it, and I'm guessing that's not good for me medically. Won't know for sure for a few weeks when I see dietician.

I made a 3 cheese pizza -- mozzarella, fontina & Parm Reg. I used garlic olive oil as the sauce. My husband and I both enjoyed that sauce with the cheeses.

[Italiancook]

Thanks for the sacrifice, Mike.

[Italiancook]

And I'll check the organic apples that I buy. I didn't know there was a special seal. Thanks, Mike.

[Italiancook]

For the first time, I made KAF's "Now or Later Crust." It has semolina, which I probably can't have but don't know for sure. It yields 2 pizzas. It led me to a question:

(1) What do y'all do when you want to freeze half the dough? Do you let it have the first rise with all the dough before dividing it? Or, do you cut the dough in half and put one-half in the freezer without the rise, thinking it'll get plenty of rise thawing out in the refrig?

This recipe calls for par-baking the crust for the freezer, but that isn't practical with my freezer.

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/now-or-later-pizza-crust-recipe

[Italiancook]

BakerAunt, does "concentrated" beef stock mean it has to be diluted with water?

[Italiancook]

I had it right, but that's only because my guessing skills are becoming better.

[Italiancook]

Mike, the recipe I used, from Cook-Ahead Cookery, calls for a cup of wine & a cup of beef stock. I don't make my own beef stock -- I use it rarely. Like you, I use Merlot for cog-au-vin.

Glad to hear I didn't waste my time or ingredients with the Merlot.

I don't drink alcohol, so I'm happy you mentioned white wines. When I need one for a recipe, I never know what to buy. Usually, I use Sauvignon Blanc, because I heard it used on a cooking show. But I know nothing about what type of wine it is -- dry or not.

• This reply was modified 6 years ago by Italiancook.

[Italiancook]

I have tomorrow's dinner in the oven. Beef Merlot. That's Boeuf Bourguignon gone wrong. It's impossible to buy burgundy wine in this area, except in giant bottles. So I use Pinot Noir, which is readily available. When I was planning out my day last night, I discovered that my husband had purchased Bordeaux instead of Pinot Noir. I Googled and found out Bordeaux has red and white wine. So, I Googled to find out what substitutes for Pinot Noir. Merlot is one substitute, and we had a bottle of Merlot. So today I'm making Beef Merlot. I hope the finished product tastes alright.

[Author]

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