it was absolutely warm and tank top weather today. seriously, i was out at a park in shorts and a tank top and it was still hot. what gives? i thought LA was a place where i'd be wearing pretty new sweaters right now. you are very very interesting, southern california. making me buy
winter clothes, and then making me unpack and wash all our "summer" clothes too.
then again, we had a great day out at a park i probably wouldn't have discovered until the spring. it was a big place with lots of green and space. my cousin who has a couple of girls around noah's age invited us there for a picnic. we found a HUGE playground near some water with fish and ducks....surrounded by sand, and all of that was surrounded by a beautiful green and clean park with lots of places to comfortably picnic.
noah ran around so much that he barely ate dinner and fell asleep at the table around 7, and has been out ever since. the baby went down around the same time, and i've been having a ball with my free month of HBO as i caught up on blogs. we will definitely go back there soon.
like, maybe on monday. noah's preschool will be closed for MLK Jr. day. which will actually disappoint noah. he got upset this morning that it was a "no school day". he said "but school is so fun!" when i told him that he wouldn't be going. that actually made me feel good because it tells me that he's having a good time there. whew.
i have embarked on what i'm considering my YEAR OF BAKING. originally, i wanted to learn how to make my own simple breads at home and also learn how to make korean dwen jang (miso). but my mom informed me that she did not want to help me make dwen jang, mostly because she doesn't think she has the proper tools here and also does not want to acquire the proper tools. whatever they are. but she did promise to help me pursue this goal during our stay in korea because there will be lots of the proper tools there. so, i started to think. gee, i'd like to make yummy cakes and cookies too.
unfortunately, i've already failed miserably twice. i've tried making loaves of wheat bread and although the second batch was better than the first....i still wouldn't actually serve any of it to anyone. all 4 loaves went in the trash. i've decided that i need the proper tools (because none of the measuring devices in a korean ummah's kitchen actually measures anything) and that it would be a worthwhile investment, even if i only use some of the stuff for the one year.
i've decided i need to start with the very best book out there about baking. preferably with lots of pictures and explanations. anyone have any ideas or leads for me? twood be much appreciated.
maybe i'll even finally get one of those kitchen aid mixers? would that be going too far? could i do the same with just a hand mixer?
as for captain j, he continues to be bored out of his mind somewhere in texas. but, bored is good. peaceful and boring is what we're aiming for this year.
Day 7
Arirang TV
21 hours ago
5 comments:
If you get a kitchenaid stand mixer, you can use the dough hook intead of kneading. It could save a lot of work and mess.
Since you don't have one now, maybe you should try this recipe:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html
I know a number of people who get great results with it. I have only made steamed bread (once!) myself, so I can't personally vouch for it though.
Amber
amfamblog@gmail.com
I can't stress enough the need for a stand mixer. Even if you plan to kneed by hand, they make a world of difference!
Books:
http://tinyurl.com/The-Bread-Baker-s-Apprentice
http://tinyurl.com/Artisan-Bread-in-Five-Minutes
http://tinyurl.com/Bread-A-Baker-s-Book-of-Techn
Also, check out the websites listed on your bags of flour. Often times they will have some basic breads that are relatively easy to make.
Amounts of flour in any given recipe are estimated. It can change with the humidity in the air and the altitude of your kitchen.
One last thing, just in case. Make sure you're using the flour that a recipe calls for. If it calls for Bread Flour, it just won't work right with all purpose. The same goes in reverse.
Well, you are welcome to visit us here in MN. Lots of sweater wearing chances. :-)
Glad that Noah is adjusting so well!
So... baking, huh. Pastries? cakes? Need my address?
I like a site called thefreshloaf.com. Lots of useful info and pictures that are practically bread porn (look at that crust....ohhhh! and that crumb!). I seriously start to drool whenever I go to look something up!
Check out the "lesson" section which takes you through step by step on a variety of breads.
The site also links to some great books that all the breadies (bread-foodies=breadies??) seem to suggest. I bet you can get them from the library and try them out, too.
Good luck and have fun. I've been baking our bread for...oh...two weeks or so now and I am enjoying the journey, even if the results have been in the range of "edible with lots of peanut butter" on down to "closely related to bricks."
I like a site called thefreshloaf.com. Lots of useful info and pictures that are practically bread porn (look at that crust....ohhhh! and that crumb!). I seriously start to drool whenever I go to look something up!
Check out the "lesson" section which takes you through step by step on a variety of breads.
The site also links to some great books that all the breadies (bread-foodies=breadies??) seem to suggest. I bet you can get them from the library and try them out, too.
Good luck and have fun. I've been baking our bread for...oh...two weeks or so now and I am enjoying the journey, even if the results have been in the range of "edible with lots of peanut butter" on down to "closely related to bricks."
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