[Italiancook]

For the first time, I made cupcakes. I used KAF Banana Cupcakes w/Peanut Butter Frosting. The recipe called for Cake Enhancer (optional) for moisture. I didn't have any, and didn't want to buy it, but will consider it if there's ever a next time. Frosting recipe calls for 3/4 cup peanut butter and salt. I used only 1/2 cup and left out the salt. The finished product was peanut buttery enough, with plenty of salt from the peanut butter. The lack of added salt did not detract from the sweetness.

[Italiancook]

Hi, Wendy! Welcome aboard. I have KAF Italian-style flour. I can't recall if they also call it 00, but I think it's similar. I haven't used it for cakes or cookies. I have used it for Crostata that has a lattice top. Compared to regular AP flour, I much prefer the "00". The dough is just as easy and difficult to work with as AP flour. The finished "00" crostatas are much more tender. It's probably just our imagination, but we think the KAF Italian-style "00" yields a product as good as Ferrara in Chicago. Certainly, it's closer with my recipe than AP flour.

Now that you have brought up using it for cakes and cookies, I may try it with a cake. If I do, I'll let you know, and if you try first, please let us know.

[Italiancook]

cwc, I just called the number I have for the Cuisinart recall line, and it worked. Try this number and ask for a supervisor. Number: 1-877-339-2534. The reason to ask for the supervisor is that I was told they're the only ones who can give you a shipping date and arrival date. When I called in early June, the supervisor told me my blade would arrive on the 19th. It did not, but it arrived 3 or 4 days later. I assume the delay was the post office, because a package I ordered also arrived late.

[Italiancook]

I'm not doing any Easter baking. I made Chocolate Chip Cookies this morning for the freezer. Will bake them near the end of the month to give away. I'm going to bake Paula Deen's Easy Rolls for the freezer tomorrow or Wednesday.

[Italiancook]

Ditto. Thanks for the forum, Mike.

BakerAunt, you may have printed Ina Garten's recipe for Cheddar Biscuits after I mentioned it a few months ago. Just want you to know that today I was rummaging through the freezer looking for a bread to eat with broccoli soup. All I could find was one lone Cheddar Biscuit dated 10-24-16. The microwave rejuvenated it, and I have to tell you, it tasted better than they did fresh . . . and I liked them fresh.

[Italiancook]

I agree, Aaron -- thanks for posting this article. I knew where salt comes from, but with so many cooking shows emphasizing sea salt, I never put it together.

[Italiancook]

Today, I made Lickin' Chicken from Cook-Ahead Cookery. Since it's made the day before, it won't be baked until tomorrow. It's hard to imagine what Lickin' Chicken really is. It's chicken breasts marinated and baked in olive oil, Worcestershire, and herbs.

I discovered today that posting what I bake and cook comes in handy. I discovered a pint of chop suey in the refrigerator. I couldn't remember when I made it, which should have been my first clue. I came to this site to find out when I posted making it. March 31st. I fed it to the garbage disposal and hope to not make this mistake ever again!

[Italiancook]

I have a question about your Texas Sheet Cake, Mike. I have my beloved stepmother's recipe. I've baked it twice, and it never turned out like hers. How soon after removing the cake from the oven do you pour on the icing? I think the reason her recipe doesn't work for me is that I'm not putting on the icing at the proper cake temperature. Thanks!

[Italiancook]

Delicious & easy/quick to pull together.

[Italiancook]

Cass, I always appreciate cooking tips. Thank you. I have cream cheese in the fridge, usually. I'll try your ratio next time. In fact, I'll try your recipe for mashed potatoes next time. I'll let you know how it turns out. But it may be a while before I make mashed again. I'm going to have quite a supply of potato patties in my freezer to use up first.

I agree with you, Mike, on buttermilk mashed potatoes.

Don't know why I was so worried about artery health yesterday when making mashed potatoes. I knew then that I was going to make Ben & Jerry Dreamsicle Ice Cream today. The recipe is on this site. The ice cream is delicious! The bonus is that you don't have to cook a custard. Just toss everything in a container and whisk & pour in machine.

For me, the ice cream has too much cream. It uses both cream & half 'n half. Next time, I'm going to use only half 'n half. The next time will be in a day or so. The recipe uses orange juice concentrate. Only a third of a cup, which means there's enough to make the ice cream 2 or 3 times. I'm making it for the freezer, so that's a good thing.

I've had an ice cream maker for most of this century, but only used it twice. I couldn't find a good way to pour the custard into the small opening at the top without making a mess. Yesterday, I discovered that Pyrex makes an 8-cup measuring pitcher that has a top with pouring holes that can be placed over the spout. This worked out perfectly. No pouring mess.

[Italiancook]

This morning, I made Chop Suey for the freezer, although I kept 2 lunches worth out for the refrigerator. This evening, I made Oven-Fried Chicken & mashed potatoes. I made a lot of mashed, but I thought of artery health when it was time to add the salt and butter. This skimping ruined the mashed potatoes. I'm going to reprocess them tomorrow by adding salt and turning them into potato patties. Live and learn. If anyone wants the Oven-Fried Chicken recipe, I'm going to post it in the recipe section.

[Italiancook]

Len, your bread looks great and scrumptious. Congratulations!

[Italiancook]

Aaron, my granddaughter learns a lot of baking methods by watching YouTube. She's found quite a lot of advanced material there. They might have a video of what you want to learn.

[Italiancook]

I made a peach cobbler. Once, I saw a Food Network star -- don't recall which one -- make a peach cobbler using canned peaches. So I put 3 cans of sliced peaches in a square dish & made my usual cobbler topping. Turned out fine, but I prefer it with fresh peaches. I guess I'll try it sometime with frozen peaches.

[Italiancook]

Thanks for the tip about critters not eating cherry tomatoes, Bronx. I didn't know that. I'll make sure my husband buys a couple of those plants to test out our critters.

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