[BakerAunt]

Cookies satisfy better than cupcakes because they have "chew" to them. A large cookie is also more easily shared by breaking off a piece.

I'll have to look online to see if the cookie craze has hit South Bend. My town is too small to support either establishment. At the farmers' market, I mostly see pies, cakes, and muffins, with the occasional M&M cookies.

[BakerAunt]

On Saturday, I baked a recipe from Stanley Ginsberg's rye blog, "Anise-Fennel Loaves/Ragkakor (Sweden)," which I have wanted to try for some time. I made a few swaps by using buttermilk rather than whole milk, using the special gold yeast (and thereby reducing the instant yeast by half), and replacing the 50 g of butter (about 4 Tbs.) with 3 Tbs. avocado oil. I altered the mixing by proofing the yeast in the warmed buttermilk and light corn syrup before mixing in the medium rye flour with the salt and seeds. While the paddle was running, I drizzled in the avocado oil. I was unable to knead this dough in my 7-qt. Cuisinart, which is a problem that comes up for me repeatedly with some of these heavy rye breads. The spiral just makes a hole in the center, and no amount of repositioning the dough solves that problem. So, I removed the dough from the machine and kneaded it for 10 minutes. After the first rise, shaping, and second rise, I used a bamboo skewer (he says a chopstick or fork) to poke holes over the surface of each of the four small loaves. I used a 1 ¼ inch biscuit cutter to cut the center out of each one. I baked them for 20 minutes, taking the small baked centers out at 15 minutes, then baked another 90 seconds, as they were not quite to temperature. The shape is reminiscent of a large, flattened on the bottom bagel. I'm planning on having one either for breakfast tomorrow or for lunch.

Here's the link to the recipe in case anyone is interested. Note that these are 100% medium rye"

Anise-Fennel Loaves/Rågkakor (Sweden)

[BakerAunt]

I roasted a butternut squash on Saturday and made Curried Butternut Squash soup for lunch by adding a cup of turkey broth, ½ tsp. Penzey's Now Curry, and about 1 Tbs. yogurt to it. Stick blenders are great!

Dinner tonight will be the leftover chicken, napa cabbage, and farro "fusion": stir-fry.

[BakerAunt]

We had leftover pork and sweet potatoes accompanied by a salad made with lettuce and spinach that my husband has grown on our enclosed porch with the Grow Lights.

[BakerAunt]

I baked Pumpkin Oat Muffins for breakfast on Thursday. I made the recipe as six large muffins and froze five for quick breakfasts. In the afternoon, I baked my Lime Pecan Biscotti, using the last of the limes from this past year.

[BakerAunt]

I had bought some napa cabbage at the farmers' market--a new ingredient for me. I decided to improvise a stir-fry dinner using it on Thursday. I started with an online Martha Stewart recipe for "Stir Fried Chicken with Bok Choy." I had leftover chicken from the one I roasted on Sunday, so that cut the preparation. I sauteed chunky mushroom slices and chunky pieces of a yellow bell pepper in avocado oil. I then added the sliced napa cabbage and cooked it down before adding the leftover chicken. I adapted the sauce by replacing rice wine vinegar (which I do not have) with white wine vinegar and increasing the light brown sugar from 2 tsp. to a full tablespoon. Instead of using fresh, I mixed ¼ tsp. garlic powder and 1/8 tsp. ground ginger into the sauce. I almost forgot to add the water, since Martha Stewart recipes never list it as an ingredient but only put it in the instructions. I whisked in 4 tsp. cornstarch, since I was not doing the step of dredging uncooked chicken breast in it. My stir-fry then took on a "Fusion Cooking," vibe when I stirred in some cooked farro (1/2 cup dry before I cooked it). My husband is not an adventurous eater, but he really liked the meal, so I will be making it again.

[BakerAunt]

Happy Birthday, Joan!

[BakerAunt]

My husband pan cooked pork on Wednesday, and I roasted sweet potato chunks to go with it. We also had microwaved frozen peas and carrots.

[BakerAunt]

Like Joan, I baked a pie on Tuesday, but mine was an apple pie with crumb topping. I have enough Winesaps for one more pie.

[BakerAunt]

On Tuesday, I cooked bulgur in broth again, but this time I mixed it with sauteed celery, red bell pepper, and sliced mushrooms. We had it with more of the roasted chicken and microwaved fresh broccoli.

I also made yogurt on Tuesday, using my new ChefAlarm, which arrived yesterday. It was much easier monitoring the temperature of the milk as it was heating and holding for ten minutes, and I also used it to monitor the temperature until the milk had cooled enough to be added to the starter yogurt. I am pleased with it, so thanks to Mike Nolan and CWCdesign for their recommendations. It has made my life much easier.

[BakerAunt]

We had leftover roast chicken, bulgur cooked in chicken broth, and microwaved frozen peas.

[BakerAunt]

We need a Challah thread!

[BakerAunt]

I roasted a chicken for Sunday dinner and also roasted sweet potato chunks. We had it with microwaved frozen peas.

[BakerAunt]

Over proofed dough can sometimes be punched down and allowed to rise another time (not as long), but as Mike notes, it will not rise as high. I have done this with a set of loaves when we did not get back from a walk in time.

I usually get my lame wet when slashing breads. It seems to help.

Skeptic--I will post the oat cake recipe. They do require Bob's Red Mill Scottish oatmeal, which has a different texture from rolled or steel-cut oats. I adapted the recipe from one on the bag to avoid the butter. These are only faintly sweet, and people biting into one the first time usually expect more sweet. They are somewhat like a cracker. They would do well with cheese, and I also like a smear of jam on them, but plain is fine as well.

[BakerAunt]

For breakfast on Sunday, I made Cornmeal-Pumpernickel Waffles. I froze the leftovers for quick breakfasts.

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