Well, once in my cooking history I killed the yeast because the liquid was too hot. I bought a new thermometer today. And--last evening I made a batch of blueberry muffins (I had taken a short ride to a neighbor's stand and spent $3 on fresh berries so I really wanted the muffins to come out well). Immediately after placing the muffins into the oven I started to clean up from the mixing. I was floored when I found the measured oil had not been included. I was certain I had just wasted my time and money but I decided to try to add some oil right then. I grabbed the muffins out of the oven and then drizzled a little bit of oil onto each muffin, which had already begun to solidify from the short burst of heat. I used the handle of a spoon and mixed the oil into the stiff batter as best I could, without mashing the blueberries. Then I returned the muffins to the oven. I didn't know how to adjust the cooking time because of the time out of the oven, so I sat on a kitchen step stool and watched the muffins cook until I decided to test one. Sent them back for 6 more minutes and then sampled one as soon as it was cool enough not to burn my mouth. I wouldn't offer tham to company, but they really are acceotable. I had used double the amount of berries and the extra moisture might have helped.

Yes, I have successfully frozen pizza dough, just recently a couple of weeks ago. I drizzle some olive oil in a heavy duty zip bag and spread it around with my fingers then plop in the ball of dough, seal it well, label it and put in the freezer for several weeks. Thaw completely in the refrigerator when ready to use. Last weekend I made the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes recipe and used some of the dough to make a pizza - very good! That dough keeps in the fridge for a week, and I have more storage in my fridge than in the freezer, so I will be using that recipe for my pizza dough in the future.

There is a LOT of science on this subject of chilling cookie dough in the refrigerator. When you leave the dough in one total amount (bowl, plastic bag, etc.) there are a lot of interesting things that happen, and results because of them. -The flavors have a chance meld together. -The flour has a chance to hydrate. -The fat has a chance to solidify. -You will get a darker color because the sugars (which are hygroscopic) have a chance to absorb liquid, leading to more Maillard Reaction (browning) when baked. -There are also changes to the texture of the dough. Chill it too long and it will dry out. The drier the dough, the more concentrated the sugar will be; which can mean the higher percentage of sugar can make that soft texture attribute turn to chewy or crispy. -If you make the dough balls in advance (which is a good choice), rather than chilling the whole recipe of dough in the bowl/bag, you won't require as long in the refrigerator because of the smaller amount of dough. The longer you chill the dough balls, the more you risk the dough drying out - especially in a frost-free refrigerator - which is a naturally dry environment. So shorten the time when you chill the dough in small portions. -Be sure to cover the dough or portioned balls well so they don't absorb any odors from other items in the refrigerator. Be mindful not to store potentially smelly foods in the refrigerator the same day you are chilling your cookie dough. [As an aside, be sure to taste a fleck of any butter you are using in cookies. If you happen to store a strong-flavored food close to where the butter was stored, it can absorb the odor and affect the flavor of the butter. I once judged a "perfect" cookie, until I tasted it. It tasted like onions, which had been stored, cut and uncovered, in the refrigerator next to the butter she used to make the "perfect" cookies.] -Even as little as 30-minutes in the refrigerator can make a difference. You'll get more browning and less spread the longer you chill the dough. As the dough dries out even more, the longer you chill them, you'll get more concentrated flavors. -Chilling also allows the gluten to relax. Too much gluten development in cookies = tough cookies, so the chilling will aid in preventing that. -Due to the presence of raw eggs in dough, refrigerator dough can also become a place for bacteria to grow, especially if you don't have a refrigerator that keeps the temperature colder than 40°F. Refrigeration only slows down bacteria growth, it doesn't prevent it. So it will be important to make sure you don't add large amounts of warm/hot foods to the refrigerator because it will cause the temperature to warm to an unsafe food temperature for a prolonged period of time. It takes a long time for the internal temperature at the core of a large portion of dough to reach a food-safe temperature colder than 40°F, so I would suggest dividing the dough either into smaller portions like cloudy_christine suggested above, or into individual portions. And definitely, don't be sampling the raw dough if you have it refrigerated for several days just because of an increased risk of bacteria growth due to raw eggs and potentially poor temperature control. -Grainlady

I offer you the best date cookies ever -- totally addictive!! At first bite, they may not seem impressive, but oh! my. As I find them absolutely irresistible, I try not to make them in the first place, lol. A Christmas tradition at my house. FABULOUS DATE NUGGETS SIFT together: 2 cups all purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon baking soda pinch of salt CREAM: 2 sticks unsalted butter 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon ADD: 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla ADD: flour mixture in two batches STIR IN: 1/2 cup finely chopped dates 1/2 cup lightly toasted pecans, finely chopped CHILL 2 hours or overnight OVEN: 350* Line cookie sheet with parchment Roll level teaspoons of dough into balls and place 2" apart BAKE: 10-12 minutes til set and lightly golden edges COOL for 5 minutes then sift over Confectioner's sugar to coat. Let cool completely. Store in layers with waxed paper in airtight container. ************************************************************ A dear friend brought these for the library book and bake sale several decades ago. I bought her out after tasting one -- and did so every year after. Unfortunately she moved away, so I am now forced to bake them myself. Worth it!! =)