PRODUCT REVIEW! Kamenstein Digital Scale (no they aren't compensating me in any way)

A bunch of years ago, I bought this digital scale:

https://www.amazon.com/Kamenstein-Stainless-Digital-Kitchen-Silver/dp/B00AQMGFDI

ALSO available in red:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AQMGFG0/ref=twister_B00AQMGFC4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I got mine at Costco, but you can get them anywhere  I use it ALL the time, I weigh everything that I bake.  I weigh ALL the bread unless I specifically say I don't.  I weigh my mail on this thing, it's precise!! Over the years, I've bought many scales and uses all sorts of types.  THIS is my absolute favorite of all of them.

This scale is easy to use, easy to clean, easy to read! easy to adjust to zero out and to set the units of weight.  I LOVE this thing.

I am going to start writing more recipes by weight so you're all going to need one too.

NOW then, this is the punctuation on this review.  After all these years, the display was looking funky...I tried new batteries, i tried old batteries, I tried used batteries.  Ooops, oh no, my beloved scale was dying???  I called the company:

them:  Thanks for calling Kamenstein, how can I help you?
me:  HORROR, my scale is starting to do weird things with the display!
them:  OH don't worry, give me your name and address, we'll send you a new one, sorry you might have to wait up to a week.
me:  A WEEK? that's FANTASTIC!  thank you so much!  I love a lifetime guarantee.
them:  We're happy to help, let us know if you have any questions or need more help.....

THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is customer service.  So, my sad dead scale is sat here beside me, it doesn't owe me anything.  I have used and abused it for way too many years and the fact it's guaranteed for life?

Well, get online and get yourself a Kamenstein digital scale and if you feel like letting them know you saw my recommendation, that's great but I didn't write this to GET anything, I wrote it so YOU can get it!

/go get it

tracy

7up Biscuits (that weird urban recipe legend) Good grief, they're fabulous

There's been the same post that keeps showing in my news feed on my Facebook page and that is a recipe for 7up Biscuits.  Who the heck would make these? Why would someone go this route instead of just making regular, perfectly good, perfectly normal, scratch biscuits, they're not exactly difficult  (I thought to myself in my smuggest of moments)

 "There's no way they work like that OR that they are any good" I thought.  Ooopsie!  Are you kidding me?  How could I be that WRONG.  They're absolutely FABULOUS!  

It's my son's 14th birthday today and I have given him free reign to play whatever xBox games with his homeschool friends today.  We are going out for a fancy dinner later and his party is tomorrow so I just figured I'd toss snacks to him throughout the day.  I thought I'd try something "new" even though this is an old recipe idea, it's new to me.  I used Sprite and it was fantastic.  Don't let the type of soda get in your way... 

Here's a quickie overview: 

7up Biscuits
(you can use Sprite or Mountain Dew or Whatever lemon ish soda/pop you have)
(you can also use soda water and add a little sugar and a little lemon... way to cheat!) 

2 cups Bisquick baking mix
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup 7up or Sprite or pop of your choosing
1/4 cup (half a stick) of butter

Preheat oven to 450
Put the butter in a glass 8x8 or 9x9 pan and pop it into the oven or microwave to melt the butter.

In a large bowl, put the Bisquick and sour cream and rub it in to combine it, you can also use a fork if you must.  The add the soda and mix it around with a fork to combine.  It's a lovely soft dough.

Turn it onto a Bisquick floured board and quickly flip it over a couple of times to make a cohesive dough and pat it quickly to approximately the size of your glass pan.  Cut into 9 with a pizza cutter or a bench scraper or a big knife.

Transfer each of the 9 pieces to the buttered pan. *I cheated and sprinkled a little tiny bit of sugar on top of mine. 

Bake in the top third of a hot oven for about 15 minutes.. or until they look amazing.  Then eat them  They are light like angel food cake without being "wooly"  they are delicate and tasty and sweet and tangy and shocked the heck out of me at how good they turned out to be.  ALSO, I ate one 5 hours later, from the dish and guess what... just fine.  I'm having a houseful of boys for my son's birthday sleepover tomorrow and Sunday morning... I'm making a double batch of these (I'll just double ingredients and do a 9x13 pan) and I am sure I'll have a houseful of happy teenage boys, hmm, maybe I should make two pans.

Out of the oven: 
 
Sliced in half:
 
Buttered...heavily.  Then I added Lyle's Golden Syrup because I CAN
 
Then I put the biscuit back together
 
Here's a quick shot of the underside (buttered side) as I devoured it.

There's no way these should (a) work or (b) taste any good.  Well, I'm here to tell you... they (a) WORK GREAT and (b) TASTE FANTASTIC. 

I love quickie, cheater food...  go make these, seriously, I'll wait.... 

/enjoy

Date Squares (I love these)

It's 35 degrees in Austin.  It's NEVER 35 degrees in Austin.  Cold days make me need to cook.  Not WANT to cook, I NEED to cook when it's cold.  I have certain things that I have loved forever and date squares are one of those things.  I don't make them NEARLY enough.  I intend on rectifying that very issue at this exact moment in time.

I have made this version of date squares forever.  I don't have the recipe written down anywhere, I measure loosely, it's entirely forgiving.  People who believe firmly that you can approximate when you cook yet you have to be scientific when you bake need to avert their eyes, this is a winging it recipe.  Add a bit more a bit less, it won't affect the final product and in fact, it'll personalize it for you.

Go make these, they are absolutely delicious and I cannot wait to sink my teeth into the final product.  It's in the oven as I type this, it's keeping me off the ledge while I wait.  By the way, you can make this with figs if you'd like as well, I linked this to my fig bars which is close but not quite.  This one is my favorite.

Tracy's Date Squares

Filling
1 8oz bag of chopped dates
1+ cup of liquid -> I use about 1/3 orange juice and 2/3 water to start with and add more as needed
1 scant tablespoon sugar
vanilla (as we know I use vanilla bean paste but you can use regular vanilla)
pinch salt

Base
1 heaping cup a/p flour
1 heaping cup oats
1 scant cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 scant cup butter

Quickie instructions:
Cook dates in liquid until they are soft and most of the liquid is gone.  Add more liquid as it simmers if you need.
Mix dry base ingredients then mix in butter till crumbly.
Press half the Base mixture into a lined 8x8 pan.
Spread date filling on Base
Crumble (from a height) the remaining topping loosely on date filling and bake at 350 for 20-30 mins.
Cut into as few pieces as possible so you get the largest possible serving.
Eat.

Long, commentary with pictures, version of instructions:

Put dates, sugar, vanilla, water, orange juice and salt in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until the dates are very soft and squishable against the bottom with a spatula.  I find I add extra water as they cook.  You want dark, thick and I like some texture.  I do whisk the mixture but there's pieces of dates still identifiable.  You can blend smoother if you prefer.  Leave the filling aside to cool down and assemble the base.

  
At a boil and some shots a few minutes later, you can see how much darker and thicker it gets
  
If your dates aren't "squishable" soft at this point, just add a little more water.  Once it's soft enough, I whisk it around to smooth it out a bit but you can see there's still date pieces.  That's a personal preference, smooth it with a blender if you need. Take it off heat and let it sit there until the crust is ready.  It doesn't have to be cold, room temperature or slightly warmer works just fine.
  
Spray a 8x8 and I put a strip of parchment on the bottom because I like to remove the whole thing in one piece.  Mix the dry ingredients for the Base and then blob the butter on top.
  
Mix with your fingertips until you get this beautifulness.  Tip half into the pan and press it flat.
  
Spread the filling on the base and top with the remaining crumble mixture, don't pat it down, we want it loose and lovely
  
Pop it into a 350 oven and bake until it's browned and set, about 30 minutes.Oh, see how the topping puffs and becomes one delicious piece.  Oh this is going to be good.
  
Ok, so I remove the date squares, in one piece, out of the pan after it's rested about 15 minutes and transfer it to a rack and leave it to cool completely then cut...the eat.
  I
I hate the waiting.....so I didn't...
  
I ate it, warm

  

I love these.  Go make them, they are easy, delicious....and I am dying to hear what you think of my little version...I'll wait, maybe I'll have a warm date square while I wait...  mmmmmmm

/enjoy