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Learning 2 Bake from Scratch

Baking Powder I had read that people used to make their own baking powder and scoffed at those who purchased it, rather than baking “from scratch”. I never bothered to track down what they did. Apparently, it’s a “thing”, again – 150 years later. I found this video very interesting: Adam Regusea is good –Continue reading “Learning 2 Bake from Scratch”

Italian Coffee – it’s different

That’s the new coffee maker. I hadn’t noticed how reflective it is; auto-focus is finding it overly reflective, too. smeg is an Italian brand (that doesn’t want its abbreviation capitalized, from what I can tell). The Bosch never worked and – after months waiting – they finally decided it was the seller’s fault, who gaveContinue reading “Italian Coffee – it’s different”

Learning 2 Bake from Scratch – XXXV

Pullman Pan I got tired of my bread having weird shaped tops, so I bought a Pullman pan. You can see the problem: How do you know that loaf is ready to bake? You cannot even tell there is bread in the pan. My “new” technique (after the last one turned out two-third height) isContinue reading “Learning 2 Bake from Scratch – XXXV”

German Potato Salad

Since it doesn’t go in the oven, I don’t think it counts as a Learning 2 Bake post. My grandmother used to make it so it seemed an obvious choice for an Octoberfest potluck. My mom’s recipe is in the family cookbook and I found one that sounded good on the Internet, so I combinedContinue reading “German Potato Salad”

Learning 2 Bake from Scratch – XXXIV

Pecan Tarts I still haven’t found The Joy of Cooking, which contains “my” award-winning pecan pie recipe. So, off to the Intertubes I went. William’s Sonoma had a tasty-sounding maple syrup pecan pie, so that’s what I used: 1 rolled-out round basic pie dough2 cups pure maple syrup2 eggs, lightly beaten1/4 cup firmly packed light orContinue reading “Learning 2 Bake from Scratch – XXXIV”

Pumpkin Fest

Rapid City has one. Who knew? We were mostly interested in the Pumpkin Chucking – accomplished via trebuchet. There were six contending teams. Four from the School of Mines, one from Spearfish High School, and one from a Middle School. The biggest surprise: The high school (blue one) and middle school (bare lumber one toContinue reading “Pumpkin Fest”

Leftovers

Last night, we ate upstairs for the first time because the grill ran out of gas and we decided to broil the steak in the little new oven, which worked great – and I baked bread in it, today, which worked OK. Not the point of this post. There was no cutlery upstairs. I decidedContinue reading “Leftovers”

Building a Desk

I want a large desk that fits the room. So, I decided to build one. This has been an interesting process. Drafting has not been involved. I think I may have lost my T-square in the move; I don’t remember packing it. I decided on “corner” so that I can stick my feet out underneathContinue reading “Building a Desk”

Serendipity

The original plan for the kitchen windows was to have the countertop be the sills and the cabinet bottoms be the on-top sill (transom? lintel? whatever). Due to the way the cabinet tops and sizes came together, the plan for the top didn’t work (or would have looked very strange). So, there’s a gap. It’sContinue reading “Serendipity”

Learning 2 Bake from Scratch – XXXIII

Macarons Attempt the second (see attempt the first) turned out much better. Following the established format, first the recipe: 2 egg whites1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar3/4 cup (70g) almond flour3/4 cup (90g) powdered sugar1/4 cup (30g) cocoa powdersaltcream and chocolate for the ganache (very small quantities) Beat the egg whites until fluffy, then beat inContinue reading “Learning 2 Bake from Scratch – XXXIII”