[BakerAunt]

I realized on Saturday that my husband had worked his way through most of the whole wheat sourdough crackers, so in the evening, I fed my sourdough and used what I removed to make the dough for my lower-saturated fat version of Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers. The dough is divided in quarters, then refrigerated for 4-5 days. I’ll bake them next week.

[BakerAunt]

We're having leftover rotisserie chicken and quinoa salad.

[BakerAunt]

I know this one!

[BakerAunt]

Aaron makes a good point about fat in that we know that there are different kinds of fat and that to some extent it depends on individual physiology, age, and perhaps gender. Heart disease is actually the leading cause of death for women.

I'm still shocked that my cholesterol was so high, and that while cutting out most saturated fat (i.e.--staying below 11 grams per day) dropped it significantly, it's still high. My rule of thumb is that if I am going to eat an item with saturated fat, it must have other important vitamins and minerals. Thus, I have not cut out eggs or olive oil or canola oil or 1% milk, but I cut my butter consumption to a tiny amount. (I also gave up chocolate candies, tortilla chips, chicken skin.) When I bake, I use canola or olive oil, and occasionally, I use grapeseed oil for a more neutral taste. I tried nonfat regular yogurt, but I cannot get one here that does not have additives to thicken it, and the taste is not so great. I can get Chobani nonfat Greek yogurt, which does not have the additives and tastes good.

One of my concerns about the collapse of dairy--and a public perception that dairy is "bad,"--is that calcium is needed for bone development, and I wonder if the plant-based "milk" drinkers will be having issues with that down the road.

[BakerAunt]

More about Deans and the changing milk market:

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/01/dairy-farmers-are-struggling-as-they-are-squeezed-out-of-a-changing-milk-market.html?utm_campaign=MMS_Newsletter_20191115&utm_medium=email&utm_source=sfmc_Newsletter&utm_content=The%20end%20of%20cereal%20monogamy

[BakerAunt]

I baked a half recipe of Toffee-Pumpkin Snack Cake, a recipe from Better Homes & Gardens Fall Baking (p. 28), a seasonal magazine issue that I bought a couple years ago. I made it about a month ago as well, and that time I substituted half buttermilk for half the oil but did not like the result that much, so this time I just used 1/3 rather than ½ cup of oil. I added 2 Tbs. of Bob’s Red Mill milk powder, and I made my own “pumpkin pie spice” blend. I did use half of the “toffee pieces” in the batter. What I used was milk-chocolate toffee pieces, since I’m still in the process of using that kind of ingredient up. I did not, however, sprinkle them on top. Instead I used a sugar cookie decorating mix of brown, yellow, and orange elongated sprinkles. (It’s going to take me a long time to work my way through my special sugars now that I’ve had to forgo sugar cookies.) I don’t use the cream cheese frosting drizzle, although I’m sure it’s lovely, as the cake is delicious without it.

Addition: I like this version of the cake better than any of my previous versions in terms of taste and texture.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Leftover stir fry is on the menu at my house.

[BakerAunt]

I subscribe to a public radio newsletter (Marketplace). It mentioned the Land o' Lakes bankruptcy. I thought the following "By the Numbers" facts were interesting:

26%--how much milk consumption has declined

1.6 billion: money brought in by "alternative milk" products.

While some people have milk allergies or are lactose intolerant, and some may be vegan, I wonder if this is the equivalent of the carbohydrate scare that that shook up the bakery industry a few years ago. I've been surprised at the number of alternative "milks" at Aldi's and Kroger, even as I have to scrounge to find buttermilk. Most of the alternative "milks" don't have the calcium content of regular milk.

I'm wondering why butter is having such a hard time. I had to give it up, almost completely, due to high cholesterol, but most of the dessert recipes out there are rolling in butter.

I hope Land o' Lakes light butter-canola spread continues to be available because I don't see another option for me.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

I answered correctly.

[BakerAunt]

We used up the rest of the bread on Thursday, so it was time to head to the kitchen. I baked two loaves of my Buttermilk Grape Nuts bread (an adaptation of the Grape Nuts Bread by Dachshundlady ). I’ve subbed in a cup of barley flour and a cup of whole wheat in the past, but this time I used 2 cups of whole wheat flour and used bread flour for the rest. I tried letting it rise in a dough bucket on the dining room table, but ended up putting it on a tray table in the front room where the wood stove keeps the area warmer. I did the same for the second rise. The loaves came out well. I’ll freeze one, and we will cut the other one for lunch tomorrow.

[BakerAunt]

I made our favorite quinoa salad (Ensalada de Quinoa—on Bob’s Red Mill site with a few personal adaptations) this afternoon. We will have it at dinner with a rotisserie chicken.

[BakerAunt]

I came, I guessed, I missed.

[BakerAunt]

That Seattle kitchen sounds lovely, Aaron. We went with an ash floor in our kitchen--the last the local place had. There will not be more in Indiana for a long time, thanks to the Emerald Ash Bore.

[BakerAunt]

Wednesday night’s dinner was a stir-fry with leftover pork, soba noodles, onion, celery, carrots, red bell pepper, mushrooms, broccoli, and kale. I deglazed the pan when my husband cooked the pork chops earlier in the week, and I used that as a sauce.

Our high today was in the mid-20s, and the 4 inches of snow is still here. I could do without the ice on the sidewalk.

[BakerAunt]

I managed to guess the correct answer.

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