Tuesday, December 1, 2009

hobbies

I've always liked to cook. Ever since my first lesson at age 6 when my dad taught me how to make scrambled eggs, I've been invigorated by the mystery of cuisine. When we lived in the jungle village of my childhood, there were no stores. No roads or cars (or even bikes). Everything we ate either came from the earth or was flown in on a supply run once every few months. So my coming of age included making everything from scratch. Including bread. Yummy delicious, warm fresh bread. mmmm. I fell out of the habit when I lived in my shared housing situation of the past few years, but now that DH and I have our own place, I find that I'm curious about picking back up and perfecting my craft. Besides, it gives me something productive to do now that my MBA classes are over.

Here is a French country loaf I made on Sunday to bring to a luncheon. It turned out pretty, but I need to work on the dough because it was fine-grained and more suited to sandwiches. Needs more of those big air holes and crusty goodness. Still...



The other day I decided to be more creative with my left-over pumpkin puree from T-day, so I found this recipe for a Ginger Pumpkin Braid and gave it a whirl. Let me just say, it was a huge hit when I brought a loaf to work yesterday. And I think I have an idea of what to make as Christmas gifts for people this year. heh.


So that's what I've been doing with my spare time. That and reading an AWESOME book which I hope to post about later this week. Cheers and greetings to all and happy hump day!

6 comments:

Lynn Spencer said...

I love cooking, too. That bread looks beautiful! I bet it's as good to eat as it looks.

sula said...

Thanks, Lynn. It was pretty tasty, although it got dry within a few days (made nice french toast this morning tho). :)

Lynn Spencer said...

Mmm...french toast is yummy!

Christine said...

I love cooking and baking, too. Making bread from scratch is the best! I wish I had time to do it more often. Those breads look delicious and so professional! I bet your home smelled soooooo good!

sula said...

hey christine! yeah, I understand that once the kiddies come along, time to putter around in the kitchen may become a bit more scarce. All the more reason for me to dawdle at it now, right? heh. I almost think baking bread is worth it for the smell of the house alone. mmmm.

Tracy said...

Wow those look awesome Sula!

I love to bake (hate to cook) but I normally shy away from bread, I have no idea why. I'll do cookies, sweets, muffins even, but no bread. Maybe I'll break out of the mold soon. :)