Sun. Mar 29th, 2026

Mike Nolan

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  • in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of October 28, 2018? #13860
    Mike Nolan
    Keymaster

      Hmm, I wonder what you did differently? Overmixing is a common problem with pie doughs, as is adding either not enough or too much water. Too little water and it crumbles when you handle it, too much and it encourages gluten development, which makes it too elastic, so it fights being rolled out.

      in reply to: What are You Cooking the Week of October 28, 2018? #13858
      Mike Nolan
      Keymaster

        The stock is in the cooling stage now, then I'll strain out the aromatics and chill it overnight to separate out any remaining fat. I should get 12-14 quarts of stock from 2 chickens, normally I get 4-5 quarts from one chicken.

        I plan to start using it by making a batch of potato leek soup, probably tomorrow or Friday.

        in reply to: What are You Cooking the Week of October 28, 2018? #13856
        Mike Nolan
        Keymaster

          Wound up making pepper steak stir fry for supper. Chicken stock still going, I'm trying a different process, based on the one in Rachael Mamane's book "Mastering Stocks and Broths". It is a bit more time-consuming.

          in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of October 28, 2018? #13850
          Mike Nolan
          Keymaster

            I'll be making a Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake tonight for the Halloween feast at my wife's office tomorrow.

            in reply to: What are You Cooking the Week of October 28, 2018? #13849
            Mike Nolan
            Keymaster

              Today I'm making a large batch of chicken stock, probably 10+ quarts.

              in reply to: What are you cooking the week of October 21, 2018? #13833
              Mike Nolan
              Keymaster

                I made Veal Marsala this evening, which we had over toast.

                in reply to: My Husband Made it Home #13795
                Mike Nolan
                Keymaster

                  I can well imagine he's happy to be home, hope you're holding up well, as your caregiver duties probably just increased.

                  in reply to: Duck sandwiches at Arby’s #13780
                  Mike Nolan
                  Keymaster

                    They were pretty good, too. A whole breast, skin on, with a cherry sauce and some onion strings (that I thought were possibly unnecessary.)

                    in reply to: What are you cooking the week of October 14, 2018? #13768
                    Mike Nolan
                    Keymaster

                      Some of the sites that talk about white striping are a bit alarmist, I'm not planning to stop buying chicken, though I try to stay away from the super-breasts when possible.

                      in reply to: What are you cooking the week of October 14, 2018? #13766
                      Mike Nolan
                      Keymaster

                        Also, see this post on white striping in chicken breasts, which is increasingly common, especially in the really large breasts.

                        There are several membranes in chicken breasts, which are actually several different muscles, and there are usually membranes in between muscle groups in warm blooded animals. In beef, these are the 'silver skins' that I try so hard to peel or cut off before roasting meat.

                        Some of them can get noticeably thicker as the bird grows, especially the one between the breast and the tenderloin or 'chicken finger'.

                        Recently I've been making turkey tenderloins rather than buying deli turkey, which is way too salty, and there's a rubbery membrane in the middle of most of them.

                        in reply to: What are you cooking the week of October 14, 2018? #13765
                        Mike Nolan
                        Keymaster

                          How big was the breast? Some of the super-breasts tend to be a bit rubbery when cooked. (I've seen some that were nearly 2 pounds!)

                          Lowering the cooking temperature (usually from 375 to 350 for me) and making sure the surface stays moist seems to help. I also like to add a little acid, such as lemon juice or white wine.

                          in reply to: And There were No Apples #13760
                          Mike Nolan
                          Keymaster

                            I tend to avoid the festivals, and even stopped going to the Nebraska State Fair, which then moved from Lincoln to Grand Island. We went to the Lancaster County Fair last year, but not this year.

                            I was thinking of going apple picking at one of the local u-pick orchards last weekend, but then we got 3 inches of snow last Sunday. If they're still open, I might try to go tomorrow, though I've got a plumber coming to replace a leaky outdoor faucet. If they're still open next week I might go then, assuming the weather doesn't turn cold again. I've still got enough frozen pie filling from last year to make a half dozen pies, so I'm not desperate.

                            in reply to: Pies that are works of art #13743
                            Mike Nolan
                            Keymaster

                              I wonder if she's making pie dough or using packaged dough, I think it would be difficult to cut my butter crusts into strips that thin and still be able to work them into those designs.

                              in reply to: What are you cooking the week of October 14, 2018? #13742
                              Mike Nolan
                              Keymaster

                                I'm making a meat loaf, with mushrooms and black beans.

                                in reply to: What are you baking the week of October 14, 2018? #13736
                                Mike Nolan
                                Keymaster

                                  I've only made Boston brown bread a couple of times, both times it came out pretty solid and easy to slice. (I made it in a ring mold, not in a mason jar, though.) I would think adding flour might make it more crumbly, but it might have been undercooked.

                                Viewing 15 posts - 6,241 through 6,255 (of 7,907 total)