[BakerAunt]

Thanks for the input, Mike. I use the convection setting for crackers and get a more even result. I also use it for all my pies, although my pies are streusel-topped these days. I cover with foil for the first 45 minutes, then remove it to brown the streusel and let the pie finish in 5-10 minutes. I will report on how the convection setting works with cookies.

On Thursday evening, I baked a batch of the Whole Wheat/Rye/Semolina Buns (AKA Len's Buns) as 10 buns. We are planning a picnic tomorrow, so we needed buns for sliced turkey sandwiches.

I forgot to mention that on Wednesday morning I baked Pumpkin-Oat muffins. I did not think they were among my best, as they had a craggy appearance, but they tasted good, and they had disappeared by Thursday afternoon, so the rest of the family did not let appearance deter them.

[BakerAunt]

Oh, Skeptic, that is horrible! They need to get back to your house and install the oven correctly. Remind them that if they do not install the anti-tip device, they will be liable for accidents.

On Thursday, I baked a double recipe of Big Lake Judy's Best Ever Molasses Cookies.

I have been noticing that when I bake cookies, the second batch is baking faster than the first batch. I cut a bit of time off of the second and third trays of cookies, and since the fourth tray had just five cookies, I cut the time by 2 minutes. Those five burned. Next time I bake cookies, I am going to use the convection setting, as I do for crackers, and reduce the heat by 25 degrees.

[BakerAunt]

Wednesday's Dinner was Cherry Tomato Sauce. Vegetables (zucchini, yellow squash, red and yellow bell pepper, green onions, and mushrooms), and Rigatoni, with the addition of leftover roast chicken.

[BakerAunt]

Ah, yes, the test drive!

[BakerAunt]

We had leftover vegetarian lasagna, leftover turkey loaf, leftover stuffing, and an ear of corn each, as well as more birthday cake!

[BakerAunt]

For my bonus daughter's birthday dinner, I roasted a chicken. I also made Pepperidge Farm Stuffing (blue bag) that I saved for this occasion, as it is her favorite, and she has not had it for a couple of years. We also had microwaved fresh green beans from the garden and homemade applesauce from the freezer. Dessert, of course, was the chocolate cake with the white chocolate cream cheese and butter frosting.

[BakerAunt]

Skeptic--I will have to post my adaptation of the cake recipe, which includes changing how it is mixed. To my surprise, it was not crumbly, so I wonder if changing the mixing technique helped. I used the mixer to combine the oil and sugar, then the eggs and vanilla, but after that, I hand mixed.

I did an initial "crumb coat," which is just a light coating of the frosting--does not have to cover as in a finished cake--then I did the main frosting coat over it.

I made a White Chocolate Cream Cheese Butter frosting from the recipe in Baking at Home, a book from the Culinary Institute of America. The trick with the frosting is not to let the butter get too soft, and to get the white chocolate at just the right temperature after melting it. Today, it all came together, and the frosted cake is in the refrigerator. The frosting is at its best when cold.

[BakerAunt]

I am so glad that you will soon have your new stove, Skeptic!

On Sunday morning, I baked Oatmeal Black Raspberry Muffins with black raspberries that I froze earlier this summer. I used an oatmeal blueberry muffin recipe that I like.

I also baked the King Arthur Fantastic Fudge Birthday Cake. I replaced the King Arthur flour with regular AP and the cornstarch with 2 Tbs. of barley flour. (King Arthur adds 2 Tbs. of cornstarch to tone down the gluten in their flour, so regular AP works well, and the barley flour was just to see how it comes out. I also replaced 2/3 of the oil with olive oil and added 2 Tbs. milk powder. I have changed the mixing instructions. I use my hand mixer to beat together the oil and sugar, then beat in the eggs and vanilla. I use my cake whisk to mix in the dry ingredients, then use it to slowly mix in the water. Finishing with my spatula. I find that makes for a more tender cake. Tomorrow, I will make a white chocolate, cream cheese, and butter frosting and assemble my bonus daughter's birthday cake!

[BakerAunt]

Mike--I second Len's suggestions. I've been using zucchini with tomato and pasta for the past month.

I had a busy day in the kitchen. I made yogurt. I also made a dent in the pile of tomatoes and made tomato sauce.

For Sunday dinner, I made a new recipe from Kenji Lopez-Alt at Serious Eats: "Summer Vegetables Lasagna with Zucchini, Squash, Eggplant, and Tomato. I had signed up for their emails, and this recipe was featured recently. I also found a lovely eggplant at the farmers market. I used a regular zucchini and a golden arrow zucchini, which is a lovely yellowish orange. While the recipe requires sauteing the slices in olive oil, I followed one commentator's suggestion and brushed them with olive oil and roasted them in a single layer at 400 for 30 minutes. My other change was to replace the butter with olive oil and use 1% milk for the white sauce. To thicken it a bit, I added 1 Tbs. flax meal. I also did not soak the oven-ready lasagna noodles, which is not necessary. That meant I did not put a final layer of noodles on the top. The lasagna was excellent, and perfect for a vegetarian meal.

[BakerAunt]

I made turkey-zucchini loaf with peach Dijon glaze for dinner tonight. We had it with an ear of corn each and broccoli salad.

[BakerAunt]

I had a busy day of baking on Friday in preparation for my bonus daughter and her boyfriend's visit. I baked an adaptation of Mumphy's Peanut Butter Honeys (recipe at Nebraska Kitchen). I had accidentally bought a no-stir peanut butter. It was the same company and the same design as the natural peanut butter I always buy, but I did not read the full label. So, I am using this jar for baking. For the adaptation, I replaced the flour with white whole wheat and used 3 Tbs. of avocado oil. I also added 1 Tbs. Bob's Red Mill milk powder. The cookies baked well, except that the second sheet, which I baked at the same temperature as the first sheet for the same length of time, burned on the bottom. My husband and I ate the evidence. The cookies came out well, but they are not as sweet as most peanut butter cookies, which I had noticed back when I baked the recipe some years ago with butter. I think that I might add a bit of brown sugar next time.

My second baking project was the Squash Whole Wheat Oat quick bread because I had part of a zucchini left to grate from the baking projects earlier in the week. I set aside a cup of the grated zucchini to use in Saturday's dinner and used the other two cups to make four loaves in my Nordic Ware 4-well loaf pan. I used cinnamon chips in the batter, and they stuck, so one loaf was a bit crumbly, but I was able to freeze the other three.

My final baking project was three loaves of my Oat Bran Whole Wheat Bread. I have been refining this recipe that I adapted from Peter Reinhart's Oat Bran Bread. I have felt the last few times that the finished bread needs to be a bit softer, so I increased the olive oil--which I had added to the original recipe--from 4 to 5 Tbs.--which made for a slightly softer dough. (The idea occurred to me because I baked Len's buns earlier in the week, and I compared the oil content of that single-loaf recipe with what I was using for a three-loave recipe.) The loaves came out beautifully, except that as I was putting them in to bake, one slipped slightly and got a bit of a dent on one end, which turned into a giant air pocket in the oven. We will eat that one first. As soon as I am satisfied with this recipe, I will post it at Nebraska Kitchen.

My husband helped me tackle the dishes from the baking and cooking, or I would have been up even later than I was.

[BakerAunt]

It is good to hear from you after the hurricane, Joan. Being able to cook dinner after that storm must have made it taste extra good.

I made broccoli salad on Friday night. My bonus daughter and her boyfriend are arriving tomorrow, and I am planning an easy dinner, since we need to pick them up at an airport that is a much longer drive from here than the airport we drove to earlier in the week.

[BakerAunt]

I made sourdough pan pizza for dinner on Thursday. I tried a new combination for the topping. I made the sauce out of cherry tomatoes with a dash of balsamic vinegar. I topped with Canadian bacon, mushrooms, a few black olives on my side, and 4 oz. of goat cheese. The goat cheese goes well with the cherry tomatoes but does not work exactly with the Canadian bacon. I think goat cheese would be better in a vegetarian pizza.

After dinner, I baked Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers from dough I had in the refrigerator.

[BakerAunt]

Our Big Boy tomatoes finally started ripening. We are agreed that of the varieties we planted, these are the best--nicely sweet and excellent in sandwiches.

[BakerAunt]

Thanks for letting us know that you are ok, CWCdesign.

Given the winds, Joan may be without power for the next couple of days.

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