Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Friday, October 5, 2007
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Smells like an open house
Yes, it is what you think it is; warm, yeasty, crusty on the outside, chewy on the inside bread. Here's the deal: I took Martha's Baking Handbook out of the library the other day and have been perusing it daily, drooling and wishing for cold hands and more patience. Today I couldn't take it any more. I made my first cup of coffee and started out bright and early sifting my ingredients. I followed the recipe exactly, and everything was going well until I turned the dough out onto my board to begin kneading. Splat. So I added more flour. And kneaded. And added more flour. And kneaded. And added more flour, and more flour, and kneaded some more. This went on for quite a while. Finally, after much trial and error, I hit the right dough consistency; smooth, not sticky and pliable. I was thrilled - even baking isn't an exact science! Who knew? I might be hooked.
I have joined
the rest of the ratrace and have become gainfully employed. You can find me in the Macy's Marketplace (hugging and snuggling all of Martha's new treasures).
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
As American as...
I am not a baker. I'm not exact, I'm not measured and I'm definitely not predictable. I'm not that great at following directions, and I believe someones got to be different (and that's usually me).
But weirdly enough I want to be a baker. I dream of fresh loves of bread, with perfectly chewy interiors and crisp, crunchy crusts. I imagine holidays filled with savory, sweet pies, the house perfumed by wonderful, homey aromas of cinnamon and nutmeg. I buy book after book on baking, desserts and breadmaking and stare longingly at the pages. But I believe in change and growth and chances.
So I baked a pie.
It's not perfect; the crust didn't brown as much as I would have liked, and pastry is not my specialty, but it's a pie. And it'll taste fine.
And that's enough.
But weirdly enough I want to be a baker. I dream of fresh loves of bread, with perfectly chewy interiors and crisp, crunchy crusts. I imagine holidays filled with savory, sweet pies, the house perfumed by wonderful, homey aromas of cinnamon and nutmeg. I buy book after book on baking, desserts and breadmaking and stare longingly at the pages. But I believe in change and growth and chances.
So I baked a pie.
It's not perfect; the crust didn't brown as much as I would have liked, and pastry is not my specialty, but it's a pie. And it'll taste fine.
And that's enough.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Feeding Frenzy
Unfortunately this post isn't about a feeding frenzy on anything I cooked, but instead on a feeding frenzy happening outside my house. Apparently tired of black walnuts and stolen birdfood my neighborhood squirrels have moved on to the next feasting fad; decorative pumpkins. This little guy was happily nestled in with my mums to create a lovely and welcoming fall front doorscape but instead became the centerpiece for a squirrel banquet (along with 2 of his friends). It seems when they tried to steal this guy he got his just dues however - the got stuck in the fence as they were trying to take him away. Resourceful creatures they are however - they gnawed away until they could fit him through and then dragged him up a tree to safely feast. This picture was taken shortly before they got him through.
How Bout Them Apples?
What's a better way to spend a fall day than shoveling down donuts and traipsing all over squishy fallen apples?
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