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On Wednesday, I baked two loaves of my Pumpkin Rye Whole Wheat Bread.
I also made dough for Hot Cross Buns and shaped them to rise overnight in the refrigerator. I will bake them tomorrow morning.
I made maple granola on Tuesday.
For lunch on Tuesday, I made soup, using the last Autumn Frost squash from the winter farmers' market. I roasted it, then pureed it in my small food processor. I cooked it with 1 cup of frozen broth from the freezer. As the squash is not as sweet as the butternut squashes I prefer, I added about 1 Tbs. maple syrup, along with 1/2 tsp. Penzey's Now Curry. Two tablespoons of half and half, and the soup was done. I ate half today and will have the other half tomorrow.
I also made yogurt on Tuesday.
On Monday, I baked a Pumpkin Snacking Cake for deserts this week.
I'm planning to make my Hot Cross Buns on Wednesday or Thursday.
I helped my husband with a deer fence around a new tree planting area on Monday morning. Afterwards, we hiked around the woods with the dog, and I noticed that the garlic scapes were all over the woods, so I pulled up some, brought them home, washed them, and put them in a glass with water until I was ready to make dinner. For dinner, I cooked black-eyed peas with a meaty ham bone from the freezer. I added them to sauteed celery, red bell pepper, and garlic scapes, along with the ham from the bone and cooked brown rice. I added 2 tsp. of Penzey's roasted onion powder and some black pepper. We will be eating it throughout the rest of the week.
Aaron--I do not know if you have found a brisket recipe that you like, but Smitten Kitchen had this one on today's weekly email:
With Easter and Passover approaching, it should be an interesting week of baking!
For Sunday dinner, I made coleslaw and Sloppy Josephines, which we had on thawed Len's buns from the freezer, along with the leftover sweet potato.
I made clam chowder for lunch on Saturday, with enough to last into the next week I replaced 1/2 cup of the 2 cups of 1% milk with some half and half that I had left over from another use.
For dinner on Saturday, I made our old staple, Salmon, and Couscous with Greek Seasoning. We also had microwaved fresh broccoli.
For dinner on Friday night, I tossed sweet potato chunks in olive oil and roasted at 375F for 45 minutes. We had them with leftover rotisserie chicken and microwaved frozen peas.
On Friday, I returned to the kitchen and baked Lime Pecan Biscotti.
The wedding was April 4. I baked the two layers for the cake on March 31, wrapped them in saran. I made the frosting that day and put it in a sealed plastic container for the journey. I was able to find a 9-inch ceramic cake stand at a local shop. Although it said "Treat Yourself" on the edge, the 8-inch cake board covered it nicely.
I assembled the cake on April 3. I had a problem with the frosting, which I could not get to be spreadable. It was a fight, even with a crumb coat to get it on smoothly, and the sides were not as smooth as I would have liked. Belatedly, I have realized that I should have brought along a larger bowl to re-whip the frosting, in order to incorporate air. I feel like an idiot for not figuring this out earlier.
However, the cake looked great, and I had the top nicely smoothed, which was good, because the cake-topper was long and thin (a cut out from a thin piece of wood), so everyone would be looking at the top.
The bride and groom said it tasted great! I also received compliments on how it looked. (Whew!) It was slightly challenging for them to cut because they were using one of those wedding knife and server sets, which are just not that great, but they managed to produce slices that looked like slices.
I had bought a pair of cardboard cake boxes (Celebration) from Michaels and used one to box up the cake for them afterwards. I could only get 12-inch (unless I wanted to buy 25 8-inch boxes!) As the bride's mother and I were trying to figure out how to keep it from sliding around (I had used a Tupperware dish without a lid on the way over), I spied commercial coffee filters in the reception hall kitchen. We set the cake on one, pushed up the sides around it, then wadded a couple filters around the sides for stability.
Sorry for the delayed response, CWCdesign. We arrived home last night after driving to Colorado for my younger stepson's wedding, then driving back.
I love the Emile Henry long baker. I always grease it with Crisco, then coat with cream of wheat (farina) and have had no sticking problems. I particularly like it for the King Arthur Pompanusuc Porridge bread.
I also own the Flame Top baker, although I never use it on the stove top. I have used it for baking the King Arthur Dutch Oven rolls, and they turn out so soft inside with a slightly hard crust. I want to try baking a bread loaf (again, King Arthur has recipes). As long as you grease the Emile Henry and coat with farina, it does fine. (Semolina tends to burn.)
Some other items I noticed that I bought from KABC but are on Breadtopia:
I'm a fan of dough rising buckets (also at KABC). Breadtopia has 2-qt. and 6-qt. but not the useful 4-qt size, which works well for a 2-loaf recipe.
They have an offset bread knife. I use mine for slicing biscotti. I also like it for round loaves. The offset protects the knuckles of your hand! There is a shorter and a longer one. I own a longer one.
I own the Extra Big and Large Timer. Actually, I have two. The keys on the older one (probably 10-12 years old?) have become harder to press, so I bought a second one (and will keep using the other as well until it bites the dust). It is loud enough that I hear it no matter where I am in the house.
I have an infrared thermometer, which I use to check the skillet when making English muffins.
The oven gloves are nice. I have a black pair from KABC. I use them all the time, as I find it easier to get a grip on pots and pans.
I would be tempted by the tortilla presses.
I hope you find some items that you can use and enjoy.
I just got back in town, and I am musing about my next bake.
I enjoy reading about pizza experiments. My husband does not want me experimenting, as he really likes my sourdough pan pizza. I am musing about making an artichoke heart mozzarella one for me for lunches one of these days.
We had rotisserie chicken and potato salad (from a Walmart) and microwaved fresh broccoli after we arrived home and unpacked the car, having returned from my younger stepson's wedding in Colorado.
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