[BakerAunt]

Saturday night dinner was my healthier version of my mother’s hamburger stroganoff, served over brown rice, with microwaved fresh broccoli on the side.

[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, 7 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?

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