#10: Learn How to bake bread.

Ok, I am totally going to say this. I can bake bread, but I have not Mastered bread baking.  But I still think I got this one done (and since I'm scarce on having list items done this year, I'm taking it as a win)

If you have been around any sort of cooking/baking blogs in the past few years, I'm sure you know this recipe.  It's made the rounds- mostly a few years ago, and I think I made it back then, but wasn't 100% impressed.  It's Jim Lahey's no knead bread. 

But I have been having a hankering for bread lately, and the minute it cooled down a little (and I had a couple of days off)  the concept is pretty simple; a small amount of yeast, and a long proofing period develops the bread with some awesome flavors. You mix together flour, yeast, salt, and warm water, stir, and let it sit on your counter for 12 hours.  Then you punch it down a little, form it into a ball, and let it rise for 2 more hours, at which point you bake it in a preheated cast iron pot.  And ta-da! Bread!

This bread is awesome. It's crusty, and chewy on the inside, and if you put a little butter on it- MAN, it is good.   I made the regular recipe, and then for the next one, I chopped up some kalamata olives and put them in.   This is what it looked like:

isn't that sexy?

Then, for breakfast this morning, I took the remaining regular bread, tore it up, put it in a casserole dish with custard base made with vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon, dotted it with butter, and then shook a little cinnamon sugar on top.  I don't have a picture, because it was devoured so quickly- but it was so good. the insides were eggy and warm, and the top was crisp with the toasted bread pieces, and the cinnamon sugar made the outside crust crackle a little.  Having made it once, I can't stop thinking about it, and what changes/improvements I can make. (next time I'm going to sprinkle the top with maple sugar, I think)

But I'm back in the saddle again, and I can't start to bake more of this bread, especially because it is so easy.  It is totally worth the burns I got mishandling my cast iron pot.

Dinner with Jack

I was in a cooking mood, so I picked up some stuff as I was leaving work on Wednesday, and called Jack to see if she wanted me to cook her dinner. To the suprise of exactly no one, she said yes. So I trucked over to Hampden, and made dinner for Jackie and her roommate.  (You know, because I'm the Best Sister Ever). 

The first thing I did was set some artichokes to steam (or more accurately, to boil)

While we were waiting for them to finish, I made some avocado toasts: 

Toasted bread, a little butter, avocado smushed on, salt, pepper, squeeze of lemon. 

And some Caprese toasts: 

Toasted bread, balsamic vinegar, kumatos, basil, mozzerella, and a little salt. 

By then, the artichokes were done, and I served them with lemon butter and a mock- Sauce gribiche (if you follow the link, it's the smoother one) to dip the petals in.  We ate outside, and relaxed- it was a really nice spring night.  I'm looking forward to more dinners in Hampden when I move there next month!

And dessert was mascarpone lemon dip for strawberries and Toasted Coconut Thins: 

mmmmmm, lemony goodness....

One of my favorite things to do is cook for other people, even when it is as simple as this. 

Ten Things That Are Making Me Happy Right Now

Sometimes your friends are right, and you need to update your blog, because it's been forever.

And while I haven't done one of these in a long time, because life has been crazy, and stressful, it is still important to recognize things that make me happy.

1. My parents will be in Baltimore for dinner on Friday!   I was sick when my mom wanted to come down to visit a few weeks ago, and I felt terrible about not being able to hang out, so I'm glad that they are stopping on their way home from Savannah. (Sidenote: am totally jealous they went to Savannah)

2. Irish Bangers are in at Trader Joe's! I'm not gonna lie.... I've been debating buying a case. That's how good they are.

3 Kate and James are going to be hitting Baltimore for a little bit in April! (woo!)

4  I just realized I never posted about this!  I crossed another item off my 30/30th list!

That's my dftba tattoo! (it stands for Don't Forget To Be Awesome)

5  Iron Crow is putting on a staged reading of 8 the play by Dustin Lance Black (the same guy who wrote Milk, and it's been getting really great press and it's almost sold out!

6 Planning the Chincoteague vacation. It is going to be EPIC this year- Rib cookoff, Wing cookoff, and for those of you who are fans of the TV show Cougar Town, there will be a lot of Penny Can.  (and giant, oversized wine glasses)

7 Have gotten into recipe planning again, I have a couple of ideas, but now that the weather is so warm, all i want to make is cool-weather things. I need to carve some time out to cook!

8 My friend Julie was in a pretty bad accident (the kind where she needs how to learn to walk again) it was really scary, but it seems like she's on the mend.

9  Today is Pi Day! You should eat some pie.

10 Corny Jokes! I now have an app for that on my ipad. My favorites of late:

What do you call a donkey with earplugs?  ..... anything you want, he can't hear you!
What is ten letters and starts with gas?  .... an automobile

.... heh.

Nana on my mind.

It may seem strange to remember my Nana most when it comes to Superbowl.  She wasn't a football fan, I don't think she'd ever watched a game her whole life. But my parents have a big party every year,  and every year she would come, ringing the doorbell at a house that everyone just walks in and says hello.  She would bring her wings, and I think about her in her kitchen, cooking them up, for an event that she didn't care about, for her family, that she did, very much.

Of course I have lots of memories of her- twenty seven years of Christmases, birthdays, family get togethers, sleepovers at her house, twenty seven years of love, and kindness, and beauty. But this is one that sticks to me, I can almost see her, sitting at my parents' dining room table, cup of tea in hand, the game blaring in the other room, catching up with my cousins, who she hadn't seen since Christmas.

When I close my eyes and concentrate really hard, I can still feel like it was to hug her, bending a little, because she was shorter than I was (imagine that!) warm, and soft, and comforting. She was a great hugger.

Memories of her are hitting me hard lately. but that's what grief is, right? Rolling waves that ebb and flow, sometimes threatening to overwhelm you, but you hold your breath, let them crash over you, and when they recede, it's a little easier to take than the last time one hit you.

I think about the things she's missed since she is gone, and it makes my heart ache.

It's been almost three years.  I still miss her so much.

This entry was spurred by this article, which I just read, and brought up a lot of stuff for me.  If you've ever given a eulogy for someone, or think you may one day, you should read it.
                       

October's Over!

So I have emerged from the craziness that was my month of October.  It began fantastically- an amazing weekend at the beach with my mom, aunt, cousin and sister.  I went back to work on Monday and then on Wednesday, I ran back to New Jersey to pick up my birthday present (the fancy-ass camera that took all of these pictures!) and then I had to go to the courthouse downtown, because I was called for Jury Duty on the 6th.  I sat there, confident, when the judge said that it was a three week case, because I knew I wouldn't be called. It would have been a financial hardship! My job doesn't pay for jury duty!  I was called up to the judge and told him that, and sat back down.   And then, at the end of the day, I was called up. Instead of being dismissed, I was put onto the jury. For three weeks.  And because I don't get paid for jury duty, I had to use my vacation time at work, and work on the days that I wasn't on jury duty. Which meant that yesterday was my last day off since October 6th.  It was glorious. 

So that debacle is over, thank goodness, and I can focus on the good things that are happening. 

For one, I got the TV that has been traveling around in my backseat for... a long time into my apartment! Check it out- it's so huge! 

Also on my day off, I put together these shelves, which house my kitchenaid, my "bar area" with my new bar stuff from my aunt, and other various and sundry kitchen things. 

Also: I've been dating a totally cute girl who is, to use my favorite adjective, quite awesome. 

And aside from the fact that I haven't been there that much, work has been great. 

Plus! I have had some time in the kitchen- I made a roast chicken, and my own stock, and chicken and dumplings... all fall flavors and deliciousness.  Now that I have some more time, I'm looking forward to having more time to play around. 

If I compare where I'm at this year to the same time last year, I think last year Val would be super impressed. It's been a long hard road, but I am finally happy. 

To end, some gratuitous Earl pictures: 

For real, he's super cute, right?

Ten things that are making me happy right now

I haven't done this in a while!

1

Cousins, and the most wonderful birthday weekend ever. 

2

Duckpin bowling

3

Sunsets 

4 My crazy cat, who is not currently biting my feet right now, but is looking at them hungrily. 

5 Temps dropping to the fifties

6 Glee Tuesdays

7 Picking up crocheting again

8 Spiced Apple Cider

9 Work is really, really good (if exhausting, at times)

10 My fancy-ass new camera that I love SO MUCH.

30/30th 50 Cheeses

When I was having Birthday At the Beach this past weekend, we had The Cheesing Hour on Saturday and Sunday. 

On Saturday, we had a selection of three cheeses: Stagnola Blu, Brie, Mini Brie Bites, and Cranberry Chevre. 

The brie that we had was 62% Brie, which was super creamy and buttery.  In the background, there are brie bites, which come five to a package and are really cool- I'm a fan of having them in the fridge in case I need a quick hit of brie and I don't want to buy a huge wedge. 

The Stagnola Blu is a cheese that Trader Joe's carries, but it is about to be discontinued- I'm not sure if you can get it other places, but it's a great blue- creamy, and has a real knockout flavor. 

Chevre and Cranberry are two of my favorite combinations, it's a really great combo in this cheese too. I think after the brie, this was my second favorite of the cheeses. 

Sunday night we had some harder cheeses, a Manchego, a Cinnamon Dusted Toscano, and I also wanted to try out a Hot and Sweet Pepper Jelly that I had gotten from Trader Joe's, so I served that over a brick of cream cheese. 

The pepper jelly was really good, except the "hot" part of the Hot and Sweet was.... missing.  It was tasty, though! It is definitely going on my next party menu. 

The Manchego was really nice- a milder cheese, salty in  a good way.  I didn't really prepare as well for this cheesing hour in terms of accompaniments, and I'm a little bummed out. I think it would have worked really well with some olives, or maybe a slice of apple. 

The Cinnamon Toscano was really different.  It is a really strong tasting cheese- and then to add a powerhouse spice like cinnamon ups the flavor to eleven.  I liked it a lot, even though it's definitely a "holiday" cheese- the cinnamon reminded me of Christmas.   My mom said that she thought that this cheese would go really well with apple pie, and I would have to agree. I think that would be awesome. 

So!  Six cheeses down, 44 to go!