Fat Frog Diary

Doesn't it just drive you nuts when a recipe calls for an ingredient you rarely keep in the kitchen because you rarely need it? One of those ingredients is self-rising flour. Unless you're making biscuits the hard way every day (bless you if you do!) then keeping self-rising flour around the house is wasteful. Here in Florida, you just set up a condo for every bug in town unless you keep a bag in the freezer.   That's why I love this quick DIY recipe to make just enough self-rising flour for a recipe, not a cannister to keep. Need three cups of self-rising flour? So triple this recipe.   Self-Rising Flour 1-1/2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 1 c AP flour   That's it. Mix it up or sift it if you're needing the really fine airy stuff. If you mix it in the food processor, don't forget to let it sit after pulsing so the fine cloud inside settles, or you're going to have flour all over your kitchen.   Lee Plumb  

Now that the holidays are behind us, we can again focus on a more outward look at how we as responsible human beings may positively affect our world. Today I focus on our 7 th Principle, "Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part." When I hear those words, I think of one of our major crises affecting our very existence: Climate Change. We can vote, we can go to rallies, and we can "vote with our wallet, but the simplest and easiest thing we can do is grow our own food (at least in part.) Did you may a New Year's Resolution to eat healthier or lose a few pounds?   No matter how small your dwelling, no matter how poor your circumstances, you can grow a garden using the Square Foot Gardening (SFG) technique. Bonus: It's cheaper and easier than row gardening! I've done it in North Carolina and Colorado as well as my current home in Florida. It can be done anywhere, even an apartment balcony. Instead of long rows and much wasted s

I don't have time to spend with complicated cookie recipes, especially when I run up on a deadline of Cookies Due Tomorrow! So here's a quickie cookie recipe to get you out of a jam.   Cake Mix (any flavor) 2 eggs ½ c. oil   Mix. Scoop on cookie sheet. Bake at 350F about 10 min. YMMV on cook time. Check and adjust.     Lee Plumb