[BakerAunt]

I knew this one because I have a pizza recipe that uses assorted bell peppers and red onion tossed in olive oil and topped with feta cheese.

[BakerAunt]

On Thursday, I again baked the Buckwheat Banana Cake that I first baked and posted about on February 1. I was able to score some marked down over ripe bananas when we grocery shopped earlier in the week, I made it with the same changes (half the salt, adding 2 Tbs. milk powder, and replacing the sour cream with nonfat Greek yogurt), but I baked it in two 3”x7” pans instead of the 8 1/2” x /x4 ½” one, so that I can freeze one. I don't make the frosting, which it really does not need, but I'm sure it would be wonderful.

[BakerAunt]

That cookie spatula is great. I also bought one back when KAF carried them, as well as a larger version for moving cakes and sweet breads.

[BakerAunt]

My husband is a dedicated lunchtime sandwich eater, willing to eat the same kind of sandwich every day, perhaps because it was an easy lunch for him to take to work, and in retirement, his habit has not changed. I also like sandwiches, but even when I was working, I preferred to shake up the routine, and now that the fillings I can eat in a sandwich are limited, branching out every now and then is welcomed to me. On Thursday, I made another one of my throw-together entrees. I started by sautéing onion, celery, and carrots in some of the oil from a jar of sun-dried tomatoes before adding two cloves garlic. I stirred in cooked garbanzo beans with a little broth from the freezer and then some chopped sundried tomatoes. I added 8 oz. cooked wholegrain penne rigate (Kroger makes a good one.), then grated some Parmesan on top. It works well, although I’d prefer chicken to the garbanzos, as that is how I used to use up a roast chicken when I was single. It’s a good lunch, and I have enough for the next few days, by which time I’ll be ready to have a tuna or an almond butter-banana-honey sandwich again.

[BakerAunt]

Fascinating experiments, Mike.

I've never tried a Dutch oven bread, although I have Dutch ovens, and an Emile Henry round ceramic pot (the first one that KAF sold years ago) that I've yet to try. The latter is supposed to rise in the pot then be put into the oven; I think that I also saw a recipe that puts it in a cold oven and starts from there.

I have an Emile Henry long baker, and I like how that one bakes, as long as I take the lid off after the initial baking period. Most of my breads in regular pans seem to do better if spritzed with water before baking than when I just put them in without doing so.

[BakerAunt]

Wednesday's dinner was leftover roast chicken thighs, cut-up potatoes tossed in olive oil, sprinkled with a little salt, and roasted at 400F for an hour, and a mixed greens salad with carrots, mushrooms, and onion on mine.

[BakerAunt]

They look the same to me.

Trying different grains and combinations of grains fascinates me, because I like to taste how the flavor profile changes.

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

[BakerAunt]

I also got the correct answer.

[BakerAunt]

I knew this one.

[BakerAunt]

Yesterday (Feb. 17), I put most of the that Kamut-Lemon Crispbread that was more like focaccia into the trash. Neither of us wanted to eat it, and there was a somewhat bitter aftertaste, which might have been the anise, but I'm wondering if it was the baker's ammonia. At any rate, I no longer have to look at that waste of good ingredients. I don't plan to try that recipe again.

[BakerAunt]

For lunch on Tuesday, I made a soup experiment. I had leftover lima bean broth and a cup of crushed tomatoes from the casserole that I made last week. I sautéed onion in olive oil, then added some garlic. I added the crushed tomatoes and about 1 Tbs. tomato paste. I put in a bit of sugar, as these tomatoes are rather acidic. I added the bean broth, then seasoned with about ½ tsp. Penzey’s beef base, ¼ tsp. Penzey’s Pico and Gallo blend, and a few shakes of Penzey’s Adobo seasoning. I then let it boil and cooked it down a bit, before using my hand blender to smooth it out. It would probably be good with a bit of Greek yogurt whisked into it, but I’m saving the remainder of that for another recipe. It’s a nice accompaniment to the bread I baked last night.

[BakerAunt]

I was able to guess the correct answer. Like Joan, I have no intention of gaining first hand experience with it. Smoked salmon is as far as I will go, and that is with cream cheese and a bagel....

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

[BakerAunt]

My oven does hold in the heat well when I'm using it, but it seems to be designed to vent the heat when I turn it off if the temperature is over 325 or higher. The fan comes on until the oven is cooled down, probably to around 300F, since when I've baked at that temperature, there is no fan action when I turn it off, and there was for a short while at 325F. So, it would probably not heat up the house too much in the summer.

My husband did mutter about the venting of the heat when I was baking this summer, but in a mostly open concept first floor, it does not stay in the kitchen.

[BakerAunt]

I actually found some black rice in a T.J. Maxx once (on clearance), along with some red rice. I mixed it in with brown rice. Currently I buy Lundberg's Wild Rice combination, which consists of long grain brown rice, sweet brown rice, wild rice, Wehani red rice, and black rice. I usually use a half or a third in combination with brown rice, as brown rice alone can be a bit boring. I don't usually cook the blend by itself because these specialty rice can scratch the rice cooker's non-stick lining. Bob's Red Mill had a wonderful rice blend, but they discontinued it.

[BakerAunt]

On Monday, I baked two loaves of Grape Nuts bread and tried yet another variation. I used 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour and 3 cups bread flour. Two loaves of bread—one goes into the freezer until needed—seem to last about ten days in my house.

We had some of the lemon cake I baked yesterday for dessert. The flavor is good, and it has nice lemon flavor. I would bake the recipe again, but the cake is slightly on the heavy side in terms of texture.

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

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