Cook Without Measure

  In the video that accompanies this blog,  I use the following:  1 stick butter, melted in microwave in large-ish bowl equal measures of flour and sugar (about a cup) 2 eggs. (I've made this with 1 egg and it's ok) about a teaspoon of baking soda sprinklings of salt 3 bananas (you could also add peeled apples or other fruit or even 4 bananas...2 bananas ends up being a little low on the bananas) vanilla. A splash.  I used a cap in the video, but I've just poured some in, too, and it really helps the flavor.  pecans (about half the measure of flour, but more is also good; walnuts also taste good in this.) choc chips (about the same measure as flour) Throw all but the pecans and chocolate into the bowl with softened/melted butter. Beat with a mixer, then spoon in the nuts and chips.   Pour into a greased and floured 8x8 pan.  (Loaf pan is not so good -- it doesn't cook as well) 325 degrees for 50 minutes.  If you use smaller containers, it wil...

  This blog entry follows the video on making homemade pizza .  Begin by making the basic white bread dough:  About a tablespoon of yeast proofed in about 2 cups of warm water, a couple "squirts" of agave, a bit of gluten, and a bit of white yeast.  When you've verified this yeast is waking up (bubbling), proceed:  Add more white flour, a scrambled egg if you'd like, some salt sprinklings, and stir, adding flour until it's solid enough to knead.  Then turn the dough out onto a  horizontal surface to knead until elastic and ready. (More complete directions included in the Basic White Bread recipe) Pinch off about a quarter of the total dough and place in an oiled (I use olive oil) cast iron skillet.  Spread out the dough to fit the bottom of the pan. Be patient with the dough; you'll only be able to spread it a little bit at a time.  This gives you an opportunity to split your time between spreading the dough and cleaning up the kitchen. (In ...

The accompanying video is in two parts.  Links: Part 1 Cinnamon Swirl Rolls ; Part 2 Cinnamon Swirl Rolls.  Use the dough from the basic white bread  recipe.  Instead of placing it in a pan when it becomes elastic after kneading, roll or press it into a rectangle on a floured surface. Brush with butter, then fold again and stretch out the dough to be in a rectangle. Repeat for flaker dough in your cinnamon rolls.  Be patient with the dough; wait a couple minutes before stretching it out to be a rectangle that is at least 12 inches by 14 inches.  Then brush the rectangle top with warm (not hot) butter, sprinkle white and brown sugar on top, cinnamon and nutmeg (I'm from Connecticut which is the nutmeg state, so I add nutmeg to many foods), and pecans. You can use any nut of your choice, of course.  You could also use sliced apples.  Usually one very big apple or two small ones provide sufficient fruit.  Drizzle melted (not hot) butter over the...

Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnVSRHkvVL0&t=32s&ab_channel=JeanMariner  Ingredients (all are approximations!) White flour. About 4 cups.  Yeast. 1 packet or about 1 tablespoon. Agave Syrup (or honey or sugar...) about 4 seconds of squirting from the bottle. More if you have a sweet tooth (like Gramps does) Gluten Flour (About 1-2 tablespoons) Olive oil: a dollup or so.  Salt: A sprinkling. Optional: Add a scrambled egg to the dough or have the flour be about 1 C whole wheat and the remainder white. Also adding some oatmeal gives your bread a heartier texture (about 1/3 C oatmeal microwaved with water until cooked, then cool the cooked oatmeal before it's added to the dough) Directions that follow the video:  In a large non-metal bowl, place about a tablespoon of dry yeast.  Add about 2 C warm water. Squirt in the agave (or honey) and add about a cup of flour and a couple tablespoons or so of gluten flour. Whisk with a non-metal whis...

Nonie (my mother) followed recipes to a "t" (which, by the way, means something other than a "T"). She needed to know exact amounts; she measured each item, sliding a knife across the top of a quarter-teaspoon measure to be sure her measurement was precise. If she adjusted a recipe, she recorded her adjustments in great detail, even including the date and event for which she was cooking. No wonder then, she was frustrated when cooking with me. I started cooking with her in my youth even saying, "One cup of milk," as I held a jug of milk over the bowl, pouring more-or-less a cup into a bowl that held the other ingredients, pacing my speech to match my perception of the correct amount -- or an amount that would do. I'd even raise and lower the jug with a flourish, just to annoy her. I sprinkled spices, adding nutmeg whenever cinnamon was added (because, I reckoned, I was from Connecticut and wanted to support the state of my happy youth.) I enjoyed...