RWood

They are headed to my aunt’s later, so I have to bake us some more 😊

Finally used the salted caramel chips from Trader Joe’s in some brown butter oatmeal and pecan cookies. Pretty tasty.

So exciting that our garlic is all happy! And my mom got her potatoes planted next to it. Behind a little because I’ve been down with my back bothering me. Hopefully can get more done soon.

Alter Bridge, Tremonti and Mammoth WVH. And sometimes my mother's stuff (Eagles, Bob Seger, ELO) if she's in there. But, I'm usually the one cooking.

80F today in N Georgia. Got the pizza oven out. Pepperoni, castelvetrano olives, onion, garlic oil Pear, Gorgonzola, prosciutto, smoked Gouda, caramelized onions, hot honey.

Really old thread, but I was looking through the Southeast section. The Choo Choo has been remodeled recently, and it's still in progress. It's been taken over by a hotel and the boxcars are all being redone. It's looking really nice. But, the prices are going along with it. We stayed at the hotel while it was being worked on. A music venue called the Signal moved in and its a nice place for concerts. They have added some good restaurants. Nic & Norman's and Stir are two that have nice brunches on Sunday with $2 double Champagne and Mimosa's. That area has changed quite a bit. Really good places to eat, nice coffee shops, Chattanooga Distillery is across the street. And a great bakery (Neidlov's) and Italian restaurant (Alleia) are right behind it. I wish they would spiff up the Choo Choo sign though. It still looks pretty ragged.

Date Bread. This is good, and I can’t remember if I tweaked the recipe. It had too much flour originally, and I think this is the right version. DATE BREAD INGREDIENTS X1 X2 X3 DATES, CHOPPED 1 1/2 CUPS BROWN SUGAR 8 OZ SALT 1 1/2 TSPS BOILING WATER 6 OZ WHOLE EGGS 2 EA VANILLA 1 TBS AP FLOUR 10 OZ BAKING POWDER 1 1/2 TSPS BAKING SODA 1 1/2 TSPS CHOPPED PECANS 3/4 CUP MELTED BUTTER 3 OZ YIELD: 1 LOAF. BAKE AT 325F. COMBINE DATES, BROWN SUGAR, SALT AND BOILING WATER. ALLOW TO SOFTEN AND COOL SLIGHTLY. WHISK IN EGGS AND VANILLA. COMBINE DRY INGREDIENTS AND WHISK IN. ADD PECANS, THEN FOLD IN BUTTER.

Halloumi with cherry tomatoes, garlic, hot honey and thyme. Grilled bread and Chardonnay, tasty!

I started this morning, with a few breaks in between since my back has been out for the past week. I finished about an hour ago.

Another strawberry cake for a benefit for a local dog rescue. They are having a cake walk as part of the event.

Got around to finishing my birthday cake (somewhat). Ran out of buttercream for the layered retro piping thing that’s going on now. All chocolate throughout (and the one Rocher on top, even though I decided against hazelnuts inside this time).

She didn’t say. I don’t know if they use different cocoa butters in the other varieties, as that was the culprit in the price increase.

I went by Pastry Depot in Atlanta last week to pick up an order. I got an 11lb box of Ariaga Blanche and they told me that the price is gonna jump by 70%(!). I got it because it was around $75, and for Valrhona, thought that was pretty good. The owner said that the cocoa butter they use is the reason. She said that she doubts anyone would pay that much, so she would be keeping the Satilia white instead. I think Valrhona is already overpriced, but that’s just crazy. Dunno if that is going to affect any others.

Strawberry cake for a childhood friend of my dad’s. His mom always made him a strawberry cake, and she just passed away at 98 last week.

Well, don't know if this applies, but it's one that makes everyone laugh. I worked at a high end restaurant and we had an entree that was tenderloin medallions with gnocchi and truffles. So, we had a customer say "well, it was delicious, but I didn't taste the chocolate." 😵‍💫

Yep that is me. I've got so many seeds that I just had to have, and I really don't have that much space. We have an acre lot, but there are so many trees, we don't have that much sun. So, we put in some raised beds and are going to give it a shot in our one sunny place. Garlic is planted, my mom is going to plant potatoes. I will be trying my black tomatoes, brown jalapeños, purple cherokee tomato, arugula, basil, and some type of cherry tomato. I bought watermelon radish, french carrots, other colors of tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce, etc. I gotta stop these delusions of grandeur I've got 🤪.

Now that I'm back in the south, CFA are everywhere, but I never go. One, my mom doesn't eat chicken, so our compromise on fast food is Taco Bell. The lines are always so long, that that's another deterrent. As I mentioned in another post, no more cole slaw 🤬, so... When I lived in CA, there wasn't many there so it was a more rare treat if I found one. They finally built one in Walnut Creek, but as usual, the design of the drive thru (single lane) and parking lot was so bad, that I would just drive past because the line was out in the street and you couldn't get to it. If I get a fast food chicken sandwich, I still go to Popeye's. It's much better IMO. Their slaw sucks though. Can't win.

A few macarons for Valentine’s. Vanilla buttercream and leftover raspberry Pinot ganache.

I’ve had a Breville Barista Express since about 2015. Grinder has always been iffy. It was a struggle with some coffee to get a decent pull. So, I took the plunge and got a Niche Duo and an Ascaso Steel Duo. It’s been a learning curve, but I pulled a really nice shot today with Verve’s 1950 blend. Still got some more experimenting and adjustments I think, but an overall really happy with the upgrade.

I have a couple things I use it for as well. But, Dulcey won't be the same. I'll have to eek out the 1/2 bag I have left.

Thanks! Well, that sucks. I love that stuff 😕

Thanks! I colored some white chocolate with Colour Mill Raspberry oil color and pipped them on.

Finished up Valentine's (early! Yay!) Flavors: Tiramisu, Raspberry Pinot, Strawberry, Orelys, Raspberry Caramels, Dulcey with Hazelnut Crunch, Passion Fruit

Yeah, me either. No, the room was probably 68-70F. They sat for a couple of hours, then I went to check on them and they have those fine cracks. Only this mold. I have another two of this mold that I did a few days before, and I don’t see any cracks.

My thought is too thin this time. I used Valrhona Satilia, and it’s very fluid. I tried leaving the chocolate in a little longer so it would be thicker. Still seem thinner than I’m used to.