BakerAunt
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I made another batch of yogurt on Thursday.
As I prepared to start Thursday dinner, I realized that the two packages of three chicken thighs each that I had left in the refrigerator to thaw were not thawed. I had put them separately, but someone (my husband denies it was he), stacked them on top of each other. I ended up putting them in a baggie and letting the baggie soak in water to get them thawed. I made Tarragon Chicken, Mushrooms, and Rice, which we had with microwaved frozen peas. Dinner was a bit late.
I've cooked corn beef brisket in the past, so I know this answer. My husband does not care for it, so I haven't cooked it for many years, and it's likely outside diet parameters now.
My breads that use honey tend to brown faster, and I often tent them with foil for the final ten minutes. Check that oven, Joan.
On Wednesday, I baked two loaves of the Wheat, Rye, and Seed Bread, which started out as a recipe adaptation last fall and has become my own recipe. I substituted about ¾ cups Kamut flour for that much whole wheat because I wanted to use up the Kamut flour taking up space in my refrigerator. The house was cool, with my husband only starting the fire as the bread started its first rise, so that took about 1 hour and 45 minutes. The second rise was an hour. The loaves baked nicely, and I look forward to cutting into one tomorrow.
Skeptic--You can soak the raisins in some hot water, or in some kind of liquor in order to rejuvenate them to use in baked goods.
For lunch on Wednesday, I wanted to use up some leftovers, so I made a grain bowl using leftover freekeh, which I combined with onion, celery, mushrooms, and garlic sautéed in oil from sun-dried tomatoes. I added some chopped sun-dried tomatoes and a small can of chicken. I added about ¾ cup chicken broth, rosemary, a bit of oregano, some dried chives, and freshly grated pepper. It made a good lunch, and I have enough left over for tomorrow.
I also answered correctly, so I'm learning as well.
We had one of the Blood Orange Chocolate cakes tonight (the swirl one). I glazed it, and the blood orange juice made the most beautiful pink color. The orange taste in the cake and frosting is faint but pleasantly there. I'd say it's worth it to get the blood oranges for the recipe. I took a picture and will see if I can figure out how to post it.
Tuesday dinner, of course, is stir-fry, using the leftover pork from last night and the drippings, combined with carrots, celery, red bell pepper, mushrooms, broccoli, and soba noodles.
I missed it also.
I like the venting on the pie, Len!
Last year, I tried a new recipe, “Chocolate Olive Oil Cake with Blood Orange Glaze:
I didn’t have blood oranges and so used regular. We liked the cake, even without any glaze. My changes were to use half white whole wheat flour, and to replace 1/3 cup of the olive oil with buttermilk, and 1/3 cup milk with 1/3 cup buttermilk. I used 1 tsp. regular salt rather than 2 tsp. Kosher salt.
Last week, I saw blood oranges for sale at Kroger and bought a bag. They have a lovely odor, a thinner skin than most oranges, and are dark red inside. A single blood orange does not yield that much juice; I got the requisite 1/3 cup from squeezing two.
I baked the cake on Monday night, using the same changes I made last time. However, rather than a 10-cup Bundt pan, I used two 6-cup Bundt pans, one a standard Bundt shape, and the other a swirl that I bought on sale from King Arthur recently. I coated them with the Grease. I checked the cakes at 30 minutes, but they needed another five. I let them cool for 15 minutes before turning them out of the pans. They released beautifully. The swirl pan makes for a stunning presentation. I plan to glaze the swirl Bundt cake for dessert tomorrow and into the week. I will freeze the other for a dessert emergency.
On Monday, my husband cooked boneless "country-style" pork ribs in the frying pan. I made freekeh, cooked in chicken broth with some sage and rosemary. Microwaved broccoli completed the meal.
I notice that we were all eating leftovers on Sunday. I'd been thinking about how my husband's and my tradition of Sunday dinner has morphed into leftovers more often than not. Part of it is being retired and having more time to cook during the week. Part of it is cooking for just two people.
I missed it, because we hear so much about HFCS that I assumed it was what we get in the store. Can I now feel less guilty when I do use it, especially since I use it in small amounts?
I missed it. The answer does not make me want to rush out and try it.
I found a link to the cookie recipe. I was going to edit my post, but as that seems to cause them to go to junk mail, I'll give the link here:
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/walnut-topped-spice-cookies-5920
Earlier in the week, I sorted through a stack of recipe pages, discarding the ones that dietary restrictions will no longer allow me to make. Sigh. About half the stack went into the trash, but I found some promising recipes as well. On Saturday morning, I baked “Walnut-Topped Spice Cookies,” from the “Too Busy to Cook?” column of a February 1999 issue of Bon Appetit (p112). It’s a Sephardic recipe, submitted by Rebecca Levy from Los Angeles that uses vegetable oil.. I followed the recipe ingredients, although I suspect that my 1 Tbs. of natural creamy peanut butter may not be the same as her 1 Tbs. creamy peanut butter. I used a Zeroll cookie scoop (#40). Instead of topping each cookie with a walnut and brushing with egg glaze, I used a shamrock cookie stamp dipped in fine sugar. The recipe made nineteen, and they baked well in the time specified. With 9g saturated fat total in the recipe (8g from the oil and 1g from the peanut butter), they are fine for a serving of two each, and they are COOKIES! I let them cool on the baking sheet. They are delicate, so I did not stack them when I put them in a container. We each had one tonight for dessert. They have a pleasant “sandy” texture, and the combination of a little peanut butter, almond extract, cinnamon, and cloves combine beautifully while still being distinct. I will definitely bake these again.
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