Yes, I use the same pot of water for canning same day. I supposed I could even use it the next day, but I like to finish by washing out the canner and letting it dry overnight. I don't know if there is any science behind that, our water quality is good here, no hard minerals to discolor - just seems more sanitary and since I'd have to reheat the next day I'm not saving energy by holding the water longer than a days worth of canning. I like to check the water in the canner, make sure it still looks clean, not colored, no siphoning or bits of anything from the first batch - that water that looks as clean when a load has finished processing is my personal guide of how well I've done :) If it looks clean, I'm going to reuse it. ..... adding if I need to compensate for any lost to steam.

I'm not a pro, I'm a stuggling [but enthusiastic] amateur. But as such, I've screwed up enough that I've developed some insights about how NOT to do it. I think it's helpful to use relatively small chunks of kerdi when you are first learning the material. One of the most important factors: get a lot of mud up quickly, comb it, get the excess back off. You don't want to diddle around filling in the thin spots. When you first comb, if the ridges aren't perfectly uniform you don't have enough mud. When laying a tile, it isn't an *awfully* big deal if your ridges aren't perfect. With kerdi, it is. Comb so that the ridges will run the opposite of the long direction of your sheet. If they run the same way, the air from the valleys will have a looong way to go to be expelled, and you'll have to fight it much harder. My first tub surround, I was too enthusiastic about running my hand over the sheet for the initial bed. I trapped way too much air. After a couple showers, I got to just bedding the top, and a line down the center to hold it in place before going to the blade. I found the quickest way to bed was to use fairly short strokes, diagonal to the ridges, top to bottom, center to edge, being careful to leave no air behind. The air at the lead of each stroke should always have a clear path to daylight. My first couple pieces, I was so slow getting it bedded that the mud towards the edges was past it's prime by the time I got there. I was too aggressive using the trowel for bedding, and ended up rubbing most of the fibers off a few areas. I had much better luck using a putty knife with a nice bendy blade. Use the flat, trail the edge. Judge your job by color: if it's uniform gray, you're well stuck down. Don't try lifting a corner to see, it won't be adhered until the thinset dries. Trust your instinct: when the thinset dries, the sheet gets lighter colored. If its uniformly gray when you first finish, don't second guess later. I found the banding was much easier in corners than trying to wrap the full thickness stuff around. If you are working alone, I think it's a good idea on a larger shower to have all the pieces pre-cut and labled as to location before you mix the thinset. Otherwise, the thinset in my bucket would start to go off before the job was done. I still found it best to mix batches no larger than 25 pounds at a time. It was also easier for me to wait overnight between the walls and the corners. When doing one right after the other, I had trouble with the stuff under the wall sheet still squooshing [technical term] around when I was trying to bed the corner bands, led to a couple pretty uneven spots. Hanging kerdi really developed my trowel skills. Hope I still have them, after a month off baths while finishing my kitchen-- one tub surround left to go...

Here are some that I freeze often. Touch of Lemon Sugar Cookies Source: Pillsbury "Cookies, Cookies & More Cookies" 1980 2 c sugar 1 c butter, softened 1T grated lemon peel c lemon juice 1 tsp vanilla 2 eggs 3-1/4 c AP flour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp soda 1 tsp cream of tartar Sugar Preheat oven to 325F. Lightly grease cookie sheets. In large bowl, combine sugar, butter, lemon peel, lemon juice, vanilla and eggs. Cream until smooth. Lightly spoon floour into measuring cup and level off. Stir in flour, salt, soda and cream of tartar until well blended. Shape dough into 1" balls, roll in sugar and place two inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. (Cookies will be soft in center). Makes 4-5 dozen cookies Basic Shortbreads 1 1/4 c AP flour 3 T sugar 1/2 c butter Mix sugar and flour, cut in butter until fine crumbs and it starts to stick to itself. For Elfin Bites, stir in 2 T of Candy Ball Sprinkles. Pat dough out on a non greased cookie sheet into a 8x5" rectangle. Cut into 1/2 cubes and seperate. Bake at 325F for about 8\-10 minutes or until bottoms just start to brown. Cool on wire rack that has a sheet of wax paper over it.(Just in case they thought about falling through the "cracks".) For Cherry Shortbread, (pictured above) stir in a 1/2 c of drained well finely chopped Maraschino cherries. Once additives are in, knead until a dough is formed. Roll dough out on floured surface to 1/2" thick, cut out with 1 1/2\-2" heart cutter. Bake at 325F for 20\-25 minutes or until bottoms just turn light brown. Cool. Melt together 1 c semi sweet chocolate chips and 2 t sortening. Dip half of the cookie or drizzle. let set on wax paper to firm. Posted 12/06 by Terri\_pacnw Chocolate Walnut Crumb Bars 1 c butter, softened 2 c all purpose flour ½ c granulated sugar ¼ tsp salt 2 c Nestle semi sweet chocolate chips, divided 1-1/4 c (14 oz can) Sweetened Condensed milk 1 tsp vanilla 1 c walnuts, chopped Beat butter in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in flour, sugar and salt until crumbly. With floured fingers, press 2 cups of crumb mixture into greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Reserve remaining crumb mixture. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350F or until edges are browned. Warm 1-1/2 cups chocolate chips and milk in small, heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Stir in vanilla, spread over hot crust. Stir walnuts and remaining chips into reserved crumb mixture, sprinkle over chocolate filling. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350F or until center is set. Cool in pan on wire rack. Yield: 2-1/2 dozen bars Holiday Biscotti Source: Giada DeLaurentis 2 cups all\-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped 2/3 cup dried cranberries 12 ounces good\-quality white chocolate, chopped Red and green sugar crystals, for garnish Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl to blend. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries. Form the dough into a 13\-inch long, 3\-inch wide log on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 40 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes. Place the log on the cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2 to 3/4\-inch\-thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake the biscotti until they are pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely. Stir the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Dip half of the biscotti into the melted chocolate. Gently shake off the excess chocolate. Place the biscotti on the baking sheet for the chocolate to set. Sprinkle with the sugar crystals. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes. The biscotti can be made ahead. Store them in an airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap them in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks. Linda

The cookie cutter will be perfect for the Halloween Cutout Cookies recipe above. :-) King Arthur has "Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour", which is their version of Cup4Cup and is available at Wal-Mart in our area. Test kitchen tips for Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour This flour is best suited for non-yeasted recipes. Directly swap the amount of all-purpose flour called for with the same amount of Measure for Measure flour: No need for additional specialty ingredients. Works beautifully in your favorite recipes, whether you’re substituting just a few ounces of conventional flour or several cups. Grainlady's soapbox: The biggest drawback with most of the all-purpose gluten-free blends --- rice flour being the main ingredient. I wouldn't recommend using large amounts of rice flour for anyone, and especially children, due to the arsenic associated with it; and nearly all gluten-free flour blends and commercial gluten-free foods contain rice flour. For more information: http://glutenfreecooking.about.com/od/glutenfreecookingbasics/a/Arsenic-In-Rice-And-Gluten-Free-Diets.htm  I also dislike the large amounts of high-glycemic flours and starches they contain. To use an old idiom: Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Trading one health concern for another potential health concern - gluten intolerance followed by diabetes and other health issues due to food choices. Therefore, just as before I was gluten-free, I mill gluten-free wholegrain flour myself and use coconut flour and almond flour over rice flour. The brown rice flour I do use I make myself in order to reduce the amount of arsenic in it by rinsing, soaking, sprouting (which includes more rinsing), dehydrating the sprouted grain, and milling it into flour myself. With that much work involved, you use it sparingly. After a 10-day detox from all grains at the first of the year, I soon realized how other grains, even gluten-free grains, still affect your wellbeing. They initiate inflammation and auto immunity. Phytates block nutrient absorption, and oats contain higher levels of phytates than almost any other grain - unless you know how to soak and prepare them to reduce the phytates. Going gluten-free and maintaining your health is more challenging than just "going gluten-free." Especially with all the commercial gluten-free choices now, and most are really just more junk food - without the gluten. In the end, I would suggest using coconut flour and coconut oil, and a dairy-free margarine for the butter, like in this recipe: http://www.healthextremist.com/coconut-flour-cookies-recipe/ Or this one which uses almond and coconut flour with dairy-free choices: http://blog.meaningfuleats.com/the-best-almond-flour-sugar-cookies-gluten-free-grain-free/ -Grainlady