Enjoyment & Experiments

It's only been two days since I posted, but it feels like there's plenty to note. Sorry in advance for lots of links rather than pics...

Yesterday was my birthday, and I celebrated by spending most of the day in the kitchen. :0) Thank you to all for the cards, flowers, etc!

In my kitchen playtime, I made Honey Vanilla Pound Cake (really good and a perfect base for strawberry shortcake) and Swiss Chard Dolmades (a creative new way to use the swiss chard that came in our CSA bag). I liked the idea of the dolmades, but will definitely improvise my own filling next time with a lot more spice to it. In addition, I located a recipe for make-your-own Vanilla Extract that will save me a bazillion dollars. Vanilla extract that doesn't contain high fructose corn syrup is expensive! Meanwhile, I got to enjoy World War Z as an audio book free on youtube! So fantastic.

While I was playing, the Supreme Court was doing their best to advance the extinction of mankind, compliments of their latest brilliant decision to allow Monsanto to sell GM (genetically modified) seeds without testing. It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to understand that this is a terrible idea, but if you'd like to have nightmares about all the very real and frightening consequences of GM seed please let me know and I'll be happy to give you a short reading list.

Back to enjoyable things, I timed myself and discovered that I can grind 2/3 cup of flour per minute by hand. :0) That, along with the fact that I just emptied my second superpail of hard wheat means only one thing: I bake (and eat) WAY to much bread! Lol. Speaking of which, I've got a fresh batch of dough rising. It's a much simpler version of the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day plan, where you make a big batch of dough, let it sit in your fridge, and take off hunks whenever you want fresh bread. This reduces your prep time to about a hour from thought to done baking. Nice, huh? (EDIT: This is to die for and sinfully easy! Make some!)

Since the World Cup has been going on the last couple days, Eric has been teaching me the basics of the sport and keeping me posted on who's doing well and who is an embarassment to their nation (*cough*France*cough*) While I may never sit and watch a whole game, it's be suprisingly fun to learn.

PSA of the day: the government thinks individuals don't have the right to choose what to eat or what to feed your children. I won't rant... I'm sure you all know what I think already.

Like to read? If you read The Shack, please make sure you read the counter book that was recently published - Burning Down The Shack. The original is not exactly what it's presented to be.

Okay... that's enough out of me for now. Hugs all around! :0)