Chase : Thanks for the Info, I might as well end this one at 150. Unless , If they want I'll start another " Baking or Cooking tips Continued " We will need a vote !!!!! Bri : I was sort of kidding at first but then I got to thinking about it. I could just put the jar right in with the Walnut media, then wash it off, when done. David: What do you think? Denna: I guess you can use the Tuna with Water and add some vegetable oil. Or better yet some EVOO. So they go out in Style. Thanks for your vote !!! Nina: I'll have to finish off with the Yellowjacket story. I had to redo the inside of a 1 story Kitchen, for a friend, who reminded me of Bill Cosby. This was in the Pine Barrons of New Jersey. It included redoing the roof. That had to be done first, so there would be no leaks. I put the ladder up and climbed to the top. Got on the roof about 5 feet from the side wall. It was cinder block with a Terra Cotta capping. The end was open (cement was missing ) I saw a Yellowjacket standing Guard there as others were flying in and out. NOW !!! As I moved around he followed me. SO I moved farther away! He came towards me like he was going to attack. Very slowly, I got down off the roof. I went in and told the owner about the Bee's. He said "I'll take care of them tonight , when it gets cooler out side " I guess it didn't get cool enough, because when we came back the next morning, He had about 20 bumps, all over his bald head. It looked like some took a Ball Pean hammer to his head or my Grandmother's Wooden Spoon when she was really mad. I asked what happened, in between us all laughing. He said " I went up and stuck a torch in the hole, Man they came out like Kami- Kaze's. I was down the ladder and in the house in 2 seconds. To top it off, he was re-enacting the scene and swinging wildly and hit a tree branch. GUESS WHAT !!! Bees came out of the tree, after him. We ran the other way, and jumped in the truck. We met him inside later. You guessed it ! he had more bumps on his noggin. He did get rid of them that night. Said he almost set the house on fire. Threw gasoline in the hole first. BUT! he didn't get bit ! Is this story, good as the tablecloth caught in the Zipper? Let me know if anyone wants this Post continued into another. Have the Title picked!!! LOU

1. I grow my own stevia plants and harvest the leaves each fall and I convert some of it to a liquid extract and some to dried leaves to make extracts later. Remember, stevia is NOT sugar, just plant leaves which are sweet tasting. 2. Your dried leaves will have varying levels of sweetness depending on the growing season and variety of plants - somewhere between 10 to 30 times sweeter than sugar. Depending on the variety of plant that was grown, stevia has a bitter component and some varieties are less bitter than others. So you have no idea how much sweetness is equal to 1-cup of sugar - you'll just be guessing. 3. Pure stevioside extracts of stevia in the form of a white powder or clear liquid are 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar. So commercial stevia products are entirely different, and usually much sweeter, that those made from the stevia leaves. 4. Stevia has it's own unique taste (a little like licorice). Therefore, if you are using it for baked goods, I'd suggest buying a commercial stevia product which has less bitterness and a more neutral flavor, and the sweetness is regulated so you know how much of the product equals sugar. 5. Sugar in baked goods has attributes that you can't duplicate with stevia. Sugar is a tenderizer and it's hygroscopic and attracts moisture. It also helps with browning. Stevia does none of those, so you have to include some ingredients that will aid those attributes, not just substitute stevia for sugar. 6. Since one cup of sugar could be replaced with as little as 1/4 t. of concentrated stevia powder, that will throw off your ratio of liquids to solids. Baking is also a science. 7. If you plan on having any kind of success making banana bread, find a recipe that is already designed for using stevia and use the kind (powder, liquid, sugar replacer packets, etc.) called for in the recipe. 8. Expect a somewhat different flavor, especially an aftertaste that takes time to get accustomed to as your taste buds switch from sugar to stevia. 9. Try to make small loaves. Baked goods made with stevia tend to get dry very quickly, so plan on using it quickly and refrigerate or freeze any leftovers so they don't dry out. Wrap it tightly in foil to help maintain the moisture. 10. By converting the leaves to a concentrate by carefully cooking stevia leaves in water, it will make a dark, syrupy liquid which is better used as a substitute for molasses or brown sugar in recipes. It is stable for months and the flavor "improves" with age. So how it will taste just after making it doesn't mean that's how it will taste 2-months from now. It would also be helpful to know what your food goals are by substituting stevia for sugar. Is the banana bread for a diabetic, for instance? If so, they are still consuming high-glycemic flour and I could suggest a better recipe that includes low-glycemic almond flour. For diabetics, it's the total amount of carbohydrates, whether it's from white flour or white sugar. Perhaps the recipe below will help you with your sugar to stevia conversion, but I don't have a recipe using homemade stevia concentrate from cooking the leaves in water. BANANA BREAD Source: "Stevia" by Rita DePuydt 2 very ripe, medium to large bananas 1/4 t. powdered stevia extract 1/2 t. stevia concentrate 1 T. lemon juice 2 c. whole wheat pastry flour 1/2 t. baking soda 1 t. baking powder 1/4 t. salt 1/3 c. oil 1 large egg 1/2 c. plain nonfat yogurt or buttermilk 1 t. vanilla extract 1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional) Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Oil a medium-sized loaf pan (7-1/2x8-1/2x2-1/2 inches). Mash the bananas in a small bowl. Mix the stevia extract, stevia concentrate, and lemon juice into the mashed bananas. Set aside Sift the flour, leavenings, and salt together in a bowl. Beat the oil and eggs together in a mixing bowl until creamy. Bean in the yogurt or buttermilk and the vanilla. Stir in the mashed bananas into the liquid mixture. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring as little as possible. Mix in the walnuts just before the flour is completely blended. Place into the loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour until a toothpick or fork stuck in the middle comes out clean. Turn out the loaf and cool on a rack. Yield: 12 servings Per serving: Calories: 162, Total Fat: 7 g., Protein: 5 g., Carb.: 20 g., Fiber: 3 g., Sodium: 141 -Grainlady

I make many gluten-free savory and sweet things. I use white rice flour for cookies, and brown rice flour for pie crusts. All purpose gluten-free flour is normally a mix of flours normally based off of white or brown rice flour. I use it for rouxs. All three flours are great for making pancakes too. Normally I find a gluten meal, like potato soup, and use white rice flour. Or in beef stroganoff, which I make all the time, I use gluten free noodles.

As soon as I get off this computer, I plan to put the ingredients for Edie's Bread into the bread machine and will let it make the dough. I need bread for tomorrow and do like to let it cool overnight. Having mostly leftover potatoes/onions/carrots left from the roast chicken (chicken in gone). Will do a hamburger patty in the air fryer and maybe a salad - haven't decided yet. You know I have been self-isolating so long that this week I had to think about what day of the week each day was. I sure hope and pray this we will be safe to go out and do things in the future. I don't want my brain to deteriorate. Have been doing crossword puzzles, sudoko, and other type of brain stimulation, but that gets old, too. Enough. Got to get in the kitchen.