[BakerAunt]

I treated myself a couple of years ago to the Zatoba, which is the wooden handled holder with screws to hold the razor blade that King Arthur was selling.

I agree with Mike that the dough often seems to be the issue on any given day. I am also a timid slasher and am trying to be more of an aggressive one.

I've been using the top of my long cake/cupcake holder to cover longer loaves while they rise. I never had much luck with saran, as it would stick to the dough and deflate it, although I did try spraying the saran to prevent it, and that helped.

[BakerAunt]

Good news, Mike!

My husband received his second shot of the Moderna vaccine on Thursday. I received my first shot of the Pfizer vaccine on Saturday. Why the difference? My husband went to the next county, after having difficulty signing up in ours. That site was a Knights of Columbus Hall. I was able to sign up in our county, and the site was the hospital, which would have the ultra cold freezers the Pfizer requires. So, I go back for the second shot in just three weeks.

Side effects have been limited for both of us. There is some discomfort at the injection site, but neither of us found it troublesome. I found that I became tired faster toward evening and was climbing into bed at 10. I also woke a couple of times and was too hot under the covers but cooled down with the covers off and went back to sleep. After I mentioned it, my husband realized he had similar responses. On the whole, I had no more discomfort than what I sometimes have with a flu shot.

[BakerAunt]

I roasted a chicken for dinner on Sunday. I also roasted peeled, cut-up sweet potatoes, and we had microwaved frozen peas.

Shorty is a cutie, Kimbob. Our dog, Annie, has been guarding the oven since I put in the chicken, helping my husband as he carves it, and will be eating more once we sit down. She is also fond of sweet potatoes.

[BakerAunt]

Dinner on Saturday was Salmon and Couscous, seasoned with dill, and microwaved fresh broccoli.

[BakerAunt]

Great looking bread, Kimbob!

[BakerAunt]

I made another batch of yogurt on Saturday.

[BakerAunt]

I had about 1 ½ cups leftover millet from the bread I baked earlier this week that I needed to use. I googled “recipes using cooked millet” and found a couple of candidates. For lunch on Friday, I decided to try Millet Breakfast Skillet,” from the blog Cook the Story, by Christine Pittman. I needed to make some changes. I only had half the millet, so I cut the recipe in half. I also did not have any ham to add. I did not have a nonstick frying pan that I would trust in a 425F oven, nor do I have a cast iron pan. So, I pulled out a 9-inch Emile Henry tart pan to use. I replaced the shredded cheddar with some shredded mozzarella that needs to be used up. I also added 1 Tbs. Penzey’s Sunny Paris to give it some flavor. I baked it for 20 minutes, then I sprinkled Parmesan on top and baked another three minutes. The result is tasty, in part due to the Sunny Paris. I will keep this recipe around for the next time I have leftover millet. The ham would be nice.

Here's the link: https://cookthestory.com/millet-breakfast-skillet-recipe/

It would be worth buying a small cast iron skillet to make this half recipe. It would require a 7-inch one.

[BakerAunt]

For breakfast on Friday morning, I baked Oat Bran Apple Date Muffins, a recipe that I developed from “Oat Bran Fruit Muffins,” a recipe that appeared in The Los Angeles Times food section many years ago. My version increases the oat bran by half, replacing that much flour, and uses white whole wheat flour. I also reduced the baking powder and use buttermilk rather than nonfat milk. I omit one of the two eggs and do not add grated orange pieces. I used a small traditional Winesap, which I did not peel. I used a tip from a Washington Post recipe to grind the oat bran in a food processor before using to prevent baked goods from drying out. I baked these as six jumbo muffins and froze three for quick breakfasts (just thaw on counter the night before using). I have an early morning vaccination appointment tomorrow, so I will have one for breakfast that day.

[BakerAunt]

We had some of the glazed cake tonight for dessert. It is a tender, light cake. It has a lot of the blood orange flavor. I will definitely bake it again next year when blood oranges are back in season. However, I would cut the glaze recipe in half.

[BakerAunt]

I made my healthier version of my Mom’s hamburger stroganoff for dinner on Wednesday night. We eat it over a mixture of brown and wild rice combination. We had microwaved frozen peas as well. Tonight, would normally be a leftover meal from last night, but my husband receives his second Coid-19 vaccine shot tomorrow, and it will be dinner time when we return home. So, tomorrow will be leftover stir-fry, and Friday will be leftover stroganoff.

[BakerAunt]

I had three more Blood Oranges to use, so I tried a new recipe that came in a Nordic Ware email that featured citrus recipes:

https://www.nordicware.com/recipe/blood-orange-loaf-cake/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Citrus Recipes&mc_cid=06f057c0c2&mc_eid=da940b452d

The recipe also let me use up a scant ½ cup of almond flour that has been sitting in the freezer. I made no changes to the recipe, even using the olive oil. I was concerned that the batter nearly filled the pan, and I was irritated that the recipe said not to fill it more than ¾ full. I went ahead with all the batter since I know from experience that oil cakes do not rise that much. I treated the pan with a new batch of the pan grease. I checked the cake at 40 minutes, and it was not yet done. It tested done at 45 minutes. I let it cool for ten, and then IT DID NOT WANT TO COME OUT OF THE PAN! I managed to get it out, but a chunk stuck on either end. I was able to remove it and plop it back onto the cake. The warm syrup that is brushed onto it should keep it in place. Tomorrow it gets an additional glaze.

I assume that I did not get those two spots greased vert well, although it was odd that it was the exact same spot near each end. The cake does not have much gluten, with 3/4 cup AP (Gold Medal), 1/2 cup almond flour, and 1/3 cup semolina, so it is delicate.

I'm looking forward to tasting it for dessert at dinner tomorrow and will report on it.

[BakerAunt]

Len--Actually, you didn't make that big of an error. Back when I wanted to substitute maple syrup for 1/4 cup honey, I googled it. There is more water in maple syrup than in honey. Here's the substitutions;

1 cup honey use 3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup honey use 1/4 plus 2 Tbs. maple syrup
1.4 honey, use 4 Tbs.

Also, maple syrup is not as sweet as honey, so you can increase the sugar slightly, so adding a bit more sugar if you want more sweetness is the way to go.

When I'm substituting for 2 Tbs. honey in bread, I usually do a 1:1 substitution, but for 1/4 cup, I would go with the given ratio.

[BakerAunt]

Yes, the pour spout does drip a little. I always set the Mason jar on a saucer, just in case. It probably pours out a little too much syrup at a time.

Is your syrup dispenser the one on the KAF sale page? It reminds me of one my grandmother had. I think she used hers for molasses. I am tempted to buy it.

[BakerAunt]

I made stir-fry for dinner on Tuesday. I used the leftover pork, the de-glazing from when the pork was cooked, celery, green onion, carrots, red bell pepper, mushrooms, broccoli, and soba noodles. I do not like this new brand of soba noodles that Kroger now carries. Today was the second time I have used them, and they came out a little better, but they are still too soggy. I will try decreasing the cooking time further. The brand Kroger originally carried were made in Japan; these are made in China.

[BakerAunt]

One additional note on swapping olive or canola oil for butter in cakes. You will want to mix the wet ingredients together, then stir in the dry ingredients, being careful not to overmix. Otherwise, you will get a tough cake.

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