Recipe Thread

[Karen]

Cool, I wonder if this is the one Lady's Human found? We expect reports back ...

[cassiesmom]

A question for bakers. I have a cookie recipe that uses cake flour. So I have a box of Swans Down cake flour on hand that is almost full, except for what I took out for cookie dough. Should I keep it at room temperature, or should I refrigerate or freeze it? Does flour "go bad"? It's my mom's recipe and we usually make a batch for Christmas. I made them for a shower, so I'm now the lucky owner of this nearly-full box of cake flour. I am not a good baker - Pillsbury slice-and-bake is more my style. Maybe I'll just take the whole box over to my mom. I'm sure I won't be using cake flour anytime soon.

[Karen]

A question for bakers. I have a cookie recipe that uses cake flour. So I have a box of Swans Down cake flour on hand that is almost full, except for what I took out for cookie dough. Should I keep it at room temperature, or should I refrigerate or freeze it? Does flour "go bad"? It's my mom's recipe and we usually make a batch for Christmas. I made them for a shower, so I'm now the lucky owner of this nearly-full box of cake flour. I am not a good baker - Pillsbury slice-and-bake is more my style. Maybe I'll just take the whole box over to my mom. I'm sure I won't be using cake flour anytime soon.

It can be kept at room temperature, as long as it in a dry place. Doesn't "go bad" I have never had that happen, and I only use it every couple years, probably!

[cassiesmom]

My sister's neighbor has a pear tree in her backyard, so she brought some pears to my sister. My brother remembers that our great-grandparents had pear trees on their property and my great grandmother used to can the pears. My niece doesn't like pears because they are "gritty". I don't especially like fresh pears because I've never gotten good at selecting a ripe one. I like canned pears, though. Maybe I should go to Whole Foods and try the organic pears from their produce aisle. Maybe I'll just have an apple instead. How do you choose a good pear?

[Lady's Human]

Smell and feel, though they might have issues with poking one with your thumb. Most of the commercially sold pears have to sit a while to ripen, as they're shipped almost ripe. A really ripe pear will bruise very easily. (They also leave juice running down your shirt!)

[cassiesmom]

Smell and feel, though they might have issues with poking one with your thumb. Most of the commercially sold pears have to sit a while to ripen, as they're shipped almost ripe. A really ripe pear will bruise very easily. (They also leave juice running down your shirt!)

LH, I was at Meijer today and they had PEARS! Seckel pears - small and green, they were $1.69 a pound and pre-packed in 2 pound bags. Comice pears, $1.69 a pound and they were loose. And red pears (Bartlett?), 79 cents a pound. They also had strawberries for $2.59 for the pound plastic box, which is cheaper than the other chains. they also had "pluots" -?? whatever those are. I will go back on the weekend because I need to hit the produce aisle. Need bananas, a lemon and hopefully zucchini if they have it. They also had the first batch of Honeycrisp apples, but they were $3.49 a pound. So I'll wait on those because the price will come down before the season ends. Meijer is a Midwestern chain with stores in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. I like their produce quality better than Jewel and it is less expensive than Dominick's (Safeway).

[cassiesmom]

Ohio PTers, I have a question. The lunch special in the cafe at work today was "Southern Frito Pie". I thought Frito pie originated in Ohio along with walking tacos... am I wrong? I love chili. Some day I hope to try making the Cincinnati version with allspice and Worcestershire sauce.

[pomtzu]

It can be kept at room temperature, as long as it in a dry place. Doesn't "go bad" I have never had that happen, and I only use it every couple years, probably!

I always keep flours and sugars and the like, in airtight containers. They must seal and be air tight, or they will eventually get buggy. I don't care how much you clean - if it sits in your pantry or in a kitchen cabinet - you will get bugs/weevils in it.

[Karen]

I always keep flours and sugars and the like, in airtight containers. They must seal and be air tight, or they will eventually get buggy. I don't care how much you clean - if it sits in your pantry or in a kitchen cabinet - you will get bugs/weevils in it.

Must depend on where you live! My cake flour is in its original box, so a cardboard box with a plastic/wax bag inside it, and I have never had any bugs in it! My normal staples - sugar, flour, whole wheat flour - I use often enough so they are in metal canisters.

[pomtzu]

Must depend on where you live! My cake flour is in its original box, so a cardboard box with a plastic/wax bag inside it, and I have never had any bugs in it! My normal staples - sugar, flour, whole wheat flour - I use often enough so they are in metal canisters.

Maybe the further south you go, the more susceptible one is to getting those bugs. Weevils are the worst. Yuk! I can remember when I was a kid and living in RI, my mother kept the flours and sugars in regular canisters that sat on the kitchen counter, and they didn't have lids that sealed, and there were never any bugs in any of it. That never worked here as I learned from experience. Some of the critters around here would try to carry the whole canister off!

[cassiesmom]

My co-worker made these over the weekend for a party and brought the "leftovers" to work. Yum!

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries
Yield: 10 - 12 strawberries (depending on size)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 pound large strawberries
8 ounce block cream cheese, softened
3 – 4 tablespoons powdered sugar (depends on how sweet you want the filling)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or use almond, lemon, etc. )
Graham cracker crumbs

Directions:
Rinse strawberries and cut around the top of the strawberry. Remove the top and clean out inside with a paring knife if necessary. If you want to stand your strawberries upright, slice a bit off the bottom. Once strawberries are prepped, set aside.

Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla with a mixer or by hand. Add cream cheese mix to piping bag and fill strawberries. Once strawberries are filled, dip the top in graham cracker crumbs.

You could also drizzle or dip strawberries in chocolate if desired.

Store left-overs in the refrigerator.

(Edited to add: If I ever make these, I would very lightly sprinkle the hollowed-out strawberries with just a touch of granulated sugar before filling them. I might just cut the berries in half instead of trying to hollow them out, too.)

[cassiesmom]

I always keep flours and sugars and the like, in airtight containers. They must seal and be air tight, or they will eventually get buggy. I don't care how much you clean - if it sits in your pantry or in a kitchen cabinet - you will get bugs/weevils in it.

Have you been checking out my kitchen, Pom? Such a frustrating problem. I buy small quantities of sugar, rice, flour and dry cereal because everything gets "buggy". I buy oatmeal packets instead of the round containers, too. I have to be so careful and wrap or bag absolutely everything.

[pomtzu]

Have you been checking out my kitchen, Pom? Such a frustrating problem. I buy small quantities of sugar, rice, flour and dry cereal because everything gets "buggy". I buy oatmeal packets instead of the round containers, too. I have to be so careful and wrap or bag absolutely everything.

Yes - I have to seal everything here. If I don't use air tight storage containers, then it gets bagged. I bag (a gallon zip-lock bag) things like Bisquick that come in a box with an inner cello/plastic bag. I just put that inner bag in the zip bag, and put that back in the original box. If I have too much flour that all won't fit into the air tight, I just leave the excess in the flour bag, tape it closed, and put that in a zip bag. I could go on - but you get the idea.

I have to practice "preventive medicine". I've had to throw out way too many buggy products over the years. It's such a waste to do that - and it's so easy to prevent it.