[Italiancook]

BakerAunt, I read your post a couple hours ago. Now that I've thought about it, I've decided to go for broke. Before Christmas shopping begins in earnest, I'll go to Michael's and see if they have the Wilton four tips with some bags. I've watched a lot of Martha Stewart and Food Network shows illustrating piping, so I may be able to do it.

[Italiancook]

Thanks, BakerAunt, for solving the mystery.

For myself, I see a problem. I don't own a piping bag and have never piped. I'm just going to ice the cookies and declare they look beautiful without the piped edges. I really don't think I'll have to have the piping. I bought their cookie cutter that goes with their wafer papers, so I know the size will be exact. I also don't own a food-safe craft brush, but will assume Michael's can solve that problem. If not, I'm destined to make-do with a small pastry brush.

BakerAunt, I'm glad you gave us this link. It gives me time to study the directions so I start the project knowing what to do when. I'll let you and the others know in December whether I succeeded at this cookie idea.

[Italiancook]

I checked the Oct. 1 cooking posts and find that cwcdesign posted the link for a blog about cooking butternut squash in the slow-cooker.

I'm here to spread the word that this really does work. After 8 hours, the squash was done. Like all slow cookery, what's wonderful is that I was out and about while it cooked. I let the finished squash cool for 15 minutes, then cut and seeded it. I easily scraped out the flesh & added it to a bowl with some butter. I added grated nutmeg, mashed, decided to add a little salt, and I'm pleased with the finished product. So much easier than peeling and cutting a raw squash. (If I were making this only for myself, I would not have added salt. Since it's for a lunch guest, I decided to add a smidgen of salt.)

• This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by Italiancook.

[Italiancook]

I don't know what to do with it, either, Mike. This will be a learning experience for both of us. The catalog says they come with instructions, but I probably won't be able to access those until I open the package of wafer papers.

[Italiancook]

Your answer is also interesting, Mike.

Here's what I know so far: Sometime during the cooking time, the squash became softer and shrunk to fit the bottom of the crockpot. As it slid down, the stem scratched my cooker. It looks to me like it's a permanent scratch, although I didn't take the lid off to examine closer. I'll report how long this actually took to cook. The article's reported cooking time was 8 hours. I'll test it with a table knife after 8 hours and see where I am.

For anyone else wanting to try this, I don't think it'd work in a round crockpot. Mine is oval, and I think an oval pot would be needed to accommodate the shape of the squash.

Mike, I didn't think about peeling and cubing. I was trying out a (I think) blog post about slow cooking it for 8 hours, then cutting, seeding & mashing. It was an experiment for me, and your post alerted me to the fact that it may need to cook longer, since it started out suspended in the pot. Thanks.

[Italiancook]

When I ordered the edible wafer papers, I asked about shelf life. I wanted to be sure they'd still be good in December if purchased now. I was told to store them in the pantry, flat . . . (with nothing on them, I assume.) Don't store them near the stove or other heat. They will be fine in December, following those guidelines.

I'm hoping to use them in early December. I'll report back on the finished cookies.

[Italiancook]

I made my dad's version of Chop Suey today. Served it with chow mien noodles. I'll make rice for serving leftovers tomorrow.

[Italiancook]

Aaron, thanks for the info about freezing mozzarella. I freeze hard cheeses like Romano, but didn't know mozzarella could be frozen. Mike, I also didn't know pepperoni could be frozen. I always have tomato sauce in the freezer. I assume, Aaron, that when you say tomato sauce, you mean regular tomato sauce and not something special made just for pizza. Correct?

BakerAunt, Thanks for your detailed post. I read it as if you put raw meat on the pizza. And raw veggies. I've always thought the meat and veggies had to be pre-cooked. Am I wrong?

Aaron, offhand, do you know the type/brand name of mozzarella you buy at TJ's? I don't shop there, but my husband likes to go there.

It looks like homemade pizza will be in my future.

[Italiancook]

I read the reports of y'all making pizza with interest. I've never tried it. When I think about trying it, I'm stymied. I'd like homemade pizza as a spur-of-the-moment meal, because when I buy pizza, it's always spur-of-the-moment. I can never figure out how to have topping ingredients when the moment arrives that I want pizza. The mozzarella I buy doesn't have a long shelf life. So if I buy the cheese, it might expire before the pizza mood hits. Maybe I'm just not a homemade pizza maker. I guess I could make the dough & freeze it, but it's the toppings that allude me.

I also don't own a stone & don't want one because of its weight. But I've seen pizza made on a sheet pan on Pioneer Woman.

[Italiancook]

I am having fun planning my butternut squash cooking adventures. cwcdesign, I appreciate the slow cooker post. I'm having a friend over for lunch next week. I'm going to slow cook a butternut the day before she arrives. Then mash it with butter, refrig & microwave for a luncheon side dish. So that will be the first of these recipes that I'll try.

I rarely think of the supermarket chains for veggies. I buy them at a small market. My motto has always been that if they don't carry it, I can live without it. But now that this site has a recipe with fresh fennel & ginger, I'll call the supermarkets to see if they sell them -- when I'm ready to make the recipe.

I'm especially fond of butternut squash. That and acorn squash are the only two I like, although I haven't tried spaghetti squash yet. My second best Italian cookbook has a recipe for spaghetti squash, and now that we've talked so much about squash, I guess I'll buy one the next time I go to the market.

[Italiancook]

Wow, BakerAunt! If the technique in the video works, it's wonderful. I don't have that type of vegetable peeler, but will look for one to buy. I don't know how you found that video, but thanks a lot.

cwcdesign, thanks for giving us the Food & Wine link. The recipe looks good, but I have a problem with it. I don't have any stores nearby that sell fennel or fresh ginger. I'm thinking, though, that I might try this recipe with fennel seed and ground ginger. I doubt it'll be as good as fresh, but . . . nothing ventured, nothing gained.

[Italiancook]

Thanks for the recipe link, cwcdesign. I'll probably try it. I wonder, though, instead of cutting the butternut squash into cubes, couldn't the squash be roasted in halves and added to a simmering pot of the liquid and spices. Cook it for 5 minutes, then puree it with an immersion blender. Maybe I'm just looking for an easy way to have butternut soup without all the work.

Mike, thanks for the info about the rutabaga. I had planned on trying a new recipe for a winter soup that uses rutabaga. I'm not up to spending an hour prepping the veg, so I'll toss the recipe.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by Italiancook.

[Italiancook]

From Martha Stewart's website, I made "Butternut Bisque." It's delicious, but peeling the squash was worse than usual. The recipe calls for 4 pound butternut squash. I bought that size, instead of 2 -2 lb. The problem was that the squash was so wide that I couldn't handle it to peel it. My husband had to peel it. He'd never done that before, so even with my instructions, it was tedious for him. The other problem was the squash was so thick I couldn't cut it. Hubby had to do that, too. Altogether, it took 55 minutes to prep the squash. I could have done it faster, and cut it myself if I had bought 2-2 lb. squashes.

While the bisque is delicious, I didn't like the texture. Too thick to suit me. When I make this again, I'll add some water or chicken broth at the end to make it more soupy.

[Italiancook]

Thanks for the link, BakerAunt. I checked out their sugar cookie recipe. Thanks for giving me the name.

[Italiancook]

I have called Fancy Flours and was told the edible wafer papers are flavorless, although a little sweet. I didn't have time to place my order, but I'm going to do it tomorrow. I'm going to order Christmas papers, so it'll be December before I make them & can post back here about the finished product.

BakerAunt, I spent too much time on their website last evening and didn't notice any recipes. When I have time, I'll check out their sugar cookie recipe, although I'm quite happy with Martha Stewart's recipe in her book "Entertaining." For Christmas, I may use the recipe with the least sugar, since there's sugar in the wafer papers.

I can imagine how thrilled a child would be to receive his/her own shoebox of cookies. That'd be a big time fun experience, especially since it happened more than once!

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