Crocks n Jars and Breads Oh My

 

Hi friends, 

So the carpenter is almost done. 

   We're so ready  to have this all finished. 

 Then it'll  be time to repaint the whole exterior of our house. I think I once mentioned it's

3 different colors but it's 4 now because he could only find yellow siding. Now it really 

looks like it needs painted badly.    

(When this guy's done  I'll share more pics)

We really love the new kitchen  porch.

The boards on the other were so rotten.

 I think we've decided to stick with a creamy white paint and Myguy will build new wooden shutters that we'll  stain along with  the porches.  

It's still pretty cold at times here so we'll probably wait  closer to the end of February before painting the outside.  

Meanwhile,...I think I'll start the kitchen next.  

Our old yellow paint is so tired in here.

  We're  still lovin farmhouse white. 

 White may be boring to some; but it's kind of typical for 

an old farmhouse like this. 

With all this bread baking;  I'm realizing the layout of our kitchen

doesn't work very well.  

Every time I make bread I have to lug the heavy stand mixer across the kitchen 

to a counter with more room. So our coffee pot needs to move to the other side  

 and maybe make a cute coffee bar over there.  

So I've been cleaning out and rearranging some.

I've been digging out old coffee jars to put flavored coffees  and  beans in.

It's kind of been a treasure hunt pulling  

from the  upper shelves of our cupboards.  

  Look at the two little bowls I'd forgotten up there.  Why do I not use this stuff? 

Do any of you do this too?  Just tuck things up and away?

Those little bowls are the right  size for things I'm making these days.  

We've all heard to not save things for "someday."  It's time  to  embrace 

that mindset.  I wanna use the olde things I have and enjoy.  

-Not put them away on a shelf  for a special occasion.  

Today is always that special occasion.  

..."Every day is a gift,"

So I'm bringing out  antiques and things I've kept but  only 

loved from afar.

Like this other white crock.   

These two antique cross jars... are 

a couple favorites in my jar collection and date 

1858.  

(The pears inside the one are fake; --  )

--The jars I'd love to use for baking supplies tho.. maybe raisins,

and  chocolate chips?   

Adios pears.  

Awhile back; my dear Aunt gave me her spice set

 that she knew I fancied.  

They got cleaned out ... a good bath and are now ready for fresh spices. 

When I cook and bake I'll  think of her every time I reach for these milkglass

bottles.  I can still hear her laughter and the way she always calls me Leaonie

just like her sister -my Angelmother. 

Well yall... 

this is loaf number 

3. 

This process of it keeps going better and better.  

Creating my own joy baking sourdough breads has been so much fun.

Why did I wait so long to do this?

If you haven't tried it ... 

you too might like it. 

Besides three artisan loaves, I've made whole wheat sourdough 

banana bread, and sourdough raisin cinnamon bread, 

and today I tried English muffins.  

They however were an epic  FAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

  

Making the dough for it last night went well and it looked good this morning. 

I used my cast iron skillet like the recipe called for... but 

this recipe; the dough is  dropped by rounded spoonfuls onto  the heated skillet and you  let them 

cook on low for ten minutes to rise before turning up and flipping.  Boy did they ever... rise.  They rose til they all unified into 

one big one... then I tried to cut them apart ... and get them to flip?

What a joke.  

What I ended up with was

a big fat gooey mess. 

It was downright ugly yall. 

I decided it's not the recipe for me because I want one where you actually roll 

the dough, and  cut into  nice circles to fry.  ... WITH cornmeal.  

So... it's gonna be a do over with a different recipe .

 Back to the sourdough english muffy drawing board.. 

I was so looking forward to a warm,  homemade english muffin for breakfast.

The chickybockers had a warm breakfast instead. They loved it.   

So least that wasn't a total waste.  

It was kinda cute hearing them clucking away. 

I bought a binder today to keep up with all the sourdough recipes. 

There are so  many I'd like to try!!!!! 

This is so much fun ... I don't  want it to end.  

Myguy... he  is one happy husband getting homemade bread every night. 

And I seriously enjoy doing this.   

 He's even totally on board to get a flour mill. 

It's so interesting reading  about the ancient grains in bread making? 

Can't help but think about the women in the bible rising early like 

the proverbs 31 woman.  She too had to have used wild yeast for her bread to rise.

She would have had to work alot harder than us to keep her starter going though.  What were her 

 go to meals?

Did she fry fermented bread to dip in a  pesto sauce? 

Maybe she made delicious goat cheese, and fig jam sourdough sandwiches.

I wonder.  :)

Guess I better sign off.  

I leave yall with a scripture picture from 

Colossians today.

  When I walked in the greenhouse this morning,  this geranium bloom 

was right in front of the dress form.  I thought it made for an interesting 

backdrop. 

#sharethelove

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  Colossians 3:13 

Until we meet again,

 <*))))><