......and homemade saltines.

It's Winter and I plan on a lotta soups n' beans and stuff. So, I
love good ol' saltines in my soups/stews and plan to make my own. Any
advice?

nb

On 16 Jan 2015 20:31:06 GMT, notbob > wrote:

>.....and homemade saltines.
>
>It's Winter and I plan on a lotta soups n' beans and stuff. So, I
>love good ol' saltines in my soups/stews and plan to make my own. Any
>advice?

A heck of a lot of work and will cost more than store bought... and
won't be nearly the same as store bought. And oyster crackers and
saltines are two entirely different things... check bulk sellers... I
used to buy them from the local Hispanic market in five pound tins for
cheap

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On 16 Jan 2015 20:31:06 GMT, notbob wrote:
>
>> .....and homemade saltines.
>>
>> It's Winter and I plan on a lotta soups n' beans and stuff. So, I
>> love good ol' saltines in my soups/stews and plan to make my own. Any
>> advice?
>
> Yeah, screw that idea and buy 2 boxes of them for $1.50/ea at a dollar
> store and they'll last you through the year.
>
> -sw

yeah, good way to blow off the troll.

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Fri, 16 Jan 2015 18:25:41 -0800, Pico Rico wrote:
>
>> "Sqwertz" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On 16 Jan 2015 20:31:06 GMT, notbob wrote:
>>>
>>>> .....and homemade saltines.
>>>>
>>>> It's Winter and I plan on a lotta soups n' beans and stuff. So, I
>>>> love good ol' saltines in my soups/stews and plan to make my own. Any
>>>> advice?
>>>
>>> Yeah, screw that idea and buy 2 boxes of them for $1.50/ea at a dollar
>>> store and they'll last you through the year.
>>
>> yeah, good way to blow off the troll.
>
> You know there would be at least 6 more threads he'd start even before
> he attempted them, and then one final thread declaring them a complete
> failure.
>
> Just like the infamous Fruitcake Attempt last month.
>
> -sw

Actually I don't recall that. I guess I was too focused on the DATAW
shenanigans.

On 1/16/2015 3:31 PM, notbob wrote:
> .....and homemade saltines.
>
> It's Winter and I plan on a lotta soups n' beans and stuff. So, I
> love good ol' saltines in my soups/stews and plan to make my own. Any
> advice?
>
> nb
>
I see no point. Just buy a box of saltines at the store.

Jill

On 2015-01-17, jmcquown > wrote:

> I see no point. Just buy a box of saltines at the store.

I'm sorry. I did not realize I was in the wrong newsgroup. Could you
please direct me to the newsgroup that occasionally actually discusses
cooking?

nb

"notbob" > wrote in message
...
> On 2015-01-17, jmcquown > wrote:
>
>> I see no point. Just buy a box of saltines at the store.
>
> I'm sorry. I did not realize I was in the wrong newsgroup. Could you
> please direct me to the newsgroup that occasionally actually discusses
> cooking?
>
> nb

you asked for advice and were given advice.


stolen for you:


2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
2/3 c. milk
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Combine the dry ingredients, cut in the butter, then stir in the milk. Round
into a ball and knead for few strokes. Divide dough into several pieces and
roll out very thin on a floured board. Lay sheets on ungreased cookie sheet.
Sprinkle with salt and prick with a fork. Cut into 1 1/2 inch squares with a
sharp knife or pizza cutter. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or
until lightly browned.

On Friday, January 16, 2015 at 8:22:54 PM UTC-6, Sqwertz wrote:
>
> On 16 Jan 2015 20:31:06 GMT, notbob wrote:
>
> > .....and homemade saltines.
> >
> > It's Winter and I plan on a lotta soups n' beans and stuff. So, I
> > love good ol' saltines in my soups/stews and plan to make my own. Any
> > advice?
>
> Yeah, screw that idea and buy 2 boxes of them for $1.50/ea at a dollar
> store and they'll last you through the year.
>
> -sw
>
>
They're 99 cents a box at Aldi's and darn good crackers, too. No idea what their price for oyster crackers is.

notbob wrote:
>
> On 2015-01-17, jmcquown > wrote:
>
> > I see no point. Just buy a box of saltines at the store.
>
> I'm sorry. I did not realize I was in the wrong newsgroup. Could you
> please direct me to the newsgroup that occasionally actually discusses
> cooking?

LOL! Not this one, nb

G.

On 1/17/2015 10:16 AM, notbob wrote:
> On 2015-01-17, jmcquown > wrote:
>
>> I see no point. Just buy a box of saltines at the store.
>
> I'm sorry. I did not realize I was in the wrong newsgroup. Could you
> please direct me to the newsgroup that occasionally actually discusses
> cooking?
>
> nb
>
Hate to tell you this, but some 30 years ago I actually took the time to
make crackers from scratch. Saltines; I docked the crackers with a
fork. I even made parmesan crackers. In the end, for me, it wasn't
worth the effort just to have crackers for soup. I made them as snacks
for a party. Even then, wasn't worth the effort.

Jill

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> On 1/17/2015 10:16 AM, notbob wrote:
>> On 2015-01-17, jmcquown > wrote:
>>
>>> I see no point. Just buy a box of saltines at the store.
>>
>> I'm sorry. I did not realize I was in the wrong newsgroup. Could you
>> please direct me to the newsgroup that occasionally actually discusses
>> cooking?
>>
>> nb
>>
> Hate to tell you this, but some 30 years ago I actually took the time to
> make crackers from scratch. Saltines; I docked the crackers with a fork.
> I even made parmesan crackers. In the end, for me, it wasn't worth the
> effort just to have crackers for soup. I made them as snacks for a party.
> Even then, wasn't worth the effort.
>
> Jill

If you had the Usenet to post to back then, we could have all told you so
and saved you the trouble!

On Friday, January 16, 2015 at 12:31:10 PM UTC-8, notbob wrote:
> .....and homemade saltines.
>
> It's Winter and I plan on a lotta soups n' beans and stuff. So, I
> love good ol' saltines in my soups/stews and plan to make my own. Any
> advice?
>

Reminds me of when I bought the exact hops and yeast that Anheuser-Busch
used to brew Budweiser. And by the time I was done, I had the exact same
beer, except it cost twice as much, even not counting the value of my
time.

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On 17 Jan 2015 15:16:11 GMT, notbob wrote:
>
>> On 2015-01-17, jmcquown > wrote:
>>
>>> I see no point. Just buy a box of saltines at the store.
>>
>> I'm sorry. I did not realize I was in the wrong newsgroup.
>
> Yep - You are in the wrong group.
>
> You know damned-well that nobody in rec.food.cooking could care less
> about making saltines(tm). And you have really no desire to do it
> yourself, either.
>
> -sw

I have made my own saltines and I have posted about it here. I have tried
two different recipes, neither of which bear any resemblance to the saltines
that you can buy. I have to avoid barley and the good tasting ones that you
can buy have barley flour in them. I did buy some kind of organic ones with
no barley flour but they were really pretty stale tasting despite them not
being expired.

I will not post the recipes here again. I know I posted at least one of
them but to me they were almost akin to hardtack. Very good flavor but
otherwise not so great.

I have made successful crackers. One was a gluten free recipe that had
finely chopped onion in it. But it was too much work to get a measly 10
crackers from it.

My quest for making good wheat based crackers continues. Many of the
recipes I see call for dairy or egg and I can't use those either. But if I
do manage to find something good, I will post the recipe. I have yet to use
the new rolling pins that I bought. Meanwhile, I stocked up on the Social
Snackers from TJ's. They work for me.

If a person has no food issues then I can't see why they would bother to
make crackers, other than perhaps just to see if they could do it. Which is
sometimes why I actually cook/bake some things.

> wrote in message
...
> On Friday, January 16, 2015 at 12:31:10 PM UTC-8, notbob wrote:
>> .....and homemade saltines.
>>
>> It's Winter and I plan on a lotta soups n' beans and stuff. So, I
>> love good ol' saltines in my soups/stews and plan to make my own. Any
>> advice?
>>
>
> Reminds me of when I bought the exact hops and yeast that Anheuser-Busch
> used to brew Budweiser. And by the time I was done, I had the exact same
> beer, except it cost twice as much, even not counting the value of my
> time.

but some people would go someplace and pay through the nose for the
experience, so you are money ahead.

On 2015-01-18, jmcquown > wrote:

> Hate to tell you this, but some 30 years ago I actually took the time to
> make crackers from scratch.

What did you expect in a consumer economy/society? How does a
vendor placate its irate customers? By giving them more to consume,
of course!

nb

On Sun, 18 Jan 2015 02:25:03 -0800, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

> If a person has no food issues then I can't see why they would bother to
> make crackers, other than perhaps just to see if they could do it. Which is
> sometimes why I actually cook/bake some things.

That's what I do too. One thing I discovered was that B&M Boston
Baked Beans taste just like mine, so I can save hours of cooking and
have no leftovers to deal with when all I want is one serving of baked
beans as a side with dinner - just by opening a can.

--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room

On 1/18/2015 9:15 AM, notbob wrote:
> On 2015-01-18, jmcquown > wrote:
>
>> Hate to tell you this, but some 30 years ago I actually took the time to
>> make crackers from scratch.
>
> What did you expect in a consumer economy/society? How does a
> vendor placate its irate customers? By giving them more to consume,
> of course!
>
> nb
>
Uh... what? Good answer, wrong thread.

Jill

On 1/17/2015 11:32 AM, wrote:
> On Friday, January 16, 2015 at 8:22:54 PM UTC-6, Sqwertz wrote:
>>
>> On 16 Jan 2015 20:31:06 GMT, notbob wrote:
>>
>>> .....and homemade saltines.
>>>
>>> It's Winter and I plan on a lotta soups n' beans and stuff. So, I
>>> love good ol' saltines in my soups/stews and plan to make my own. Any
>>> advice?
>>
>> Yeah, screw that idea and buy 2 boxes of them for $1.50/ea at a dollar
>> store and they'll last you through the year.
>>
>> -sw
>>
>>
> They're 99 cents a box at Aldi's and darn good crackers, too. No idea what their price for oyster crackers is.
>
Family Dollar sells oysterettes crackers, 1 lb. bag for 99 cents.

Jill

On 1/18/2015 9:41 AM, sf wrote:

> That's what I do too. One thing I discovered was that B&M Boston
> Baked Beans taste just like mine, so I can save hours of cooking and
> have no leftovers to deal with when all I want is one serving of baked
> beans as a side with dinner - just by opening a can.
>

My wife has made beans a few times, but mostly not worth the effort. You
can buy many varieties of beans too so you don't even have to doctor up
the plain ones if you want a specific type.

We don't make jelly and preserves either. Locally we can buy Trappist
brand (made by the Monks) and they are very good. For a few jars a year,
not worth the making.

I've thought about crackers just so say I did it, but never got around
to it.

OTOH, hard to find a cake as good as home made.

On 2015-01-18, jmcquown > wrote:

> Uh... what? Good answer, wrong thread.

If I wuz batting .1000, I wouldn't be here.

nb

"notbob" > wrote in message
...
> On 2015-01-18, jmcquown > wrote:
>
>> Uh... what? Good answer, wrong thread.
>
> If I wuz batting .1000, I wouldn't be here.
>
> nb

that would be 1.000

On 2015-01-17 11:41 PM, jmcquown wrote:

> Hate to tell you this, but some 30 years ago I actually took the time to
> make crackers from scratch. Saltines; I docked the crackers with a
> fork. I even made parmesan crackers. In the end, for me, it wasn't
> worth the effort just to have crackers for soup. I made them as snacks
> for a party. Even then, wasn't worth the effort.
>


It sounds like making past. Never mind the cost of the machine, by the
time you factor in the cost of the eggs and flour, you aren't saving
much. Then consider the work and mess. I have done it a half dozen
times and I can tell you that store bought pasta, even fresh pasta, is a
bargain.

On 2015-01-18 10:54 AM, Pico Rico wrote:
> "notbob" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On 2015-01-18, jmcquown > wrote:
>>
>>> Uh... what? Good answer, wrong thread.
>>
>> If I wuz batting .1000, I wouldn't be here.
>>
>> nb
>
> that would be 1.000
>




That's why he is here. ;-)

On 2015-01-18 9:15 AM, notbob wrote:
> On 2015-01-18, jmcquown > wrote:
>
>> Hate to tell you this, but some 30 years ago I actually took the time to
>> make crackers from scratch.
>
> What did you expect in a consumer economy/society? How does a
> vendor placate its irate customers? By giving them more to consume,
> of course!
>

I was in a bind a few years ago. I used to live liver pate on crackers
with a Manhattan and had favourite herbed pate. One day I was munching
away and suddenly had the most horrible taste in my mouth. It was vile.
I was tempted to take it back or to write to the company. Then I
thought that their response would probably be to send me coupons for
their product. Thanks but no thanks, it was so awful that I lost my
taste for it.

On 2015-01-18, Dave Smith > wrote:

> On 2015-01-18 10:54 AM, Pico Rico wrote:

>> "notbob" > wrote in message
>> ...

>>> If I wuz batting .1000, I wouldn't be here.

>> that would be 1.000

> That's why he is here. ;-)

DOH!

On 1/18/2015 11:13 AM, Dave Smith wrote:
> On 2015-01-17 11:41 PM, jmcquown wrote:
>
>> Hate to tell you this, but some 30 years ago I actually took the time to
>> make crackers from scratch. Saltines; I docked the crackers with a
>> fork. I even made parmesan crackers. In the end, for me, it wasn't
>> worth the effort just to have crackers for soup. I made them as snacks
>> for a party. Even then, wasn't worth the effort.
>>
>
> It sounds like making past. Never mind the cost of the machine

What machine? I used a rolling pin, a sheet pan and a fork. I thought
it would be fun to make crackers. One try was enough. They tasted good
but was not worth the effort.

>, by the time you factor in the cost of the eggs and flour, you aren't saving
> much. Then consider the work and mess. I have done it a half dozen
> times

I did make a mess in the kitchen.

> and I can tell you that store bought pasta, even fresh pasta, is a
> bargain.

I tried the "fresh" refrigerated pasta from the grocery store. It's no
better than dried. Some people will claim making pasta from scratch is
worth the effort. Not so unless you eat a lot of pasta. I don't.

Jill

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> On 1/18/2015 11:13 AM, Dave Smith wrote:
>> On 2015-01-17 11:41 PM, jmcquown wrote:
>>
>>> Hate to tell you this, but some 30 years ago I actually took the time to
>>> make crackers from scratch. Saltines; I docked the crackers with a
>>> fork. I even made parmesan crackers. In the end, for me, it wasn't
>>> worth the effort just to have crackers for soup. I made them as snacks
>>> for a party. Even then, wasn't worth the effort.
>>>
>>
>> It sounds like making past. Never mind the cost of the machine
>
> What machine?

the PASTA machine. You have to work on it here.

On 2015-01-18 12:22 PM, jmcquown wrote:

>>
>> It sounds like making past. Never mind the cost of the machine
>
> What machine? I used a rolling pin, a sheet pan and a fork. I thought
> it would be fun to make crackers. One try was enough. They tasted good
> but was not worth the effort.
>

Sorry... typo... making pasta.... the pasta roller.... though that could
be made with a rolling pin too.


> I did make a mess in the kitchen.
I bet.

>
>> and I can tell you that store bought pasta, even fresh pasta, is a
>> bargain.
>
> I tried the "fresh" refrigerated pasta from the grocery store. It's no
> better than dried. Some people will claim making pasta from scratch is
> worth the effort. Not so unless you eat a lot of pasta. I don't.

The main difference is... it is dry. It softens up when you boil it. I
tried making pasta for a while. It just wasn't worth the work, and it
didn't save any money.

jmcquown wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> On 1/18/2015 11:13 AM, Dave Smith wrote:
> > On 2015-01-17 11:41 PM, jmcquown wrote:
> >
> > > Hate to tell you this, but some 30 years ago I actually took the
> > > time to make crackers from scratch. Saltines; I docked the
> > > crackers with a fork. I even made parmesan crackers. In the
> > > end, for me, it wasn't worth the effort just to have crackers for
> > > soup. I made them as snacks for a party. Even then, wasn't
> > > worth the effort.
> > >
> >
> > It sounds like making past. Never mind the cost of the machine
>
> What machine? I used a rolling pin, a sheet pan and a fork. I
> thought it would be fun to make crackers. One try was enough. They
> tasted good but was not worth the effort.
>
> > , by the time you factor in the cost of the eggs and flour, you
> > aren't saving much. Then consider the work and mess. I have done
> > it a half dozen times
>
> I did make a mess in the kitchen.
>
> > and I can tell you that store bought pasta, even fresh pasta, is a
> > bargain.
>
> I tried the "fresh" refrigerated pasta from the grocery store. It's
> no better than dried. Some people will claim making pasta from
> scratch is worth the effort. Not so unless you eat a lot of pasta.
> I don't.
>
> Jill

There have only been a few cases where making fresh pasta makes any
sense.

1) when you want to infuse it with spices as opposed to saucing wit
them alone. Thise can be nifty but a lot of bother. I have done it as
a project for fun with my daughter when she was learning to cook. We
liked the special udon fresh made, but it wasn't that special to do
many times over. It was more like 'it's pouring rain and kiddo, lets
play in the kitchen for a change'.

2) When you need a lot of it and have to eat Gluten Free (it's cheaper
to make your own then). I am not talking the fad 'oh gee, must be
gluten free' but the real thing.

Carol

--

On Sun, 18 Jan 2015 01:22:55 -0600, Sqwertz >
wrote:

>On 17 Jan 2015 15:16:11 GMT, notbob wrote:
>
>> On 2015-01-17, jmcquown > wrote:
>>
>>> I see no point. Just buy a box of saltines at the store.
>>
>> I'm sorry. I did not realize I was in the wrong newsgroup.
>
>Yep - You are in the wrong group.
>
>You know damned-well that nobody in rec.food.cooking could care less
>about making saltines(tm). And you have really no desire to do it
>yourself, either.

If someone is into lots of soup n' crackers there are plenty of bulk
food web sites where one can buy saltines in large enough amounts to
choke a herd of elephants, and for cheap. I used to buy large tins of
crackers for export at the local Hispanic market... there were several
brands from Hispanic food companys too.
http://www.keebler.com/productdetail...KIC-1232@EN_US

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 18 Jan 2015 02:25:03 -0800, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>> If a person has no food issues then I can't see why they would bother to
>> make crackers, other than perhaps just to see if they could do it. Which
>> is
>> sometimes why I actually cook/bake some things.
>
> That's what I do too. One thing I discovered was that B&M Boston
> Baked Beans taste just like mine, so I can save hours of cooking and
> have no leftovers to deal with when all I want is one serving of baked
> beans as a side with dinner - just by opening a can.

My husband isn't a big baked bean lover but he will eat pretty much any
kind. Angela prefers the canned. I don't know why. There are few beans I
will turn down but I really do prefer my baked ones. I don't really use a
recipe but a loose formula given to me years ago by another diabetic that
involves using tons of caramelized onions for sweetness. I also add a lot
of bacon. Hers had none. I only make these once a year if that because as
beans go they are still pretty carby. I used to use Splenda in them but can
no longer use that as it is corn based.

"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
...
> On 1/18/2015 9:41 AM, sf wrote:
>
>> That's what I do too. One thing I discovered was that B&M Boston
>> Baked Beans taste just like mine, so I can save hours of cooking and
>> have no leftovers to deal with when all I want is one serving of baked
>> beans as a side with dinner - just by opening a can.
>>
>
> My wife has made beans a few times, but mostly not worth the effort. You
> can buy many varieties of beans too so you don't even have to doctor up
> the plain ones if you want a specific type.
>
> We don't make jelly and preserves either. Locally we can buy Trappist
> brand (made by the Monks) and they are very good. For a few jars a year,
> not worth the making.
>
> I've thought about crackers just so say I did it, but never got around to
> it.
>
> OTOH, hard to find a cake as good as home made.

I am now feeling torn about using dried beans to begin with. The last time
I made chili, I used canned beans. And while I swear that I say this with
each batch that I make, the last one was the best ever. So much so that I
didn't get much of it to eat! So... When my CSA package arrives, I'll be
making a double batch of it. Again with canned beans.

I suppose if for some reason I needed a huge amount of beans at once, I
might use dried ones. Or if I wanted a mix of beans and a small amount of
each one, I might use dried but that could be a problem with varying cook
times. I used to cook a pot of pintos weekly and make my own refried adding
lots of onion, peppers, and sometimes carrots and celery to make them less
carby. But now I can get refried ones for about 98 cents a can and most
others from 50 to 69 cents a can. So I am really not even sure that there
is any advantage to cooking the dried. Sodium isn't an issue for me.

I do like to do baked beans from dried. I guess it's just the notion of
making them totally from scratch. But I also only make them once a year if
that.

As for the cakes, I no longer make them but when I did, I found that I could
easily doctor up any packaged mix and it was just as good as from scratch.
Of course there were exceptions depending on the type of cake.

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> On 1/18/2015 11:13 AM, Dave Smith wrote:
>> On 2015-01-17 11:41 PM, jmcquown wrote:
>>
>>> Hate to tell you this, but some 30 years ago I actually took the time to
>>> make crackers from scratch. Saltines; I docked the crackers with a
>>> fork. I even made parmesan crackers. In the end, for me, it wasn't
>>> worth the effort just to have crackers for soup. I made them as snacks
>>> for a party. Even then, wasn't worth the effort.
>>>
>>
>> It sounds like making past. Never mind the cost of the machine
>
> What machine? I used a rolling pin, a sheet pan and a fork. I thought it
> would be fun to make crackers. One try was enough. They tasted good but
> was not worth the effort.
>
>>, by the time you factor in the cost of the eggs and flour, you aren't
>>saving
>> much. Then consider the work and mess. I have done it a half dozen
>> times
>
> I did make a mess in the kitchen.
>
>> and I can tell you that store bought pasta, even fresh pasta, is a
>> bargain.
>
> I tried the "fresh" refrigerated pasta from the grocery store. It's no
> better than dried. Some people will claim making pasta from scratch is
> worth the effort. Not so unless you eat a lot of pasta. I don't.

I used to make my own pasta. I preferred it and I didn't find it to be a
PITA to make. I even made my own ravioli and that was a PITA to make but so
worth it! People did love the ravioli but not so much the pasta. I never
had a pasta machine though and did it by hand so it wasn't necessarily super
pretty looking. Nobody ever said that they didn't like it but neither did
they rave about it like they did with the ravioli so it just didn't seem
worth the time. In the days that I made it, I had no stockpile like I do
now. In fact it was rare for me to have any food in the house beyond
perhaps a partially used jar of peanut butter, a few cans of vegetables and
maybe a can of soup. I lived alone, wasn't home much and ate most of my
meals out. So if I decided that I wanted pasta, I might just make it
because I did do a lot of baking in those days so I usually did have flour,
eggs and salt. But not a bag of dried pasta.

"Pico Rico" > wrote in message
...
>
> "jmcquown" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On 1/18/2015 11:13 AM, Dave Smith wrote:
>>> On 2015-01-17 11:41 PM, jmcquown wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hate to tell you this, but some 30 years ago I actually took the time
>>>> to
>>>> make crackers from scratch. Saltines; I docked the crackers with a
>>>> fork. I even made parmesan crackers. In the end, for me, it wasn't
>>>> worth the effort just to have crackers for soup. I made them as snacks
>>>> for a party. Even then, wasn't worth the effort.
>>>>
>>>
>>> It sounds like making past. Never mind the cost of the machine
>>
>> What machine?
>
> the PASTA machine. You have to work on it here.

Yes. Some cracker recipes call for a pasta machine. From what I can
determine, for making saltines, you need to get the dough extremely thin.
Patting them out or even using the rolling pin left my dough too thick and
even when docked, they remained tough to chew.

On Sun, 18 Jan 2015 11:37:35 -0800, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

> As for the cakes, I no longer make them but when I did, I found that I could
> easily doctor up any packaged mix and it was just as good as from scratch.
> Of course there were exceptions depending on the type of cake.

My ex-SIL is a fantastic scratch cook, but even she will use a cake
mix for certain cakes. She does an orange cake that requires 2
roasted oranges that have been ground up, peel and all in the food
processor. She says she has done it completely from scratch and by
using a cake mix... the cake mix is so close to scratch that nobody
notices or cares. It saves her time, which is of the essence when you
have a 60+ group of people over for a party and serve better food than
chips & dip.

--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room.

On Sun, 18 Jan 2015 11:33:28 -0500, Dave Smith
> wrote:

> On 2015-01-18 9:15 AM, notbob wrote:
> > On 2015-01-18, jmcquown > wrote:
> >
> >> Hate to tell you this, but some 30 years ago I actually took the time to
> >> make crackers from scratch.
> >
> > What did you expect in a consumer economy/society? How does a
> > vendor placate its irate customers? By giving them more to consume,
> > of course!
> >
>
> I was in a bind a few years ago. I used to live liver pate on crackers
> with a Manhattan and had favourite herbed pate. One day I was munching
> away and suddenly had the most horrible taste in my mouth. It was vile.
> I was tempted to take it back or to write to the company. Then I
> thought that their response would probably be to send me coupons for
> their product. Thanks but no thanks, it was so awful that I lost my
> taste for it.
>
I would have just taken it back to the store where I bought it to get
a refund. It's a twofer. You get your money back and don't need to
deal with unwanted coupons.

--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 18 Jan 2015 11:37:35 -0800, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>> As for the cakes, I no longer make them but when I did, I found that I
>> could
>> easily doctor up any packaged mix and it was just as good as from
>> scratch.
>> Of course there were exceptions depending on the type of cake.
>
> My ex-SIL is a fantastic scratch cook, but even she will use a cake
> mix for certain cakes. She does an orange cake that requires 2
> roasted oranges that have been ground up, peel and all in the food
> processor. She says she has done it completely from scratch and by
> using a cake mix... the cake mix is so close to scratch that nobody
> notices or cares. It saves her time, which is of the essence when you
> have a 60+ group of people over for a party and serve better food than
> chips & dip.

I usually use an orange cake mix when making orange cake, then add some
zest, juice for part of the water etc. It always tastes great. Nothing wrong
with using a mix here and there at all.

Cheri

On 2015-01-18 3:50 PM, sf wrote:

>>
>> I was in a bind a few years ago. I used to live liver pate on crackers
>> with a Manhattan and had favourite herbed pate. One day I was munching
>> away and suddenly had the most horrible taste in my mouth. It was vile.
>> I was tempted to take it back or to write to the company. Then I
>> thought that their response would probably be to send me coupons for
>> their product. Thanks but no thanks, it was so awful that I lost my
>> taste for it.
>>
> I would have just taken it back to the store where I bought it to get
> a refund. It's a twofer. You get your money back and don't need to
> deal with unwanted coupons.

What's a chunk of liver pate worth? It would have cost more for gas to
take it back. I didn't want to keep it in the fridge until the next time
I went back to that store.

On Sun, 18 Jan 2015 16:46:08 -0500, Dave Smith
> wrote:

> On 2015-01-18 3:50 PM, sf wrote:
>
> >>
> >> I was in a bind a few years ago. I used to live liver pate on crackers
> >> with a Manhattan and had favourite herbed pate. One day I was munching
> >> away and suddenly had the most horrible taste in my mouth. It was vile.
> >> I was tempted to take it back or to write to the company. Then I
> >> thought that their response would probably be to send me coupons for
> >> their product. Thanks but no thanks, it was so awful that I lost my
> >> taste for it.
> >>
> > I would have just taken it back to the store where I bought it to get
> > a refund. It's a twofer. You get your money back and don't need to
> > deal with unwanted coupons.
>
> What's a chunk of liver pate worth? It would have cost more for gas to
> take it back. I didn't want to keep it in the fridge until the next time
> I went back to that store.
>
Did you send the pate back to the manufacturer? Take back the label
and receipt back to the store the next time you're there. I have a
label and recipe that I'm saving for the next time I get to Trader
Joe's.


--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 18 Jan 2015 11:37:35 -0800, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>> As for the cakes, I no longer make them but when I did, I found that I
>> could
>> easily doctor up any packaged mix and it was just as good as from
>> scratch.
>> Of course there were exceptions depending on the type of cake.
>
> My ex-SIL is a fantastic scratch cook, but even she will use a cake
> mix for certain cakes. She does an orange cake that requires 2
> roasted oranges that have been ground up, peel and all in the food
> processor. She says she has done it completely from scratch and by
> using a cake mix... the cake mix is so close to scratch that nobody
> notices or cares. It saves her time, which is of the essence when you
> have a 60+ group of people over for a party and serve better food than
> chips & dip.

I've done an orange cake too.