I rarely bake any longer.
In my twenties, I made bread from scratch. This was before the invention of bread machines. I baked an occasional cake, and made pies and cobblers. We have a refrigerated dough crescent roll that is served at every Thanksgiving dinner, and a pastry called “Sugar Crisp” that’s made each Christmas. For a number of years, the women of my family have been invited to a day of baking cookies in December, to get ready for Christmas.
When my doctor suggested that I stop baking, I thought he was crazy. I kept on baking, but shared the fruits of my labors. Then….gradually, I started to cut back on my baking.
There are times, though, when I get a taste for a certain dessert, and carve out the time to make it from scratch. Last night, I cleaned the kitchen, put everything away, and then checked to see if I had the ingredients for carrot cake. I needed more oil. I decided to make a quick stop at the grocery store today, and pick up what I needed. I’d still have time to make the cake and cool it before dinner.
With the exception of needing two cups of grated carrots, the recipe is extreemely simple. Some time ago, I discovered that I could use my blender to chop the carrots, so that’s what I did today. I think I must have dirtied every bowl in the kitchen, and several spoons and measuring cups. Why is that? I think there must be an axiom somewhere establishing a relationship between the number of dirtied dishes and how good something tastes.
By noon, I had the cake in the oven, and worked on dinner preparations while it baked. The house smelled wonderful with the scent of cinnamon filling the air.
When my timer went off, I did the cake test (piercing the cake with a toothpick to determine if the batter has been cooked thoroughly), and set the pan on a rack to cool. When it was cool, I used a knife to release the cake from the edges of the pan, turned the pan over and tapped the bottom to release the cake.
Two thirds……maybe three quarters…..of the cake came out of the pan.
I have one lightweight, metal, easy release bundt pan that will be in the recycling bin this evening.
It was incredibly frustrating to have put all that time and effort into making a special dessert and have it look like something that came through an urban war.
It tasted fine. We had carrot cake after dinner. BUT….I knew it wasn’t what it should be, and it bothered me.
I think I have one more carrot cake in me, maybe more than one, but I won’t be using that crappy pan, that’s for darn sure. Sur la Table…..Crate and Barrel……Kitchen shops across Illinois….here I come, looking for the definitive Bundt pan.

I was shopping for veggies the other day, and noticed a rack of magazines in the veggie department. What caught my eye was a new magazine from Better Homes and Gardens called “Diabetic Living.” Apparently this was the premier issue.
It’s wonderful! The first section held lifestyle tips, and information about managing diabetes. The second section was an incredible range of recipes, made over to fit a diabetic’s needs.
We’ve found a LOT of recipes, on-line and in cookbooks, that work for Dear Husband, but I’ve never seen so many recipies in one place that I would be willing to try.
We picked up an eggplant at the Farmer’s Market, and I have two recipes for chunky spagetti sauce that would accept cubed eggplant nicely. And better yet, half of each recipe could be frozen, so that on the days when I don’t have the time to do an entire meal from scratch, I have most of a meal ready to go. That’s a major issue…needing to be careful about what we eat, even when there isn’t preparation time. I also like the idea of cooking once for two meals, just as a time saving device. One of those recipes was done in a crockpot, so that would save me even more time.
Where to I sign up to subscribe? Congratulations, BHG on your new mag!

Oh myyyyyyyyyyyy!!! We have just had a meal fit for a king, and it came out of our own kitchen!
If reading about incredible food makes you hungry, then do NOT read on! The rest of you….be prepared to drool! *G*

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We made it to the Farmer’s Market! YEAH!!!!
It was wonderful to be back. I really missed the crowds and the great veggies and fruits for sale. The one thing I mind is that they have banned dogs from the area. It used to be a lot of fun to see all the dogs parading through the people.
Usually I go early in the morning. I’d rather get there before the crowd is quite so large, and have first pick of the veggies. It’s also easier to get a place to part at 7:30 in the morning, and then you can go on to breakfast, or to the rest of your day. This time, we had to make a stop at the pharmacy, and it doesn’t open until 9:30, so we compromised and went about 9:00. MAN, was it busy!
Mother had her sewing scissors sharpened. I bought bi-color sweet corn for dinner tonight. Big, red, ripe tomatoes, green beans, a red pepper and a green pepper, pickle size cucumbers, four HUGE garlic bulbs (roasted garlic with feta on toasted French bread, anyone??), two egg plants, four bunches of flowers (asters, creamy yellow lilies and blue salvia), peaches, crimini mushrooms, wild Alaskan salmon and a cedar plank!
Yummmmmmmm…….gonna have some GOOD MEALS this week!

I tried something new today. My family all went in different directions. DH went sailing, my mother was working on paperwork, our son slept in, and I got started on the weeding. No one wanted to make a decision about what we were having for dinner, so I made the choice, and pulled a package of America’s cut pork chops from the freezer this morning, to start the thawing process.

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Unfortunately, EVERYONE in my household would be “ooot” in no time.
It’s no secret that I enjoy cooking. And, you all know that we are embracing the diabetic diet in this house. To that end, we are cutting carbs and fats and trying to increase the fiber. Unfortunately, our bodies are having a field day with the extra fiber. I’m happy to say that my mother has us all whipped into shape, and no one is allowed to entertain following dinner.

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We have been trying to eat meals that are lower in carbs. I found a tasty recipe for beef brisket that I’ve adjusted a bit, that has been a real hit.
Buy a small beef brisket (two pounds or less) and cut off all the fat. Spray a 13 x 9 metal cooking pan with Pam and set the brisket in the pan. Sprinkle the brisket with a 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt, and grind fresh black pepper over it, to taste. Put two to three teaspoons of minced garlic into the pan, along with two bay leaves. Slice two large onions into rings and cover the brisket with the onions. Then, pour 3/4 cup of red wine over the onions and beef. Cover the pan with foil and bake for five to six hours or until very tender, at 300 degrees F.
When you are ready to serve, remove the brisket to a plate and keep it warm. Lift all the onions out of the pan, and puree them in a blender. Return the onions to the wine and juice in the pan and blend them for a wonderful sauce. Cut the brisket into slices across the grain. We served roasted potatoes and baked apples, although garlic mashed potatoes would be wonderful (if higher carb) addition to it.

This is for Bogie, in return for her wonderful recipe for Taco Lasagna. I’ve used this as a main meal and as a side dish for a large gathering. Bogie, I have no idea where this recipe comes from, but my family has enjoyed it for some time. I hope you and WS will too.
Tostada Casserole
6 to 8 servings
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 envelope (1 1/4 ounces) taco seasoning mix
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
1 can (4 ounces) whole green chilies, drained, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup sliced pitted ripe olives
1 cup baking mix
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup dairy sour cream
1 egg
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a rectangular baking dish 12 x 7 1/2 x 2 inches. Cook and stir the ground beef and onion in a 10 inch skillet until the beef is brown; drain. Stir in seasoning mix, tomato sauce, beans, chilies and olives. Mix the baking mix (I use Bisquick), cornmeal, beaten egg and oil until moistened. Beat the mixture vigorously for 30 seconds. Spread the cornmeal mixture in the greased dish. spoon the beef mixture over the dough. Mix the remaining ingredients and spoon over the beef mixture.. Bake uncovered 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.
I never include the olives when I make this, and I purchase the chilies already seeded and chopped. This really fills the pan, so there isn’t much room to add more cheese.

It seems that my household is going to be embracing the diabetic diet. I’m starting to do some research on the guidelines, but I have a favor to ask. If you have a good low-fat way to prepare vegetables, would you please share it with me? I’d like to be able to offer variety in our diet and not go overboard on the fat.
Thanks for your help!

Each year at this time the women of my family have had a tradition of baking together for the holidays. We have had as many as six of us in the kitchen at a time, making dough, washing dishes, taking hot cookies out of the oven. We share what we have made and everyone goes home with more variety than they might have made on their own in one day.
This year schedules are so tight that we are foregoing the larger get together. One of my nieces joined me today, and another will cook with me next Sunday.

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