What's for dinner?

Love Johnsonville sausages. They are allergy free for me. I especially like the hot Italian ones!!! Which ones is hubby grilling, Pam?

I fed R a good chicken dinner with gravy, quinoa, corn on the cob, cranberry preserves and a version of Greek salad. I wasn't hungry so I had warm milk with collagen powder and a few raw veggies. The Greek salad is out for me due to the feta.

Hubs is grilling Johnsonville sausage! Also we have fried potatoes and peas. Finally done with the pot pie!!

IRS Form 4868 in the U.S. is an extension to file
for those of us who just could not get it all done in time.

But the Pizza was great, arrived in only 20 minutes!

We have to celebrate something.

Quesadillas with fresh mushrooms, tomatoes, salsa. onion and cheese. Mom loved them.

Sometimes, it is not the cooks fault!
Differences in temperature, humidity, air pressure can change your recipe.
It is the science of cooking.

HUMIDITY
Changes in humidity can affect how cookies, cakes, breads, and other pastries turn out in a few different ways.
Dry ingredients (like flour, sugar, baking powder, etc.) can often absorb some of the extra moisture in the air when it’s humid and muggy. Experts say that removing a fraction of the liquid that a recipe calls for could help make sure that there’s not too much moisture in your dough.
A good rule of thumb if baking on a humid day is to start by removing a quarter of the total amount (so use 3/4 cup of liquid if your recipe calls for a full cup), and then add some of the moisture back in (one tablespoon at a time) if it looks like your dough or batter has not yet reached the ideal consistency.
You may also need to add on a few minutes to the overall bake time in order to remove the excess moisture. Start by adding an additional three to five minutes to the total cook time before checking to see if your product is done. If your cake or bread is still undercooked, keep adding time in two-to-three minute intervals until cooked through. For cookies, experts say to only add additional time in one minute intervals since they’re easier to overbake.
Another trick to prevent dry ingredients from absorbing excess moisture in the air is to store them in the fridge or freezer. If you choose to go this route, take them out about an hour before baking to allow the ingredients to warm up to room temperature.
Higher humidity also prevents baked goods from rising efficiently. Roseann Ximenez, owner of RX Baked Goods, knows this concept all to well. “If it’s really humid and we are making chocolate chip cookies, they will flatten out faster (instead of rising up more first) when baked,” Ximenez said.
AIR TEMPERATURE
Differences in air temperature can also impact how your treats turn out.
If your kitchen is hot, experts say that using chilled liquid ingredients can help slow the melting of butter or any other fats you may be using. Cooling the air temperature in your kitchen by closing the windows and/or turning on the air conditioner can help lower the amount of excess moisture in the air.
Chilling your cookie dough by placing it in the fridge can also help prevent the butter from melting faster, which can end up causing cookies to flatten out more when baking.
AIR PRESSURE
If you’re traveling to a location at a higher altitude to spend the holidays with family, your sweets and treats may turn out differently if baked there compared to here (author) in South Texas.
Air pressure falls as altitude increases, and can cause baked goods to rise easier and lose moisture quicker. As the rising process occurs at a faster rate, large bubbles can form in cakes and breads, creating a coarse-textured product. The pressure inside a quickly rising cake can increase so much that the cake bursts and then falls during the baking process.

Anxiety,

😋 Yummy! Verti Marte in the quarter has great sandwiches! When you come into town, check them out. They are on Royal Street.

Send,

That’s a good way to celebrate! Enjoy your pizza!

To celebrate filing IRS Form 4868, lol....
we ordered pizza from Toppers.

Cooked a corn beef brisket in crockpot, making Rubens for dinner.

The corn beef came out so nice and tender, hard to get a good Ruben.

Red beans and rice.

We like to support our local churches when they have carry out meals, and today we got chicken pot pie and country ham sammies! Got 4 quarts of slippery pot pie and 4 sammies, gave half to DD and her partner, so we will all be eating good for a few meals! Her partner is 6 foot 6 inches and that man can eat!! Country ham is hit or miss for me, sometimes it's too salty, but hubs said this is really good. And a very sweet man helped me carry it to my truck as my back is still iffy! Service with a smile..

Burnt,

I totally agree. Swiss meringue is the best and worth the effort!

Hm, Swiss meringue is very similar to the seven minute frosting my grandmother used with her angel food cakes, that's something I'll consider if I'm ever baking for someone I want to impress!

@cwillie

Use a Swiss meringue recipe and a kitchen torch to toast the peaks. Guarenteed it will be perfect every time.

Somewhere along the way I lost my ability do make the kind of meringue that tops so many pies - it shrinks, it deflates or it burns (or it does all three). I picked off the really burned bits (most of the peaks) and it was surprisingly okay, it tasted like campfire marshmallows.

cw,

One time I burned sweet potatoes with the marshmallow topping! Somehow the thing caught on fire.

LOL 😆 I had no idea that marshmallows were so flammable!

I think that I ended up scraping off the marshmallow topping. Even experienced cooks goof up once in a while.

Is your entire pie burned or just the top? Lemon pie is delicious. Sorry your pie was ruined.

I finally got around to making my lemon meringue pie and now my house smells like burnt meringue 😢

thx itrr. For sure as we get older it's all about achieving the same basic thing with less effort - working smarter not harder.

May God bless your day in a special way,

ETA All this talk of potlucks has brought back some great memories. I used to entertain - lots of people (mostly from work) and loads for food which I did myself. My policy was to cook till the first visitor arrived. I did the main dishes then experimented with new things in the last hours. and it was all good. People remembered my parties. The house was packed but it worked. Couldn't do it now. 😊

Golden, the 5 years has started. May you find your friend cup running over in 5 years.

May you have lovely family dinners to fill your desire.

I find as I age that a big dinner looks different. I use to do 10 or more dishes, now 4 or 5 with desert is BIG and I enjoy it more, more time to visit instead of meal prep, clean up, etc.

How nice that your condo association does potlucks so you can at least meet the neighbors.

thx itrr - That's a good price! No Sam's club in Canada. The condo social association does potlucks in the amenities bldg for everyone. I haven't been to one. My food allergies really restrict me and, honestly, I am not a very social person. But family - yes!!!

I wouldn't call them friends -just people I say "Hi" to, My oldest son says it takes him 5 years before he calls someone a friend. I'm more in that line.

Golden, you are welcome.

We cross posted last night. I want to confirm that I have the 360.

I went on Amazon to see pricing, I got mine at Sam's club for 180.00 and I was surprised by all the different models. Just wanted to clarify.

I need a new dishwasher too. But, I am married to a contractor which means I am last. :-) soon though, he will retire for real this time and then my house gets his attention.

With all your new friends at your condo, you can do potlucks and have your son over :-) big dinner!

Easter leftovers = ham and potato soup for 3 meals. So happy it turned out yummy because potato soup doesn't freeze well, makes the potatoes to mushy imo.

itrr - thx so much for remembering and for your detailed description. I haven't bought anything yet as R is still moving in some of his stuff from the house he is selling. I really need a new dishwasher first. But I looked at it and have have added it to my Amazon wish list. It looks like something I would use often. My oven here is on the small side, not that we need anything very big, but extra cooking space would be handy. With my oldest son moving close next weekend I guess I still have hopes of doing a big family dinner one day. The turkey this weekend was a trial run. If I did a decent sized turkey in my present oven there wouldn't be room in it for much else. Thx for the recommendation!

Golden, you had asked a while ago about an appliance that did multiple functions and were wondering if they did any of them well. I couldn't answer at the time, I was still using my toaster oven. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately it pooped out and I could not find a replacement, so, I had to bite the bullet and get a multifunction air fryer/toaster oven/pizza oven and 50 other preset functions oven.

I would highly recommend the Emeril Lagasse French door air fryer.

Once I stopped slamming the doors, I really like that they are not hanging down for one of my dogs to accidentally get burned by being nosey. I have used loads of the features and I find it is superior to a toaster oven for all the things I used my toaster oven for. It has a smaller footprint but larger profile, it has 2 shelves for cooking, so more space overall. I can not use my 9x13 pans but, I can easily use 2 8x9 pans, just more dishes. It came with lots of pans and I think it will serve my purposes brilliantly.

Hopefully you have found something that fits your needs but, if not, I really do like this product and would recommend it.

itrr - cabbage is one of my fave veggies. Always has been.

pam - so glad the visit went well. You won't be nervous next time.

cw - wow Sounds so good. Sweet and sour red cabbage is a great dish.

send - your mum must have been a perfectionist! Haven't made a lemon meringue pie of a long, long time but I know I have never scraped off the meringue!

ana - a must for Easter!!!

brandee - R who is loves latkes (potato fritters) was surprised they were so good

I was gratified that the turkey etc. turned out very well. I thought I had over cooked it but it was fine. The gravy was to die for and the stuffing was light and tasty. Actually it was one of the better turkey dinners I have turned out. I guess I haven't lost it yet!

Turley soup is on the way!!!

I never heard of cabbage fritters but I looked them up and they sound really good.

lapin au chocolat

Sounds so very good!
And the cabbage is good for you.
Maybe tomorrow on the lemon pie.

My Mom made the best lemon meringue pie and it did not look easy.
She was seen scraping off the meringue and trying again because it wasn't exactly the right golden brown.

Yesterday I made do with a frozen box dinner but tonight I pulled myself together and whipped up an Easter feast for one - scalloped potatoes with ham, roasted butternut squash and German sweet and sour red cabbage. Unfortunately the lemon pie that was supposed to be the finale is only wishful thinking.

How wonderful Pam. A traditional ham! These special meals really do help bond families together.