BakerAunt

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Viewing 15 posts - 1,366 through 1,380 (of 8,185 total)
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  • in reply to: What are you Baking the Week of January 7, 2024? #41539
    BakerAunt
    Participant

      My combined Christmas/Early Birthday present is a deep 11-inch Staub skillet in a lovely red. On Wednesday, I used it to try a Washington Post recipe that came out before Thanksgiving: "Skillet Pumpkin and Apple Cake." That recipe used a 12-inch cast iron skillet, but my 11-inch enameled cast iron worked well. I replaced 1 ¼ cups of the AP flour with white whole wheat flour and used the King Arthur AP for the remainder. I added 2 Tbs. Bob's Red Mill milk powder. For the topping, I used almost three Winesap apples. I did not peel them, but next time I will, as the skin makes it hard to cut pieces of the cake. I used frozen cranberries from my freezer stash. I reduced the butter in the topping from 4 Tbs. to 2 Tbs. and replaced the deleted butter with 1 ½ Tbs. avocado oil. The cake baked well in the allotted time. I inverted it onto an 11 ½-inch platter after ten minutes rather than fifteen, and it came out of the pan beautifully. We had some for dessert tonight, and it is excellent. The spices are more muted than in a traditional pumpkin bread or cake, but the topping of apples and cranberries in this upside-down cake work well with the lower spice profile. I will bake this recipe again.

      in reply to: What are you Cooking the Week of January 7, 2024? #41538
      BakerAunt
      Participant

        I'm glad that you got through the storm and power outage ok, Joan.

        I made a turkey-vegetable barley soup for lunch on Wednesday. I will be eating it for lunch over the rest of the week.

        For dinner on Wednesday, I cooked 1 ½ lbs. of large lima beans (soaked overnight) with the ham bone I had frozen from Christmas dinner. I combined it with cooked brown and wild rice and sauteed yellow bell pepper, celery, kale, dehydrated onion, and ½ tsp. thyme. Enough is leftover for at least three more meals and maybe four.

        in reply to: What are you Cooking the Week of January 7, 2024? #41536
        BakerAunt
        Participant

          For dinner on Tuesday, I made Crispy Oven Baked Fish and Chips with Dill Tartar Sauce. We had microwaved fresh broccoli as well.

          I also made yogurt on Tuesday.

          in reply to: What are you Cooking the Week of January 7, 2024? #41534
          BakerAunt
          Participant

            The pizza looks delicious, Len. I've noted that a lot of "rye" or "wholegrain" recipes actually use very little wholegrain flour.

            We finished up leftovers from last night's dinner experiment. It does not look so great, but it is tasty.

            in reply to: What are you Baking the Week of January 7, 2024? #41526
            BakerAunt
            Participant

              On Sunday evening, I made dough for my Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers. I will bake them near the end of the week.

              in reply to: What are you Cooking the Week of January 7, 2024? #41525
              BakerAunt
              Participant

                I improvised a variation on Shepherd's Pie tonight to use up the leftover muddled mashed potatoes and gravy, along with some of the turkey. I made a doubled recipe of the white sauce that I use for my turkey lasagna and mixed in the gravy. I sautéed chopped carrots, celery, green onion, red bell pepper, mushrooms and kale in some olive oil. I added a heaping 2 cups of turkey, and then I threw in some leftover frozen corn and seasoned with ½ tsp. poultry seasoning. I combined it with the white sauce in a deep 9 x 9-inch-deep casserole baking dish. I spread the mashed potatoes over the top and baked for 40 minutes at 400 F. As I had feared, I used too much sauce; a 1 ½ recipe of it would have been enough. It was like eating a thick gravy stew. However, it was delicious, and perfect for a cold day that saw two inches of snow, the most significant amount we have had this season.

                We are supposed to get serious snow on Tuesday, so we will be doing our major shopping trip tomorrow.

                in reply to: What are you Baking the Week of December 31, 2023? #41521
                BakerAunt
                Participant

                  Chocomouse--I use both pickle juice and dill seed. I buy a German pickle at Big Lots, when they have them and we are close enough for me to go to that store. For me, that juice is just right for the bread and for my potato salad. Last time, I bought three enormous jars. We are still consuming the second one, as I told my husband he can only snack on them occasionally so that I have them available for potato salad and tartar sauce. I will need to stock up again next time we are near South Bend.

                  in reply to: What are you Cooking the Week of December 31, 2023? #41520
                  BakerAunt
                  Participant

                    Navlys--rotisserie chicken is one of my go-to meals when arriving at a vacation location or returning home from vacation.

                    You never know what a vacation rental will have in the kitchen. I have a box where I store my travel kitchen items and select from it before a trip. Still, I recall having to buy a sheet pan at one place. And don't get me started on what passes for a skillet, usually with lots of scratches.

                    in reply to: Glass Blowing #41519
                    BakerAunt
                    Participant

                      What a great opportunity for your son and granddaughter, Mike.

                      in reply to: What are you Cooking the Week of December 31, 2023? #41514
                      BakerAunt
                      Participant

                        We ate leftover mashed potatoes and gravy, turkey, coleslaw for me, and microwaved frozen peas and carrots for my husband.

                        in reply to: What are you Baking the Week of December 31, 2023? #41513
                        BakerAunt
                        Participant

                          We were running low on bread, so on Saturday afternoon, I baked a loaf of my Pumpernickel Sandwich Bread, which is part of my continuing attempt to get the recipe just the way I like it.
                          The ideal flour amounts appear to be 3 cups Bob's Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour and 2 cups King Arthur pumpernickel. I had 1 cup plus 2 Tbs. pickle juice left, so I used all of it and did not add more than ¾ cup water. The hydration was perfect this time. I also cut the salt back to 1 tsp., since the pickle juice adds salt. I'm still experimenting with ideal spices. This time I used 1 Tbs. caraway seed, 2 tsp. dill seed, and 2 tsp. mustard seeds. I again increased the oil from 3 Tbs. to 4, and I used avocado oil, which seems to keep the bread softer longer. The rise this time, unlike when I baked it in November, was ideal. The loaf is cooling on a rack, and the height is excellent. I look forward to turkey sandwiches for lunch tomorrow.

                          in reply to: Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls Experiment #41505
                          BakerAunt
                          Participant

                            I am very pleased with my Eggnog Sweet Rolls. I will post the recipe here at Nebraska Kitchen, even though eggnog season is over.

                            in reply to: What are you Baking the Week of December 31, 2023? #41503
                            BakerAunt
                            Participant

                              I made the dough and shaped Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls on Friday evening and have refrigerated the pan overnight. I will bake them tomorrow. If you are interested in the details, see the Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls thread.

                              in reply to: Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls Experiment #41502
                              BakerAunt
                              Participant

                                On Friday evening, I finally had the time to try a recipe for Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls that would use up the rest of the low-fat eggnog I bought for baking. I decided to follow the Fleischmann's recipe, but I substituted 3 ½ cups white whole wheat flour and only used an additional 2 cups of King Arthur AP. I also added ¼ cup special dry milk and ¼ cup flax meal. I cut the salt from 2 tsp. to 1 ½ and used 1/3 cup sugar rather than 6 Tbs. I used the 1 ¾ cup of eggnog that I had and proofed the yeast in ¼ cup water. I replaced 4 Tbs. butter with 3 Tbs. avocado oil. The dough had a slower rise, needing about 90 minutes. The house was not overly cool, although I moved the dough bucket into the area with the wood stove after half an hour. I rolled the dough out to a 12 x 19-inch rectangle, using a rolling pin that gives a quarter inch thickness. For the filling, I increased the cinnamon to 1 Tbs. from 2 tsp. and added 1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg. I brushed the dough with avocado oil before sprinkling the filling over it. I rolled from the long side, cut it into 12 rolls, placed them in a glass baking dish covered with saran, and refrigerated them overnight.

                                I'll bake them tomorrow and report on the outcome.

                                in reply to: Interesting Article on Wild Nuts #41501
                                BakerAunt
                                Participant

                                  We have a black oak in front of the house, which drops some of its acorns into the lake. The ducks love them. Squirrels and chipmunks go for the ones that hit the ground. We have a wonderful white oak in the back. The squirrels and chipmunks love it, as do the deer.

                                Viewing 15 posts - 1,366 through 1,380 (of 8,185 total)