I used to love to bake, but these days, not so much. The main reason is that it’s hot here, and running the oven only heats things up when we’re trying to stay cool. Frosting melts in the heat, and baked goods spoil quickly Besides, there’s no longer a houseful of people to eat what I bake, even more so now that I cannot have starches and carbs are limited.
I still bake things from time to time though, depending on the weather. We’ve been having cooler weather for the past couple of months, so I’ve been dragging out my mixer more than usual lately. Mostly I’ve been baking cakes, but I’ve also made some fruit crisps, cobblers and brownies. For many of the cakes, I’ve been using a box of cake mix as a base, and then adding to it to make something special. When I can find cake mixes on sale for $1 or $1.25 each (a great price for here; they’re usually $2 – $3) I’ll buy a few to keep on hand. A devil’s food mix becomes a triple chocolate bundt cake, a yellow mix turns into a butter cake or an orange bundt cake with orange glaze. My frostings are always made from scratch – a fresh buttercream is a snap to make.
And, I don’t get any of it! Sad!
Here’s what we’re having this week:
- Tuesday (this evening): Slow cooker pulled pork sandwiches; coleslaw (no sandwich roll for me)
- Wednesday: Tofu and broccoli with spicy peanut sauce; steamed rice (no rice for me)
- Thursday: Grilled chicken & apple sausages; couscous; sautéed greens; grilled zucchini
- Friday: Slow cooker chicken adobo with bok choy; steamed rice (no rice for me)
- Saturday: Leftovers
- Sunday: Chinese stir-fried tomatoes and eggs; steamed rice; fruit
- Monday: Lumpia (Filipino-style spring rolls); sautéed bok choy; steamed rice (no rice for me)
Lots of rice this week – YaYu will be very happy! I love that our rice cooker can do as little as a cup of rice. That’s enough for Brett and YaYu, and leaves some leftover for her lunch the next day.
We’ll be picking up lots of bok choy tomorrow at the farmers’ market, as well as greens, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, papaya and bananas. If cauliflower is available again this week, I’ll get some more of that and will fit it in some where.
If anyone would like the recipe for any of the cakes, let me know and I’ll put it in the comments.
The Occasional Nomads 