Baking into Oblivion - Someone STOP me!

:) For those who said they like the Aggie pics. WHEW! Cause that's all I got! 

 Well, that and sourdough.

Meri's daycare, that she's the chef at, had a family potluck night on Tuesday.  Aggie and I joined her and (bf) Ryan for the feast.  Yummy food! 

 And good company too, to a point. LOOK at the pic Meri took of me! hmm.  Just plotting out my payback.  Just watch yourself Meri!

Maddy had car troubles on the way, so she turned around and went back home.

I'm sorry we missed you Sweetie!

AND then Sourdough...  It's all the rage these days! I've got actual pounds of the natural yeast, coming out of my ears!  Not literally.

The discard sits in the fridge, waiting for me to make crackers or something else. In my spare time, I browse sourdough discard recipes. :) 

Today, I realized that my discard jar was pretty full so I spread some out on carefully cut parchment that fits my dehydrator.  It's on the lowest setting for 3 hours or until it breaks apart.  Then voila!  Shelf stable sourdough starter!  Someday, when I rehydrate it, I'll let you know how it goes.

I found out later, it should have been freshly fed starter.  sigh. I'll try it anyway.

I've got two active ones on the counter.  The one with the band is mine and named Seymour.  The other is going to a friend tomorrow and she can name it whatever she wants.  

I pull out 100 grams of starter each morning and put in a clean jar.  The rest goes into the discard jar in the fridge.  

Then I feed the 100 grams of starter with 100 grams of flour and 100 grams of purified water (any kind really as long as it's not tap - if it is tap, let it sit for 24 hours to release the chlorine).  Give the mix a good stir and by mid afternoon, it's grown double and bubbly and ready to start something.  OR it can sit until tomorrow morning and I'll do it again.

The jars are a BOOGER to clean with the dried on starter. The dishwasher can't do it, it's like cement.  So I soak them in hot, soapy water and tackle it with a SOS pad and get it all off before putting it in the dishwasher.

I've been using my bread machine for the kneading!  I'm not baking it there though.  I use the kneading cycles for 25 minutes, twice.  Then pop it out into a pan to bulk ferment until the next morning on the counter, covered with a towel.  Then pop it into a banneton basket in the fridge until the next morning and bake it. The basket is what makes the rings. I waited two days in the fridge the last time and someone pushed a can of something on top, deflating it.  so here it is after I baked it this morning.  Not terrible but not as poofy as it could be.

I need to practice with the cute little cuts and slice.  I have a couple lames but they're basically just razor blades on a stick. *lame*

So mistake #1 for me, don't have it stuck in the fridge for 2 days.  And mistake #2, Put it in a some kind of container with a loose lid when in the fridge.  In case someone shoves things in the fridge. :\  

Oh and I forgot to spritz the top with my water spray bottle!  That helps with a crispy top.

Oh well, live and learn and in the meanwhile, eat your mistakes.

Mistakes taste pretty dang good with peanut butter.

 I have made several loaves so far (ok 5) and with each one, I realize what I could have done different.  and then forget what that was the next time I make it.  I'm planning on starting some sourdough English muffins tonight to cook tomorrow morning.  Jen gave me the idea.  AND she gave me the starter kit.

It's all HER fault!

My favorite way that I've found to bake the loaves without burning them is to use Robb's cast iron dutch oven and a cold oven to start.  

There are so many conflicting instructions online, it's hard to find anyone consistent!  But if I follow the conventional method, preheat the oven and pans to 450 degrees, then bake for 20 minutes with the lid on and 20 with the lid off, it's a hit or miss.  Mostly miss, because every time I try that variation, it's either burned on the outside and/or somewhat doughy on the inside.

SO, here is my secret that someone mentioned on my rebel sourdough fb group.  I've tried it a couple times with success.  I've got a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven. It helps keep the heat from pulverizing the bottom of the loaf.  And make it a clean stone!  I'll tell you about that another day but suffice it to say, it'll smoke you out.

  

I put parchment or a silicon flap thing under my bread dough into the lid of my dutch oven, then use the big part as the lid.  I stick it into a cold oven and turn the oven on to 425 degrees.  Leave it for 50-60 minutes, then uncover it.  Careful!  Don't burn yourself!  Then if it's not dark enough on the outside, continue baking it uncovered for another 7-10 minutes.

Stick a thermometer into it and it should register at least 200 degrees. DONE!

Let it cool for at least an hour before slicing it up.

I bought a covered loaf pan that I'm going to try someday.  Not sure how to use that yet.

Has anyone used one that looks like this?

I'm looking for more ideas.

Because you know me!  I can ALWAYS add a hobby to my repertoire!

What does the Early Bird Get?

I made 1 pair of leggings entirely and most of two other pairs yesterday over my lunch break.  All fabric from my stash so three pairs for free!  I cut them out during my morning break and sewed them up over lunch.  Two pairs still need the elastic sewn in and the hems.

I wore the navy blue polyester pair to the caucus last night.  They might be a little short, but Robb didn't think so.  And neither did the 100 others at the meeting last night.  Not that they'd say anything out loud... or to me...  

Nor did they say, "Aren't those made with polyester?  That is SO 70s!!"

(and judging from the angle of this pic) Nor did they say out loud, "Don't give up on Zumba!"

It was a nice crowd.  We have a great community.

So this morning, I was still on the DIY kick.  

There is a whole gallon of yogurt incubating underneath that tied fleece blanket.  

That works perfectly!

Maybe someday I'll make a cover for the IP out of fleece just for this purpose.

But not today.

I made a batch of yogurt from whole milk, thawed whey, some vanilla and homemade sweetened condensed milk.  

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk recipe

1 can of regular condensed milk

1.5 cups of sugar

Cook on medium to low heat on the stove until the sugar dissolves.

Used in place of two cans of Sweetened Condensed Milk in my yogurt.

After tallying up the calories, this way is about 200 calories lower than two cans of the SCM.

Also, two batches of pizza dough, which will be portioned out into 16 pieces each, rolled out into mini pizza crusts, fried, then frozen.  I did that a week ago last weekend and they worked out awesomely for little personal pan pizzas this past weekend.

Realized that one of my bread machines, that while it makes the sounds of mixing the dough, isn't actually.  Shoot.  One more has bit the dust.  So I dumped the ingredients into my big counter mixer thingy and plugged in the dough hook and after mixing as long as the remaining bread machine mixed, it's resting and raising.

I'll have to watch the garage sales this summer and pick up another one for $5...

Actually - this will be the summer to watch for Instant Pots too!  I remember when bread machines were all the rage and I spent $250 on one.  That one eventually walked off the counter and the lid broke.

Since then, I don't pay more than $10 for a used one because so many people gave up on homemade bread and you can find them at any garage sale or the Goodwill/Salvation Army.

I've also got 4 heads of lettuce thawing a bit on the counter, waiting for me to take a break and cut them up.  The reason they got a teensy bit frozen is because my cheap garage fridge can only cool... During the winter months, the milk can sometimes freeze and anything else we put out there.  It was a nice weekend but is starting to chill off again.

I can store 4 heads of lettuce chopped up in 2 gallon sized bags in the fridge and my salads are ready for the week.  If I have time I'll chop up a baggy full of cucumbers too.  Maybe tomatoes too.  We'll see.  I made some poppyseed dressing on Sunday and I will lose at least a pound of two this week.  I just need to stay away from chips and dip.  As the pound of two that I lose this week was lost last week also.

If I get time over lunch today, I'll get the waist and hems done on those other two leggings.

Stretchy pants are the bomb!

Maybe I'm being extra productive today because I was awake at 4am.  

I'm sure I'll be crashing by mid afternoon.  Where's my pop?!

Hoot of the high seas

Well, whadduyaknow?  Leon likes my homemade bread for toast!  I gave him a taste of mine this morning.  

What is it?  Every 7 years, taste buds change?  He's coming up to age 7...  hmmm..  

GOOD!  Can't wait for the vegetable buds to develop.

I'm going to be juggling a lot today.  Shouldn't be too bad if I can survive until at least 4pm.  A lot of dimensions at play...  And I get my teeth cleaned/scraped. YAY!

I'm pretty sure the dental hygienist knows when I lie to her about the amount of times I floss...  sigh.

AND I'm pretty sure I get my minivan back tonight!!!  WOOHOO!!!  It's been on loan for a while and I miss it.  The other cars are fine, but I can really HAUL stuff with my van!  It's hard to declutter when you don't have anything big enough to get the big stuff out.  Well, I do have Meri's truck, but it costs 2.5 times more to take a load of garbage down in that thing and it's death to gas.

I got my shirt done yesterday FINALLY that I'd been working on for a month.  It's a copy of a blue knit layered one that I've worn to death, but in a woven outer shell.   It didn't turn out like I expected and it's a bit small.  But for a rough draft copy, it wasn't terrible...  I wore it last night out of the house.  

That's when you get a bit too self conscious...  

We took Meri out to eat before Bible study and got caught up on her life and she ours.  I've set up an appointment  to get her piano tuned.  She made a video the other day of one of her roommates playing it and certain keys sounds disgusting.  I hope it's tunable!!  

I told Robb that Meri needs to date a piano tuner and get a free tuning, then break up with him.  One of my sisters did that successfully! ;)  I'm kidding about Meri, but a sister did do that.  Aren't we terrible?!

Speaking of sisters, the sister chat line has been hopping lately and the room companions have shuffled a bit.  The girls in my room are already planning pranks on the other room of sisters, the likes of which would rival only the original Parent Trap kind!  Panty raids, yarn strung up drenched in honey, short sheeted beds...  

We'll be the hoot of the high seas!

The staff will love us!

Of course, we're all getting old, so we'll probably just end up knocking on their door and hiding down the hall.

Bad Days need a Toast

 SOMEONE had a bad day yesterday...  I won't name names, but his name rhymes with Leon.

Ryan had something to sign this confession and get it back to the teacher today.  I think Leon's penmanship is better, quite frankly, and so does Ryan.  He really should have been a doctor.

Leon's only got one spelling test under his belt so far, so we're cutting him some slack on that...

Finn's mom picked him up super late last night, but he and I were able to watch some Wizard of Oz and he loved it!  I started it about the time the cyclone hit and then we had to stop it around when the wizard was giving out brains.  

He's a sweet kid, but wow.  There is a reason that parenting is for the young...

This morning I forgot that I'd made bread late yesterday afternoon and pulled it out of the machine to cut this morning.  

ISN'T IT PURDY?!  

And my toast this morning was perfect...

NOW... back to a schedule of SOME sort!  Yesterday's work load was brutal.

The Best Thing Since...

Meri and I had to take a car load to the Goodwill last weekend.  Two loads so far!  Aren't I being good with my ruthlessness?!  BUT she wanted to go inside and thrift a little.  Darn song. 

Drop off 5 boxes, take 4 boxes home kind of thing...

Sigh.  And we wonder why we have so much stuff.

BUT the Goodwill is better than a garage sale because of the selection.  Unless of course, the garage sale has everything for a quarter, which is a fantastic one to find!  I really dislike the ones that are realistically priced...  Those are typically put on by the husbands.

Anyway, I digress...  

I found a bread slicer guide!!  I WOULD have taken a picture of mine, but some unknown entity in my house has removed two AA batteries from my camera...  We will find them!  The batteries AND the perpetrator!

Off with their heads, kind of thing!

Anyway I found a photo of my slicer on Etsy where they're selling a used one for $40!  Criminy!  I paid all of $3 for mine.  Made bread last night and the slicer guide works superbly!  

As we were waiting in line to leave, the guy checker was oohing and ahhing every item the lady before us had.  OOH!  This is SO cool!  AHH!  This is the best thing since sliced bread!  

He must get paid on customer satisfaction and confidence with their purchases.  

When we got to the counter, he was all "Ooh!!!  This is a fabulous find!"  and then he got to the slicer, "OOH!  This is the best thing since..."  

Go on!  Say it, "sliced bread..." as he trailed off.  I brought up, "What did they say before that when they saw something cool?"  Meri and I deliberated while he drooled out loud over the rest of my purchases and we decided out loud that it must have been "This is the best thing since the guillotine!" 

I mean... what else WAS there?

He thought WE were odd.