Donna (lackboys3)- I judge baked goods at fairs, so I've received quite a bit of training and have done a lot of self-study on the subject because I need to know the science of baking and ingredients so that I can tell people what went wrong with their foods, or how they can improve their recipe. There's so much science to consider when making any changes to a recipe, and you need to consider ALL the ingredients and what they do in the recipe, not just the flour type. For instance, if you normally use AP flour in a crispy cookie recipe and you choose to use White Lily or Martha White (southern all-purpose flour which have lower gluten levels than AP) or cake flour, you will get a completely different cookie texture - that's a given. But what texture? That depends on the other ingredients in the recipe. Chances are, if the ingredients lend themselves to "crispy", they'll remain so no matter what type of flour you use. It's the nature of the ingredients in that type of cookie. Gluten in flour absorbs moisture, so if the liquid ingredients aren't also changed in the recipe and you use low-gluten flour, the dough may be more moist because less is absorbed by the lower-gluten content in the flour, which could make a higher-rising, less crispy, cookie. But you could also end up with a cookie that is more tender (like a pie crust or a shortbread) than crispy, from changing the type of flour. Not puffy or chewy at all. It depends on the other ingredients in the recipe. Puffy and chewy are actually opposites when talking about cookies. Puffy is more cake-like, while chewy is dense and moist. Crispy is just that, it's dry and snaps when broken in half. "Puffy" (according to "Baking 9-1-1" by Sarah Phillips) equals more flour; chewy equals more eggs, fat, and sugar (in the recipe). So choose your recipes according to the ingredients list for the type of cookie you want. It's easier to find a recipe that is appropriate, than to alter recipes. As with all baking, it's a ratio of ingredients, and each ingredient does something to the mix. Alter them, and you will have a different kind of cookie. * Many differences come simply from how a person measures ingredients. If a person packs their flour into the cup by dipping the cup into the flour and scraping the cup up the side of the bag/canister, they may be adding as much as 1/8-1/4 c. of flour - per cup - to the recipe, than the person who fluffs the flour, spoons it into the cup and levels it. * Accidently using bread flour, instead of all-purpose flour, and you may have a tough/dry cookie from the additional gluten absorbing more hydration than all-purpose flour would. * Using whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour in a cookie recipe will alter texture. Most commercial whole wheat flour is milled from hard wheat, which is higher in gluten than all-purpose (which is milled from both hard and soft wheat varieties). The added bran also absorbs more moisture, which can cause the cookie to be dry and hard if you don't note the hydration of the cookie dough and adjust it before baking. * Moisture level in flour always varies from bag to bag and season to season, not to mention how and where it's stored once it's in the kitchen. It may be very dry in the winter, and will require using a slightly different amount to get the correct hydration in the cookie dough. It can also be loaded with a lot of moisture from being stored in the paper bag it comes in, in a humid kitchen. In which case, it already contains a lot of moisture and a recipe may need more flour to achieve the correct hydration. That's why all measurements for flour in a recipe are just good guesses. *Using butter that is too soft (softer than "room temperature" may require a little more flour to get the correct hydration of the dough. *What size dollop of dough one bakes can also make textural differences. *Substituting part or all honey for sugar, which absorbs and keeps moisture, will make a cookie more moist, and possibly "puffy". *How long the dough is baked effects the end result. My SIL never fully bakes cookies of any type. She only half-bakes them to keep them "chewy". A result of unbaked moisture left in the cookies. She bakes them just until they are "set", removes them and allows them to stand on the hot pan for 5 minutes or so before removing. This is one way to get chewy cookies, but not all cookies are supposed to be chewy.... *What ingredients are there to create steam to help cookies puff - usually eggs. Using egg whites only has a drying effect on cookies. *What leavening agent is used in the recipe also makes a difference. Baking soda makes a cookie spread and brown more, but if you add too much baking soda, it makes the cookies bitter. Baking powder, on the other hand, produces lighter-colored and puffier cookies. Other leaveners include steam (created from liquids such as water, milk, or cream) which causes the cookie to puff. Too much liquid with a low-gluten flour and you won't have enough gluten structure to make a good cookie. They'll be too tender and will fall apart. *Allowing cookie dough to sit at room temperature or in a hot kitchen for long periods of time can cause the texture of cookies to alter. *If the cookies are supposed to be puffy, don't bake them on a greased sheet. Choose an ungreased sheet or parchment paper. Greased sheets promotes spreading. Greasing a sheet may benefit low-fat cookies, to aid them in spreading properly. Parchment paper doesn't promote spreading - it provides a non-stick surface. *Cookies that require low hydration, such as rolled dough for sugar cookies, will make crisp cookies. If you over-work the dough (usually from second cuts - where you take the scraps from the first batch and re-roll it), there will be more gluten developed and the cookies will not only be crisp, but tough. You can avoid tough cookies by using southern all-purpose flour (Martha White or White Lily) and roll the cookies out on powdered sugar instead of flour. The additional sugar will melt into the cookies for a delicate, crispy, cookie, while the flour will be adding more gluten and toughness. -Grainlady

I have always had a problem with lettuce turning and going bad.I bought some of those locking plastic containers from HSN.The ones that have the snap things on all 4 sides and a seal.I take the core out of the head of lettuce and run water inside to wash it.Turn it upside down in a colander and leave it for several hours to be sure it is drained well then put a couple of sheets of paper towel folded to fit the bottom of the container to absorb any liquid that may be left.The containers are square or rectangular shaped and stackable.Another plus for saving storage space in the fridge.Place the head of lettuce core side down in the container and snap on the lid.I just put it in the bottom shelf of the fridge and it will keep up to 2 weeks without turning brown or ruining and it will be nice and crisp.I also keep my lunch meats,wrapped in plastic wrap or in the original package,and shredded cheese(out of the bag) in the same type container and they last a lot longer,plus everything needed to make a sandwich is right there in one container. And,unlike the green bags these containers will last indefinitely.I also keep my cereals,cookies and all kinds of chips in the larger ones.

There is a LOT of science on this subject of chilling cookie dough in the refrigerator. When you leave the dough in one total amount (bowl, plastic bag, etc.) there are a lot of interesting things that happen, and results because of them. -The flavors have a chance meld together. -The flour has a chance to hydrate. -The fat has a chance to solidify. -You will get a darker color because the sugars (which are hygroscopic) have a chance to absorb liquid, leading to more Maillard Reaction (browning) when baked. -There are also changes to the texture of the dough. Chill it too long and it will dry out. The drier the dough, the more concentrated the sugar will be; which can mean the higher percentage of sugar can make that soft texture attribute turn to chewy or crispy. -If you make the dough balls in advance (which is a good choice), rather than chilling the whole recipe of dough in the bowl/bag, you won't require as long in the refrigerator because of the smaller amount of dough. The longer you chill the dough balls, the more you risk the dough drying out - especially in a frost-free refrigerator - which is a naturally dry environment. So shorten the time when you chill the dough in small portions. -Be sure to cover the dough or portioned balls well so they don't absorb any odors from other items in the refrigerator. Be mindful not to store potentially smelly foods in the refrigerator the same day you are chilling your cookie dough. [As an aside, be sure to taste a fleck of any butter you are using in cookies. If you happen to store a strong-flavored food close to where the butter was stored, it can absorb the odor and affect the flavor of the butter. I once judged a "perfect" cookie, until I tasted it. It tasted like onions, which had been stored, cut and uncovered, in the refrigerator next to the butter she used to make the "perfect" cookies.] -Even as little as 30-minutes in the refrigerator can make a difference. You'll get more browning and less spread the longer you chill the dough. As the dough dries out even more, the longer you chill them, you'll get more concentrated flavors. -Chilling also allows the gluten to relax. Too much gluten development in cookies = tough cookies, so the chilling will aid in preventing that. -Due to the presence of raw eggs in dough, refrigerator dough can also become a place for bacteria to grow, especially if you don't have a refrigerator that keeps the temperature colder than 40°F. Refrigeration only slows down bacteria growth, it doesn't prevent it. So it will be important to make sure you don't add large amounts of warm/hot foods to the refrigerator because it will cause the temperature to warm to an unsafe food temperature for a prolonged period of time. It takes a long time for the internal temperature at the core of a large portion of dough to reach a food-safe temperature colder than 40°F, so I would suggest dividing the dough either into smaller portions like cloudy_christine suggested above, or into individual portions. And definitely, don't be sampling the raw dough if you have it refrigerated for several days just because of an increased risk of bacteria growth due to raw eggs and potentially poor temperature control. -Grainlady

Everyone! Harry sends his heartfelt thanks for all the good wishes. He's back to "normal" now and just waiting for the next feast. Ole Joyful - I was worried for him. Chocolate is not good for dogs; I understand it, and raisins, builds up toxins in their liver. There were just a few of the treats that had chocolate chips or drizzle, and he's a big active boy, but I'm sure he's had his limit for 2015 and 2016. Sam wasn't' left out in the cold, LOL. But he was locked in the mudroom so he couldn't "share" in the bounty. He's still Harry the Perfect. It doesn't mean he doesn't get creative and mischievous now and again, he just does it perfectly! LOL Sam the Not often follows his lead. Phoggie - I don't know if pumpkin would help our tummies or not. It probably wouldn't hurt to try it. I don't know the science of research on pumpkin, but the vet once recommended it so I keep a few cans on hand in case either dog seems to have an ache. Socks - Harry the Perfect has never once in his 12 years, 11 months, and 2 weeks (give or take a few days!) had a boo-boo in the house. Not even when he was a baby puppy. Of course, had the cookie feast resulted in an accident, I would have understood. I would not like it; but I would understand. Watchme - Sam is the world expert on "stinky." He has two favorite treats when he's out on the prairie for a hunt. Mice, and Moose Poop. He ranges so far out that Wes can only watch and wonder what he's into now. Mice are easy; both boys do the coyote jump, up high, down on the front paws, grab the mouse, toss it in the air, jump up, catch it, and swallow it whole. Disgusting. But coyotes will be coyotes. Harry (the Perfect) does not bother any type of poo. Neither does Sam - except for moose poo. Oh Gracious. It's nasty (like huge, huge rabbit droppings) and he has major, loud, nasty, gas for days and days after he gets into some. Wes is trying to break him of this habit, but once Sam goes after a moose trail he's so far out there that Wes can't see him. We don't hunt moose; Wes tries to avoid them, but Sam is bound and determined to "retrieve" one. Little Goofus. Lukkiirish and Jo Mooney - Harry and Sam are both Deutsch Drahthaars; a German breed of versatile hunters. They hunt, retrieve, track, point, anything from a quail to a bear. My boys hunt upland birds, waterfowl, and small game. I've told Wes they are not allowed anywhere near even the scent of bear or pig. That's for other people and their dogs - not mine! They are as serious and dedicated in the field as they are silly and uncontrolled in the house. Upland bird hunting...Sam on right. Harry is actually much bigger, but he doesn't look it here. Sam in the duck boat wearing his floatie vest.