[cwcdesign]

I bought this lame for Will from KAF https://shop.kingarthurbaking.com/items/double-sided-lame
He first tried the curved blade, but quickly realized the flat one was better for a beginner. He's still learning but did a really good job on his last loaf - part of what he's learned is the importance of the "skin" being taut.

With the warmth and humidity around here, even things that take a long time tend to rise pretty quickly, so we have not had to resort to creating proofing boxes like we did in Massachusetts.

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Will is making his sourdough pizza crust today for pizza night tomorrow

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Will has been working on his scoring - I mentioned the class, but he’ll keep following his free sources. He gets upset with me for paying for resources I think are helpful - though I do it sparingly

He did a really good job on his last loaf - good oven spring

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by cwcdesign.

[cwcdesign]

WooHoo - great news on your vaccine appointment, BA!

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Everything sounds so yummy!

I made a cake today! Of course it was simple - what KAF calls the Original Cake Pan Cake aka Wacky Cake - but it was perfect for us. Whisk the dry ingredients, whisk the wet ones and combine - I was able to put the pan in the oven and take it out. Made the frosting after physical therapy. While the recipe calls for water, I used milk and I used olive oil for the vegetable oil.

[cwcdesign]

I definitely change the baked oatmeal each time I make this recipe. I decided to search her comments to see if anyone had asked about the baking soda and here's the answer.

Question: why baking powder? Isn’t that a leavening agent to help things rise?
ALEXANDRA — SEPTEMBER 7, 2020 @ 6:07 PM REPLY
Hi Liz! It does help leaven/lighten this recipe a bit. If you don’t include it, everything kind of sinks/becomes very dense.

I'm even thinking about trying cranberries that I have in the freezer and maybe buttermilk for fun. I gather you could use almond milk or coconut milk too. I don't bother with the cinnamon - the time I tried it, I thought it overpowered the blueberries.

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You're welcome, Italiancook - I really like this recipe - I didn't have blueberries but we did have raspberries. I've used different nuts as well - this time slivered almonds. I might use the fresh cranberries that I stuffed in the freezer next time.

[cwcdesign]

I (yes, me, not Will) have in the oven Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal from Alexandracooks.com No need to precook the oatmeal - just toss in an 8x8 pan with nuts, baking powder, salt and fruit, pour over a milk/egg/maple syrup/vanilla/butter mix and bake.It was easy because I could weigh everything right into each container. I did say to Will that I wouldn't have been able to do it "by self" if it was any heavier - 😀

Hand/wrist is still stiff and a little sore - less progress than I thought, but at least moving forward

• This reply was modified 4 years, 2 months ago by cwcdesign.
• This reply was modified 4 years, 2 months ago by cwcdesign.

[cwcdesign]

I agree with Mike about cutting the onions in half too. I hate the long strings you can get if you leave them in whole rings - they twist around spoons and such

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I was ordering a bread knife from KAF today using my $10 coupon that runs out soon and looked at vanilla, then went back and looked at Penzey's and Beanilla. For some reason the price on the Madagascar single strength pint had dropped to $41.91 with free shipping so I ordered it.

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Italiancook - do you have a crockpot? The easiest recipe I ever found for making a large quantity of caramelized onions is from Lora Brody's Slow Cooker Cooking. She uses a 4 quart slow cooker but you can double the amount of onions (but don't need to double the butter) if you have a larger slow cooker. 3 pounds Vidalia or other sweet onions (about 4 or 5) peeled and sliced 1/8-1/4inch and 1 stick butter. Put onions and butter in pot and cook on low 12-14 hours. They should be mahogany colored and very soft - she says it's almost impossible to overcook them.

She also has a comment about the butter - not to worry about the amount. you can drain and chill the onions and the liquid. Skim the butter off the liquid and you can use the butter and liquid separately in other recipes. And, yes, you can freeze the onions.

I've used these onions in her onion soup and in other recipes.

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Italiancook, I love that your niece is baking and kept trying - the English muffin toasting bread was a great choice - very beginner friendly.

When I woke up at 7 there was a text from son in NZ about baking - got on FaceTime and he wanted to make Mrs. Cindy's CC Cookies, so I scanned the recipe and was on with him for about an hour and a half - he had to prep ingredients, etc. I was able to see inside the mixer and let him know he had to beat butter and sugar longer to get the light fluffy result. They chopped local chocolate for chips. He later said they were perfect, but cooked a touch too long.

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Will has baked two loaves of bread over the past few days using the Zo for making the dough. The best part about the machine is making dough while you attend to other things. He made a loaf of pan de mie subbing in 120 grams(1 cup) of white whole wheat and then he made a loaf from the No Knead Cheese Burger Buns recipe from KAF subbing in 100 grams of sourdough starter. Both were excellent.

My visit to the doctor went well yesterday. I'm starting to use my left hand but the wrist needs some time to bend - he's having me push the palm and the back of the hand several times a day to get the motion going. At PT, they can still only work on my fingers until I go back in 3 weeks. In a couple of days, I think Will and I are going to try to cook or back something together since I can't lift too much - but at least I'm attempting to do things with my left hand to get the strength back.

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We may not have all the snow you all have, but as Joan knows we’ve had rainy, chilly weather for a couple of days after a teaser of 2 warm sunny days. Somehow today it feels like forever.

Will made Ina’s tomato soup with grilled cheese last night. Tonight he made chicken salad sandwiches to go with it with some fresh greens from the garden.

I finally go back to the doctor on Monday!

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I had my first shot yesterday (Pfizer), not much reaction - mostly tired and a sore arm today. Next shot in 3 weeks

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