Yeasty Saturday...

Bagels!

My 1st attempt at homemade bagels and they were delish!
Find the Easy Peasy recipe HERE...

100% whole wheat bread

Another simple recipe, kneaded entirely by my Kitchen Aid stand mixer.
It is the perfect sandwich style bread...not crusty but tender through and through.
One for the counter and one for the freezer.

Bowl of blemished lemons

Can't help it.
I must have a mess of lemons in the house.
Costco has them so much cheaper by the humongous bag, that even if I end up wasting a couple, I still got a great deal!

I have spent much of the day in the kitchen with the oven fired up.
A perfect bread baking day...cool temps outside with nothing but time on my hands.
We will end it with another yeasty wonder...homemade pizza.
I am trying a couple different versions tonight.
One is a simple pizza dough baked in my 10" cast iron skillet.
The other is a thin crust pizza with a small amount of toppings.
You have to be careful with those thin crust pizzas...
too much on the top and you end up with a soggy mess.
Still tasty, but not the crunch I am looking for!

What have YOU been doin' today?

xoxo,
Cindy

Soup-er supper!

Rustic French Bread

The makings of a couple of lovely loaves of French bread, rising in my mixing bowl.
An even mix of whole wheat and white flour, it bakes up nice and crusty...
perfect accompaniment to a steaming hot bowl of soup.

Butternut squash and kale minestrone

I found this recipe yesterday while perusing my friend Wendy's blog, thelocalcook.com
Someone had commented about Wendy's favorite root vegetable recipes and linked up to her own favorite.
You can find it HERE
I had the squash on the counter, kale frozen in bags from this summers bounty, homemade chicken stock, and cannellini beans I had frozen in ziplocs this fall after cooking up a 3# batch, and.... a mess of fresh/frozen tomatoes.

Easy-peasy!

I didn't add the pasta, which would have made it a true minestrone, but with the bread being served I just didn't think we needed another heavy carb.

Been missin' everyone like crazy and hope to be blog hoppin' this evening and over the next few days.

xoxo,
Cindy

A little somethin', somethin' in the works...

Winter 2010

Just a quick drop-in to say "hey"!
I haven't much time at the computer but wanted to update with a few thoughts of what might be goin' on.

I have an urgent need to be getting some work....like work where you actually get paid!
Tossing some ideas around with friends, and have come up with a couple of possibilities.

Thinkin' about a 'personal chef, menu planner, pantry organizer, REAL food shopper, etc',
kind of a job.
At our CSA farm there are new folks joining every season and many of them have absolutely no idea how to prepare some of the more unusual veggies.
I could offer my services as a "one time only" thing, or a series of perhaps 4 sessions.
Or...someone who comes in once a week to shop, prep, and cook a meal.
OR...something along the line of a Tupperware party, but instead of selling products, I sell "how-to's"...
For example...how to make a pot of chicken noodle soup from scratch.
OR....
How to create a healthy pantry...

Anyways....just a few thoughts racing around this ol' gal's head.

Ooh...how about preparing healthy, good-for-you meals for those that are house-bound by illness or are recovering from surgery?

I even have a few ideas for a business name!
How's about...

"The Hungry Family"
or...
"Just Cook It!"
or...
"Eat Right-At Home!"
or...
"Sound Meals"
or...
"House Call Suppers"

I could market myself as someone who could come into your home and analyze how you WANT to eat, as opposed to HOW you are currently eating.
Some folks just need a little nudge to send them in the right direction.
I have 40 years of homemaking experience under my belt, with the last 8 or so focusing on healthy, organic, etc.

What do you all think?

As a plus, I have been told by our CSA farm owners that I could be somehow connected to the farm as an independent contractor, using the farm and the experience I have there as a teacher/assistant as a reference point.

I'm excited, but nervous.

Any ideas from you all would be greatly appreciated!

xoxo,
Cindy

Touchin' base...600th post!

Trena and her Memere

Giselle and Jon stopped by for one last visit before heading home to Montana on Jan. 30th.
One last visit before God knows when.....
So very grateful for the internet and cell phones.

I love that baby girl of mine!

Trena and her Pepere.....Farmboy

It has been a long journey to get to my 600th post.
Lots of water under the bridge, as they say.

Just wanted to let my dear blogger friends know that I am OK, and hope to get back real soon.
For those of you who are prayin' folks,
again...
I ask for your prayers.
I covet them....
'Nuff said....
It has been a rough ride...

Keep in touch....


xoxo,
Cindy

PS....For those of you who have been long-time readers, it has been 1 year ago today that I had my knee-replacement surgery.
YIKES!!!
Where the H.E. double L hockey sticks has the year gone????

With you in spirit.....

Oh yeah....in desperate need of a good laptop. Something I can download photos onto, etc.
No money down, and no payment plan, if you know what I mean....