BakerAunt
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I have not tried the self-cleaning on my Wolf oven of 1 1/2 years ownership. It has the high-heat oven self-clean, so I am wary. I will have to try that vinegar trick. I also recall using a baking soda paste (with water) to clean my Thermador after getting the control panel repaired, although I was cautious with the self-clean before that, perhaps using it once a year, and not doing it for the recommended three hours, which was not needed.
We had some turkey liquid drip off the foil onto the oven bottom, but after I later made pizza, I was able to wipe it off.
One of the busiest times of the holiday season for oven repair is the Thanksgiving-Christmas period. According to a salesperson at the appliance store, she saw many ovens, of various brands, where the locking mechanism, which kicks in when the self-clean is on, would then not unlock.
For lunch on Friday, and for the next three days, I baked the Spaghetti Squash and Parmesan Cheese Quiche from Ken Haedrich’s Harvest Baker (188-189). I make some changes to reduce the saturated fat. First, I used my buttermilk oil crust. As it is a savory pie, I delete the sugar from my recipe, use olive oil rather than canola, and replaced the whole wheat pastry flour with barley flour, as well as using white pastry flour for the rest. I got the crust too thin on the Emile Henry 14x4 ¾-inch ceramic long tart pan, so it stuck on the bottom during the par-baking, and I ended up sticking the wet dough back and putting the dish back in the oven for another 5 minutes. I also sprinkled panko across the bottom to try to absorb any excess moisture from the filling. For the quiche itself, I used a gold spaghetti squash I bought in October at the farmer’s market that had developed a spot and needed to be used. I replace the 1 cup half and half and 1/3 cup heavy cream with 1 1/3 cup low-fat evaporated milk. For the topping cheese, I used some pre-grated low-fat mozzarella. As always, it comes out delicious, which makes it worth the four hours from start (making the crust and baking the spaghetti squash) to finish (pulling it out of the oven).
Haedrich’s recipe calls for a 9 1/2x1-inch tart pan, but I do not have that size. The rectangular Emile Henry tart dish is 2 inches deep, and I think the higher sides prevent disaster, although I still bake the tart on a rimmed baking sheet. I have my eye on a deep, round Emile Henry ceramic tart pan at Williams-Sonoma, but the company has gotten chintzy on free shipping offers, so I am undecided about buying it. The company wants people to buy a $90 yearly membership to receive free shipping, but I only buy from them perhaps once a year.
I made yogurt on Thursday. Dinner was delicious leftovers from last night.
We are having cold weather—in the 20s and 30s—so for dinner on Wednesday, I made Pork Loin Roast with Barley, Butternut Squash, and Kale, based on a recipe from Cook’s Illustrated. I replace the Swiss Chard with kale, and I had organic kale from a farmer’s market vendor from last Saturday, which is delicious. The butternut squash, a commercial grocery purchase, was not particularly sweet, which was disappointing, but the meal still came out well, which my changes to the directions. We have enough for two more meals—just in time for the expected 50F temperatures on Friday.
Those buns look great, Len.
For dinner on Monday, I made that skillet Chicken Thighs with Broccoli and Orzo (based on a NYT recipe and readers’ suggestions for improvement). It was all the better for the organic broccoli I found at the farmers’ market last Saturday. We have enough left for dinner tomorrow.
I baked my Wholegrain Fresh Apple sheet cake today, using some of the Winesaps we bought last month. I used a 13x9” Pyrex baking dish since apples can take the finish off of the USA pans when the cake is left in the pan. Instead of buttermilk, I used some kefir that has been sitting in the refrigerator (bought back when I could not find buttermilk). I have also revised my technique by whisking in the sugar with the wet ingredients.
I made dough for my Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers on Monday. I will bake the crackers either at the end of this week or start of next week.
When we went to Walmart last Thursday, I was looking for matches--which I never found--and in the canning section found a display on an upper shelf that had regular Ball canning lids! I bought two packages.
Here's the Los Angeles Times Christmas Cookies; half are gluten-free, and half are vegan.
After looking at them, I shall pass.
What I really want are my splendid butter cookies--rolled sugar cookies and shortbread--which had to go when I needed to restrict butter in my diet to a tiny amount. I am planning on baking Pfeffernusse, which still require a stick of butter but make enough long-lasting cookies that I can eat one a day and into the new year. Of course, my plans for that last year did not count on my husband--who says he does not care for them--eating them at a greater rate than my one a day.
If I can find my springerle molds, I have an oil-based ginger cookie that is delicious. We are still in disorder because the contractor working on the annex has not been back for two months, so what would be over there is piled in the house, and I'm not sure we will even have a place for a Christmas tree. Let's see how much he and his crew accomplish when they return in the coming week.
I might bake the KABC rye-spice cookies.
No thinking is needed here either: we are having leftover pizza, along with spinach salad with cherry tomatoes and fresh organically grown broccoli from yesterday's farmer's market.
I baked the pumpkin sweet rolls that I shaped and let rise overnight in the refrigerator on Sunday morning for breakfast. They are my most delicious version of this recipe.
My husband and the dog finished up the bread for lunch on Sunday, so I baked two loaves of my riff on Len’s Semolina Rye Rolls recipe.
On Saturday, I needed to use up about a cup of pumpkin, so I made up the dough for my adaptation of King Arthur’s Pumpkin Swirl Sweet Rolls. My recipe has more whole grain, some calcium fortification, honey instead of brown sugar as the sweetener, a bit of buttermilk, and 3 Tbs. avocado oil replaces the 4 Tbs. butter. I also use Special Gold yeast. I had to omit the crystalized ginger in the filling as it bothers my husband’s digestive system. I shaped the sweet rolls, covered with saran, and will let them rise overnight in the refrigerator to be baked tomorrow morning, then glazed.
Dinner tonight was Salmon and Couscous with Greek seasoning and microwaved fresh broccoli on the side.
My mother once made her turkey tetrazzini when she had people over for dinner (yes, in those days, it was an acceptable invite people to dinner entree) and later found the turkey she was going to use in the refrigerator. So, it works with just the mushrooms and almonds! 🙂
After much turkey—my husband had the last of it for a sandwich at lunch—dinner on Friday was my sourdough pan pizza topped with homemade pizza sauce from our garden that I had frozen, Canadian bacon, mozzarella, mushrooms, green onion, red bell pepper from our garden, and black olives on my half. We had it with a salad of wonderful spinach from the farmers market and cherry tomatoes from the grocery store.
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