[BakerAunt]

Hi, Bev,

I don't think that I have posted it. One of the issues I have in finding my recipes is that I also posted a lot of recipes by others from the former Baking Circle, so my name comes up rather a lot.

I will post it tomorrow. My recipe uses biscuits on top. I adapted it from a KAF email for Town Meeting Chicken Pie. I use frozen peas and carrots, but it would be adaptable if you want to cut up your own fresh vegetables.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 11 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Although restricted diets are a change, it is nice to know Mike that there are steps you can take for your health. With exercise, I suppose that those are literal steps. 🙂 We will all be supporting you in this lifestyle change, and learning from it for ourselves as well.

According to google that is 3/4 tsp. of sodium per day. Of course, there is naturally occurring sodium in other food that needs to be taken into account. Sigh. If it were just a matter of not adding salt, it would be easier.

I have a resolution to get more exercise. I've been recovering from plantar fasciitis, so that has limited my walking, but insoles are helping. Now I need the temperatures to get above the teens! The high this morning was 14F, and by afternoon it was 9F.

[BakerAunt]

For Saturday's dinner, I made my turkey pot pie with the biscuit topping. It's becoming standard for us with turkey leftovers.

[BakerAunt]

Italian Cook: I'm signed up for their emails. I recommend being on their email list as well as Penzey's email list. For people who do a lot of specialty flours, Bob's Red Mill's email list is excellent as well.

KAF got a new computer system within the past year, and apparently some information was lost in the transition, and so if people previously were getting their emails and then the emails stopped, it is a good idea to sign up again.

[BakerAunt]

I thought of you today Aaron while reading a ATK recipe in one of their Holiday Baking magazines (which year by year repeat most of the same recipes, sigh) for a gooey cinnamon bread. As with all ATK articles, the author pontificated at length. He was trying to get a Japanese style bread without ordering the extra high gluten flour of his base recipe. Several points he mentioned: getting more air into the dough gives a higher rise (one reason doing it with machines helps), doing folds helps incorporated more air for a higher rise (something I've never tried), and adding butter toward the end (he suggested cutting up the butter and coating with a Tbs. or so of the flour to help get it incorporated at that late stage). Butter coating the flour will inhibit gluten development. Kid Pizza told me the same about oil; however, it is not that easy to get the oil incorporated at later stages.

I'd be interested in knowing if others have experimented with adding butter or oil later.

[BakerAunt]

Years ago when I drove from Los Angeles to Spokane for a one year teaching job, I made fruit cake, using a recipe that also used canned pears, as one of my trip foods. I'm actually looking at a fruitcake cookie recipe for when we take a trip next month.

[BakerAunt]

Several weeks ago, I experimented with my own recipe for a bread using the King Arthur mixed grains. I baked it again today, only I substituted in some barley flour I wanted to use up for half the whole wheat flour. I again used the Emile Henry long bread baker that KAF is selling, and it makes a stunning loaf of bread. This time, after greasing it, I sprinkled farina (cream of wheat) instead of semolina to prevent sticking, since the semolina tends to burn a bit. My rising times were long since the house is so cold, but I thought a slower rise might be nice, or I could have put it near the wood stove.

It was a cozy day for baking. The lake froze two nights ago, and temperatures are bitterly cold. It started snowing again this evening.

[BakerAunt]

Let's all head over to Luvpyrpom's house for tea and cookies! 🙂

[BakerAunt]

For Wednesday lunch, I'm made a version of Cass's Mother's Lentil Soup. I sautéed some chopped onion, celery, red bell pepper, and garlic in some bacon grease. I added sliced carrots. For liquid, I used 3 1/2 cups of the water left over from cooking the potatoes for Christmas dinner, and about 1 cup of drippings left from deglazing the roasting pan after the turkey. I added 1 cup mixed lentils and 1/2 cup pearl barley. I used 1/2 tsp Ozark seasoning from Penzey's. I moved it to the wood stove to boil, then simmer. Chopped parsley is added near the end of cooking.

[BakerAunt]

For Christmas dinner tonight, my husband roasted a turkey. I made the Pepperidge Farm Dressing (blue bag!), mashed potatoes, gravy, and steamed green beans.

[BakerAunt]

Merry Christmas! Here on the lake in northern Indiana, we have a white Christmas, due to four inches of snow that began at 8:40 a.m. yesterday and continued into the evening. My husband, who does the shoveling has decided that a paved rather than a gravel driveway, albeit a short one, is in order. It is in the 20s this afternoon, although the sun is shining brightly. This morning icy slush floated on the lake near shore, but the wind has broken it up--no frozen lake yet. Our local Santa portrayer went by in a canoe with one of his dogs. (When the lake is frozen, he ice skates; other years, he paddleboards.) We are having a quiet holiday with just the two of us and the dog. The three kids called in from California, after we failed to figure out how to set up skype with them. We will try to figure it out by New Year's Day.

[BakerAunt]

This morning, at my husband's request, I made Wholegrain Waffles. We had about 4 inches of snow the past couple of days, so my husband was ready for breakfast when he came in after clearing the walks yet again.

Last night I made a buttermilk pie crust (3/4 of the recipe for a single-crust deep dish pie) and added 2 Tbs. sugar. I also made it with all-butter rather than a combination of butter and Crisco. This morning I baked a French apple pie (has streusel topping) from Bernard Clayton's pie book. It will be the Christmas dessert.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 11 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

I agree with Cwcdesign, Aaron: you already have great bread skills. There are also some breads that require less kneading than others, and those do better with hand kneading.

Bread machines are very nice for kneading single loaves. The larger ones can handle almost 5 cups of flour, but I'm careful not to push mine too far. For a single loaf of bread or for sweet rolls or coffee cake, it is actually less cleaning than the stand mixer. If you can get a good used one (where the mixing pan is in good condition), it's a great helper. The brand I got is not even made anymore.

Cwcdesign--be sure to give us a report on how the new bread machine works!

[BakerAunt]

Navlys--I'm glad the baking was a success and that you are enjoying the maple shortbread.

Italian Cook--Congratulations on your first of many pizzas. That is great that your 6-year old niece wants to learn how to make them. Sadly, I've not found anyone who wants to learn about cooking or baking from me, although my younger stepson has occasionally asked for a recipe, so that does count.

Today I baked the rest of the sugar cookies. I had not been feeling well the last two days--probably something I ate. It's nice to be recovered.

[BakerAunt]

It is so good to hear from you Omaria!

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