[BakerAunt]

Thanksgiving here was lovely. We zoomed with the kids in the early afternoon and dined in the evening. I put away all the special serving dishes this morning. I enjoyed a turkey sandwich of Rye Semolina bread with spinach and my cranberry sauce. I will make that combination again. After pumpkin pie and coffee, I am ready for a lazy afternoon.

[BakerAunt]

My pumpkin pie recipe originally called for "pumpkin pie spice." I use 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, a slightly heaping 1/2 tsp. ginger, and 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg. I also think that using homemade pumpkin puree from a pie pumpkin makes a difference. One of my husband's cousins has twice commented on the lightness of my pumpkin pie.

I dislike pumpkin pie made from canned pumpkin--which, of course, includes other squashes than pumpkin. I do not like either the taste or the texture.

[BakerAunt]

Sweet potato pie is always better than sweet potato casserole!

[BakerAunt]

Scott roasted the turkey for Thanksgiving, as he always does. I made dressing (Pepperidge Farm blue bag forever) and gravy. We had Cardamom, Cranberry, and Dried Cherry relish (or I did), applesauce, and green beans that I froze in August. The green beans did not come out as well as they usually do. We had pumpkin pie for dessert.

[BakerAunt]

On Wednesday, I made a batch of applesauce. I made sure that I used more Ida Reds in addition to Sweet Emma and Macintosh. I also had four seconds from the farmers' market; the vendor assured me that they would kick up the flavor. I do not recall their name. I was pleased with the more complex flavor of this batch, so I may pick up some additional seconds at the market this weekend.

We had more of the Butternut Squash, Farro, and Kale Soup. There is enough left for us to have it for a light lunch tomorrow before the Thanksgiving dinner. When I was growing up, we usually had Thanksgiving dinner around 2 or 3 in the afternoon--at least, that was the time for which my mother was aiming. We would then clean up, relax a bit, and come back for pie. Alas, I cannot get my husband to go along with that dining time tradition, so dinner will be at the usual 6 p.m., provided the turkey is done on time.

[BakerAunt]

On Wednesday. I baked Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins in the morning for breakfast today and throughout the rest of the week. A quick breakfast for Thanksgiving morning is particularly desirable.

At lunch, my husband pointed out to me that we were almost out of bread. I keep underestimating how much he and the dog will devour. So, I baked Rye Semolina bread, as it will go well with turkey sandwiches on the days after Thanksgiving.

Due to the need to bake bread, baking a pumpkin pie has been bumped to this evening.

[BakerAunt]

On Tuesday, I roasted and processed two pie pumpkins. I set aside enough for tomorrow's pie, then froze enough for two more pies, as well as 4.9 oz. that remained.

We had more of the Butternut Squash, Farro, and Kale Soup for dinner.

[BakerAunt]

Aaron--I add 1/4 tsp. honey to the water in which I proof the ADY for my sourdough pan pizza. I use just 1/4 tsp. yeast to help along the sourdough, which still has a long rise.

I also proof yeast in water I have used to clean out a honey, molasses, or maple syrup jar. No waste!

I have been told by Cass that even ADY does not need to be proofed, but I feel better seeing it foam.

[BakerAunt]

Aaron--I have cut back yeast in recipes and had the bread do fine, but I have found that cutting back too much creates a denser bread, so my experience lines up somewhat with yours. However, I usually cut back on salt as well.

I do think that a lot of modern recipes are designed for a 1-hour rise, and so more yeast is used than would be needed if someone is comfortable with allowing longer rises.

[BakerAunt]

I started Thanksgiving meal preparation on Tuesday by making Cranberry Cherry Relish. It contains cardamom, and my husband is not a cranberry fan, so I made it for me. This relish lasts a long time. Leftovers go well mixed into yogurt or spread on buttered toast.

For dinner, we had more of the Butternut Squash, Farro, and Kale soup.

Mike--for the longest time, I avoided kale because it was trendy. However, it is a great source of calcium and other vitamins and minerals, so I try to incorporate it where I can. It is also a hardy green, so some of the local farmers' market vendors have it in the colder market months, especially if they have greenhouses.

[BakerAunt]

I baked lime pecan biscotti on Monday. They go well with tea.

[BakerAunt]

On Sunday, I roasted and processed my second peanut pumpkin. It was too large for my roasting pan to hold the two halves, so I roasted each half separately, which took over 90 minutes per pumpkin. I have packaged and frozen the puree for later use.

For dinner, I made a Butternut Squash, Farro, Kale, and Turkey Soup, which is based on a recipe in an email from the now defunct Tasting Table. I reduced the farro to 1 ½ cups this time and added a pound of sliced mushrooms. I also briefly sauteed the kale in olive oil in a separate frying pan before adding it to the soup. That brief sauté, although it requires the separate pan, produces a better tasting soup. I think that the heat and oil must somehow alter the kale.

I also made yogurt.

[BakerAunt]

I have been remiss in processing my pumpkins, and I noted a spot on one of the two peanut pumpkins on Saturday, so I went ahead and roasted and processed it after cutting out the bad parts. I will do the second one tomorrow. The sugar, or pie pumpkins, last much better, but I will be roasting two of those early next week for pumpkin pie.

Dinner tonight was a repeat of chicken salad sandwiches on the last sub roll. I also had some of my butternut squash soup.

Mike--uh, what did they do with what was left after they drained off the alcohol (part that did not freeze)?

[BakerAunt]

As I mentioned in my previous post, my cider has gone hard. Is there any use for hard cider, or should I just toss it?

[BakerAunt]

Best wishes for your trip, Joan. Enjoy your time with family!

I roasted two butternut squashes on Friday and made a double batch of Curried Butternut Squash Soup. I had hoped to add some apple cider, as I did last time, but my cider has gone hard. Instead, I added some additional chicken broth and some maple syrup. A tablespoon of Penzey's Now Curry gave it the perfect flavor. I froze three servings in separate containers for future lunches. I will eat the rest over the next few days. I offered to leave part of the soup without the curry powder, so that my husband could have some, but he declined.

For dinner on I made chicken salad using the rest of the roasted chicken breast. I used some Chobani non-fat Greek yogurt in place of some of the low-fat mayonnaise. We had it on one of the sub rolls that I pulled out of the freezer and halved. I had some of my butternut squash soup with my sandwich. We are headed for a chilly weekend, and the temperature is already dropping, so soup and sandwich is perfect.

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