[BakerAunt]

I currently have a batch of Hot Cross Buns on their first rise. I was not able to start them until after the Good Friday service this evening, so it will be a late night, although I did use the special yeast for high sugar baked goods. The recipe started out as one from The Los Angeles Times food section, but I have altered it over the years, and even with this batch I'm experimenting in that I substituted in a bit of honey for a small part of the sugar. Instead of raisins, I will use dried blueberries, as that is my husband's favorite fruit.

[BakerAunt]

Ah, so the eggs provide the lift?

[BakerAunt]

Rascals--Is your baking powder perhaps expired?

[BakerAunt]

On Thursday, I made Red Potato, Carrot, and Spinach Soup. I developed the recipe based on one in a newspaper cooking insert magazine called Spry. I seasoned with 1 tsp. ground sage, and 1 tsp dried chives. I used my homemade turkey/chicken stock and the drippings from the turkey my husband roasted last week.

[BakerAunt]

I did not have the correct ingredients for Mrs. Cindy's biscotti recipes, so I baked the Butter Pecan Biscotti recipe with Butterfinger pieces. Any biscotti recipe makes me think of Cindy and smile.

[BakerAunt]

On Wednesday, I baked Butter Pecan Biscotti, a KAF recipe that Cwcdesign brought to our attention last December. I used Butterfinger Bits rather than butterscotch chips, as that is what I had on hand. Biscotti remind me of Mrs. Cindy, so I baked them in her honor.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

A few years ago, at another time when Cindy was in the hospital, someone got the idea of pulling out one of her biscotti recipes and announced that she was going to bake it. Before long a number of us were baking biscotti in her honor. When Cindy got out of the hospital and was able to rejoin us, she loved hearing that biscotti had been baked in her honor.

With that in mind, I will bake biscotti tonight in honor of Mrs. Cindy.

[BakerAunt]

We had leftover turkey, so on Tuesday, I made "Town Meeting Chicken [Turkey] Pie, a recipe that came from a KAF email long ago. It is a pot pie filling with biscuits that get baked on top. I have played around with the recipe and improved it over the years. One of these days, I'll post it on Nebraska Kitchen.

[BakerAunt]

I wish that they would figure out how to design food studies so that we would get useful advice. I deal with a facial pain issue, and I did notice a connection between its flaring after eating particularly salty food. I had eaten out two days in a row, and I found the food overly salty at both places.

My husband's family has high blood pressure, but it is impossible to get an accurate reading for him, as he only has to see a blood pressure cup, and it goes up!

I read that cinnamon is supposed to help with high blood pressure. My husband must have read it also because he has taken to sprinkling cinnamon liberally on his oatmeal every morning. I do not know how good the science is on it, but we like cinnamon.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Thank you Nancy for letting us know about Mrs. Cindy. I will send a card to her and Michael and keep them in my prayers.

Ria's Baking Circle name is omaria.

[BakerAunt]

On Monday, I baked two loaves of my Buttermilk Grape Nuts Bread.

[BakerAunt]

What my mother had was Accent in a red and white container. After the MSG uproar, she threw it away and never bought any more. It's place was taken by Lawry's Seasoned Salt, which is still my seasoning of choice for Chex Party Mix, along with Lee and Perrin's Worcestershire sauce.

[BakerAunt]

Tupperware had some great labels, but I stopped buying them when they insisted that I buy a new plastic holder each time rather than refill labels. I now use Avery File Folder Labels from the office store and write on them with a waterproof sharpie pen. It is a good idea to remove the label before thawing the container of food.

[BakerAunt]

Today, I baked two new recipes: Buttermilk Orange Cake (from Nordic Ware and available on their site), only I baked it as a large Bundt cake rather than four small ones in the quartet pan. I increased the baking time to one hour. I also baked [Oat] Snickerdoodle Drops, a recipe printed on a card that came from Quaker oats a long time ago. I found it while going through my recipe box. The Bundt cake and the cookies are for after service snacks tomorrow.

Note: That Buttermilk Orange Cake is wonderful! I highly recommend it. Also, the cookies are nicely crisp. For me, both recipes are keepers.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Aaron--thanks for posting this article.

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