Really? Bread in 5 Minutes a Day? YES!
Really? Bread in 5 Minutes a Day? YES!
I have a confession to make. I completely ignored all the, “Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day’” for quite a long time. I was unusually closed minded about it and resisted any and all information on it.
That was a mistake. A seriously, dumb, mistake that has since been rectified.
The very odd thing was that I had been following Zoe on Twitter for a year and still resisted. I do not even have a good excuse why.
If you haven’t joined the, in 5 Minutes a Day, army of fans, or haven’t heard of this bread making method yet—run, don’t walk to the [...]
The End of MY Winter Blog Break
Alas, all lovely indulgences eventually come to their end.
*Sigh* Followed by a *heavier sigh*.
As some of my readers know, The Hubster and I finally had our Honeymoon holiday. It only took nine and a half years, but we finally threw financial concerns into the wind and flew to Roma.
To be perfectly honest, we can lay the blame firmly and respectfully at Farrah Fawcett’s now dead feet. I had read somewhere that one of her regrets at the end was that she had not been to Italy. How can it be that someone who had the time and resources to do so had not traveled to wherever she had wanted [...]
Hope Springs Eternal
There are opportunities to learn important lessons every day. We just need to be open and pay attention.
While out on our first walk of the day, the FurrButts and I, we came across that dandelion in the picture. It made me smile, stop and think.
I thought about how this little dandelion decided that despite the fact the it’s November, the leaves have all fallen and the growing season is over, it would not be denied it’s chance to bloom and have it’s day in the sun.
It’s a great lesson don’t you think?
Origins of Green ~part two
A wise woman known as Oprah, you may have heard of her, has often said,”When we know better, we do better.”
I’d like you to apply this to yourself and your level of green.
What I’m saying is that there is no bad level of green. Don’t be intimidated or overwhelmed by all the green speak and washing you are being bombarded with. Anything you do that contributes is worthy and you may actually be greener than you think.
Chances are, for instance, that during the past couple years you’ve tightened your budget against the recession. If you did, then chances are also very good that you’ve adopted some green habits without even realizing [...]
Our Big Fat Green Build ~ part two
Our first non-traditional buys for the barn was at a building reuse it/recycling place in Astoria, Queens. We went to look at a commercial used fridge that had been already sold.
What we did find was nine, 8’ x 3’ brand new un-hung, primed interior doors. They were selling them for $35 each and I managed to talk them into selling them to us for $30 each. We will be using them as pocket doors to retain as much wall space and flow as possible.
This really peaked my interest in what kind of savings could we reap by buying gently used or unused new materials for the build. Unless noted, they [...]
Our Big Fat Green Build
When the first seed of the idea of building our own house took hold and began germinating it was innocent enough. I compare it to when you start imagining having your first child.
All you imagine is a sweet little, smiling and cooing cherub. You picture pink cheeks, chubby hands and feet.
You don’t picture and or smell the dirty diapers, endless laundry, screaming into the night and sleeping on a hard floor next to a crib that holds your restlessly, sleeping sick baby.
Our little house build has turned into a 14 acre, self sustained farm project of the green kind. This would be no big thing if we were very rich [...]
Perception is nine-tenths of the Problem
How we look at things can make all the difference in the world. Our own personal world *bubble* as well as the big picture.
I was sitting in my car, stopped due to road works, just outside the high school in my town recently. I was being a good doobie and had not blocked the car parks exit. I was happily waving folks out who couldn’t see to pull out and head down the other way, feeling all my karma points racking up when bliss turned to confusion.
A male adult, sitting in his new Toyota was lightening his cigarette with a match and tossed the spent match out onto the pavement. [...]
Making Yogurt sans Maker
I have been wanting to buy a yogurt maker for some time now but couldn’t settle on one. The ones with good reviews have plastic jars and I really would prefer to use glass jars. While researching yogurt makers online I found that you can make yogurt a number of ways without actually buying another appliance.
You can make it in your oven, crock pot, crocks and in a thermos.
A THERMOS! Who doesn’t have a least one of those buried in the back of a cabinet somewhere. In my case, a storage trailer sitting at Cill Dara.
I also have a small one that I had bought for DK’s work lunches before [...]
Putting Food By
Which means preserving fresh food to have at a later date and can consist of any of the following; freezing, canning, drying and root cellaring.
The CSA and Orchard Share programs I joined this year have given me plenty of opportunities to do just that.
I have kept it mostly simple as that is what works for me. For instance, instead of spending an entire day preparing, cooking and canning tomato sauces I washed and froze whole Roma tomatoes in small batches after bagging them in my FoodSaver. I was given a tip a couple months back that if you intend on cooking with the tomatoes, freezing them whole allows the skipped step [...]
