fenworth, We've made the TJ cookies tons of times at home using a GE Profile oven (as stated in my original post). We also made them in a Wolf oven at a Wolf center. In both the GE and the Wolf, the cookies come out fairly "normal", even when the dough is completely defrosted (which is not recommended). We did return to Miele, used a different oven in the store, and got the same flatter-than-flat cookies, even with a TJ box that was bought 15 minutes before entering the Miele store. I can't say whether or not the grease filter was installed during cookie baking - as a newbie to the Miele oven, that's not something I would have been aware of (I kind of hope the people working at the Miele center know how to use their own ovens.) Maybe it's this particular Miele store installation, or this particular cookie dough recipe, but there's definitely something different about the way the Miele ovens we've tried bake these cookies.

OK, here's the deal with soft tofu, (if your inspiration for using it is to cut down on saturated fat in recipes). You can use it to create any creamy type application, but bear in mind that tofu will not carry and enhance the flavor components the way cream will. So to compensate, tofu dips, desserts and sauces have to be "spiced up" more than maybe you would do usually. Frankly, this is not a problem for me, I usually love the "spicier" versions of things anyway. Besides being lower in saturated fat than animal based products, whole soy products have a lot of phytoestrogens in them, which have many health benefits in addition to being lower in fat. Also bear in mind that although it is lower in saturated fat, tofu is not extra low in overall fat, or low calorie, so use in moderation like all things. And of course some folks are allergic to soy so can't get any benefits. Some of the allergies can be attributed to the genetic modification (to include herbicide resistence), that is becomeing ubiquitous with soy, so seek out organic, non-gmo soy sources. I couldn't find my tofu chocolate pie recipe. I eat desserts so sparingly that this would not be the kind of thing I would make very often, unless I was going to some kind of party. Otherwise it would languish and get soggy in my fridge, and hog scarce space. However, while trying to find the recipe, I Googled soft tofu and got gazillions of great sounding recipes. Once of my easy peasy favorite things to do with soft tofu is to make tofu pudding tarts. Mori Nu makes various pudding mixes you can combine with soft tofu--like lemon, vanilla and chocolate. If you can't get Mori Nu mixes in your local health food grocery, you could order them online, or just Google for a recipe, there are gads of them out there. In fact, I am linking to one particularly interesting site I found while searching for the pie recipe. I buy those little phyllo cups, fill them with a dollop of the pudding, a dollop of my homeade preserves, and a sprinkling of sliced almonds. Very cute and very easy. But they don't keep, the phyllo gets soggy if you let them sit around too long, so I only make these for parties. Also tons easier than making a custard pudding tart. OK, so with a little Internet sleuthing, I found the recipe I made. But I also found out that unlike back in the 90's when I subscribed to "Vegetarian Times" where the recipe came from, gads more folks are cooking with tofu so there are so many more options! Note: I got this from a blog called "Dewey's Treehouse." I cannot find the real name of the blog's author, but she gives credit for the recipe to Jennifer McLain, from the January 1994 issue of Vegetarian Times. They have a feature called "Recipe Redux" where they pare down someone's favorite high fat recipe. I got a lot of great recipes from that column! The notes are from the blog author, not me. If the recipe ends up with weird symbols, that's from my cutting and pasting. Chocolate Pie After Redux (It can be made up to three days in advance.) Ingredients Crust: *7 oz. chocolate wafer cookies or graham crackers and *2 tbsp. canola oil or melted margarine. (My note: I just make a graham cracker crust following the directions in the Betty Crocker Cookbook. You can use any crumb crust recipe you like.) Filling: * 8 oz. unsweetened chocolate (a box of the supermarket kind is fine) * 2 10-oz. packages silken tofu (The first time I made this, I bought a 19-oz. box of aseptically-packaged silken tofu, because Jennifer insisted that the tofu be the silken type. The second time, I had to use what the supermarket offered, which was soft (but not silken) tofu in 300 g (about 10 � oz.) water-pack tubs. I used two tubs, and it worked fine.) *10-oz. jar blackberry preserves (Jennifer says that preserves made from any red berry (strawberry, raspberry or cherry) will work. You don't taste the particular fruit, it just adds sweetness and texture. The first time, I used a jar of black cherry preserves. The second time, I was again limited to what the discount supermarket had, and I had trouble finding anything in the jam aisle marked "preserves." I settled for a cupful of E.D. Smith Triple Fruit Wildberry spread, which is thinner than normal jam and seemed to work well.) *1 tsp. vanilla extract *1 cup liquid honey (You may think you need to cut back on the honey after putting in a cupful of preserves or jam. However, we tried cutting back, tasted it after blending, and agreed that it did need pretty much close to the whole cupful. Remember, you�re adding a lot of unsweetened chocolate.) Directions Crust (if you�re following the recipe here): Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In blender or food processor, combine cookies and oil or margarine and pulse to make fine crumbs. Press into bottom of springform pan or pie plate. Bake 10 minutes and cool. Filling: Melt chocolate in double boiler or over very low heat. Put remaining ingredients in bowl of food processor or blender and add melted chocolate. Process until very smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides. Pour filling into crust, smooth top, and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight. Serves 12. Per serving: 409 calories, 17 g fat, 57 mg carb. Lpink's notes: Put some berries around the top for some extra style points! Also note, although it may be low fat, this is NOT a low calorie dessert!! But it's very rich so you won't be tempted to eat more than one tiny sliver! This post is getting to be long, I'll post some more recipes later. Here is a link that might be useful: Food Ferret soft tofu recipes

TGIF y'all! Welcome to the newbies and my old friends. Happy Thanksgiving to those up north! Houseguests were last weekend and it was wonderful! They were fabulous and helpful guests, we had a blast! It was good to have the house full again! Tomorrow I've got a chiro session scheduled, a haircut and then the wedding of a co-worker. It should be a nice event. Sunday we're taking MIL out to brunch and then marketing. She's the one who lost her license in August and has gotten a learner's permit (at 90!) to try and retake the test after driving lessons. She's a sharp cookie, she might just be able to do it. If not, we'll have to consider the alternative sources of transportation. The taxi coupons are a joke, everything around here is a $25+ plus fare--one way!! Sunday later afternoon and eve we've got plans with friends and hopefully an activity. We'll see... Happy Birthday Susie! Nancy, I'd love to be in Traverse City this weekend for the festival! Have fun! Maggie- good luck on the sale! Stacy- thanks for reposting the garage sale info, that's good to know! Seagrass- welcome back!!! Crafty/Diane-- where have you been? Enjoying the summer? Glad to see you back here! Annie- enjoy the munchkins, how did the auction go? I hope Amanda feels better quickly! Sharon/chase...who's jason? Sharon/cb--enjoy your paradise! Theresa- photos please to share your beautiful work with us! Pat- enjoy your company! Lorri- cauliflower pasta? Recipe please! velodoug, duane, michael, and anyone else that I missed, take it easy and have a good one!

Here are a couple of our family favorites: SLOW-COOKER ADOBO PORK SANDWICHES WITH ROSEMARY-GARLIC MAYONNAISE 2 cups canned chopped tomatoes, drained 1 Tblsp. brown sugar 1 Tblsp. chili powder 3 Tblsp. red wine vinegar 3 Tblsp. adobo sauce 1 Tblsp. honey 2 garlic cloves, chopped 4-1/2 lbs. pork shoulder 6 sandwich buns Rosemary-Garlic mayonnaise (recipe follows) Toppings: lettuce leaves, tomato slices Process first 7 ingredients in a blender or food processor until mixture is smooth. Cut pork in half, and place in a 5-quart slow cooker. Pour tomato mixture over pork. Cook on HIGH for 8 hours; remove from slow cooker. Cool slightly; shred and serve on buns with Rosemary-Garlic mayonnaise and desired toppings. Yield: 6 servings. Rosemary-Garlic Mayonnaise 1/2 cup mayonnaise 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 Tblsp. chopped fresh or dried rosemary 1 Tblsp. lemon juice 1/8 tsp. salt Stir together all ingredients. Chill. Yield: 1/2 cup. Recipe from Southern Living magazine, Sept. 2001 issue. CROCKPOT CHINESE PEPPER STEAK 1-1/2 lbs. steak (any cheap cut) 2 Tblsp. vegetable oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce 1 tsp. sugar 1 cup bean sprouts 1 cup tomatoes, diced 2 green peppers, sliced in strips 1 Tblsp. cornstarch 2 Tblsp. water 1 large onion, cut in chunks Cut steak in strips. Brown steak in oil. Mix garlic, soy sauce, and sugar; pour over steak. Cook 6 hours on low in crockpot. Turn to high and add sprouts, tomatoes, green peppers, and onion. Dissolve cornstarch in water and add for thickening. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour. Serve over hot cooked rice. LEIGH'S BAKED BEANS FOR CROCKPOT 1 lb. ground beef 1/2 lb. bacon (diced) 1 medium sweet onion (diced) 1 red bell pepper (diced) 1/3 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup light corn syrup 3/4 cup ketchup 1/2 cup barbeque sauce 1 tsp. each: salt, pepper, chili powder 1 Tblsp. mustard 1 can each: pork and beans, pinto beans, navy beans, and white butter beans. Brown ground beef, bacon, onion, and pepper, drain. Put this in crockpot and add the rest of the ingredients. Cook all day on low heat.