Changes...

I have been quite the slacker about blogging lately, but not a slacker about much else.  A lot has happened in the last 3 weeks!  I'm currently enjoying my "Sunday" which hasn't been much of a restful day at all.   I got up this morning, made chocolate ice cream, drove to a friends' house and baked for 4 hours. I made chocolate chip, peanut butter, and snickerdoodle cookies, zucchini and banana nut bread, cheddar garlic, challah, sourdough, and crunchy wheat breads.  I've been sitting at the farmers market since 3 and have only sold 4 dozen cookies and one loaf of zucchini bread.  But I'm enjoying being outside in the cooler temps so I can't complain too much.

I got a job in the last 3 weeks.  I started working at Ernesto's, which is one of 3 mexican places in town.  I started shaddowing a waitress, and on Friday night I had 3 tables (under supervision, of course) and I made $13 in tips.  I'm having fun working again.  It is a good job.  It makes me think, is always changing, keeps me moving constantly, and I see people I know almost every shift.  

Sam and I have realized we eat out way too much, so we have decided to stop doing that.  This makes it so we are coming up with more creative dinner options a lot.  The other night I made pretty tasty, tender pork chops.  I'm also perfecting my stir fry skills.  I'm going to start going through cook books and trying new recipes.  I'm excited to try some new things and change things up a little more.  We went grocery shopping on Sunday and found cheap veggies on the "discounted for quick sale" cart.  We got 4 green peppers for 2 dollars, about 5 stalks of broccoli for 99 cents, 8 or 10 bananas for 99 cents, a bag of shredded carrots for 99 cents.  Today Sam got a head of lettuce for 79 cents.  Cheap produce makes cooking a lot more fun.  

Dad came a couple weeks ago and put in a gas line for us.  Due to more frustrations with the city inspector we still don't have gas running through the line, but I'm sure we  will soon.   I can't wait to bake in an oven again and be able to use more than one burner at a time.  I would say we have eaten very well on just one burner and a toaster oven for 3.5 months, though!  

Here's some other news:  Sam and I are taking Spanish this fall.  Sam gets free classes and free books since he works at the college and I get free classes since we are married.  So, we are taking it together.  I never fully graduated from CCU and all I'm missing are 6 credits of foreign language.  It will be good to be finished, but I'm not really looking forward to sitting in class again.  Oh well.  At least Sam will be sitting next to me!

It was incredibly dry through all of July and the first part of August.  It still felt humid to me, but it barely rained and it was at least 100 degrees most days.  My flower bed was looking really depressing, dry, and withered.  The other day it rained and rained and rained.  A few days later, I got a surprise in my flower bed in front of the house:

They are beautiful!  I haven't looked to find out what they are yet, so if you know, you should tell me.  I have about 7-10 stalks of these flowers with about 5 blooms on each stalk.  They are a lovely change to my dry, depressing flower bed.

On the topic of food, the exciting news is: I finally got my sourdough starter the consistency I want.  I've made 2 batches of sourdough now and it is BEAUTIFUL!  Today's is especially lovely.  I suppose it is good that none of it has sold so that I can eat it!  

I need to figure out how to explain how I make my sourdough so that I can give you the recipe.  For now, you should just get your sourdough starter going.    Put a cup of flour (preferably bread flour) in a bowl.  Get a cup of water and mix it in slowly (you won't use the whole cup) until you have a fairly stiff dough. 

 If you get it too soft, add some more flour and work it in until it is stiff.  It will soften as it ages. Put your starter in a glass jar or a plastic container.  Don't close the lid all the way (especially if you're using a glass jar!)  Let it sit on your counter for about 5 days.  It will start getting really bubbly and smell sour.  Once you get to this point, you'll need to take care of it.  Think of your starter as a pet.  Give it a name and treat it well!  Every day you will need to throw half away and feed it.  Put a 1/2 c of flour in a bowl, add the left half of the starter, and add enough water to make a stiff dough again.  Clean your jar or plastic container and put your starter back.  If you don't feed your starter for a few days, it will get moldy and gross.  You want to keep it at a tasty state of fermentation.  If you're going to be making bread and want some extra starter, don't throw as much away the day before and add more flour and water (make sure you put it in a big enough container over night as it will expand!).  If you're going to be busy or out of town for a few days, put your starter in the fridge after feeding it.  When you get back, set it back on the counter and feed it the day after you pull it out!  I'll write out my recipe for sourdough and tell you next time.  Your starters should be ready by then!

Well, I'm about tired of sitting out here.  I sold a couple loaves of banana nut bread and a loaf of challah a few seconds ago, though, so maybe I should stick it out for the last 30 minutes.  Anyway, that's what life has been like down here!  Until next time....