[BakerAunt]

So did I, Len.

[BakerAunt]

Any business meeting goes better with cookies!

I have one of her cookbooks that I bought a couple years ago at an estate sale. I need to see if there is a recipe in it that I can bake.

[BakerAunt]

I made Salmon and Couscous with Penzey’s Greek seasoning for Friday night’s dinner. We microwaved peas from the freezer for a side dish.

[BakerAunt]

I like the maple-glazed ones.

[BakerAunt]

I realized on Friday morning that we were almost out of bread, and my husband had not told me. I baked another loaf using my basic bread machine mixing recipe. I used 1 cup of BRM 5-Grain rolled cereal, 1 cup whole wheat flour, ½ cup white rye, 2 Tbs. flax meal, 2 Tbs. special dried milk; 2 Tbs. wheat bran (need to use it up) and 1 ½ cup bread flour. I used 1 cup buttermilk but reduced the water to ½ cup, and that made a better loaf. I used half regular and half special gold yeast, which I need to use up. The bread, baked in an 8x4-inch pan, came out very well, and I look forward to cutting into it tomorrow.

On Friday, I again baked Black Raspberry Oatmeal bars, using that Apricot Oatmeal recipe. I tried adding 2 Tbs. of powdered milk to the crust/topping. We will see how that turns out.

Addendum: The bars are as delicious as always, so sneaking in a fine powdered milk works.

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

[BakerAunt]

I also knew the correct answer, in part because the greenhouse attached to the biological sciences department where my husband worked had a vanilla plant in its greenhouse, and the manager did harvest the vanilla beans.

[BakerAunt]

To go with leftover turkey-zucchini loaf and microwaved broccoli, I cooked ½ cup bulgur in 1 cup of chicken broth. It’s tasty and faster than making rice.

[BakerAunt]

On Monday, I made chicken broth from the bones of that rotisserie chicken. For dinner on Tuesday, I used that broth to make a Lentil-Vegetable-Farro Soup. The vegetables were: a 14-oz. can of no-salt added diced tomatoes; onion, mini-yellow and orange bell peppers; celery, carrots, garlic, zucchini, and parsley. I used 1 ¼ cups brown lentils and ½ cup Farro. I added an additional ¾ cup of water (rinsed out the tomato can). To season, I used 2 tsp. Penzey’s Forward (a no-salt spice blend), 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce; 1 Tbs. tomato paste; and 1 tsp. sugar. I had about 5 cups of chicken broth. The soup is delicious.

[BakerAunt]

I know this one.

[BakerAunt]

But why increase the amount of saturated fat in a product like buttermilk, which by its nature should be low in saturated fat?

[BakerAunt]

Aaron--Call it American Mash-Up.

[BakerAunt]

I got it because I assumed condiments from a particular cooking culture would need to last without refrigeration. That said, I refrigerate everything because I do not use certain ingredients that quickly.

[BakerAunt]

When I was speaking to Cass last week, he asked about my current baking. I told him about this recipe, and he said that olive oil and orange complement each other nicely. I might try part olive oil next time I bake the cake, since I too worry that on its own, that much olive oil would be overpowering.

[BakerAunt]

I missed it too, but then I've never tasted cognac nor had it in the house.

So, what is the difference in taste--just in case I ever do have a reason to buy it?

[BakerAunt]

Welcome back, Joan!

Saturday night’s dinner was a stir-fry featuring the last two boneless pork chops, now cut up, and onion, celery, carrots, red bell pepper, broccoli, and soba noodles, along with the drippings from when the pork chops were cooked. I am out of white wine, so I used a bit of apple cider vinegar to deglaze the pan, and it gave a nice taste to the stir-fry and complemented the pork. I don’t think that I’d use it with chicken.

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