[BakerAunt]

That's a lot of tomato juice, Mike.

I used tomatoes from our garden on Thursday to make a container of sauce to freeze or use in the next couple of days. I will not have as much to freeze this year, but I expect to have another couple of containers.

[BakerAunt]

Skeptic, I am seriously considering taking you up on the cloche offer. I've always wanted to try using one but had been uncertain about paying full price for an item that I might not use. However, thrift store purchase that benefits animals is a perfect opportunity to experiment.

[BakerAunt]

On Wednesday. I baked maple granola. I also made dough for Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers.

[BakerAunt]

I'm surprised, Skeptic, that the recipe does not call for milk or egg before dredging. I have decided from now on to do a dusting of flour, beaten egg, and then the crumbs. It sticks beautifully.

Wednesday is the first day of autumn, and it has been cool and rainy, very much the kind of day I associate with fall. For dinner, I made a large pot of pea soup with ham (also carrots, celery, and dehydrated onion), seasoned near the end with thyme and marjoram. I also made yogurt today.

[BakerAunt]

I used leftover pork on Tuesday to make a bulgur and vegetable stir-fry. I used celery, carrots, a red bell pepper from our garden, sliced mushrooms, two small yellow and one larger green zucchini. I also used the liquid from deglazing the skillet yesterday.

[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.

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