I've made Sarsaparilla tea that tasted like root beer but never made root beer. Like Bumblebeez, I tend to use liqueurs rather than extracts, and my favorites are Frangelico, Amaretto, Cointreau, Godiva Chocolate liqueur, and several versions of Kahlua, including Mocha (my favorite) and hazelnut. I really like Mocha Kahlua on ice cream but am almost out and am having trouble finding it again. I think they may make it only at Christmas and New Year's. The liqueurs are not as strong as extracts and work in a lot of drinks as well as recipes. I use them a lot with ice cream but also in other creme anglaise recipes such as Bavarian Cream. For extracts, I only have vanilla (Cook's brand, which is okay) and almond (brand unknown). I seldom use the almond extract since I generally substitute Amaretto instead. I've noticed that Indian markets sell a lot of extracts, but I have not used many of them yet, including several that I have in my pantry. Lars

1. This is as good as my presentation on making whole wheat bread gets. Realistically, I'm unable to put what I present as an all-day workshop as a post on a message board about how to make 100% whole wheat loaves. I teach information about the grain, milling, and bread making. The details are important - at least I think so, but I will add these sources and tips FYI. 2. Soaked flour method is found in the book, "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon with Mary G. Enig, Ph.D. I use a modified version of this. 3. Retarding dough is a method where you "park" the dough in the refrigerator. This essentially stretches the time allowed for fermentation which helps develop the flavor during the primary (or bulk) fermentation. The final proofing stage is when the dough develops lightness and texture. The longer fermentation breaks down the whole wheat flour which also helps make a lighter loaf. 4. I never add vital wheat gluten to 100% whole wheat bread, but that doesn't mean it's wrong to do so. I just happen to know the type of wheat I use has a fairly high protein level that will make excellent yeast breads. I also mill a fine grind of flour (coarse flour = coarse bread). The finer the flour, the smaller the shreds of bran and the higher the gluten level. You can also sift the large shreds of bran out of flour. Use it as a topping on the loaf. Adding too much vital wheat gluten will cause the bread to be tough. It also takes longer to develop gluten in breads with high-gluten levels. I've worked with 16% protein wheat and all that additional protein only means more time kneading....so more is not necessarily better. The only time I add vital wheat gluten is if I'm using a large amount of low-gluten flour, such as barley, oat, or rye. 5. As pointed out in "CookWise" (by Shirley O. Corriher), "Give ten bakers the same flour, yeast, salt, and water and have them make bread with just these ingredients and they will make ten different loaves of bread." I'd suggest reading the first 100 pages of "CookWise" for a lot of general information concerning all kinds of yeast/sourdough bread information. I make bread no one else makes using unusual ingredients. I use bits and pieces of information from a wide source of "experts". I change what I'm doing when I read new information I think will make better bread. Not all methods work for all people for a lot of reasons. Mostly time is the factor. 6. There are three basic methods for making bread - straight dough (aka direct-mix), sponge (aka pre-ferment), or sourdough. 7. The straight dough method is a modern method based on modern commercial flour, yeast, and quick mixing methods. This method is fine for most modern (white) breads, but you'll get better whole wheat bread using the other two methods. 8. Sponge/pre-ferments come in a wide variety of methods. I'd suggest checking out a copy of "Crust & Crumb" by Peter Reinhart for more information. 9. Sourdough is also a method that takes a lot more time than than the straight dough method. 10. BREAD MACHINE BREAD Luisa Perkins of Cold Spring, New York, has supplied us with the following soaked recipe for a bread machine. She uses a Zojirushi bread machine (available from the King Arthur flour company), which has a "homemade" cycle. 1 cup purified water 3/4 cup homemade whey 5 cups freshly ground hard wheat flour, preferably white wheat, not red 3 tablespoons Rapadura or Sucanat 4 tablespoons lard or butter 2 teaspoons sea salt 2 teaspoons yeast (SAF brand recommended) Put the water, whey and flour into the bread machine loaf pan. Set the homemade cycle to the maximum time allowed on preheat and rise cycles--this should be at least 6 hours. The baking time should be set to zero. After preheating and kneading, the dough has about 6 hours at about 100 degrees. Add the remaining ingredients and set the machine to the wheat cycle, which should be another 3 hours at least. The two cycles together give the dough more than seven hours for the whey to do its work. The bread comes out nicely browned, risen to the top of the loaf pan and flat on top. It has a good, even structure and texture. If you start in the morning, the bread is finished by early evening and will be cooled off and ready to eat the following morning. Makes a 2-pound loaf. (Source: http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/sourdough_egg_noodles.html - towards the end of the page) 11. Another good method is called a two-stage method by Sue Gregg (www.suegregg.com). This includes an overnight soak/sponge. 12. I use an overnight sponge in my bread machine and mix the dough the next day on the dough cycle which is similar to the recipe above. This is one example of what I do for lighter 100% whole wheat bread. 3/4 c. (homemade) kefir 3/4 c. barely warm water 2-1/2 c. freshly-milled Prairie Gold Spring Hard White Wheat 1/4 t. ascorbic acid powder 2 t. SAF Instant yeast Add to the sponge the next morning: 1/3 c. agave nectar 1 egg approx. 2-1/4 c. freshly milled whole wheat flour (you may have to adjust hydration during mixing/kneading) 3 T. coconut oil - I add fat late in the mixing along with 2 t. salt - AFTER the gluten has developed. * There's a science about when to add the fat and the salt (see: "CookWise" for this information). If you want a loaf that has a cake-like crumb (close-grain) and that also yields a shorter loaf, then add the fat and salt early in the mixing. If you want more loft and an open crumb, add the fat/salt late in the mixing - after the gluten is developed. Adding the salt late also makes kneading easier. Once salt is added, the gluten strands really tighten up. 13. Don't add ascorbic acid when making sourdough breads. They are already acidic enough. -Grainlady

I don't rinse my rice, but I do cook it in copious amounts of water. Just less fussy, for me. I don't have a problem straining it either. I have several..cough..colanders, but my vintage tupperware colanders holes are small enough for rice not to get stuck much and it's not currently in circulation in my kitchen but the old star pattern colanders holes are small enough for most anything too. Modern colanders got too lazy I think and just whacked large holes in them. Smiles. Can't wait for an extra fifteen seconds for things to drain properly. Here is a link that might be useful: Tupperware Colander and she has star pattern ones too. I might need some of her stuff. LOL

Here are two interesting links I found about coconut oil. I'll quote from one of the articles below: "It was back in the sixties and seventies when some researchers tried to prove that saturated fats were dangerous and dreadful and should be avoided as much as possible. This made some people turn away from coconut oil, but now, the usage of coconut oil is gaining popularity once again as cooking oil. Let’s explore some of the reasons why this change has occurred...." "There are two types of cholesterol, namely, High Density Lipoproteins (Good Cholesterol) and Low Density Lipoproteins (Bad Cholesterol). While the Bad Cholesterol (LDL) gets deposited in the inner walls of arteries and poses a threat for your heart (in extreme cases, it can result in heart attacks), the Good Cholesterol (HDL) does just the opposite. It helps lower the level of Bad Cholesterol, provides energy and nutrition to cells, and benefits the body in a number of other ways as well. You will be delighted to know that coconut oil has some saturated fatty acids like Capric Acid and Lauric Acid, which raise the level of High Density Lipoproteins in the body, lowers Bad Cholesterol, boosts immunity and fights aging. They also increase the rate of metabolism and help shed weight." In my native country - India, the Southerners use a lot of coconut oil in their cooking and yet obesity or cholesterol is not a renowned diet related problem there from what I know. Yet, my family has never really used it for cooking and I also never did. Thanks to grainlady's periodic insistence on the use of coconut oil in so many recipes, I decided to a little research on my own. What I also learnt is that while too much may cause diarrhea, a little bit will certainly not hurt and edible grade Coconut Oil Is: · Anti-inflammatory · Antimicrobial · Antifungal · Antiviral · Improves nutrient absorption And there are over 80 uses listed on this page: - See more at: http://healthimpactnews.com/2011/80-uses-for-coconut-oil/#sthash.LVOFrmQq.dpuf There is also a weight wise recommended usage chart. Oh and by the way, I just bought my first bottle also, may not use it every day but will surely use it in baking. I wonder if anyone has ever used a few drops in homemade insecticidal sprays for plants? (did not find it in the list) A question for grainlady or anyone with experience - I have this honey wholewheat oat banana bread recipe (to be made next week) that uses apple sauce instead of oil, I wonder if adding a teaspoon of coconut oil will help the bread last a week or more? I usually make banana bread and store in the refrigerator on the second day itself (that does affect the taste) in order to make it last a week or more(and I don't like it cold so need to defrost before having). Here is a link that might be useful: Why is Coconut Oil So Special