[BakerAunt]

We finished up the leftover hamburger stroganoff and mixed rice, along with microwaved frozen peas. My husband also split a rather small leftover chicken thigh with our dog in honor of her seventh birthday.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

On Thursday, I decided to try again my pottery bread baking bowl that I bought from King Arthur about six or so years ago. I used the KAF recipe for Fruited Sourdough Sandwich Bread, as there was a note that it could be baked in the bread baking bowl. I made a few tweaks in the recipe by substituting ½ cup white rye and ¾ cup whole wheat flour for that much AP and reducing the salt to 1 tsp. I added 2 Tbs. special dry milk and 1 Tbs. flax meal. Instead of a Granny Smith, I used an unpeeled York apple (from those we got last December that have been wintering in the garage). I used golden raisins and opted to use 1 Tbs. sugar (recipe stated 2 tsp. up to 4 Tbs.).

I used the bread machine to mix and knead. I was concerned it needed more water, so I added 1 Tbs., which I probably should not have done, as I had waited to add the apple. I wasn’t sure when to put it in, so I did it before the “additions” beeps, and some of the apple was bouncing around, and I ended up adding a bit more white rye. I added the raisins when the machine beeped. I ended up with a somewhat sticky dough, but it rose well both times (an hour on the first rise and 50 minutes on the second).

I spritzed with water before baking. After 20 minutes, I tented it with foil and then checked 25 minutes later. The interior was only 170F, so I put it back in, re-tented, and let it go another 9 minutes, which brought it to 200F (recipe says 190F). It’s cooling on the rack and looks and smells great. The bread bowl baker worked well on the second rack from the bottom, and with the top tented, I did not have the problem of an overdone top and an underdone bottom. I look forward to slicing it tomorrow at breakfast.

[BakerAunt]

I should have gone with my first cynical guess instead of my second cynical guess.

[BakerAunt]

Those stir-fry dishes are the best, Len!

[BakerAunt]

I need to ask: Is egg shell considered edible?

[BakerAunt]

I answered correctly. The nutrition information I've been reading over the past few years has been helpful in more ways than one.

[BakerAunt]

Thanks, Len and Mike. Part of it was that I didn't want to deal with half an egg in the refrigerator. Silly perhaps but true.

On Tuesday, I baked Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers from the dough that I made last week.

[BakerAunt]

For Tuesday night’s dinner, I roasted nine chicken thighs (big batch cooking). In the countertop convection oven, I roasted some cut-up red potatoes, tossed in olive oil and sprinkled with Penzey’s Bavarian Seasoning. We also had microwaved frozen peas.

[BakerAunt]

On Tuesday I tried a new recipe for lunch, “Greek Chickpea Patties with Tomato Sauce—Revithosoutzoukakia” from the Olive Tomato website:

Greek Chickpea Patties with Thick Tomato Sauce – Revithosoutzoukakia

I deleted the water in the patties, as there was some juice from my home cooked chickpeas, and the tomato had some juice. I added 2 Tbs. flax meal and used ½ cup white whole wheat rather than AP flour. The mixture was still too loose to make patties, even after sitting a bit. I added 4 Tbs. Panko, and that brought it together. I did not add any salt, as my chickpeas were soaked, then cooked in salted water. I did not coat the patties in flour, and I used a skillet with a bit of grapeseed oil over a medium-low heat,not the 1/4 inch of olive oil specified. I shaped the patties, six at a time, using a Zeroll #30 (2 Tbs.) scoop. My skillet holds six at a time, and they hold together better if flattened right before being put into the skillet. After the first batch, and heat adjustment, they cooked for 1 minute and 30 seconds on each side. I had 25 patties when I finished. I made the sauce as well, but I drizzled it over the six patties that I ate. The sauce does not have much taste on its own, but it works well with the patties. I’ve stored the remaining patties in a flat dish and poured the sauce over them. I would cook this recipe again, but I think that I will forgo the flour and next time just use the panko and the flax meal. These make a tasty lunch. I might try some on a sandwich tomorrow.

[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 6 years, 5 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 6 years, 5 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.

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