In my Kitchen August, looking back on July 2025

Oh July where did you go? Like a little sports car, and zoom zoom, you are done and over! Again we are joining Sherry for In My Kitchen to share a kitchen story or two, document what we accomplished, purchased and or actually cooked in July! 

July is hot in East Texas. But we are now two years in, living here. 

For me, it did not seem as hot as it did the first year. The humidity however is another issue, with any trip outside, being a workout in itself. Interestingly enough we had more rain last year, than this year. And we had a fire burn last year, but none this year. I can only think that the higher humidity leaves enough moisture everywhere, preventing a totally dry environment. Maybe the reason a burn ban was not necessary?. And what if anything does that have to do with a kitchen?  A lot it turns out...

Bread dough goes crazy in the heat, with over proofing, and a poor quality finished loaf. 

Once baked bread will begin to mold in 48 hours. The fruit bowl sitting on the counter? Every thing overripe in two days! Refrigerator storage space is now premium real estate! Baking bread is my first love, I bake the bread my grandson eats. Actually homemade whole wheat and honey bread is pretty much the only bread he eats! So I knew I had to come up with a new baking method for the high heat, high humidity days especially. 

Enter more stainless steel bread pans! 

I have baked this same bread in Washington state at sea level. In Montana at over 3500 feet, and Wyoming at over 4000 feet. But the heat and humidity in Texas has been the most difficult environment to bake bread! 

I am experimenting with "pan over pan" baking. Here in Texas whole wheat bread, and especially 100% whole wheat bread can be dense once baked. This "pan over pan" method will allow a bit of steam when you spritz the dough right before placing the pans in the oven. Which will encourage more oven spring and a lighter finished loaf. In addition, using "pan over pan" in the refrigerator, allows bread dough to cold rise overnight. With a final finish on the counter, under observation for baking at just the right moment. Why? Because a few loaves of bread went straight to the hens this month...

In other kitchen news...

We did enjoy a lovely chicken salad using cucumbers from the garden, and I did (finally!) bake a lovely gingerbread with raspberry filling and chocolate icing. I spent some time on creative writing by sharing a review of how I came to own staffmeals one of my favorite cookbooks. Because where would kitchen work be without our favorite cookbooks? Come and take a look. 

This salad graced our table twice, and when strawberry season hits Texas next year, it will grace our table once again! It is a lovely way to enjoy a main dish salad during our hottest month. 

Jessica's Fruited Chicken Salad with Honey Poppy Seed Dressing. Leave it to my daughter to come up with a delicious recipe in her kitchen! I am grateful that we share blood, often a meal table, and recipes with each other!

This Gingerbread with Chocolate Icing has been on my radar for a couple of years now! But with being busy moving, and everyday life once there, I kept thinking, next week I need to bake that gingerbread! And I finally did...

Gingerbread with Chocolate Icing, from Laurie Colwin. I have to be honest, when I first read the story-recipe (and all her recipes. are a story of life!) I thought chocolate with gingerbread???? But everything I have made from one of her books has been delicious! So I threw caution out the door and went to work. And it is so good! Rich, but delicious to the last bite. You have to make this at least once!

Shoo Fly Cake. I have been making this cake for decades, but had not shared it on the blog as yet. If you are a fan of Shoofly Pie, this is not as richly flavored with molasses as a pie is. Shoo Fly Cake is more delicate and the flavor of the cinnamon comes through in the crumb topping.  It is perfect plain but quite lovely with sweetened wedges of nectarines!

As a collector of cookbook, in particular vintage or used books, I use them for inspiration in my kitchen. And one of my favorites is staffmeals, from the famed Chanterelle Restaurant in New York (now closed after 30 successful years). This book is fill with recipes of the food cooked by staff for the staff meal. Which always took place, before the evening work of serving the public, began. Inside are the recipes for those family style meals. Nothing fancy, but all of it, delicious!

I believe in cookbooks especially vintage or used cookbooks, so it was time to show them off. And I joined a weekly book review to share my books and the stories of how I came to own them. Because along with baking pans or sauté pans, cookbooks help run my kitchen! If you wish you can read about staffmeals here.  

And around here, the kitchen does tend to evolve around garden harvesting! This garden has been a work in progress since unpacking when we arrived two years ago. It has offered me the opportunity to (finally!) grow some of our food, learn new or better growing techniques and get a great deal of exercise! Oh and stay frugal along the way, which was the reason for...

Resourcing for Free, for Homestead Sunday #10. Plus here in our rural setting, sharing what you have, builds community!

What are my goals for August? 

Perfecting and sharing my Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread recipe, canning a few jars of Green Tomato Pickles, harvesting sweet potatoes, and trying new to us recipes. And keeping an eye on this loofah plant to make sure it doesn't fall over again! 

You can see the ropes that we used to prop it up after the trellis collapsed. Our long range goal is to build a sturdy trellis and then plant loofah for a shady spot to relax! 

We have a second planting in the garden including more cucumbers, and zucchini, corn, onions, collard greens. I have also planted potato towers, but honestly so far, I do not see any growth...I have planted pots of tomato, and bell peppers to carry us through the end of November with a simple green house we have planned to build. 

And just for fun, I am saving avocado skins until I have enough to boil them up for an organic purple hue dye! Tee shirts or dish clothes come to mind immediately, but who knows....

And that brings us to the end of all the things that inspire me each month, in my kitchen! Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it!

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