I baked a new recipe this evening, Applesauce Cake with Cream Cheese & Honey Frosting, which I printed from Tasting Table last fall, as a cake that I could make that is low in saturated fat:
https://www.tastingtable.com/cook/recipes/applesauce-cake-recipe-cream-cheese-frosting
I made two changes: 1 substituted 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour for 1 cup of AP flour, and I used ½ tsp. fine sea salt. I used only 2 tsp. cinnamon and 2 tsp. ginger. I also baked it in an 8x8-inch square pan after working out that this square pan has almost the same area as a round 9-inch pan. We will cut into it tomorrow. Although the frosting looks delightful, I will leave it off. (An ounce of cream cheese has 6g saturated fat, so the frosting would have had 36 g plus whatever is in the sour cream. The cake by itself has about 10g.) We have some low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt, and I plan to serve pieces with it.
I had the marinara done by about 3PM, plenty of time to make the lasagna and have dinner ready by 6, but my wife decided soup sounded better. (And I make a pretty good potato-leek soup.) I still need her to decide what to put in the lasagna. I've got spinach and ricotta cheese for one layer, I'll brown some ground beef for another layer and mozzarella will go on the top, she still needs to decide if she wants mushrooms in it or not.
I've never seen anything about needing to test metal pans made in the 20th century for lead. Anything glazed, like ceramic, yes. I've seen one site that said to test glass pans, but their source didn't seem reliable.
Older non-stick pans can have stuff flake off, but that's a separate issue. I've been avoiding non-stick pans for years anyway, because they don't stay non-stick for very long. The non-scratchable ones (eg, with the green ceramic coating) are said to be safe, but we don't have any of those.
I tried a new recipe on Tuesday afternoon, “Quinoa-Pumpkin Seed Granola,” from that Better Homes and Gardens special issue reprint of Cut the Sugar (p. 69). I made one change in that I replaced ¼ cup flax seeds with ¼ cup sunflower seeds, since humans cannot get the benefit of whole flax seeds. The finished granola has a good flavor. I was surprised that the recipe specifies refrigerating it, but maybe the quinoa needs that even after being baked.
I baked the granola directly on the baking sheet, and there was some sticking. If I make it again, I would spray the pan to prevent sticking. (At least the pan washed clean easily with a brief soak.)
Italian Cook--Chocolate always helps in difficult times!
On Monday, I baked a new recipe, Millet-Sunflower Bread, from King Arthur Flour’s Whole Grain Baking (pp. 202-203). I made a few changes. I replaced the orange juice with an equal amount of water, I deleted the 1 tsp. dark sesame oil, and I replaced the 2 Tbs. of vital wheat gluten with an equivalent amount of first clear flour. (I recall Cass telling us that first clear flour is the same thing as vital wheat gluten, so I thought, why not?) I reduced the salt by ¼ tsp., and I used active yeast. I was nervous about this recipe, as it only calls for 1 tsp. of yeast, but since it has longer rising times, I decided to forge ahead.
I proofed the yeast in the water with the honey. I then mixed in the millet I cooked yesterday. I weighed it to be certain I used the correct amount. I mixed together all rest of the ingredients, but I held back the salt and the olive oil. I did that to give the yeast more time to get going during the 45-minute rest after the initial mixing. At the end of the 45-minute rest period, I sprinkled in the salt and added the olive oil, then mixed it together with the paddle before switching to the kneading hook. I initially had to keep stopping the mixer to get the dough pushed together, but once it did, I kneaded for 4 minutes until I was satisfied with the texture.
Both the first and second rising times corresponded to what the recipe states. The bread baked into a beautiful loaf. I baked it to 200F, rather than th3e 190F. We cut into it for lunch on Tuesday, and it is a wonderful bread. The millet gives it a sweeter tasted than the 1 Tbs. of honey would have, yet the flavor is not overpowering. It is a perfect bread for any sandwich, and I will bake it again. This recipe makes it worth my while to keep a small bag of whole millet on hand
Italian Cook: Here is the chart I use:
https://canolaeatwell.com/ask-judy-canola-oil-and-baking/
I do a bit of "guesstimating" with smaller amounts.
On Sunday afternoon, I baked another new recipe from the King Arthur 200th Anniversary Cookbook. It’s the Basic Quick Bread, and I baked the Spicy Applesauce Bread version (pp. 90-91). I used the smaller amounts of oil and brown sugar. I substituted 1 tsp. boiled cider for the vanilla, and I added 1/3 cup of quick oats. I did not add the nuts or raisins. I baked the batter in three mini-loaf pans (coated with THE grease), and it took 35 minutes. These have nice rise, especially given that they are half whole wheat. We will sample them on Monday, since quick breads are usually best if allowed to sit for a day.
Note: Note: The spice combination is excellent. However, the breads were slightly dry. Next time, I’ll omit the oats I added or else decrease the flour slightly.
It was a good day to bake, since it has been snowing all day. Tomorrow should also be a good baking day.
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This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by
BakerAunt.
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This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by BakerAunt.
For Sunday’s breakfast, I tried a new recipe, “Cornmeal-Rye Waffles,” from KAF’s Wholegrain Baking Book (p. 21). I made a half recipe, and I replaced the melted butter with 4 Tbs. oil, which next time, I’ll try with 3 Tbs. oil. My husband and I liked these waffles, especially with dark maple syrup from Vermont Country Store. The half recipe made 8 squares after I cut apart the doubles that my Belgian waffle maker produces. I baked up the last 2 Tbs. of batter for the dog, who did not feel my husband shared enough of his two with her.
I still have some limes from my lime tree in the refrigerator, and they are starting to yellow, although they still have juice. In paging through King Arthur Flour’s Whole Grain Baking, I came upon a recipe for “Sunny Citrus Squares” (pp. 363-364) that uses ½ cup citrus juice—lime, lemon, or combination—along with zest. The only issue for me was the 6 Tbs. of butter in the crust. I decided to use the guidelines for the oil pie crust that I’ve baked from the KAF 200th Anniversary Cookbook and see if I could modify the crust.
I used 4 ½ Tbs. canola oil in place of the butter, and I replaced the 3 Tbs. of orange juice in the crust (meant to cut the whole grain flavor of the spelt flour) with 3 Tbs. buttermilk. I whisked the buttermilk and oil together, before combining with the flour, using a fork. I followed the rest of the recipe as given, although I used a bit of water to reach the ½ cup of lime juice. It baked up well. As the recipe states, I will refrigerate it overnight. I’ll add a note tomorrow after we have it for dessert.
Note: The bars are delicious. I did have some shrinkage of the crust, so some of the topping flowed over and got beneath the crust. Next time, I will refrigerate the crust for an hour in the pan before I bake it, since my oil pie crust recipe says that doing so will relax the gluten and prevent shrinkage.
I don't know if I will have so many limes this year. Usually we put the lime tree in the apt., which we keep cool, but with the house renovation and our living in the apt., it got too warm and the lime tree bloomed early, but inside there are no pollinators.
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This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by BakerAunt.
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This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by BakerAunt.
I have Sara Moulton's Shortbread biscuits cooling as I type. They're for the freezer until I have strawberries to go on them. Here's a recipe of hers that similar to the one she was publishing a decade or longer ago. I use 1-1/4 c. cream & 3 tablespoons sugar (I use half white Splenda & half sugar). And I reduce the salt to 1/4 teaspoon. https://saramoulton.com/2013/04/cream-biscuits/
I roasted some sweet potatoes with olive oil and maple syrup on Tuesday, and we had it with sliced turkey breast that my husband had roasted, with steamed broccoli on the side. On Thursday, I used some of the cut-up turkey, combined with celery, carrots, onion, the drippings from the turkey breast, Parmesan cheese, and spinach noodles to make a one-dish dinner. I seasoned it with ½ cup poultry seasoning. (Thyme or sage would also have been nice.)
My family ate only Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, and we were never impressed with any baked macaroni and cheese. The Kraft was also cheap and quick when I was in graduate school, and sometimes I would mix it with hamburger for a main dish. My husband would buy cheaper brands--yuk. I then started making my own, using KAF's Vermont Cheese Powder, a bit of Land o' Lakes light-butter canola spread, and 1% milk, on whole wheat macaroni. It's good, but it will never be Kraft. However, this lower-saturated fat version, works better for my current dietary needs.
I wish that I knew more about what spices go with what. My husband is not a fan of assertive spices, and so I tread carefully there. However, for the black bean chili I made earlier this week, I used 2 tsp. chili powder, 1/4 tsp. cayenne (older), and 1/4 tsp. ground cumin. I like the flavor combination and will use it again.
Mike, one of the most interesting uses of spices that I have found is in Moroccan cooking. I discovered this when learning to cook in my tagine, and I thought I would not like the spice combinations. Common in those recipes (usually chicken and vegetables) are garlic, paprika, cumin, turmeric, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg. The flavor is quite different, but very good.
My mother had quite a few herbs and spices in her pantry, but I think her spice repertoire was fairly limited. I like to experiment with a lot of spices, though I've found a few we don't care for, like winter savory. I don't use a lot of nutmeg in savory dishes, I do use a lot of thyme, basil and parsley. I tend to limit oregano to tomato dishes, though I've found myself using its cousin, marjoram, with meat dishes more lately, especially in any recipe that called for garlic. I also use either mustard powder or Dijon mustard more than I used to, and the same with sage. Rosemary is something I use in small quantities, as it can be overpowering. I don't use a lot of paprika, though I have several types I use sparingly. (I like either smoked paprika or hot paprika on deviled eggs, my wife doesn't like any paprika on hers.)
Dinner tonight was rigatoni with Italian sausage, big chunks of belle peppers and onion, and home-made tomato sauce. One of our favorite meals.
I will eat only one kind of mac and cheese, and it is the most simple process possible: boil macaroni pasta to the desired "al dente"; stir in one can of condensed tomato soup (do not dilute), then add cubed Velveeta cheese, to the desired cheesiness. My kids and grandkids love it, and call it "soup and noodles and cheese". My brother and sisters laugh at me. It is what our mother made, but not often. She also used a can of tomato soup as her spaghetti/marinara sauce! We didn't have any herbs or spices in the house, other than salt and pepper, which were rarely used. You might wonder why my siblings and I love to cook/bake and are all good cooks!!!
Something like beef, macaroni and tomato might work for you.
This is kind of a long-standing family joke. My best friend in college (and best man at our wedding) used to work as a short order cook at a Hot Shoppe on the New York Thruway during the summer. We were roommates for a while, too.
He once offered to make his beef, macaroni and tomato recipe for us. It starts by browning 25 pounds of ground beef. 🙂
Long time Lincoln residents tend to reminisce about the baked macaroni and cheese that they used to have at the cafeteria at Miller & Paine, a department store later acquired by Dillards, but now gone. The local Runza restaurants have what they say is the original Miller & Paine recipe, but I don't think it's quite as good. They also have the Miller & Paine cinnamon roll recipe, which does appear to be pretty close to the original. Of course, Runza pairs it with chili, as EVERYBODY in Lincoln eats cinnamon rolls with chili.
But I was raised on the Kraft version and still like it, though I like to add things like ground beef. We used to add a package of frozen chopped broccoli, it was nutritious and relatively cheap back when that was a major issue. (We tried adding tuna fish to macaroni and cheese once, it was not a big hit.)
When I was growing up, my mother made mac 'n cheese way too often. It was horrible. Dry, with terrible taste. I could only tolerate her mac 'n cheese during the summer when fresh tomatoes were in the garden. A fresh tomato on top of the macaroni made it tolerable.
Because of so many bad experiences, I've never tried mac 'n cheese as an adult. Once, I made Ina Garten's Four Cheese Penne (or is it 5 Cheese?), and it was good. She has a mac 'n cheese with tomatoes under the bread crumbs that looks good, but my aversion to mac 'n cheese is so strong I probably will never try it.
