[BakerAunt]

This recipe makes scrumptious bars. I replaced the AP flour with white whole wheat flour, and I used my homemade black raspberry, reduced sugar jam instead of the apricot. This recipe should work with almost any jam.

[BakerAunt]

I missed it, but with a low-saturated fat diet, the 93% is what I buy for our occasional use of ground beef in a recipe--usually my mother's hamburger stroganoff. However, for grilling, which my husband does maybe a couple of times in the summer, hamburger with more fat works better, and I hope that the fat drips away. I buy that at our farmers' market from a local producer.

We do use a lot of lean ground turkey.

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

[BakerAunt]

Aaron--I'm sure your boys are equal to the task!

On Monday afternoon, I baked my version of Ellen’s buns. I always think of Mrs. Cindy when I bake this recipe, as she encouraged me to try it. I am working to bake buns that are at least 50% whole grain, but I know from experience that too much whole wheat takes over the flavor. So, this time I used 1 ¾ C. KAF AP flour; 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat, and ½ cup white whole wheat flour. I also added 3 Tbs. flax meal and 2 Tbs. special dried milk. As usual, I used just 2 tsp. yeast, replaced the sugar with 2 Tbs. honey, and replaced ¾ cup of the liquid with buttermilk. I replaced the butter with not quite 2 Tbs. of canola oil, and I cut the salt to ¾ tsp.

While the bun dough was rising, I baked the Apricot Oatmeal Bar recipe to which S. Wirth called our attention a few days ago. However, I substituted white whole wheat flour for the AP flour, and I used 10 oz. of the black raspberry jam I made last summer. My husband and I loved them, and this recipe will go into my permanent repertoire, especially as it is low in saturated fat.

[BakerAunt]

For our Memorial Day dinner, my husband cooked thick boneless porkchops on the stove top. We split one lengthwise and made sandwiches, using the buns I baked today. We usually have the PBS News Hour on during dinner, but when the audio switched to repeated tornado warnings in the South Bend area, we turned to weather coverage and my husband ran to the house to check the radar. It rained heavily with some wind and thunderstorms, but the severe weather did not hit our area. I know that areas southwest of us did have tornados, and this is the system that went into Ohio.

[BakerAunt]

Aaron--Have you sent an inquiry to the BRM people? I have noticed that they seem to be cutting back on certain items. I cannot get dried cherries, dried chopped apple, dates, or long grain brown rice on the site anymore. I'm not baking many cakes these days that require cake flour, having lost my audience when I retired and moved away, but I liked how the BRM cake flour performs and would hate to see it discontinued.

[BakerAunt]

It may depend on the frosting. I've left out frosting made with butter and milk with no problem. It cream cheese is used, I refrigerate.

[BakerAunt]

For Monday's holiday breakfast, I made Wholegrain Cornmeal Pancakes--a recipe from Bob's Red Mill that uses their coarse ground cornmeal. I reduce the baking powder by 1/2 tsp. and the salt by half. My other change is to use white whole wheat flour rather than AP flour. I tried baking the extra batter in my KAF bun pan (which I do not use for buns these days), but it stuck on the bottom, and I had to scrape them out. I should have used the grease. Also, perhaps 375F was too hot and I should have used 350F. I baked for 10 minutes.

[BakerAunt]

Fortunately, we still have leftover chicken and rice.

[BakerAunt]

Ah, a use for my black raspberry jam!

[BakerAunt]

Chocomouse--Do you think that something other than the element might be causing problems with your oven?

[BakerAunt]

Quick Note on the Breakfast Bars I baked. They are not particularly sweet, so I think my husband was disappointed at dinner, although he did have an additional slice. I think that the recipe is more of a breakfast or snack item. We will eat them, but I don't know if I'll bake the recipe again.

I just saw the recipe that S. Wirth pulled from the files here. It looks good, and I like that it includes oats. I will put it on my list of recipes to try.

[BakerAunt]

On Friday morning, I baked another batch of seeded crispbread--a snack that I like to keep in the house. I also baked a new recipe, Orange-Almond Breakfast Bars, from the issue of Heart Smart Recipes (a Better Homes and Gardens Special Issue), p. 12. I followed the directions, but the ones in the picture look like flat bars, while mine seem cake-like. I’ll add a note after we cut into them. These bars are loaded with calcium and potassium from dried apricots, almonds, almond butter, and the half whole wheat flour. They might actually make a good breakfast bar.

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

[BakerAunt]

I figured it out by thinking about how soon oven spring occurs.

[BakerAunt]

Dinner on Thursday was my third time making One Pot Tarragon Chicken, Mushrooms, and Rice. I reduced the broth to 3 cups this time and used 1 ½ cups medium brown rice, as I always do, in place of basmati rice. It was soupy and the rice a bit chewy when we ate it right after it came out of the oven. However, the rice in the pan soaked up the rest of the liquid by the time we finished eating. I’m wondering if the recipe would be best if covered, once it comes out of the oven, then allowed to sit for 20 minutes or so. I like the recipe, so I will be making it again. We microwaved fresh green beans to go with the entrée.

[BakerAunt]

I've paid $1.99 for 4 pounds of sugar (Domino or C&H) at Walgreens, and on sale at Christmas at our local store. Brown sugar and powdered sugar prices seem higher to me than in the past.

Honey has the same grams of sugar as sugar, so I'm not sure that people are doing themselves a great favor in making the switch. I use honey in some recipes because I like the flavor. I mostly buy Breitsheimer, a German honey, that I find at T.J. Maxx and Ross. My husband likes the rapeseed honey, while I use the golden honey for baking projects. We've tried their Forest honey and another type or two, but the flavor was too strong. It's price is about the same that I paid for a jar of local honey at the farmers' market a few weeks ago.

At Kroger today, I found a 5 pound bag of Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour on sale for $3.74, and I had a $1 off coupon. 🙂 They also had KAF White Whole Wheat flour for $3.34. (Those prices are for people who have the Kroger grocery card.)

• This reply was modified 6 years, 6 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 6 months ago by BakerAunt. Reason: corrected price

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