Shel_B

Some years ago I had an olive oil cookbook, and in it there were recipes for cakes made with olive oil. Never tried making any, but now I might give it a whirl. I gave the book to a friend who still has it - perhaps I can borrow it back. Thanks for the thought. http://www.amazon.com/The-Olive-Cookbook-Louise-Pickford/dp/0831762578

Last night I made a quick Choucroute Garni. Toots found a deal on some smoked pork chops and brought home a big jar of sauerkraut. We had some wine in the fridge left over from a recent dinner ... what could I do?

Thanks ... I've downloaded and looked at the recipe. There are definitely a couple of aspects to it that interest me. I'd be interested in seeing the lard version.

Thanks for the pointer, Bojana. I've already found and downloaded the recipe.

Thanks so much for your helpful response ... I'm often learning something on this board.

Maybe this applies to other flavor extracts as well: While looking for some lemon extract today, I came across something I never noticed before. The alcohol content was different for each of the three extracts I checked. Nielsen Massey claimed 90% alcohol, McCormick had 83% alcohol, and Penzeys had 61% alcohol. So, assuming all else being equal, is less or more alcohol the way to go? My guess would be that less alcohol provides more flavor for the same measured amount.

That's odd ... the TJ's around here (I've been to three of them) all have at least four types of Swiss plus one or two sliced in packages.

Thanks for clarifying that. I started gathering ingredients today and discovered that KA flour is about twice as expensive as the other brands on the shelf. That was an eye opener! Considering how much I bake, and how much flour I use, I'll probably stick with something less expensive. How long does flour stay useful, and what's the best way to store it? Since I already had some lemon extract in the cupboard, I'll make one loaf using that while waiting for the lemon oil to arrive. Then I compare the results. Haven't decided if I'll use yogurt or buttermilk ... it may be a last minute decision based on what's on the shelf when I shop for the butter. Thanks for all your help ...

Hungry ... When you say that, do you mean that the flour mixture and the milk should be stirred in separately, or that the combined flour mixture and liquid, together, should be added incrementally?

I only buy the frozen, wild berries from the Boreal forest in Canada. They have much better flavor than the plump, cultivated berries, and I much prefer their skin texture as well. I'm familiar with that trick of using apples. Long ago I stopped buying commercial muffins afterexperiencing, once too often, the complaints mentioned in my original post. Some of the best blueberry muffins I've ever had were homemeade muffins enjoyed on my drive to Alaska, along the Alaskan Highway through Canada, and in some private homes in various places in Alaska. Those people know how to make blueberry muffins! I'll look into the CI recipe.

I like blueberry muffins, but I'm not much of a baker and the ones I've purchased are often too sweet, sticky, have a poor texture, and, surprisingly, offer a dearth of blueberries. I've searched through the archives and could find no thread about making blueberry muffins, so, in my quest for knowledge, it seemed like a good idea to start one. What are some tips and techniques for making great blueberry muffins? How do you make yours? Any pointers to proven recipes? I'd like to learn how to make a really good blueberry muffin. I don't like my muffins too sweet, and I like 'em big with a nice sized, somewhat firm, muffin top, and the blueberries firm and not mushy or disintegrating ... Thanks!

This book offers a short memoire and some unusual and creative recipes. One of my favorite books ... http://www.amazon.com/From-Breton-Garden-Vegetable-Josephine/dp/0201608251

I think we're in agreement here ...I've been disappointed with Meyer lemon zest often enough that I'm very selective about where I use it - likewise for the juice itself. I wish I had a yard where I could grow a feminello - wonder how they do in containers?

A little orange zest adds quite a nice touch to this, and similar, loaves. Try it some time and see what you think. Mostly I use lemons from local trees - I'll be harvesting a bag of Meyer lemons later this week. My GF's neighbor has a prolific Eureka lemon tree. What I'd like to find is a nice Feminello lemon tree that I can get some fruit from ... have you ever tried Feminellos?

When I want a kicked-up ketchup, I just make my own, adding whatever oils or spices I want. Saves space and $$$ by not having to buy additional bottles of "signature" ketchups, and the base ketchup can be whatever brand with whatever ingredients in it that I want or find acceptable. For example: http://www.shaneshirleysmith.com/2010/05/heinz-says-no-to-high-fructose-corn.html

Super Thanks! for all your help and advice, and the links to the yogurt cake. That looks good ... I'm thinking how I could give it a little "lemony lift." Maybe brushing on some lemon juice, as you suggested earlier. Maybe some more zest, or using a lemon infused oil. I'll make the lemon poppy seed loaf for an upcoming potluck, and will start assembling the ingredients over the next week or so. How important is the brand of flour? So many people recommend King Arthur ... is it appreciably better than Trader Joe's or other supermarket brands?

I generally have non-fat Greek yogurt on hand. Would that work alright in this case, or would a full-fat regular yogurt be a better choice? In either case, would I do the substitution measure for measure? Thanks!

Never done some of these things before - not very experienced at baking. So, how do I rub the zest into the sugar - just pile up some sugar in a bowl and mash in the zest with the back of a spoon? The web site says the LorAnn oil is 3 - 4 times more intense than regular lemon extract. So, would I use 1/3 - 1/4 the amount of the LorAnn for approximately the same flavor, a little more for more intense flavor? I like the idea of a lemon juice soak ... don't know why I never thought of it. Well, actually I do - I don't know squat about baking <LOL> I was thinking about upping the butter quality from the usual "supermarket" butter to one of the premium butters - I like Kerrygold and it's easy to come by at TJ's. Would an electric hand mixer work as well as a stand mixer? I don't have a stand mixer, although I could us my GF's if necessary. Thanks so much for your suggestions!

Below is the first recipe I ever made, back in 1967. Over the years I've substituted buttermilk for regular milk, increased the lemon extract somewhat, and added the lemon and orange zest. I'd like improve this a bit ... perhaps make it a bit richer and maybe a little lighter, and possibly with a little more lemon punch. I do not want it sweeter, nor do I want a glaze. How might an extra egg yolk work out? What about using some fresh lemon juice? Changing the flour to another type, like cake flour? Shel’s Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf (Makes one 4x7-inch loaf) 3/4 Cup Sugar 2 large eggs, room temperature ½ cup buttermilk ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted & cooled 1½ TBS lemon extract (or more to taste) 1 Tbs lemon zest 1 Tbs orange zest 1½ cups all purpose flour (Or 1 cup AP & ½ cup whole wheat) 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt 3 TBS poppy seeds (more optional) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease & flour 4x7-inch loaf pan. Combine sugar and eggs in a large bowl and beat until very light and fluffy. Slowly beat in milk. Add butter and lemon extract and blend well. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to sugar mixture with poppy seed and stir to blend. Turn batter into prepared pan. Bake until bread is golden and tester comes out clean, about 50 - 60 minutes.

That is so cool ... !!!

Hey, thanks for the link. Some good articles there, and not only about food ...

I've been making cauliflower "mashed potatoes" for years. I start by getting the florets into approximately equal size pieces, throwing in a couple-three-four garlic cloves, coating everything lightly with olive oil, and roasting at 400º-F until appropriately browned. Then the cauli' is pulsed in the food processor until reaching desired texture. More fat (oil, butter, whatever) can be added during the pulsing process. I don't add much ...

I'm cooking up some brown rice as I type. One of my favorites is an organic, long grain basmati that is available in bulk at the local organic grocery. For absolute convenience, I sometimes use Trader Joe's frozen brown rice, but mostly when I need some rice on short notice. At home I sometimes make a big batch and freeze it in large zip loc bags, so it can lat flat in the freezer. Then, when I need some, all that's needed is to break off a chunk.

Ahh .. I recall a matzoh ball recipe from Arthur Schwartz that used seltzer. Might try that and see what it does to my "sinkers."

Just one of those thoughts that crosss my mind every now and then: Has anyone tried cooking with sparkling water, like club soda or mineral water? How has the finished product turned out? Can anyone think of a problem using sparking water in cooking? Does anyone else have strange thoughts and ideas such as this?