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Sunday, April 1, 2012

Marti's Musings: Pointing Out One Of My (Many) Flaws!

So.... getting used to this lifestyle is oh-so-fun!  Except when my flaws are so easily pointed out by the RV!

Seeing as we are back in our old stomping grounds of 13+ years ago, we are enjoying meeting up with some friends from long ago.  That being the case, my upbringing tells me to bring a dish when invited for dinner...  Desserts have always been my favorite thing to bake/cook.  Yeah, well - til now.

We have discovered (thanks, Amanda!) No Pudge!  Brownies - delish brownies made fat free (FF) as you use FF vanilla yogurt vs oil and eggs.

Not long ago, I tried a similar dessert, cupcakes, made low fat by adding alternate ingredients.  That time, I was glad the recipe made such a huge batch as it went something like this:  (each 'batch' is 6 cupcakes, the size of my pan).

1. Batch one - not done in the middle - pitched!

2.  Batch two - burned - pitched

3. Batch 3  and 4 edible (and actually tasty - finally!)

Yeah, my convection oven is waaaay different than any other oven I have ever used.  So, based on previous experience, we purchased 2 boxes of the FF brownie mix.  The box said to cook for 30-35 minutes.  Seeing as the cupcake fiasco stilled burned in my brain, I chose the 35 minutes.  Yeah, the edges burned.  Grrrrr.  Thankfully, I like brownie edges and Paul enjoys the middle...  but they were still mighty tasty, chewy and chocolaty!

Cooking/baking is not one of my favorite things - although, seeing as we like to eat 3 squares a day.... Now add a temperamental convection oven, and my cooking flaw is definitely magnified  (One of many flaws, of course!).

So, to prevent further embarrassment, we cooked the batch-to-go at Corey and Amanda's.  Not a bad excuse to go visit Anabelle, eh?  LOL   They were delicious!

Now, dear readers:  any tips you might have on baking successfully with the convection oven (which doubles as a microwave - something I mastered!  (HA!) - would be great!

Good thing I have lots of time to figure that blasted oven out....  in between Anabelle hugs, of course!

~Marti


PS:  Shameless baby picture of Anabelle (with one "N").  ;c)


Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment.


21 comments:

  1. Oh man. Reading about brownies right after I decided to try a no-sugar, no-white anything diet. Thanks :)

    Anabelle is splendid!

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  2. Marti, we love your pictures of Anabelle, she is beautiful!!! We also laughed (with you) regarding your convection oven trials and tribulations. We laughed because we have had some colossal disasters with our convection oven while trying to make brownies (and other things too). They often come out either soggy or unbelievably scorched.

    John and Ellen
    connectedtothevinephotography.blogspot.com

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  3. I also have to learn to use the convection oven in our new Motorhome. Took a class about it at Lazydays and basically, the suggestion was made to get a convection cookbook. Apparently, there are many available. The timing and the mode selection are really different from a regular oven. So before long, I will be getting a new cookbook;o))

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  4. I also have to learn to use the convection oven in our new Motorhome. Took a class about it at Lazydays and basically, the suggestion was made to get a convection cookbook. Apparently, there are many available. The timing and the mode selection are really different from a regular oven. So before long, I will be getting a new cookbook;o))

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  5. Well, I'll be no help in that regard ... left the kitchen to Mui 30 years ago and haven't looked back. The convection oven has gotten little use thus far as we try to keep our meals simple enough to just use the microwave ... that will change when we get on the road finally.

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  6. Well, I'll be no help in that regard ... left the kitchen to Mui 30 years ago and haven't looked back. The convection oven has gotten little use thus far as we try to keep our meals simple enough to just use the microwave ... that will change when we get on the road finally.

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  7. I have to agree that using the convection oven is very different from what I was used to. I don't have any tips because all I do is trial and error in the convection. I have learned to use smaller pans. That way at least the middle is smaller and has a better chance of getting cooked all the way through. I'm not sure it helps but I keep telling myself it does. I also bought one of those counter top toaster ovens and the smaller pans yet for other times. It works better but the batches are smaller yet. I think you figured out the best way to bake -- use someone else's oven.

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  8. Don't have a convection oven so I definitely don't have any wise words of wisdom to pass on to you. It's been forever since we've had brownies - trying to be so good and keep Jim's blood sugar under control.
    Anabelle is a doll.

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  9. sorry to hear that the brownies were a bit of a pain!..I can barely get them right in a regular oven never mind a convection one!
    Anabelle in 'orange'?..so darn cute!!

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  10. she is so sweet what a dolly....I love my convection/mic..I find you never need the required recipe time I cut it back by 5-10 mins...its trial an error my dear....take care....hugs

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  11. Well I think I may not want a convection oven from all I've heard. Winnona just has a regular oven and a regular microwave and they cook and bake things just fine. Athough we did put a pizza stone in the bottom to even out the heat. Wish I could help.

    Keep those Anabelle pictures coming. :-)

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  12. The convection oven can be tricky. Cooking isn't much of an issue, but baking is another story. I've had my share of cookie disasters trying to get the timing right.

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  13. I only tried a convection oven once and it was a total disaster. My muffins were burnt on the outside and not cooked on the inside. Now whenever I look at new RVs, I would never consider one without a real oven. Friends of mine actually put in a real oven.

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  14. I cook things at 25 degrees less than called for but the same length of time- works pretty well.

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  15. Marti,
    I know what you mean about the convection oven.....I'm still learning, too.....I don't get the "mix" feature, unless I'm following a recipe. Hopefully I'll get the hang of it soon.

    Anabelle is beautiful.....congrats on another "grandtreasure"!

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  16. Anabelle is so cute. Love her little red outfit.

    I rarely use my convection oven. We have a "Nu-Wave" oven (as seen on infomercials) and we LOVE it. It takes up a fair amount of space but we love everything we cook in it. We tossed the toaster and rarely even use our grill anymore. Most everything goes on the NU-Wave.

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  17. No advice on the oven, but I'm a fan of No-Pudge too and I make them with raspberry flavored yogurt and then sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips on top. YUM!

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  18. HATE HATE HATE our convection oven in our rig. We do notice it operates crappy on 30amp and better on 50amp. But still hate it.

    We bought a Coleman Instastart propane oven that sets out on the picnic table or inside on the counter (with a cracked window for fresh air) and bake with that. It's a lot nicer!


    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-
    kareninthewoods.blogspot.com

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  19. The Convection Oven is really a great thing. It cooks hotter and faster so you just have to lower the Temp about 25 degrees and it doesn't take as long to cook it. So just cut the time down a bit and keep checking it. You can add more time if you need it. Make sure you use the preheat for baking.

    Love Love Love the Pictures of Annabelle.

    Brenda

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  20. I, too, love my convection oven. It's a space saver for one thing, but I find it bakes pretty much like my old oven did in the S&B. I rarely even have to adjust the temp but I do watch it towards the end so I don't burn things. I don't attempt complicated meals though. Simple is good :)

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  21. We have a lot to learn about using the convection microwave, but are doing really well so far. Hard-boiled eggs, pasta, pizza, corn-on-the-cobb, all figured out. We are learning to trust the sensor cook settings, they really work. Baking cakes, brownies, and cookies we have figured out too. We don't like all the warm-up time using just the heat, so have relied on the 'low-mix' setting. The oven will use a little microwaving to start the cooking process, and then the convection heat kicks in and finishes the process. It really works well. We also use silicone pans, no oil or grease needed, simple water clean-up, and no burned edges.
    Journey 39n

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