Whole wheat Sourdough bread

2 c high protein All Purpose flour (King Arthur brand is good ) or bread flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1 c sourdough starter*
1 c warm water
1 Tablespoon salt (if you like salty bread like I do)
1 teasp yeast


This bread was a little less holey than I like, but a firm loaf with a good chew that has proved good for sandwiches.

1. Mix whole wheat flour, starter, water and salt. Mix thoroughly- use a standing mixer if you've got one. (If you have time, let this mixture stand overnight. Your bread will be much better for it.)

2. With mixer going or useful helper stirring, add white flour a little at a time until the dough comes together into one large ball and no longer sticks to the side of the bowl. You are shooting for a dough that is slightly tacky, but not ooey or sticky. For me, that was exactly the amount of flour listed above. For you, it might be more or less. Knead for five minutes with hands or mixer.


2. Let dough rise in something that is the shape of the loaf you want. - I used a bowl lined with a floury cloth. (An old t-shirt piece I completely covered with flour) I am anti oiling the bowl, because then if you want to shape your loaf later, the oily dough doesn't stick to itself.

(2 b preheat your oven to 375, put your pizza stone or cast iron pan in it)
3. In about three hours, gently lift out of bowl using the cloth and set on a peel/cookie sheet with cornmeal on it so it won't stick. Gently poke or pinch parts of bread until it is the shape you want . Slash the top a couple times with a sharp knife or razor blade.

4. Cook it till it's done (it sounds hollow when you knock on it or thermometer inserted into bread reads 190 degrees)


* don't have the energy to write about this now. If you don't have any, I'll send you some of mine.

How NOT to make buttercream frosting

Just Follow this recipe:

six egg whites
1 1/4 c sugar
4 sticks butter
cornstarch
confectioner's sugar
vanilla.

1. Take six egg whites, heat over a double boiler with 1 1/4 c sugar until sugar is dissolved and whites are slightly warmed.

2. beat until stiff and cool, almost 10 min. Beat in 3 sticks of softened butter, two tablespoons at a time.

3. Go to add the last stick and realize that you are in the process of overbeating the egg whites, which have turned into a disgusting, curdled mass:



4. Borrow a food processor from your lovely vegan neighbors. Deveganize it by pulsing your unclean animal product frosting until smooth again.



5. Realize the frosting is too liquidy and frantically add half a box of confectioner's sugar and several tablespoons full of cornstarch.

6. Proceed to make a baller classic greek temple cake despite your hardship.

Sandwich Bread- failure

This is what happens when you're too impatient to finish the second rising- your bread rises quickly in the oven and splits on the side. I know that, and yet I still mess it up.

Seeded bread- Failure!

This was supposed to be one of those German ryle loaves- dark and dense and studded with all manner of seeds.

Well yours truly shot right past dense and hit rock hard.



On the plus side, spray painted gold it might make a nice decorative doorstop.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

-Pre-heat oven to 400
-Cut Potatoes into wedges, rise and then dry thoroughly. (the rinsing and drying is clutch! don't skip that step!)
-Toss in a bowl with two tablespoons olive oil and two teaspoons salt.
-Line wedges up on a cookie sheet
-Bake for 10 minutes, flip, bake for ten more. If wedges aren't done, lower heat to 350 and continue baking until cooked through.

Spicy Broccoli and Tofu stir fry

Cheaper than Chinese take-out. Faster than pasta night.



Make the sauce, throw it in a frying pan with cut up broccoli and tofu. dinner is served.



Sauce:

All the ingredients are to taste. Feel free to add a little more or a little less.


3/4 c white wine (something sweet and cheap is fine)
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 whole dried red peppers, or 1 teasp crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water.

Bring ingredients to a boil. Sauce is ready. add to broccoli and tofu and fry until broccoli is al dente.

How to win friends in 30 minutes or less.

People love ice cream. People love cookies. Give the people what they want.



On the way back from an impromptu Peabody Essex museum visit (shoutout to the Chinese house exhibit!), we made plans for potluck taco night one hour after we got back. Everyone offered something, and I heard myself saying:

"Oh, I'll make an ice cream cake."
"Yeah, sure I'll just throw it together"
"Ok, see you in an hour."

By the time I got back to the apartment and got my act together, making a layer cake and remolding the ice cream to fit as a layer was out of the question. So it was down to a MacGuyver-style how can I fool my friends into thinking I actually made something.

If you ever find yourself in a similar dessert situation, here is what I suggest:

1. Buy a block of cheapo ice cream, the kind that comes in the square cardboard box.

2. Crush a bunch of store bough cookies- I did layers of Oreo and gingersnaps. (Shout out to Mi-Del gingersnaps)

3. Cut ice cream horizontally into four layers. press cookies between each layer and all over outside of cake. Return the cake to the freezer.




4. Whip two egg whites with 2 tablespoons of sugar or so. Set aside. Whip a cup of cream with sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon to taste. Mix the beaten egg whites and the whipped cream. This is your "frosting."

5.Cover the cake with the frosting, using a spatula, a pastry bag or a spoon. Freeze until serving. Once frozen, this cake can survive a 1/2 mile walk to your friend P.'s house for taco night.



The (effort) to (adoration from friends) ratio with this dessert is amazing. I highly recommend it.

(Caveat: it's not that cheap, because you're buying pre-made stuff)