right now

right now

Apr 20, 2011

Finally!


SALAD!

It's about d@mn time!  I've been picking a few spinach leaves here and there, just enough for a pizza occasionally, but feared taking too much too soon!  I have one bed with several varieties now and they are big enough for 3-4 of these salads a week now.  I just have to remember to get out there next week and plant more so we can continue to have enough.

I picked Mizuna, Olympia Spinach, Deer Tongue, Mache, and some random spring greens and lettuce mixes, as well as some leeks and scallions.

Of course now we are anxiously awaiting some real tomatoes, peppers, broccoli & peas to top the lettuce instead of relying on cheese and "fake" hothouse tomatoes (ever notice how those store bought "hothouse" heirlooms have lots of color and absolutely NO flavor?!)


Yesterday Finn surprised me by announcing that he wanted to have dirty hands that day.  I took him outside and he helped me plant all the peppers and eggplants.  Here he is putting a "dog catcher" around one of the eggplants.


I didn't get much of anything done outside today.  I admit I have been feeling a bit down lately, not sure why, maybe just overwhelmed.  I would feel bad if it didn't look like at least something happened while hubby was off working hard, so I decided to make my first loaf of bread the real way.  I'm ready to use the bread machine for bb gun practice in the backyard, I hate that thing!  It takes 3 hours to mix a dough and then it's only halfway mixed LOL.

I followed instructions from the book "BREAD" (go figure)

Here's me the first time mixing by hand... I don't even watch hubby when he makes pizza dough so it's all new to me at this point.


I won't show the kneading process since I got so messy and glue-y that I didn't dare start walking around looking for the camera at that point.  I think I added a couple of tbsp too much water since it didn't rise like I had hoped.  The good news is that although it was kind of flat, it tasted good and I finally got that chewy crust I like.  I used the spray bottle of water on the oven walls method.

Here's Finn smelling it... he must have sat there for an hour picking at the hot loaf burning his fingers, waiting impatiently for dinner :)


Below you can see what I mean about the loaf coming out "flat".  But it was much easier that I expected and I think I can fix it for next time and bonus:  no stupid bread machine or kitchen aid to clean up!


Off to go have 'Family Reading Time' and then lounge the rest of the night away, hoping my energy and attitude improves very soon.


Oh! - I also made my first sourdough starter today which promptly overflowed it's container all over a wood cabinet hubby built... ooops!

15 comments:

  1. Sounds to me like you got an awful lot done today (as usual) for not feeling full of energy. I swear there must be something in the (blogger) air because so many of us are feeling the same way right now . . . poopless and not quite right. :o\

    You have no idea how good your salad greens look to us up here near the tundra. I'd even take them topped with tasteless store-bought tomatoes. Gladly.

    I think your bread looks great. No doubt in my mind you'll be a fan-tas-tic bread baker in short order here. You go, Girl!

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  2. You are my secret twin! Yes, you are! I picked my first salad today, and made bread in the oven instead of the bread machine. Cinnamon rolls are rising.

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  3. I've been feeling yuck too this week... Huge list of stuff to do and no gumption to do it! But Mama Pea is right -- you still got lots done today :)

    Your salad looks so delicious! My spinach is about only 1/4" tall right now; greens too. And my onions are like matchsticks. There's that zone envy again!!!

    And yes, the bread looks yummy! We've been having such yucky weather lately that I think I'll make tomorrow a bread making day... you've inspired me! Though granny's cinnamon rolls sound like a delicious idea too!

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  4. Fiona - Okay, now this is getting creepy. You've been feeling yucky with no energy, too?? Are we spreading the no oomph syndrome via blog comments? I can't believe how many people seem to be in this same blah rut!

    But the good thing we're sharing is baking bread. It's at the top of my list for tomorrow. But I think I'm going with sturdy rye 'cause maybe it will give me the strength to get up and do what needs to be done! (If that doesn't work, I'll eat a quart of ice cream.)

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  5. You'll have to do a post on your sourdough starter. I began one but shortly thereafter forgot about it. I can barely take care of myself let alone a starter!

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  6. Well we ate salad today too. Can't pick any greens though cause we haven't even planted any yet!

    I've been feeling down too. It's the way I get when I have way too much work to do and too little energy or money to do any of it and thus end up just giving up and sitting around whining. Maybe this will be the year I change? LOL!

    You must have got a rotten bread maker. We make bread all the time in ours. We don't bake anything in it but we make the dough in it and it works wonderful. At first you do have to watch the dough and even use a spatula to blend it if the flour isn't incorporating. We always keep an eye on it and take steps to make sure it gets blended in the beginning.

    I'll be making a sweet braid to bring to my In Laws house this Sunday. I won't use the bread maker for this though cause it's faster not to. I don't mind using my hands to make some bread.

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  7. Salad. Sigh. It's such a shame the tomatoes are never ready when the salad is! Try looking for Compari tomatoes at the store-they're like a cherry tomato on steroids-huge-and they ACTUALLY TASTE GOOD. Really. We do NOT buy store bought tomatoes simply because-to put it bluntly-they suck......but these ones are good. Trust me on this.

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  8. How impressive that you made bread! How nice that you had a garden helper too!

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  9. my bread machine is up to high ice cream will do it for me! oh darn , all those little rascals ate it all

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  10. That's an awesome result for a first try at bread making. Salad looks yummy too.

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  11. The bread looks good. I kinda gave up on sourdough starters because they always seem to overflow, no mater what container I put them in. And that is one sticky mess to clean up.

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  12. Your salad looks so good... We've been getting some lettuce, but the spinach is not ready yet. Can't wait to be able to harvest some! I have to say, I love my bread maker to knead the dough. I only use the dough setting (1 1/2 hours) and then shape my loaves by hand. Brushed with water, I always get a nice crust. I did have one loaf rise perfectly this week and once I had it in the oven it just kind of deflated right down the center. No clue why that happened, but it was still a tasty bread.

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  13. Throw me in with the others. Feelin' blah, blah, and more blah. Sometimes it sucks to be a woman with our crazy ups and downs. I hope you feel better soon. Take it easy on yourself.

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  14. When I make French/Italian breads, they spread out a bit too much also. I wonder why? The bottom line is, they taste awesome! So what then, right?

    How awesome that your greens are producing! I have weeds already, does that count for anything? ;)

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