BakerAunt
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For dinner on Friday, I made black-eyed peas, starting by soaking them overnight. I cooked them today with a ham hock. Once they were done, I removed the ham hock, took off the meat, and put it back with the black-eyed peas. I added 1 ½ tsp. Penzey’s dried onion. I cooked brown rice separately in my rice cooker. I sauteed celery and some garlic in grapeseed oil in larger pot, then added the black-eyed peas and the rice. I snipped some parsley and mixed it in, then added freshly ground black pepper. It is delicious, and we will have at least three more meals from it.
I've found that it is better to cook the rice and the black-eyed peas (or any bean) separately, then combine with the vegetables, as there are differences in the cooking times.
I was pleased to find smoked ham hocks for 99 cents per pound. The usual price in our store is $2.99 per pound, which is pricy for what is usually considered a less desirable cut. I froze a second one to use later for pea soup.
What concerns me is the small space. It was always crowded when I went last year pre-Pandemic. With our rise in numbers, I will not take the chance. We go to the supermarket at off times, taking advantage of the early "vulnerable" opening at 8:30 on Tues. and Thurs. at Aldi's and that gets us to Kroger early, so there are fewer people in a much larger space. I was more comfortable grocery shopping than I was voting for that reason.
Italian Cook--I've used Swedish Pearl Sugar, and it should not affect the browning. Did you use a thick coating of it? Usually it is sprinkled on sparingly.
I'm with you, Skeptic. Unless someone has a true need to avoid gluten, I'm not going to invest in the supplies.
For whatever reason, Kroger had King Arthur AP flour for $2.50 a bag today. I bought three, to go with the three I already have stashed. I'm set for awhile on it, but I will need to order more BRM whole wheat flour soon.
Covid-19 infections are rising in our area, and the hospital, like most rural healthcare is overwhelmed. Our zip code numbers are also increasing. Still, the town went ahead with Halloween, and they are already planning for a Christmas parade the first weekend in December. Our farmers' market has moved to an indoor space in the library, beginning this weekend, so I will not be going. If I need something, I will buy in advance and pick it up.
We are planning a trip to pick up apples from an orchard, maybe early next week. It will be drive an hour, get the apples, and drive back--no stops along the way.
Thank you, Italian Cook and Chocomouse: It's mutual, as I would often like to join you at your meals! Indeed, everyone on this site posts about delicious cooking.
My Mom, from Tennessee, was fond of the occasional pimento cheese sandwich. It was one food group where she made no attempt to convert us, so she was probably savoring it herself, a treat that any hard-working Mom deserves.
On Wednesday, I roasted the first of two “peanut” pumpkins and pureed it in my food processor after removing from the skin. I froze three (15 oz.) containers, and set aside 4 oz. to bake into pumpkin biscotti later in the week.
For Wednesday’s dinner, I made a sauce by sauteing mushrooms in olive oil, then sprinkling a bit of flour over it. I added some chicken stock, and some leftover evaporated milk, a package of frozen broccoli florets, and the rest of the roast chicken, along with freshly ground black pepper. I mixed it with some cooked noodles, and we grated Parmesan atop our serving. Bonus: There is enough to have it again tomorrow.
On Tuesday, I baked my Lime-Barley Bundt Cake, using the Celebration Nordic Ware Bundt pan. I used a lime from my own tree, which is now over wintering in our apartment over the garage. I played with the recipe slightly, increasing the barley flour by ¼ cup and decreasing the AP flour by the same amount. I also decreased the sugar by 2 Tbs. I baked the cake for 50 minutes in the second rack position. I glazed the cake with powdered sugar and lime juice. The cake has a lovely tender texture and excellent taste, so I will make the changes permanent.
On Tuesday, I made chicken broth, using the bones from the chicken I roasted on Sunday and those of a previous chicken that I saved in the freezer.
We had leftover roast chicken with roasted potatoes and carrots, and microwaved frozen peas.
On Monday, I baked the All Purpose Buttermilk Maple Bread recipe that I first baked this summer. Based on the previous bake, I used 4 cups whole wheat flour, 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread flour, and ½ cup KAF high-gluten flour that I want to use up. The whole wheat is my substitution. I cut the salt to ½ tsp., and the yeast to 1 ¾ tsp. I added 2 Tbs. flax meal. I let the Zo do the kneading. It was cool in the house, so the first rise (in the 4-qt. dough bucket) took 2 hours. The second rise went an hour and 25 minutes. The bread had excellent oven spring, and I was glad that I used the 10x5 loaf pan. I checked it at 40 minutes, and it needed an additional 5 minutes to get to 194F.
Note: I was already planning to bake this bread before Skeptic posted about the maple syrup. 🙂
I also don't like rectangular containers, as it is easier to get the dough out of a rounded one.
I also have a 1-quart rising container, although I've yet to use it for dough. It was from KAF (before they were KABC) and has the nice older logo.
I've had problems with some KAF recipes where I worked by the metric weight rather than by volume--and yes, I measure my flour as the now KABC suggests. If you want to use weight rather than volume on one of their recipes, I suggest measuring ingredients by volume, then weighing them and writing down your results.
I love the pumpkin rye recipe on the The YorK Bakers blog. That's Ginsberg of The Rye Baker. I baked it four times last year, and I'm thinking next week might be nice to bake it again.
I recommend this one: https://www.tastecooking.com/the-buttermilk-bread-miracle-dough/
Be aware that the loaf is a bit large in the 9x5 pan. I might try it in a 10x5 pan.
Our area does not get trick-or-treaters, as we are outside the town in what I like to call the rurburbs--not rural, given the density of the houses, but not a suburb per se, as most of the houses are only occupied in the summer or or weekends (or in event of a pandemic). Our area has too much walking for too little potential gain.
Yes, I remembered to turn the clock back.
I made another batch of yogurt.
Sunday dinner was roast chicken with carrots and potatoes. I seasoned the carrots and potatoes with Penzey’s dry Ranch Dressing (1 Tbs.), after tossing in olive oil, and I also put the seasoning on the chicken after rubbing it with a bit of olive oil. I put the chicken up on a small silicone rack and put the vegetables around the sides, which makes for even roasting of the vegetables, but the underside of the chicken does not roast as well. I ended up turning it over and roasting for an additional 20 minutes. In the future, I will likely start it upside down for the first part of the roast, then turn it over
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