Bread Making and Septimus Heap

I know it sounds crazy, but I think that I am actually getting the hang of this bread making thing! I tried a new recipe from The Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook from the Java River Cafe in Montevideo, MN. All the restaurants featured in this cookbook are using local food. The bread recipe for Country Whole Wheat bread is the best whole wheat recipe that I have tried yet! I made two loaves this morning and am making 2 more this afternoon so I can have enough for us for the week, although at the rate I am eating it, four loaves won't be enough! The kids are getting used to me putting their sandwiches on homemade bread, although they still prefer the soft, perfect-sized slices of store bought bread. I am hoping that that will change as they get less and less of the store bought stuff. My goal for this afternoon, while the kids are sledding, is to make more bread, make chicken stock and try out a homemade pizza recipe from the Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook. Wow, what a change of pace from the way I used to spend my free time, i.e. tv and gossip mags, I have many weaknesses. I also ordered seeds from a seed catalogue today, never done that before! I used the Seeds of Change website to order. I found their prices high and that they were out of many of the seeds I had hoped to get. For a newbie, is this normal? Am I ordering too late, too early? I would like to find a seed company in MN if possible, but I haven't stumbled upon any yet.

Before cooking I am off to finish Queste, by Angie Sage. I have reread the whole series so as to prepare myself for her latest, Syren. I enjoy the Septimus Heap series, and I love Sage's writing. I do get stuck on some gaps in the story and have to wonder if I am taking it all too seriously. But besides those few details that I find lacking, reading the story all at once has been fun, and with each sequel I enjoy the world she has created more. I would definitely recommend these books to my students, but I would not teach them. I find them more pleasure reading than deep, thought-provoking works.

My greening has been going so-so. I did manage to wrap all of my family’s Christmas presents in reusable bags that I got at Trader Joe’s and IKEA. My sister was at first disturbed that her presents weren’t going to be wrapped, but I was able to wrap the bags up pretty well and I think she actually liked the idea once she saw them. My family is one of traditionalists, but luckily they are open-minded enough to try new things, although I do have to bully them in to quite a bit! :) Anyway, there was a fair amount of sighing and complaining about my wanting all things organic (food-wise) and for every one to cut down on their waste, but in the end they mostly obliged. Since I have been home, I am in a constant struggle to keep the lights turned off. It is like the energy monsters run through my house flipping all the lights on when I am not looking and it is a battle I wage each day against them to keep the lights OFF! Somehow, my three year old is tall enough to turn the lights ON, yet not able to reach them when I ask him to turn them OFF. The things I learn about my children each day!

I have not attempted cheese making again since my first semi-successful attempt, but I have been baking bread, with varying levels of success. I got the book, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois and I have found some good, easy recipes in there. I was initially intimidated when the recipes called for an ingredient called, vital wheat gluten, but luckily found it right away at Kowalski’s. (I know that store is way too expensive, but I love it!) Anyway, we are still buying some store made bread, but I am attempting to keep us supplied with fresh bread. It tastes much better and I know what goes into it! cheaper too, I think...

I am spending long hours reading through all my seed catalogues and am a bit nervous about my garden plans. I am going to double the size of my garden this year. Last year I planted seven different veggies and nine herbs. This year I am planning to plant 18 veggies and two types of fruit (raspberries and grapes). I am thinking that I may be biting off more than I can chew. Any thoughts on how crazy, or not crazy, I may be to attempt this are welcomed! I am also in the process of cleaning out the basement to start planting seedlings with my new grow light that I got for Christmas. I am attempting to grow all of my veggies from seed this year, something I have never done before. However, if I can’t get my favorites to work (tomatoes and peppers) I am not above heading to the garden store for seedlings! Funny that I should be thinking about all of this when the temperature this morning was -11.