[chocomouse]

We had ribs, cole slaw, and potatoes roasted on the grill with Penzey's Fox Point seasoning. 55* here.

[chocomouse]

I made maple-cinnamon scones yesterday, although the journey began the previous day. I've not been able to buy cinnamon chips in any store for several years now, But these scones are one of my husband's favorites. I can't seem to plan ahead for when I want to make them, but always want to bake them NOW! So ordering on-line is out, especially these days when either supply or delivery issues could mean waiting a month. So I googled how to make cinnamon chip at home. I found a number of recipes, all very similar, and two days ago I made a batch.

They turned out fine, and were quick and very easy to make. They are not hard like regular chips, but crumble easily so I had to be gentle when stirring them into the batter. Next time, I might increase the baking temp and or time by a few minutes to see if that makes them a little more firm. In the finished product, they were a nice burst of cinnamon flavor.

The recipe made almost 2 cups - I used 1 cup and have the rest in the freezer for another time. You could also substitute other flavors (ginger?) for the cinnamon. I might try some lemon..... or orange, in chocolate bread....

[chocomouse]

Pizza, the usual Thursday dinner per my husband's request.

[chocomouse]

We had pork chops on the grill, leftover zucchini-cheese-rice, and tossed salad. One more salad meal, and I will be very short of fresh produce - just 1/4 head of cabbage and 4-5 stalks of celery. I was hoping to go 4 weeks without grocery shopping (I do have a freezer with lots of garden veggies) but looks like I'll only last another week.

[chocomouse]

I save egg shells in the spring/summer, dry them, then pulverize in the food processor. I sprinkle it around the tomato and peppers plants when they begin to have buds. It helps them to set fruit and prevents blossom end rot. But I've never directly eaten the shells.

[chocomouse]

I made two loaves of rye sandwich bread today, so we had tuna salad sandwiches on fresh bread for dinner.

[chocomouse]

Yesterday, I made a 9 bean soup, and added slice Kielbase and frozen mixed vegetables. With it we had rye rolls.

[chocomouse]

Thanks everyone for the compliments on my bagels! It takes a little practice and you have to be focused and shape carefully - no just quickly poking a hole and stretching the dough any which way! This was my 4th batch and I think another 2 inches on the waistline.

It would be a lot of fun to do a virtual potluck!

[chocomouse]

Today I made bagels, using KAF "Bagels" recipe, but subbing 2 cups of whole wheat for 2 cups of the AP. I used barley malt syrup in the dough. I made 12 bagels, 75 grams each, which is smaller than typical. Len, each finished bagel weighed about 65 grams.

I shaped each one into a smooth ball and let them rest about 10 minutes. Then I poked a hole in the center of each and carefully stretched each one into the bagel shape. I let them rest for 20 minutes.

To make the boiling water bath, I added 1 teaspoon of barley malt syrup and 1 teaspoon of baking soda (not called for in the recipe but I see that many recipes do call for it; not sure I can tell the difference) to the water in my old electric skillet. That is really not deep enough for the job, but I do not have another wide, shallow (4 inches deep is recommended) pan.

I boiled the bagels, 4 at a time, for about 1 minute, then flipped for another 30 seconds or so. They went into a 425* oven for 25 minutes. Next time I think I will try 20 minutes. The outside is crisp and chewy and the interior is a little chewy but soft. I use AP flour instead of a stronger (bread, or high gluten) flour because we do not like them real chewy.

The texture is what we like. The flavor is excellent; we also love whole wheat. The shaping is much better than the first batch I made a couple of months ago.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by chocomouse.
• This reply was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by chocomouse.

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[chocomouse]

Chicken on the grill, green salad, and a new recipe from SmittenKitchen: rice, zucchini (shredded, from the freezer), lots of onion and garlic, and parmesan. It was adapted from a Julia Child recipe, and it still needs some work, in my opinion. Also, the directions were not clear.

[chocomouse]

I agree, Len, that people don't measure flour correctly. However, I think the real problem is that bread machine users think they can "set it and forget it". I always use a bread machine to mix and knead my dough, as I have arthritis and can no longer knead; I use the "dough only" setting, and have never baked in a bread machine (and I'm on my third abm). I check my dough frequently when it is mixing and kneading. I no longer even weigh my flour, nor do I measure very accurately, and much of the time I'm not even using a recipe (exceptions to those comments are when I am trying a new recipe). I almost always have to add more flour or water to get the dough to the correct "tackiness". It would probably take a new bread baker a few tries to figure out what a proper dough looks, feels, and acts like to get a nice loaf. Maybe now, in this time of social distancing at home, Grandmas and Moms can bake with their youngsters and pass on some of their skills.

[chocomouse]

Pizza.

[chocomouse]

We got about 8-10 inches of granular spring snow, Monday into Tuesday a.m. But temps Tuesday p.m. and today into the 40s, so it has mostly melted. We're still making maple syrup. And had hamburgers and margaritas for dinner tonight, after my husband shoveled the rest of the snow off the deck.

[chocomouse]

I made a coffeecake with raspberry filling. The berries were from our garden two years ago, and I used my German cookbook recipe for raspberry sauce with some cornstarch to thicken it for a filling. This was then swirled into the two layers. I used half oil and half applesauce instead of butter, and yogurt instead of cream. It has excellent flavor with a very light and tender crumb.

[chocomouse]

We have about 3 inches of snow and it is still coming down. It's beautiful, but getting dark out now. Today I made mushroom soup and with it had Gruyere-olive rolls from the freezer.

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