[chocomouse]

Our Covid numbers in VT went way up yesterday, highest since June, but when you look at the details, it is not as bad as the headlines. Unfortunately, 26 immigrant workers on a local farm tested positive. They had all lived together in a dorm. I feel so bad for them. And, the numbers will likely go up again - a ritzy hotel a few towns over hosted a huge wedding on the weekend, and there are photos circulating of large groups of guests with no one wearing a mask and not social distancing. I don't feel so sorry for them.

[chocomouse]

I love lemon flavor and that sounds so good. I've been thinking it's time for another lemon coffeecake with lemon streusel topping. And probably shredded zucchini in it also --- to make it a healthy snack!!

[chocomouse]

Cole slaw for dinner again tonight! Unfortunately, it is not the last cabbage from the garden!! I bought a six-pack of seedlings because they didn't have anything less than six plants - and this is cabbage #5. I've given most away. One huge cabbage will feed the two of us for weeks! I know that a head will keep in the refrigerator for a month or more, but I'm really tired of eating cole slaw. It's the only way we eat cabbage. I think next year, I'll just but one head at a time at the market.

Rain! and more rain! It's been raining now for about 3 hours, and we have 1.15 inches of the wet stuff! It's taking a short break and we're forecast to get thunder storms for a couple of hours and then more rain until around noon tomorrow. The only other rain we've had this month, on Sept 3, was .03 inches; plus some drops that dampened the deck 2 weeks ago. We have a complete outdoor fire burn ban in effect dur to the severe drought; and there have been a number of small field/forest fires reported but rather quickly brought under control. Gardening is over for the season, but I sure hope there is enough rain to soak the ground and lower the risk of fire.

[chocomouse]

Our dinner was grilled chicken, grilled potatoes, the last of the broccoli from the garden, and cole slaw.

[chocomouse]

I baked peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips, an adaptation of a KAF recipe. I haven't tasted them yet, but I'm looking for a chewy, not a crisp or crumbly, peanut butter cookie.

[chocomouse]

BakerAunt, I just saw this on Deb's weekly email, and though immediately of you. No butter or oil! I've put it on my list to make next week.

apple sharlotka

[chocomouse]

Dinner tonight was grilled salmon, cole slaw and steamed broccoli.

[chocomouse]

I made a spicy tomato sauce with hot Italian sausage, an assortment of bell peppers, and onions, all bite size, served over rotini. With it we had gruyere-olive rolls that I made last week. It was 81* here today, but the calendar says it's fall, so we are eating from the freezer!

[chocomouse]

I made Bacon-Cheddar-Chive bisquits. I baked them on my Lodge cast-iron pizza pan, so the bottoms are nice and crisp.

[chocomouse]

BLTs again tonight! In spite of a couple of light frosts, I still have many, many huge, red, perfectly formed tomatoes; plus tons of paste tomatoes. But I'm tired of making sauce, we have enough, the freezers are full. So this was the last BLT meal.

[chocomouse]

I made bagels again today, probably the best batch I've made yet. Crispy outside, soft chewy inside, excellent flavor, nicely shape -- just about perfect! One change this time is I did not let the dough rest 20 minutes AFTER shaping it into balls; I decided it rested enough while I was weighing out and shaping the next portions. Instead, I immediately poked my finger through and twirled the dough when they were all into balls, and THEN I let them rise about 25 minutes. I think they rose more, although were still dense, and some of the shaping imperfections disappeared. Two have disappeared already!

[chocomouse]

That's good news, Mike! I'm waiting for it to trickle down -- ground beef, 80% lean, around here is 3.99/lb. Although I did see some kind of a roast, forget what, for 2.99/lb.

[chocomouse]

I'm starting the "new" season by making cinnamon chips this morning. I don't make or eat anything pumpkin, and rarely anything that contains the usual autumn spices, like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, etc. Just not a flavor I like. However, I do love cinnamon scones and coffeecake with cinnamon streusel. Yesterday I decided it's time for maple cinnamon scones - yikes, out of cinnamon chips. So - will make my own.

[chocomouse]

I made my variation of Crusty Gruyere Loaves, KAF recipe. I used half bread and half AP flour, so they are nice and chewy. I added about a cup of chopped green olives and used a combo of Jarlsberg and cheddar cheese, a generous 2 cups (I put end pieces of cheese that are on the verge of molding into bags in the freezer for later use; they don't slice well for anything fancy, but are great for crumbled cheese). I rolled the dough into a rectangle about 9 x 24, sprinkled with the olives and cheese, rolled up and then cut into 24 slices each about 1 inch wide. I put them into heavily sprayed muffin tins and baked for 20 minutes at 400. They are nicely browned and came out of the muffins tins without sticking. Will be perfect with tomato soup!

[chocomouse]

Busy day in the kitchen today. First, I prepared my last batch of tomato sauce, using Roma tomatoes, for the freezer -- 4 quarts. Then I started a batch of tomato soup, using Celebrity tomatoes. I used a recipe "Watt's Tea Room Tomato Basil Cream Soup" posted by jej on the obc. It's a very forgiving recipe, I used 2% milk and half and half instead of the higher-fat dairy listed, and I don't bother to measure anything. I got about 5 quarts, and we each had a bowl for dinner. To go with that, I made mini Sausage-Mushroom quiche. That was a great dinner. The recipe makes 12, so I'm thinking about freezing some. Has anyone frozen quiche? OK or not?

• This reply was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by chocomouse.

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