[BakerAunt]

On Saturday, I made a big pot of soup (yes, it is cool enough for soup here!), using 2 quarts of turkey stock from the freezer, ground turkey, onion, red and yellow bell peppers (from today's farmers' market), celery, carrots, the last of the Baby Bella mushrooms, a zucchini (from a previous farmers' market), and 2 cups of Bob's Red Mill Vegi-Soup blend. I used 2 Tbs. of Penzey's Bouquet Garni. Freshly ground pepper gets added at the end.

[BakerAunt]

Italian Cook--try mixing in some plain yogurt to a serving. Yogurt can help tame the spice.

[BakerAunt]

For Friday dinner, I am making Dilled Salmon and Couscous. We will have it with a salad.

[BakerAunt]

I've not yet been blessed with a lot of tomatoes, so I've not used them for salsa. I will give you my canned tomato version, and maybe you can adjust it.

When I make salsa, I use the Walmart brand Great Value, no salt added, petite diced tomatoes. I chop some onion, dice 2-3 cloves of garlic, then add 1/3 of a 12-oz. jar of Southwestern 505 (medium heat) flame roasted green chile. (I brought two with me from Texas. I have not looked to see if it is available in our Indiana locations.) I mix it all together, then grab the On the Border tortilla chips, which are currently our favorites, as they are less salty than the Tostitos. In addition to coming in jars, I think this brand of chiles is available frozen. There are also canned ones of various brands. I've used Ortega and El Paso.

You will need to pay attention to if the chile peppers are mild, medium, or hot. It should say on the can. I prefer the medium ones.

You can buy fresh chiles. If you do, then wear gloves while you are seeding them, as it can burn your hands. (I've been told this. I've never worked with fresh chiles.) The seeds are what make them hot, I was told.

I've never put in cilantro, as I rarely have it around. After a post on the former Baking Circle about how some people have a genetic disposition for it to taste to them like soap, I stopped putting it in my black bean salad. I would now only serve it as an "add it yourself" ingredient.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 2 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 2 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

There are Mennonite/Amish communities in this area. I did go to a small store that was run by Mennonite/Amish, but it seemed to be for selling goods more to those not belonging to those groups--lots of baked pies, etc. They did have some grains, and I bought some cornmeal and some Irish oats there. However, the Dutch Jel that the sign claimed was the same as Clear Jel, was not, and it caused my blueberry pie filling disaster of last year. (That reminds me that I still have a pint jar of that to use up.) The prices did not seem much lower than in regular stores.

[BakerAunt]

I just realized that The L.A. Times article did not say how to cook the fresh soba noodles.

With the dried noodles I was using, the instructions were to put them in boiling water, then wait. When the water is about to boil over, add a cup of cold water. Wait for it to come to boiling again, then remove from heat, strain, and rinse. Perhaps with fresh noodles, they would be added to the boiling water, and be done more quickly?

I also wonder if it could be dried to use later, or if the noodles could be frozen.

[BakerAunt]

I enjoyed reading and following in pictures the experiment. How much honey did you use and how much did you dilute it?

Do you think this method might also work with whole grains sprinkled on top of loaves? Or do grains need a different approach?

[BakerAunt]

Thanks, Mike. I have written down the recipe and instructions. When I try the recipe, I'll report back.

[BakerAunt]

NY Bakers also sells Queen Guinevere (KAF's bleached cake flour). I'm going to have to spend some time at their website.

[BakerAunt]

I've had mostly success with flour deliveries from KAF, but I've noted that UPS has more of a tendency to crush boxes these days. I recall a Baking Circle thread in which KAF sub-rius commented on UPS not following the techniques he had used when working temporarily at the company. He always had interesting baking threads. I wish that he had joined us here. I don't think that I've had a single box lately in a KAF delivery where one side has not been crushed. Fortunately, nothing was damaged.

KAF is very good about replacing damaged goods, and they always ask about the packing to see if it was at fault. I recently bought the large 2-sheet cake sized pan from them. The first one had scratches that went through the finish, but in that case, it was not the packing. They sent a replacement with no problems (even though UPS again crushed part of the box).

[BakerAunt]

We actually don't need gluten-free. We just like the taste of the buckwheat noodles.

[BakerAunt]

Thanks Mike.

I would have to buy arrowroot powder and psyllium husk powder for this recipe. I'll have to investigate that.

[BakerAunt]

I used Gold Medal flour for the regular flour. I measured it by spooning the flour into the cup and leveling it. However, since this is a BH&G magazine from 2002, perhaps their kitchen used the scoop method. (I did until KAF recipes enlightened me.) The magazine does not include a section that reviews techniques, but Riverside Len's point is a good one. I will make a note on the recipe to reduce the milk (try 3 Tbs. next time) and perhaps increase the flour. I'll also weigh it next time and make a note.

[BakerAunt]

There is a Kroger near me that sells 5 pound bags of King Arthur's AP, whole wheat, and white whole wheat. It is more expensive than Walmart's prices on the AP and whole wheat. (Walmart does not carry the white whole wheat flour.) Kroger actually had better prices on Bob's Red Mill AP and whole wheat flour than King Arthur, but the prices are still higher than the Walmart prices.

What I've observed is that stores in areas where there are a lot of family farms tend to carry 25 pound bags of flour, perhaps because farming people do not make weekly grocery trips but stock up when they do come for groceries. However, maybe farming folk are not baking that much anymore and there is less demand for large bags.

[BakerAunt]

Mike--the link goes back to your "getting seeds to stick" post.

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