No dough

Well no dough for now since I didn't set up enough time for it to rise. (More dough of the other kind is always a good thing.)

I have a bad habit for bread. I decide I want to make bread but then forget that it needs to rise. True I can still make it now but fresh bread earlier in the day is always a great thing. Plus it makes the house smell so good.

I have make breakfast breads and egg twist (or egg braid if you prefer) before and both turned out well. There is a recipe in The Blue Ribbon Country Cook Book that I want to try for white bread. I have had homemade white bread before (my gram makes really good bread) and am hoping it turns out well when I actually make it.

Worst case, I'll have homemade croutons.

Do you have any bread success or horror stories?

2011 resolutions

I am hit or miss with New Years resolutions. I can honestly say that I forgot most of the ones I set up for this current year. In a way they were engulfed by the goal to be healthier, happier, and more active in the sense of trying new things rather than actually moving around.

This year having them set in print, or pixels rather, I have a way to look back at them for reference.

• Try a new recipe at least twice a month. It can be a version of something that I have made before but that exact recipe must be a new one.
  
  


• Yoga/stretch daily. I am usually quite good with this but making a conscious effort to totally relax even for 20 minutes is a smart idea.
  
  


• Catch up with friends on a more frequent basis. I have friends from school (grade school through college) that I talk to via email every few months. I may not talk to them on a regular basis but it is always nice to see how they are doing.
  
  


• Sleep and don't skimp on it when times get busy. The one more hour of whatever always catches up on me when I don't stick to a semi regular sleep pattern. This year I have gotten better. Next year I want this to continue improving.
  
  


• Find a running routine and stick to it as best as possible. I am not saying a specific since I don't know how spring will be right now. Having even a small goal to say run 5 miles every week and a half is a good start. Later I may laugh at that and run 5 miles minimum a week.
  
  


• Don't forget the little stuff for myself. I too often forget the little things like painting my fingernails something other than clear polish. (Toes are usually a color even during winter since I hate unpolished toenails.) I have bottle and bottles and I deserve little things to make me smile even on the days I feel like a frump for whatever silly reason.

Snow day

It is snowing again. I like snow but not driving in it. True, living in the Chicago area my entire life I should be used to it but I am still not a fan of it. The good thing though is since we had Christmas Eve at our house this year, the front walk and sidewalk were shoveled and salted. This will definitely help later with shoveling.

I am not surprised though that it is snowing today is it is one of our friend's birthdays tomorrow. We are all going out to celebrate tonight. Last year it seriously snowed. It probably did the year before. Winter birthday's always equal major carpooling to avoid parking problems and whatnot.

My exciting plan for today pre-party is a mix of laundry, snacking on leftovers from yesterday/Friday including cookies that my mom made - the already mentioned kolackys, pecan snowballs and chcochip cookie bar, misc crackers, veggies, and ham, catching up on some TV watching, and reading one of my new cookbooks.

My family has always believed in hints for gift shopping. It is not necessarily exactly what you want, though it can be at times, but ideas for shopping. My uncle had no ideas for me and so I gave him a few cookbook ideas. He was able to find one on the list - Small Batch Baking - which I have wanted for a long time. Hubs isn't a huge sweets person and while I do have a sweet tooth, I can't eat an entire batch/cake whatnot by myself without getting sick of it. I hate when home baked stuff goes stale too and I too often forget to freeze things. This book will fix all of that and of course, if I need more of something for whatever reason I just make more than one.

The other cookbook is Blue Ribbon Country Cookbook. I have never heard of it nor did my uncle but we both agreed it looked good. It is a mix of recipes and techniques which makes me happy. I'll be parking myself with it on the couch later with a cup of tea next to me and a dog sleeping on my feet. I love reading cookbooks as much as novels. It is easy to imagine making it as I read them.