[Italiancook]

I understand your frustration, BakerAunt. And to have the mistake be in a double batch -- ow!

[Italiancook]

Bronx, please let us know at the end of the season if you were successful keeping critters away with dwarf plants & cages. It's impossible for me to have homegrown tomatoes. The deer, raccoons & squirrels have first dibs. Last year, my husband bought cages and set them up. We still had no tomatoes. So if you build a cage that keeps the critters out, or if the dwarf plants have some anti-repellent property, I'd like to know.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 8 months ago by Italiancook.

[Italiancook]

I decided timing the food in a convection oven was too much trouble. I couldn't predict when the food would be done, and I didn't want to stand by the oven testing the food. I only use the regular oven feature.

[Italiancook]

I made a pot of Hamburger-Vegetable Soup from Better Homes & Gardens cookbook.

[Italiancook]

RiversideLen, your sandwich buns look great!

[Italiancook]

Mike, before you buy induction, you may want to check the manufacturer's website for the model you want, and read online reviews about induction stovetops. You may recall that many weeks ago, I posted that I was considering induction. After reading your response, I picked out a specific model. My husband checked the manufacturer's website and discovered it was discontinued. I didn't want to buy something for which there might not be parts far down the road.

My husband also checked online reviews of induction in general. He said some people were reporting that using their induction appliance caused their circuit breakers to trip. I don't know how many reports of this he read, but Googling might bring you to these. Of course, manufacturers make improvements based on consumer experience, so by the time you want induction, this may not be an issue.

My husband also said his research indicated that the strength of the induction varied between burners.

[Italiancook]

I made saffron rice today using a variation of the recipe I found online but couldn't find now when I looked. It was for stovetop rice, and I used a rice cooker. Below is my recipe and results:

I used a scant 2 cups of basmati, and approximately 1/3 cup minced onion. I put a small pinch of saffron on a flat plate and crushed it into a powder with the back of a spoon. The recipe said to use a mortar and pestle, but I don't own one. I used chicken stock and added a larger pinch of saffron (whole) into the stock.

The finished product was the yellow I wanted, but it tasted like plain rice. In retrospect, I realize I was too stingy with the saffron pinches. Next time, I'll use more powdered and whole saffron. I realize I may never be able to replicate the taste of the packaged product I remember from a decade ago. They may have used something else in their mix. But I think that an adequate amount of saffron should add something to the flavor. Am I wrong?

[Italiancook]

BakerAunt, I'm glad you folks arrived safely.

I baked my grandmother's recipe for Banana Nut Bread. I sliced and froze half of it. I experimented with the other half. I used it to make Banana Bread Biscotti. I used the recipe linked below from Food Network's "The Kitchen."

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/banana-bread-biscotti

I didn't make a chocolate one. Instead, a regular banana bread. As far as the biscotti, I think mine would have turned out better if I had wrapped the loaf and let it sit a day or two. Next time, I'm going to turn off the oven at the end of the baking time and let the bread stay in the oven an extra 5 minutes. The centers need to be crispier than they are. At least I can now say I have homemade biscotti in the freezer!

[Italiancook]

BakerAunt, glad to see you arrived safely.

I baked a loaf of my grandmother's Banana Nut Bread. I used a farmer's black walnuts. Much more flavor than the grocery store brand. Still, I think the best black walnuts were the ones my dad picked up under a tree in another state, carted home to shell. That's probably a skewed memory, because the nuts in today's bread gave a wonderful moisture and flavor to the bread.

I sliced half the loaf for the freezer. I experimented with the other half and made Banana Bread Biscotti using a recipe I saw on Food Network's "The Kitchen." I think the biscotti would have been crisper in the center if I had wrapped the bread and let it sit a day or two. Next time, I'm going to let them sit in the oven for five minutes with the temperature turned off. I would like to achieve more crispiness in the center. But now, I can say I have biscotti in the freezer!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/banana-bread-biscotti

The above link is about making biscotti with chocolate banana bread. I made a regular loaf, not chocolate, and the biscotti idea still has merit.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 8 months ago by Italiancook.

[Italiancook]

Last night, I braised pork chops and made French fries as a side.

[Italiancook]

Thanks, Aaron, for explaining diner pancakes to me. The last time I was in a diner was when I was 7 or 8.

[Italiancook]

Okay, I have to ask: What is a diner pancake -- a pancake with a secret ingredient?

[Italiancook]

I had leftover brown rice. I Googled to find out how to make rice pudding from leftover rice. This morning, I used the recipe below to make rice pudding for breakfast. I have more half 'n half than milk, so I used half 'n half instead of milk. The recipe doesn't call for an egg, but I began to think that for breakfast it should have protein. I had 1-3/8 cups rice and liquid, so I added one beaten and tempered egg. That made the pudding quite creamy. I don't like the texture and will not use an egg in the future.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes-menus/leftover-cooked-rice-pudding-recipe-article

[Italiancook]

I'll look for the Koulouria recipe, BakerAunt. I hadn't thought of Biscotti. Thanks, RiversideLen, for the Oatmeal Coconut cookie recipe.

[Italiancook]

It hadn't occurred to me, Mike, that there was a recipe for saffron rice. After you mentioned it, I searched online. I found one recipe where the yellowness of the rice looks like what comes from the package. It's for stovetop cooking, so I'll have to experiment to adjust it to the rice cooker. Thanks!

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