[BakerAunt]

On Friday, I rolled out the dough I made on Wednesday for the Molded Gingerbread Cookies. It's an easy dough with which to work. I used a 1/8-inch pie wand on top of a 4/8-inch pie wand, since the recipe says 4/8-5/8 inches, and the oval House on the Hill mold I’m using (a fireside Christmas scene) has some deeper spots. I will need to look for two 5/8-thick wood pieces that I can use in the future.) I used the same technique of pressing one cookie at a time, using an oval scalloped cookie cutter around it, moving it to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and then repeating for the rest of the cookies. I had 12 cookies, and one smaller one that I impressed with a smaller springerle mold. The directions say to allow the cookies to sit out on the sheets and dry for 8-24 hours, so I will bake them tomorrow. I probably won’t wait 24 hours because we are having friends over for the late afternoon and dinner on Saturday.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

The one in South Bend seems set up more for caterers, home party givers, and tailgaters. I didn't see much by way of cooking equipment. A lot of the food was of the quantity, not particularly healthy, variety. I didn't look at meat or dairy, as we did not have means to keep such items cold.

I really liked that commercial kitchen store in Lubbock that was open to the public.

I don't have a Sam's or a Costco membership. We don't go to South Bend frequently enough to make it worth while.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

I've never eaten a slice, but I have read about it and answered correctly.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Skeptic--I still haven't had the chance to try it. I have the ingredients (well 2% cheese and kale rather than spinach), but it's for lunches for me, and other things needed eating. Maybe

I was thinking that the squash might be better roasted. I think that their instructions are to make it as easy as possible for the cook. I'm not sure about how they cook the greens and the squash. When I do make it, I may put the "galette" into a ceramic tart dish--just in case there are leaks. I have also toyed with the idea of pre-baking the crust a bit in that dish.

[BakerAunt]

I made a correct educated guess.

[BakerAunt]

On Wednesday, I baked the Springerle Shortbread dough that I made up on Monday. It does hold the design well. I had to let the dough soften before I could roll it. The hard part is pushing down firmly on the molds; I used the rolling pin to roll over the back. I did the imprints one at a time, used my bench scraper to cut it out, transferred it to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat. The first tray needed almost the full 12 minutes; the second one got slightly over brown before 11 minutes had passed. I’m pleased that the designs came out well. They don't show as much when flat, but hold them vertically, and the detail is clear. (I used House on the Hill springerle molds.) My husband and I each taste-tested a cookie. They are, as the name implies, a cross between a shortbread and a sugar cookie. I’ll wrap up the others to put in the gift box for my sister and her twins.

After baking the Springerle Shortbread, I made dough for Molded Gingerbread Cookies, following a recipe in “Too Pretty to Eat,” the recipe booklet that comes with the molds. It uses vegetable oil. The dough is wrapped in the refrigerator.

[BakerAunt]

For dinner on Wednesday, I made a stir-fry with soba noodles, using leftover pork that my husband cooked on Monday, along with what I deglazed from the pan. I included carrots, celery, a red bell pepper, some mushrooms, and broccoli. I think that the key to leftover meat in stir-fry is to try to have a bit of the pan drippings or a bit of what was deglazed after cooking the meat. About 2 Tbs. or so works well.

[BakerAunt]

I also found "Gma's Ginger Crinkle Cookies in the 2019 Christmas Cookie collection from WE (Wisconsin Electric), which is available online. Those cookies use oil and are rolled into balls and into sugar. The recipe does not say to flatten them.

I was looking at the recipe booklet that came with my Springerle molds (House on the Hill), and there is a recipe for "Molded Gingerbread Cookies" that uses oil, molasses and dark corn syrup.

The baking is back into Christmas!

[BakerAunt]

I also knew this one because back when I could use cream in my baking, we discussed it here at Nebraska Kitchen.

[BakerAunt]

Belated Birthday greetings to your wife, Mike.

I don't mind leftovers, even for a third or fourth day, although sometimes I will turn the leftovers into a different kind of meal, as when I make stir-fry with leftover meat, as I plan to do tomorrow. Not having to cook tonight meant that I had time to decorate the Christmas tree.

[BakerAunt]

I have also never made dumplings. My Mom made them, but she bought Pillsbury biscuit dough, cut each biscuit into pieces and put that into the broth. I would have been as lost as you, Italian Cook.

[BakerAunt]

I worked out the correct answer.

[BakerAunt]

I, too, had a busy day in the kitchen. On Monday afternoon I baked the Healthier Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers from dough I made last week.

I also made up dough for the Springerle Shortbread recipe that Frank Tegethoff developed for King Arthur Flour, which is posted on their website. These are for my sister and nieces, and I plan to bake them tomorrow.

My last project on Monday was to bake my adaptation of Wholegrain Pumpkin Bread, a recipe posted on Nebraska Kitchen. Four of the six mini loaves are destined for the freezer.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

My husband does not care for cauliflower. I like it raw, particularly with a dip. I also like it cooked and pureed into a soup. Otherwise, I don't work with it in the kitchen. I've seen recipes for roasted cauliflower but have not tried it.

For lunch on Monday, I made a “leftovers” vegetarian chili, with a few non-leftovers. I started by sautéing chopped onion, celery, and carrots in olive oil, then adding two cloves garlic. I added 1 cup of turkey broth leftover from last night, about 1 ½ cups liquid leftover from cooking the lima beans last week, and 1 cup crushed tomatoes leftover from that pizza bean casserole. I added 15 oz. of black beans from the freezer, 1 heaping Tbs. tomato paste, ½ tsp. chili powder and a dash of cayenne and a dash of adobo seasoning. After cooking it for 30 minutes, I added the rest of a bag of Christmas pasta (durum wheat and semolina), brought to a boil, simmered five minutes, then let sit covered for another five minutes. I could go “wild” on this chili, as my husband would not be eating it. (He does not care for black beans, onions are giving him issues these days, and chili powder and cayenne are absolutely forbidden,) He happily ate his canned salmon sandwich, which he eats almost every day. I enjoyed my chili, which is perfect for a cold day in which we awoke to an inch of snow and already have a fire in the wood stove.

[BakerAunt]

I figured out this morning how to find the location of the nearest drop. It's in Nappanee, which would be at least a 90 minute drive. I don't know that there are enough people in my area who would be interested in setting up a drop.

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