BakerAunt

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  • in reply to: What are you Cooking the Week of January 15, 2023? #38073
    BakerAunt
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      I made our favorite buttermilk coleslaw on Sunday, using the last cabbage I had from the fall farmers' market. We will have some for dinner, along with ham sandwiches on Pompanoosuc Porridge Bread. Dessert will be some of the pumpkin cake I baked yesterday. We got a good price on the ham. Some will be used in sandwiches, and some will be frozen for future meals.

      in reply to: Noma shutting down #38067
      BakerAunt
      Participant
        in reply to: What are you Cooking the Week of January 8, 2023? #38060
        BakerAunt
        Participant

          Count me, as well, Mike, as an admirer of your snow peas and stir-fry.

          For dinner on Saturday, I roasted chicken thighs. I also roasted potatoes, cut into pieces with their skins, tossed in olive oil, and sprinkled liberally with Penzey's Chicago blend. I warmed up the rest of the butternut squash that I roasted last week to complete the meal.

          in reply to: What are you Baking the Week of January 8, 2023? #38059
          BakerAunt
          Participant

            On Saturday, I baked oat cakes, which are about the size of a fifty-cent piece and somewhat like a cracker and somewhat like a not that sweet cookie. Both my husband and I enjoy them, either plain or with a bit of jam spread on top.

            I also baked my Pumpkin Pecan Bread again, but this time I baked it as a small Bundt cake.

            in reply to: Noma shutting down #38047
            BakerAunt
            Participant

              I can see why that restaurant concept would not be sustainable. I find it hard to keep up when I'm baking my own crackers and making my own yogurt! Some of the sourcing extended, I read, to the pottery bowls used.

              in reply to: What are you Baking the Week of January 8, 2023? #38046
              BakerAunt
              Participant

                I baked my Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers on Thursday from dough I made last week.

                in reply to: What are you Cooking the Week of January 8, 2023? #38045
                BakerAunt
                Participant

                  Joan--Your husband does not know what he is missing!

                  Mike--Glad to hear that Diane is on the road to recovery.

                  For dinner on Thursday, I made salmon and couscous with Penzey's Greek seasoning. We also had microwaved frozen peas and carrots.

                  in reply to: What are you Cooking the Week of January 8, 2023? #38034
                  BakerAunt
                  Participant

                    Best wishes to Diane, Mike, for a quick recovery.

                    I had a bag of cranberries in a refrigerator drawer that I needed to use, and after sorting out the bad ones, I had about a cup. I also had half an orange, left over from the Julekage I baked last week. On Wednesday evening, I used them to make Jane Brody's Cranberry-Orange relish. I make a couple of changes in that I increased the sugar for the half recipe to ¼ cup, as 1 ½ Tbs. is not going to cut it, and I do not have orange liquor to add. This recipe used to be my go-to for cranberry relish before I found the cherry-cardamom cranberry relish that is now my favorite. I will use this cranberry relish as a stir-in with my morning yogurt, a topping for toast, and a little on the side for me when we have chicken.

                    in reply to: Dietary Restrictions Cartoon #38033
                    BakerAunt
                    Participant

                      My doctor did not even mention diet and wanted to go straight to statins. After nearly four years of trying on my own to do it with diet and exercise, I faced the truth that I could not lower it more than 25 points, which was not enough. I still follow the way of eating that I worked out for myself so that I can take a lower dose. While my husband missed the chocolate chip cookies (as do I), he was pleased to have his best numbers yet.

                      Most health sites start off by saying that toast with cinnamon can substitute for a cinnamon roll, or that a piece of fruit makes a satisfying dessert. Get real. Nutritionists who develop recipes focus on the "health" and rarely have the culinary experience to turn out a recipe that tastes satisfying.

                      I am not pleased with having to eliminate some recipes that I really liked--and that makes holidays, particularly Christmas, challenging. I miss sugar cookies and being able to use my vast collection of cookie cutters.

                      I have been able to adapt certain recipes, and I actually prefer my oil-buttermilk crust to the butter crust I used to bake for pies. It has been trial and error because. there is no resource for low-saturated fat baking. I have, on a couple of occasions, suggested to King Arthur that they consider developing recipes in that category, but they remain on the Vermont butter train. I would be more understanding of that choice, but given that they went all in on gluten-free, keto, vegan--and it is nice for those who need to or choose to follow those eating modes--I would think that they could spare some attention and development time for those of us who need to restrict saturated fat, which is likely a larger group, and probably one of the reasons so many people give up baking. I skim their weekly recipe emails; rarely, is there a recipe I can bake or even adapt to my needs.

                      It would be nice to have suggestions all in one place. I learned how to bake excellent oil-based cakes after reading some discussions in the old Epicurious/Bon Appetit emails (before they erected the paywall). I worked out oil substitution for butter in some recipes by googling it, reading different sites, and personal experimenting. I think it was Chocomouse who suggested 2% evaporated milk in place of half and half and heavy cream, and that allowed me to make the occasional quiche.

                      I will keep on experimenting, but in my frustration, I see the frustration of a lot of people who probably just give up because the resources are so scattered.

                      in reply to: What are you Baking the Week of January 8, 2023? #38032
                      BakerAunt
                      Participant

                        Joan--I always stir the hooch back into my sourdough starter as well.

                        On Wednesday, I baked pumpkin biscotti (Skeptic's recipe). I also baked a loaf of Pompanoosuc Porridge Bread in my Emile Henry long baker.

                        in reply to: What are you Cooking the Week of January 8, 2023? #38022
                        BakerAunt
                        Participant

                          For me, for dinner tonight, I baked my Roasted Beet, Greens, and Greek Cheese Flatbread, but as I only had four small beets, I roasted chunks of butternut squash when I roasted the beets for the flatbread and used about half of it on the flatbread. The squash is a bit bland, but that works well with the assertiveness of the beets, and the color is lovely. The original recipe uses spinach, and I have used beet greens in the past, but the few beet greens I had went bad before I could use them. I used 5 oz. of kale, and it worked well. My husband had leftover farro with turkey, vegetables, and mushrooms, with some of the roasted butternut squash on the side.

                          I plan to do more experimentation this year with different toppings for the flatbread, which is very much like a cracker.

                          I also made yogurt today.

                          in reply to: A Ban on Disposable Plastic Tableware in the UK #38017
                          BakerAunt
                          Participant

                            My farmers' market bag is a large Patagonia tote, which is particularly handy when I am buying pie pumpkins in the fall. Dirt wipes out easily. I also have a smaller tote that I use for items that I want to avoid getting crushed. As the winter continues, I have less need for the large bag and sometimes take the smaller one. Two of our vendors use "tunnels," so last week I was able to get a large bag of spinach and a large bag of kale, as well as some turnips, although the tops of the turnips were shot due to that sub-freezing period we had. There are still some squashes available, although that vendor did not have an overly successful squash crop this year. Garlic, onions, and carrots were also available, as is beef and pork. One vendor now sells lamb.

                            in reply to: What are you Baking the Week of January 8, 2023? #38014
                            BakerAunt
                            Participant

                              On Monday, I baked my version of Ken Haedrich's Pumpkin Soda Bread from his cookbook, The Harvest Baker. I had baked it last year for the first time, with changes, and we like it a lot. I replaced 2 ½ cups of the AP flour with King Arthur's Irish Whole Meal Flour and used medium grind Bob's Red Mill cornmeal. I reduced the salt by half. I increased the pumpkin to 7.5 oz. I use part of an egg rather than just the egg yolk. I also replace 4 Tbs. butter with 4 Tbs. olive oil (last year used avocado oil) and add 2 Tbs. Bob's Red Mill milk powder. I baked the two loaves on a sheet pan, so the rise was not high. They are somewhat like giant drop biscuits. I might try them in 7 or 8-inch cake pans next time. I might also cut the buttermilk back slightly, However, the taste and texture are wonderful.

                              in reply to: What are you Cooking the Week of January 8, 2023? #38013
                              BakerAunt
                              Participant

                                I made pea soup on Monday for the first time this winter. It pairs well with the Pumpkin Soda Bread I baked.

                                in reply to: A Ban on Disposable Plastic Tableware in the UK #38008
                                BakerAunt
                                Participant

                                  I have heard of people who carry their own chopsticks.
                                  '
                                  I started by using canvas bags in 1990 for grocery shopping. We later switched to some from World Wildlife Fund, as they stand up while being loaded (like paper sacks and unlike plastic bags), and I have a couple of REI ones that I have used for years. I also have some foldable ones--including a couple from King Arthur that my sister sent me for Christmas one year--that I can carry in my purse.

                                  At the farmers' market, I bring some net bags for holding my produce. We use the plastic produce bags at the grocery, but those bags are reused by us.

                                  Department stores are not fans of "bring your own bag," perhaps because of theft concerns.

                                  Mike makes a good point about TSA. Aaron also makes good points about kosher utensils.

                                  Most "street food"--the original "to go" food--developed so as not to require utensils.

                                Viewing 15 posts - 1,591 through 1,605 (of 7,636 total)