[BakerAunt]

Thanks for posting these reminders, Mike.

I have a comment on the refrigerator thawing time. When we have let the turkey thaw for a day for each 4-5 pounds, we have ended up with a still frozen turkey, and those were smaller turkeys. This year, we have a turkey over 20 lbs. because it was an excellent price at Aldi's, and we (and the dog) will have no trouble eating it all.

I moved the turkey from the freezer to a pan in the refrigerator before noon today. That is eight days before we will roast it. The Butterball turkey guidelines have the same refrigerator thawing time as the USDA guidelines, but it says that a thawed turkey can rest in the refrigerator for up to four days after thawing, so if it miraculously thaws in the allotted time, which I am certain it will not, it should be fine until we put it into the oven.

I'm interested in knowing if other people have found the USDA and Butterball thawing time in the refrigerator to result in a turkey that is thawed and not still frozen in the center.

[BakerAunt]

Thanks for the detailed report Mike. I've been thinking of trying this recipe, so your report helps. I'll be interested to see if you can incorporate some wholegrain flours.

The Rosetta rolls also use a long rise (a LOT longer than these), as well as refrigeration for a couple of hours before baking. Although that recipe says to rest them at room temperature for 20 minutes after they come out, the next time I bake them, I plan to put them into the oven directly from the refrigerator. That was Cass's suggestion.

The Rosetta rolls do have that thinner crust and the soft interior. Of course, what I am trying to achieve with those is the hole.

[BakerAunt]

I made yogurt on Monday.

On Tuesday, I roasted the large peanut pumpkin that I bought early in October. It was so large that I could roast only a half at a time, and each half took two hours. However, it made lovely pumpkin puree, which I have put into 2-cup and 1-cup containers to freeze. I particularly like the peanut pumpkin in cakes and quick breads.

To go with the last of the roasted chicken thighs for dinner on Tuesday, I cooked some mushroom noodles from Aldi’s and made a sauce using sliced mushrooms sauteed in olive oil, then combined with some flour, low-fat evaporated milk, fresh parsley, and a bit of freshly ground pepper. We also had microwaved frozen peas.

[BakerAunt]

I had some beets from the farmers’ market that have been in the refrigerator bin for a couple of months, and on Monday, I used them to try a new recipe from Ken Haedrich’s The Harvest Baker: “Roasted Beet, Spinach, and Feta Cheese Flatbread.” As my husband cannot eat onions and is not a fan of beets, it will be my lunch into this week.

I used Haedrich's crust but opted for his variation of half whole wheat flour, and I reduced the salt from 3/4 to 1/2 tsp. He makes it in a food processor, but I used the bread machine. I do not know if that made a difference, but my crust was very thin and crisp, like crackers. His recipe called for a pound of spinach; I used the 4 oz. that I have on hand. I also used just 4 oz. of feta (real feta made of goat cheese!), which is about a cup, and the recipe calls for 2 cups. The beets have to be roasted and peeled before using as a topping, so that was an adventure for me, as I have never cooked beets before.

Although he bakes directly on the pan, I lined mine with parchment. The recipe makes two, and he baked one on a lower and one on an upper rack, then switch, for twelve minutes each. I baked one at a time and set the timer for 20 minutes. When I checked at 18, I pulled it out because the edges were getting burned. For the second flatbread, I checked at 15 minutes, then pulled it out at 16 minutes. These flatbreads are a great light lunch or light dinner. They would work well as appetizers as well. I will bake these flatbreads again, so that is one more great recipe from this seasonal baking book.

[BakerAunt]

Italian Cook--based on my experiences with the Rosetta rolls, I suggest using the King Arthur AP and not bread flour for a first try.

[BakerAunt]

Congratulations, Italian Cook on getting your new appliances. And Kudos to your husband for figuring out the dishwasher!

[BakerAunt]

On Saturday I made my first of what will be about five batches of applesauce from apples sold as seconds. I froze two 1-cup containers of unsweetened applesauce for baking.

For dinner, I roasted cut-up red potatoes tossed in olive oil and Penzey’s Mural of Flavor. We had the potatoes with leftover roast chicken thighs, applesauce, and microwaved fresh broccoli.

[BakerAunt]

The only organic orchard in our area came to our Farmers' Market today. I bought a 3 lb. bag of Northern Spy, which I will use for pie, and a mixture of seconds. I plan to make my first batch of applesauce this afternoon, using those seconds and a few of the ones we bought yesterday.

I was also able to buy a beautiful cabbage and some green onion from them.

[BakerAunt]

Glad to help, Len.

Today we drove to Doud County Line Orchard, for our annual apple purchases. We bought a half bushel of Ever Crisp, a peck of old-fashioned Winesaps, and a half bushel of seconds, which was a combination of Ida Red and Doud Greening. I will use the seconds for applesauce. The apples are now in our heated garage, where we keep the thermostat at 39F, although it is rarely that cold in there but still cool. Our area had its first snow this evening, although it is only sticking to rooftops wo far.

[BakerAunt]

I roasted eight chicken thighs for Friday's dinner and for the next several nights. Tonight, we had it with Oat Wheat Flax Buns and more leftover coleslaw.

[BakerAunt]

Len--Did you also use the ATK method of partially pre-cooking the filling? That way the pie is not in as long. Warm filling also means the center cooks evenly. The shorter amount of time means less time for the pre-baked crust edges to burn.

I adapted that technique for my Mom's pumpkin pie. I cook the filling ingredients--minus the eggs--until a low bubbling. I remove it from the heat, put some of the filling in a small dish, then whisk in the first egg. I whisk that into the rest of the filling, then whisk in each egg.

I have it on this site as "My Mom's and My Pumpkin Pie."

[BakerAunt]

For dinner on Thursday, I made the Crispy Oven Fish and Chips with Dill Tartar Sauce. We had it with leftover coleslaw.

[BakerAunt]

Thank you for the good wishes for my husband, Joan and Chocomouse. He is impatient with injuries, so he probably overdid it the first day. He has been hobbling around the house and even raking leaves. He thinks that he can drive tomorrow, so that we can go get apples.

I had noticed that another one of my smaller butternut squashes had a bad spot, so on Thursday, for lunch, I baked a recipe that I created last year, Butternut Squash, Kale, and Cheese Savory Tart, starting from a Splendid Table recipe for Butternut Squash Galette with Gruyere. Oil crusts do not work for a galette, but I bake the recipe in a 10-inch Emile Henry ceramic tart dish, and it is every bit as good as I recall. Leftovers warm up well in the small convection oven. For the crust, I used olive rather than canola oil and cut the salt by another quarter teaspoon.

I had to substitute pre-grated low-fat mozzarella for the cheddar I used last year because the bag of pre-grated 2% cheddar that I opened yesterday had green mold in its midst. (Note: expiration date is Dec. 25). It would have been present when I used some of the cheese yesterday for an omelet. I had thought it smelled slightly off, but I did not see anything then, and as it was newly opened, I went ahead and used it. Today it went into the trash.

[BakerAunt]

I baked a new recipe on Tuesday: Pumpkin Pecan Loaf Cake, which is on the Nordic Ware site and features their wheat and pumpkin loaf pan. As always, I made some changes. I used half whole wheat pastry flour. I cut the sugar from 1 cup to ¾ cup and the brown sugar from ½ to 1/3 cup. I halved the salt and reduced the canola oil by a third. I deleted the milk, since I use my own pumpkin pure, but I added 3 Tbs. Bob’s milk powder. I also deleted ¼ cup raisins, as I do not care for them in pumpkin bread, and I omitted the vanilla because the spices should be enough. I used the wheat and pumpkin loaf pan, which I coated with The Grease. I set the timer for 55 minutes, but I checked it at 49 minutes, and the tester came out clean. Next time, I will check at 45 minutes. We each had a slice for dessert. It has just the right amount of sweetness and a firm texture. The taste is excellent. I will bake this recipe, with my changes, again.

[BakerAunt]

As I was doing the usual grocery shopping on Tuesday morning—without my husband who twisted his lower leg after tripping on a grapevine in the woods on Sunday—I saw some lovely cabbages and decided that coleslaw would make a wonderful addition to leftover sloppy Josephines for dinner. I like a change from frozen vegetables. I am also finishing up a course of antibiotics that accompanied the root canal I had last week, so I am keen to get my digestive tract refurbished with healthy bacteria. Coleslaw is a start.

I also made yogurt on Tuesday, for the first time in several weeks. I had run out of the Stonyfield yogurt and had to wait until we did our big shopping trip last Thursday to the next town, as it is not carried in our local store. I was having to make do with Yoplait low-fat peach or strawberry yogurt, which is the best that the local place carries. The other brands of non-Greek yogurts they carry rely on food starch as thickener, which means they have less calcium, and have added sugars, or else they carry yogurts high in saturated fat. I was able to get a quart of Stonefield full-fat yogurt (fat not an issue, since I use 170 g to make my six containers), but I had to settle for vanilla, as Kroger once again had no plain yogurt. While that means some added sugar, at least the 11 grams of added sugars will be dispersed among my six jars.

I'm a little worried that my yogurt maker may be developing some problems, as the batch I made a few weeks ago did not solidify as much as it should. If that happens again--and I end up drinking the jars--I will need to seek out an alternative.

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