Cop Car's Beat

I'm not a great baker, but....

Slashdot.org led me to an article on the ABC website concerning a subject that is near and dear to our hearts - baking cookies in space! From the ABC article, "First space-baked cookies took 2 hours in experimental oven" By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer, ‎January‎ ‎23‎, ‎2020‎ ‎4‎:‎57‎ ‎PM, come a few excerpts explaining the "experiment".

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The results are finally in for the first chocolate chip cookie bake-off in space.

While looking more or less normal, the best cookies required two hours of baking time last month up at the International Space Station. It takes far less time on Earth, under 20 minutes.

And how do they taste? No one knows.

Still sealed in individual baking pouches and packed in their spaceflight container, the cookies remain frozen in a Houston-area lab after splashing down two weeks ago in a SpaceX capsule. They were the first food baked in space from raw ingredients.

....

Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano was the master baker in December, radioing down a description as he baked them one by one in the prototype Zero G Oven. The first cookie — in the oven for 25 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit (149 degrees Celsius) — ended up seriously under-baked. He more than doubled the baking time for the next two, and the results were still so-so.

The fourth cookie stayed in the oven for two hours, and finally success.

One of my first cookbooks - circa late 1950s.

I make no pretense at being a great baker...or, even, a good baker...but, baking cookies for 20 minutes at 300 degrees F sounds just plain crazy to me. Having lived at an altitude of about 6,000 feet (Albuquerque, foothills of the Sandias), I thought that I recalled having to use higher temperatures and longer cook times. Since "Betty Crocker" has been a household name for as far back as I can recall (at least the mid 1940s), I went to see what "Betty" had to say. From her website comes this advice, below.

Baking at High Altitudes

Air pressure is lower, so foods take longer to bake. Temperatures and/or bake times may need to be increased. Liquids evaporate faster, so amounts of flour, sugar and liquids may need to be changed to prevent batter that is too moist, dry or gummy. Gases expand more, so doughs rise faster. Jan 10, 2017

Even "Betty" confuses me, though, when I read part of a table (below) that was included in her article. (I've added highlighting to the confusing part.)

 

Cookies

Cookies generally bake well at high altitudes. You may notice: • Cookies have a drier texture • Cookies may spread too much • Cookies may not spread enough • Cookies may overbrown • Cookies may be underdone

• Decrease butter or shortening (2 Tbsp to 1/4 cup) if cookies spread too much • Decrease sugar slightly if cookies spread too much (amount depends on size of batch and other ingredients) • Increase liquid by 1 to 2 Tbsp only if dough is too dry and cookies don’t spread • Increase flour (starting with 1 or 2 Tbsp) if cookies spread too much • Increase bake time by 1 to 3 minutes • Decrease bake time by 1 to 2 minutes

I guess the message is that one needs to vary parameters to produce the best result - something that the experiment in space was not set up to do very well. My final comment is that, perhaps, I shouldn't be comparing baking in space to baking at high altitude.

Recipes for Wonderful Granddaughter (WGD) - 6

Taco Salad

Recipe was passed along by Lois Wethington (wife of Bob who, in the late 1970s was CC's Group Engineer at The Little Airplane Company.

Brown & Drain:

    1 pound (weight) ground beef

Add & cook as directed on the packet:

    1 packet taco seasoning

Into a separate bowl, chop:

    1 head iceberg lettuce

    1 medium white or yellow onion

    2 medium tomatoes

Add to vegetables:

    10 ounces (weight) grated/shredded cheddar cheese

    1 each 15-ounce (weight) can red beans that have been rinsed

 Mix meat into vegetable mixture and mix in:

    Catalina French dressing - enough to make mixture very moist

Just prior to serving, toss all with:

    Taco flavored corn chips that have been lightly crumbled 

Recipes for Wonderful Granddaughter (WGD) - 5

CC's Chili

The recipe was developed by Cop Car.

Brown in large, heavy pot:

    1 pound (weight) lean ground beef

Add & bring to simmer:

    1 pound (weight) brick chili

    1 pound (wet weight) cooked pinto beans

    1 pound (wet weight) cooked kidney beans

    1 tablespoon chili seasoning

    3 cups water (or tomato juice)

Simmer for 15-30 minutes. Chill in refrigerator to cool thoroughly. Skim fat off of the top. Return pot to stove top, simmering for at least 1 hour.

Add:

    1 pound canned tomatoes (squished up, if not diced) - Tomatoes may be omitted if tomato juice was used instead of water.

Simmer for another hour. Serve, as desired. [I like chili served over shredded Romaine lettuce or other greens.]    

Recipes for Wonderful Granddaughter (WGD) - 4

Enchilada Chicken

Recipe was developed by Cop Car.

Sauté to blacken:

    Drizzle of olive oil

    2 slices onion, very finely diced

    1/3 large Pablano pepper, finely diced

    1/4 teaspoon prepared, diced garlic

Remove vegetables from skillet, but continue using skillet (with any oil that survived).

Sauté for a few minutes on either side:

    3 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Place chicken in oiled casserole, but continue using skillet (with any oil that survived).

Heat to bubbly in skillet:

    1 small can green enchilada sauce

    vegetables that had been set aside, above

    3 ounces finely sliced and chopped wheat tortillas

Pour sauce mixture over chicken breast halves in the casserole. Cover the casserole and bake for 60 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove casserole from oven and let set for a few minutes. Cut each chicken breast half into 2 or 3 pieces, lengthwise. Serve with sauce spooned over chicken pieces.

Recipes for Wonderful Granddaughter (WGD) - 3

Ora's Sugar Cookies

Recipe is from the late Ora Thomas of Iowa - a family friend in the 1940s and 1950s.

Cream:

    3 cups granulated white sugar

    1 cup lard (lard that requires refrigeration - not hydrogenized)

Add & beat:

    2 eggs

Continue beating as add:

    1/2 teaspoon table salt

    1 teaspoon cinnamon [I sometimes use ground nutmeg.]

    1 cup sour cream

    1/2 teaspoon baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)

    1 teaspoon baking powder

    1/2 teaspoon vanilla

    7 cups flour (or enough to make a stiff rolling dough)

Roll out. Cut into 2 1/2-inch-to-3-inch-diameter circles. Place on cookie sheets. Bake 10-15 minutes at 400-450 degrees Fahrenheit. [Ora did not, but I sometimes cut into various shapes, decorated with sprinkles, and/or iced the cookies - after baking.]

    

Recipes for Wonderful Granddaughter (WGD) - 2

Small Batch Cookies

Recipe is from Alicia Ross as published in the Derby Informer on 2/15/2017 and modified by Cop Car.    Makes 20-36 cookies

Cream:

    1/4 pound (weight) butter, softened

    3/4 cup granulated white sugar

Add & mix:

    1 1/4 cups all-purpose white flour

    1/2 teaspoon baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)

    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir in:

    4 ounces (weight) toffee pieces

    1/2 cup chopped pecans

    4 ounces (weight) chocolate chips

Crop onto lined cookie sheets, using 2-inch separation. Bake 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (light brown state). Let cool for 5 minutes, then remove from sheet to cooling rack.

 

Recipes for Wonderful Granddaughter (WGD) - 1

Bran Muffins

Recipe is from a Kellogg's™  All Bran box. Makes 12 muffins

Soak:

    1 cup All Bran

    1 cup milk

Beat in:

    1 egg

    1/4 cup vegetable oil

Add & stir to just mix:

    1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

    1 tablespoon baking powder (sodium bicarbonate)

    1/2 teaspoon table salt

    1/3 cup granulated white sugar

Pour batter into greased muffin tin (or lined with paper baking cups). Bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

Almond Horseshoes & CC's Cookies

So much for my memory! I would have sworn that I had, years ago (as in about 12), posted my much-missed late Mother-in-Law's recipe for Almond Horseshoes. Not finding that posting, I remedy the situation.

ALMOND HORSESHOES

Makes about 4-5 dozen

Cream together:

    1 1/3 cups granulated white sugar (12.5 ounces)

    1 pound butter (prefer sweet, but salted will do)

Add and mix in well:

    1 1/2 cups finely ground, blanched almonds (5.5 ounces)

    4 1/2 cups all-purpose white flour

    1 egg white

Pinch off pieces of dough (or use 2-tablespoon food scoop), forming each dough ball into a crescent. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. (Do not allow to brown.) Sprinkle with confectioner's (or powdered) sugar.

The reason I checked for the posting of the above recipe is that I wished to post another recipe for CC's Almond Cookies. I'm not much of a cook; but, I started with a recipe in Bake Sale: Favorite Brand Name Cookbook (purchased from the "excess" shelves at the local public library for the princely sum of 25 cents) and developed my own version. One thing that MIL always stressed was the importance of using a Mouli grinder (image, below).

The theory was that by using a meat grinder, one would reduce the almonds to an oily paste. Without proof, I believed that from age 20 to age 79. (Who said I'm slow to learn?)

A few weeks ago, I tested the theory by putting the almonds through our meat grinder (similar to the one in the photo, above), using the medium-holed grinder plate (our grinder came with grinder plates using small, medium, and large holes). It works beautifully. There is no crushing of the nuts. Perhaps, the person who came up with the Mouli grinder theory had a dull blade in their meat grinder! Oh, I should note: I did NOT grind whole almonds. Getting even lazier in my dotage, I've stopped blanching the almonds myself (which I still did at the tender age of 78). Now, I grind slivered, blanched almonds. That may change the interaction between the meat grinder and the nut meats.

CC'S ALMOND COOKIES

Makes about 3 or 3 1/2 dozen cookies

Beat until very light and fluffy:

    1/2 pound butter

    1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Add and beat well:

    1 egg

    1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla extract (I've never tried artificial; but, I understand that the world supply of Vanilla is at a premium these days.)

Add and mix, just until incorporated, on low speed:

    1 1/2 cups ground, blanched almonds (I use pre-blanched, slivered almonds.)

    2 cups all-purpose white flour

    1 teaspoon cream of tartar

    1 teaspoon baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)

Transfer dough to small (1-quart size) bowl, cover, refrigerate to chill through. Drop dough by 1 1/2-tablespoon-sized food scoops onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Roll each scoop into a ball, flattening somewhat, and press top into blanched, slivered almonds. Leave 2" between cookies. Bake about 15 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. (Do not allow to brown.) Cool, completely, storing in air-tight container.

Please note that my version of almond cookies is much quicker and easier. My MIL loved to bake and seemed oblivious to the work involved. She was a oner!

Baking - Three Generations Style

There is no better way to wind down an old year or to start a new year than being with family. The 2016 year-end holidays, fortunately, included four generations. Unfortunately, we missed a couple of our loved ones - Bogie (of Bogieblog) and (my) Elder Brother were unable to come and should rest assured that each was sorely missed. 

Of those family members who live in the Wichita area, all members were present and accounted for at Christmas dinner at Wonderful GrandDaughter's (WGD's) and Rachie's home* - Eldest Generation: Cop Car and Hunky Husband; Second Generation: Dudette and WichiDude; Third Generation: WGD and Rachie; and Fourth Generation: Next Generation 1 (NG1) and Next Generation 2 (NG2) were there.

During the festivities, Dudette asked if she could come to HH's and my house to "learn" to make nut roll as Dudette's grandmother (HH's mother - Beloved Mother-in-Law, FMIL) used to make it. BMIL was born in Serbia, emigrating to the USA at age 12, so she made all of the fabulous baked goods for which Serbia (being the breadbasket of Yugoslavia of those days, invested in wheat much as is Kansas) was justly famous. WGD asked to join the session.

Mind you, either of our daughters can bake/cook rings around their mother. I tend not only to be slap-dash about following recipes, but I view cooking as not being rocket science, so I roll merrily along my own way. I've yet to poison anyone; but, my cooking was never/is never/will never be a source of pride. (It isn't my thing!) Thus, I really was puzzled that Dudette thought she needed any coaching from me! However, she assured me that her last nut roll effort had ended with the nut filling spreading out all over the place (not the way she said it, but my mental picture), so we were "on". We agreed that Dudette and WGD would decide whether to have the session on New Year's Eve day or on New Year's day (it would depend upon what arrangements could be made for NG1's and NG2's care), and they would let me know. Sunday, 1/1/2017, it was.

What a joyous time had I, and I hope Dudette and WGD enjoyed it nearly as much as did I. For their reference, I'm including some photos of the process we followed.

We determined that Dudette's "problem" was with the filling rather than with the dough; so, we skipped making the dough. Fortunately, in a rare display of foresight, I had made dough the previous night and let it rise/set in the downstairs refrigerator until we were ready for it. Thus, we started with making the filling.

NUT ROLL FILLING -

    a. Grind 1 pound of nuts (pecans or walnuts - we used pecans) with a medium blade in an auger-feed grinder.

    

    b. Beat 1 egg and juice 1/2 lemon

   

     c. Place nuts, lemon juice, and beaten egg into heavy sauce pan. Add 1/4 pound of butter and 1 cup of milk.

    

    d. Cook over medium flame, stirring frequently, until filling is thick but still shiny.

    

    e. Cool filling below 110 degrees F.

While filling cools, finish dough.

NUT ROLL DOUGH -

    a. Remove dough from refrigerator, prepare pastry cloth and rolling pin by dusting with flour.

    b. Split dough into two halves, returning one half to the refrigerator.

    c. Hand-work dough to form disk-shaped mass.

    d. Roll out dough to about one-half the expected final size. (While rolling dough, I rotate the dough about 45 degrees every third or fourth "roll" to keep shape somewhat regular.)

    e. Cover dough with damp cloth and let rest 10-15 minutes.

    f. Remove damp cloth and continue rolling out the dough to final shape. (During final rolling, I concentrate rolling mostly along an arbitrary axis to form rectangular shape.) A few of the photo files were corrupted, so you get to imagine that a photo is in this section!

Now we assemble the parts.

NUT ROLL ASSEMBLY & BAKING -

    a. Place blobs (that's a technical term used by professional bakers) of filling onto dough. (I added a couple of more blobs after taking the photo.)

    b. Spread the filling, thickly, to within about 1 inch of the perimeter of the dough. Wet the 1-inch margin of dough with water or milk. Roll up the dough, jellyroll style. (It is the "roll up" part of assembly that is made easier by using a pastry cloth rather than a marble slab as a work surface.)

    c. Pinch the dough edges together to seal nut filling within the dough.

    d. Roll the nut roll onto a parchment-covered baking sheet, seam-side-down.

    e. Cover nut roll with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm location for 1.5 - 2 hours. Remove damp cloth and bake for 40 minutes in a 325-degree-F oven. Remove from oven, slide off onto a baking/cooling rack, and spread crust with butter or milk. As all of the photo files applicable to this step were corrupted, we'll skip directly to a photo of the finished product. It is very, very difficult to un-bake and un-cut bread!

 

__________

* WGD, Rachie, Next Generation 1 (NG1) and Next Generation 2 (NG2) moved into their new, just-built home in the Wichita area in April, 2016; thus, they were quite excited at the prospect of being able to host family events in their own home. Who can blame them?                                                                                                             As a money-saving ploy, WGD & Rachie had parts of the home left un-finished. They have already finished the boys' bedrooms, a few pieces of furniture (mostly in the 40-50-year-old range, having been used by Dudette when she and Bogie were young), and the spacious back deck. Thus, they already have quite a bit of sweat equity invested. Not nearly as much sweat equity as Bogie has accumulated on her home; but, Bogie got a head-start!

For Elder Brother - Salad Recipes

Elder brother has called twice, today. We chatted for about an hour during his first call and for 5 or 10 minutes during his second. His second call was to ask me to send him recipes for two salads. I emailed them to him; but, am including them here for future reference.

Potato Salad

(modified from Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book)

 

Mix:       4 cups cut up (about 2#) cold, boiled potatoes (I leave skins on, but you do as you please. Dice or slice.)

                4 tablespoons onion, chopped

                ½ teaspoon table salt

                Dash of pepper

                ½ cup French (Kraft, orange-ish in color) or Italian dressing

 

Chill for 1 or 2 hours.

 

Toss with:            ½ cup mayonnaise (Miracle Whip Dressing is what I use, instead.)

                               2 eggs (hard cooked & cut up

                               Minced parsley (if you’re so inclined)

 

Garnish with paprika. Chill for several hours to allow flavors to blend.

 

 

Salmon Salad

Our Mother's Recipe

 

Mix:       1-pound can salmon, drained (Mom removed skin & bones; I remove only the bones.)

                8 ounces cream-style corn (Mom cooked it up & thickened it; I use whole-kernel or cream-style corn straight from the can.)

                4 large sweet pickles, chopped

                4 large eggs, hard cooked & chopped

                1 tablespoon vinegar

                1 teaspoon prepared mustard

                2 tablespoons mayonnaise (Miracle Whip is what I use, instead.)

                Salt & pepper, to taste.

 

Chill for 12 hours before serving.