[chocomouse]

BakerAunt, that was one of the first rye recipes I ever tried, and I still use it as my base rye recipe! I usually add dried onion, sometimes add deli rye sour/flavor. I often sub dark dry, pumpernickel, or first clear flour. If I run out/short on pickle juice, it's OK, I use what I have or sub Greek or regular yogurt, although I do think the pickle juice yields the best rise and flavor. I do reduce the salt, and use 2 teaspoons of yeast. I never worried about the clash of pickle juice and yeast, never had a problem. Somewhere I have stashed directions for scaling it up for two 9 x 5 loaves.

[chocomouse]

I won't be changing my way of doing eggs either. I put the cold eggs into cold water and bring to a boil. Let sit, covered. Original directions said something like 20 minutes, but I always just forget and leave them, often foe an hour or more. Empty the pot and fill with cold water. Let sit while I gather up my equipment, ingredients. Crack the shell and roll the egg around on the ceramic kitchen sink until the entire shell is cracked/crumbled. Peel, making sure to get hold of the inner thin membrane. I've never had a problem, whether old or fresh eggs, the shell does not stick to the egg, no green ring around the yolk. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

[chocomouse]

I"m cooking eggs for egg salad sandwiches for dinner tonight, on fresh oatmeal bread.

[chocomouse]

Lodge makes a couple of pans that might work for you Mike. They have a 10 inch skillet that has short handles on either side. I'm debating about getting that one, thinking that the two handles would make it easier to lift than the one I have which has a long, 6" plus, handle. They also make a 9" pie pan which might work also.

[chocomouse]

Today I made mini-garlic knots for the Christmas dinner bread basket. I also mixed the dough for Cranberry Coconut refrigerator slice and bake cookies for the cookie tray.

[chocomouse]

Today I made Harvest Grain rolls, using a new bag I bought at the KABC sale this week. The recipe is on the back of the bag. I made 16 small (40 gram) dinner rolls and 8 (55 gram) slider buns. We ate a couple of those with our corn chowder. The Harvest Grains blend is one of my favorite things to add to most any bread recipe.

[chocomouse]

I made corn chowder for dinner. We are getting our first snowstorm of the season! So far, we have about 4 inches with up to 8 predicted. I think it's time I had my studded snow tires put on my Jeep.

[chocomouse]

Aaron, I'm also no longer a big fan of KABC, for lots of reasons. I have no need to join Baker's Rewards (the paying version) as I live just 10 miles from the store, so free shipping would be a ridiculous option, a complete waste of earth's resources and ruin to the environment. When they advertise a sale, it only applies to shipped items; the sale does NOT apply to items in the store. However, I am a Baker's Reward member, the free version. Twice a year, December and May (?) they have a 20% off day for Reward members, and I do take advantage of that, although yesterday I spent only $74 plus 34.95 for the 50 lb of Sir Galahad. This was the first time I've been able to buy it on sale - they've said in the past that since it is wholesale, it never goes on sale, but yesterday they said it was included in the sale. Most of the products KABC sells are available cheaper elsewhere. I do buy pumpernickel, First Clear, lemon juice powder regularly, and yesterday I splurged on Harvest Grains - expensive but I love it. And today I regret not buying a bag of the Super 10 Blend, which I also love and I'm almost out.

Baker Aunt, I buy 2 lb bags of yeast at BJs, which is less than half the price of KABC yeast. Do you have a Costco or Sam's near you?

[chocomouse]

I bought A 50 lb bag of Sir Galahad (AP) flour at KABC this morning -- $34.95!!! Wow! I get a bag twice a year, late spring and fall, so I have not bought it since last May-June. (I also supplement it with the seasonal 5 lbs on sale 2 for 5.00 at the grocery store) I don't recall the price at that time, but it usually run around $28-29, wholesale, so it varies. That is a huge jump!

[chocomouse]

Smoked Gouda puts a lot of Joy in my life!! My favorite by far. I'm sorry for your loss.

[chocomouse]

I made stuffed spaghetti squash, with our usual pizza ingredients.

[chocomouse]

I made molasses ginger cookies for the Christmas Eve cookie tray, and a double batch of savory Chex Mix for gifts.

[chocomouse]

Not quite, but today is cookie dough day at my house! I'll mix up several doughs for the freezer to be baked off next week. Some I will shape into a cylinder for slice and bake cookies, and others I'll use a cookie scoop. I focus on taste, not looks -- I am not the fancy decorator type! What kind of cookies do you make?

[chocomouse]

I made a rum cake, an annual tradition for one of my husband's organizations. The first cake didn't come out right, so I made a 2nd cake yesterday. This one looked beautiful, and then on his way out the door, my husband dropped it, in the old Tupperware cake carrier, on the floor in the mudroom. Naturally, the cover came off, and the floor was dirty (this is where the boots come off and jacket are hung up, etc). We sliced off the top half inch, since of course it landed upside down, and that removed all the dirt coating. He put it back in the cake carrier, and off he went. It was delicious, everyone loved it, and now we have the entire first cake plus 3 small pieces of the second one!

[chocomouse]

I made turkey soup, with a thick, creamy base, similar to the insides of a chicken pot pie. I sauteed celery and onion, and added Penzey's Sunny Paris, frozen mixed vegetables and Dutch noodles. With it we'll have onion-wild rice rolls. We'll have leftovers for a couple of meals, and I still have about 2 quarts of turkey stock left.

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