Historically, libraries would accept donations, sort through them and keep only the ones they wanted, the rest they would either sell off or just throw in the trash. (Selling them off requires storage space, publicizing and holding the sale, etc.)
Libraries have started becoming something other than repositories of dead trees (paper books), so I've heard they're less receptive to donations.
A curated collection is something else, but that generally requires a cash donation to support the curation process. The John G. White collection in the Cleveland Public Library has several hundred thousand books on two subjects, magic and chess, but it also has an endowment that supports several staff members.
It was my birthday on Friday, so last week Will made a chocolate layer cake from Claire Saffitz's book, Dessert Person. He used her brown butter cream cheese frosting and added the chocolate from her chocolate version. It was really good - very, very chocolaty - one of my co-workers said he went into a chocolate coma (I had taken half to work). It was Will's first layer cake - he may have over mixed a little - the KitchenAid can need some getting used to.
This morning he made Sourdough blueberry pancakes on the Baking Steel on the grill. We used chocomouse's syrup and had Canadian bacon. yum!
He wants Claire's carrot cake for his birthday in two weeks.
Kimbob--My arm was well on its way to recovery after the initial 36 hours. Like Chocomouse, I believe that the shot was incorrectly situated, and that is why I had the arm issues. I did have some fever, headache, and head congestion, as well as a bit of nausea, over the first evening into the next day. (For reference, I got my shot at 8:30 a.m., EDT.) Some of the fatigue may have been because the arm pain kept me awake that night. It was not terrible. I just spent most of the Sunday after getting the shot propped up on the couch with a blanket.
It's an exciting week for bakers with Passover having started, Easter arriving. Spring also means holidays for other religious groups. Of course, with Covid-19, gatherings are still restricted, but we can see a future now where we can gather.
As promised to my husband, I made Cornmeal-Rye Waffles for Palm Sunday breakfast, using the recipe in King Arthur’s Whole Grain Baking (p. 21). I replace the butter with 1/3 cup canola oil, which I stir into the batter after the rest is mixed. I also halve the salt. I used half Bob’s Red Mill fine stone ground cornmeal (which is no longer in their product line) and half BRM medium stone ground cornmeal. Other than additional crunch, the change did not alter the recipe, so next time, I will try it with 75% medium, with the idea that I will eventually try 100%.
We ate our waffles with maple syrup we bought from Chocomouse's family's operation. Our dog is also fond of waffles (but we do not give her maple syrup) and gets little bits, especially crispy edges. Waffles almost make her forget last night's thunderstorm.
I baked another adaptation of Ellen’s Buns on Saturday so that we could have sandwiches with some of the leftover roast chicken. I realized that it has been over a year since I pulled out this recipe, probably because it is my go-to recipe for when we travel, which we have not done in this continuing time of pandemic. My changes involve working toward at least half whole wheat flour (1 ½ cups), incorporating flax meal, replacing the butter with olive oil, and replacing ¾ cup of the water with buttermilk. I increased the buttermilk by 2 Tbs. (to 7 oz.) to account for the increased whole wheat flour. I replaced the 2 Tbs. sugar with 1 Tbs. honey, and of course I reduced the salt by 25%. I used just 2 tsp. yeast. The taste is excellent, and they have the soft bun texture we prefer.
I am baking just for us, so I won't make my Hot Cross Buns until later next week. (I promised my husband waffles for Palm Sunday.) It sounds as if you are having a great time being back in the kitchen, Skeptic.
On Friday morning, I baked another batch of Maple Granola.
In the afternoon, I baked my Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers from dough I made earlier this week. My husband, with only a little help from me, went through the last batch in a week and a half. It is not possible to work ahead of the Snack-o-saurus, or even keep up, since he finished the crackers a couple of days ago.
Our library no longer has book sales: they kicked the Friends of the Library and their used books out of their space. (The pretext was a very real mold issue that developed in the lower level, but I note that the Friends were not given any of the cleaned and renovated space.) A couple of years earlier, they kicked the historical society and its exhibits out of a different space. The idea seems to be to have meeting rooms, etc., but some of those activities would be better at a community center.
I am going to make a renewed effort to cook and bake from more of my cookbooks this year.
I made Cauliflower Soup for lunch on Thursday and over the next few days. The recipe comes from No Salt, No Sugar, No Fat Cookbook. The cookbook dates from when “all fat is bad” was in ascendance. Today, I altered the recipe and first sauteed the onion (half the amount specified) in some olive oil, then added the garlic before adding the broth and the cauliflower. Some whole wheat flour and 1% milk are added later. The taste is more mellow with the change, so that is how I will make this soup in the future.
I also made chicken broth from the yesterday's roasted chicken bones.
Aside from having a number of editions of The Joy of Cooking (IMHO the best ones were the ones in the 40's), I seldom have much interest in a new edition of a cookbook.
I am willing to make an exception for the upcoming 3rd edition of Hamelman's bread book, though.
Hm--I bought a box at the start of the pandemic to assure that I could bake the occasional Grape Nuts bread (my husband's favorite), but I had no need to buy a box recently.
Might there be a barley sourcing issue? I'm still flabbergasted that Bob's Red Mill dropped barley from its product line, especially since barley can play a part in regulating blood sugar and reducing cholesterol, so it would seem to be a fit with the company's emphasis on health. I started using it because I like the taste, and it works particularly well as a partial substitution for AP flour in cakes. (It is also crucial for my crispbread recipe.) The reply I received from Bob's Red Mill mentioned sourcing and equipment as reasons but without additional details.
I had seven remaining Winesap apples that needed to be used, so Wednesday morning, I was checked out “apple cake” at Smitten Kitchen and found “Mom’s Apple Cake.”
mom’s apple cake
Although it calls for six apples, I decided that seven small Winesaps would work. I do not peel my apples, and that usually works well in cakes, so I did not peel these. I tweaked the recipe slightly by substituting 1/3 barley flour, by weight, for that much AP flour. I used King Arthur as the AP flour, since the gluten would take a hit from the barley substitution. I also added 2 Tbs. Bob’s Red Mill Powder to the flour mixture. Deb Perelman says her family never uses the walnuts (her Mom cut this recipe out of a woman’s magazine a long time ago), but I like walnuts with apples and knew it would give the cake some texture. I have a dark, heavy one-piece tube pan, so I reduced the temperature to 325F. I baked it on the second rack up in my oven—the usual position for breads and large Bundt cake pans—and baked for 90 minutes. As the recipe states, I let it cool completely in the pan before running a spatula around the edges and inverting it onto a plate. (It came out cleanly. The trick is not to let any of the apple coated sugar-cinnamon pieces touch the sides of the pan when assembling the cake for baking.) We each had a slice for dessert tonight, and it is excellent. I'll definitely bake it again next apple season.
I made chocolate chip cookie bars. I spread half the dough in a 9 x 12 pan, then poured on a bag (11 oz) of caramels melted with 4 tablespoons of heavy cream (yes, I removed the plastic wrap from every one of those caramels!!) over the dough and spread the remaining dough on top. I needed to use up the caramels to get them out of the kitchen. Next time, I'll just make a thick caramel sauce. These are really good! Chewy gooey.
I am so sorry for those of you who are having symptoms from your shots. That’s miserable. I hope you are all on the mend soon.
I had my 2nd Pfizer shot 3 weeks ago and while my arm was sore I chalk it up to the nurse. My first one was high on my arm (had to be my right since my left was recuperating from the surgery). The nurse was a nursing student at the local college, and I never even felt it touch my skin on the way in or out. Second shot was from a school nurse, I think it was lower and it was like she jabbed me - it hurt the minute it touched my skin. When I had my physical, my doctor said the majority of his patients had minor symptoms for both, some had more severe, but so far none really bad. One of his patients was in the Pfizer trial and found out she was given the vaccine (much to her relief).
I had one friend who was sure he was going to be really sick with his second, but wasn’t.
Be sure to drink lots of water before, They recommend not taking pain medication before the shot, but can after. After more water, ice and rest should all help, we were told.
Holy crap, chocomouse and BakerAunt! Husband and I getting our 2nd Pfizer shot Friday. Better get it in my left arm and maybe draw a dot where it should go in (like I know). Hope you feel better.
Thank you for posting that link, Banneton. I did read the article, and I do think that may be what is making my arm so sore. And BakerAunt's issues sound similar to mine. I took a good look at that area of my arm in the mirror, and I see how close to the top of my arm/shoulder the injection was - it is closer than 3 inches below the top. So, I suspect the injection may not have been into the deltoid muscle but perhaps into the shoulder capsule. Not having a medical degree (ha!) so not making a diagnose here, but -- I bet the intense and long-lasting pain is due to the injection and not the vaccine. I am feeling a little better today, less pain, less heat, less swelling. Pushing the vacuum cleaner around the kitchen floor for 20 minutes and then mopping for 15 minutes was my limit this morning. BakerAunt, I hope we'll both be back to kneading bread in a few more days!
