of the amish, friendship and bread....

ahh..the amish, friendship and bread...
Put it together and what do you have? Amish Friendship Bread....a very interesting object.. Give it to a friend....they stir... feed....stir some more ....and finally it multiplies into more stuff....to give away....or bake.... So I had a batch of starter working it's merry self along on my kitchen counter. (This batch was originally frozen so that I could start it at my convenience.) You stir for several days...feed it once in the middle....stir several more days and then divide into four containers and bake the remaining bit into a loaf for yourself. After you have been through this process several times...well several things happen....one, you run out of friends to give it to....two, you bake it all....or three, you freeze several batches and bake what you will. In theory it should divide into five equal parts...but when I measured it into five containers...low and behold....the fifth container was a little short....but since I would normally be baking that amount I figured it would do the job....even if it was not the same amount as the others....so I put all the containers in the freezer...and when I so desire...I will make some chocolate bread or pistachio bread, or lemon bread....or coconut. You see....each recipe calls for pudding mix ....and that is where all the different flavors come into play...and you can experiment to your heart's content....yep...yep...yep.... My husband loves pistachio so I always keep that flavor of pudding on hand for that very reason... Me...I like chocolate with chocolate chips or nuts or both... It is fun to experiment. I turned it into zucchini bread on this last go round...and it was very tasty....so I have five containers of starter....and I'm ready to start another cycle....of kitchen counter fermentation.....

beginning and ending on a sweet note....
I ate a thin slice of zucchini bread on my way to work yesterday...have to eat with the pills I take.....and then found out we (my sis and I) were supposed to be in a meeting back where we started.....so we turned around....drove back ...and walked in late.....they had already eaten breakfast....and were just getting started on the other stuff...but we were still late.....So we sat and listened...and found some danish during the break.....and listened some more.....don't get me wrong....it was important stuff....just not the what I thought I was going to be doing all morning....so when everything was finished at 12 we headed to lunch....and then on to our regularly scheduled work day......to pack everything we needed to do into the remaining hours......amazing how much you can do in a condensed time period when you need to......and then home again..... I walked in the door....grabbed some refrigerated pizza dough ...some cheese and headed to my daughter's house to attend my first "Food Club". There were seven of us making little individual pizzas and freezing them for later consumption.....my refrigerated pizza dough did not work really well for that so I made pizza rolls....it did work for that! My daughter had made these little sweets to munch on....and they were really good....I had to remind myself that I had not eaten dinner...and these little guys were not my dinner....but they were really good. I called my husband on my way home (he was eating Mexican) to ask if he could bring something home for my dinner....but couldn't get ahold of him.....so I heated up some bread salad....it was good but not quite in the same category as chicken nachos.... So, my goal for myself today is to eat more veggies....and protein....and less sweets.....but it is potluck at church tonight....and there are always sweets...usually of the cake variety......maybe if I make a big salad as my contribution.....I can justify the cake....maybe.....

the weekend that was......

My husband took the grandkids camping....it was a grand adventure...the other grandfather went along for the ride....and a ride it was....rafting down the Hiwassee....getting stuck on a waterfall....men trying to maneuver the raft off the rocks....kids yelling for help....yep....all the ingredients for a grand adventure..... My adventure was a little milder.....dinner out.....major theological discussion....way too intense...but thought provoking never the less.... Shopping time with my daughter and littlest grandchild on Saturday.....eating sushi for lunch....watching him experiment with chopsticks....rice everywhere.....more shopping for school supplies.....half hour break at home before making another trip to the big city....and realizing that my phone had disappeared...turning around and going back....searching the house....only to find it in the car...where it had fallen out of my purse.....back on the road again.....and meeting up with friends for dinner.....then some shopping at one of my favorite stores......TJ Maxx...yes I love that store....especially the home good sections.....on to some coffee at Starbucks....sitting outside and chilling .....then home again...... Made some rice and miso for breakfast the next morning....still in Japanese food mode.....and chilling while I waited for hubby and the grandkids to return......they needed some pool time when they got home....to wash all the camping dirt away.....who needs a shower when you are camping.......and then mexican and music for dinner...... Church on Sunday as usual... lunch with the fam....afternoon naps....and cheese sticks and a cheesy movie for dinner.....the end of the great adventure.....it was a lovely adventure.....and the end of the weekend......

the day it was.....

Yesterday was a lovely day....the sky was blue.....it was warm....there was a breeze.....not so much this morning..... Everything is grey....looks like rain.....but it is supposed to pass on through. But yesterday....aww.....it was nice..... We eat brunch on Saturday mornings....actually it is pretty much noon by the time we eat.....so I guess that does not qualify as morning....but since Joe works all morning.....it is the best time frame for us....and I have had a little time to decide on a meal..... and I watched Food Network..... yes oh yes.....lots of ideas running around in my head.... So what did I make......a frittatta......or basically a crustless quiche...... It was lovely...and my husband took the pictures to prove it....but I don't have them yet....so will just have to describe it to you.....eggs, rice, spinach, milk and cheese.....seasoned well.....and baked ....and baked...took longer than expected.....and then topped with a thinly sliced tomato and sprinkled with parm cheese.....and served with an apple oatmeal muffin...... And we enjoyed it outside....looking down on the pool......with a little bit of a breeze to keep us cool.....aww yes.....it was another Saturday morning......in our world....and there are leftovers.....ymmmm.....

cleaning day....

Human that I am...I resent having only one day this week to clean....I like the ability to clean any of several different days during the week....it makes me feel in control.....but this week.....there was only one free day to clean.....and so I put it off as long as I could yesterday.....let my very late breakfast settle....then got down to it.....and did some laundry....changed sheets and towels...so everything was fresh and clean.....then while making dinner I started sweating profusely....water running down my face in a constant stream....my hair soaking wet....and I had been looking forward to slipping into my fresh sheets while remaining fairly clean from my day....not the case....and then on top of that....some black shiny bug was running around on our bed....when we tried to catch it ....it flew off....and then had the nerve to crawl on me during the night....wake me up....and then bite when I grabbed it and threw it off of me....who knows where it ended it up....I just wanted it off of me.....yep....yep.....not a very nice bug....but at least whatever I was feeling yesterday (kinda like I was coming down with a cold) disappeared...not so for my husband....he is not feeling well at all....fighting some kind of infection I think......and ibuprofen only goes so far in making one feel better...... But it is a new day.....and I am off to spend some time with the grand kids.....while their mom keeps her midwife appointment....wonder what kind of creative things the kids will come up with today....they know that their family rules are in effect regardless of who is with them...but it doesn't mean that they won't try to creatively skirt some of those rules....yep....yep...better gird myself....because they are charming little creatures....and I dearly love spending time with them....but I don't like to get in trouble with their mother.....and occasionally I do...yep...I do....

blah...blah....blah....

It's 10 in the morning....and here I am....still sitting in front of my computer....trying to motivate myself into the day....course my self appointed job for the day is cleaning...may be the reason I am not so motivated...may be..... But here I sit.....sucking on a cold ezee.....feeling semi yuck....and trying to discourage whatever..... My husband has been fighting something .....swollen glands, ear plugged up...one of those kind of things.....and he tells me that he is sure he is not contagious...as he kisses me....yep....yep.....so either I am susceptible to suggestion.....or I have something like what he has.....yep....yep.... So here I sit....unmotivated.....knowing there are things to do....breakfast to eat....yep....yep....haven't even made it that far into my day.....maybe an egg poached in salsa will improve my mood.....it smells good while it cooks....it tastes good when you eat it....and the flavors linger......think that will work.....I'm feeling a little bit better....course I still have that cold ezee in my mouth .....and it leaves a nasty aftertaste......but if it stops whatever is trying to attack my body....then it is worth that nasty metallic taste.....yep....yep....and I'll replace that with something better.....lots better......

delight for the taste bud...

Now, I will admit that I think about food a lot... meals I have eaten...meals I want to eat....meals others make that I wish I had the opportunity to eat....the list goes on and on. Sometimes the simplest things leave the greatest impression.....like my quickie breakfast I had to eat to take my pills.....what was it....well it was my own version of Greek yogurt, granola and honey....simple and delicious. I discovered Greek yogurt in food magazines. Our local stores do not carry it so I had to wait until a trip to a large city provided the opportunity to buy some and try it....and I fell in love.....no longer would those no fat...no sugar....gelatin solidified whatever suffice.... But I could not purchase this product locally....so what could I do.....then I discovered that I could make my own by purchasing plain, whole fat yogurt (1 Quart) and draining it through a coffee filter...in the fridge...and it would get thicker and thicker as it sat. It works....and you would be amazed at the amount of liquid that deposits in the glass container under my coffee filter lined strainer. Perfect. Now you may want a sweeter product that what I enjoy....and you can play with all kinds of jams to create any fruit flavor your little heart desires.....personally I like blackberry jam mixed into mine....oh yes....delicious..... The other meal consumed this week that I remember with groans of pleasure was a meal of shrimp and grits...found in a place that my husband had heard about and we decided to try out....it had lots of personality, a humorous menu....and fabulous shrimp and grits...... Now I am a Yankee....and grits are not a natural love of mine.....although I make cheese grits for Christmas brunch every year...and they are lovely....but this dish was sublime....I groaned with pleasure with each bite....of cheesy grits...and spicy shrimp.....and we will go back ....and eat that dish....again...and again....it was so good.....aww....food..... I do thank God that it is necessary for life.....if we have to eat to stay alive.....we might as well enjoy it each bite along the way......so what should I fix for brunch...hmmmm