[cwcdesign]

I made Deanna’s (from the BC) Sour Cream Chocolate Cake with Penuche Frosting to take to work tomorrow for a coworker’s birthday. We always liked it and I hadn’t made it forever. Had to get some powdered sugar from work as I didn’t have enough and I substituted whole milk Greek yogurt for the sour cream since that’s what we use now. I also used double dark KAF cocoa powder and oil for the unsweetened chocolate.

Will wanted to make sure I’ll bring a piece home for him

[cwcdesign]

Chocomouse, both dinners are good ol’ NE dinners - remind me of my childhood

[cwcdesign]

Welcome DL!

[cwcdesign]

Aaron, I’ve been practicing with The Baking Steel’s English Muffins cooked on the Baking Steel on the stovetop. They are very easy and the like the flavor of the dough - it’s a long ferment. Most of my issues are user errors. I watched the YouTube video again and found I’ve been too heavy handed with the dough. I also haven’t made though dough balls right either, but we still liked them. You do roll the dough into balls, then when you put one on the grill, cook the one side, flip and press down with the spatula - that will make the muffin shape

[cwcdesign]

Thanks Italiancook - I’ve been hanging in, trying to find time for me

[cwcdesign]

If I just make dough in the Zo and take it out to bake, I can make 2 loaves which is really nice. The pain de mie from KAF has 20 ounces and the 2 loaves of Harvest Grains bread I made last week had 25.5 ounces plus cornmeal and harvest grains. I should be fine. Thanks for asking.

[cwcdesign]

We (I use that word loosely - one of us) created raised beds for our fall plantings - we decided to direct sow starting September 1st. We had some cool weather - mostly cool weather crops - but then we had lots of rain and it got hot and humid again. We've had some issues with bugs on our leaves so we are down to one zucchini and are replanting other seeds. We did put some Spinosid (spelling) last night, so we shall see - it is organic and if you use it at night it won't hurt the bees - next time, we're going to start seeds indoors and have hearty transplants. Gardening down here is so different from up North!

[cwcdesign]

That’s the size I have, thanks. I’ll have to get some more semolina, as I’ve been using it for pizza and English muffins. At least I have malt powder. And, I’ll make my dough in the Zo.

[cwcdesign]

Mike, do you have the large or small Pullman pan? If the large one, I’d love your recipe

[cwcdesign]

Thank you swirth and Mike. I did go into what’s been going on on the COVID the next 6 months thread so I didn’t highjack one of the cooking threads

[cwcdesign]

Will has been doing most of the cooking for the last couple of months. I have baked my No Knead Cheese Burger buns and froze some. Before I left for Hilton Head, I baked 2 loaves of Harvest Grains bread for the freezer and my second batch of English Muffins from Baking Steel on my baking steel. Mine have been a little dense so I watched Andris' virtual class on You Tube and have found that I need to use a lighter touch with my dough. Next batch should be fine. I might even make the dough this afternoon to cook on Tuesday morning.

[cwcdesign]

Reporting back from the trenches:
Back in May, I read that the reason there was so much of the higher end beef available is that the restaurants who normally buy most of it weren't buying because they were either closed or cut way back. Sort of like the fact that the toilet paper companies had so much commercial toilet paper which wasn't being use.

August usually slows down after school starts but this year was different since a lot of people didn't go back so we were really busy - it continued on after Labor Day and even October has been nuts - supposedly, the resort has had it's best October ever - our hours are usually cut back but not this year.

As to masks, we still require them in the store - more and more people are wearing them after learning that they can help - we still have folks who believer it will disappear the day after the election. I have a co-worker who is intimidated to speak to a non-wearer - not me! Sometimes, they'll say all I want is a cup of coffee; I don't have a mask - I'll tell them we have them for sale and I'm sorry but they need one. They'll complain going out the door and then come back with one on. But if you are in the next town on the mainland or in our village, most people don't wear them. I still haven't been in the supermarket, Sam's or Target - I do curbside from all of them.

I've heard there's a canned pumpkin shortage - we've planted sugar pumpkins (late) so hopefully will have some by late November, December.

My brother and SIL (from Mass) came September 11th after driving down, dropping my niece off at college (where they seem to be doing a really good job), visiting her dad in Vero where his girlfriend said our mom did not die of COVID (we should show her the death certificate) and then came here for 2 nights - they stayed at our Inn where they gave them a room on the first floor, we buried my Mom in the Columbarium Saturday morning with my sister there via FaceTime. We will have her celebration of life service whenever the time comes that we are allowed to meet in the church.
They had been cautious the whole time and were tested 4 days after they got home and they were and are negative.

I did leave town 2 weeks ago to visit a friend in Hilton Head (her son is the one with the CDC and said we were fine to be together). Hilton Head has a LAW that says you are required to wear a mask in public places - restaurants, hotel lobbies, stores and outdoor venues that are crowded. They have wonderful signs to remind people and the staff are all great about it. We ate outside, very distance - I took photos of all their signs and when I got back my local friends all said they wished we could do that.

[cwcdesign]

Glad you figured things out BA, I enjoyed being part of this discussion before work and estate stuff took over my life.

I have had self-rising flour on occasion (I could count the number of bags on 3 fingers) The first might have been White Lily and I know I tried a bag of KAF (I was still in Massachusetts), but didn't think it was worth keeping on hand - I don't make a lot of biscuits. I remember in Ireland, there tending to be more self-raising flour on the shelves in the Market - had to read labels carefully - I got my "regular" flour at the health food store.

[cwcdesign]

I got some of the cheese powder, and didn't even notice the name change (of course, my old jar was several years old and we used it up anyway). The new one was great in my No Knead Cheese Burger Buns (KAF0 It's our go to recipe. It made me realize how stale my old one was.

[cwcdesign]

Popping back in myself after the last couple of months. I appreciate your sending an email, Mike - this is great for a pie-phobic like me, but I probably won't be making pies for Thanksgiving this year unless there is an outdoor gathering - it's just down to Will and me.

Great to hear from you, Cindy Leigh!

• This reply was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by cwcdesign.

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