The cake turned out pretty well,
Jo! She liked it. That cake always rises beautifully, so it was a very pretty, rustic-looking little cake. She commented on how when she was growing up, it was common for families to make a cake every weekend... and I said that families were bigger back then and could spread the calories around!
So in the name of preserving tradition (
), I've been trying to figure out how to make some lower calorie cake recipes, or recipes that are at least more "balanced" in terms of carb/protein ratio, by substituting a little whey protein or coconut flour here and there. I'm not sure it's possible to make a healthy frosting recipe that actually tastes good, but health
ier might be within grasp. Wish me luck, all.
Those deviled eggs are so adorable,
fantasia!
Speaking of stew becoming more delectable with time,
Jo, I recently ran across the concept of
perpetual stew and I find it rather fascinating:
The elves at Wikipedia wrote:A perpetual stew, also known as hunter's pot or hunter's stew, is a pot into which whatever one can find is placed and cooked. The pot is never or rarely emptied all the way, and ingredients and liquid are replenished as necessary. The concept is often a common element in descriptions of medieval inns. Foods prepared in a perpetual stew have been described as being flavorful due to the manner in which the foodstuffs blend together, in which the flavor may improve with age.
Sounds like another potential kitchen adventure to me, although it's not exactly the best time of year to embark on such a project in the Carolinas, and then there's the rather crucial food safety aspect that requires quite a bit more research.
I have heard of people using this general concept for making bone broth, though, and I've also read that some restaurants in Asia boast of having broth that has been going for more than ten years, but boiled twice a day to keep pathogens at bay.
One thing that I have been doing lately, however, is a perpetual jar of soured oats for oatmeal. I feed it with fresh rolled oats daily, similar to how you would feed a room temperature sourdough starter. I've been more or less following
this recipe. It's supposedly more nutritious this way, but regardless, I like the flavor better than regular oatmeal. The hint of sour gives it a nice complexity. I usually sweeten it a bit and add cinnamon with berries, apples, or bananas.
I don't have any jars large enough for starter, so I just cover the bowl with saran wrap with a few holes poked in it.
Just when I've sworn off grains for an indefinite period of time. 
). 
I appreciate all the research you've done! I'll have to think about getting a big mason jar or two. 
