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General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks (Read 15863 times)

Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #50 - Jul 26^th, 2013 at 10:17pm	Print Post
	Well, I just printed up a bunch of info that I've compiled on diabetic/weight loss diets. I might be concentrating on sodium at the moment but the information could still be useful down the road so I printed out the part that was complete. The incomplete part -- the nutritional information for the specific brands/foods that I use -- is gonna need EXTENSIVE revision since the sodium counts will have to be added for everything. I'm using a page numbering system that will allow me to have numbered pages without having to reprint the whole thing every time I make an addition. The most I'll have to reprint is a chapter and I'll only be doing that when I've made a lot of additions and serious tidying up/sorting is in order.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #51 - Jul 27^th, 2013 at 6:27pm	Print Post
	We hit B & N this morning and while I didn't get either book I was looking for I did find another "low sodium" cookbook for the DASH Diet (which is an eating "system" for weight loss, diabetes control/prevention and lowering blood pressure) so I've got another cook book to peruse this weekend. I've also just added a few recipes for apple cider vinaigrette salad dressing to the cookbook. Skywise loves the Ken's Apple Cider Vinaigrette that he can get at Burger King and we've yet to find it on sale anywhere so I'm collecting recipes in case we have to get creative and come up with our own....


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #52 - Jul 28^th, 2013 at 12:24am	Print Post
	Success!! I reworked one of my old recipes and ended up with 8 cups of soup that comes in 98 mg. of sodium per cup! The amount of soup the recipe makes depends on the amount of meat used (and the amount of sodium in the meat has to be figured in) and the amount of potatoes, carrots, celery and peas you put in but the amount of no salt added beef broth and other seasonings remain the same. So I now have at least ONE familiar dish that I can fix that Skywise can eat a full serving of and likes!


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #53 - Jul 28^th, 2013 at 12:31am	Print Post
	Looks in pot And the four of us have killed 8 cups of soup.....


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #54 - Jul 28^th, 2013 at 12:42am	Print Post
	The "dowel caps" that I was expecting came today so I can proceed with making a black curtain rod for the kitchen window and the plain black "starter curtains" that will begin the transformation of my nondescript kitchen into someplace I want to spend time in. I'm really looking forward to the arrival of the "Halloween" print fabrics at Walmart. My ebil little heart quivers with anticipation.....


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #55 - Jul 29^th, 2013 at 12:41am	Print Post
	After much measuring, considering, moving and sticking black duct tape to the kitchen floor, I have determined that if the copier and the cabinet it sits on and the microwave and its stand switch places in the kitchen I will have room for my workstation and I "should" be able to get that little Black and Decker chest freezer I'm lusting after in the kitchen too. I might have to take the door off of the utility closet to accommodate it but since I did that to the panty years ago and it turned out to be one of my better ideas, I'm not opposed to it and if I get tired of looking at the open closet, the "curtain option" is always there with all manner of interesting possibilities! It will feel a bit snug until I get used to it but I figure the extra storage and work space are worth not being able to cut across the kitchen.
	« Last Edit: Jul 29^th, 2013 at 12:41am by Penthesilea »

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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #56 - Jul 30^th, 2013 at 11:08pm	Print Post
	I've concluded that the workstation won't be fastened to the floor because I've realized that for one thing, we might need to move it to get the mini freezer into place, for another thing, we may need to move it when we have to replace the refrigerator (getting the current one into the kitchen was a ). Then there is the kitchen sink that will need to be replaced at some point because it is rusting out and since, for some unknown reason, the builders of this manufactured house used a sink and cabinet that are NOT "industry standard" for houses (perfect for a mobile home though) when the sink has to be replaced, the base cabinet will need to be replaced too and the workstation may need to be moved to get the new cabinet into place. (Have I mentioned that my kitchen is dinky? Thought so!) And last but not least, the flooring is wearing out and THAT will need to be replaced at some point. And we don't have the $$$ to do ALL of that right now. So, the workstation won't be anchored to the floor but I expect that the weight of the thing will be enough to keep it in place! In other news, I've been adding the "kitchen clone" recipes for various fast food hamburgers to my master cookbook. Being able to grab the recipes online and transfer them to the appropriate word document speeds things up enormously. I'll get all of the ones I can find online copied in first and then start copying them out of the books I have. ALL with appropriate source information, of course!
	« Last Edit: Jul 30^th, 2013 at 11:09pm by Penthesilea »

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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #57 - Jul 31^st, 2013 at 2:37am	Print Post
	Just added the "clone" recipe for Coca Cola Classic to my book. Don't know if I'll ever make it, food grade cassia oil can be hard to find, but I'll have it if I decide to make it. Just have to get the cinnamon/cassia oil, lemon oil and orange oil -- food grade, not aromatherapy grade.


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Veridian Etoile God Member Offline Posts: 14993 Location: Writing La La Land Joined: Apr 11^th, 2011 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #58 - Jul 31^st, 2013 at 5:28pm	Print Post
	I'm considering making my own flavored oils. A few years back, Nanny gave me a book for herbal/natural healing that includes recipes/guidelines for making your own infused oils and you can use the same techniques for making flavored oils, as well as ones for healing and incense. The technique I'll be trying will be "hot infusion" which is taking some olive oil and heating it up and putting an amount of herbs or other things into it and letting it steep for a couple of hours, then straining it (and if you want, putting fresh herbs, etc into the bottle) and filling the bottles up with the flavored/infused oil. I was thinking along the lines of garlic infused oil, chili oil and maybe some rosemary or thyme oil for starters. The possibilities are almost endless if you think about it... Combinations of herbs and garlic for salads and cooking? I'm getting energized just THINKING about it!

	We creative types have to create in order to feel ALIVE... That's why I write. Without my writing, I would not be living, only existing. ~Me~ Music is essential to life. ~Me~ I'm sunny natured with a side of EVIL...
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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #59 - Jul 31^st, 2013 at 11:42pm	Print Post
	The oils I'd be using in the coke recipe are food grade versions of aromatherapy oils and extremely strong. They're usually used in candy making (cinnamon red hots for one) from what I understand. The recipe calls for one drop of the cassia oil (a Vietnamese cinnamon product) for a batch of syrup that makes 44 ten ounce servings when the soda water is added just before serving. Like I said, I don't think I'll be making this but I'll have the recipe if I ever get that insane. What I'm more likely to try is the homemade Bisquick baking mix recipe that I just transcribed into my book. The commercial product has a heart stopping amount of sodium per cup so using it to mix up a batch of pancake batter or biscuits is kinda out of the question now although I can still use it for one coating mix where most of it is thrown out although I don't know if I'll get more when this box is empty. Anyway, I've made a note to use half as much salt as the "clone" calls for and reduced sodium baking powder. When things are a bit more settled, I'll be giving the "reduced sodium" version a try and see how it works.


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Veridian Etoile God Member Offline Posts: 14993 Location: Writing La La Land Joined: Apr 11^th, 2011 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #60 - Aug 1^st, 2013 at 2:19pm	Print Post
	Ours won't be that strong... I'll probably use half the herbs called for in the herbal oils aromatherapy/healing realm, or less than that for starters. I'll just play around to find the right balance and when I hit it, I'll make note of it in the permanent files on my memory sticks. I can easily add more oil if something is TOO strong and blend it with the flavored stuff after all... If it's not strong at all, I'll just do another hot infusion with it or make another, stronger batch and balance it out by mixing it. ETA: I see some dark colored bottles on my "want" list, and some uncolored ones.... Hopefully I can get a small batch of each on sale.......
	« Last Edit: Aug 1^st, 2013 at 2:20pm by Veridian Etoile »
	We creative types have to create in order to feel ALIVE... That's why I write. Without my writing, I would not be living, only existing. ~Me~ Music is essential to life. ~Me~ I'm sunny natured with a side of EVIL...
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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #61 - Aug 4^th, 2013 at 3:31am	Print Post
	Twinkies are back in the stores and Skywise checked their sodium content. No joy and my beloved was mournful. Fortunately, I have a Twinkie recipe and I can reduce the sodium. [Gotta love reduced sodium baking powder!] All I need is a suitable pan which can be found on amazon. I will be strong, however, and not order it until I have someplace to put it which I currently do not have. The kitchen is bursting at the seams already.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #62 - Aug 4^th, 2013 at 3:56am	Print Post
	Okay, I just found a site with instructions on how to make and can your own pork and beans and kidney beans. This is opening up a whole new line of experimentation..... Next spring/summer, I'm going to have to check out Mom's old canner and see if I need to get a new one. The seal might need replacing.
	« Last Edit: Aug 4^th, 2013 at 3:58am by Penthesilea »

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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #63 - Aug 4^th, 2013 at 10:39pm	Print Post
	It occurred to me today that the areas directly above the entrances to the kitchen cry out for signage of some sort. I shall have to think on this....


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #64 - Aug 7^th, 2013 at 1:48am	Print Post
	I picked up a couple more "ingredients" for my experiments today. Tomorrow, I'm going to start working on a recipe for an apple cider vinaigrette. None of the ones I've found online appeals. STILL thinking about that sign for the kitchen door.....


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #65 - Aug 7^th, 2013 at 3:44pm	Print Post
	I've found powdered, no sodium bouillon in both beef and chicken flavors on amazon. Since I have the name and know what to look for, Skywise and I will be looking for it during tomorrow's hunting expedition in Bloomington. This discovery means that I'll be able to make my own "Rice Side" mixes -- with the addition of dehydrated vegetables, spices and herbs -- which I'll be able to cook just by adding water and microwaving them according to the directions on the rice. One of the things I'm missing is "convenience foods" and these dry no sodium bouillons will let me make my own. Again with the


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #66 - Aug 14^th, 2013 at 3:23am	Print Post
	I haven't found the no sodium bouillon yet but I'm still looking. Skywise and I were talking today and he said that he's psychologically prepared to be on hypertension meds for the rest of his life. I responded that even if he is able to go off the meds -- the doctor DID bring up the possibility this week -- that I intended to continue cooking "low sodium" for the rest of MY life which was why I was putting so much effort into the "master" cookbook I'm compiling. I've transferred just about everything interesting that I can find on the internet into the book so now I get to start pulling stuff from the cookbooks. I'm going to have to copy them out of the cookbooks onto notebook paper and then type them into the cookbook word documents. That's a bit more "labor intensive" than copying them straight from the book but I need two hands to hold open the book I'm using and two hands to type and I'm about two hands short..... So I'll write them out a few at a time, put them on a clipboard, set up my clipboard holder and hopefully get them entered with a minimum of eyestrain and hair pulling. I'm hoping to get started on that this week. Hestia willing.
	« Last Edit: Aug 14^th, 2013 at 3:27am by Penthesilea »

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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #67 - Aug 24^th, 2013 at 2:34am	Print Post
	I've been working on the cookbook and indulging myself a bit with illustrations. I thought it needed something to break up the endless pages of text so I went searching the internet for food photos. I know that the photographs won't look as good on paper as they do on the computer but they'll add some color to the proceedings and break up the text. I'm hoping to work on some recipes this weekend.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #68 - Aug 24^th, 2013 at 2:55am	Print Post
	I located my book on home cheese making. It will come in handy if I decide to try my hand at making low sodium cheese. That's in the future though.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #69 - Aug 26^th, 2013 at 5:34pm	Print Post
	We made a disappointing discovery last night. I'd planned on making meatloaf using the low sodium ketchup we found. By 8 pm the ground chuck STILL hadn't thawed out so I stuck it back in the freezer and made bacon and eggs. Later, I was checking the label on the ketchup and saw that it is made with "salt substitute" and is loaded with potassium. Skywise was told specifically NOT to use salt substitutes or potassium supplements due to the medication he's taking. So, it looks like I'm going to be making my own "homestyle, low sodium ketchup." Fortunately, I found a recipe for regular ketchup to use as a starting point. All I need is no salt added tomato paste....


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #70 - Aug 28^th, 2013 at 8:43pm	Print Post
	I just put together my first "test batch" of "no salt added" bulk pork sausage. I really wish I had my workstation installed. I wanted to put the ground pork -- which was ground a bit 'coarse' for my taste -- through my meat grinder but I don't have anyplace to fasten it. It's an old fashioned hand grinder that needs to be clamped to a counter or table and my counter tops and dining room table are too thick for the clamp. I'm going to solve that problem when I put a countertop on the workstation but in the meantime..... Guess I'll just have to deal with coarsely ground sausage! Post # 29,999


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Veridian Etoile God Member Offline Posts: 14993 Location: Writing La La Land Joined: Apr 11^th, 2011 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #71 - Aug 30^th, 2013 at 9:02pm	Print Post
	I forgot to tell Hubby to get the kind of sweet and sour sauce I like for supper so I'm trying my hand at homemade, with a recipe I found online. Now it does have cornstarch in it but where I'm currently out of that, I'm making it anyway but reducing it a bit so it thickens that way.

	We creative types have to create in order to feel ALIVE... That's why I write. Without my writing, I would not be living, only existing. ~Me~ Music is essential to life. ~Me~ I'm sunny natured with a side of EVIL...
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Veridian Etoile God Member Offline Posts: 14993 Location: Writing La La Land Joined: Apr 11^th, 2011 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #72 - Aug 30^th, 2013 at 9:03pm	Print Post
	Whew, sinuses cleared... Boiling vinegar will do that to a person!

	We creative types have to create in order to feel ALIVE... That's why I write. Without my writing, I would not be living, only existing. ~Me~ Music is essential to life. ~Me~ I'm sunny natured with a side of EVIL...
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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #73 - Aug 30^th, 2013 at 9:10pm	Print Post
	It certainly will! LOL


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Veridian Etoile God Member Offline Posts: 14993 Location: Writing La La Land Joined: Apr 11^th, 2011 Gender:	Re: General Discussion about Cooking and Cookbooks Reply #74 - Aug 30^th, 2013 at 9:32pm	Print Post
	It's cooled off now. Hubby tried it after he got home and said it's the "good stuff", so it's a winner. That's in my recipe file now!

	We creative types have to create in order to feel ALIVE... That's why I write. Without my writing, I would not be living, only existing. ~Me~ Music is essential to life. ~Me~ I'm sunny natured with a side of EVIL...
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