[cwcdesign]

I made a loaf of Mrs. Cindy's Iris Oatmeal Bread this morning going back to the changes I had used before. I just realized the only change I didn't make this time was reducing the salt to 1/2 teaspoon. Oh well, next time. I used 2 tablespoons maple syrup and bread flour instead of AP. I don't use the whole grain bread improver and I think I will leave it off when I make a new copy of the recipe. I used 2 teaspoons regular yeast. It was also cooler today than the last time I made it.

It did not rise as high in the bread machine which is a good thing, but it was still pretty sticky. Would you reduce the liquid a little bit to compensate? I let it rise for 30 minutes which was just perfect. I forgot to start the oven so I had to wait 5 minutes to put the dough in - it even rose a little in that amount of time. I checked it at 25 minutes and it was done. I like the taste and the texture better this time, but still softer than I prefer.

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[cwcdesign]

Mike, those look better than the ones we get from the in-house bakery! I'm on team double-chocolate.

[cwcdesign]

I have a pasta salad recipe that I got from a friend years ago. I pulled it out this summer when Will had asked for some salad ideas. I had remembered that it made a LOT and was also time intensive. When I reread the recipe, I noted that all of the vegetables were sautéed in batches, hence the time.I decided the next time I made the recipe, I'd roast the vegetables.

So, today I wanted to make a farro salad and I thought I could adapt the pasta salad to the farro. I had to go shopping so I picked up some vegetables from the recipe. I roasted portobello mushrooms, red and green peppers, onion, asparagus and zucchini. I ended up not adding all the veggies to the farro (saved them for another time) but the salad was good and filling. I'll have it for a couple more days.

[cwcdesign]

I made the No Knead from KABC again with much more success this time. First, it helps if you actually read the ingredients - I had used AP when the recipe called for bread flour. Then I just mixed it with the dough whisk instead of the stand mixer - the mixer was quick, but more to clean up. I also wonder if it over mixed the dough. I also used regular yeast.

The dough rose and bubbled nicely by this morning. I shaped the dough and put it in the pan. It was cooler today and I set the timer for 40 minutes for the second proof - I gave it additional 10 minutes, put the lid on (no scoring) and put in in the oven for the minimum time. At 45 minutes, it was up to temp and golden. It definitely rose more, but it's not a high loaf - the texture and flavor are much better.

[cwcdesign]

Wrong thread

[cwcdesign]

I like that BA. But my contractor and I talk relatively often - I try not to bug him - he is having trouble finding workers too, I know he will be here soon. I had to get the name of a plumber from him and he got right back to me - I purposely did not mention the windows. Called the plumber Friday, asked if he could come on Tuesday and he was here first thing. A problem with the toilet that I could have done but missed. At least he knew why I missed it.

Being in hospitality, we are short handed company wide - and a lot of the guests can’t seem to understand why hours of restaurants have to be adjusted, or services might not always be there, even for a high end resort. The staff that is working works really hard and management/ownership have decided to take care of staff by increasing wages, making sure they have a better work/home balance and a bunch of other steps. They finally realized that if they didn’t take care of their team first, they weren’t going to have one.

Our little market is very fortunate as we are fully staffed right now with a good team that works hard and looks after each other.

[cwcdesign]

My new induction stove is in storage still because my contractor hasn’t gotten the firewall in yet - I thought it was going to happen last month.

Anyway, I was reading about pans for it and thought my flat bottomed Cuisinart pans were going to be fine. I did the magnet test and nope, they do not, nor do our non-stick sauté pans. often the stainless steel pans have an aluminum care. So I started researching best pans for induction - some were very expensive, some were not. Since I loved my Cuisinart pans for 40 years, I went with what I think is a good deal from Williams-Sonoma - a 17-piece set with glass lids for $268. The lids count as pieces - I had 16 pieces and was missing a steamer insert. The magnet works perfectly!

[cwcdesign]

I made a batch of crockpot Buffalo Chicken today. Asparagus was on sale at HT, so I had that with some chicken and blue cheese.

[cwcdesign]

I wish it would cool down here. We’ve had lots of rain, but it doesn’t reduce the humidity. It’s even hard to walk in the morning because of all the mosquitos and gnats. Ugh.
Before
Will went off for about a month on Friday - he has a couple of shows around the country so I’m on my own again. He left me sourdough and tortillas. He did tell me that his secret to his tortillas is olive oil instead of butter/lard - it was recommended by the person he learned from and a friend’s wife who has made them all her life is going to try. He also said the rolling is hard, even for him.

Anyway, last night I made my tuna and white bean salad - I grabbed a can of garbanzos by mistake, but it’s still good and I have dinner for tonight.

Good news is if it cools and stops raining I’ll be able to use the grill as we got some more propane before Will left.

[cwcdesign]

Aaron, there are directions online - I think we had a discussion about it on the old BC - for making your own boiled cider by of course boiling your own cider, but it’s the time, temperature and consistency that is in the directions that matter

[cwcdesign]

Happy Birthday, Mike! I hope you had a great day.

[cwcdesign]

Will’s turn tonight - he’s making Basmati rice, chicken sausage and frozen broccoli with tomato and onion sauce(?) - it will be more flavors than sauce.

[cwcdesign]

Last night I made a Korean beef and noodle dish from Half Baked Harvest - it came out quite well. It called for flank steak or chicken, but I used ground beef which we had in the freezer. I also bought a bag of stir fry vegetables which were on sale to speed up the process. Last week I got a box of 8 of my favorite Lotus brand brown rice noodles from Amazon, much less expensive than buying from the local store.

[cwcdesign]

Glad to hear your new well is in progress, BA.

Hopefully, my windows should be here soon - my contractor was given a firm date of mid-September.

[cwcdesign]

Joan, when you roast beets they have more flavor and are easier to peel than boiled ones. They are actually less messy and easier too. Basically, you cut most of the greens off, put them in a baking pan with a little bit of water, put foil on top and bake low (I think 325º-350º - I can't find my recipe from the Victory Garden Cookbook - for about an hour - if a sharp knife slides in easily, they're done. We always just peeled them under cold water - the skins slip off.

Beets are something I've always loved, my stepfather used to grow them. But, learning to roast them was a game changer.

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