10 Weeks!

Well, it's ten weeks until the big 4 OH!
 I'm taking stock.
 I'm pondering.
 I'm hesitantly moving forward.
 I'm grasping new truths.
I'm letting go of familiar lies.

It's a good place to be.

I was thinking back to my childhood to see if I could recognize what was in my heart way back then. What sort of things did I like, what games did I like to play, what did I like to do, who or what did I pretend to be? What happened to that girl? If I imagine myself so young and small like her, and I could talk to her, what would I say? Or would I say anything? Perhaps I would just listen.

New Dough in Town

I made a new sourdough starter. I still have Sid.
Sid is good.
Sid is easy going.
Sid still reigns supreme.

Now I have Walter. Where Sid is a milk-based starter, Walter is a water-based starter.

I made Walter 20 days ago. Ten days later, I made a some artisan loaves with him. He tasted yummy. Not quite as yeasty as Sid, but still, he was good.  Then I fed him. The little guy was a glutton! It was my fault though. I gave him 3 times the amount of sugar! I realized that and then had to adjust his flour and water accordingly! I'm not sure how he'll taste the next time I make bread with him.

Flash Forward one month later:  Walter is the Shiz.

Oh Walter...

Here's a blues song. After each sentence you can flourish it with your own "blues sound" (i.e. bum DUH da  dum, da dum, da dum, da dum, bum DUH da dum,etc.)

I woke up this morning (insert blues sound)
I mixed up some dough (blues sound)
I was in a hurry (blues sound)
I had somewhere to go! (blues sound)

I heated up the water (you know what to do)
I waited for the right temp (.....)
I added some more flour (....)
I did not add hemp (.... okay, okay, so I needed a rhyming word + it's a true statement! Of course, I wouldn't know where to get such stuff. I've seen it in health food stores, not-so-secretly- added to chips among some other things. Oh, and it's in the craft shops too; in yarn and jewelry supplies. Back to the blues!)

Here's the part of the song where you can really let it go....think House of Blues....think laundry!

The dough mixed up nicely (blues sound)
It smelled pretty good too (blues sound)
I dumped it out on the counter (.....)
It was a big gob of goo (...)

More flour was kneaded needed (blues sound)
The dough wouldn't let it in (get grungy with it, because my frustration at this point is high. The dough was NOT letting the flour incorporate)
I fussed at the dough ball and looked at the jar and when I realized that Walter was still in the jar, I felt real apologetic, because I wasn't making sourdough at all, I just had a big ball of gooey dough and poor Walter wasn't a part of it at all! (okay, so I'm not much of a song writer and I ruined your groove. My groove was ruined too).

Song over.
Story not over.

I added 1 cup of Walter (the new sourdough starter,yes I still have Sid) to the dough and got my hands reeeeeeeeeeeal goopy. Then I got all improvisational with it and added a tad more flour and a tad more Walter. When it was all said and done, I had a very dense ball of sourdough. And because Walter was such a glutton after to first time I fed him (I gave him 3x the amount of sugar and had to compensate with more flour and water) I'm not real sure how it's all going to turn out.

I've got the sourdough blues.

Flipping-out on this Freaky Friday over Flirtatious Females

nuf said.

Michelle's Summer 2010: 10 Things

10) COLD and CLOUDY June.

9) Started process of buying house in Forest Grove.

8) STRAWBERRIES, RASPBERRIES, BLUEBERRIES AND TAYBERRIES

7) Snag in the home-buying process

6) Home-made freezer jams

5) Theater In The Grove Children's After School Theater Productions: "The Saddest King" & "Music Man, Jr." with Charlie acting in both and Autry as a Stage Technician

4) Another snag in the home-buying process.

3) Trip to Port Townsend, WA. for 4th of July.

2) Beach trip

1) BFF from high school visits for a week. What fun!

 

We are still awaiting the closing of our house. Will keep you posted!

Accessories For Sid

Sid is my sourdough starter that lives in my fridge. He's about 5 months old now. He had a near death experience a couple of weeks ago and since then, I have really been more sympathetic towards him.

My family and I went strawberry picking last week for our first time EVER. We picked 20lbs of strawberries in 40 minutes. They were $1/lb. We paid $20 for our strawberries. They should've weighed us before we started picking, because I'm sure between the four of us, we ate 5lbs worth. I only ate two strawberries. It was my boys who ate in poundage.

Unlike blackberry picking, there aren't any thorny briers that scratch up your skin or clothes. There are just small, green clusters of plants and if you move the foliage out of the way, you will see under the green leaves and stalks, a red cache. It's beautiful. Red strawberries hidden under the shade of the plant, resting peacefully, waiting for someone to find them and pick them.

Pick them we did!

We took our 20lbs of strawberries home. We ate our dinner, went to see Charlie in his play at the Theater in the Grove, ate ice cream and then, at 9:30pm began the cleaning/de-stemming/pureeing/jam process. It took us me 2 1/2 hours to process all of those strawberries. It was my first time. I wasn't sure how to set up the system. I had my food processor out and started the puree process with that, but realized that the blender would hold more. I had 4 bowls to begin with but realized 2 were sufficient.

About 1 1/2 hours into the whole shebang, I had this thought: "Puree can later be made into jam. Jam does not have to be made RIGHT NOW".

Well, you might think that was a little long to take to have that thought, but this was my first time. I was a strawberry jam-making virgin. It took awhile for the  "Aha" moment to happen. If you don't have anyone there giving you advice or pointers, then it takes a little longer.

Needless to say, I hastened the process by just making puree and freezing that in Ziplocs.

I will return to the strawberry field and pick some more and freeze more puree. I will make jam in January. It will be like a Beatles song, "Strawberry Fields Forever".

Oh yes, about Sid.

Sid was accessorized (after 20 minutes of cooling from the oven) with fresh, homemade strawberry jam. The strawberry jam dressed him up quite nicely. And as ZZ Top says, "Every girl's crazy about a sharped dressed man" (bread).

The love affair has begun.
Sid was consumed within his first hour of accessorization.

My Most Recent Encounter with the Po-Po

This unfortunate story took place in April and I have been hesitant to share it with you. Though, at the urging of a few friends and family, I am now sharing this story.

I'm over at a friend's house (mind you, I do not have my own car, so she had to pick me up). I am there for about 45 minutes when my phone rings. It's Charlie. "Mom, I'm stranded at the library". (He rides his bike to the library frequently since we live so close to it). "What? What do you mean stranded?", I ask and a little annoyed that he's calling me while I'm visiting a friend (he knows to only call if it's a true emergency). "I mean I am STUCK at the library!", he replies, a little annoyed with me for asking him to define "stranded". "O.K, so you're stuck at the library. You rode your bike down there, so you can ride back home...right?", I inquire. "Yes, but I can't get the bike chain lock to unlock", he informs me. Grrrrr.... I sigh and respond with,"Did you line up the letters (it's a "Word Lock" which uses 4 letter words as your "code")? Did you try it several times?". "YEEEESSSSSS!", he says, exasperated. I sigh heavier into the phone and tell him to get an adult to help. He says as quietly and pleadingly as possible, "no." I grunt and sigh into the phone. I want him to know how displeased I am that I'm being inconvenienced by this and quite possibly will have to inconvenience my friend to drive me down there. I ask him why he can't get an adult to help him. He informs me or actually reminds me that the code word on this particular lock isn't one he wants to seek help with.

Flash back to two years ago when we bought the two bicycle chains with the word locks. Autry had his bike stolen and we bought "the best locks out there" as well as the easiest. You choose a four letter word that you would remember and presto, secure bicycle! We NEVER thought we would have to share our code words with anybody. It would be an inside family secret. We needed a word that we would all remember, however absurd or crude it was. We chose two words, one for each lock, "Piss" and "Fart". (I am blushing as I write this.Truly. I live in a house of boys, what can I say. "Shop" and "Mall" are not going to make the cut.)

My gracious friend hauls me to the library. I get out, walk over to the bike. I figure it'll be like the pickle jar lid. You know, where it's been loosened with the first three twists but the original "twister-of-the-lid" has given up too soon, so the next person comes to the rescue and "pop", it comes right off with minimal effort and the first "twister" feels like a dork while the second "twister" feels quite proud. No, that never happens at your house?........yeah, it doesn't happen here either.

Anyway. That is NOT the effect it had. That sucker wasn't budging! I said a four letter word, "crap". I asked my friend to take me to my house so I could get the instructions. She hauls me over to my house, I go searching for the instructions. Found them in the first place I looked. (WOW!). I also grab the other lock. I hop back in her van to go back to the library. I read the instructions. There isn't anything about unlocking a stuck lock. Nothing. Nada. Zip, zero, zilch.

The Police Dept. is next door to the library. I tell Charlie to walk over with me. I release my friend on to her life, so our dramatic life can finally reach a resolution. I'm wearing a pink sweater. My hair is curly. I have makeup on. I'm looking cute that particular day. (WOW!) We walk into the station (a 39 year old mom with her 7th grade son). We ask for help. Dispatch sends out a cop, complete with gun on the hip. I smile and breathe. I tell him what's going on. I show him the instructions as well as the other chain/lock that I picked up when I went to the house. He examined the chain/lock and commented how bicycle chains are better than they used to be. He may not be able to saw through it if that is what it comes down to. I think to myself a four letter word, "crap". He plays with chain/lock in his hand and asks for the word. I blush to about 3 shades  pinker than my sweater and smile and say non-chalantly, "fart". His expression tried to hold a poker face, but I saw a flinch. He wasn't expecting a cute 39 year old mom of a 7th grade boy who happened to be with us to say "fart". He asked me again, pretending like he didn't hear me the first time. I'm pretty sure I shouted it the first time! Why he didn't hear it the first time, I don't know. So, I nodded my head and grinned and said, "fart".
 Grrr...I'm thinking this is a long afternoon. We arrive at the bike. The reason Charlie called to tell me he was stranded. The reason my visit with my friend was cut short. The reason my friend had to schlep me and her kids to the library/my home/library. The reason I'm standing here, a good, up-standing, homeschooling mom of a 7th grader who happened to wear clothes, hair and makeup (all 3 on the same day. WOW!) having to ask a police officer for help with a stuck bicycle chain/lock. He squats down to examine the lock. He grapples with it. He then looks up at me (I know what his question is), I answer his unspoken question with a four letter word. "Piss".
Grrrr.
I was seriously hoping it didn't have the afore mentioned pickle jar effect. It didn't. He had to go get some wire cutters. (I'm sure he didn't say a word to anyone back at the station. Right? uhmm...Right!) He came back with some serious wire cutters! They were HUGE! He cut the chain. We thanked him and parted ways. Me embarrassed. Charlie relieved. Po-po with a new anecdote.
You're welcome Mister Officer. Glad to have contributed some humor to your typically stressful job (and to be the star of your next story at the water cooler).

Sid Slipped in the Shower

Sid, my 5 month old sourdough starter who lives in my fridge, was in the ICU of my kitchen recently. Sid has doubled in size within the last 5 months and abides in a large (warehouse size) pickle jar. He is quite happy there and doesn't make quite as much hooch as he used to make when rooming in the smaller mason jar. Sid has made several loaves of bread and rolls for our family and friends. He gets attention every day with a wooden spoon (no, not a spanking, but a good stirring). He gets fed every 11-14 days (like he likes it). He shares himself. We've had a great 5 months. Until...

I, being a good mommy, ignored the messy room for a while. Then, I had enough of the caked-on-ooze on the sides of the jar. I missed glancing in the fridge and seeing Sid and looking through the clear glass jar (it is big after all) to see what was behind his "room". I removed Sid from the fridge. I poured him a bowl. He bubbled and was happy. I soaked the pickle jar. I fed Sid. I put a Saran Wrap Quick Cover on him (they look like shower caps, so I'm going to call it the shower cap). BUT, I left one side of the shower cap off of the rim of the bowl because I knew Sid would need air to breath as well as not to suffocate himself with his "gas" that he gives off. So, Sid wore the shower cap for 24 hours before I noticed that the shower cap must have slipped over his bowl securely. OH NO!!!! MY LITTLE SID!!!

I peeled back the shower cap. There were only two tiny, minuscule little bubbles floating on top. I wasn't even sure if these could be considered true bubbles. Was my Sid dead? Could Sid be revived?

I kicked my little boy friend off the computer and Googled a solution. My little Sid was made with milk, sugar and flour. Every sourdough starter solution I could find was assuming water and flour was the base. Then, my sourdough mom's intuition kicked in. I left Sid out on the counter so he could come to room temperature. I stirred him vigorously. I fed him. I saw a few more bubbles. I poured him into the clean pickle jar (his room) and placed him back in the fridge. Three days later, I made two loaves of bread with Sid. Yum.

Sid and I have now bonded.

RED ALERT! RED ALERT!

I am aware that I haven't completed my 40 Loaves in 40 Days bread project.

Yet.

I'm lost in space, in the bread galaxy, warp speeding along in my hunk of junk.

I've gone through a meteor storm and my dog was almost taken out. He was hours from death. That happened twice. Currently, he's recovered (I think) and he's still with me. But he was almost toast.

Then there's the issue of the young Padawans. Their formal instruction to tend to. We must finish that in a reasonable amount of time (they would like a Summer break, as would I).

I have received intel about a possible change in docking stations, also. Our family is attempting to purchase a home here in the vicinity of Forest Grove, Oregon. We have made 3 attempts and 2 of them have failed. We are in the middle of attempt #3, but have hit a big snag. We do desire to land soon as this ship is not going to carry us too much longer. It's just costing us too much dough.

Captain Friend has switched employers and we are now on course for a less turbulent journey, but one can never be too sure. Turbulence is what keeps me awake! Turbulence is my life. Turbulence makes me happy.

 I hope you can hear the sarcasm in that. Hey, how do ya like my pilot's hat?

Once we find a place to dock or rest, I'll explore my last 3 bread recipes.

Wondering Through the Bread Galaxy

If you have been reading about my bread journey, you have likely noticed that I haven't posted anything new. That's because I haven't baked anything new. My last entry was how I was going to warp speed ahead to the last frontier of bread making (the last 3 breads/days). Well, let me tell you right now that my life has truly been in warp speed since I posted that. I really had no idea at the time of that Captain's Log entry what was awaiting.

1)James had two companies interviewing him (one that would require a move to PA. and one would allow us to stay here).

2)James went to Dallas to interview/hire-on with the company that would allow us to stay here and managed to get delayed there an extra night and day because of the weather @ DFW airport and the Metroplex.

3)The boys and I have started volunteering at Harvey Clarke Elementary in a first-grade classroom

4) Moving...we are considering that "M" word again. Staying in Forest Grove, yes. Just perhaps not in this $ pit rental. That's all I'll say about that for now.

5) End-of-School push = planning, pacing and re-structuring and possibly extending some subjects and finishing some sooner....hmmmm..

That's it. That's my life in "warp".
I will get to my next bread destination. I'll find time to stop and explore.
We'll be amazed.

Warp Speed

Bread Captain's Log. Stardate May 2010.

I have made several bread recipes over and over again because we like them. I did not blog about repeated attempts unless something was noteworthy. Honestly, I've gotten pretty good at making some of the bread so there really hasn't been anything worth writing about. So, because I have made more than 40 loaves of bread already, I am skipping 5 recipes/days/loaves. (if you don't like my math, then count the individual total # of rolls, doughnuts, scones and bagels I have made and then let me warp ahead with good conscience.)

PSHEWWW (said as if the Starship Enterprise was going into warp speed to some other part of the universe).

I am now looking at 3 days of bread making left. Days planets 38, 39 and 40 await my exploration.

Planet 38: Sopf
Planet 39: Croissant
Planet 40: Cranky

Random Redux

"He/she who returns from a journey is not the same as he/she who left." (anonymous)

Anonymous must have gone on a 40 day -anger -management- bread- making -journey like myself (see above photo for reference). Next 40 days, I'll be sweatin' to the oldies trying to remove the "bread" around my mid-section!

Just thought I'd re-post some photos/blog posts from my 40 day bread journey. Some you may remember, some you may not. I've hi-lighted the title of the photo so you can click on it and read the full story at your convenience.

And...Just FYI, I won't be baking bread or blogging for the next 3-4 days. I'm preparing for the last few recipes. And, I would just like to note that some of these breads have been made several times since the first attempt/posting. So, if I could count those times to earn me 5 days, then, all I need are 4 more bread-making days to end this 40 day journey.

Then... 40 days of sweat!

Ewwww...blech!

PHOTOS and POSTINGS:

Day 1

Schticky Schtuff

http://punchbowl-friends.blogspot.com/2010/03/day-4-life-is-bread-40-loaves-for-40.html

                                                                            

 Funnel Cake Fun

French Triplets

Doughnuts For Dinner

Sid's Sourdough Showdown

                                                                                                         Holy Hamburger Buns, Batman!

Refrigerator Rolls

                                                                                   Bagels

Bread Boogers

I Used an Alaskan

If you made it this far down, kudos for you.

Thank you for reading.

If I could, I'd hug your neck and share some bread with you!

Snarky is Snomore

For those who have kept up with the life and times of Snarky the 35 year old sourdough starter, I have some tragic news for you today.

My friend Julie, who hosted Snarky for a few weeks, reports that Snarky is gone. Now, she didn't say "dead", she just said "gone". As you know, sourdough starter ferments, so most starters reak of ...
of....
well...
alcohol.
So, to say that Snarky had an alcohol problem is stating a fact.

The following quote is from Julie.

                    "Sorry, Snarky is all gone. I called him Bob. He smelled funky, and I just didn't have it in me to rescue him again. He had a tendency to smell VERY strongly of alcohol" .

Here's a photo of Snarky. Last seen in the Spring 2010, Banks, Oregon.

Goodbye, Snarky. You'll be remembered by some of us. God speed.

Day 31: Pucker Up You Corny Blueberry

Uh huh. Made you look (read).

Yeah, yeah, yeah, so I made another quick bread. I double dog dare you to  make bread for a 40 day project and you tell me if by day 31 you don't need a quick bread recipe or two.

So what did I make? Lemony Corn Blueberry Muffins. I think that says it all. If not, here's the photos:

Dear Bread Diary, My Love,

...My yummy precious homemade goodness...bread. (Say it softly.) Mmmmmmmmmmmm. Just thinking about the last 30 days and bread recipes causes me to go into a wheat/gluten/carb induced fog. A fun sort of fog. A dream-like state.

I have maintained my round figure through eating bread, and yet...even more bread. I've never eaten so much bread in such a short amount of time. It's been lovely. Like a little vacation. The kind where meals are all inclusive and you just eat and eat and eat. I'll wake up from this in 10 more days.

I'm not as angry. Perhaps having a 40 day project to focus on has helped tremendously. Add to that the emergence of Spring and longer daylight hours ( 5:30am- 9:20pm) and I suppose we have the makings of a happier Michelle.

Perhaps my next 40 day project will be 40 days of sweat. Ewww.. but, what's a girl to do after eating bread for 40 days? I doubt it will be as fun. But, I can sweat out the anger, the anxieties, the bitterness, the rest of my emotional dregs. Yuck. I think the trick would be to find 40 different ways to break a sweat (and of course maintain that sweat for 30 minutes). Sounds challenging and daunting.
I'm not sure I want to come out of my foggy way of life.

I love you bread,
xoxo M.

Day 30: Peanut Butter Bread

Busy days call for quick breads. Quick breads don't usually have yeast and therefore, don't usually need to rise. Because of that, I can shave 1 1/2 hours off of my bread making time! Woo Hoo!

Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed making homemade bread. And I will probably continue the practice well after this 40 day project is over. It's difficult to go back to the store-bought stuff. But, in a busy life, convenience is key.

So, after perusing my 30 cookbooks for bread recipes (note to self: the first time you peruse, reference the cookbook, not just the recipe and page #), I found one that my boys were interested in. They love PB&J sandwiches, so how fun would it be to have the bread already peanut butter flavored? The recipe not only called for peanut butter, but also oatmeal. Seems healthy enough, so I quickly made the bread. I used natural peanut butter (because we don't eat the sugar laden stuff) and old fashioned oats. The bread was still sweet because it had 3/4 cup sugar in it. (I might cut back on that # and try it with honey next time). Anyway, the bread turned out not only beautiful (which was an aesthetic success) but also tasty.

Avoidance

 I had to get out of this house. I'm trying to avoid making bread for a few days. I hopped on the highway and followed a Franz Bread Truck. How funny. I'm trying to avoid bread, and then the truck happens.

"Franz. The Good Bread"

Day 29: I'm Lookin' Over a 4 Leaf Clover

Well, I'm not really looking over a 4 leaf clover. But I did make Cloverleaf Rolls.

It wasn't difficult at all. The only unfortunate thing that happened was I forgot to brush  melted butter on the tops before baking.
Sad.
 I think it would have been nice to have had shiny tops instead of the matte finish that they had. Oh well. They were still good. We ate them without butter. *GASP* And they make pretty good ham and mayo sandwiches the next day. On day 3, you should toast them with a little butter to accompany your coffee. Then, they ought to be all gone. If not, then you are on you own as to what to do with them if you have any on day 4.

You may not know this, but my little Charlie found a 4 leaf clover. Yep. I do not lie. It happened like this. We were hiking out near Silver Falls and we stopped for a snack break.

Charlie was bored and hyper. I, in an attempt to occupy him for what would be a hopefully quiet and contemplative 3 minutes, suggested he look for a 4 leaf clover. We were sitting near a HUGE patch of clover that covered some interesting terrain. I told him that I had heard that there is usually one 4 leaf clover within every 12 square inches. I have searched for a 4 leaf clover my whole life when opportunity has presented itself because it seems so simple to find one, however, I have never found one. Maybe he could.

I no sooner finished telling him this and he replies, "like that one there", as he points over by a tree about 3 feet away. I laugh. I say, "Charlie, there isn't one there. Well, I guess there could be". He says, "no, really, right there". He walks over with me following him and SURE ENOUGH, THERE'S A 4 LEAF CLOVER!!

Day 28: My Little Monkey

For those who may not know, Charlie (my son monkey) fell from a tree last week and injured himself. All was going well up until 5:30p.m. last Tuesday. Charlie thought he'd make a grappling hook. He took a hook that is typically used to hang a bicycle, tied a rope to it, had his brother attach it to the tree and try it out to see if it would hold. Of course it held for Autry (he's light and agile). Charlie, on the other hand...well...the bark gave way and the hook slipped off.

 DOWN

HE

WENT!

CRASH! 

Apparently, Autry was up in the tree (at the height of his second floor window) and yelling for us. Here's the tree:

We, did not hear the commotion because we are like the parents who listen to screams and sound effects all day and have learned to tune most of that crap noise out. Plus, we were getting ready to leave to go out for the evening to our small group meeting. Autry jumped after 2 minutes of yelling and "no-show-parents" (and no, he didn't hurt himself).  He came in to get us and when we arrived at the scene, there was my little monkey in a heap and crying. He couldn't move his right arm. I had to cut his favorite sweatshirt off of him.

This was his favorite sweatshirt!

 We put ice on his shoulder and gave him some ibuprofen. We hauled him to small group with us. A friend of ours, who is a doctor, checked him out and the next day, we made an appointment with the pediatrician. A week later, he had x-rays and we found out that Charlie's arm is broken. It's more like a stress fracture but it's "broken". He just needs to keep it immobilized (for the most part) and wait because, "time will have to heal this one". It's in an unusual spot, so there isn't any re-setting or casts. Take your right arm and reach behind your back to scratch between your left shoulder blade. Now imagine falling on your arm like that. That's how he landed. So the break was the bone (proper name escapes me) in front of the shoulder where the muscles all join. I'm sure you felt the stretch when you imagined falling on the arm.

The monkey boy is bored. He's a real pest when he's bored. There isn't too much he can do  So, he's skipping out on chores. He gets to scale back on some school work (good thing we home school). He is driving me and his brother crazy! He did regress to playing with his toy soldiers. That lasted 30 minutes!

I made Charlie some Monkey Bread tonight. I didn't take the shortcut and use canned biscuits. I made a yeast dough and let it go through 2 risings and pinched off little 1 1/2 inch balls, rolled them in butter, sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon.

Which grew into:

 MMMMMM....monkey bread!