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A sunny afternoon stroll in the snow



So I know I just started this blog, and I know I have already been bad about posting.  But I will get into a more regular routine soon.  In fact, I will get into a better routine after February 15th... my deadline for dietetic internship applications. 

Please bear with me!

Oatmeal Brownie Cookies

If you have spoken to me in the last six months, you know I've been all-consumed with getting reference letters, writing personal statements, and tweaking my resume.  Next week it is all coming to an end, and I am beyond ready for the ensuing relief.  Since I haven't had time to write or even form a complete thought outside of apps, I thought I'd leave a few photos from the past week.  OSU had four snow days during which I baked, cooked, and shared meals with friends and neighbors.  Enjoy!

 

Fresh farmers market vegetables



                             

Seasoned and roasted...mmm...

 

Mom and Grandma's Spritz Cookies - These are actually a (perfect) Christmas cookie recipe my mom has made every year starting the day after Thanksgiving since before I was born.  I had a craving, so I re-created them as Valentines.  I felt a little guilty as I cracked the egg into the mixing bowl, because this cookie dough is something so special reserved only for Christmas.

 But when the whole batch was gone two days later (with the help of a few friends), I knew I did the right thing. ;-)

Until next week, ciao!

A Whole Lot of Whole Wheat

It is tougher than I thought it would be to find a good, simple bread recipe online.  Maybe I'm just picky, but I had a tough time coming up with the right one.  So, Saturday I ended up comparing a few and creating my own hybrid whole wheat seeded bread recipe. 

Unfortunately, I had a few other plans throughout the day, so my bread-making was a bit distracted (very bad baking conditions).  And for those of you who have not made bread before, I learned that it takes much patience and a touch of technique.  It doesn't bode too well for your starchy results if you get interrupted a couple of times while adding ingredients (like I did)...  I accidentally omitted a sweetening agent from this recipe, which is an important element that the yeast consumes.  It helps the dough rise. 
By the end of the afternoon I had two lovely loaves.  I baked them with seeds in the dough as well as pressed on top.  When compared to plain wheat bread, these added a lot to the texture and flavor.  However, this first attempt was a learning experience, which didn't turn out perfectly.  The product was dense and firm, which is not my goal.  For my first try, though, I am pleased.  The bread tasted great, I know more about bread-making than I did before, and I know how to correct my mistakes for next time.

In the mean time, I took a short cut....

A wonderful friend lent me her breadmaker, complete with a recipe and how-to-use booklet.  I used a recipe for 100% whole wheat bread and followed the manual precisely.  Three and a half hours later, Voila!  While I plan to continue my pursuit of authentic and traditional bread-baking skills and recipes, the magical bread-making machine provides a reliable product; it also kept my confidence up that I, indeed, can make good bread.  The machine is foolproof.

 I was truly in awe of the machine during my fledgling experience.  I kept running back and forth through the kitchen to see the progress of ingredients to dough to bread.  And, unless my friends are just kind liars, the final product was confirmed to be delicious.

I'll be checking out the  local library and bookstores for bread cookbooks and recipes.  Many varieties of bread are yet to be baked, and I am excited to further experiment.  If you have any tips or comments, please send them along!