Friday Things #370
1. Joseph can’t get enough of school stuff, he asks for worksheets that get sent via email from the teachers and wants to learn all the things. A few weeks ago in his Zoom class they learned about patterns, so now he begs my husband to give him patterns to line up his cars ❤️️
2. I let Isabelle’s hair air dry on Sunday since it was warm and I am totally obsessed with her natural beach waves!
3. The boys have been taking the dogs on “walks” around the house throughout the day and I think they’re all totally bonding over it :)
4. Oh my gosh, this black lab that is changing color just melts my heart. I want to give him the biggest hug!
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5. Do you use parchment paper or silicone baking mats? I’ve used both and found this article interesting – I’d love to hear your experience, share in the comments below! >> How Silicone Baking Mats are Ruining Your Cookies
6. The June Bake-Along recipe went up this week! We’re making chocolate lava cakes 😋 I tried hard to pick something that didn’t involve products that are hard to come by right now and these don’t even require flour. Super simple, super quick, and the perfect little dessert for satisfying a chocolate craving. Who’s baking with me this month? And what will you top those babies with?!
7. Does anyone use something similar to these produce storage containers? I’ve seen a few people mention them recently and am wondering if they’re worth it? I just keep berries in their original containers and have found that raspberries and strawberries can turn quickly.
8. Exciting news! Yesterday, I announced a new five-day email series all about bread baking… check out the details here.
9. What are you watching on TV nowadays? We’re hopping between a few different things – watching The Last Dance on Sunday and Monday nights, started watching The Innocence Files on Netflix, slowly catching up on The Blacklist, and just started back up with Season 6 of Vikings that was just released on Amazon Prime.
10. TGIF! I hope you have a fantastic weekend!
1. I tried cookies with parchment instead of silicone and they were vastly better! Thanks for the info.
2. You might be interested in the June 2020 issue of Consumer Reports which featured an article on plastic. A good number of us consume enough microplastcs per week to equal a credit card from food to our furniture. This last I found distressing since there isn’t much I can do about it. I have been anti-plastic for years, however, avoiding bottled water and beverages and scolding companies for going from glass to plastic (and thanking anyone who goes back to glass packaging). I recently sent notes to all magazines I received who put them in plastic with flyers, asking them to consider the impact from all their subscribers x 12 months. I said I would no longer renew subscriptions if they did not rethink this. No one but BHG responded and their excuse was feeble. Well, I no longer get magazines, of course. Regarding the plastic containers you question – they are plastic so you will be getting more microplastics from them. When I bring home anything packaged in plastic I put it in a glass dish. Mushrooms turn slimey, and, yes, berries go fast in plastic containers. Too, those kinds of produce are really meant to be consumed fairly soon, Butternut squash can hang around a while. If you try the containers, I hope they are successful.
I totally prefer parchment paper! I’ve tried silicone mats but didn’t like the smell when baking.
Love isabelle’s wavy hair and love the in house dog walks with your sons😊 it’s the little things sometimes….
I think I may have mentioned this on here before but my spouse and I have been watching The Plot Against America on HBO. It’s really good!
I just tried the trick of bathing my berries in a white vinegar & water bath, then rinsing well and drying. I’ll have to see how it turns out. I do like the Rubbermaid savers if my crisper drawers are full. My fridge is always full of fruits and veggies.
I agree about silicone becoming hard to remove the greasy feeling. Despite the manufacturers saying that they can be washed in the dishwasher, I have not been able to figure out how to do that successfully with my sheet pan mats. My main use for silicone mats is for freezing fruits and veggies. After laying out in a single layer and freezing, the mat enables me to lift the pieces off the sheet pan and pour into freezer storage bags like a funnel. My own IQF!
Trick for your berries: when you get home from the store and before you put your berries (and grapes) in the fridge, add one package of fruit to the a big bowl, cover with water and add 1 cup of white vinegar. Soak for 10 minutes, life fruit out with slotted spoon and rinse in colander. Add your next fruit, using the same soaking water/vinegar. I put a paper towel in the bottom of the original packaging, then return the fruit to the package and refrigerate. It lasts for a week or more, you won’t believe it! No need to buy more storage containers.
Interesting piece on Silpat vs parchment.
I only use my Silpat sheets for a prep surface, especially when making bread or pastry. It’s a wonderful no-stick surface for that, and allows me to be certain everything is really clean. I don’t understand the problem some have with cleaning it. I just lay it in the bottom of a sink and run hot water into it, letting ends fold over if they want to. After a couple of minutes soak, I wipe it over, rinse again, and it’s perfectly clean.
Hi Michelle,
Happy Mothers Day weekend!
In your Friday things, you mentioned that your JUNE bake along challenge has started, but its still May.
Did you mean the May challenge or are you just cruising through this quarantine faster than the rest of us!
Take care.
I have those Rubbermaid containers and think they make a huge difference. Strawberries last longer, cut up melons keep their crispness much longer than I expected. This was a purchase I do not regret at all.
LWhat I would give for those natural waves.
Dirty John and Dead To Me on Netflix were good!
I have 8 brand new ramekins just waiting for me to fill them! The Chocolate Lava Cakes will be perfect. Thank you for the tip about using the block chocolate & not the chips.
Does anyone have an Eggplant Caponata recipe they can recommend? I’ve tried to modify my ratatoulle recipe, but it never comes out they way I remember Progresso’s canned product was.
Thanks…
These Friday posts always make me smile.
I love to bake cookies and rarely use anything on my cookie sheets. I have 2 silicone mats that were gifts and have never used them. I will use parchment occasionally but only if I think the cookies will stick to the cookie sheets.
I just binged Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist on NBC on demand and loved it. I also liked Virgin River on Netflix.
Have a Happy Mother’s Day!
I LOVE “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”…one of the best new shows on NBC. It is quirky, fast past, so unique and funny. The song choices and fully choreographed numbers are fantastic. Jane Levy’s Zoey is perfectly played and Mo…omg! Even though the final episode was heart wrenching, I have my fingers crossed it will return next year.