Italiancook

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  • in reply to: What are You Cooking the Week of December 3, 2017? #10097
    Italiancook
    Participant

      I added a new cookbook to my bookcase. Mennonite Community Cookbook. Today, I tried their "Barbequed Hamburger." It's served on buns, so I thought it'd be "sloppy" like Sloppy Joes. It is not. I think it's because I drained the grease and juices off the hamburger after it browned. I do that for Sloppy Joes and don't lose any of the sloppiness. With this recipe, I need to drain off only some of the fat and juices. Tastes good, though. Made it for the freezer.

      in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of December 3, 2017? #10067
      Italiancook
      Participant

        RiversideLen, right now, I wish I had made brownies from Ghiradelli's box mix. Instead, I attempted to make them from scratch. The recipe calls for heating butter, sugar & a little water to boiling, then adding 6 oz. chocolate chips. Pour that mixture into a bowl, mix in dry ingredients, 6 more ounces chocolate chips & chopped nuts. I managed to dump in the extra chips & nuts. Ten minutes after pan was in oven, I noticed the dry ingredients were still on the counter!

        I planned to give the entire aluminum pan of brownies to a family friend. My first reaction when I discovered my mistake was to throw the whole kit 'n caboodle into the trash. After a few seconds, I realized I had nothing to lose. I pulled the warm pan out of the oven, stirred in the dry ingredients and popped it back into the oven. I have no idea how these will turn out, but I have so little confidence in them that I'm no longer going to giveaway the whole pan.

        When cooled, I'll cut and taste test. If they're passable, I'll cut them into pieces and give in a bag. If I'd known I had to do that, I would never have cooked them in a throw-away container. I don't recall BakerAunt's full quotation, but my mistake proves that at least I bake . . . or try to.

        As for your oatmeal in brownies, you're right, Riverside Len -- those are healthy brownies. After all, chocolate is the most important food group and oatmeal is a healthful food.

        in reply to: What are You Cooking the Week of December 3, 2017? #10055
        Italiancook
        Participant

          When I checked out Clark Howard's website this morning, I found an article about Instant Pot. Since it's been mentioned here, I'm putting a link to the piece below:

          in reply to: What are You Cooking the Week of November 26, 2017? #10001
          Italiancook
          Participant

            Sounds good to me, Mike.

            in reply to: How-To Thaw Coffee Cake? #10000
            Italiancook
            Participant

              Thanks, BakerAunt & Mike. Interesting about ovens -- Mike, my oven won't go down to 140. The lowest it will go is 170.

              in reply to: Edible Wafer Paper #9997
              Italiancook
              Participant

                I'm not going to be the first of our group to try edible wafer papers. I am way behind in several things because of a kitchen repair that lasted 2 weeks in November. I called a friend and offered him the wafer papers. He had never heard of them but is willing to try them. Monday, I'll take the papers and instructions to him along with the correctly-sized cutters. I'll ask him to share one of his wares with me if he completes the project. I'll post here his report on his efforts and the taste of the finished project.

                in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of November 26, 2017? #9989
                Italiancook
                Participant

                  RiversideLen, your pizza looks scrumptious!

                  in reply to: Vanilla in Shortbread? #9961
                  Italiancook
                  Participant

                    I've never made shortbread, but I agree with you. I'll be interested in knowing what the bakers of shortbread think.

                    in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of November 26, 2017? #9946
                    Italiancook
                    Participant

                      Cass/KIDPIZZA, thanks for doing the math of the olive oil substitution chart. I'm glad you also mentioned that subbing olive oil in cookies would lead to spreading. That would be a disaster, because most cookie doughs take a fair amount of time to prepare.

                      in reply to: What are You Cooking the Week of November 26, 2017? #9944
                      Italiancook
                      Participant

                        I had 2 lbs. beef stew meat in the freezer, so I made Vegetable Beef Soup. I've made this for decades. The last time I pulled a quart of it out of the freezer, the taste fell flat. I thought I was tiring of the soup. Today, I added half of a large jalapeno (fine dice) to the simmering beef, herbs, and onions. I wasn't sure if I should put in the jalapeno then, or wait until I added the carrots. I also put the usual pearl barley in the soup, even though I wasn't sure jalapeno would go good with barley. The finished product tasted only slightly different, but a pleasant heat lingered on the tongue after eating, so I declared the experiment a success. The heat is not so intense that I'd refrain from giving away this soup to people who don't normally eat jalapenos.

                        • This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by Italiancook.
                        in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of November 26, 2017? #9922
                        Italiancook
                        Participant

                          Thanks for this information, BakerAunt. It's informative. If I ever get around to making pizza dough, I hope to remember your experience. Thanks, Cass!

                          in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of November 19, 2017? #9919
                          Italiancook
                          Participant

                            RiversideLen, you cake looks scrumptious. Pretty, too.

                            in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of November 26, 2017? #9917
                            Italiancook
                            Participant

                              Rascals, I guess I should post this information, but you may already know it. Maybe it will help someone else.

                              There is more than one type of olive oil. I keep 2 types in my pantry. They have different flavors. Extra Virgin Olive oil has a distinct flavor in the brand I buy, compared to plain olive oil. There's also a light olive oil, and there may be other types. For pancakes, I prefer to use extra virgin olive oil. It adds a fruity hint to the pancakes. For delicate baked goods, I lean toward plain olive oil, because it has less flavor. I've never used the light olive oil, so I don't know what makes it light -- calories or flavor.

                              I buy cans of Fillipo Berio for both types I use. That's the brand my mother-in-law used, so I figure if it worked for her and her large family, it's good enough for me. The cans are over 3 quarts, so maybe it's economical. I've never price-checked it. I think, but am not certain, that both types are available in bottles. The cans are awkward to handle to measure out ingredients, so I have oil pour bottles on the counter for ease while cooking or baking. There are, of course, other brands of olive oil.

                              • This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by Italiancook.
                              in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of November 26, 2017? #9913
                              Italiancook
                              Participant

                                Rascals & Cass, below is a link to the chart I use to convert butter to olive oil. I've had good success with it. Cass, I'd be interested in your opinion of the accuracy of the chart, if you have time to fiddle with it. I should say that so far, I've only substituted in the tablespoons, so my success is limited to those measurements. I haven't tried it in larger amounts.

                                http://www.amazingoliveoil.com/substitute-olive-oil-for-butter.html

                                in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of November 26, 2017? #9909
                                Italiancook
                                Participant

                                  This morning, I baked "Quick and Easy Coffee Cake or Muffins" from http://www.breadworld.com (Fleischmann's). It is an easy recipe, but I wouldn't call it quick. From start to finish, it took 2-1/2 hours, but that included greasing the baking dishes and gathering and replacing canisters. I'm not complaining about the time, because the coffee cake tastes very good. And, the recipe makes 2 coffee cakes, or one cake with 12 muffins. I opted for the 2 cakes so I could put one in the freezer. I'm starting to incorporate olive oil in my baking. For the butter, I used 2/3 olive oil and 1/3 butter. Finished product still tasted good enough to serve to house guests. I don't think I'll ever have the courage to use all olive oil in baked goods. After all, butter makes food taste delicious.

                                Viewing 15 posts - 1,066 through 1,080 (of 1,496 total)