chocomouse
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Right now I have dough for Mrs. M's Cinnamon Buns rising on the kitchen counter; these will go home with our two children and families for their Christmas morning breakfast, a nice tradition we started a few years ago.
Yesterday I did a Bake for Good pie class at KAF. They gave us the ingredients and instructions and supervised/coached us making the crusts, and the class was free. The recipe was their classic, all butter crust. The instructor stressed that it's all about keeping the butter cold! We mixed the butter and flour until it was all crumbly, one size pieces, quite small, about 1/4 of an inch. They had prepped the apples, saving us a lot of time. We actually made crostatas, not double crusts, which was disappointing because I was hoping to get some tips about crimping the edges. KAF bakes the pies and takes them to a local homeless shelter/food shelf. They have similar classes for cookies, cinnamon buns, and rolls. Next year I will try a different class.
Today I made two loaves using KAF's Super 10 Flour Blend. It's my new favorite bread. The blend is so flexible, I'd think it could be used in any bread recipe. I also made a batch of molasses cookies for my Christmas cookie tray.
Baker Aunt, I am going to try that flatbread next week. Thanks for sharing!
December 18, 2018 at 7:41 pm in reply to: What are You Cooking the Week of December 16, 2018? #14358Tonight we had a veggie lasagna with white sauce and a green salad.
For dinner tonight I tried a "sheet-pan" meal of sliced Kielbasa with bite sized chunks of potatoes, onions, and peppers, with a green salad. It was excellent. My kitchen is a mess -- the sink is clogged, which happens once every 4 years due to the design of the pipes in the basement going to the septic system. Of course, I had every baking pan and cookie sheet and most of the cooking utensils in the house dirty about the time I discovered it. I'm doing a lot of holiday baking for a family gathering on Sunday. I can use the bathroom sink, but only as much as absolutely needed. Looking at the rosy side of things, with no baking/cooking to be done, I'll have plenty of time to do the other household chores that I avoid!
Dinner was venison steaks, leftover mushroom risotto, and butternut squash.
Today I made the traditional rum cake for my husband's group Christmas party tomorrow night. It's a simple recipe -- using a yellow cake mix, a package of instant vanilla pudding, eggs, oil, and a lot of rum! Plus a glaze made of rum, sugar, and butter that is delicious.
We are Ellen's Halfpint Farm, in the Main Exhibition Hall. We just got a letter yesterday saying our booth space has changed (for the better!) next year. We will be in A12, which is about across the aisle from B13 which we have had for years. My sister Ellen hand paints fibers and yarns. I look forward to meeting you next spring!
Yes we do go to the Maryland Sheep and Wool, the first full weekend in May. We've been doing that show for years, maybe 30 years. It's huge, so festive with people, animals, music, food, and a farmers' market as well as everything related for sheep and fibers. We love it! Do you go to it, and are you a knitter?
Corn chowder and dinner rolls, both from the freezer.
The Artisan Fair was fun, educational, and interesting! It was very small, and I was just one of three food vendors (on sold jams and jellies, and another sold just cookies) so my baked goods sold pretty well, for a market that was mostly Christmas gift items, with some gorgeous pottery, jewelry, cutting boards and other woodcrafts, wooden bowls, photography - some very expensive items, and in a wealthy town. My husband's maple syrup, especially the bourbon barrel aged syrup sold really well, and was a great conversation starter. But preparing for the event was a ton of work (and I am well aware of the work of the show itself, as I do sheep and wool festivals, knitting/crochet conventions, etc. all year round all over the US, with my sister who hand-paints wool fibers, cloth, and yarn). I plan to do the same event again next year, and it will be easier - I will have my packaging issues worked out, and have recipes to hand out ready, ingredient labels, etc. The process is more difficult because it is the holiday season with lots of prep, and I made the huge mistake of going away the previous week for some fun time, but that required some recovery! I had thought about doing a local weekly farmers' market when I retired, just to give me something to do, but now know that I will not do that. I love to bake, but not "production" baking. I do miss the baking I used to do for my co-workers and am looking for events to share my goodies with once in a while. I've located a community elder coffee klatch that I now plan to bring goodies to. But I think once a month or so will be enough! Does anyone else here do this type of thing on a regular basis?
That's going to be interesting to work in a different kitchen Baker Aunt. Is it a better space than the kitchen to be renovated? I sure hope everything goes smoothly for you.
I baked two loaves of rye bread today, and I sliced some of the frozen cookie dough logs into cookies that baked while the rye dough was rising. The cookies were an orange, made with plain vanilla dough with chopped candied orange peel that I made a while back, and the other was the same but with chopped dark chocolate added to it. Both are delicious. These are two of the doughs I will use for my Christmas cookie platters.
Dinner here was salmon on the grill (with the outdoor temp at 17* and going down), with mushroom risotto and broccoli from the freezer.
We had salads tonight - a simple pasta salad with orechiette, celery, onions, bell peppers; a seafood salad, and a chicken - grape salad, with fresh garlic knots. An interesting menu change-up when the temp is 26* and going down.
I've spent quite a bit of time baking today. Saturday I'm vending at an Artisan Fair, for a local charity group. My husband is going to sell his maple syrup, so I decided to sell maple baked goods. It's my first time vending my foods, so there is a lot of work in addition to the baking. I've made Vermont Maple Oatmeal Bread (a KAF recipe) which is the only yeasted product I'll have. I also made Maple Coconut Cookies, Maple Pecan Scones, Maple Oatmeal Cranberry mini loaves and muffins, Maple Walnut and Fig Bread (from Sift magazine). Tomorrow I'll make Maple Bacon Shortbread and Maple Cornbread mini loaves. I'm also giving out copies of some of my recipes. Next year, assuming I choose to do this again, I'll add things such as Maple Vinaigrette, Maple Cinnamon Buns, cheesecake, etc. I'm enjoying the challenge of doing something different. Of course, my husband is hoping none of my goodies will sell, and therefore will go straight into the freezer!
Tonight we had chicken thighs with Penzey's Greek seasoning, bite-size chunks of butternut squash and potato roasted in the oven, and a green salad.
Baker Aunt, we love that Greek seasoning too, and I should try it on salmon. We usually have our salmon plain, but sometimes drizzle it with maple syrup.
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