Baking Powder

Misty Zimmerer of Baltimore was looking for a recipe for Amish Whoopie Pies, a chocolate-cake sandwich with a creamy white filling. There seem to be two basic versions of the traditional whoopie pie. One has a filling made with egg whites as the base, and the other uses marshmallow fluff as the base. I tested a recipe sent in by Alison Moore of Owings Mills that uses marshmallow fluff, Crisco and sugar for the filling. Moore grew up in Lancaster County, Pa., the heart of Amish country.

The Pastry Queen Christmas By Rebecca Rather with Alison Oresman Christmas Sweets Georgeanne Brennan Chronicle Books / 2007 / $18.95 Talk about visions of sugarplums. This book will have you rolling dough and sharpening your X-Acto knife to create a gingerbread cookie box. Apricot-Pistachio Bars are gift-giving pretty. And the creative packaging ideas for your edible gifts spread the good cheer. joannah.hill@baltsun.com Apricot-Pistachio Bars -- Makes about sixty-five 1 1/2 -inch squares 1 teaspoon butter plus 1 cup (2 sticks)

As peaches come into season, thoughts turn to cakes made with the ripe, juicy fruit. Janelee Sunderland of Baltimore wanted an "old-fashioned Baltimore peach cake with a shortcake or hardtack dough like the one a local bakery once sold."Audrey Lasseth of Baltimore came up with a recipe that suits the request.Baltimore Peach CakeServes 4-62 cups flour1/2 teaspoon salt2 teaspoons baking powder3 tablespoons butter1 egg, lightly beaten1 cup milk4 peachessugar, to tasteSift flour, salt and baking powder.

Did you hear that the National Organization for Women just published a cookbook?No, really.It's no joke, although NOW -- which used to have buttons saying "Don't Assume I Cook" -- admits it sounds like one.The group even named the book "Don't Assume I Don't Cook."See? Feminists do have a sense of humor.The book is dominated by the kinds of down-to-earth dishes I call real-people food: red beans and rice, Italian sausage lasagna, chocolate cheesecake and appetizer spinach balls. You'll find lots of salads and one-dish dinners, and there are two chapters of desserts.

Do you ever feel as if you're committing a crime when you serve your favorite baked goods? Pat Wolf, who wrote to us from Pittsburgh, does."I enjoy making loaves of this Chocolate Zucchini Bread for my friends," she writes, "but I feel as if I'm killing them. Can you reduce the fat and calories and still produce a nice moist loaf?"The recipe was very satisfying to reinvent. Our version has the original's tender crumb, crunchy nuts and rich, chocolaty flavor, but only one-third the fat. It was so good, in fact, our staff tasters unanimously agreed that we have indeed created a loaf to die for.Streusel-topped apple bread was an old favorite in Louise Watson's family.

My favorite Christmas gifts are always the foods that friends give our family.One of my cooking students in Ohio sends us an irresistible brandy-drenched fruitcake each December along with homemade caramels and delectable almond meringue cookies. Another friend brings us jams and a scrumptious coffeecake, both of which he prepares himself.Home-produced peanut brittle, chutneys and relishes are other treasures we often receive. We enjoy these treats at family meals and when entertaining throughout the holidays.

What is it about cake that casts such a spell over us? Think of a birthday, a wedding, a graduation dinner - it's not really a party until the cake's brought out. With the cake comes a chorus of oohs and aahs, as well as those inner feelings of anticipation and anxiety - secretly, everybody wants the biggest piece. Cake is the essence of both joyful festivity and childhood desire.We are entering the season of celebrations, occasions that call for cakes as genuinely glorious to eat as they are to look at. Why, then, consider making a low-fat cake for a party?

How long can you keep certain items? Here's a list of some common kitchen ingredients:* Baking powder: six months tightly sealed at room temperature* Baking soda: 18 months fairly well-covered at room temperature* Bouillon cubes: one year at room temperature* Extracts: three-four months tightly sealed at room temperature* Honey: indefinitely if tightly sealed; if it has crystallized, place opened jar in bowl of hot water and stir until crystals dissolve* Gelatin...

Part cutout cookie, part filled pastry, a dessert turnover combines the best of both in an appealing little package. A batch of these turnovers is no more difficult to make than most other filled cookies, particularly since both the dough and filling can be made ahead and assembled shortly before baking.These Lime-Coconut Turn-overs are similar to empanadas, a favorite sweet in Hispanic countries.Cole Publishing GroupLime-Coconut TurnoversMakes 14 to 16 turnovers1 1/2 cups flour1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder2 tablespoons sugar1/4 teaspoon each salt and ground cinnamon1/4 cup chilled butter2 tablespoons vegetable shortening2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons cold waterLime-Coconut Filling (see directions below)

From soup to nuts, pumpkin fits into many menus.Breakfast on a chilly morning could be hefty pumpkin-walnut muffins or a dish of warm pumpkin pudding.A Mexican-themed lunch might include pumpkin blossom soup, tamales in a chili sauce thickened with pumpkin seeds, or a pumpkin empanada for dessert.Dinner could feature fusion fare: curried pumpkin bisque or ravioli with a pumpkin filling, and for the finale, frozen mousse, ice cream, pie, torte or tart - made from pumpkin, of course.For late-night noshing there's pumpkin-raisin cookies or protein-rich pumpkin seeds.

Joyce Sanders from Selman City, Texas, was looking for a recipe for a cookie that she loved when she was a teenager made with Grape-Nut flake cereal. She said the recipe came from the back of the cereal box. Now she wants to make them for her own family. Evelyn Osteraas from The Sea Ranch, Calif., sent in a recipe that was given to her by her sister in law that uses both Grape-Nuts and Grape-Nut flakes. She says everyone in her family enjoys these cookies and it's easy to understand why. The cookies are wholesome and very delicious.

Florence Shimano of Glen Ellen, Calif., was looking for a recipe for banana cake like the one her mother used to make. She remembers that her mother's recipe called for the addition of sour cream. Helen Frantz of St. Clair, Pa., sent in a recipe for a banana cake that was given to her by a friend in 1953. She says that she has made this cake for her family many times over the years, and folks always love it. This is a great recipe to have in your collection when you need to use up over-ripe bananas.

Have you been lax about getting your flax? Flaxseeds are naturally high in omega-3, an essential fatty acid that keeps your skin, nervous system and immune system functioning properly. Unfortunately, the positive effects of omega-3 are blunted by omega-6, a fatty acid found in highly processed foods made from soy and corn. When it comes to getting the right ratio, "a lot of Western-style diets are way out of whack," says Kelley Fitzpatrick, director of health and nutrition for the Flax Council of Canada.

Misty Zimmerer of Baltimore was looking for a recipe for Amish Whoopie Pies, a chocolate-cake sandwich with a creamy white filling. There seem to be two basic versions of the traditional whoopie pie. One has a filling made with egg whites as the base, and the other uses marshmallow fluff as the base. I tested a recipe sent in by Alison Moore of Owings Mills that uses marshmallow fluff, Crisco and sugar for the filling. Moore grew up in Lancaster County, Pa., the heart of Amish country.

With the economy in crisis, eating well may seem like a luxury. But when we looked back over the hundreds of recipes we published in our You & Taste section this year, we took heart: Among them were many stars that could be made without breaking the bank. We've chosen eight to share with you once more, including an easy orange-glazed pork; a simple panzanella that will use up all your garden vegetables and stale bread; a celebratory but simple chocolate souffle; and Maryland fried chicken unexpectedly flavored with Old Bay seasoning.

Mini pumpkins are both decorative and delicious in this easy holiday recipe. The souffles, which use the cooked flesh scooped out of their pumpkin-shell holders, come together quickly and with just a few ingredients. They'd be a festive Thanksgiving appetizer, or a main dish (serve two to each person) for vegetarians or kids who don't want turkey, or a fun morning-after brunch dish. Serve with steamed green beans. shopping list Mini pumpkins: $7.92 Eggs: 73 cents Flour: 15 cents Baking powder: 4 cents Cheese: $1.50 Green beans: $1.50 From the pantry: salt, pepper TOTAL: $11.84* Note: Prices are calculated based on the amounts used in the recipe.

As a bride in the 1950s, Dorothy McMann of Baltimore used to make an applesauce cake with a recipe that came from the label of the Ann Page applesauce jar. Unfortunately, she never copied down the recipe and she was hoping someone might still have a copy. Millie DiBlasi of Linthicum sent in a recipe for an applesauce cake that she clipped from the newspaper in 1979. Any good-quality, natural-style applesauce will work just fine for this dense but moist spice cake. This cake tastes even better the day after you make it and will keep well for several days.

Help! I forgot to wear my glasses and came home with 5 pounds of self-rising flour instead of all-purpose flour. What can I do with it? And why do grocery stores in the South devote so much shelf space to self-rising flour? The reason you see so much self-rising flour in the South is tradition. Self-rising flour is convenient for making biscuits, saving you a step in adding baking powder. So that's one thing you can do with your self-rising flour - make biscuits with it. You also can use it in recipes that call for baking powder, such as quick breads and some cookies.

Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen By Trisha Yearwood Bon Appetit, Y'all By Virginia Willis Ten Speed Press / 2008 / $32.50 Virginia Willis, a French-trained chef, unapologetically presents a more refined Southern cookbook - with more than a few "exotic" ingredients that would probably have Trisha Yearwood in fits. The book reads as if Willis couldn't decide where her true allegiance lies - on the Georgia farm with her biscuit-making grandmother, or with her fellow gourmet graduates of L'Academie de Cuisine.

For a Mother's Day celebration, imagine a leisurely spring brunch. As the centerpiece, make a stack of Leek Pancakes designed for wrapping around a roasted asparagus spear or, if you wish, prosciutto. Gravlax - Scandinavian-style cured salmon - is a perfect complement. Basil, mint and lemon grass steep in a pitcher to make a fragrant tisane for sipping. For dessert: Chocolate-Orange Scones laced with oat flour, still warm from the oven. The brunch is a breeze, not only because it is served buffet-style, but because much of it can be done ahead of time.