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On Saturday, I baked another recipe from Elena Paravantes’ blog Olive Tomato: Authentic Italian Lemon and Ricotta Cookies (no butter).
I replaced half of the AP flour (used Gold Medal) with half white whole wheat flour. I used low-fat ricotta, and I used 7.5 oz. rather than 8 oz., because it comes in a 15 oz. container, and I want to be able to use the other half either to bake this recipe again or to try another. I used a large egg rather than a medium, as large eggs are what I have on hand. I shaped the cookies with a Zeroll #40 scoop (she specifies about a tablespoon each), and I ended up with 29 rather than 25, which is fine by me. I baked them on heavy baking sheets, on the third rack up (somewhat above center).
The cookies are cakey and not too sweet. My husband ate three in a row and remarked that they would make a good snack. They would go well with coffee or tea. I didn't sprinkle powdered sugar over them, but I would definitely do so for a festive cookie plate.
With cooler weather, dinner on Saturday will be Tarragon Chicken, Mushrooms, and Rice, which I adapted from John Whaite’s “One-Pot Tarragon Chicken, Mushrooms & Rice, which he shared with The Splendid Table. I replaced the basmati rice with an equal mixture of brown and a wild rice blend, so I adjust the liquid and the cooking method. I start the rice in the broth in a covered oven pan for 20 minutes, then add the chicken and bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes. We will enjoy it with microwaved fresh broccoli.
I did not write down the instructions verbatim. There were instructions on how to shape the rolls.
It could also be that any problem in the printed recipe was fixed between when I bought my pan and you bought yours. If I locate my original copies, I will compare the two.
I celebrated cooler weather on Friday by baking the Apricot Oatmeal Bar Recipe, but I used Black Raspberry Jam—a jar from 2019, with a bit leftover from the batch I made last week. The only reason I still had jam from two years ago was because we had a bumper crop of black raspberries in 2018. As usual, with this recipe. I replaced the AP with white whole wheat flour and reduced the brown sugar to ½ cup.
Mike--I have the original somewhere, but at the moment, I have what I copied into my baking book:
Night before (7-8 hours) make biga:
2 cups AP King Arthur flour
1 cup water and 1/4 tsp. yeast
(Let sit 4 hours but overnight is best)1 cup water
1 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp. yeast3-4 cups King Arthur AP flour (I sub in 2 cups whole wheat)
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 Tbs. saltThe yeast is proofed in water and sugar, then stirred into biga. Butter and 2 cups flour are added, then another cup of flour, then the salt. Dough is allowed to rest, covered 20 minutes. Knead, adding only as much additional flour as needed for smooth supple dough.
After rising, dough is shaped into rough logs, placed in greased pan, and allowed to rest 15 minutes before shaping.
It bakes after second rise at 425F for 15 minutes or 190F internal temp.
I have that pan Mike and have baked those rolls. As I recall, King Arthur sent its own recipe to use in place of the one that had been on the pan. I haven't baked them in a while. I should put them on my bake in the near future list.
What recipe did you use for the rolls, Mike?
I wanted something crunchy to go with dinner on Wednesday, but the temperatures in the high 80s and the humidity did not inspire me to turn on the big oven. However, I decided to see if I could bake “Onion Parmesan Cracker Bread,” using an individual 10-inch Emile Henry pizza stone and my countertop convection oven. The recipe, by Rosemary Leicht of Bethel, Ohio was entered in the National Festival of Breads (2017) and appeared in King Arthur’s Sift (Fall 2017, p. 9). It may be on the KABC website. I followed the ingredients except for cutting the salt by 25%. My little pizza stone only accommodates a 10-inch, not a 12-13 inch rolled out cracker, so I divided the dough into five pieces rather than four. I found it easiest to roll one out, let it rest 5 minutes, brush on the egg white, sprinkle on the Parmesan, put it into bake (425F for 7 minutes—I lowered the temperature by 25F and cut the time by at least a minute, as I was using convection). While that one baked, I rolled out the next one. I was able to use my “cake lifter” to move the parchment with the cracker on it to the stone, and to remove it, then peel the paper off to reuse for another one. The process went fast and did not heat up my kitchen. The centers are not quite crisp. Next time, I will bake a bit longer. The cracker bread is delicious and went well with the quinoa salad we had for dinner.
I made Ensalada de Quinoa for dinner on Wednesday. The recipe comes from Bob’s Red Mill. In deference to my husband’s onion sensitivity, I replaced the ½ cup of red onion with three sliced green onions. I also omit the cilantro. In its place, I used 1 tsp. of Penzey’s French Country Vinaigrette. I chose this dinner because in this hot, muggy weather, I have no desire to turn on an oven.
Chocomouse--thank you for the advice about covering our blueberry bushes. At the moment, our bushes are only a little over 3 feet tall. I was able to pick a few more blueberries once we returned. I think all the holiday action at the neighbors kept the bird snatching to a minimum. My husband is familiar with shade cloth. We will see what we can prepare for next year.
My husband harvested the first two green beans. He also harvested additional snow peas, although these are not producing as well as in the past. All of the tomato plants have small green tomatoes. the squash plants are taking off, and there should be some blossoming soon. We are hoping for additional rain in a couple of days.
That's a big squash, Janiebakes!
On Tuesday, I made salmon and couscous with Greek seasoning. I again used the countertop oven with excellent results. We also had microwaved frozen peas.
One last comment on fireworks from Breaking Cat News comic strip:
I consider almond milk a waste of good almonds. I enjoy almonds as a calcium snack, so I am sorry that the price is going to increase. I am also fond of almond butter, which I prefer to peanut butter due to the calcium and the lower saturated fat.
The drought in California is devastating.
We decided to leave town with our very sensitive dog to avoid the fireworks. Although our neighbors started with fireworks in the back on July 1, they stopped when requested and agreed to hold off until July 3 and 4 when we would be gone. Originally, we planned to leave early on the 4th, but then the chamber of commerce announced that 3 July would be the show, so we needed to leave early. We spent the evening of July 3 with one of my husband's cousins and his wife. This would be the year that Bloomington had more fireworks than they have ever heard before. (So much for the reported fireworks shortage muttered my husband.) We ended up turning a large fan on high and pointing it at the poor dog. (If a dog could be catatonic, she was.) Things went better on 4 July. My husband had made reservations back in the spring for us to stay at the inn at Spring Mill State Park, which was further away from towns and had a dog room available. We tried to walk her that evening, but somewhere, someone was shooting off something at 9 p.m., before it was even dark, so we got her back into the room, which is nicely insulated from noise, and she passed a peaceful night.
The good parts of the trip were that we were able to protect our dog, we had a great time with the cousins, and I was able to purchase another four pounds of the stoneground cornmeal produced on the Spring Mill working grist mill. These are now safely tucked in the freezer.
The bad part of the trip is the hot and humid weather made it not great for hiking, and we only got in a 30 minute hike this morning, which we had to end because the dog was getting badly overheated. We cooled her down in the inn hotel room before checking out and beginning the drive home. There is a reason we prefer fall and winter in the parks.
I miss being able to enjoy the 4th of July. The fireworks sound like a battle zone, and they go off all over the place. I can't enjoy the town parade anymore either because they are too fond of using all the sirens on every fire engine. I made the mistake of taking our dog once, and she and I both found the sirens painful to our ears. I have not gone to a parade here since that time.
Wow! Great garden, Len!
Our tomato plants started blooming this week, and we have some teeny tomatoes starting. The pepper plants are blooming as well, and the two kinds of squash are getting ready to bud. My husband thinks we may have beans by next week. For some reason, the snow peas are not producing as rapidly this year. The black raspberries on the front terrace continue to produce, so I should have enough for a second batch of jam next week. Some of the blueberries have ripened--we have snagged three but critters (probably birds) have grabbed the others before we can pick them. I am buying bird netting for next year.
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