Monday, March 16, 2009

Bike Club - First Ride 2009

Yay for Spring! I'm really liking the weather we've had the past few days. Less bundling and less hiding out indoors. Brian wishes it was still ski season, he thinks that the Chariot is easier to pull on skis than on bike. I think that it's easier for him to "keep up" pulling the Chariot on skis than on bike since he only has to keep up with me on skis! We'll probably ride with the Easy Riders when Noah comes with this year, otherwise babysitter?? Dave from bike club took these pictures (thanks!), I stole them from the bike club bulletin board. The first one is from before the ride when everyone was gathering, the second is from near the end when we were coming back into town. Noah's first bike club ride chalked up at 40 miles, and it was a tough 40 miles pulling that load!

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Artesian Bread and other baking



You may know that I enjoy baking bread; you may have enjoyed some of my fresh baked bread at a potluck or progressive dinner. I found a new recipe for Artesian Bread that I tried out yesterday. The results were great, and it was a pretty easy one to make. Doesn't it look tasty??

Feeding Noah has made me a VERY hungry girl. On my days off, for fun, I bake. It adds a some interest to a day full of laundry, feeding the baby, and changing diapers.

Last week I baked cookies. I didn't get around to taking a picture of them, so they didn't get their own post. Ever since last summer's family reunion, I've been baking cookies with "Dad's Special Secret Recipe". I don't think he'll mind if I let the secret out to my small handful of blog readers... Here's the story. Mom set out a stick of butter for his cookies, just to be helpful, with the understanding that they use a stick of butter plus shortening for the full amount of "fat" called for in the recipe. He didn't know that she only set out part of the "fat", so he didn't add anything more than the one stick of butter (recipe called for either 2/3 cup or 3/4 cup, I don't know exactly). He thought they were a little different when scooping them onto the tray, but didn't know why. The cookies got rave reviews at the family reunion. They weren't greasy and thin like they can sometimes be. They held their shape well and had great texture. So, now whenever I bake cookies, I round down the "fat" ingredient to the nearest easy quantity of butter. I've been pleased with the results every time.

Let me know if you try the cookie trick, or if you have a great bread recipe that I should try. I'd love to hear from you.