Baker Baker

I haven't posted in quite a while! Perhaps because I've been feeling unmotivated. The past few days in Charlotte have been cold and rainy. The two should not mix. My eating has been less than stellar. I've been in a bit of a rut.

But that was then... no time to dwell on the past. Despite the rain and not having anything exciting going on this weekend I made it a good one. I babysat for two cuties on Friday night. Got my toddler fix, my infant fix AND made some money. Everyone definitely won in that scenario. Saturday morning I went to boot camp in the cold and rain. There were only two of us and I'm hurting from it today! TB upped most of my weights so my arms and hammies are not happy. I was hoping to double up and hit the gym after but I was soaking wet and hurting. So home I went. I watched TV for a bit and then ran some errands.

Then the fun began... bread making! I love baking but have never attempted anything with yeast. I don't know why but it scares me. The whole resting, rising, proofing... it's all a lot for this novice to handle. But I knew I was going to have some time on my hands this weekend and that I wasn't going to want to leave the house so I might as well give it a go. I made TWO kinds of bread. The first was super easy. A friend of mine told me I could not mess this up no matter how hard I tried... so I dove in head first. It came out of the oven around 9:30 last night... and I had to have a piece. It was a bit dense, and I used half rye flour which was a strong flavor but it was still delicious. Piping hot with melty butter ... amazing.

The second was a bit more daunting. I was scared of this recipe. I'm a fan of Peter Reinhart. He lives in Charlotte has been to on our talk show a few times. I'm also a fan of the Smitten Kitchen. Her blog makes me drool daily. But these two people are real bakers. I'd never used yeast before! I figured worst case scenario I'd run out and buy some bread for tonight's dinner if it all went horribly wrong. I started this around 5pm last night. I took the finished product out of the oven at 6pm tonight. And dare I say it was a little slice of heaven. I forgot to take pictures of it cut... but trust me it was everything I imagined and more.


I made turkey meatballs and spaghetti for my roommate and a friend of ours. Clearly the bread was our focus. It was a fun night of delicious food and laughing. Perfect rainy Sunday evening.

As if it weren't already good enough I took a bubble bath after all of the dishes were done and the kitchen was clean. I had a candle lit, pretty music playing, a cup of tea, tons of yummy smelling bubbles and Women's Health.

So needless to say... I'm back in action and leaving the rainy days behind me! (Even though it's supposed to rain again tomorrow!)


PS -- don't forget to VOTE DAILY for Michelle!