andiesenji

I got these from Amazon. But I have also bought them from King Arthur Flour. And there is another suppliers but I can't remember the name of the vendor at the moment.

For Sunday brunch I made this Apple Cake from the recipe Teddie's Apple Cake I used one of the disposable paper baking moulds, not a tube pan so the baking time took an additional 35 minutes to get the center done to 200° F. (I use temp to make sure centers are done.) This recipe is extremely versatile. I only had two small apples so used a pear (d'Anjou) to top up the measure. I plan on making it again with some dried fruits and some candied ginger. A friend has suggested I try using persimmon and almonds - two flavors she swears go well together.

The recipe for pie on the can is crap. (pardon the term, but it is true) The stuff is already almost sweet enough. You can use it to make a very good pie (I have used it when I was baking pies for the women's center and the person I sent to the store bought this instead of plain pumpkin. Beat 6 large eggs until frothy add 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar, beat until smooth. Beat in the pumpkin mixture. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake in TWO 8 inch pie pans lined with pie pastry which you have baked plain for 10 minutes and cooled before adding the filling. Bake for 45 minutes - they should just jiggle a bit in the center. Turn the oven off and leave to cool in the oven for 45 minutes. You can make a single pie if you have a DEEP 10 inch pie pan or use a 9 x 11 rectangular baking dish.

I had a chat with one of my aunts last evening and she remembered grandmother rendering some of the purest leaf lard separately, partially cooling it and pouring it into one of the rotary churns and beating it as it cooled with the churn set in a tub of cold water. It became very white and creamy with none of the graininess of the regular "cooking" lard and this was what she used in her fine pastries and cakes. She did the same thing with the rendered kidney suet when steers were slaughtered. I don't remember this myself, I do remember that sometimes a day before something was to be baked that one of the big jars of lard would be set in a water bath to melt and some was poured into the bowl of the Mixmaster and it would be beaten as it cooled, often being worked in the "summer kitchen" where there was no heat in the winter. This was used for some cakes, until after WWII when shortening was easily available - although it wasn't Crisco my grandma used but Spry, a similar product. Many of the lighter cakes were made with butter but there were a few - mostly all fruited - that were traditionally made with lard.

I make a pineapple pie filling similar to this, using fresh pineapple. You have to double the amount of cornstarch or arrowroot and omit the lemon juice. I use guar gum or xanthan gum too, which resists the acid better. There are several other recipes. You can also mix the pineapple into bran muffins batter, cutting the liquid in the recipe by half and bake additional time. I tried to find the recipe for pina colada pie I made a couple of years ago - it was made with fresh pineapple, cooked, shredded coconut, etc., This recipe is similar but not exact.

Andie, Was the rendered fat canned in a water bath, or in a pressure canner? Did it ever become rancid after canning, that you can recall? After rendering and straining into canning jars the lard has to be cooled completely before beginning the canning process and you have to leave at least ONE INCH of headroom in the jar. The stuff has to be canned just as you would can any meat - Pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure for 2 hours If you have a big pressure canner that can give you RELIABLE 15 pounds of pressure you can process it for 90 minutes. For smaller amounts I do not bother canning it. It is easier to freeze it. To get a really smooth product, particularly for leaf lard, after rendering, strain the hot liquid into a deep bowl and after it has cooled for 45 minutes or so - less for small amounts, use a whisk or hand mixer to agitate the lard as it cools. If you have a stand mixer, turn it on low speed. This will keep the lard from becoming grainy and will give you a much smoother, creamier end product which is more desirable for baking. You can then put it in ziplock bags, lay flat on a tray, spread to an even thickness and put in the freezer till quite firm then cut away the top side of the bag, cut into cubes and finish freezing, break into cubes and store loose in a plastic bag or other container. This way you can remove just the amount you need without having to thaw the entire batch.

Last year my physician sent me to a new endocrinologist for a consultation about my diabetes and a couple of chronic conditions. When I related my experience with chocolate and the (to me) incidental fact that I have no THC receptors (legalizing marijuana holds no joy for me), he mentioned that he knew of another person with similar symptoms and extensive testing had revealed hypersensitivity to a combination of phenylethylamine and anandamide which are attracted to the same receptors in the brain as THC. Because the receptors are inactive or absent, people like me get an overload of stimulation in other receptors that precipitate pain. He went into more detail but most of it went over my head. He did say that with cocoa, the alkalized or "Dutch" process, inactivated these compounds which is why I don't get the same symptoms. I don't think mine is psychosomatic because the headaches have been triggered when I ate something that I had no idea contained chocolate. The worst episode was while I was still eating a bowl of chili - the cook had made it with a significant amount of chocolate. It was so severe someone else had to drive me home because I couldn't see well enough to drive at night.

I start my extract with Everclear because the higher the alcohol percentage, the more flavors are extracted in a shorter period of time. I do not add water. I prefer to add brandy because in my opinion it produces a "mellower" flavor. I did one batch with a bottle of aged tequila someone had given me (I was later informed it was very expensive and considered a "sipping" tequila but as I don't drink, I thought this was a good use for it). That batch of vanilla is especially flavorful. I test the flavor/strength in a spoonful (soupspoon) of cream - you can use milk or half & half. One drop should produce a full, pronounced flavor. I begin testing after 6 months but I usually allow 8 months to get the optimum flavor. Often it could be much less, but I am rather picky...

That murkiness is normal. The particulates will settle out in a few days. In fact, mine looks like that ever time I agitate the mixture. I bottle mine in brown or blue bottles so the opacity of the liquid doesn't really show. A really good vanilla should not be completely clear - it should have some of the tiny seeds suspended in the liquid.

There was this old topic (from 2004) Food Related Books And there was this one: Books That Age Gracefully And I am sure there was another one - there was a discussion about the book of Julia Child's letters to her friend in one topic but I don't recall the topic title.

Yes, that is almost identical to mine - I think mine has a lip that just slightly narrower - it's somewhere in a cupboard so I can't look right now. That one looks in excellent condition.

It sounds like you have a great routine going. The volatile alcohol compounds will slowly evaporate with the reduction but the flavor actually concentrates. If you don't have a meter to measure the alcohol, add just a little after you have the reduction you want. Otherwise there might not be enough alcohol to keep molds from growing. (I speak from experience...)

I use a lot of Lapsang Souchong in cooking. I have tried numerous brands. I keep going back to the Republic of Tea product. I buy it in bulk, by the pound. It takes me 4-5 months to use a pound so I order it about three times a year. I have yet to find one of the cheaper varieties that has the complexity of flavor that I like. I have written in other topics that I use this tea to add to jams to add a smoky flavor which goes well with cheese (quince or fig jams especially) I poach pears in the tea with a little honey - I make a syrup with it to glaze game birds, duck or chicken, guinea hen. And it is absolutely fantastic on pork roasts or pork chops. Read some of the Tea Leaf Readings about this particular tea. I am not the only fan.

Tracy, I have one of those unlined copper pans (Mauviel) which was called a "sponge" cake pan/jelly mold (for gelatin molds) when I bought it probably two decades ago - now they are called "contour cake pans". I've used it for a top layer in cakes that I wanted to cover with fondant because the round edge looks nice - at least in my opinion. Wilton makes them, also Fat Daddio, others. Lloyd pans I bought the pan in a gourmet shop here in Lancaster that closed in '98. They carried a lot of French cookware, specialty pans, copper molds, etc., not available anywhere else in my area.

I have a couple of extra spigots and I replace about every 4-5 years. They are not all that expensive. I'm sure you can find a stainless spigot too, I've just never bothered.

Here in the Antelope Valley in the California high desert they grow a lot of onions and some potatoes. They used to grow russets but they did not produce as well as the thinner-skinned yellow types and the Red Rose variety. They don't harvest them until after the first frost, which sometimes comes later in the year. The onions are 'short-day' varieties and are being harvested now - driving down some of the roads you can smell them and if too close, eye-watering can occur. An idea for next year: I know several people who grow potatoes in "potato barrels" to which they add more soil as the plant grows vertically and one side of the barrel comes off for harvesting. If some of the younger potatoes are "picked" early on, the remaining spuds grow very large. If you have room, you might consider growing your own. Potato growing. Potato bags at Amazon.

Also, if the foliage begins to take on a yellow cast, mix a pinch of Epsom salts in the water and apply that about every 3 or 4 days. It shouldn't take long for the leave to green up again, then stop the treatment as it encourages foliage but not flowering and fruit set.

I've noticed that with some potatoes. For russets I prefer the ones that are sourced from Idaho - I buy them from the produce market because they set them out in the shipping crates and the source is printed on the ends. Sam's Club and I assume Costco also carries the bags of Idaho potatoes - the big bags are too much for me alone, so I divvy them up with neighbors...

After the 1971 earthquake when I lived in the San Fernando valley and the city water supply was compromised, we were advised to boil water before use but we had no electricity and no gas because many gas lines had ruptured and the service in many areas, especially where houses were built on "fill" in areas that were dry riverbeds in the early '30s and '40s. My husband knew the owner of the sporting goods store in Canoga Park and although his store was not open, he was able to get in and get the water purifier for us and two camp stoves. We did have a camper van and I was able to cook and use the propane fridge for milk and etc. We used the Berkefeld water purifier when camping in the Sierras, taking water from streams - which I would not drink without boiling or putting it through the purifier. After the '94 quake my well was impacted - some of the shaft casing cracked and again the water was problematic. I have enough of the canned, long-term storage water to provide me with drinking and cooking water for a month, just in case, as a backup for the Berkey in case there is NO water service. (I've also got a self-contained incinerating toilet in one of the garden sheds, because that is another problem when there is no water - it has its own propane tank...) I have learned a lot from being in a couple of disaster zones and am not going to be wishing for something when it is too late to get it.

Winter squash have to be kept cook or they continue to "ripen" or mature after picking. You have to store them between 40 and 50 degrees F or they will lose moisture and the flesh will become stringy. When picking squash be sure they are very heavy for their size, compare several that are approximately the same size and weigh them and pick the heaviest, they will have the most moisture in the flesh. This does not mean they will be watery, they will last longer than the others. Only buy winter squash that still have the stems attached - do not buy any where the stems have been broken away leaving an open "cup" . Squash harvests do vary from year to year. The best ones are harvested after the nighttime temps have dropped into the forties for at least two or three weeks prior to harvest. One exception is pumpkins that have a higher sugar content that helps to retain moisture in the flesh and they are not as picky about maturing at lower temps. I have The Squash Cookbook by Yvonne Young Tarr. It is out of print but is available from ABE books. Alibris probably also has it, I didn't check. The original was published in 1978 but the 1995 reprint has updated information. I have a couple of other squash cookbooks but this one is by far the best.

I use these. I have four of the squares and three of the round - I had ordered four but they backordered one and shipped me three and I never bothered to re-order it.

Another vote here for Trader Joe's Grade B which is reasonably priced and the flavor is excellent. For cooking, I order the grade B in half-gallon jugs from Welch's - New York state - at 48.00 per gallon, it is priced right for me. After opening, put some in a smaller container and put the jug in the freezer. It takes a full day to defrost at room temp... I also order their granulated maple sugar - in the bulk bag, which I split with friends. If you check other vendors, this place has the best price and the stuff keeps forever.

Andiesenji, Do you use the Berkey to purify your water for daily use? Our drinking water has tasted, well, like sh*t since they started mixing 20% recycled sewage into it down here in Orange County. A Britta filter doesn't help much, so I reluctantly switched to bottled. My earthquake preparedness waxes and wanes and is pretty poor right now. Would a Berkey would solve both of my problems? I use it fairly often. I have a whole house filter/purifier system which works fine but the water tastes odd to me so I always have the Crown Berkey filled and I use the water to keep it fresh. I use it for cooking and drinking. I posted a photo of it in an earlier topic about a similar subject. Here is the link, post # 16. I also posted more info in post # 20. I have 8 filter elements in the Crown as the more filters, the faster it produces purified water. It's in my pantry on a rolling cart so I can roll it to the sink to fill it when I have used a lot of the water. Otherwise I use a Tupperware pitcher and try to add back what I use immediately to keep it topped up. I usually have a wide velcro strap around the middle of the Berkey, just above the joint between top and bottom, which is attached to the corner behind it. This is to keep it from tipping in case of a significant quake. The cart has locking casters too. I bought a smaller one for a friend who lives in Yorba Linda because she was having problems with her coffee machine - having to put a descaling agent through it about every six weeks because it would just drip instead of produce a coffee drink. The Berkey I got her was the next size up from the Travel Berkey (I have one of those also and take it with me if I will need to stay in a hotel for several days.). I also have friends who live in the Sacramento Delta - little town, not the best water system - who have two of the Berkeys, not sure what size. They have a big family and their little kids seemed to have frequent stomach problems, and their doctor advised using bottled water only for the children. They have visited me and new about the Berkeys and ordered them from Pleasant Hill Grain and had them shipped to a friend near Tahoe (Nevada side) and using the water reduced the number of intestinal problems significantly. Their town water also always looks murky but the water people told them they "didn't have to make it look pretty, just make sure there are no 'bad bugs' in it."

I can't help but be very curious about this. Why can't the Berkey water purifier "be sold in California"? It sounds like a terrific thing to have. I've also questioned that many times - going right to my state Senator and assembly persons. There has been much hemming and hawing and "I'll get back to your on that" but with no response. I have been told by a person in Sacramento (a bureaucrat) who does not want to be named because he might lose his job, that the bottled water industry in California has lobbied strongly against allowing these water purifiers, using some idiotic terminology that makes no sense whatsoever (supposedly for "safety") since the bottled water people got a toehold back in 1985 Deukmejian was governor, most water purifiers could not be sold in the state. The purifier I bought back in 1971 was a British Berkefeld purchased at a camping/hunting/fishing store and I used it for years. After the La Prieta earthquake in 1989 I tried to buy a water purifier but could not find one in California but was referred to a company in Colorado who said they couldn't ship to California so I arranged to have one shipped to a friend in Nevada and picked it up there. After the '94 earthquake I really needed it. Since then I have bought one for a friend, my daughter and a new Crown Berkey for myself - having that one shipped to my dad in New Mexico and picking it up on a visit to him. This is what the site at Pleasant Hill Grain has to say about forbidden sales in California and Iowa. to me this is simply insane and I have written numerous letters (and emails) about it. For people in places that are at risk for contaminated water, failing to make these available is simply CRIMINAL! The state legislators natter on about being able to supply people with bottled water but in a major quake the ROADS are impassible and with the high concentration of population (a hell of a lot more people than in New Orleans) airlifting water would take too long for too many people.

This is an old baker's "trick" for refreshing day-old bread for people who would come in to buy it at half price. We did it in my mom's bakery where I worked back in the mid-'50s. I would stand at the oven opening with a tub of ice water, dipping the loaves into the water and shoving them onto the shelf and as I got to the end of the shelf it would be time to take the first ones off. (Big oven, long opening) That's me in the shorts, my mom in the background next to the oven - a 16-shelf Peterson revolving (like a Ferris wheel)