[chocomouse]

We had ham steak cooked on the grill, potato salad, and broccoli. My microwave has a sensor cook option with "fresh vegetables" and it seems to cook every type of veggie perfectly - sort of al dente, cooked, but not mushy. I never steam any veggies any more. Last night I had some leftover pasta with sauce from the freezer, but there really wasn't enough sauce for the amount of pasta. So I slice and cooked up two Italian sausages, added a couple large spoonfuls of a medium-hot salsa, and some Velveeta cheese. It was delicious, and there is enough leftover for dinner tomorrow night.

[chocomouse]

I wondered where you were, Joan! You think those weevils must have come in to your house in the flour? I hope you get ride of them quickly.

[chocomouse]

Great that you didn't have to wait longer!!

[chocomouse]

I just froze the last batch of tomato sauce. And I now have a pork roast in the tagine, with sliced onions, boiled cider, honey, ginger, turmeric, cardamom, and cumin. I'll put apple slices, quartered potatoes, and carrots in soon. We'll get a couple of meals out of this. It's nice to be switching over to fall-winter type dishes, a complete change from veggies fresh from the garden cooked on the grill with a piece of meat/chicken/fish.

[chocomouse]

I made KAF's Sandwich Rye Bread today, with a few changes. It's a good, reliable rye that always comes out good.

[chocomouse]

Today I made apple muffins, the first of many fall-flavored foods to be made I'm sure.

[chocomouse]

That spaghetti squash casserole does sound good, and I will try it. It's a lot healthier than my usual Pizza Spaghetti Squash recipe, which is just the spaghetti squash with all your favorite pizza toppings dumping on top. I'm struggling to remember to buy veggies at the grocery store. Usually, I just pick from my garden until late October's frost, but not this year. Basically, all that survived the drought is winter squash and tomatoes.

[chocomouse]

I prefer a lumpy sauce, too. After using the blender, it seems to be more suited for a creamy soup. And I don't get any pieces of skin after using the blender.

Mike, I've been told the process I use deactivates the enzyme Pectose which causes tomatoes to separate. I cook a couple of tomatoes on high heat, for a minute or so, and then gradually add the remaining tomatoes - carefully stirring, as they do burn easily. That seems to have worked.

[chocomouse]

Baker Aunt, how did you like the tomato sauce that included the tomato skins? I've been making the sauce that I freeze with the skins on - it saves a tremendous amount of time to not dip in boiling water and peel. But -- I then whiz the sauce with an immersion blender, so the skins completely disappear. Last year I made some pizza sauce with the skins on, and did not puree the sauce; we did not care for the sauce with the pieces of skin in it. The texture is not very pleasant.

[chocomouse]

Baker Aunt, how did you like the tomato sauce that included the tomato skins? I've been making the sauce that I freeze with the skins on - it saves a tremendous amount of time to not dip in boiling water and peel. But -- I then whiz the sauce with an immersion blender, so the skins completely disappear. Last year I made some pizza sauce with the skins on, and did not puree the sauce; we did not care for the sauce with the pieces of skin in it. The texture is not very pleasant.

[chocomouse]

What about a weekly question, posted every Wednesday (just for example). Something like What is one tool/utensil, baking pan, etc. you can't live without? Tell us about a utensil that sits in your kitchen drawer but never gets used? Or What is one ingredient that is always in your refrigerator? Or what is one ingredient you never, never would use? We could "sign up" to choose a week to post a question. Of course, I'm not intending that someone couldn't ask a "serious" question (like, for a certain kind of recipe) at any time. Mike should not have to do all the background work to enliven this forum. He does enough behind the scenes work to keep it going. Thanks Mike.

[chocomouse]

I have not bought any "store breads" for many years (except I do keep Sandwich Thins in tee freezer, for when I run out of bread; I'm still trying to replicate the Thins, but nothing is right yet), and I am including any bakery type products. I did meet up with friends, twice in the last year, at the KAF Cafe. Once I had a scone, and the other time an elephant ear. I was so disappointed - they were not good at all: dry, hard, no flavor, stale even, although they are fresh every day.

As for cutting bread out of a low carb diet? Amazing! A reasonable serving size can be good for you - loaded with healthy whole grains and good fats. On the other hand, a real pet peeve of mine is discussions of diabetic diets that cut out all sugar, but ignore carbs. Digested sugars turn to carbs, so diabetics need to monitor breads, potatoes, corn, etc - it isn't just about the frosting on the cake! Thanks everyone for getting me excited -- rant over!

[chocomouse]

Mike, we don't eat a lot of pickles either, and I finally tossed numerous jars I had in my basement too. But if I make just one quart at a time, and keep it front and center in the fridge, we do eat them. I've been on a kick (don't ask me why this year when I don't even have cukes in the garden!) trying out old recipes. Most of these pickles are different - somewhat mild, not really sweet, but not nearly as tart as dills, although I often include dill seed for flavor. Remember BigLakeJudy from the old, old Baking Circle? She had posted a great recipe that I do really like.

[chocomouse]

Today was a busy day of cooking, as I leave Thursday on a week-long trip. So I made Pasta sauce, Pesto, and Pickles! Pasta sauce to use up most of the ripe tomatoes, pesto to use up the last of the basil, and refrigerator pickles for a potluck tomorrow night, as a side for burgers and dogs. Unfortunately, I had to buy the cucumbers because the plants in my garden have produced only 4 cucumbers this summer. But we've now had a day and a half of gentle rain; I'm not sure how much, since my weather station seems to have stopped tracking rainfall, and it's been too wet to check my rain gauges on the deck!

[chocomouse]

How sad! It was so difficult to read about this in the newspaper. I cannot imagine. It sounds like the community members will provide much needed support for each other. And for that dear mother/wife. Wonky, I'm sure you will feed their hearts and bodies well.

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