am i the only one who can't get this commercial out of their head? it has been replaying in my head for about 2 days now.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Five Minute Artisan Bread
Seriously, this is the BEST and EASIEST bread ever. In the words that funny SNL skit "FIX IT!"
The directions might look long, but it is really so easy. I made a big bowl of it last week and every other day I would just yank off a big ol chunk and bake it. Patrick ate an entire loaf himself in one day.
Five Minute Artisan Bread
1-1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (about 1-1/2 packets)
1-1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
6-1/2 cups unbleached flour, plus extra for dusting dough
Cornmeal (i don't have any, so i use flour)
In a big bowl, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm (about 100 degrees) water. Using a large spoon, stir in flour, mixing until mixture is uniformly moist with no dry patches. Do not knead. Dough will be wet and loose enough to conform to shape of plastic container. Cover, but not with an airtight lid.
Let dough rise at room temperature, at least 2 hours and up to 5 hours. (At this point, dough can be refrigerated up to 2 weeks; refrigerated dough is easier to work with than room-temperature dough, so the authors recommend that first-time bakers refrigerate dough overnight or at least 3 hours.)
When ready to bake, sprinkle flour on a wooden cutting board. Place baking stone on middle rack and preheat oven to 450 degrees, preheating baking stone for at least 20 minutes.
Sprinkle a little flour on dough and on your hands. Pull dough up and, using a serrated knife, cut off a grapefruit-size piece (about 1 pound). Working for 30 to 60 seconds (and adding flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking to hands; most dusting flour will fall off, it's not intended to be incorporated into dough), turn dough in hands, gently stretching surface of dough, rotating ball a quarter-turn as you go, creating a rounded top and a bunched bottom.
Place shaped dough on cutting board and let rest, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it in lidded container. (Even one day's storage improves flavor and texture of bread. Dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in airtight containers and defrosted overnight in refrigerator prior to baking day.) Dust dough with flour.
Using a serrated knife, slash top of dough in three parallel, 1/4-inch deep cuts (or in a tic-tac-toe pattern). Slide dough onto preheated baking stone. Pour 1 cup hot tap water into broiler pan and quickly close oven door to trap steam. Bake until crust is well-browned and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven to a wire rack and cool completely.
The directions might look long, but it is really so easy. I made a big bowl of it last week and every other day I would just yank off a big ol chunk and bake it. Patrick ate an entire loaf himself in one day.
Five Minute Artisan Bread
1-1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (about 1-1/2 packets)
1-1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
6-1/2 cups unbleached flour, plus extra for dusting dough
Cornmeal (i don't have any, so i use flour)
In a big bowl, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm (about 100 degrees) water. Using a large spoon, stir in flour, mixing until mixture is uniformly moist with no dry patches. Do not knead. Dough will be wet and loose enough to conform to shape of plastic container. Cover, but not with an airtight lid.
Let dough rise at room temperature, at least 2 hours and up to 5 hours. (At this point, dough can be refrigerated up to 2 weeks; refrigerated dough is easier to work with than room-temperature dough, so the authors recommend that first-time bakers refrigerate dough overnight or at least 3 hours.)
When ready to bake, sprinkle flour on a wooden cutting board. Place baking stone on middle rack and preheat oven to 450 degrees, preheating baking stone for at least 20 minutes.
Sprinkle a little flour on dough and on your hands. Pull dough up and, using a serrated knife, cut off a grapefruit-size piece (about 1 pound). Working for 30 to 60 seconds (and adding flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking to hands; most dusting flour will fall off, it's not intended to be incorporated into dough), turn dough in hands, gently stretching surface of dough, rotating ball a quarter-turn as you go, creating a rounded top and a bunched bottom.
Place shaped dough on cutting board and let rest, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it in lidded container. (Even one day's storage improves flavor and texture of bread. Dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in airtight containers and defrosted overnight in refrigerator prior to baking day.) Dust dough with flour.
Using a serrated knife, slash top of dough in three parallel, 1/4-inch deep cuts (or in a tic-tac-toe pattern). Slide dough onto preheated baking stone. Pour 1 cup hot tap water into broiler pan and quickly close oven door to trap steam. Bake until crust is well-browned and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven to a wire rack and cool completely.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
5 things
what i'm grateful for today:
1. my little family
2. the wonderful weather
3. the giampa's from maryland are gonna come visit us in April
4. the bag of candy from piper's valentine's day party that i've been eating all day.
5. my new/old Citizen for Humanity jeans that I found at the thrift store for $3.50.
1. my little family
2. the wonderful weather
3. the giampa's from maryland are gonna come visit us in April
4. the bag of candy from piper's valentine's day party that i've been eating all day.
5. my new/old Citizen for Humanity jeans that I found at the thrift store for $3.50.
Friday, February 13, 2009
LOST
I'm copying this off of greektragedy.com about Wednesday's LOST. Interesting and I think she's right!
Daniel Faraday
If you don't watch LOST, you should. If you don't watch LOST, you won't find this interesting. Just my guess, but I think these two women? They're the same person. Daniel Faraday's mother.
If you don't watch LOST, you should. If you don't watch LOST, you won't find this interesting. Just my guess, but I think these two women? They're the same person. Daniel Faraday's mother.
Daniel Faraday annoys me. You know, there used to be a time when people drew lines about which man they wanted: a Jack, a Sawyer, a Locke, a Sayid, a Desmond... you get the idea. Daniel Faraday is mousy and whispers everything. He irritates me. And then last week, he pulls that whole, "You look familiar" when he's taken gunpoint by Ellie. So it ends, and I think, that's his mom. It's too obvious not to be. That's right. Mrs. Hawkings and Ellie are the same person. I'm guessing Charles Widmore knocked Ellie up somewhere, and she popped Daniel Faraday out. Which would make him Penny's brother, and Desmond's step-brother and "constant." My favorite part of this show is figuring out who's related to whom.
5 things
5 things i'm grateful for (in no particular order):
1. our house
2. our new windows
3. my family
4. beautiful weather
5. patrick's job
i'd like to get into the habit of doing this more often.
1. our house
2. our new windows
3. my family
4. beautiful weather
5. patrick's job
i'd like to get into the habit of doing this more often.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
dancing queen*
She has been sorta dancing lately, it is so cute.
and another
* Anyone remember when this song was playing at our wedding and my mom chose that exact moment to enlighten me that I was conceived to this song? Some other information concerning the conception was mentioned as well. Ehm.
and another
* Anyone remember when this song was playing at our wedding and my mom chose that exact moment to enlighten me that I was conceived to this song? Some other information concerning the conception was mentioned as well. Ehm.
um...
I'm drawing a blank again about stuff to write. What is something semi-interesting I can write about other than what I made for dinner?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
smelly, hairy, hippies
I need some tofu recipes. I just got a container of "firm" tofu at the farmer's market and I've never had any luck with cooking with tofu. The tofu always ends up looking like scrambled eggs.
Advise please.
And don't be shy because only Christa, Sue Anne, Patrick, Lisa and Julie are reading this.
Monday, February 2, 2009
wrinkle
I was all giddy Friday night for a fun date night with Patrick. I dressed up, put on make up, perfume etc. We went to a little wine tasting in 5 Points across from the movie theater and walked up to the wine taster-lady and she looks at both of us and then...cards Patrick. Not me. NOT ME! After she looked at Patrick's ID she turned to me and said "Well, would you like me to ask you for yours just for the heck of it?" I was so annoyed and insulted. Yes, I am taking this way too personally. I gave her an icy reply of "No, not really. It takes the fun out of it when my husband is carded and not me."
It really bothered me. I've been feeling self conscious that I'm starting to look older and this just didn't help. It actually was starting to ruin my night until I bucked up and tried my best to shrug it off. It just really bugs me that I'm the Demi Moore in Patrick and I's marriage. Everyone always use to tell us how we look like teenagers and one of my friends mom actually thought we were Mormon missionaries because we looked so young and had lived in the Virgin Islands. But I've really aged a lot over the last few years (thank you 2006-2007, you were a bitch) and I wanna look young again.
And yes Lisa I can totally see you rolling your eyes at me while you are reading this.
It really bothered me. I've been feeling self conscious that I'm starting to look older and this just didn't help. It actually was starting to ruin my night until I bucked up and tried my best to shrug it off. It just really bugs me that I'm the Demi Moore in Patrick and I's marriage. Everyone always use to tell us how we look like teenagers and one of my friends mom actually thought we were Mormon missionaries because we looked so young and had lived in the Virgin Islands. But I've really aged a lot over the last few years (thank you 2006-2007, you were a bitch) and I wanna look young again.
And yes Lisa I can totally see you rolling your eyes at me while you are reading this.
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