I buy most of my birdseed at Tractor Supply for several reasons. First, I pass the store several times a week going here or there and can get in and out in a jiffy even if I stop to ooooh and ahhhhh at the baby chicks and ducklets for a couple minutes. Secondly, because of the rapid shelf turnover, I know the seed stocks are probably fresher than other places where the seed or seed mixes may have been sitting on the shelf or in a warehouse for months. Thirdly, I typically buy only BOSS seeds for the birds and a bag of shelled peanuts as a blue jay treat. As to suet cakes, I feed those only during the winter and make my own using what seed I have on hand, peanut pieces, lard, and chunky peanut better. Any mix with safflower or corn goes uneaten around here and even the squirrels ignore those bits that are tossed out of the feeder onto the ground. While I much prefer to buy seed at a real feed store, all our local feed stores have moved farther out or gone out of business here a bouts. Counting travel time, it quickly became more labor and dollar intensive to visit a feed store when quite honestly, I don't know that most backyard type birds can tell the difference or want to know where you got their vittles.

Thanks for the lowdown. :) I knew, of course, the why's of it regarding the whole wheat. The three hour thing may be true scientifically, but I milled enough flour for the day (to soak for my bread, and to feed the starter a couple of times). My first encounter with rancid flour was four years ago, after my three month kitchen remodel ended up taking more like ten. My canisters are airtight, so when I opened them, I could clearly smell that my flours were rancid. Milling is fun enough to stick with. :) I got big bags of the wheat I liked for the Pizza. If those prove consistent, I'll get more of this crop. I could measure out kits, but it's really not that hard to do on the fly. I just measure the red and white wheatberries in the same bowl and mill them together. This time, I also milled a scoop of peas and added a little water. I previously tried soaking the wheat alone, but it didn't come out right. It's much better to mix up the whole recipe, inc. ascorbic acid, and let it do it's thing for at least a day in the fridge. The peazza isn't green enough (I have to try all white wheat), but it tastes great! I made my first home milled soft white wheat pastry the other day, for early peach pies. The butter crust with vinegar added was nice and flaky, though not the kind of long flakes that I'm assuming come from the bigger globule lard. Do you know anything about duck fat? I have some that needs using up and I thought I might try it in pastry. I get it about being able to plant the wheat. Opposite of when they ate their seed stores in the Little House books, because they ran out of food during the winter. :) It's just kind of remarkable that eggs and milk--the freshest things which are always kept cold--are so much more stable as powder than wheat. :) If I can find small quantities, I might try some other of your powders. As it is, I use It's Delish (a kosher brand--very pure and inexpensive) dehydrated onions and mixed veg in wet quickies like omelettes and meatballs. They absorb the juices and add flavor when one doesn't want to spend an extra twenty minutes chopping and sweating little chips of veg. So my honey has gone all crystalized. I zapped it enough to liquify enough for my bread, but it's mostly still a chunk. Is that something I can turn into a powder? Don't know that I would do it, but it would be interesting to know how.. For the mixes. ;)

Cookie8, I almost always end up rewriting recipes, so I can make them in the order I need to. (Starting with preheat the oven to...) The way some recipes are written, reading ahead is necessary, although not always an option. I find it makes the instructions much longer, which makes the recipe look more intimidating. The truth is, if I can follow it easily to the letter, I find my results are more successful. Sometimes, I'll rewrite a recipe several times before it's where I need it to be. You didn't really ask, but I always get out every ingredient, bowl, spatula measuring cup/spoons and mixer that I'm going to need before I even start. I measure it all, and set everything on a tray, so all I have to do is mix everything together. (If a recipe has multiple parts, I set up different trays.) That way, when you read through the recipe, it's all set up and easy to ''check off'' while you're baking. I hope you try again. Determination is a fine quality to possess! I have an easy one bowl chocolate cake recipe, if you need something to go to, that's tasty, easy and worthy of a birthday cake. I usually make it with a Cinnamon Buttercream Icing, and get requests for it often. Just let me know if you'd like the recipe. Deanna, I always use the recipe on the back of a bar of Bakers Sweet German Chocolate. It's no secret, but rather more time consuming to make as a cake, than anything else. It's our favorite as the buttermilk always makes it so moist, and it's a cake that only gets better with time. We always make it the day before, so the flavors have time to meld. It's also fun to anticipate eating it, when it looks so good sitting under a glass cake cover.

Blueiris: When I bake in pyrex, I spray with Pam. When it done I let it set a few minutes, then lay a piece of Alluminum Foil over it, put a cookie tin on top and flip it over. Usually the cake is up to the top of the Pyrex , so it won't drop. I let it set for awhile, then try to ease the Pryex off . You should be able to see if it is sticking or not. When I had the pizza place , I had a German Baker helping me. He was a Pastry Chef. One day he decided to Bake a Wedding Cake in the oven which was about 550 Deg. He opened a Brown Paper bag, laid it in the oven on top of some newspapers, Laid the cake ring on that and poured the batter into the ring. He put another news paper on top. He did this with 3 different size rings. The cakes baked perfectly. At first I thought he was loosing it. All he kept saying, Dunt Vurrying !!! Das Is Goot !!! Now ve getting a beer. He made a beautiful Wedding Cake with only a few tools and pieces of Looseleaf Paper. He is now a Head Pastry Chef in an Exclusive Hotel in Cherry Hill , NJ. Why am I telling you all this ????? LOU