Are these not the most adorable cookies you have ever seen? I took a picture of these before they went in the oven just in case something terrible happened in there, but thank goodness, they came out looking just as good. And they are even fully edible! Although I don’t know how you could eat one, instead of just filling your pockets with them.
Halfway through the year, and we already baked up (at least) 12 loaves of sourdough! Sticking with this project feels like an accomplishment, since each loaf takes quite a bit of time and care, or at least the time to remember its there and to move on to the next step! Really makes you appreciate the work and love that goes into a good loaf of bread.
This week, we made a raisin rye sourdough bread, and tried out my new diy proofing box!
Our new proofing box! Which is actually just a large tupperware container. After an hour proofing at room temperature, I boil some water in a little mason jar, then put the bread and the jar into the tupperware, and close the lid up. The water is supposed to make it a bit warmer and more moist, to help with flavor and rise. By no means a controlled environment, but we are working up to it!
For a rye bread, I would say we got some pretty good lift out of it! I also think it is one of the prettiest loaves of bread we have made so far. We gave it away as a gift, but we received very good reviews! Excited to make a loaf to keep soon so we can try it for ourselves.
I started making some fabric napkins while my quilt fabric was in the wash the other week. I always think that we use too many paper towels, so I hope that having a whole bunch of fabric napkins on the table will help. Also, there is the pretty factor!
I originally wanted to do a running stitch along the edge (like these beauties), but a zig zag stitch added a nice bit of flare. I made a teeny tiny hem, so I think it will hold in place a little better this way.
So far, they are holding up well after going through the wash, and they add some pretty color to the table!
We have some fermenting veggies sitting on our counter, and it is pretty convenient that, in this case at least, the jars are very colorful and pretty! We started our inaugural batches of sauerkraut and kimchi last weekend, and they are tasting pretty good so far. We were kinda nervous to taste them for the first time. Knowing that you are basically growing tiny organisms in your food, and then eating them, is a little weird to actually think about!
We made sauerkraut with red cabbage, since we tend to eat that more often on tacos and things. We used this recipe for the kimchi. My one suggestion would be to wear gloves or something if you have sensitive skin. My hand had a burning feeling for a couple hours afterward!
Well looky here. Just last week, this was a pile of fabric. Now it is a dress. I am sure it is very pleased with its transformation. I haven’t tried it on yet, but it looks pretty good on the hanger. 
It has some elastic on the sleeves and on the back at the waist to add some shape.
I had this cool gold button picked out, but I accidentally made the button loop too small. Good thing I had a back-up button ready.
I hand stitched the hem up. It actually didn’t take as long as I thought it would, and made me feel like I was living in a little house on a prairie.
I’m already on the hunt for my next pattern, so let me know if you see anything awesome!
My kindle has been roaming around unprotected since forever. Its survived hundreds of shoves into my backpack, luggage, purse, etc, and thankfully only has one tiny scratch. Its been so good to me, so I thought it was time for me to show my appreciation. I whipped up this little cover for it yesterday. I love that wooden button.
This is a Swedish limpa bread made from sourdough starter. It has some rye flour, as well as some different types of seeds, a touch of brown sugar, and a little orange zest. Heartier and darker than traditional sourdough. We ate it as toast for breakfast with butter and jam. Yummy in the tummy.
I was excited to try a rye bread. The internet says that rye sourdough is supposed to be the most healthy type of bread. I was a tad worried about the rising process, since rye breads tend to be more dense, but my little yeast army worked like magic.
The guy just sharpened all our knives, so look at those beautiful slash marks now!
My goal is to make at least one loaf of bread a week. Last week, I made 3 loaves of sourdough bread. Not because we went through it that quickly, but it took me three tries to get the hang of it. What do they say about that third time?
My ma and I grew our own sourdough starter last November. I brought half home with me, so we share it. I love that its alive, and I have to feed it, and make sure its happy.
The first loaf was very flat. It was a good first try, and I started to get the hang of the 3 proofs, and the timing, but I don’t think the starter was active enough. I also decided that kneading is a great workout.
The second loaf was better, but I think it needed more flour maybe? I attempted a round loaf, and it kinda just went everywhere on the pan. It did have some bubbles in the bread, but it was still very flat.
At least I learned from all the mistakes! The third loaf looked much different after the dough proof. I tried it in a loaf pan again, and the dough actually came up to the top! I am having a hard time making the slashes in the loaf before baking, and need to find a better tool for that. It keeps exploding on one side. But the slices look like real bread, and taste like it too!
I am excited to see how my next loaf turns out, and can’t wait to try some variations!
We have been making homemade pizza once a week. This week was bbq chicken pizza (based a little on this recipe). We don’t have one of those fancy pizza stones, but my ma and I are gonna play with hers next visit.
While I am in the kitchen fixing up dinner, this one stares at me. Like I am supposed to be entertaining her instead.
So while the rest of the people seem to be enjoying fall (?), it still seems pretty much like summer down here. But football season has started, and it did rain a little yesterday, so I have some hope that fall might start in the next 3 months.
Until then, we will embrace the ice cream weather. My latest batch was coffee ice cream, and I mixed tiny chocolate chips into it. Then I happened to make these very thin chocolate chip cookies. Stick the two together, and you have the perfect ice cream delivery system.
These cookies are correctly engineered for ice cream sandwiches. They are thin and soft enough to bite into, but still strong enough to withstand the ice cream. They also seem extra porous, so they kinda soak up the ice cream without getting soggy.
I am getting pretty good at the homemade ice cream thing. The addition of mini chocolate chips is highly recommended.
Perfect (end of) summer treat.
guy and his girl 