Summer should be kicking in full time in the next week or so. We are supposed to even have a sunny 4th. It is going to be an unusual Independence celebration this year. We usually go to friends’ home who live on Magnolia and have a bird’s eye view from their home. This is the first time in 35 years they will not be having a party to watch the fireworks
Traveling Neighbors
No one seems to being much in the way of traveling. Bob and Judy have been to Oregon a couple of times to visit their daughter. We are planning on going to Montana to visit family in a week or so, we are looking forward to getting out of town.
We had another outdoor book club get together. It seems to work great, everyone seemed to enjoy connecting with neighbors. We discussed Forty Autumns by Nina Wellner. Andi did a fantastic job of leading discussion. Discussion leader will be Andi. No more meetings until Sept. Has anyone been reading anything of great interest?
Tips Du Jour
Refreshing Freshness in Bread
Toasting slices is one way to revive stale bread. But what if you want to reverse the staling of an entire loaf? Here is a great method: If the bread is crusty, briefly pass it under a running faucet of cold water (for softer loaves, skip this step). Wrap the loaf tightly with aluminum foil, place it on the middle rack of a cold oven, and set the temperature to 300 degrees. After about 30 minutes (15-20 for smaller or narrow loaves like baguettes), remove the foil and return the loaf to the oven for about 5 more minutes to crisp the crust. The effect last for only a few hours or so, so make sure to serve or use your revived bread immediately.
Resuscitating Stale Cookies
Along the same vein restoring cookies is a valuable bit of information in our house. To restore the warm and chewy “just out of the oven” texture to stale, hardened cookies, place them on a microwave-safe plate and heat them in the microwave on high power for 10 minutes seconds. Be careful if the cookies are hot, but be sure to eat them before they cool completely and lose their softness again
More substitutions
A substitute for Whole Milk
Amount 1 cup whole milk
Substitutes
5/8 cup skim milk + 3/8ths half-and-half
2/3 cup 1 percent low-fat milk + 1/3 cup half-and half
¾ cup skim milk + ¼ cup half-and-half
7/8 cup skim milk + 1/8 cup heavy cream
A Dairy-Free Substitute for Milk
Amount 1:1
Substitute
Equal amount soy milk
Note: Sweetened soy milk is acceptable in baking but unsweetened is better for savory applications. Add soy milk off the heat to avoid curdling
Substitute for Half-and Half
Amount 1 cup half and half
Substitute:
¾ cup whole milk + ¼ cup heavy cream
2/3 cup skim) or low-fat) milk + 1/3 cup heavy cream
Substitute for Heavy Cream
Amount 1:1
Substitute
Equal amount evaporated milk
Note: This substitution works in soups and sauces, but not in whipping applications or baking recipes.
Recipe du Jour
Lavender Tea Cake
Preheat oven 350F
1 Cup sugar
5 T softened butter
½ Tsp vanilla
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 ¾ C flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 C plain fat-free yogurt
2 T fresh lavender leaves chopped
Beat sugar, butter, & vanilla at medium speed until blended, (5 minutes). Add egg & egg white 1 at a time. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup, combine flour, soda, and baking powder & salt. Stir well. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternating with yogurt beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in lavender leaves. If lavender is blooming,
I often sprinkle a blossom on the cake while the glaze is wet. As they say, it would be “gilding the lily”
Bake 1 hour in 8-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray
Glaze
1/3 C sifted powder sugar
1 tsp water
¼ tsp vanilla
Cool cake 20 minutes then pour on glaze
Recipe from Cooking Light
Restaurant Review
Wake N Bacon BBQ
1437 NW Richmond Beach RD, unit C
Shoreline, WA
206 542 8881
Hours: Thursdays & Fridays 3 PM -8 PM
Sat. 12 PM-8PM
Sundays 12 PM-7PM
Contact-less Pick-up Pre-Order Family meals and Curbside Delivery
Wake N Bacon has had a couple of great reviews from John and Bob. Bob said the brisket is the best this side of Texas. That is saying a lot for BBQ.
July Birthdays
- Jerry shares his birthday with Canada
- Edy and Betty also have July Birthdays
Table Damage
Please be careful when using the hand sanitizer provided by some of your neighbors. Since it has alcohol in it the drips that have occurred have damaged the surface of the table.
Wishing you a Happy 4th of July.
