[BakerAunt]

Sigh. Yes, that is what my husband, the plant physiologist has been telling me. He used to do an experiment in the labs where cold water was poured over the roots, and the plant showed a negative response.

We had to change out the old windows for structural reasons and to keep from losing heat during winter nights (we do have a heating vent out there that can be opened), but losing the "greenhouse" effect during the day was not in our plans.

[BakerAunt]

I had to guess and was incorrect.

[BakerAunt]

When we remodeled, the idea was to use the sun porch as a place to have plants. Before renovation, with "Florida" windows, it was nicely warm on sunny days in the winter. For that side, we did not use the double hung windows that block sunlight entering. (The front has them. That's a long story from the first phase of the reno.) However, these side windows, while letting in more light, still block the heat, so the enclosed sun porch never warms up the way it did in the winter, and it's not warm enough for plants. So, starting plants early will not be easy for us. My husband says it is not a matter of light but heat. It's not just the vegetables. My husband starts trees as well, and they can't be out there either.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

So, in late February or early March 2020, I found blood oranges on sale at Kroger for $1.99 a bag and recalled this recipe and our discussion. I've now made this chocolate cake again with blood oranges, a vanilla loaf cake with blood oranges, and today I used the last one in a biscotti recipe.

Here is what I've discovered:

Blood oranges do not yield a lot of zest, but it is more flavorful than that of typical oranges.

Blood oranges do not yield a lot of juice, but it is sweet and a beautiful dark red.

Blood orange zest and juice infuse a tantalizing, light orange taste with an element for which I do not have the words--perhaps deeper? That flavor came through as well in the glaze on the cakes, and the glaze was a lovely deep pink.

I like blood oranges in baking much better than regular oranges. I noted when I made my Limpa bread, using regular, organic orange zest that I did not really care for the zest flavor, and that it seemed different from when I first started baking this bread back in the mid-90s. I ate those oranges after zesting and didn't think the flavor all that good. I'm going to need to investigate kinds of oranges next time we are in Florida.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

My friend's granddaughter liked wandering in her garden and picking and eating cherry tomatoes.

I have prodded my husband to go ahead and submit our seed order, after telling him that seed companies are beginning to run out.

Here at Nebraska Kitchen, we need to start posting in the garden section.

[BakerAunt]

On Monday, I began to miss cookies in earnest. I had one more blood orange that needed to be used, so I surfed the internet for biscotti ideas and found “Triple-Orange Pecan Biscotti”:

https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/triple-orange-pecan-biscotti

I didn’t have enough juice for the entire recipe, so I halved it, using the two smallest eggs in the carton, as I didn’t want to mess with trying to figure out 1 ½ eggs. I used white whole wheat flour, which is my go-to for cookies these days (and I have two unopened bags in the apt. refrigerator). I used just ¼ tsp. salt and added 1 Tbs. of Bob’s Red Mill milk powder. I had about 4 tsp. of juice from the blood orange. I do not, alas, have Grand Marnier, so I just used the tsp. more of juice, which would make the recipe only “Double-Orange Pecan Biscotti.”. I figured that the two eggs would make up for any loss in liquid.

I shaped into two thin logs on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, using damp hands, which is much easier than using floured hands. I sprayed a piece of saran with cooking spray, laid it on top, then refrigerated for an hour. I do that with my lemon-pecan biscotti that also use oil. I got the idea from my oil pie crust recipe that calls for refrigerating the crust in the pie plate for an hour in order to “relax the gluten.”

After the rest, I sprinkled with KAF’s sparkling white sugar. I baked for 20 minutes, turning the baking sheet halfway through the time, then let cool for 25 minutes. These are a rather flat biscotti, as there was a lot of spread. I sliced each ½-inch thick, then stood them up on the baking sheet (original recipe puts them cut side down and turns them over). I baked for 12 minutes at 325F (original recipe was 350F), checked, then gave them an additional 3 minutes. They are a delicate, light biscotti, with just the faintest hint of the blood orange. I will definitely bake these again.

[BakerAunt]

I looked up Aaron's question in Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break, by Anna Brones and Johanna Kindvall. It actually does not have a crispbread recipe. Here is what is said in the headnote to Knackekex (think of the two dots over the "a."

"Knackebrod [Crispbread--double dots over the a and the o] is right up there with meatballs and herring in terms of iconic Swedish food. The crispbread that is served with almost every meal is a staple in most Swedish households. Baking traditional Knackebrod is an involved process, and it's so readily available in Sweden that few people venture to make it themselves. This crecker version, however, is a simpler way to try your hand at making this culinary cornerstone. If your don't have caraway seeds on hand, rosemary, crushed fennel, or anise seeds are also excellent toppings. These crackers are delicious served with little chevre and Fig preserves or a typical Swedish smorgas with sliced cucumber" (p. 152)

The only differences I see, based on the three crispbread recipes I have tried, is that the cracker recipe does not include any fat, and it does not have a second rise. It also has a six hour or overnight rise before the dough is rolled out.

It's an interesting recipe that would work for my dietary parameters. I need to try it. I had given up on this book, as almost every recipe is heavy on butter. So, Aaron's question has given me a new recipe to try!

[BakerAunt]

The local town government has just issued a request that people coming into the area from other places please observe a fourteen day quarantine period. While I am glad the town did so, the request is starting about two weeks late. Our area has a lot of summer residents, and with people working from home and kids e-learning, some have decided to come here to ride out the pandemic. I understand doing so, but the number of people suddenly running around suggests that many were not thinking about if they might be carrying the virus. As a lot of people come in from Chicago and Indianapolis and suburbs thereof, both hot spots, that is worrying. So far, there are no known cases in town, but there are three in the county.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

While a nice soup sounds great while it is cold, Skeptic, I am thinking ahead to summer. My husband is not a fan of most beans, but I've been trying to increase them in my diet, so I will give this recipe a try at some point. I've made a black bean burger and posted about it. They were ok, but only after I topped them with a condiment and stopped kidding myself that they worked on bread like a hamburger would.

[BakerAunt]

Was it Charlie Brown who said "I trued when I should have falsed?"

[BakerAunt]

I missed it.

[BakerAunt]

Crispbread is great with cheese, with meats, with soups, or just as a snack. I have kept a batch around for about 2 weeks, but only if I have cheese crackers to divert my husband, who is a born snacker. It makes a great trip food also, not that any of us will be doing any traveling for a while.

I'll have to think about how I could substitute oil in the Ginsberg recipe for at least part of the butter. I have rye chops (from King Arthur) that I bought for a bread recipe, so it would be great if I could also use them in crispbread.

I try to stay below 11g of saturated fat per day, so there is not a lot of room, particularly since I want to get 75% of my calcium from dairy food. I loved Beatrice Ojakangas' crispbread, but it was close to 2g of saturated fat per piece, and they were only part wholegrain because I made them so.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

I was looking forward to this report, Mike. I had my eye on that recipe, but by the time I could try it, the butter content concerned me. I have a barley-rye crispbread that I like which uses a lot less butter. It comes from that Swedish baking book I've mentioned. However, I had to do so much guessing with the recipe, that I think the recipe as I use and bake it could be considered my own. I use sesame seed and sunflower seed on top of them. Mine are much thinner.

I admire your use of the straight edge. That's a nifty way to get the clean lines.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

I am making chicken broth this windy, Sunday afternoon, using the remains of the chicken we roasted earlier this week.

Sunday dinner will be my healthier take on my Mom's hamburger stroganoff, with nonfat Greek yogurt standing in for the sour cream. We'll have it over brown and mixed rice, which means 2 rice cooker measures of brown rice and one measure of four kinds of specialty rice.

[BakerAunt]

Add me to the admirers of Chocomouse's bagels.

I wonder what a virtual potluck might look like. Or perhaps we should start with a virtual coffee/tea party--the better to show off our baked goods.

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