Once again the great holiday of Groundhog’s Day is upon us. A day when we all consider how nice it would be for spring to come and rescue us from the cold, inverted mess we tolerate through the dark wintry months. Our hopes are high only to be thwarted by a rodent. A rodent that if PETA has its way will be a robot. It’s a good thing they rarely get their way.
So today we celebrate: A rodent meteorologist, Bill Murray’s last good movie, and good food and good company to get us through the cold. Here’s to you Punxsutawney Phil.
Unlike many females, I have not had names picked out for my children since I was 13. For the first time in my life, this has become a problem. I’ve been going through family history and name books and finally came up with what I thought was a list of original and meaningful names. Then I got an email from Baby Center with the top 100 names of 2009 and every last one of my names was on that list. I hate it when Demotivator posters become the theme for my life.
In preparation for my future, I decided I should drive a bigger “mom” vehicle and take some teenage boys under my wings. . . Okay, so really my parents went on a two week cruise for their 25th wedding anniversary and like a good daughter I took over my parent’s responsibilities. While my parents enjoy the Mexican sun I am responsible for 1 dog, 1 cat, 2 brothers, an art exhibit entry, and 105 high school seniors. All I can say is I can’t wait till my parents get back, and I’m glad my little boy won’t immediately eat like a 16 year-old-boy.
It was nice to see our little guy, but I felt kind of sorry for him. The Ultrasound tech really wanted a specific picture of his head so she kept trying to stir him up and got kind of mad when he kept covering his head with his arms. What did she expect? I would probably do the same if someone shook my world and prodded me with an instrument the size of my body. I almost said something to that effect, but bit my tongue. I think I’m going to be one of those moms. All in all, I think he’s cute already.
I don’t think I’m that smug, and even if I were, I’m not any good at keeping secrets. I had the ultrasound today and everything indicates that we’re going to have a healthy and active human baby boy.
I previously mentioned this really easy bread recipe that I found out on the internet. Since trying it I have kind of taken up the hobby of bread making. Fortunately, it’s a relatively inexpensive hobby with the bread costing about $0.35 per loaf. Not to mention that it is, in my opinion, yummier than your average supermarket bread. What I wanted to do here is list a short collection of the recipes I have found and tried so friends/family/blog stalkers could try them as well. Anyway, here we go:
This article is where I got started. It’s also the recipe that I just keep coming back to. The recipe has very basic and cheap ingredients, which if you ever bake, you probably already have. They recommend using a pizza stone to bake the bread on, which really does work well. However, I’ve heard that a perforated pizza pan works well too, and a light colored cookie sheet would probably work too. The other thing they suggest using is a pizza peel (one of those wooden paddles used to slide pizzas into an oven). While they’re nice, you can use a regular cookie sheet upside down to much the same effect.
Okay, I haven’t tried this one yet. If any of you get this one going, let me know how it went. I’m still trying to get a hold of some wheat gluten. Below is a video explaining the process, which is similar enough to the previous recipe to be helpful to watch for either. I really liked the suggestion of putting seeds on the bread. My favorite combo is sesame, poppy, and fennel seeds.
This one is fantastic, but a bit more expensive and quite a bit more time consuming. The beer is a problem since it is difficult to buy it in small quantities and almost doubles the per loaf price. But it lends a good flavor and is worth it. I used his Dutch oven method of cooking this bread and it turned out really well.
Speaking of baking bread in a dutch oven, legend has it that this is the recipe that started the whole no knead bread idea in the first place. It’s also very good, with a great texture. There’s also an article about this concept that is interesting as well.
Well, I hope that wasn’t too boring for everyone. Happy baking.
Generally when a new year rolls around everyone hits the gym in an attempt to fulfill their unrealistic New Year’s resolutions. Apparently with pregnancy I’m supposed to “take it easy” in the exercise realm, so this year’s resolution won’t involve any races just a commitment to keep putting on the tennis shoes (even if Noel has to tie them) and get out there. Here’s my inspiration:
When Paula Radcliffe (professional marathoner) was pregnant she had to slow down and log 7 minute miles.
I love this picture, especially the expression on the man's face who she is passing.
Although my jogging and occasional power walking isn’t quite as hard core, it still makes me happy when I pass people or discover that my speed is faster than the person on the treadmill next to me.
