I set up Venmo because it was the way husband’s friends wanted to repay him for some outdoor concert tickets last summer. I left our checking account linked only as long as it took for the payments to finally clear, then I unlinked it.
I have been able to see everything my niece and realtor have been doing with it!
My kids are in favor of me setting up Venmo. (For Christmas they gave us an idea of local cooking class but did not want to book specific date… gave us a Visa cash “card” via email.)
For others interested, more info…
When baking, if a recipe says “1 cup finely chopped walnuts,” do you measure one cup of walnuts unchopped and then chop them, or do you just keep chopping walnuts until you have a cup of finely chopped walnuts? I think it’s the former but want to make sure.
Oh wait – never mind: Kitchen Tips: Chopped Nuts vs Nuts, Chopped - Mind Over Batter
The article says it’s the former. The latter would be called “One cup nuts, chopped.”
That means of measuring nuts is surprising to me because it’s exactly backwards of how to measure flour.
One cup sifted flour means you sift the flour first and then measure out one cup.
One cup flour, sifted means you measure a cup of flour and then sift it.
Here’s the explanation from Rose Levy Beranbaum, author of The Baking Bible and The Cake Bible.
1 cup finely chopped walnuts means you are to measure nuts that have already been chopped.
1 cup walnuts, chopped means you measure the nuts first and then chop.
https://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/tip/measuring-ingredients2.html
So maybe the site I posted is wrong. No wonder I’m confused.
The best way to measure flour is to weigh it , And a favorite tool in my kitchen is a scale.
Does anybody sift flour anymore? I have a flour sifter, but years ago I read that modern flour is pretty consistent. I don’t sift unless directed to do so by a recipe (rare). Of course most of my baking is easy, non-fuss stuff… no fancy cakes.
I have 2 recipes that call for sifted flour. A children’s sugar cookie from my grandmother and a blueberry muffin. Sifted flour seems to give a finer, lighter texture to the batter.
I’ve read that fluffing it up in the bag with a spoon before measuring is almost as good as sifting so normally that’s all I do.
Also, we started keeping flour in the freezer after having bugs a few years back. It seems to work better in recipes. (Mostly we use flour in pancakes and waffles; not bakers here.)
Yes to the Williams Sonoma instructions on the nuts. “1 cup of chopped nuts” means just what it says 1 cup of nuts that have already been chopped. “1 cup of nuts, chopped” means just what it says, you take 1 cup of nuts and chop them.
But really I put in as many nuts as I want. I don’t think the amount of nuts is usually integral to a recipe. It’s just sort of like “salt and pepper to taste” in my view —“chopped nuts to taste”. It’s not really going to change the way the cookie bakes enough for me to notice, but I am not a pro.
I sift flour for baking if it calls for it like for a cake. I keep flour in jars that seal tight, not in the paper bags. Too easy to get moths that way. I keep biscuit flour in the freezer because it makes better biscuits that way.
I have a recipe where the amount matters – it calls for finely chopped nuts to be used instead of flour. But I agree that most of the time it doesn’t matter.
Has anyone ever made miniature house building kits? I’ve never done anything like them but enjoy crafts in general and have become intrigued. It looks like an interesting hobby for the winter. But I don’t know if it takes too much commitment and perhaps special tools. I’m thinking about one of these:
First one because Beach House!
Or this because it looks like a cute place to live:
Not me but I follow someone on Instagram who loves making over old doll houses. She will repaint them outside and each room inside, add “flooring” to some rooms (she did a hardwood floor using tiny pieces of wood she cut various sizes to mimic a typical floor pattern), made countless accessories (a toothpaste lid became a lamp shade!) and on and on - it’s not something I would enjoy DOING but I have enjoyed WATCHING her do it!!
Anyone have KIZIK shoes? Do you like them? Are they true to size?
I have an aluminum pan, that’s really a steamer I guess - it holds water on the bottom and the top has holes in it. It’s at least 30 years old, and probably hasn’t been used in at least 15.
Opinions - Is it safe to cook in or not? Clearly I don’t use it much, and I’m considering donating it or throwing it out.
Another question - better to store flour in a canister (with what a lid that has a seal but I’m not sure it’s actually air-proof) or in the bag it comes in, with the bag stored in a zip lock bag?
We keep it in the original bag - in the freezer.
Maybe it depends on our climate….I keep mine in a countertop canister that has a semi air tight lid and don’t have any issues with it. Also I bake often enough that it doesn’t sit there unused for months .
I think it’s fine to store all purpose flour at room temp since it’s pretty highly refined; whole wheat & some other specialty flours are more likely to go rancid and should probably be kept in the fridge. I keep in the original bag with a baggie over it - I would use canisters but I’m generally too lazy.