I have literally just finished A Place at the Table by Susan Rebecca White and ran to the computer to tell you about it.
I absolutely inhaled this book. Well, to be honest, I sat on it for a bit. I picked it up when Man-Child and I were at the beach a few weeks ago, but was busy with two other books. I finally started reading this one a few days ago and have enjoyed every minute of it.
Author of The Help (which I also love), Katherine Stockett's blurb had this to say "Susan Rebecca White is a wonderful writer." And she's not wrong.
The basic premise of this book is that "three outcasts longing for home come together at Manhattan's Cafe Audrex, a chic gathering place for New York's cultural illuminati."
From the back of the book, "In her most accomplished novel yet, Susan Rebecca White braids together the stories of these three unforgettable characters who must learn that when you embrace the thing that makes you different, you become whole."
I'm actually kind of surprised that I haven't stumbled over this author before now. But now that I have, I know I will be reading more of her work.
In other news, before I sat down determined to finish this book today; I noticed that The Husband's voodoo seemed to be wearing off. Hoping to strike before the rain came back, we headed outside bright and early and tackled the area near the front porch. Of course, we had to stop in the middle to make a trip to the garden center, where I was vindicated when the helpful lady there informed my husband that she also uses cardboard to help cut down on the weeds (he's been telling me that I am crazy). She also informed him that it was good for the worms. Now, I don't know about that - but there you go. And also, of course, I had to make another trip back since we didn't buy enough pine needles. You will be pleased to note that I refrained from telling The Husband, "I told you so" in regards to the pine needles. I did, however, tell him that in regards to the cardboard.
Currently, I have yet another batch of bread (hopefully) baking as I type. I used bread flour and a different brand of yeast, this time around. It seemed less sticky this time but I expected more of a rise, so we shall see. Fingers crossed....
August 24, 2019
Maybe tomorrow?
Earlier this week, I was over the moon to see that our temperatures were supposed to drop into the high 70's this weekend. I announced that this weekend would be a "work" weekend - which The Husband correctly deduced that I meant to rope him in and make him help me with a few projects that would definitely be easier to do in cooler temperatures. Projects that he knew I couldn't do alone. These are the times when he misses renting...because a homeowner's work is never done.
The options were endless...
We could clear out the unsightly area near the front porch. We have a beautiful Japanese Maple that should be the star of that particular show; but, of course, someone (the last owners, perhaps) couldn't bear the sight of any empty space around it - so they threw in a couple of rose bushes, another random plant and some more morning glory. (sigh)
We could work on building the border around the side bed. I've been itching to do this project ever since my last visit home where my friend's husband was working on a beautiful border wall; that has since been completed and is perfect!
Or we could, once again, tackle the garage. We only made it so far since our last attempt. Since then, while we haven't added to the mess, we certainly haven't made any forward motion.
Or, we could tackle those trees in the back...as I said, the list is endless.
This morning dawned nice and cool. And full of rain. It has rained practically non-stop all day. Although he denied it, I'm absolutely convinced The Husband pulled some kind of voodoo to conjure up this rain.
I am holding out hope for tomorrow but not much.
Since my plans were rained out, I decided to take another swipe at making bread. Yes, I had attempted to make some last week. While the cake and the crumble were both an all around success; the bread failed horribly. I could only surmise that I had too much going on and must have missed something.
Today I was completely focused. And I still failed. And I have no idea why. I did everything exactly the way I did it the first time I successfully made it. It vexes me to no end.
I am determined to master this deceptively simple recipe. It's obvious that it can be done as evidenced here. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow, if The Husband's voodoo continues to bring on the rain.
The options were endless...
We could clear out the unsightly area near the front porch. We have a beautiful Japanese Maple that should be the star of that particular show; but, of course, someone (the last owners, perhaps) couldn't bear the sight of any empty space around it - so they threw in a couple of rose bushes, another random plant and some more morning glory. (sigh)
We could work on building the border around the side bed. I've been itching to do this project ever since my last visit home where my friend's husband was working on a beautiful border wall; that has since been completed and is perfect!
Or we could, once again, tackle the garage. We only made it so far since our last attempt. Since then, while we haven't added to the mess, we certainly haven't made any forward motion.
Or, we could tackle those trees in the back...as I said, the list is endless.
This morning dawned nice and cool. And full of rain. It has rained practically non-stop all day. Although he denied it, I'm absolutely convinced The Husband pulled some kind of voodoo to conjure up this rain.
I am holding out hope for tomorrow but not much.
Since my plans were rained out, I decided to take another swipe at making bread. Yes, I had attempted to make some last week. While the cake and the crumble were both an all around success; the bread failed horribly. I could only surmise that I had too much going on and must have missed something.
Today I was completely focused. And I still failed. And I have no idea why. I did everything exactly the way I did it the first time I successfully made it. It vexes me to no end.
I am determined to master this deceptively simple recipe. It's obvious that it can be done as evidenced here. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow, if The Husband's voodoo continues to bring on the rain.
August 18, 2019
Bake and learn...
We are having some of my favorite people over for dinner tonight. So, of course, yesterday morning found me mulling over what dessert to make - because we all know that's why they are coming...not for whatever scraps The Husband will manage to pull together.... ;-)
Eventually, I had it narrowed down to either a coconut cake (one of the children consistently asks if I have made this every time they come over, so it's safe to say it's his favorite) or a peach cobbler.
The coconut cake I have made before, obviously. The peach cobbler? Never. I have not attempted a cobbler in any shape or form before at all.
Then, me being me, I decided that both desserts would not be too over the top because I can send some of each home with our friends and some home with Man-Child, should he decide to grace us with his presence today. And whatever is left over The Husband and I can take to work to be devoured. Plus, I've been trying to break out of my comfort zones when it comes to baking, thus the cobbler.
This time around, I decided to make the coconut cake as a sheet cake rather than a layered one. I prefer the layered type but it can get messy. I figured the sheet cake would contain the mess.
Here's the modified recipe I use for the coconut cake (original recipe found here).
Ingredients (Printable recipe here)
White cake (either homemade or boxed is fine)
1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk*
1 14 oz can of cream of coconut*
1 16 oz package whipped topping, thawed*
1 8 oz package of flaked coconut
Prepare and bake white cake according to recipe/boxed mix directions. Remove cake from the oven. While still hot, use a long fork to poke holes all over the top.
Mix cream of coconut and sweetened condensed milk; pour over the still hot cake. Let cake cool completely, frost with whipped topping and garnish with the flaked coconut.
*If you decide to go with a sheet cake instead of layers, you can probably half all of these ingredients. Of course, this did not occur to me until I had used a majority of the cream of coconut and sweetened condensed milk mixture. So I fully expect this cake to be tooth-achingly sweet. Something, I am sure, that won't bother the children!
For the peach cobbler, I went with a recipe that I'd found in the paper years and years ago - based on how yellowed the page was...it was simple and straightforward. So, of course, I completely botched the first batch up! This is also why I should really focus on one recipe at a time, particularly when making something new; oh well, live and learn. Or in this case, bake and learn.
Ingredients
1 stick of butter
1 cup of sugar
3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons of baking soda
3/4 cup of milk
2 cups of fruit - fresh, canned or frozen (sweetened to taste)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a medium or large Pyrex baking dish.
Stir sugar and flour together in a bowl. Stir in milk. Pour over melted butter. Do not stir. Pour the fruit on top. Bake for one hour.
Seems almost too easy, doesn't it? First tip - when given the option of a medium or large Pyrex dish; opt for the medium. Trust me. Second tip - wear your reading glasses and pay actual attention to the fact that it says pour over melted butter. How do I have the knowledge to offer this second tip? Because in hindsight, I only put a 1/4 cup of milk into the flour and sugar mixture as I ended up spooning the mixture over the butter. But I pressed on. And utterly failed.
The baking dish was too large so the result was an ultra thin, semi-burned mixture. So while it tasted okay, it was completely unacceptable. The entire dish was tossed into the trash and the baking dish is still soaking in hopes that I can salvage it.
Of course, I was undeterred and tried again. I have a feeling that this time I've nailed it.
Eventually, I had it narrowed down to either a coconut cake (one of the children consistently asks if I have made this every time they come over, so it's safe to say it's his favorite) or a peach cobbler.
The coconut cake I have made before, obviously. The peach cobbler? Never. I have not attempted a cobbler in any shape or form before at all.
Then, me being me, I decided that both desserts would not be too over the top because I can send some of each home with our friends and some home with Man-Child, should he decide to grace us with his presence today. And whatever is left over The Husband and I can take to work to be devoured. Plus, I've been trying to break out of my comfort zones when it comes to baking, thus the cobbler.
This time around, I decided to make the coconut cake as a sheet cake rather than a layered one. I prefer the layered type but it can get messy. I figured the sheet cake would contain the mess.
Here's the modified recipe I use for the coconut cake (original recipe found here).
White cake (either homemade or boxed is fine)
1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk*
1 14 oz can of cream of coconut*
1 16 oz package whipped topping, thawed*
1 8 oz package of flaked coconut
Prepare and bake white cake according to recipe/boxed mix directions. Remove cake from the oven. While still hot, use a long fork to poke holes all over the top.
Mix cream of coconut and sweetened condensed milk; pour over the still hot cake. Let cake cool completely, frost with whipped topping and garnish with the flaked coconut.
*If you decide to go with a sheet cake instead of layers, you can probably half all of these ingredients. Of course, this did not occur to me until I had used a majority of the cream of coconut and sweetened condensed milk mixture. So I fully expect this cake to be tooth-achingly sweet. Something, I am sure, that won't bother the children!
For the peach cobbler, I went with a recipe that I'd found in the paper years and years ago - based on how yellowed the page was...it was simple and straightforward. So, of course, I completely botched the first batch up! This is also why I should really focus on one recipe at a time, particularly when making something new; oh well, live and learn. Or in this case, bake and learn.
Fruit Cobbler (Printable Recipe)
Ingredients
1 stick of butter
1 cup of sugar
3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons of baking soda
3/4 cup of milk
2 cups of fruit - fresh, canned or frozen (sweetened to taste)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a medium or large Pyrex baking dish.
Stir sugar and flour together in a bowl. Stir in milk. Pour over melted butter. Do not stir. Pour the fruit on top. Bake for one hour.
Seems almost too easy, doesn't it? First tip - when given the option of a medium or large Pyrex dish; opt for the medium. Trust me. Second tip - wear your reading glasses and pay actual attention to the fact that it says pour over melted butter. How do I have the knowledge to offer this second tip? Because in hindsight, I only put a 1/4 cup of milk into the flour and sugar mixture as I ended up spooning the mixture over the butter. But I pressed on. And utterly failed.
The baking dish was too large so the result was an ultra thin, semi-burned mixture. So while it tasted okay, it was completely unacceptable. The entire dish was tossed into the trash and the baking dish is still soaking in hopes that I can salvage it.
Of course, I was undeterred and tried again. I have a feeling that this time I've nailed it.
The plan is to warm it and serve it with vanilla ice cream - yum!
This morning found me up extra early and what happens when I have too much time on my hands? Well, I created this post and currently there are two loaves of no-knead bread rising, if that tells you anything...
August 10, 2019
I'm a multi-tasking genius...until I'm not.
As today dawned overcast and not too hot (yet), I decided this would be the perfect morning to attack the two, neglected beds that run along the back of the house. And considering they are both in the shade in the morning, I determined that this absolutely needed to be done. Particularly, since the last two weekends were spent out of town and nothing had been done.
I informed The Husband of my plan as he was walking out the door - why he hates for me to work in the yard is beyond me; possibly because he's afraid he may come home to find me laid out in yard with heat stroke. At any rate, when he tried to talk me out of it I explained that I only meant to spend a couple of hours on it and call it a day.
Famous last words.
So he left, shaking his head and muttering under his breath, while I started the Roomba so at least the vacuuming would be done while I busy out in the yard. Look at me...a multi-tasking genius!
As it often happens when I'm working in the yard, I lose all track of time and the task that I thought would take only a small amount of time turns out to be bigger task than I had first anticipated.
All in all, a good majority of the beds weren't too terribly bad considering I haven't looked at them or touched them since we moved in. Until...
I reached the end of this bed, where whatever these bushes are vexed me to no end. Why? Because, apparently, if these bushes aren't kept pruned it sends out runners. Runners with very large and very deep roots. And I wonder why my elbow is throbbing - possibly removing said runners?
In the midst of removing runners, I heard something in the house and assumed it was The Husband. But when I looked around the corner, his car was not in the driveway. I shrugged it off and went back to yanking and pruning.
Eventually, I needed a break. I grabbed some water and headed for the back porch. As I was sitting there, I heard movement in the house again. I stood up and looked in the window - nothing. And then I heard it again. I couldn't figure out how someone had gotten into the house because I closed the garage door knowing I would not have it in full view while working.
I grabbed my phone, ready to hit 911 and opened the back door with my heart in my throat, fully prepared to run if I saw someone and what did I see? The stupid Roomba STILL doing its business a full three and half hours after I started it. I had completely forgot about my multi-tasking genius. Why the thing was still going actually offended me, the floors weren't THAT dirty.
After about four hours - two more than I had intended - The Husband came home (probably because he had called and I didn't hear the phone) to make sure I was still alive.
There is still more to be done - but not weeding. The mondo (?) grass needs dividing, the day lilies not only need dividing, but I need to find something to replace them as I am so over them. They start out okay and I don't hate them but around this time of the summer they start looking so ratty that I loathe them. There is still mulch to be purchased and applied.
On the plus side? Not many blackberry shoots were out today (knock wood). But I did find some lamb's ear popping up on the farthest point in the yard from where I removed the original ones. *sigh*
If it's not blackberry shoots, it's lamb's ear, or runners, or morning glories. In other words, yard work is never done. Kinda like housework and laundry.
I informed The Husband of my plan as he was walking out the door - why he hates for me to work in the yard is beyond me; possibly because he's afraid he may come home to find me laid out in yard with heat stroke. At any rate, when he tried to talk me out of it I explained that I only meant to spend a couple of hours on it and call it a day.
Famous last words.
So he left, shaking his head and muttering under his breath, while I started the Roomba so at least the vacuuming would be done while I busy out in the yard. Look at me...a multi-tasking genius!
As it often happens when I'm working in the yard, I lose all track of time and the task that I thought would take only a small amount of time turns out to be bigger task than I had first anticipated.
All in all, a good majority of the beds weren't too terribly bad considering I haven't looked at them or touched them since we moved in. Until...
 |
| I do NOT have a pointy head - that's the phone's shadow - it took me far too long to figure that out! |
I reached the end of this bed, where whatever these bushes are vexed me to no end. Why? Because, apparently, if these bushes aren't kept pruned it sends out runners. Runners with very large and very deep roots. And I wonder why my elbow is throbbing - possibly removing said runners?
In the midst of removing runners, I heard something in the house and assumed it was The Husband. But when I looked around the corner, his car was not in the driveway. I shrugged it off and went back to yanking and pruning.
Eventually, I needed a break. I grabbed some water and headed for the back porch. As I was sitting there, I heard movement in the house again. I stood up and looked in the window - nothing. And then I heard it again. I couldn't figure out how someone had gotten into the house because I closed the garage door knowing I would not have it in full view while working.
I grabbed my phone, ready to hit 911 and opened the back door with my heart in my throat, fully prepared to run if I saw someone and what did I see? The stupid Roomba STILL doing its business a full three and half hours after I started it. I had completely forgot about my multi-tasking genius. Why the thing was still going actually offended me, the floors weren't THAT dirty.
After about four hours - two more than I had intended - The Husband came home (probably because he had called and I didn't hear the phone) to make sure I was still alive.
There is still more to be done - but not weeding. The mondo (?) grass needs dividing, the day lilies not only need dividing, but I need to find something to replace them as I am so over them. They start out okay and I don't hate them but around this time of the summer they start looking so ratty that I loathe them. There is still mulch to be purchased and applied.
On the plus side? Not many blackberry shoots were out today (knock wood). But I did find some lamb's ear popping up on the farthest point in the yard from where I removed the original ones. *sigh*
If it's not blackberry shoots, it's lamb's ear, or runners, or morning glories. In other words, yard work is never done. Kinda like housework and laundry.
July 19, 2019
The newest scam on the block...
Here's the deal...if my phone rings and I don't recognize the number (well actually, it's more of a scenario of, if I don't see a name I know) I won't answer it. Shocking, I know. This actually used to drive Man-Child utterly insane. He insisted that I *should* answer it because, "What if it was an emergency?!" I informed him that if it was an emergency they would leave a message.
And guess what? Nine times out of ten, they never left a message.
He now understands why I won't answer the phone after he was inundated with over twenty or more calls in one day. Listen to your mother, children, she may actually be on to something after all, despite the fact that you think she doesn't know a darn thing and is living in the dark ages.
So today when the phone rang - as usual, I hit Ignore and went about my business. Only to be alerted a few seconds later that I had a voicemail. Considering this isn't usually how this goes down, I listened to the voicemail.
Now, to be honest, I don't think I would have fallen for it - but just the day before I had heard about the latest scam on the radio - because, seriously? The Social Security Administration is going to CANCEL my number because of suspicious activity - I don't think so. And I certainly don't think they would call me to tell me about; mainly because how would they even know where to call me? It's not like the SSA and I are in constant contact. Heck, we don't even follow each other on Twitter!
At any rate, they called me again and left another voicemail, from a different phone number - of course.
When I mentioned this to The Husband, his eyebrows shot up in alarm. I told him that it was a scam and how I knew it was one. I then told him that he needed to tell his mother - although my mother-in-law is pretty savvy, this one might unnerve her considering she's living on Social Security.
So here's your mission - we all have at least one or more people in our lives who might/could fall victim to this scam - or others - so pass on this information to those people in your life.
And guess what? Nine times out of ten, they never left a message.
He now understands why I won't answer the phone after he was inundated with over twenty or more calls in one day. Listen to your mother, children, she may actually be on to something after all, despite the fact that you think she doesn't know a darn thing and is living in the dark ages.
So today when the phone rang - as usual, I hit Ignore and went about my business. Only to be alerted a few seconds later that I had a voicemail. Considering this isn't usually how this goes down, I listened to the voicemail.
Now, to be honest, I don't think I would have fallen for it - but just the day before I had heard about the latest scam on the radio - because, seriously? The Social Security Administration is going to CANCEL my number because of suspicious activity - I don't think so. And I certainly don't think they would call me to tell me about; mainly because how would they even know where to call me? It's not like the SSA and I are in constant contact. Heck, we don't even follow each other on Twitter!
At any rate, they called me again and left another voicemail, from a different phone number - of course.
When I mentioned this to The Husband, his eyebrows shot up in alarm. I told him that it was a scam and how I knew it was one. I then told him that he needed to tell his mother - although my mother-in-law is pretty savvy, this one might unnerve her considering she's living on Social Security.
So here's your mission - we all have at least one or more people in our lives who might/could fall victim to this scam - or others - so pass on this information to those people in your life.
July 14, 2019
*wipes the construction dust off the computer*
Since I last called you all here together, you may have noticed a few changes.
I have just spent an inordinate amount of time trying to update/clean things up around here. I should warn you - there may be a few more changes in the works as I'm not completely satisfied with this update...for the most part I like it, but it still needs a few tweaks here and there. And since I am in this on my own (i.e., I'm figuring it out as I go) there may be a few hiccups. Hiccups, which I hope, you will alert me to - broken links, etc.
On the back end, it looks pretty much the same to me. But on the front end - your end - I think the changes are a bit more pronounced.
I have changed the template to a more simple, streamlined look. I'm in the process of updating all labels so that you should be able to click on a link over there to the right under "the for now" working title of All the Categories Right at Your Fingertips and find all relevant posts in one spot.
After being a true empty-nester for how long now (?!) - I have finally updated the profile info - and you can see that one does not just regain ones sanity once the baby bird leaves the nest...apparently. Eventually, I hope to get around to changing the profile picture...hopefully.
I opted for black text with a white background because, at least for me, that is easier on the eyes. (At least, to me it appears black - but when I preview the post, it appears gray. Hmmm. What say you?) I've also opted for a larger font - which will, hopefully, make it easier for everyone.
Surprisingly, the hardest thing to accomplish was changing the favicon way up there at the top...despite the fact that I did a whole post on how to accomplish this task. Feel free to follow that post if you like, if you are attempting to create one - but for me it did not work this go round for whatever unknown reason. This time I created the icon in Powerpoint, saved it as a jpg file, uploaded it to Pixlr.com and was able to edit it to 16 x 16 and was finally able to upload the icon. It took me days people, days, to get that to work...so frustrating. The kicker? I know (fingers crossed) that it shows on your end but on the back end? Not working. I'm trying to ignore that fact.
So, poke around, see what's working and what isn't and report back any and all findings and opinions, please. In the meantime, I'll be over here playing behind the scenes.
I have just spent an inordinate amount of time trying to update/clean things up around here. I should warn you - there may be a few more changes in the works as I'm not completely satisfied with this update...for the most part I like it, but it still needs a few tweaks here and there. And since I am in this on my own (i.e., I'm figuring it out as I go) there may be a few hiccups. Hiccups, which I hope, you will alert me to - broken links, etc.
On the back end, it looks pretty much the same to me. But on the front end - your end - I think the changes are a bit more pronounced.
I have changed the template to a more simple, streamlined look. I'm in the process of updating all labels so that you should be able to click on a link over there to the right under "the for now" working title of All the Categories Right at Your Fingertips and find all relevant posts in one spot.
After being a true empty-nester for how long now (?!) - I have finally updated the profile info - and you can see that one does not just regain ones sanity once the baby bird leaves the nest...apparently. Eventually, I hope to get around to changing the profile picture...hopefully.
I opted for black text with a white background because, at least for me, that is easier on the eyes. (At least, to me it appears black - but when I preview the post, it appears gray. Hmmm. What say you?) I've also opted for a larger font - which will, hopefully, make it easier for everyone.
Surprisingly, the hardest thing to accomplish was changing the favicon way up there at the top...despite the fact that I did a whole post on how to accomplish this task. Feel free to follow that post if you like, if you are attempting to create one - but for me it did not work this go round for whatever unknown reason. This time I created the icon in Powerpoint, saved it as a jpg file, uploaded it to Pixlr.com and was able to edit it to 16 x 16 and was finally able to upload the icon. It took me days people, days, to get that to work...so frustrating. The kicker? I know (fingers crossed) that it shows on your end but on the back end? Not working. I'm trying to ignore that fact.
So, poke around, see what's working and what isn't and report back any and all findings and opinions, please. In the meantime, I'll be over here playing behind the scenes.
July 9, 2019
If you don't have 16 hours to spare...but maybe 5-ish hours?
When we last left off, I had just finished binge reading book while mindlessly dropping pistachio shells into my drink...
I also forgot to mention that I took today and tomorrow off just because. Occasionally, one just needs a four day weekend for no real reason at all; so I did.
Yesterday found me ready to wander out into the big bed in the back yard for just an hour. Yeah, right. That easily morphed into two and a half hours, thanks to (say it with me now!) "that damn blackberry bush" and a new-to-me weed that seems to be immune to Preen. And I'm still not done. But the rest will have to wait until next weekend, I'm afraid.
At any rate, today - the last day before I head back to work - I decided to make it a more relaxing kind of day...so I decided to tackle making bread...again. Although, in retrospect, today the weather would have been kinder for outdoor work.
Oh well...too late now!
Long time readers may recall that many, many, many years ago I somehow was able to successfully create a perfect bread on my very first attempt. Any and all subsequent attempts have been utter failures.
Today I searched out a quick and easy no-knead bread (because I didn't have or want to spend 16 hours or more on it) and came across an adaptation of the original recipe, which that link takes you back to my original blog post; as the original is now behind a paywall, I believe.
The recipe I used today can be found here...for how long, who knows?
Now to be fair, I did not watch the video, so I didn't use any of the "tricks" that were mentioned in the Cooking Notes/Comments section. But I did do a couple of things that weren't mentioned in the recipe, I'll share them below. These couple of things were key I think to this bread turning out perfectly!
So perfectly that The Bread Snob (aka The Husband) has been raving about this bread...which came out of the oven right before he walked in after work.
Printable Recipe
Ingredients
3 cups bread flour (I used regular because that's what I had in the pantry)
1 packet (1/4 ounce) instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon of salt (I thought that was too much so I used maybe half a teaspoon?)
1 1/2 cup of water
Oil as needed
Before anything I started the oven just to get it warm; this isn't mentioned in the original recipe, but based on other sites I read, I thought it might be helpful. In my opinion, it was very helpful! Particularly, since it's summertime in the South and the air conditioning means the house is cool.
Combine flour, yeast in a large bowl. Add the (warm!) water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Here's where I turned the oven off - and let the dough rest for about four hours in the warm oven.
Lightly oil a work surface and place dough on it; fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap (I oiled the wrap that would touch the dough, this was key, as it kept the wrap from sticking to the dough) and let rest for thirty minutes. (Notice, this recipe does not require you to add flour to the working surface...that was the downfall on my last couple of attempts - it made the bread too flour-y. Using a canola oil spray was genius!)
As soon as the dough was resting for the second time, I put my dutch oven into the oven and let it heat to 450 degrees while the dough rested.
When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven. Slide your hand under the dough and put it into the dutch oven; seam side up (I didn't have a seam for some reason? Also, that oiled surface? Made picking the sticky dough up so easy!). Shake pan once or twice to distribute uneven dough.
Cover with the lid and bake for thirty minutes, remove lid and bake another 15-30 minutes; until the loaf is browned. Cool on a wire rack.
Enjoy!
If you try it, let me know what you think. Also? This success completely absolves me of the abject failure of the cake I made (and didn't blog about) on Saturday...
I also forgot to mention that I took today and tomorrow off just because. Occasionally, one just needs a four day weekend for no real reason at all; so I did.
Yesterday found me ready to wander out into the big bed in the back yard for just an hour. Yeah, right. That easily morphed into two and a half hours, thanks to (say it with me now!) "that damn blackberry bush" and a new-to-me weed that seems to be immune to Preen. And I'm still not done. But the rest will have to wait until next weekend, I'm afraid.
At any rate, today - the last day before I head back to work - I decided to make it a more relaxing kind of day...so I decided to tackle making bread...again. Although, in retrospect, today the weather would have been kinder for outdoor work.
Oh well...too late now!
Long time readers may recall that many, many, many years ago I somehow was able to successfully create a perfect bread on my very first attempt. Any and all subsequent attempts have been utter failures.
Today I searched out a quick and easy no-knead bread (because I didn't have or want to spend 16 hours or more on it) and came across an adaptation of the original recipe, which that link takes you back to my original blog post; as the original is now behind a paywall, I believe.
The recipe I used today can be found here...for how long, who knows?
Now to be fair, I did not watch the video, so I didn't use any of the "tricks" that were mentioned in the Cooking Notes/Comments section. But I did do a couple of things that weren't mentioned in the recipe, I'll share them below. These couple of things were key I think to this bread turning out perfectly!
So perfectly that The Bread Snob (aka The Husband) has been raving about this bread...which came out of the oven right before he walked in after work.
Printable Recipe
Ingredients
3 cups bread flour (I used regular because that's what I had in the pantry)
1 packet (1/4 ounce) instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon of salt (I thought that was too much so I used maybe half a teaspoon?)
1 1/2 cup of water
Oil as needed
Before anything I started the oven just to get it warm; this isn't mentioned in the original recipe, but based on other sites I read, I thought it might be helpful. In my opinion, it was very helpful! Particularly, since it's summertime in the South and the air conditioning means the house is cool.
Combine flour, yeast in a large bowl. Add the (warm!) water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Here's where I turned the oven off - and let the dough rest for about four hours in the warm oven.
Lightly oil a work surface and place dough on it; fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap (I oiled the wrap that would touch the dough, this was key, as it kept the wrap from sticking to the dough) and let rest for thirty minutes. (Notice, this recipe does not require you to add flour to the working surface...that was the downfall on my last couple of attempts - it made the bread too flour-y. Using a canola oil spray was genius!)
As soon as the dough was resting for the second time, I put my dutch oven into the oven and let it heat to 450 degrees while the dough rested.
When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven. Slide your hand under the dough and put it into the dutch oven; seam side up (I didn't have a seam for some reason? Also, that oiled surface? Made picking the sticky dough up so easy!). Shake pan once or twice to distribute uneven dough.
Cover with the lid and bake for thirty minutes, remove lid and bake another 15-30 minutes; until the loaf is browned. Cool on a wire rack.
 |
| SOOOOO good! |
Enjoy!
If you try it, let me know what you think. Also? This success completely absolves me of the abject failure of the cake I made (and didn't blog about) on Saturday...
July 7, 2019
All the Missing Girls...a book review
It's been a while, a long while, since we've had one of these...almost a year; how did that happen? As much as it saddens me to say, I really haven't been reading actual books lately - a fact I am trying to remedy. I think the main reason for this is because I keep getting stuck in books that I don't really care for and in an effort to slog through, I find something else to do instead of just setting that book aside and finding another one.
I received this book as a Mother's Day present and was only able to finally get to it after putting off finishing another book that I didn't enjoy that much.
All The Missing Girls by Megan Miranda.
This has been the book that I've been looking to pull me out of my reading slump. I started it a few days ago and have spent the majority of this afternoon finishing it. At one point, I was so engrossed in the story that instead of tossing the shells from the pistachios I had been snacking on into the trash can on my left, I dumped them in my drink!
According to the author's bio; this is her first novel for adults.
From the synopsis on the back of the book:
"It's been ten years since Nicolette Farrell left Cooley Ridge. Ten years since she broke up with Tyler, the man she thought she'd marry. Ten years since her best friend Corinne disappeared, never to be heard from again.
When the call comes that her father is ailing. Nic is living in Philadelphia-light years away from her younger self. She drops everything to care for her dad, but within days of her return another girl goes missing and Nic experiences a terrifying sense of deja-vu.
As Nic works to unravel what happened to the missing girl, shocking truths emerge about her neighbors, her family, and what really happened to Corinne that night ten years ago."
What I did not initially realize was that the story was being told backwards. Yes, if I'd initially paid attention to the chapter titles, this would have been clear from the start; but all my life I generally ignore the chapter titles in a rush to get on with the story. Lesson learned? Knowing me; probably not.
As mentioned above, this book was riveting the further I went (particularly after I figured out that the timeline was going backwards!). Only one point seemed to be left unanswered to me, but it was a point that could be answered many different ways by the reader; maybe that's what the author intended. Or perhaps I just missed the answer in all the details.
This could have been one of those stories where you could see the culprit from the start; it is not one of those types of stories. You are constantly questioning each of the characters and pondering possible motives.
This one deserves to be included in the list of Books I Love Enough to Tell You About (PSST, you can find all my book reviews there at the third link on my header). If you read it, let me know what you think. I will definitely be looking for other titles from this author.
I received this book as a Mother's Day present and was only able to finally get to it after putting off finishing another book that I didn't enjoy that much.
All The Missing Girls by Megan Miranda.
This has been the book that I've been looking to pull me out of my reading slump. I started it a few days ago and have spent the majority of this afternoon finishing it. At one point, I was so engrossed in the story that instead of tossing the shells from the pistachios I had been snacking on into the trash can on my left, I dumped them in my drink!
According to the author's bio; this is her first novel for adults.
From the synopsis on the back of the book:
"It's been ten years since Nicolette Farrell left Cooley Ridge. Ten years since she broke up with Tyler, the man she thought she'd marry. Ten years since her best friend Corinne disappeared, never to be heard from again.
When the call comes that her father is ailing. Nic is living in Philadelphia-light years away from her younger self. She drops everything to care for her dad, but within days of her return another girl goes missing and Nic experiences a terrifying sense of deja-vu.
As Nic works to unravel what happened to the missing girl, shocking truths emerge about her neighbors, her family, and what really happened to Corinne that night ten years ago."
What I did not initially realize was that the story was being told backwards. Yes, if I'd initially paid attention to the chapter titles, this would have been clear from the start; but all my life I generally ignore the chapter titles in a rush to get on with the story. Lesson learned? Knowing me; probably not.
As mentioned above, this book was riveting the further I went (particularly after I figured out that the timeline was going backwards!). Only one point seemed to be left unanswered to me, but it was a point that could be answered many different ways by the reader; maybe that's what the author intended. Or perhaps I just missed the answer in all the details.
This could have been one of those stories where you could see the culprit from the start; it is not one of those types of stories. You are constantly questioning each of the characters and pondering possible motives.
This one deserves to be included in the list of Books I Love Enough to Tell You About (PSST, you can find all my book reviews there at the third link on my header). If you read it, let me know what you think. I will definitely be looking for other titles from this author.
July 4, 2019
Living with other people - part two...
So you remember the notebook that I posted about only two days ago?
The notebook that I use to keep score when Man-Child and I play cards or Scrabble. The notebook I use for various games (Boggle, mainly) from the newspaper (yes, I still get a paper - don't look at me like that! I'm personally trying to keep the industry from dying). The notebook I use for various lists, reminders, etc. (I know I could use my phone for lists, etc. but I have found, for me, I prefer a handwritten list, don't ask me why, I don't know.).
I went looking for it this morning only to discover it was GONE.
The Husband wasn't home for me to give him the third degree, unfortunately. As I stewed over the lost notebook it dawned on me what must have happened.
The Husband is a facilities person for several buildings and about every three months or so, he either gets up extra early or stays up extra late to run "light checks" to make sure all the outdoor lights are working at the various buildings and makes a note on the ones that need attention.
He ran a light check the day after I brought that notebook home; so it appears he absconded with the notebook without even noticing the strongly worded note on the front! How?! And, it's a new record. A new notebook gone in under twenty-four hours.
When I asked him about it this evening, he admitted he took it. And looked puzzled when I asked if he had noticed the note - he had not. *sigh*
Why he took this notebook is a mystery - especially as we shared a car for the majority of last week while mine was in the shop - I noticed that he had the last notebook I had brought home was in his car!
So my plan is reclaim my notebook and hide the darn thing. Apparently, that's the only way I'll be able to keep one on hand.
I went looking for it this morning only to discover it was GONE.
 |
| Notebook - MIA |
The Husband wasn't home for me to give him the third degree, unfortunately. As I stewed over the lost notebook it dawned on me what must have happened.
The Husband is a facilities person for several buildings and about every three months or so, he either gets up extra early or stays up extra late to run "light checks" to make sure all the outdoor lights are working at the various buildings and makes a note on the ones that need attention.
He ran a light check the day after I brought that notebook home; so it appears he absconded with the notebook without even noticing the strongly worded note on the front! How?! And, it's a new record. A new notebook gone in under twenty-four hours.
When I asked him about it this evening, he admitted he took it. And looked puzzled when I asked if he had noticed the note - he had not. *sigh*
Why he took this notebook is a mystery - especially as we shared a car for the majority of last week while mine was in the shop - I noticed that he had the last notebook I had brought home was in his car!
So my plan is reclaim my notebook and hide the darn thing. Apparently, that's the only way I'll be able to keep one on hand.
July 2, 2019
Living with other people...
Living with other people means I find myself writing things like this on a random notepad...
The names have been blocked out to protect the guilty. The guilty, you may wonder, are both The Husband and Man-Child. Why they are guilty, you may wonder, is because EVERY. SINGLE. notepad that I have brought home has disappeared; due to one or the other needing a sheet of paper - yes, you read that right; A SINGLE SHEET OF PAPER - so they decided that the entire notebook was needed, so they would take it and run. Leaving me to scramble whenever *I* might need a single sheet of paper.
In sum, they seem to think that it is perfectly acceptable to abscond with household notebooks. At this point, I'm ready to raid both of their cars and rescue the "hostages" that I've witnessed languishing in their automotive prisons. The prisons where they have been ignored; once their initial usefulness expired.
 |
| The blog is the reason that I have to take such random pictures. In the event you can't read it, the text reads "This notepad is not to leave this house under any circumstance. Love, Mom" |
The names have been blocked out to protect the guilty. The guilty, you may wonder, are both The Husband and Man-Child. Why they are guilty, you may wonder, is because EVERY. SINGLE. notepad that I have brought home has disappeared; due to one or the other needing a sheet of paper - yes, you read that right; A SINGLE SHEET OF PAPER - so they decided that the entire notebook was needed, so they would take it and run. Leaving me to scramble whenever *I* might need a single sheet of paper.
In sum, they seem to think that it is perfectly acceptable to abscond with household notebooks. At this point, I'm ready to raid both of their cars and rescue the "hostages" that I've witnessed languishing in their automotive prisons. The prisons where they have been ignored; once their initial usefulness expired.
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