A Tale of Bread

I mixed up my first batch of Artisan Bread dough on Sunday using the basic recipe in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. On Monday, we had Ann, Eric and the boys over to have Christmas. Earlier as Ann and I spoke on the phone about what to have for dinner, I mentioned the bread dough and the possibility of using it for pizza crust. She had mozzarella, olives and some peperoni, and I had Canadian bacon and sauce. Done deal. We had fun putting the pizza together, checking the book for instructions as we went along. The moment of truth came and we slid the first pizza off the peel and onto the hot baking stone in the oven. Twenty minutes later, we took it out, slid in number two and sat down to eat. Eric took the first bite. "Wow!" he said. Cameron and Keaton bit into theirs and smiled. Finally I took a bite and it was crusty, chewy, and fabulous!! Why, oh why, did I wait so long?

Number one disappeared in short order, but here is a picture of number two right out of the oven.


Yesterday I decided we'd better get back to our bean soup from Saturday, and a loaf of artisan bread would be just the thing to go with it. It was a snap to get it ready and into the oven. I was washing up a few things when I heard a strange noise. As I was glancing around the kitchen trying to determine what I heard, I glanced into the oven (I had the light on so I could watch it bake) and saw that my baking stone had cracked. And I do mean cracked! It was in three pieces and had spread apart as much as two inches on one side. Miraculously my little loaf of bread remained straddled across the gaping divide and so I continued to let it bake.


It cooled, and we had it for dinner with the soup. It was wonderfully crusty on the top and chewy in the middle. The bottom was not quite so crusty as most of it had baked in mid air, so to speak, the last half of the time.

My baking stone?


It's in the trash.

Reason for the Season

I read an interesting comment the other day and it's stuck with me: "Next to a circus there ain't nothing that packs up and tears out faster than the Christmas spirit." - Frank McKinney (Kin) Hubbard

And as I've thought about it, I believe it is true. So much hoopla leading up to the day, and actually, not much is related to the real reason for celebrating December 25th. Lots of articles on retailers counting on it to boost sales for the year, a few stories about people helping one another, and even one on celebrating the Winter Solstice. Hmmm to that one. And come December 26th, all is gone. I needed to be reminded that Christmas is not about decorating, baking, buying or getting frazzled (although I confess I do all of those things). It's about celebrating the birthday of Jesus. Peace with God--it doesn't get any better than this, and it's not a one day a year, or even a one month out of a year, kind of thing. So here at Miller's Last Resort we say again, Happy Birthday, Jesus! :-)


We had Christmas with Ann, Eric, Cameron and Keaton last night and I received the pictured books from them. I looking forward to reading what Beth Moore and Priscilla Shirer have to teach me.

Kitchen Update

First, I need to say that I made another batch of spritz cookies last week and had a much easier time. I think my butter was too cold the first time and that led to my problems. This time a cookie popped out with each click of the trigger and stuck to the cookie sheet. Sweet success!!

Second, the pressure cooker rocks! I can't believe how easy it was to make a wonderful, flavorful bean soup in just a matter of little more than an hour. I did let it simmer the rest of the afternoon, but we could easily have eaten it much sooner. I can't wait to try again.

Third, I just finished mixing up the dough for artisan bread!


It is rising in the kitchen and before I head for bed I'll pop it into the frig. I'm not sure when I'll bake the first loaf as I think we're having Christmas with Ann, Eric and the boys tomorrow night.

And finally, Dan got a nice cow elk this afternoon so we're set for meat for another year! For those of you unacquainted with elk, in my opinion it rivals any beef for flavor. (And I must say, I do love passing up the meat section of the grocery store with its incredible prices.) Dan always does all his own cutting and he is very particular about how its done, but I promise--no pictures of my kitchen in its butchershop mode!

Christmas Gifts

We're not done with Christmas yet, but yesterday Dan and I opened presents from each other and our present from Matt, Amy and Ryan. Amy made us a beautiful quilt!


The pattern is an Atkinson Designs called Slide Show and Amy picked out many of the fabrics when she was in Portland and Sisters, Oregon this summer. We love the pattern and the fabrics and it's a beautiful addition to our living room! Here is its current home:



And speaking of presents, last Christmas, thanks to CJ and Judy I asked Dan for a pressure cooker. Both CJ and Judy are always writing about things they cook in theirs and I decided I wanted one. Time for true confessions: A whole year has gone by and I've let that crazy pressure cooker buffalo (as we say here in the west) me!! Dan is elk hunting today, and I decided today was the day. I used it to cook up a mix of dried beans which I will turn into bean soup with German sausage made from last year's elk.


There it is--on my stove. I didn't blow up the house and it wasn't hard. Why do I let myself get intimidated by new things?? Honestly!! I just checked, the pressure had gone down, so I removed the lid. Mmmmm, smells sooo good! Dan will be so surprised!

And since I'm into confessions here, I must confess that Dan also got me the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day cookbook last Christmas (yes, I asked for it). And I haven't used it. But, since I've conquered the pressure cooker, I can't help but feel Artisan bread is next! I've made hundreds of loaves of regular bread, so why does this new style have me, yes, buffaloed?? It's the stone, the peel, and that tray of water. Timing. But I will prevail!!!



See the beautiful wooden peel propped against the back of my counter? Dan made it for me! On the counter is the Artisan bread cookbook and one of this year's presents, The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond. I've had lots of fun reading it since I opened it yesterday morning. Some women love jewelry, roses, and chocolate. I love cookbooks, pots and pans, and sewing machines! Bless my sweetie's heart, he knows what I love.

To Grammy's House We Go

We are not hosting Christmas this year, but this morning we had two of our grandsons over. Zoom, in they came, clutching their swim suits. Yes, their swimsuits. You see, we have a hot tub. Papa had turned it on earlier, and while they waited for it to finish warming up, they played on our computers and then watched a Veggie Tale video. Larry Boy. When the water reached the desired temperature they quickly changed into their suits and hopped in. We have several "squirty" toys that help disperse the water all over the sunroom where the hot tub lives. Too much fun.


When they were thoroughly cooked, they climbed back out and after getting dressed, Cameron resumed his computer play and Papa helped Keaton cut out his car design for the upcoming Pinewood Derby for Cub Scouts. Ann and Eric came back, we all had lunch, and after Eric left for work, the rest of us paid a visit to the local library to stock up on some vacation reading. An altogether satisfactory day here at Grammyville.


My view from where I sit while I'm blogging. :-)

A New Recipe Tried

Thanks to my friend, Kathy, I get emails from Better Homes and Gardens for the holidays. The other day one came through featuring cookie recipes, so I clicked and checked out a few. One caught my eye, mainly because I actually had all the ingredients and it was for bar cookies. I tried it yesterday, and with a little change or two, it turned out quite yummy. (At least Dan seems to think so as the container is surrounded by crumbs!)

Butterscotch-Toffee Bars

1 package 2-layer-size yellow cake mix
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted (I used margarine)
2 eggs
1 cup cashews or toasted pecans, chopped (I used 1/3 cup pecans and didn't toast)
1 8-oz package toffee pieces (I used half an 8-oz pkg of Heath English Toffee Bits)

Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 15x10x1" pan. Combine cake mix, brown sugar, melted butter, and eggs. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Stir in nuts. Pat dough into prepared pan and spinkle with toffee pieces. Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely and cut into bars.

I thought they looked rather, umm, unattractive when I took them out, so I decided to spruce them up a bit. I took two squares of white candy bark, melted them in the microwave, and then used a spoon to drizzle the whole pan before cutting into bars.

Here's a picture of a couple of the finished products. I just asked Dan what he thought of the new cookies and he said, "I love 'em!" There you go, a completely candid evaluation by a very experienced cookie muncher.

Christmas 1963

I was a freshman in high school the fall of 1963. My two best friends and I were growing up, and we began thinking of hope chests. Our small town had no fancy department store, but the local hardware store had branched out far beyond hammers and nails and in addition to a gift shop and furniture, had a small china selection. I fell in love with a pattern called Mayflower by Syracuse. I can still see exactly where it was on the shelf in the center section of the store. Onto my Christmas list it went.

On Christmas morning, I opened my first pieces: a place setting and the salt and pepper shakers. More pieces came my way over the next few years, and by the time I was married in January of 1972, I had a full set for eight including all the serving pieces. Syracuse went out of the home china business, concentrating on commercial ware, but in recent years I have been able to add more place settings thanks to Replacments, Ltd. I recently used these dishes at our annual women's Christmas Tea at church. I wish I had thought to take a picture of my table, but I didn't have a blog then. I snapped this picture this morning.


After forty-six years, I still love these dishes.

On Oatmeal and Decorating

Strange title, huh? Well, those are two topics on my mind today. First, the oatmeal. Last night we had a young couple over for dinner. We met Will and Briana through church and we've been meeting with them on a regular basis since last winter. They became engaged this fall and like to ask us questions about different aspects of married life as they talk about their future together. Will has Celiac's Disease which means he cannot eat any food containing gluten. We usually have ice cream for dessert as it's safe (however, always reading ingredient lists is crucial--no cookie dough ice cream!). I decided to try something different last night and decided upon a recipe for cherry crisp from Cooking Light. It calls for flour in the topping, but I replaced it with oatmeal I ground to flour in the blender. As we were eating dinner, I excitedly announced my dessert to Will and Briana only to see a chagrined look pass between them. Then Will explained that oats are always grown in the vicinity of wheat and usually processed on the same equipment in granaries. Did you know that oatmeal is up to one-fourth wheat?? I certainly didn't. So, Will ate ice cream. Again. And Briana said she'd help by eating his share of the crisp. :-)

So on to decorating. I love my house. Now that I'm retired, I have time to think about it: how I want it to look, the sense of home I want it to convey to visitors. I used to love to buy decorating magazines, but somehow the ones coming out today seem to be mostly ads, and the homes featured seem removed from most people's every day reality. (I can't tell you how many times I've shown pictures to Dan and said, "This bathroom is bigger than our bedroom!") I've lately discovered several blogs that deal with decorating and they are inspiring me. I tend to be somewhat of a minimilist, but I love distinctive, homey accents. Many of the bloggers are do-it-yourselfers and I tell myself that if they can do it, so can I. I may be picking up a paint brush soon and attacking some long-needed projects. I loved one bloggers comment that if her husband gifted her with a finishing nail gun for Christmas she'd be able to complete her longed-for trim work. I'm pretty sure we have one, but I think I'll inspire Dan to use ours! Spritz cookie, anyone?



In this picture, the Christmas goose was made by our son Matt and wife Amy a few years ago. We love it. The quilt seen on the sofa was pieced by me probably five years ago, and I finally quilted it last year just after Christmas. It's a nine patch on point.

Christmas Cookies

Dan had a meeting last night, so as he was leaving, I decided it would be a good evening to make some cookies. Spritz cookies. When we were first married and I made dozens upon dozens of Christmas cookies, I borrowed my Mom's Mirro spritz cookie press. It was all aluminum with a large screw you turned to press out the cookies. It was a little difficult to use, but I eventually got the hang of it. Several years later, someone came out with an electric "cookie gun" and my mother-in-law was kind enough to get it for me that Christmas. It was a dream to work with and I loved it until one year the seam in the barrel blew out. End of cookie gun. A few years ago I purchased a manual cookie press from Pampered Chef. It has a trigger. Last night as I used it for the first time in several years, I had a great deal of trouble getting the cookies out and then getting them to stick to the cookie sheet. Maybe the dough was too stiff, or maybe my butter hadn't warmed up enough, or maybe my hands have gotten too old. I'll try again, but I'm thinking of borrowing back Mom's old Mirro press.


Here's the result of my baking. I do love how they look and taste. Pure Christmas baking heaven. And can you see the cute snowman timer in the background? We got him in McCall a number of years ago on a trip through to Boise.

Dentists and Presents

I went in for my six-month dental checkup this morning. All was well, and I think I've finally overcome my fear of the dentist's chair. After spending many hours of my youth with braces work which included the pulling of four permanent molars to make space, tightening which left me with an aching mouth for a day or two, and impressions which made me gag and resulted in my pulling more than one from my mouth before the proper time, I was indeed a wary patient by the ripe old age of sixteen. Then came eighteen when I wrecked on a motorcycle and broke my left front tooth. We won't go into detail, but it was an ugly scene more than once to get a cap on what was left. And that cap has been replaced several times since. And we definitely won't go into the infection I got after having my wisdom teeth pulled twelve years ago! The good news is that I have very good teeth and haven't had a filling since 1967! I have had to have several crowns on my back teeth that had been the anchors for my braces, as they were my only teeth with fillings and they cracked several years ago. I barely felt a thing, and I am truly thankful! Boy has dentistry come a looooong way.

But on to more fun things. Presents! While I was teaching, Christmas was often late in arriving at our house. So much going on at school, so many things to do at home. There were years when I was wrapping presents late into the night on Christmas Eve, just in time to have them opened Christmas day. No pretty tree laden with packages. And if we're really into confession here, some years when the family arrived, one of the first things they did was help us put up the tree!! They were good sports and swore they enjoyed helping. So, here we are, nine days from Christmas, and not only is the tree up, but I actually wrapped some presents today and they are under the tree! (Did I just heard a faint "Hallelujah" to the tune of the Hallelujah Chorus??)

Here is the promised picture of our Christmas tree: A beautiful "woods" tree, smelling of fresh air. It's a grand fir.



And one more picture. The reason for our celebrating. This beautiful nativity is a Jim Shore creation and the details and colors are truly incredible.



Merry Christmas!

Tuesday

It is pouring down rain on our snow! Oh well--it was beautiful and will be again. After all--it's not actually winter yet.

We are having two couples from church over tonight for some pizza and my Sweetie is busy mopping the floor! Yes, I do know what an amazing husband I have. I said that with the weather as it is, don't bother, but he said it had to be done. Oh, I love that man! (My floor method? Sweep, spot clean with a damp paper towel and my foot!)

Our tree is all decorated, but we need to water it again and then put down a skirt and add some presents. Dan took a picture last night, but with a bare floor, it just was missing the full "oomph".

Here are a couple more pictures of Christmas at our house:


Our daughter Ann made these towels for us several years ago and it's always so fun to get them out and hang them in our bathroom. She used her embroidery machine to stitch out the Debbie Mumm Santa and then added Mom and Dad underneath. The hand towel has bells from a Nancy Halvorson design set.


My little corner of cozy bears are waiting for a visit from St. Nick. And speaking of waiting, I think my kitchen has been waiting for me to get out there and make some kind of dessert for tonight. Hmmm, what goes with pizza and salad?

Christmas This 'n That

Dan is off to get the stitches out of his elbow and I'm relaxing on the loveseat for a little while. We've been busy this morning getting out the last of the Christmas decorations (me) and getting the lights and garland on the tree (Dan). Yes, Eric came over yesterday, along with Ann and the boys, to help get the tree in the house. It's huge! Mr. Forester Dan found us a gorgeous one, as usual, but this one seems to be wider than many we've had. No pictures yet as we need to put the ornaments on it first.

Speaking of pictures, I've made a wonderful discovery! This new laptop Dan bought me for a retirement present has a slot for the camera memory card and I got them downloaded in a jiffy! Hey, maybe I'll actually get my pictures organized and printed. I'm getting excited just thinking about it!



The (rather blurry) picture above was taken this morning in the kitchen and features an Ellen Stouffer calendar and a platter which was a gift from brother John and wife Karen. The broom was made by me probably thirty years ago, but I still love it. As I've prowled through our (many) boxes, I've been taken back in time. Some things are very dated and won't go up, probably, ever again, and yet they bring back memories of Christmases past. My style hasn't changed much over the years, but my taste in colors has gone from brights to the deeper tones which truly satisfy me. Our house is very light, with huge windows, and it can handle them.

But back to the boxes, the many, many boxes. At the moment they are creating an obstacle course in the downstairs hallway. Perhaps after this little respite, I'll attempt to do some organizing of use/won't use before putting them back in the closet. But no, now that I think about it, I'm sure that's a job for January when all this gets put away. :-)



In the above picture, the beautiful runner was made for us by daughter-in-law Amy several years ago. The sleigh was another gift from brother John and wife Karen, and the candlesticks were among the first pieces of my Christmas dishes, Christmas Heritage, by Pfaltzgraf. The snow seen falling through the window is a gift of beauty for today.

Merry Christmas!

Sundays

If I'm really going to have a blog, I think I need to write often. I have several blogs I check everyday, and I appreciate those who are regular in their writing.

As I write, it's Sunday afternoon and my sweetie is sacked out in his recliner. A Sunday afternoon nap is truly a thing to be treasured. Church this morning was excellent and it is a blessing to be able to gather together with family and friends. Today's songs were exceptional, and I am always thankful when they are accompanied by the violin. Something about the violin just draws me in as no other instrument can. Youngest grandson, Keaton, and I traded smiles and blown kisses, and Dan and Eric made plans for our tree. Perhaps we will have it up, but probably not decorated, by this evening. After all, Sundays are meant to be restful.

The ground outside is white and more snowflakes are drifting down. Before falling asleep, Dan got our woodstove going and warm air is blowing up from the basement. While I have not gotten out every box of our Christmas decorations, there are enough out that it is looking a lot like Christmas here. A few more things and I will consider it done. I have our Christmas letter written and I will get it printed out this afternoon. In the mail tomorrow? Hope so!

Hope your Christmas traditions are coming together! If I figure out how to post pictures soon, I'll give you a glimpse of ours.

Really!

I never thought I'd do this. Must be my state of mind today. It's thirteen days until Christmas, and because of a variety of things, we are a bit (a bunch?) behind. Never mind. It will come anyway, and it's not about the "stuff" anyway. I have Mannheim Steamroller on my iPod and it's actually snowing outside, with predictions of 3 to 6 inches over the next day or so. Dan was able to get to the woods today and got a tree for the front porch and one for the living room. He had elbow surgery almost two weeks ago, and so we will wait to put the big one up in here. Hopefully Eric will be able to help tomorrow after church. (I'm hopeless at heavy stuff and besides, I'm needed to determine if it's straight in the stand.)