[BakerAunt]

Did he sift the powdered sugar before using it? When I want a smoother texture for a cake, that is what I do. For sweet rolls, I do not usually bother.

[BakerAunt]

On Monday, my husband pan cooked boneless pork ribs on the stove top. I roasted Russet potato wedges tossed in olive oil with a bit of salt. Microwaved frozen peas completed the dinner.

CWCdesign--I've made the sourdough chocolate cake, and it is delicious. Will is becoming quite the baker!

[BakerAunt]

CWCdesign--I have often used dark rye in place of medium rye. As long as you use the same weight, I would think that you would be fine. Possibly the dark rye might require a little bit more water.

[BakerAunt]

On Monday, I baked another batch of Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers. Although I baked a batch last Wednesday, they are almost all gone, since my husband as well as the younger son both enjoy them equally. I only made this dough on Saturday, and usually I allow it to ripen for about a week in the refrigerator.

I also baked my version of the soft oatmeal cookies from Jenny Can Cook, as well as Ellen’s Buns as 16 rolls. Most of today’s baking, as well as the Cinnamon Pecan Biscotti from yesterday will travel with the younger son who leaves tomorrow to drive back to Colorado. I do not want him to get hungry on the way! 😊

It was wonderful having all three kids visit this summer.

[BakerAunt]

Hurrah, Joan!

I baked Cinnamon Biscotti on Sunday. It’s a KAF recipe—back when KABC was KAF, and they sold cinnamon chips. I tended to buy bags whenever I needed to make a shipping minimum, so I have a large stash in the refrigerator. Unfortunately, the cinnamon chips, like all candied chips, are high in saturated fat. I went ahead and used the full cup in this recipe because I will send any remaining ones with my younger stepson when he starts his drive back to Colorado on Tuesday. I replaced 1 ¼ cups of the 2 ¼ cups of AP flour with white whole wheat, so these are slightly healthier.

On Sunday evening, I baked sweet rolls with some blueberry pie filling that I had frozen. For the dough, I used the base recipe for the KABC Cranberry Orange rolls. However, I had a bit too much water in the dough and did not catch it, so the rolls are not that well-formed, although the glaze helps hide it.

[BakerAunt]

Sunday dinner here is leftover turkey-zucchini loaf, leftover Greek Pasta Salad, and microwaved fresh broccoli. I am glad for the easy dinner, as we had a high temperature of 88F. Our area could also use some rain.

[BakerAunt]

My current bag of yeast was opened about a year and a half ago and has no problems. My gold yeast is even older and performs well. Sometimes bread just does not do what we expect it to do. Humidity or dryness can affect the flour. I found that I get a better oven spring just by setting the oven to preheat 25F higher, then dropping the temperature once the bread goes in.

[BakerAunt]

Skeptic--I am doing the same thing with all the pumpkin that I froze, so that I can make room for more pumpkin! My issue is that it has been so warm that most items baked with pumpkin or any other fruit or vegetable will only last a day or two, so I end up freezing some of it to pull out later.

[BakerAunt]

Are there fresh apples available in your area, Skeptic?

Saturday was a busy baking day. I baked Buttermilk Whole Wheat Grape Nuts Bread, a favorite of my husband, who has been hinting he would like it. I also made the dough for another batch of Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers.

[BakerAunt]

On Saturday, I made a Greek Pasta Salad—riffing on a recipe from the blog Olive Tomato by adding a purple and a brownish red bell pepper and using green onion tops We had it alongside leftover potato salad for dinner. I made my Zucchini-Turkey Loaf with Peach Dijon Mustard glaze for the entre.

[BakerAunt]

Auto-correct has sabotaged you, CWCdesign! I will post the recipe either today or tomorrow. I will post it with my changes, but will add a note about what the original recipe does. The cod I used was packaged cut into squarish pieces; it would work well for a fish fillet sandwich that would be scrumptious with the Tartar sauce.

[BakerAunt]

Joan--be sure to bake something particularly yummy to celebrate having your oven in working order again.

I made a new recipe for dinner on Friday: Crispy Oven Fish and Chips with Dill Tartar Sauce. The recipe was one featured in an email or online from the now closed Chefs Catalog. I used a pound of cod and adjusted the proportions accordingly. It called for toasting the panko used for breading the fish. As the fish only bakes for 15 minutes, that gives a nice golden crust. I also cut my potatoes into long wedges (large Russets into six each). The tartar sauce is exceptional. It uses mayonnaise, dill, minced dill pickle, lemon juice. I did not use grated onion, but I did use ¼ tsp. of Penzey’s roasted onion powder. The sauce was a hit with both the visiting son and my husband, as well as with me. I had only made a one-third recipe of it, but I might make a half recipe next time I make it for more than two people. It says a lot when dedicated ketchup eaters will consider tartar sauce as well.

I was hoping to post a link to the recipe, but with Chef's Catalog gone, so is the recipe. If anyone is interested, I will post it at Nebraska Kitchen and note my changes.

[BakerAunt]

Congratulations to you and your wife, Mike!

I made a batch of yogurt on Thursday. We have leftover potato salad and roasted chicken thighs for dinner tonight, which we will accompany with microwaved fresh broccoli.

[BakerAunt]

Happy Anniversary, Joan! 50 years is quite an accomplishment!

Skeptic--I wear my nicer aprons for my less messy kitchen endeavors. Last night, for the blueberry pie, I wore a dark multi-striped one that I knew would hide any blueberry juice! Of course, I sometimes forget to put on an apron, which is why I need a row of hooks on which to hang my collection....

[BakerAunt]

We are suddenly getting a lot of tomatoes. The green beans are still producing. My husband has picked three of the small honeynut squashes (small butternut squashes). We still have a spaghetti squash-pumpkin hybrid on the vine (one we picked when the vine died). Also, a couple of more have started but are unlikely to achieve ripeness before a freeze.

My husband picked some of his carrots. They are very short.

Some bell peppers have turned orange--maybe red is next? We still have a lot of green ones.

[Author]

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