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We are out of bread, and it was terribly hot and muggy today, so I started my adaptation of Bernard Clayton, Jr.'s Dark Grains Bread after dinner. I'll probably be up until midnight. I'm keeping careful notes, and I hope to be putting my version of the bread on this site soon.
Added Note: The bread came out well, although there is the usual "speckled" top with a bit of wrinkles. The first rise took less than 50 minutes, and the second was almost over risen after 30 minutes. It was warm in the house, but this bread has always had a fast rise. I've been using 4 tsp. yeast, since it's a lot of whole grain. Clayton used 4 1/2 tsp. When I cut it back before, the structure seemed to suffer, but I'm also using a different method to mix it and kneading it longer. I might try 3 3/4 tsp. next time and see if that helps control the rise.
I'm glad you have the canning method on which to fall back, Mike. I hope that the repair person can get the freezer fixed for you next week.
Our second crop of green beans should be ready to pick early next week. Two of the bell peppers are turning red. The tomatoes continue coming, although my husband has found some tomato worms. He has also found some that have been parasitized by neighborhood wasps. I'm not sure from where the wasps originate, but I am glad their actions are defending the garden. My husband's carrots seem to be doing well. Of course, sometimes you cannot tell until you pull them out.
Chocomouse--We liked the tomato sauce with the skins. These are thin-skinned tomatoes. (I'll have to ask my husband what they are.) I tried this after making ratatouille, where the recipe did not call for skinning them, and it was fine. With the sauce I made last week, most of it was used for the spaghetti squash-turkey casserole (like a lasagna without pasta). With the spaghetti squash, the texture of the skins was not noticeable.
If you are looking for a smooth sauce, for a recipe where that is central, then you will need to skin the tomatoes.
A note on the Lemon-Anise Biscotti: These are quite sweet, so I'm having them with tea without sugar. I mentioned to my husband perhaps reducing the sugar when I bake them again. He said that it is needed to offset the anise--a flavor he does not really like--although I notice that he is eating the biscotti (and keeps leaving the lid part-way open). The lemon flavor does not seem to come through; perhaps it supports the flavor profile in another way.
For dinner on Monday, I made a Spaghetti Squash-Turkey Casserole. It’s a variation on a lasagna (great minds think alike, Len), only without noodles. The base recipe came from the cooking blog “eatyourselfskinny.com, when I googled spaghetti squash casserole. I used 93% lean ground turkey, I used my homemade tomato sauce that I made on Saturday. I added more chopped onion and garlic (from farmers’ market). I did not use the chicken broth or the Stevia (cannot figure out why it was in there). I did add 1 Tbs. tomato paste to my meat sauce, and I used 2 tsp. Penzey’s Tuscan Sunset salt-free seasoning in place of her spices, since I know my husband likes it. I added 2 Tbs. flax meal to the sauce. I used 4 oz. Mozzarella, which I cut into pieces. To cook the spaghetti squash, I followed the directions in Ken Haedrich’s The Harvest Baker. It is not a quick recipe, but it makes a 13x9 inch pan, so we have plenty of leftovers for another three meals at least. We cooked up some frozen peas as the side dish.
If you are interested, here is the link:
Note on Lemon-Anise Biscotti:
It's a great recipe, especially if you need one low in saturated fat. After baking the recipe, I have some adjustments/suggestions.
1. The recipe does not say when to add the lemon zest, vanilla, and anise seed. After I whisked together the eggs and sugar, I then whisked in these three ingredients.
2. I used a "Danish whisk" to incorporate the flour mixture.
3. You do not need to oil the pan. Just line it with parchment paper.
4. I dropped the dough in mounds, after dividing it, to form the long logs. I used slightly wet, rather than floured hands, and a metal table knife, to help shape them.
5. I cut mine straight, rather than on a diagonal, as I wanted them mostly the same size. I may have cut mine thinner, as I got about 60 slices.
6. I did the second bake by standing the slices on edge on the pan. I still baked 15 minutes.Flavor note: These are quite sweet. The lemon flavor does not come through. I like the anise.
