For the past week, I've been in a slump - a little bit of depression, some anger, resentment. I hate feeling this way.
Hate it. Despise. Revolt. I think you get it. Unfortunately, it happens on occasion, perhaps to all of us to varying degrees.
What's the remedy? Depends on you, right? Society in general will tell you to seek inward. Do what makes you happy. Shop, eat, sleep, exercise. I will agree with the exercise suggestion - endorphins make people happy (happy people don't kill people - name that movie). To other extremes, society make even say indulge in your appetites: drugs, alcohol, other harmful behaviors.
I would say, in my own humble opinion, to look out. Who needs your help? The little old lady next door who's lonely and wouldn't mind a visit. The coworker who just had a baby and would love dinner brought to her. Just about anyone you meet has a need. Your job is to figure out what it is and fulfill it. It's kind of like a game.
So for me, what am I going to do about how I feel? Sigh. I'm not sure yet. I haven't even showered, much less left the house. Maybe the best I can do is to help my own little family. Sometimes that's all you can do. Help those immediately around you. I played with my boys. I'm in the process of cleaning the house and hopefully will take a shower so I can look halfway decent for my husband when he comes home tonight. Those things can bring peace and can uplift. I need some huge doses of that. Oh and maybe I'll make a phone call to the lady who didn't come to church because she was sick. And then there's that other lady who I promised I would come visit. But if I don't get to those, I will tomorrow. But today, I'm starting small. And that's the best I can do.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Benefit of the doubt
I love this. It also reminds me of another quote I saw that the ones who need love the most are the ones who are the most difficult to give it to. Have you heard this story from NPR? It tells how a man treats the person who is mugging him. Amazing. We never know what internal struggle is happening with those we meet. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt. It's the same we would ask for of others, right?
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Fresh bread
I love bread and more than that, I love to bake it. The smell wafting through the house is so delicious. My husband will even come home and sniff the air and ask for the fresh bread.
I've also had this idea pop into my head several times: "Wouldn't it be nice to give so and so a loaf of homemade bread?" But as most people know, making bread is a long, sometimes difficult, process. I never acted on the thought because I just didn't feel like spending my whole day making bread. However, I stumbled across this recipe for artisan, no-knead bread, and found the perfect solution. According to the post, you can have the dough just sitting in your fridge until you decide you want some bread. It sounds so easy! So there you go, next time you see a need to give away some bread, whip this out and make someone happy!
I've also had this idea pop into my head several times: "Wouldn't it be nice to give so and so a loaf of homemade bread?" But as most people know, making bread is a long, sometimes difficult, process. I never acted on the thought because I just didn't feel like spending my whole day making bread. However, I stumbled across this recipe for artisan, no-knead bread, and found the perfect solution. According to the post, you can have the dough just sitting in your fridge until you decide you want some bread. It sounds so easy! So there you go, next time you see a need to give away some bread, whip this out and make someone happy!
Artisan Bread
makes four 1 pound loaves.
3 cups lukewarm water
1-1/2 tablespoons granulated fast acting yeast (2 packets)
1-1/2 tablespoons kosher or other coarse salt
6-1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached all purpose white flour *
Mixing and Storing the Dough
1. Warm the water slightly. It should feel just a little warmer than body temperature, about 100 degrees F. Warm water will rise the dough to the right point for storage in about 2 hours.
2. Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5 quart bowl or a plastic container with a lid.
(Note: I dump all this in my KitchenAid mixer, let it mix it for just about 10 seconds and then put it in the plastic container. I just find it easier to let the mixer do this part).
3. Mix in the flour - kneading is unnecessary. Add all of the flour at once, measuring the flour by scooping it and leveling it off with a knife. Mix with a wooden spoon - do not knead. You're finished when everything is uniformly moist, without dry patches. This step is done in a matter of minutes. The dough should be wet and loose.
4. Allow to rise. Cover with a lid (not airtight). Lidded plastic buckets designed for dough storage can be purchased many places. (I used a plastic square food storage container at my local grocery store. I just punctured a small hole in the top). You want the gases to be able to escape a little. You can also do this in a large bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and puncture a small hole in the top. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flattens on top), about two hours. Longer rising times will not hurt your dough. You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period. Fully refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and is easier to work with than dough at room temperature. So, the first time you try this method, it's best to refrigerate the dough overnight (or at least 3 hours) before shaping a loaf.
Baking
5. Shape your loaf. Place a piece of baking parchment paper on a pizza peel (don't have a pizza peel - use an unrimmed baking sheet or turn a rimmed baking sheet upside down). Sprinkle the surface of your dough in the container with flour. Pull up and cut off about a 1-pound piece of dough (about the size of a grapefruit), using scissors or a serrated knife. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball as you go. Dust your hands with flour if you need to. This is just to prevent sticking - you don't want to incorporate the flour into the dough. The top of the dough should be smooth - the object here is to create a "gluten cloak" or "surface tension". It doesn't matter what the bottom looks like, but you need to have a smooth, tight top. This whole step should take about 30 seconds! Place the dough onto your parchment paper.
6. Let the loaf rise for about 30 - 40 minutes (it does not need to be covered). If it doesn't look like it has risen much, don't worry - it will in the oven. This is called "oven spring".
7. Preheat a baking stone on the middle rack in the oven for at least 20 minutes at 450 degrees F. Place an empty rimmed baking pan or broiler pan on a rack below the baking stone. This pan is for holding water for steam in the baking step. (If you don't have a baking stone, you can use a baking sheet, but you will not get the crisp crust on the bottom. You will still have a great loaf of bread. Baking stones are cheap and easy to find - Target carries them - and are a must for making pizzas, so go out and get one as soon as you can.)
8. Dust the loaf with a little flour and slash the top with a knife. This slashing is necessary to release some of the trapped gas, which can deform your bread. It also makes the top of your bread look pretty - you can slash the bread in a tic tac toe pattern, a cross, or just parallel slashes. You need a very sharp knife or a razor blade - you don't want the blade to drag across the dough and pull it. As the bread bakes, this area opens and is known as "the bloom". Remember to score the loaves right before baking.
9. Bake. Set a cup of water next to your oven. Slide the bread (including the parchment paper) right onto the hot baking stone. Quickly pour the water right into the pan underneath the baking stone and close the oven door. This creates the necessary steam to make a nice crisp crust on the bread. Bake at 450 F for about 30 - 35 minutes, depending on the size of your loaf. Make sure the crust is a deep golden brown. When you remove the loaf from the oven, you will hear it crackle for a while. In baking terms, this is called "sing" and it is exactly what you want.
10. Cool. Allow the bread to cool for the best flavor and texture. It's tempting to eat it when it's warm, and that's fine, but the texture is better after the bread has cooled.
11. Store the remaining dough in the refrigerator in your lidded (not airtight) container and use for up to 14 days. Every day your bread will improve in flavor. Cut off and shape more loaves as you need them. When your dough is gone, don't clean the container. Go ahead and mix another batch - the remaining bits of dough will contribute flavor to the next batch, much like a sourdough starter does!
Tip: If your bread is gummy on the inside, try either increasing the amount of flour by 1/4 cup and/or increasing the baking time by 5-10 minutes.
The Italian Dish
theitaliandishblog.com
3 cups lukewarm water
1-1/2 tablespoons granulated fast acting yeast (2 packets)
1-1/2 tablespoons kosher or other coarse salt
6-1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached all purpose white flour *
Mixing and Storing the Dough
1. Warm the water slightly. It should feel just a little warmer than body temperature, about 100 degrees F. Warm water will rise the dough to the right point for storage in about 2 hours.
2. Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5 quart bowl or a plastic container with a lid.
(Note: I dump all this in my KitchenAid mixer, let it mix it for just about 10 seconds and then put it in the plastic container. I just find it easier to let the mixer do this part).
3. Mix in the flour - kneading is unnecessary. Add all of the flour at once, measuring the flour by scooping it and leveling it off with a knife. Mix with a wooden spoon - do not knead. You're finished when everything is uniformly moist, without dry patches. This step is done in a matter of minutes. The dough should be wet and loose.
4. Allow to rise. Cover with a lid (not airtight). Lidded plastic buckets designed for dough storage can be purchased many places. (I used a plastic square food storage container at my local grocery store. I just punctured a small hole in the top). You want the gases to be able to escape a little. You can also do this in a large bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and puncture a small hole in the top. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flattens on top), about two hours. Longer rising times will not hurt your dough. You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period. Fully refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and is easier to work with than dough at room temperature. So, the first time you try this method, it's best to refrigerate the dough overnight (or at least 3 hours) before shaping a loaf.
Baking
5. Shape your loaf. Place a piece of baking parchment paper on a pizza peel (don't have a pizza peel - use an unrimmed baking sheet or turn a rimmed baking sheet upside down). Sprinkle the surface of your dough in the container with flour. Pull up and cut off about a 1-pound piece of dough (about the size of a grapefruit), using scissors or a serrated knife. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball as you go. Dust your hands with flour if you need to. This is just to prevent sticking - you don't want to incorporate the flour into the dough. The top of the dough should be smooth - the object here is to create a "gluten cloak" or "surface tension". It doesn't matter what the bottom looks like, but you need to have a smooth, tight top. This whole step should take about 30 seconds! Place the dough onto your parchment paper.
6. Let the loaf rise for about 30 - 40 minutes (it does not need to be covered). If it doesn't look like it has risen much, don't worry - it will in the oven. This is called "oven spring".
7. Preheat a baking stone on the middle rack in the oven for at least 20 minutes at 450 degrees F. Place an empty rimmed baking pan or broiler pan on a rack below the baking stone. This pan is for holding water for steam in the baking step. (If you don't have a baking stone, you can use a baking sheet, but you will not get the crisp crust on the bottom. You will still have a great loaf of bread. Baking stones are cheap and easy to find - Target carries them - and are a must for making pizzas, so go out and get one as soon as you can.)
8. Dust the loaf with a little flour and slash the top with a knife. This slashing is necessary to release some of the trapped gas, which can deform your bread. It also makes the top of your bread look pretty - you can slash the bread in a tic tac toe pattern, a cross, or just parallel slashes. You need a very sharp knife or a razor blade - you don't want the blade to drag across the dough and pull it. As the bread bakes, this area opens and is known as "the bloom". Remember to score the loaves right before baking.
9. Bake. Set a cup of water next to your oven. Slide the bread (including the parchment paper) right onto the hot baking stone. Quickly pour the water right into the pan underneath the baking stone and close the oven door. This creates the necessary steam to make a nice crisp crust on the bread. Bake at 450 F for about 30 - 35 minutes, depending on the size of your loaf. Make sure the crust is a deep golden brown. When you remove the loaf from the oven, you will hear it crackle for a while. In baking terms, this is called "sing" and it is exactly what you want.
10. Cool. Allow the bread to cool for the best flavor and texture. It's tempting to eat it when it's warm, and that's fine, but the texture is better after the bread has cooled.
11. Store the remaining dough in the refrigerator in your lidded (not airtight) container and use for up to 14 days. Every day your bread will improve in flavor. Cut off and shape more loaves as you need them. When your dough is gone, don't clean the container. Go ahead and mix another batch - the remaining bits of dough will contribute flavor to the next batch, much like a sourdough starter does!
Tip: If your bread is gummy on the inside, try either increasing the amount of flour by 1/4 cup and/or increasing the baking time by 5-10 minutes.
The Italian Dish
theitaliandishblog.com
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Kindness is a choice
This video is so great. It teaches me that kindness is not a planned event, carefully thought out and executed, but rather is unexpected and a choice we must make. May we all be a little more like the older boy who choose to do a good deed than go along with his friend.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Phone call
You know that friend you've been thinking about? The thought has been nagging you all day. Why don't you act on it? You never know; there's probably a reason you're thinking about him. Or her. What could it hurt? Don't procrastinate. Do it. Right now. You'll feel better once it's done.
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Thursday, November 3, 2011
Purpose
I love the satisfactory feeling that I get after I accomplished something. It gives me greater purpose and helps me realize that I am of value because of what I did. But if I do something for someone else, be it family or stranger, that feeling is magnified. Leo Rosten said this:
Wouldn't it be neat if we all did at least one kind thing for someone else every day? What would the world be like then? I know some might think that is more a fantasy world and would never happen, but let's make believe that it could happen. And then actually do it.
“I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.”
Wouldn't it be neat if we all did at least one kind thing for someone else every day? What would the world be like then? I know some might think that is more a fantasy world and would never happen, but let's make believe that it could happen. And then actually do it.
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