Thursday, August 28, 2014

This and That

Sometimes I take photos and they never get put into the blog. It happens a lot. Usually I have things to say and the random ones don't get posted. Or they are taken with a post in mind, but then I don't write the post. They eventually get moved into into the old photos folder and forgotten. I was about to do this today, but figured I'd just do a random post. As frankly I have nothing to write about right now. The garden is quiet. All I do is take down the old corn stalks and weed. Ok maybe the weeding is wishful thinking. But I swear I'll get out and do some soon.

This one is for Susie. I told her some days I just want to eat melted cheddar on rye bread. So some days I do. This was dinner. When I go lazy like this I feed my husband a low fat pulled chicken*. I can't eat pulled chicken as I can't eat BBQ sauce. But I always have some in the freezer. I also have premade turkey and bean chili for him. That way when I want what he can't eat, he can eat what I can't eat. It seems to work.

*Pulled chicken is so easy to make too. When I make roast chicken, I roast a couple of extra breasts. Once it is cooked I debone it and toss it into the crockpot with some BBQ sauce. I cook it for a few hours like that. Part way through I pull the chicken apart with a pair of forks. I freeze them in muffin trays which if piled high makes a good serving size. Once frozen I dip the bottom into hot water for a few seconds and they come right out. I store them in a ziplock bag.

I usually make bread one loaf at a time. I use the second pan upside down over the top when it rises to keep it moist. I've never been into the damp towel method as it always sticks for me and my bread might deflate a bit. But now that I can't eat store bought sliced bread (it usually has soy in it which I can't eat), I find that I had better have sliced bread in my freezer at all times. So I've been making the loaves two at a time. I've obviously found other ways to let the dough rise and stay moist. The above method even lets me see how far it has risen which is a bonus.

I make two kinds of sliced bread. One is a 100% whole wheat bread dough (above) which is great with almond butter. Yum. It is a take off on a King Arthur recipe. But the toast with melted cheese on top requires a rye bread, which right now is just 67% whole grain. That one is a take off on Dave's rye bread.

Isn't he pretty? And I'm amazed how well he blends in. I've found quite a few in my garden this year. Most of them are green like the one above, but I saw one that was brown in the corn. I just hope he isn't hunting the bees and wasps above his head on the garlic chive flowers. I know they will eat all bugs, both good and bad. I wish I had the gumption to move him to a place with an aphid problem (do they eat aphids?). But I find him a bit scary as he is so big.

8 comments:

  1. That's a neat trick to get your bread to rise without drying out. I've been using plastic sheet with a bit of olive oil to keep it from sticking, but will have to try your way.

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  2. Those pans are a great idea for covering the loaves. I use an inverted mixing bowl but you can't see through it like yours. I've been making the light rye bread fairly often lately. I made a batch this week to use for meatless Reubens. I use it for cheese sandwiches too, even though I need to limit how much dairy I eat. I also make pulled chicken and pulled pork in the crockpot pretty much the same way. It is nice to have it in the freezer for a quick meal. Now I am thinking roast chicken will be on the menu for me soon!

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  3. Funny - I was just about to make the same comment as Jenny. The cling wrap works well, but spraying it with oil is a bit tedious and messy - your way looks much better.

    I had never thought to do pulled chicken - we have only ever had pulled pork. I must try that as well. Two great tips - so much for having nothing to write about ;)

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  4. Is that a stick insect?

    I started publishing Wordless Wednesday posts as I wanted to use photos that I didn't use in posts.

    Never tried rye bread maybe we should - great looking corn by the way!

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  5. Replies
    1. Yes it is. I see them all the time in the garden.

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  6. Nice picture of the Praying Mantis! I rarely find them in my garden. They are pretty cool looking. Nice find.

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