[BakerAunt]

On Friday, I again roasted sweet potatoes drizzled with olive oil for 30 minutes, then drizzled them with maple syrup and roasted an additional thirty minutes. However, I was also baking bread, which needed to go into the oven sooner than expected, so I pulled the sweet potatoes out after the first half hour before returning them to the oven with the maple syrup drizzle 45 minutes later to complete the last half hour of roasting. It worked.

[BakerAunt]

For Thursday night's dinner, I made my healthier version of my mother's hamburger stroganoff, which we had over a mix of brown and a mixed rice blend (a combination that Bob's Red Mill does not appear to sell anymore.) We had microwaved fresh broccoli as the side dish.

[BakerAunt]

I had a leftover zucchini, so I used half of it to try a new recipe on Thursday: KAF’s Zucchini Chocolate Chip Pecan Bars. The batter is made in the food processor, and chunks of zucchini are processed with an egg and oil to make a smooth concoction before adding the rest of the ingredients. I used KAF’s option of white whole wheat flour. I added 2 Tbs. Flax meal and 2 Tbs. Bob’s Red Mill powdered milk. I cut the salt form ¾ to ½ tsp. and did not sprinkle any on top. I used 6 oz. rather than 5 oz. zucchini. My major change was to cut the chocolate chips from 2 cups to about ¾ cup (120g), in order to reduce the saturated fat from that source. I used Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips (3.5 g saturated fat per 15 grams of weight.) As dark chocolate can be overwhelming, cutting it down worked for taste as well as cutting saturated fat. We each had a slice for dessert tonight, and the recipe is a keeper—especially when zucchini season comes around.

[BakerAunt]

Mike--I tried looking up farro on the internet, and apparently there are three different varieties and some variation in spelling. What I use is sold by Bob's Red Mill. In appearance, it looks somewhat like pearl barley. The package gives two ways of cooking it. I follow the method of rinsing it well, then adding it to boiling water or broth and simmering, covered for 30 minutes. If the broth is not absorbed, I cook it down. The other method calls for soaking overnight, then cooking for about 10 minutes.

[BakerAunt]

On Wednesday afternoon, I baked a double recipe of my Lower-Fat, Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers from the dough I made last week.

[BakerAunt]

It's great to hear from you, Cass!

For dinner on Tuesday night, I made my Dijon and Peach Glazed Turkey and Zucchini Loaf. I doubled the zucchini, doubled the adobo seasoning, increased the oats by 50% and did the same with the glaze recipe. To go with it, I experimented with a farro risotto. I began by cooking 1 cup of farro in 3 cups of my homemade chicken/turkey broth. Meanwhile, I sautéed cut carrots and celery, then sliced mushrooms in grapeseed oil. I added green onions at the end. When the farro had cooked for 30 minutes, I uncovered and boiled off most of the liquid, before adding the faro to the vegetable mixture. I then grated some Parmesan and stirred it in. We liked it a lot, and it made a perfect accompaniment to the glazed turkey loaf.

[BakerAunt]

Italian Cook--I sometimes use tomato paste from a tube to spread on the pizza crust. I've also brushed it with olive oil and put sliced tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes on it.

I use part-skim mozzarella on my pizza as well as freshly grated Parmesan. For a pizza made on a half-sheet, I use 4 oz. That keeps my serving to 1 oz. per meal.

The part-skim mozzarella has been the best that I could find here for a lower saturated fat cheese. However, today, I found pre-grated 2% cheese at Kroger in the larger town where we do our grocery run. I'm planning to try it for a black bean burger recipe. I'm not sure that I could find vegan cheese in this area, even if I wanted it. I'll stick to lower-fat cheeses because I also need to get a good amount of calcium from foods I eat--especially in light of a recent nutritional study that calls into questions whether supplements actually provide the benefits of consuming vitamins and minerals in real food. Sigh.

[BakerAunt]

This thread contains so much neat stuff!

My mother always saved bacon grease and used it. She fried chicken in it. She seasoned green beans. She used it in cornbread. Until I got hit with the high cholesterol numbers, I saved it also. I would use a little to saute onion to get some flavor in clam chowder or a bean soup. I'll probably have at least a few BLTs this summer, but the grease will be sopped up with a paper towel and thrown away.

Fat clogs were a problem for the city when I lived in Lubbock. They had a special truck for cleaning them out.

A friend of my husband's there had a vehicle re-engineered to run on used cooking oil. However, he gave up on it because the local restaurants--unlike the place where he had lived in California--either were not willing to strain it or left it out in containers in the alley where people would dump in other stuff. We had a renter here in Indiana, who when he moved left container after container of used cooking oil in the kitchen. We actually took it back to Texas and gave it to the friend.

Joan's story reminds me of when my husband wanted to cut something and reached toward my embroidery scissors. He'd never seen me move that fast. I now keep them out of sight.

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

[BakerAunt]

I got it. I didn't want to run back to the apt. for the calculator (computer is in the still being remodeled house), so I worked it out with pen and paper.

[BakerAunt]

Mike--I think that it's the weight of the spelt flour that KAF has incorrect in the recipe. I might drop them a note.

I also would like to know about Len's basket weave shaping technique.

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

[BakerAunt]

Like Len, I was able to deduce. I thought about different kinds of cheese and what might be done in making all cheeses.

[BakerAunt]

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/honey-spelt-sourdough-bread-recipe

After my husband recovered yesterday from his five-day sinus attack, he was hungry. I realized on Friday night after dinner that I would need to bake bread on Saturday rather than Sunday. I had used and fed my sourdough starter two days in a row, and I wanted to try the Honey Spelt Sourdough Bread recipe from KAF again. It had baked beautifully the first time, using KAF spelt, but I had tried twice to duplicate it with Bob’s Red Mill spelt, and it did not have the same structure, even though I weighed the ingredients, since I thought the BRM might measure differently by volume. However, both times, I got a sticky dough that baked into a loaf that sagged in the center.

When I made the levain on Friday night, I decided to increase the starter from 1 Tbs. to ¼ cup. I have a milk-based soupy starter, and KAF likely uses its own starter, which I understand is not soupy. I thought the additional starter would help with the rise and structure. I also decided to measure by volume not weight after noting that the Bob's flour seemed heavier per cup. (See note at end of this post.)

The next day, I proofed the yeast in a cup of 100F water with a bit of the honey. I then added the rest of the honey and the levain and mixed, before mixing in the additional 3 cups spelt flour, to which I had added ¼ cup special dry milk. I covered it and let it rest for 20 minutes so that the spelt could absorb liquid. I then mixed in 2 Tbs. of olive oil (replacing butter), before mixing in 1 cup of KAF AP flour with 1 tsp. salt (reduced from 1 ¼ tsp.). I kneaded for 4 minutes until I had a nice windowpane, then let rise for 1 hour 15 minutes.

I prepared my Emile Henry long baker (greased, then sprinkled liberally with farina). I pre-shaped the loaf, let it sit for 5 minutes, then did the final shaping. The dough needed about 1 hour 20 minutes for the second rise. I slashed it, replaced the cover, and put it in the oven. I changed the baking instructions a bit. I did do the initial 10 minutes at 425 before reducing the temperature to 400, but I then let it bake for about 23 minutes before removing the baker top. (The original recipe says 25-30 min.). I baked it uncovered for an additional 7 minutes. It tested 190F, and I removed it to a rack to cool. It has nice color, and it has the structure I recall from the first time I baked it. Tomorrow I will know about taste and texture.

I'm wondering if the KAF measurements in grams are off for this recipe. I was going to weight the spelt flour (Bob’s Red Mill), as I did previously, but I decided to measure a cup by volume. When I checked the scale, there was a BIG difference in weight, with the Bob’s flour coming in heavier. I decided that I would measure by volume—which is what I did the FIRST time I baked it. Doing so appears to have given me the results I liked so much the first time I baked this bread.

[BakerAunt]

I decided to select the one I'd not heard of, and so I got it correct.

I learn a lot from Mike's explanations, so I appreciate them!

[BakerAunt]

For lunch on Saturday, I made New England Clam Chowder, using the recipe from my old Betty Crocker cookbook. I sautéed the onion in olive oil, which worked well. I use canned clams and I double the potato. I also add ½ tsp. celery seed, an innovation I owe to my college roommate. I had ½ cup of half and half left, so I combined it with 1 ½ cups nonfat milk (store was out of 1%). It was a nice lunch for a cooler day, and I have leftovers for the next two days, since my husband does not care for clam chowder.

For dinner on Saturday, I’m making salmon and couscous with Greek seasoning. We will have microwaved broccoli on the side.

[BakerAunt]

I haven't the foggiest. Can't we have an "I don't know" button? I hate random guessing to get the answer.

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