[Italiancook]

BakerAunt, I can't tell you whether or not to continue posting on Zen's site as I was never a member of the BC. I just wonder if Zen is alright. Seems to me I read on this site that Zen was involved in a move, but that was some time ago. The move may be over. If you have e-mail for Zen, maybe you could ask her about the site and if everything is okay.

I've also been wondering about Wonky. I can't recall a post for a while. I found Wonky's posts about all her bread-baking to be inspirational. Of course, I'm inspired by all you bakers and cooks, too.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by Italiancook.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by Italiancook.

[Italiancook]

Your pie looks gorgeous, Mike!

I baked Banana Nut Bread. I used black walnuts and am very unhappy with their flavor. There is no flavor. I purchased them from the grocery store and won't ever again do that. I'm going to try a source that claims their black walnuts are 'freshly hulled." If that doesn't work, I'm giving up on black walnuts.

I'm thinking that part of the problem is that I put them in the freezer right from the store. I didn't know when I'd use them and didn't want them to become rancid. Nevertheless, they did not have the flavor of the black walnuts my grandmother used. Of course, hers really were fresh as my dad hammered the nuts open and picked them out himself. But still, for the price, I think there should have been some black walnut flavor.

I also baked a Lemon Crostata that was discussed in a previous thread.

[Italiancook]

A friend of the family organized my photos for me. While she was here, I made a small pot of what was supposed to be Vegetable Beef Soup. I had a pound of cut-up chuck roast in the freezer. I used that and divided my soup recipe into thirds, as I normally make it with 3 pounds of beef. I know I put in too much barley and one potato too many, but I may have also miscalculated the liquid. I ended up with stew not soup. But she enjoyed it and didn't know I had planned soup. I just told her it was Vegetable Beef Stew.

I made stovetop Rice Pudding for her dessert.

Another day, I made a double batch of Carrot Soup. This time, I remembered to pull out the bay leaves before I used the immersion blender on it. I ended up with 3 quarts for the freezer and enough for one meal.

[Italiancook]

To report on the KAF Italian-style flour:

My husband ate a piece of the Crostata before I did. "This is the best crust ever," he said. "What did you do different?"

Immediately, I had to try it. The flour made a huge difference. This Crostata has a flakier, more tender crust, yet it maintains the firmness I want. I'm going to try substituting the Italian-style flour for all my Italian pastries . . . not that I make many of those.

[Italiancook]

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

[Italiancook]

No pumpkin pie as I originally wrote. I made a Lemon Crostata. Don't think rustic as frequently shown on Food Network. I used the Crostata recipe from "The Romagnolis' Table," my best Italian cookbook. Theirs has 2 crusts. The top is a lattice. It has a fancy look.

The recipe calls for Damson Plum jam or jelly. I made one of those a couple of years ago for visiting in-laws. My sister-in-law said it tastes like it came from Ferrara Bakery in Chicago, except theirs has a lemon filling. Today, I made the Crostata with lemon curd. It smelled scrumptious while baking, but we haven't cut into it yet.

The recipe calls for AP flour. I have KAF Italian-Style flour, so I used that. The recipe says to sift the flour, and I did that. Based on how the dough felt, I think that was a mistake. The Italian-style flour has a fine texture. I don't think it needs to be sifted. But there were a few small lumps of flour left in the sifter.

[Italiancook]

I have never read a cookbook like a novel. For most of my cooking days, I didn't have time. I'd leaf through and find recipes that looked enticing. If three recipes in a cookbook don't work out, I toss it. Lately, with more time, I read more of the cookbook but not all. It's a good idea, though, Mike.

As a new bride, my sister-in-law gave me "The Wise Encyclopedia of Cookery." It's an alphabetical explanation of all the foods available in the U.S. at that time. It includes recipes. It would make an interesting read, but I've never used it that way.

I don't own any classic cookbooks, although I think one of my Italian cookbooks is by an author famous in Italy.

[Italiancook]

All the photos are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing. They are a nice reminder that everyone can be thankful today. If for no other reason than being graced with beauty each Fall.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by Italiancook.

[Italiancook]

Brownies, although they're not as festive as truffles. Cookies is another thought that comes to my mind. Christmas cut-out cookies would be festive. Cheesecake bites.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by Italiancook.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by Italiancook.

[Italiancook]

Mike, you've given me (and others) some good information. I appreciate your time. I'm surprised that your oven can be spot-on at 350, but not at 400 or 300. Makes me think I should fine-tune to 350, not 400. I would never have thought of using the bread, but it's such a good idea that I'm going to do it. The last roast chicken I made make me think the oven had hot spots. Before that, I had never thought about it. Thanks for your input. If all goes as planned, tomorrow I'm going to make a loaf of sweet bread to see how the time compares to the recipe time, which I know has been right in the past.

[Italiancook]

I've now learned a new word -- hysteresis. I have no way of knowing how the oven handles hysteresis. I'm concentrating on the preheat temperature. But I'm glad you educated me. Maybe I'll stop fine-tuning the lower oven and see what happens when I bake in it.

At 400 degrees setting, it now registers 390 degrees. With a 350 degree setting, the oven thermometer says it's at 345 degrees. After preheating, in both cases. I don't understand why the preheat is 10 degrees lower at 400 deg. and only 5 degrees lower at 350 degrees. But maybe I'll quit playing with the lower oven and tackle the upper oven to see what I learn.

I now realize I should have checked the temperature of the oven when it was working, before it broke. I have no frame of reference, because I didn't do that. Live and learn.

[Italiancook]

Thanks for clearing that up, Mike. Maybe I misunderstood. I tackled the recalibration and am pleased to report that it's easy. Instructions scroll across the screen. Easy to follow. It's a time-consuming process, because I'm adjusting only 5 degrees at a time. I don't want to go over my 400 degree goal.

[Italiancook]

Your grandmother was quite amazing, Mike!

My ovens are a little less than 25 degrees too cool. But I can reheat the ham by using an oven thermometer and adjusting the temperature. As I type, I'm gathering the courage to try to fix this problem myself. I do not understand computers. I have the instruction booklet on the stovetop, have it opened to the right page, and have used the Options function to make sure it's still set to Fahrenheit. Part of my procrastination is that I can tell from reading the instruction booklet that a lot of recalibrating the temperature is intuitive. I have none of that where computers are concerned.

BTW, I said in my previous post I would make ham gravy. What was I thinking? Without cooking the ham myself, I don't have any drippings for the gravy.

I didn't know ham has more carbs than protein. That's interesting.

[Italiancook]

We're no longer having Fettuccini Alfredo. We're having a fully cooked ham, since the oven temp is broken and I can't bake one. We're also having stovetop candied sweet potatoes, broccoli, mashed potatoes with ham gravy -- I know, ham gravy is really too salty for good health, so I'll only have a little of it. We'll buy a pumpkin pie from a local restaurant. I don't like pie. The only pie I ever "make" is lemon meringue pie for my husband. The pumpkin pie is also for him.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by Italiancook.

[Italiancook]

I only made a half-pot of chicken broth this week. I had some boneless chicken thighs from the freezer, but I wasn't pleased with the taste of the broth, so I ditched it. That's the last time I'll make broth without using a whole chicken. We ate out or had simple non-cooked meals.

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