[BakerAunt]

I made Crispy Oven Fish and Chips with Dill Tartar Sauce for dinner on Wednesday. The cod we found at Aldi's is especially good. I also made Buttermilk Coleslaw to go with it, using the smaller of the two farmers' market cabbages that I still have.

The temperature went above freezing today, for the first time since last Thursday. Temperatures are supposed to soar into the upper 40s tomorrow. The lake froze, but with the warmer temperatures and wind, it may not last. We still saw a few ice fishermen out, and we also saw a couple of ice boats near the shore.

[BakerAunt]

I love the Elizabeth Alston scone and biscuit cookbook, Aaron.

Mike--It's always special on that first bake with a new pan!

On Tuesday, I baked my Rustic Sourdough Whole Grain Bread in a Cloche again. Instead of an overnight rest period for the levain, I shortened it to four hours to see how that changes the flavor. I also added an extra ¼ cup of water at the start, which made mixing easier, but it still needed another tablespoon of water when I added the salt after incorporating the whole grains and allowing them to rest for 15 minutes. I increased the second rise from 35 to 40 minutes and once again spritzed with water. I baked covered for 52 minutes at 425F, starting with a cold oven. It tested at 195F after that time, so I returned it to the oven for another minute. Once again, it is a lovely rustic loaf.

[BakerAunt]

We finished up the leftover pork loin, butternut squash, barley, and kale combination that we had for Christmas dinner, so I will have to cook tomorrow.

[BakerAunt]

I suspect that the writer of this article has never darkened the door of a kitchen to bake but remembers a parent or grandparent using "healthy" margarine in the 1970s and 1980s.

I think that the higher butter prices are another consequence of the difficulties in the dairy industry. I did buy a pound of butter at a reasonable price in November, since I use small amounts of it in some recipes.

Also, flour did still go on sale this holiday season, and some good prices were to be had by the careful shopper.

[BakerAunt]

Some speculation: I think the ingredient is also used in Springerle cookies. They usually are allowed to rest overnight in order for the design to set before baking. Perhaps once the ingredient is mixed in, like baking powder, it performs its function, which may or may not be about rising.

[BakerAunt]

For Christmas dinner, I made Pork Loin Roast with Barley, Butternut Squash, and Kale. We also had homemade applesauce. The roast came from a regular farmers' market vendor, and while it was more expensive, the quality impressed me. The kale also came from our farmers' market, as did the garlic I used. The butternut squash was one of the odd big ones that grew from a seed that was supposed to be honey nut. It had a very long, thick neck--about 12 inches, and a smaller bulb at the bottom where the seeds were. It cooked deliciously. If we had room, I'd be tempted to save some seed and plant it again.

Dessert was a pfeffernus for me, as we decided to cut the pumpkin pie at lunch.

[BakerAunt]

I think that the non-melting sugar I used on my Pfeffernusse was 2019, and it was fine. My sparkling sugar is probably as old as yours, but I bought it in a bag, then moved it to two empty sparkling sugar containers I had saved, so I have no idea how old it is, only that it works! We shall see if the pearl sugar, which is at least six years old works when I try it on a recipe this weekend.

The rum balls sound delicious.

[BakerAunt]

Aaron--I will post the pumpkin puree recipe in the next couple of days. Once you see how easy it is, you will wonder why you never did it before! Violet will need your help to cut the pumpkin in half horizontally. After that, she can probably handle it herself with a little supervision.

[BakerAunt]

Merry Christmas, everyone! We have our first white Christmas since moving here in 2017--about two inches on the ground, enough to be decorative, and the cold weather keeps it intact.

[BakerAunt]

I baked a pumpkin pie on Saturday for Christmas dinner tomorrow..

[BakerAunt]

Christmas Eve dinner was Salmon and Couscous with Greek Seasoning and microwaved frozen peas. For dessert, we had an array of cookies and little cakes from which to choose.

[BakerAunt]

On Friday, I baked Cranberry Pistachio biscotti and sprinkled it with red, green, and a bit of white decorating sugar.

On Friday evening, I baked a half recipe of my beloved Pfeffernusse. It is not Christmas for me without that cookie. It is the one cookie that I still bake with butter. They last well, so I spread out eating them over a longer span of time. A special thanks to Italian Cook for recommending Frank and Sal as a source for candied citron!

It was good to stay inside and bake cookies today. We only got about two inches of snow, but the temperature was -10F to -2F today.

[BakerAunt]

Enjoy your free time, CWCdesign.

I made yogurt on Friday. We had leftover pizza for dinner because I forgot to thaw the salmon. I moved it to the refrigerator tonight after dinner, so it will be ready for tomorrow.

[BakerAunt]

Ok--this is the one I was thinking about. It uses cardamom cookies. I remember regretting that I cannot bake these butter-rich cookies:

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/mid-century-modern-cookie-house

It's at Epicurious, so there may be a paywall when you go to the site after two or three visits.

[BakerAunt]

I must not have posted the link. I did some googling and found a cookie house. It has some tips that might also help with building gingerbread houses:

[Author]

Posts