Friday Things

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Time for an installment of Friday Things:

1. Cooks Illustrated Tested Whole Wheat Flour and if you thought all whole-wheat flours are created equal, you were wrong.

I used to think that flour was flour. It’s not. I am so brand loyal to King Arthur and it’s all I use, with the exception of a random specialty flour. I draw the line at mail ordering flour and buy what’s in the grocery store and sometimes on a unique flour that I buy once a year, I’ll brand-hop but otherwise the King and I are tight.

Whole Wheat Flour comparisons

2. Manchester Glass Set, $128 at Anthro. A wall-mounted set that would be handy for mounting so many things.

Manchester Glass Set

 You don’t have to put fresh herbs in it, but I’d like to.

Manchester Glass Set with herbs

3. Need easy, fast, No-Bake Cookie Recipes?

The Huffington Post featured a couple of mine in their No-Bake Cookie Recipes (Slide 2 and Slide 3)

No-Bake Cookie Recipes

These Peanut Butter and Jelly Coconut Cashew Sandwich Cookies (no-bake, vegan, GF) are fast and easy, with No Added, Sugar, Salt, or Oil

Peanut Butter and Jelly Coconut Cashew Sandwich Cookies

4. Dorothy’s 5 Tips for Creating Business Cards post – Over and beyond about what to put on the business cards, she shares info about how to change your Facebook name, what a QR code is and how to get one; that Google Voice exists and you can have phone numbers forwarded to your cell so you don’t have to put your cell phone on your business cards.

A cornucopia of helpful tidbits and even if you don’t need business cards, you could probably use some of the sidebar trivia and tips.

5 Tips for Creating Business Cards

5. The Kitchn did a story about What Have You Been Most Surprise (or Embarrassed) to Learn in the Kitchen

The reader comments are great. Sometimes it’s nice to know you’re not alone on just discovering certain things.

What Have You Been Most Surprise (or Embarrassed) to Learn in the Kitchen

For me, I’ve recently discovered that whole wheat pastry flour and graham flour are the same thing.

Or despite knowing better, I’ll read recipes that instruct to combine butter with chocolate chips and melt them. This never works for me and the chocolate always seizes. I’m always surprised when I read recipes that indicate otherwise because in my experience, chocolate chips are finicky and don’t like to be mixed with butter. Bars of chocolate are a different story. But I ruined a bag of chocolate chips and a stick of butter the other day because I didn’t listen to my gut that was saying wait a minute, don’t do it. The water in the butter is the kiss of death for chocolate chips.

6. This Stephanie Johnson Torino Train Case, $78 at Kitson. Crocheted anything reminds me of my grandma and my childhood. I fear that this wouldn’t be durable at all and would snag and look horrible in about a week, but it’s sure cute.

Torino Train Case

7. Smoked Cashew Salsa – It reminds me of the coating mixture I make for Cheezy Kale Chips (raw, vegan, GF)

Smoked Cashew Salsa

The Kale Chips are the best kale chips I’ve ever tried because of that coating. Those little bags of (mostly crushed) chips from Trader Joe’s that are really pricey or from Whole Foods that will break your bank account don’t hold a candle to homemade kale chips. You’ll never buy storebought and you can make them in a low 200F oven.

Kale Chips

I’ve adapted the coating mixture for “Spicy Doritos” Cheezy Dip as well and it’s great with veggies sticks, on crackers, on bread, or just about anything.

“Spicy Doritos” Cheezy Dip
 
“Spicy Doritos” Cheezy Dip

8. Lauren Conrad featured my Cookie Dough Balls on her site

Lauren Conrad featured my Cookie Dough Balls on her site

When I created the recipe in 2009 and I never could have imagined that they’d appear on Lauren’s site.

I have memories of putting my then two-year old down for a nap, turning on some guilty-pleasure episodes of The Hills, and eating cookie dough balls.

Cookie Dough Balls

9. Do you like Sriracha? Here are 20 Sriracha Recipe Ideas

20 Sriracha Recipe Ideas

10. Do the Ripe Thing from Cooks Illustrated. If you thought your bananas had to be black as the night for banana bread, they don’t. Nicely freckled and speckled, but pitch black is not necessary and there’s little difference in sweetness between heavily freckled and completely black.

Do the Ripe Thing

Meaning you can make this Browned Butter Buttermilk Banana Bread with Strawberry Butter sooner rather than later.

Browned Butter Buttermilk Banana Bread with Strawberry Butter

However, my favorite banana bread recipe of all time is this one. No frills, fast, easy, with amazing bread results, guaranteed, every time.

What are your Friday Things?

If you’ve made anything, done, seen, or bought anything fabulous recently, feel free to link it up in the comments.

Anything you’re surprised to learn in the kitchen? Mistakes that plague you?

Flour preferences or loyalties? Freckly vs. black bananas for baking?

St. Paddy’s Day Plans?

Have a great weekend and check back for a giveaway!

 

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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