[Italiancook]

I agree with you, BakerAunt. It is cute. Interesting find for only 50 cents. I prefer estate sales as compared to garage sales. I think estate sales lend themselves to better finds.

[Italiancook]

Thanks, cwcdesign & luvpyrpom for zeroing in on the flour issue. I don't know enough about baking to have figured this out.

BakerAunt, I appreciate the KAF link.

Luvprpom, you're right the Welsh Cakes and "cookie" recipe are similar. I think I'll try the KAF recipe first to have a feel for what the right recipe tastes like. My family may have simply been making them wrong all those years. After I make the KAF cakes, I'll work with the family recipe and see where it goes. cwcdesign's suggestion of weighing the flour is probably a good idea for Grandma's recipe. It'll probably be a week or two before I have time to try KAF's recipe, but I'll report back with my results.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by Italiancook.

[Italiancook]

Today, I baked a double batch of Peanut Butter cookies and a single recipe of KAF Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies. It was my first time making the KAF recipe. Worked just fine. Recipe calls for 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips. It says you can use just a bag of chips. I had a bag of bittersweet choc. chips, so I used that. I think that was plenty of chocolate; I probably will never use the 3 cups. The recipe says this is a good cookie for ice cream sandwiches. I didn't have any ice cream, but I tend to think KAF is right on that.

Earlier in the week, I made KAF Easy Cinnamon Bread. I froze it as slices. Their recipe calls for letting the dough rise for an hour. I never do that. I much prefer the texture of baking it right after mixed.

[Italiancook]

Other than making a pot of green beans with ham and potatoes, we ate mostly plain proteins. Plain means that I didn't doctor it. At the beginning of the week, I prepared vegetables to be microwaved for the meals. I thought I was doing a healthful thing, but today I realized they all had unhealthy fats.

I added butter to the acorn squash. I browned the cut Brussel sprouts in bacon grease and braised them with the grease in the skillet. I dotted the broccoli with butter before microwaving it. I sautéed the mushrooms in butter. At least I cooked all the veggies without salt, so the only salt we ate was from the bacon.

[Italiancook]

Thanks, Mike. You have given me valuable information to think about. I probably won't rush into this purchase now. I'll make a trip to the store and ask the salesperson questions related to what I've learned from you.

[Italiancook]

Happy belated birthday, Mike.

[Italiancook]

I checked the Penzey's (spelling?) website. I noticed they offer double vanilla extract with twice the amount of beans. Has anyone tried this? Is it worth the extra money?

Mike, do you think the Sam's McCormick vanilla is the same strength as at a regular grocery store?

In all my decades of shopping at Sam's, I've never noticed vanilla on the shelves. When I read that you buy yours there, Mike, I called Sam's to see if they sell it in my area. They do. Now I'll have to go on an adventure and search it out.

I have always used McCormick's for the simple reason that I didn't know any other supplier. I know KAF has it, but I was never sure I wanted the type of alcohol theirs uses.

[Italiancook]

Thanks for asking, BakerAunt. I've been ill. Much better now. I have read and enjoyed all the posts -- kept up with that.

[Italiancook]

I didn't bake anything. Early in the week, maybe Sunday, I developed what I thought was an allergy to tomatoes. The problem persisted even when I backed away from the wonderful tomatoes from the farmer's market. Today, I Googled and discovered I may have something related to a chronic health problem. I hope to return to baking on Tuesday.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by Italiancook.

[Italiancook]

I didn't bake anything. Early in the week, maybe Sunday, I developed what I thought was an allergy to tomatoes. The problem persisted even when I backed away from the wonderful tomatoes from the farmer's market. Today, I Googled and discovered I may have something related to a chronic health problem. I hope to return to baking on Tuesday.

[Italiancook]

I didn't bake anything. Early in the week, maybe Sunday, I developed what I thought was an allergy to tomatoes. The problem persisted even when I backed away from the wonderful tomatoes from the farmer's market. Today, I Googled and discovered I may have something related to a chronic health problem. I hope to return to baking on Tuesday.

[Italiancook]

You're right, BakerAunt, the recipe isn't on the KAF website. Thanks for the flour tips.

[Italiancook]

Because of the heat wave, I used the slow cooker this week. For breakfasts, I made Kelsey Nixon's (Cooking Channel TV) Slow Cooker Irish Oatmeal. She uses 3 bananas in it. I don't like that texture, so I use 1 banana, and 2 fruit exchanges -- 1 of which is always 1/4 cup raisins. This week, I used a plum as the third fruit. Next week, I'll use a peach. Bought several of those at the farmer's market.

From ATK "Slow Cooker Revolution Vol. 2: Easy Prep Edition," I made Chicken Prvovencal. I had leftover chicken broth, so I made Florentine Potato Soup. I no longer have the slow cooker book that recipe came from, and I can't recall the title. The soup is topped with Jarlsberg cheese, and I greatly enjoy the consistency of the cheese in the soup.

I had grated too much cheese, so I decided to try it in a quesadilla. I didn't like the consistency of the cheese in that application. Next time, I'll go back to cheddar.

Last night, also from ATK's "Slow Cooker Revolution Vol. 2: Easy Prep," I made Smothered Pork Chops. I used center cut pork chops instead of what they called for in the recipe. Turned out fine. Next time, I'll trim most of the fat off the chops to reduce the fat in the sauce. Served this with corn and tomatoes from the farmer's market. So grateful for those farmers.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by Italiancook.

[Italiancook]

I baked only a yellow cake.

[Italiancook]

Thanks, BakerAunt, for telling us about this recipe. I have buttermilk I need to use up. I was on the KAF a week or so ago looking for buttermilk recipes. This one didn't come up. Or, if it did, I didn't have time to search long enough to find it. I'll check their website for this recipe. Probably won't make it with the bottle of buttermilk I have now, as I don't stock rye flour. I love rye bread; I just have never tried making it. The recipe you told us about sounds like a good way to delve into using rye flour. Thanks for including serving ideas and info about the texture.

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