Milestones.

[Steve E]

40th Anniversary

July 20, 1969

[marguerite]

Why don't you go pick up a gluten free baking mix you can use all at once? Using one kind of flour (especially rice) will make the baked goods very dense, chewy, and gritty. Not tasty.

 

Nommin on a gluten-free muffin right this second,

- Calli

Follow-up: So I went to the store intending to follow your advice, only to discover that I must live in, like, the celiac haters capital of the world. The only gluten-free mixes I could find were pure white rice flour and mixed rice flour, plus dried milk powder and baking powder and such. Which, since I already had the white rice flour and the additional ingredients separately, seemed like a waste of time and money.

 

So, in an attempt to figure out how much damage this baked good would do to my friendships, I tried making my basic pancake recipe with the white rice flour to see how bad it would be. Gritty indeed, although I noticed that the rice-flour batter was much thicker than the one I make with wheat flour. So I decided to try thinning it down. I took a recipe for blueberry muffins, substituted rice flour for the wheat flour (made sure to sift it first!), added lemon zest and an extra egg and buttermilk in place of regular milk. Then I decreased the baking powder by one teaspoon and added a half-teaspoon of baking soda (because of the buttermilk). Spooned the whole mess into a greased loaf pan and baked it for about 90 minutes at 325. Then I tried the results on Sir Percy, who took sample slices to the neighbors. The rice flour had the same taste and texture as wheat flour, although the cake was a little moister.

 

Recipe:

2 1/4 cups finely ground white rice flour, sifted with 1/4 cup Splenda or white sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp dried lemon peel (or 2 tsp lemon zest), mixed with the dry ingredients after sifting

1 cup frozen blueberries (the smaller, the better)

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup safflower or other cooking oil

1 cup buttermilk

 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees (this was a convection oven). Spray a 9" x 5" x 3" loaf pan with cooking spray. Mix wet ingredients separately from dry ingredients. Add blueberries to dry ingredients and mix well (but quickly) to coat with flour, so they don't all sink to the bottom; then add wet ingredients and stir just until mixed. Spoon into loaf pan and bake until golden brown. Loaf should pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean, except for blueberry juice. I sprayed the top with cooking spray at about 1 hr 15 min because it wasn't browning quickly enough, then baked it another 15 minutes. Let stand in pan 5 minutes, then turn out on a rack and cool completely. Inflict on family and friends—with butter, if they insist.

 

If I were baking it again, I'd probably try 350 degrees for faster browning.

 

Prep time is 15 minutes tops, and you can be back in Storyist torturing your characters.

Best,

M

[Steve E]

Hmm. Rice flour.

Thanks M. I'll try this next weekend for a gluten-free friend of mine.

 

So no one has anything to say about Monday's 40th anniversary of the moon landing? This is the Milestone thread, not the baking thread.

 

350 for faster browning.

-Thoth.

[marguerite]

Let us know how it turns out. Note that it should also take less time at 350. I'd check it at an hour and expect it to be done in about an hour and 15 minutes.

best,

M

[Steve E]

Let us know how it turns out. Note that it should also take less time at 350. I'd check it at an hour and expect it to be done in about an hour and 15 minutes.

best,

M

Check. Also I'm going with the Splenda (even with its reputation) and not the white sugar.

- Thoth

[marguerite]

So no one has anything to say about Monday's 40th anniversary of the moon landing? This is the Milestone thread, not the baking thread.

-Thoth.

And Walter Cronkite passed away just before the 40th anniversary. Hope he'll enjoy it as much from his present location!

 

We're all counting on you to link to a picture of the moon landing.

 

And it was a milestone: my first attempt at gluten-free baking! Oh, wait, you meant Storyist milestones ... or global milestones ... or interplanetary milestones. Oh, bother!

M

 

P.S. Another 15-page topic! But we still procrastinate more than we achieve (milestones, that is, even baked ones).

[Steve E]

And Walter Cronkite passed away just before the 40th anniversary. Hope he'll enjoy it as much from his present location!

I'll miss Uncle Walter. "The most trusted man in America." Not a bad epitaph. I'd like to see someone pick up that mantle today!

 

We're all counting on you to link to a picture of the moon landing.

Ouch. You didn't like the one I posted above?

 

And it was a milestone: my first attempt at gluten-free baking! Oh, wait, you meant Storyist milestones ... or global milestones ... or interplanetary milestones. Oh, bother!

You're right, M. Milestones are in the eye of the beholder. (That must smart!)

 

P.S. Another 15-page topic! But we still procrastinate more than we achieve (milestones, that is, even baked ones).

Our very procrastinations are our achievements. (I'm still looking forward to that book deal where we sell our forum posts as a special genre novel.)

 

Have to stop procrastinating and get back to work.

-Thoth.

[codemer]

Check. Also I'm going with the Splenda (even with its reputation) and not the white sugar.

- Thoth

 

I like Splenda, even if people do claim it's chemically similar to a pesticide. Can't be worse for me than eating out at a fast food place.

 

I watched a fellow programmer drink like 10 cans of Diet **** a day, which is made with Splenda, for the last year, and he seems perfectly normal (for a programmer), so I offer that as definitive proof that it is safe.

 

Next they'll tell me I shouldn't bake with Olean.

 

IF

[Joolissa]

Aspartame is the devil. I think Splenda is only a minion.

 

Naturally Sweet

- Jules

[Steve E]

Jula-Bula — My gluten-free friend is also diabetic so, so much for the white sugar.

 

Isaac — You are allowed to cook with Olean on April Fool's Day. For the rest of you readers: The fat substitute Olestra (also known by its brand name Olean) has the charming side effect of anal leakage (and yes you read that right). But at least you save some calories, if not laundry detergent.

 

Will no one else miss Uncle Walter? Or has he been off the air for too long already?

- Thoth.

[Joolissa]

Sorry about your friend. Just, stay away from aspartame. Evil stuff that.

 

I need to watch it, but there's a documentary (Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World) about it that was recommended to me by a friend/ex-RN. She has Aspartame poisoning and if she accidentally eats anything with it, the left side of her face goes numb. She's also gluten intolerant, but not diabetic.

 

Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World

The artificial sweetener, aspartame, is the bedrock of the diet industry. Found in everything from fizzy drinks to vitamin pills and marketed under a variety of different names, it is difficult to detect and even harder to avoid. But how safe is it? Does it really cause brain tumours, blindness and other serious illnesses? This shocking documentary investigates how the FDA came to approve such a potentially dangerous product.

 

“Perhaps, like me, you have never given much thought to the increasing rates of neurological disorders”, states narrator, Cori Brackett. “But in 2002 I could no longer ignore them. I also became a statistic when I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.” Suffering from double vision, slurred speech and weak limbs, she was forced into a wheelchair as her condition deteriorated. Then she read an article linking aspartame to many health problems. “I had drunk six to ten cans of diet soda a day for twenty years. When I stopped, I got better.” Since the launch of aspartame in 1983, brain tumour rates have shot up. “The increase in tumours has nothing to do with improvements in our ability to detect them”, states neurologist Dr Russell Blaylock. A year after aspartame was added to diet drinks; “diabetes rates jumped 30% in the United States and incidents of an unusual type of brain tumour jumped 60%”.Doctors like H J Roberts began realise; “something was going awry”. Investigating further, he discovered; “the common denominator between patients was their use of aspartame products.” But famously, the FDA concluded aspartame was; “one of the most thoroughly tested food additives they’ve ever seen”. So how could such a “safe” product have caused so many side effects? “In my estimation, there was an effort to cover up what was being found so that the producers of aspartame, GD Searle, could get approval”, alleges neurologist Dr Russell Blaylock. In one study, five out of seven monkeys fed aspartame died or had seizures. Animals that died after eating NutraSweet were not autopsied for more than a year. “They were cutting out and throwing away tumours and saying the animals were normal.” Research that raised questions about aspartame’s safety was not submitted to the FDA.It was not only Blaylock who questioned the manufacturer’s findings. Dr Jerome Bressler prepared a report for the FDA on JD Searle’s research. He concluded that either a lot of purposeful shenanigans were carried out to get the product approved or; “It was the world’s worst research.” The FDA’s lawyer, Richard Merill, recommended that a grand jury be set up to investigate GD Searle for; “fraud, deletion and manipulation of records”. But charges were dropped after the statute of limitations on prosecutions ran out. “Seven of the key people who made decisions that kept NutraSweet moving through the process ended up working for one or another NutraSweet using industry”, points out lawyer James Turner. When the Public Board of Inquiry attempted to prevent the use of aspartame until additional research could be carried out, the law was changed to restrict their power to do this.Attempt to highlight the toxic long-term effects of aspartame are regularly dismissed by a hostile diet industry. But with so many doctors now speaking out and so many people experiencing serious side effects, the controversy looks set to continue.

 

As for the olean and the side effects, weren't there some chips that were taken off the market recently cause they caused that? "healthy" Pringles or something like that?

 

Oh wait.. this isn't the Procrastination Station...

 

I heard about Walter Cronkite, but alas I am too young to know who he was.

 

Young Upstart

- Jules

[Steve E]

Sorry about your friend. Just, stay away from aspartame. Evil stuff that.

Uh-oh. I'm a pretty heavy Diet Pepsi drinker. That uses aspartame as its sweetener. Damn.

 

As for the olean and the side effects, weren't there some chips that were taken off the market recently cause they caused that? "healthy" Pringles or something like that?

I don't remember the details but, yeah, something like that. I also remember a lot of people coming down with a bad case of skid marks for no obvious reason, until they realized they had been eating Olean.

 

I heard about Walter Cronkite, but alas I am too young to know who he was.

 

Young Upstart

- Jules

Extra! Extra! Read all about it... here.

Middle-age Upstart.

- Thoth

[codemer]

Isaac — You are allowed to cook with Olean on April Fool's Day. For the rest of you readers: The fat substitute Olestra (also known by its brand name Olean) has the charming side effect of anal leakage (and yes you read that right). But at least you save some calories, if not laundry detergent.

 

I am in the happy position of being able to consume Olestra without the side effects. It's great that I can buy the special Pringles Light made with Olean, and finally no one else will eat them all for me.

 

IF

[Steve E]

I am in the happy position of being able to consume Olestra without the side effects. It's great that I can buy the special Pringles Light made with Olean, and finally no one else will eat them all for me.

You have a sphincter of steel, my friend.

-Thoth

[marguerite]

I'll miss Uncle Walter. "The most trusted man in America." Not a bad epitaph. I'd like to see someone pick up that mantle today!

 

Ouch. You didn't like the one I posted above?

Thoth.

Whoops! I knew I'd seen a nice one somewhere recently: forgot it was yours! **blushes** I'd blame the aspartame, but I never use it.

 

The Splenda may be part of the reason the blueberry loaf was so slow to brown. That's one of the things sugar does in a recipe. But if your friend is diabetic, then it can be made to work. You may want to try dropping the buttermilk and the baking soda and using regular milk of whatever fat level you have to hand; the texture was fine, but I thought the loaf had a slightly odd, sour taste (apparently Sir P. was trying to butter me up as well as the bread).

 

Poor friend, to have to deal with diabetes and celiac disease!

 

Stevia is another good alternative to sugar—wholly natural—but it's hard to convert the measurements, plus it has a slight licorice taste if used in too large quantities.

 

I remember Uncle Walter. I remember black and white TV ... and banks that closed at 3 pm Fridays, not to open again before Monday at 9 am ... and 25¢ gas. Is that the AARP knocking on the door? Back, back! **whacks with overmuffin** No, I'm not going! The old age home will do fine without me!

Best,

M

[Steve E]

Whoops! I knew I'd seen a nice one somewhere recently: forgot it was yours! **blushes** I'd blame the aspartame, but I never use it.

 

The Splenda may be part of the reason the blueberry loaf was so slow to brown. That's one of the things sugar does in a recipe. But if your friend is diabetic, then it can be made to work. You may want to try dropping the buttermilk and the baking soda and using regular milk of whatever fat level you have to hand; the texture was fine, but I thought the loaf had a slightly odd, sour taste (apparently Sir P. was trying to butter me up as well as the bread).

 

Poor friend, to have to deal with diabetes and celiac disease!

 

Stevia is another good alternative to sugar—wholly natural—but it's hard to convert the measurements, plus it has a slight licorice taste if used in too large quantities.

 

I remember Uncle Walter. I remember black and white TV ... and banks that closed at 3 pm Fridays, not to open again before Monday at 9 am ... and 25¢ gas. Is that the AARP knocking on the door? Back, back! **whacks with overmuffin** No, I'm not going! The old age home will do fine without me!

Best,

M

Diabetics have to watch their carbs too since carbohydrates turn into sugar. The trick is to find a bread (e.g., a multigrain) that converts slowly.

 

In any event, I'll experiment a bit during the week. Stevia huh? I'll look into it.

 

I remember 10¢ bus and train rides, 25¢ matinees, and my mom filling the shopping cart for under $10. They say that the older you get the better your memory of the past becomes. *GULP*

 

Currently, a proud member of the AARP. (I just wish they'd stop trying to sell me insurance.)

- Thoth.

[Steve E]

Ladies, the overmuffins went over well. I only burned the first (experimental) batch. A milestone for me.

(And I'm probably getting lucky tonight. Ah, blueberry overmuffins. The fastest way into a woman's pants...er...heart.)

Okay, she's looking at me funny now. Got to sign off.

Bye.

-Thoth.

[Joolissa]

[Steve E]

I, Thoth The Expansive

On This Occasion

Congratulate Myself on

2000 Utterly Necessary Posts.

Lady Marguerite,

Thank you for posting my two triangular pips

in the Writer's Lounge.

 

And now, to mark the occasion, my favorite quote about writing:

Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement; then it becomes a mistress, and then it becomes a master, and then a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster, and fling him out to the public. - Winston Churchill

[Joolissa]

Congrats oh Thoth!

 

I love that my Pip system has caught on! lol Here's to the invisible pips.

 

 

O[][][][][][][][] (Sadly very far from any triangles)

- Julz

[marguerite]

Hear, hear! May your next 2,000 pour out as prolifically! And thanks for the quote from Ole Gravel Throat, always one of my favorites.

 

Juley, what does he get for 5,000 posts? (We need to get ready.)

 

M

 

P.S. Oh yes, and have some celebratory overcake: chocolate with butter frosting and sprinkles, I think.

[Joolissa]

Mmmmmm... chocolate overcake.....

 

Well, he'd have 5 triangles... but since it goes in 10s, at 10,0000 he'd get a star pip. Either that or the sky will fall.

 

- J

[astillac]

Sprinkles!

[Steve E]

M, Julz, Calli, thank you all.

 

I think at 10,000 posts Invision Zone runs out of disk space and the Forum implodes in a fountain of colorful candy sprinkles.

 

Pass a slice of chocolate overcake this way, m'ladies.

- Thoth.

[Steve]

I, Thoth The Expansive

On This Occasion

Congratulate Myself on

2000 Utterly Necessary Posts.

 

2000!

 

Thoth, thank you for being a constant and true contributor to these forums. We're all richer for your witty and insightful comments, suggestions, and bug reports.

 

-Steve