You put a piece of paper towel on top of the flour otherwise the vacuum would suck up the flour. It's really going to be a boon for hurricane season here since I can buy ahead if we get a bad storm. We have a massive generator so I don't have to worry about being without power for 3 months like during the last one. I don't have the canisters but think I'll get some of those to vacuum seal things too which will cut down on having to rely completely on bags. You might be able to get better prices at places like Costco which we don't have here but ebay is a good source too. I'll have to check to see if they sell the canisters there.

Warning - long post! I make the following recipes with Splenda on a regular basis. If a recipe calls for 1 cup, I'll use a Splenda Quick Pack which has 24g fewer carbs than 1 cup of the spoon for spoon Splenda. I'm diabetic so I have to watch my carbs. Enjoy! The Fantabulous Whole Wheat Carrot Cake (original recipe from Recipezaar) 16 servings in 9"x13" pan or 24 mini-muffins 2 cups white whole wheat flour, sifted 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 cup Splenda or 1 Splenda Quick Pack 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 4 eggs 1 cup canola oil (or substitute with some apple sauce) 2 cups grated carrots 1 cup unsweetened crushed canned pineapple, drained Combine dry ingredients. Beat oil and eggs until frothy; stir in carrots and pineapple. Mix wet ingredients with dry until just mixed - do not over mix. Put into greased baking pans of your choice. Bake at 350° - 15 min for mini-muffins; 25-30 min for 8"x8" pan; 30-40 min for 9"x13" pan. Cool in pan several minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack. -------------- Sweet Potato Mini Muffins (I think this originally was lindac's recipe) 24 mini-muffins 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour, sifted 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup Splenda or 1 Splenda Quick Pack 1 cup chopped pecans 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1/4 cup buttermilk 1/4 cup melted butter 1 cup cooked and mashed/pureed sweet potatoes (I use more) Preheat oven to 350° convection bake. Mix together dry ingredients, including nuts. Mix butter, sweet potato, eggs and milk in a large bowl. Stir in the dry ingredients until just moistened and spoon into greased muffin tin. Do not over mix as too much gluten will develop and make the muffins tough. Bake at 350° for about 15 minutes. Let cool in pan a few minutes, then remove and let cool on a rack. ------------ Chocolate Cake Brownies (Nechama Cohen) 12 servings Note: I use all white whole wheat flour and add a little more oil and coffee. I also double the recipe and use a 9"x13" pan. 2 eggs plus 1 egg white (I use 2 jumbo eggs) 1/3 cup walnut oil 3/4 cup Splenda granular 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup whole wheat flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda dash of salt 1/4 cup chopped nuts 1/4 cup almond flour or finely ground almonds 1/2 cup strong coffee 1/2 cup unsweetened dark cocoa 1 tsp vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8" square pan with parchment paper. With an electric mixer on a high setting, beat the eggs, slowly adding the oil and Splenda until the mixture gets thick. Sift the flours with the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the chopped nuts and nut flour. Mix the coffee, cocoa and vanilla extract. Mixing by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula, add the flour and coffee mixtures to the eggs mixture, alternating between the two. Pour into the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. When the top is just firm to the touch, remove from the oven. Do not use the toothpick test for doneness. This cake should come out very moist. Place on a grate to cool. Cover and refrigerate. When cold, using a serrated knife, cut into 12 equal squares. Store in an airtight container or freeze. ------------ Thai Cucumber Salad (Sue Levin) Makes about 3 cups 1 cup white vinegar 1 Splenda quick pack (1 cup sugar equivalent) 1 chopped serrano chili 1/2 cup chopped cilantro 3 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded and sliced 1/2 cup chopped peanuts Heat the vinegar and Splenda over medium heat till the Splenda is dissolved. Let cool. When ready to serve, mix vinegar mixture together with cucumbers, cilantro and chopped peppers to taste. Serve with chopped peanuts on top. ------------------- Curd Cheese and Apple Soufflé (nami-nami food blog) 2 cups curd cheese or ricotta (I use 1% small curd cottage cheese) 4 large eggs 5 Tbs dry cream of wheat, uncooked 1/2 cup plus a little more sour cream or plain yogurt (I use reduced fat sour cream) 6-1/2 Tbs sugar (I use 10 packets of Splenda) a pinch of salt 4-1/2 cups or 2-1/2 large apples (I used three 4" Braeburns, peeled) lemon juice Topping: cinnamon sliced almonds butter Wash the apples, peel (optional), core and slice thinly. Sprinkle with lemon juice to avoid turning dark. In a large bowl, mix cheese until smooth. Add eggs, one by one, mixing thoroughly between each addition. If you prefer a fluffier soufflé, whisk the egg whites separately and fold in gently at the end. Add cream of wheat, sour cream/yogurt, sugar/Splenda and salt; stir until combined. Fold in sliced apples. Pour the mixture into a large buttered oven dish or a non-stick spring form pan with parchment paper on the bottom. Sprinkle top with cinnamon and sliced almonds, and dot with butter. Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes (mine took 70 min) or until the soufflé has risen and turned a light golden color. Serve either hot or cold. A warm curd soufflé is good served with cold milk; a cold one goes well with crème anglais. (FYI - I eat it with no topping.)

I'd like to know if you can freeze soy milk too. thanks, Krystal

What IS baba ganoush? Most vegetable meals can be processed in a pressure canner. Try to find something similar to the ingredients and follow the timing for that recipe. Blessings, Jillis!