lindag

Congratulations on your new (hopefully somewhat close) TJ's. The nearest TJ from where I live is more than three hours. We have none in the whole state either. And it's not likely there'll be any here any time. But I miss their products from when I lived in Oregon and they were nearby. I have to make do with occasional orders from Schwan's (of course, it's not the same or even close, but you take what you can get)!

Thanks for the heads up. I've never seen this product here where I live (but that's not all that unusual since I live in a very small population state) but should I run across it I will know to pass it by.

I like the idea of Oreo Thins but have wondered if there is less cookie as well as less filling. I like the cookie part best so I don't want ones with less. I'm also afraid that I'd just eat one more cookie each time to make up the difference.

No lines at Subway? I made the mistake last summer of stopping in around 11:30AM on a weekday. Unfortunately, there was a group of construction (road workers) waiting. At least ten deep. I went elsewhere. BTW, I've found their tuna sub to be inedible. Gack!

With regard to the Epicurious minestrone soup recipe I posted above; I have a question about the method of pre-soaking the zucchini and the green beans in advance. What is the purpose of that? I've never run across that before.

I ran across this recipe the other day and copied it as it looked so good. I had made a similar recipe in my crockpot last week but I added a few ounces of sautéed pancetta which added a lot of flavor. Here's this recipe: MINESTRONE ALLA ROMAGNOLA 1 lb Zucchini 1/2 cup Olive Oil 3 Tbs Butter 1 cup Onion, sliced very thin 1 cup Carrots, diced 1 cup Celery, diced 2 cups Potatoes, peeled & diced 1/2 lb Green Beans 3 cups shredded Cabbage 1 1/2 cups canned Cannellini Beans, drained 4 cups Beef Broth 2 cups Water Parmesan Rind 2/3 cup canned Plum Tomatoes, with juice 1/3 cup Parmesan, grated Soak the zucchini in a large bowl of water at least 20 minutes. Drain and dice fine. Soak the green beans in water, drain, trim and dice. In a large stockpot, mix the oil, butter and sliced onion. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook until onion wilts and becomes pale gold, but not darker. Add the diced carrots and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the celery and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add the green beans and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add the shredded cabbage and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes. Add the broth, water, cheese rind, and tomatoes with juice. Salt very lightly. Stir thoroughly. Cover the pot, and lower the heat to simmer. When the soup has cooked 2 1/2 hours, add the drained cannellini beans. Stir and cook another 30 minutes. Just before serving, remove the cheese rind. Swirl in the grated cheese and season with salt and pepper. Source: Epicurious

Look at King Arthur Flour's website; they sell Lecithin there and you'll find a description and info about how to use it. I use it sometimes to increase shelf life. The also have products like 'whole grain improver' and vital wheat gluten that will help to boost your rise.

We have Subway outlets here (who doesn't) and we also have Jimmy John's. I've never eaten at Jimmy John's (there's not one near me) but my friends who have universally prefer it over Subway. When I do get take-out from Subway, usually in Summer when I don't want to cook, I get just turkey with cheese, tomato, lettuce and mayo....it's not bad really.

Even though I am a serious gadget junkie I do not see the point in spiralizing anything. Maybe I'm just too much of a practical thinker. Not that anyone else shouldn't spiralize their brains out and enjoy it.

KAF makes a high gluten flour (used to be know as Sir Lancelot) which is 14.2% protein. Is this equivalent to the Canadian strong flour?

I know that somewhere in my recipe files there's one for Bialys; one of these days I will definitely have to try it.

Update: I reduced the amount of brown sugar in the recipe to accommodate the sweetness of the sweetened coconut (rather than spending a day searching for a store that sells unsweetened coconut). Well, the mixture came together nicely and the aroma while baking was heavenly. However, the finished product just wasn't very good, ino. I don't like the crumbly texture and the flavors just didn't seem to come together in a good way. I ended up forcing myself to eat it, pouring a bit of milk over the top helped. Not a recipe that I'd recommend.

My flours usually go into breads (I'm not much of a dessert/cake baker). And I, too, stick with what I know. I buy my white flour from a farm/mill that's local to my state. I buy KAF white whole wheat and their bread flour. I also get my ryes and similar flours from them too even though I have to have it shipped to me. Baking bread is my passion and I want to get it right.

I have a GE Profile dual fuel free standing range with the electric convection oven. It's about 10 years old now. It takes under 10 minutes to come to temperature. I've never had a complaint with it.

i bought a bag of coconut to make the baked oatmeal recipe and. I have a whole lot left. I know from previous experience that it won't get used up for a very long time. Can I successfully freeze the rest of it? Posted while enjoying a whiskey and soda.

I'm a big fan of those 'tracks'. I keep a spare pair of shoes with them on next to the front door so I can slip them before heading out to the mailbox or for the newspaper. I get a lot of use from them as our winters are pretty long here. in fact I've used mine just about every day since thanksgiving.

I highly recommend you have a look at the KAF website, lots of recipes for the smaller pan, I've used them and they work great. Here's is my favorite recipe that was scaled down especially for the Pan de Mie: Potato Wheat Bread (for Pan de Mie pan) Soft and moist from the addition of fresh potato, this 100% whole wheat bread rises tall, slices beautifully, and is a great keeper. 2/3 cup water 2/3 medium-small potato, about 3- ½ ounces 1/3 cup lukewarm milk 2 2/3 Tbs room-temperature butter 1 tsp salt 1 1/3 Tbs honey 2 1/3 cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour 1/2 Tbs instant yeast Peel the potato, and cut it into chunks. Combine it in a small saucepan with the water, which should just cover the potato (if you've cut it in small enough chunks). Simmer the potato until it's soft. Remove the pan from the heat, and use a small food processor, blender, or hand beater to blend the potato/water into a smooth, chunk-free slurry. See "tips," below left. Once the potato mixture has cooled to lukewarm, combine it with the remaining ingredients. Mix and knead them — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to form a smooth, supple dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise until puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, 60 to 90 minutes. Lightly grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan. Transfer the risen dough to a lightly greased work surface, shape it into a log, and fit it into the pan. Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap (or, even better, a clear shower cap), and allow the dough to rise until its domed center is about 1" over the lip of the pan, about 60 to 90 minutes. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the plastic, and put the bread into the oven. Bake the bread for 37 to 40 minutes, until it's golden-brown on top and tests done; a digital thermometer inserted into the center will register at least 190°F. Remove the bread from the oven, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool completely. For a soft, flavorful crust, brush the loaf with melted butter while warm. Tips •If you don't want to prepare the potato as directed, simply add 3/4 to 1 cup water and 5 ounces (about 2/3 cup) unseasoned mashed potato to the dough. Use the lesser amount of water to start, then add more, if necessary, to make a smooth, supple dough.

For basic baking, I.e., the 9", 8" and 9x13", sheet pans, and all my bread pans I've gone completely over to Williams-Sonoma Gold Touch. These are the pans that will perform perfectly (no sticking, perfect browning) and will last a lifetime. And, they stay beautiful to look at. BTW, I also have that 9" Pullman pan and it is really nice. I don't bake bundt cakes.

I did the same thing only mine was an electric pressure cooker sitting on top of my (then) glass top range. Went outside to get the mail or something and came in to find that I'd bumped the knob on the range and the burner under the PC was glowing hot and the pot was melting!

Can someone help me here? My store had only sweetened coconut. Do you think it will make any real difference if I use that?

I have been using dry vermouth as my white wine for cooking for years. Never had a bottle go bad. It sure beats trying to have the right white on hand.

I feel for your situation! No food in the stores is a giant bummer when you really need a few things to tide you over. We're just getting over a cold front here in the Northern Rockies...the snow we've had since before Xmas is disappearing and the highs are in the low thirties now. The good news is that it's crabbing season in the PNW and I was able to pick up the last two in my grocers and they were $5.99 lb. which is pretty reasonable since I'm a ways from the Coast. IMO, nothing beats fresh Dungeness!!! BTW, that artisan loaf looks just wonderful!

I've never liked oatmeal or porridge or any other type of hot cereal. Over the years I've tried many times to change that without success. Yesterday I ran across a recipe that looks so good I may be able to, if not tolerate hot cereal, but have a substitute that's pretty healthy and contains oatmeal. It looks delicious and I can't wait to try it; I just have to get some coconut. Morning Glory Baked Oatmeal

I'm ashamed to admit that I have two big, bulging freezers that are totally out of control! Things are always falling out, and I can never find anything I need until I buy its replacement. What's worse is that I have a Schwan's order coming next week in addition to an order of frozen dog meat and I don't know how I'm going to shove all that in too!!! I guess I'll have to get busy in the next few days and do some serious culling.

I like using a dark beer, like a stout, in my short ribs recipes.