[BakerAunt]

Thanks to Skeptic7 for the link to the site with buttermilk directions.

Thanks to Rottiedogs for having saved the Baking Circle thread and for posting it here.

And once again, thanks to Mike for giving us this wonderful neighborhood of bakers and cooks.

If I can get to one of my quart canning jars, I will give this a try, since it will likely be at least a week before the roads are clear of snow and ice and salt, so that we make our grocery run to the larger town. My only concern is that the buttermilk I still have is a bit old.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Thanks to all who posted about how to make your own buttermilk. I was surprised that the woman in the article to which S. Wirth kindly posted the link, uses whole milk. I wonder if it would work with my 1% milk? I may try stretching out the buttermilk with the 1% milk to tide me over until I can get to a store that sells it. I also recall that Mrs. Cindy used this method for buttermilk. I never tried it because buttermilk was always so readily available, and I use it a lot. It would cost about the same to make or buy buttermilk, so I always just bought it.

GinaG--You have been missed! I was thinking about you recently when we were discussing almond paste and put in the link to your recipe--which I'm going to try one of these days!

[BakerAunt]

Mike--Where did you find the graham cracker recipe?

Italian Cook: I use the grating attachment with my food processor for grating carrots--it is very fast.

Joan--We only had one rainy afternoon in Florida. We went to the botanical gardens, hiked some state and county parks, and walked the beaches.

Wonky--I would have bet that you would be back in the kitchen before Wednesday!

Right now I have a loaf of Grape Nuts Bread on its first rise. I got a late start due to dealing with the still unresolved computer issues, but I am so desperate for a loaf of homemade bread that it is worth it to me to stay up late baking it.

[BakerAunt]

There was a high of 20F today. I made a large pot of stew--doing the simmering on the top of the wood stove. My taste buds say that it needed some more of the seasonings, although my husband, who likes mild seasoning, thought it was fine. I was distracted because Microsoft's latest updates removed the word processing program--not to mention all the other programs--as well as the sound.

[BakerAunt]

We arrived home from our Florida trip shortly after 3 p.m. today. I pulled out soup from the freezer for dinner, and I baked my Healthier Cornbread to go with it. I do not recall when I have gone TWO weeks without baking.

[BakerAunt]

Sauteed mushrooms dress up any meal!

[BakerAunt]

My husband is cooking boneless pork chops. I'll steam some broccoli and cook some soba noodles, to which I will add sliced mushrooms cooked in the pork drippings and leftover chicken drippings from earlier this week.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Thanks, Navlys!

[BakerAunt]

Monday evening I roasted chicken legs with small potatoes. I sprinkled it with Penzey's salt-free poultry seasoning, some dehydrated onion, a bit of salt, and some black pepper. I was glad the oven in the rental works well, but the oven light is burned out.

[BakerAunt]

Navlys--We will probably drive past there tomorrow on our way to Fort Desoto County Park to meet my husband's cousin and her husband. We are only here until Saturday, then it's back to the frozen Midwest.

[BakerAunt]

Hi, Aaron: For Instant Pot discussion, read the following. It has a bit of off language but does reveal some interesting points about the instant pot.

The Instant Pot Has a Honeymoon Phase

I've thought about the Instant Cooker, but I'm wondering if it really can do the tasks of three different appliances. I've noted that the more sophisticated rice cookers actually vary temperatures for different kinds of rice. One review of a Z. rice cooker mentioned that it nailed the longer, not as hot cooking conditions needed for brown rice. I'd be interested in knowing more about multicookers, particularly brands and how well they work for the different tasks.

We've always had pretty good luck with the places we rented, but most of those had been homes that the heirs were renting out, so all the kitchen items were there.

Navlys--My husband would have a fit if I were to buy any small electronics on this trip.

[BakerAunt]

I remember reading that rye breads need to sit about 8 hours, so overnight is what I do also.

[BakerAunt]

Here's an article on key limes:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2016/05/are-key-limes-worth-the-price.html#comments-227075

What I should have said is that key limes are NOT grown in Florida anymore.

Or perhaps I should say that very few key limes are grown in Florida:

http://www.foodreference.com/html/artkeylimes.html

• This reply was modified 7 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Many thanks for the good wishes! Some friends were in town, so after church, we went out to a late lunch at Guppy's, a restaurant in Indian Rocks Beach. I had a wonderful shrimp pasta with artichokes, sundried tomatoes, and asiago cheese, served with steamed green beans and almonds on the side. I also had the award winning Key Lime Pie, which was delicious, even though my husband reminds me that key limes were wiped out many years ago. The waiter served it to me with a birthday candle. It's been a rainy afternoon and evening, so there was no beach walking. I curled up with a mug of tea and finished reading Dashiell Hammett's The Thin Man. (If you are a mystery fan and have never read it, do so.)

[BakerAunt]

There was only a tiny rimmed baking sheet in this kitchen, so we stopped at Tuesday Morning where I bought a 15x10 rimmed baking sheet so that I can do a sheet pan chicken and potatoes in the coming week. I would have liked the next size up, but I have to be mindful of packing the car for the trip home. The pan is Kitchen Aid, so it is nonstick and a good weight, not bad for $9.99. A foil pan would have cost $3.50, and I can use this one at home (and maybe take it with us on future trips).

• This reply was modified 7 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

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