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I tried to bake these yeast rolls Jinger posted in instagram a couple of days ago. I was distracted by my attempts to convert ounces and cups into gramms and mililiters. I thought I managed it until I was confused about the amount of flour compared to the amount of yeast. Maybe Rufus was sitting next to me and and had the feeling he should step in. A quick Google search told me that cups of fluids and cups of flour are different. I should have got to that conclusion by myself, but I didn't. Well, because of my mental calculator running hot, the information that she did put the eggs into a 2-cup measuring cup (which I don't have because I am european) and filled it up with the hot water totally slipped through my fingers. So the endproduct was too fluid. I am not a first time baker so I knew what to do. I added flour. Lots of flour. So much flour that my cookingchef tried to commit suicide by jumping of the table. Rufus stepped in again! At this point my dough rises in the oven and is still not smooth and elastic enough. I will have to add more flour I suppose by hand. I guess when I take a look in my kitchen I will find a measuring cup with "cups" on it.

I've been looking through some of my cookbooks the last week or so. Partly because I bought a 1968 Better Homes and Gardens cookbook at the library sale last week (only $1.50!), and partly because of the recipe discussions on the Jill Dillard and Jill Rod threads. I realize that more and more, people are getting recipes from websites and not from printed cookbooks, but I still love cookbooks. For someone who doesn't really cook from scratch very much, I own way too many cookbooks! (Seriously. I now have 5 of the big loose leaf, binder style cookbooks.) I do really enjoy reading cookbooks, sometimes with an eye to using a recipe, and sometimes just to read the recipes. My husband finds it odd that I like to read cookbooks, but he's mostly used to it by now. I suppose these are my top 3 favorite cookbooks: My cookbook Better Homes and Gardens (1989) Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook (reprint of 1950 edition) When I say "My cookbook ", I mean the blank recipe book I use instead of a 3'x5' card file like my mom used to use. I enjoy having all the recipes I liked from my childhood and all the new recipes I've discovered in one place. To show you what I value, I have more cookie recipes collected in there than any other category. Generally, I don't copy recipes from cookbooks that I use lots of recipes from, just recipes from other people, or from cookbooks that I've only ever tried one or two of the recipes. The binder part is pretty abused, but the pages are still fine. My Better Homes and Gardens cookbook (10th edition) was my first "real" cookbook when I moved out on my own. I got it as a Christmas gift 3 years after I moved. I still check it first if I want to look something up. I always disliked trying to find recipes in my mom's cookbooks because I could never remember which one had the "good" recipe. "Mom? Is this the one with the good banana bread?" "No, dear. You want the other cookbook." So I make pencilled in notes in mine. I rate the recipe, and note any changes or reminders. My most marked up recipe in this book is the shortbread cookie recipe. When I was a kid, my mom had 2 loose leaf, binder style cookbooks. The 1950 Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook, and a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook from the 50s. I'm the youngest of 4 kids, so I've never harbored any illusion that these cookbooks would be mine someday. (Mom still has them. My oldest sibling got grandma's.) When I found a replica 1950 Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook soon after I got married, I was all happy! Now I could have my own copy with the "good" banana bread recipe, plus some other family favorites, too. I haven't pencilled in as many notes in this one, but I'm working on it. Plus it has hilarious "homemaking tips" at the back. Sorry for the bad photography. So, does anyone else have a favorite cookbook or two? Or do y'all keep all your recipes digitally, or not need a recipe most times? (Oh, and if anyone wants to try the Orange Nut Coffee Cake recipe in my handwriting, don't use 2 tablespoons of grated orange peel and the juice of one orange. Just wash an orange, trim off any bad spots, then stick the whole thing in a blender. You get better juice and peel that way. And oleo just means margarine. Butter works, too.)

I have a pumpkin on my kitchen counter. What do I do with it? Suggestions welcome!

I'm making my first attempt to cook rice in my Instant Pot. I am completely incapable of making rice that isn't either mush or crunchy, no matter what I do. Here's what I have done so far: 1 c. wild rice 2 c. water 1tsp better than bullion veggie because it sounded good. 1tsp. butter Put in pot and set to 25 min per https://www.platingsandpairings.com/cook-perfect-rice-instant-pot/. Prayed Rufus' blessing on my endeavour. Blogged about it on FJ. Updates to follow.

Post your awesome recipes here!

Some time ago I made gnocchi. I love gnocchi because I can make lots of them to store in the freezer. Gnocchi are my go to meal when I want something special but I have very little time to cook. I usually make both pumpkin and potatoes gnocchi. I cut a pumpkin in pieces and cooked it in the oven for 15 minutes at 180ºC. When it cooled with a knife I separated the pulp from the skin and with a fork I mashed it. I added a pinch of salt and lots of flour. Pumpkins tend to absorb too much flour so it's better to not exaggerate otherwise the gnocchi will taste like flour not like pumpkin. Flour is the glue that combined with the water of the pumpkin keeps the gnocchi together, so you have the right dose of flour when the gnocchi don't melt when you cook them and you can't taste the flour but only the pumpkin. The resulting dough is quite sticky and generally obnoxious (that's why I make them in bulk once in a while), anyway with the help of some flour (to help control stickiness) I flattened it and cut it into strings and then into little cubes that I rolled to make little balls all of the same size (more or less). I rolled every little floury ball over the back of a fork to create the distinctive marks. I didn't take pics because this is one really dirty job and my hands were a true mess. Once done they look like this (the pumpkin's ones are those on the left). Potatoes gnocchi are done in the same way, only difference is that I steamcooked the potatoes so they retain more water and also more flour. The good thing is that potatoes stick much less so the process is easier by far. Once done gnocchi need to rest for half an hour before cooking. Meanwhile I prepared the sauces, melted cheeses ( butter, robiola, gorgonzola and cream with a pinch of pepper and nutmeg) for the potatoes gnocchi and sweet sauce (butter, half a spoon of brown sugar, raisins and cinnamon) for pumpkin gnocchi. When a big pot of salted water started boiling I threw inside a handful of gnocchi, when they came back to the surface they were ready, it takes only a couple of minutes or even less. When all the gnocchi were cooked I heated them with their sauce for a moment and then served immediately as they are good while still hot. It's a traditionally wintertime dish, the most popular version is the potatoes one but I use many other veggies too, like cabbage, carrots, spinach etc. In Verona it's mostly eaten during the Carnival when the King of the Gnocco is crowned.