The Perfectly Possible Impossibility

Thanks to Karianne and her Impossibilities Challenge, I am very happy to say that bread baking and I are no longer enemies! I am now on speaking terms with Active Dry Yeast again, and have high hopes for many more enjoyable, varied, and delicious get togethers in the future.

I had decided to ease my way into this bread baking challenge by attempting to make Williams- Sonoma's Rosemary-Lemon No Knead Bread, since for a long time now, a beloved staple at 24C's table has been Essential Bakery's Rosemary Diamante Bread...and the thought of being able to make a similar version really excited me. The chants of 'fool-proof' regarding No Knead breads might also have had somewhat of a hand in the choice as well.

So I gathered my flour, Active Dry Yeast, cornmeal, salt, rosemary, and lemon...and got to making some bread!

The recipe calls for two teaspoons each, chopped rosemary and lemon zest...but for the zest, instead of chopping, I chose to use a microplane grater, which worked beautifully. One lemon produced the needed two teaspoons, as did 1 sprig of Rosemary.

The lemon zest and rosemary were added to the other dry ingredients...

And all were whisked together.

Then came the part I was nervous about...adding the water. The recipe didn't specify warm water, which is what I've always thought was needed when working with yeast, so I was a bit unsure of what to do. In the end, I used warm water. I didn't use a thermometer, just my finger, making sure that it was 'just' warm, and not hot or cold. All was then stirred together...and right then and there, the smell became intoxicating!

The dough is very, very sticky, and initially I had used a wooden spoon to stir it, but after having some 'issues', I quickly switched to a large rubber spatula which helped tremendously, especially in scraping the dough off the sides of the bowl so that a nice, clean little lump could be formed. Then the dilemma of where to let the dough 'get happy' for 12-18 hours, at 70* popped up...and Mr. 24 came up with a marvelous solution.

Our little guest bath, which isn't quite finished yet, is always at a nice and steady 70* due to the radiant heat and tile flooring in there...it would be the perfect incubator! The thermostat that controls the radiant heat for the 'south wing' of the house is in the bathroom, so we always know exactly what the temperature is there, which lucky for us in the winter, is 70*!

The dough sat where our future clawfoot tub is going to be (I dream of that day).

I set the bowl away from the window to ensure warmth, and said goodnight to the little critters who were going to be working the night away, creating the magic & bubbles needed for the next stage of the process.

In the morning...there were definitely bubbles, but I felt that there could be a few more, so thinking that even more warmth might be beneficial, I moved the dough to kitchen, turned on the very warming vent hood lights, and let it sit another few hours on the stove top.

I had read that 12 hours of resting is minimum, but that 18 is optimal...I went with 17, and there were definitely more bubbles by then...the dough was ready!

I sprinkled flour on the counter, scraped the dough out of the bowl onto it (which was quite messy-such a sticky dough!)...sprinkled more flour on my hands and on the top of the dough...attempted to fold it over a few times (it's like trying to fold jello over). It then rested on the counter, covered in plastic wrap for 15 minutes, while I got a little cornmeal bed ready for the 2 hour nap that was next on the dough's agenda.

WAY too much cornmeal...!

After the 15 minute rest is when the fun began! You are somehow supposed to form the very gloppy blob of dough into a ball, with a *seam* on the bottom....HA! There was no forming and no seaming...but I did my best, and somehow managed to get the dough on to the towel (I still have no idea how) in the precarious shape of a lumpy ball.

More cornmeal was sprinkled on top of it (again, WAY too much)...

And then it was gently 'tucked in' with another flour sack towel laid lightly atop of it. The 2 hour cornmeal quiet time had commenced!

During this time, I got my trusty little yellow pot ready by protecting it's knob with some foil, which my friend Jacqueline suggested I do (very grateful for that tip J~), given that the oven temperature of 450* might be a bit too hot for it...and I also cleaned the bowl and the counter, which looked as if a PlayDough convention had just passed through (sticky!!).

At the 1 1/2 hour mark, I placed the pot in the oven and pre-heated it to the recommended 450*. At the two hour mark, I carefully pulled the towel off of the dough, saw that it had indeed puffed up a bit during it's nap (don't we all...?), and then realized that somehow, I had to literally 'dump' the dough into the awaiting, very hot pot. I started to wonder what was to become of all that cornmeal, as you were supposed to lift the towel up with your hand underneath the dough, to do the dumping. So I decided to try and 'spill' as much of the cornmeal as I could onto the counter next to the stove, where the hot pot was now awaiting it's sticky package.

It worked quite well...and I was able to get the dough into the pot with only a minimal amount of cornmeal scattered about the stove and kitchen, though I did have to bring the vacuum out afterwards.

I gave the pot a couple of shakes as suggested in the recipe, placed it in the oven, set the timer for 30 minutes...and let it bake away to it's hearts content. This is where the bread's heavenly aroma really started to wander throughout the house, causing me to think that this whole endeavor might actually produce a real live loaf of deliciously edible bread.

After 30 minutes, this is what it looked like. Now it was supposed to bake with the lid off for another 15 to 30 minutes...how, may I ask you, was I supposed to know which?! Was it 15 or 30?? How was I to tell...the crust was already looking golden, it sounded hollow when I tapped it...what was I to do? Well, I went to the computer, looked up several recipes again, and decided that since most went for the 30 minutes, I would do 25...and it worked!

Using a fish spatula, I lifted the bread out of the pot after a total time of 55 minutes, set in on a rack to cool...

And just stared at it for a while...it looked good!!!

The real test came though, when later that evening, after I coming home from work, with an armload of Thai food for dinner...I sliced into the bread and Mr. 24 and I had our first taste...it was perfect, in every way...even with extra cornmeal crunch coating!

The lemon and rosemary weren't over powering at all...they were very subtle, yet definitely there, and the interior was soft and airy...just as it should be...I couldn't have been more pleased, and quickly...we both became addicted to it and almost forgot that we had an enormous amount of Thai food awaiting us and that we probably shouldn't eat it all then and there...so we didn't...we've saved that pleasure for tonight!!

Thank you again to Karianne, and to her friends who have shared in hosting this Challenge Extravaganza...and also to Jacqueline, and to Williams-Sonoma...you have all helped me to conquer a very silly fear with great success, I am so very grateful!!!

Please visit Karianne at Thistlewood Farm to see what others chose for their challenges...the range was anything and everything. I think my next challenge might be filing...still my greatest nemesis.

What would your great challenge be? I'd love to hear about it!

A Deliciously Healthy Soup & Challenge

Beautiful soup so rich and green, waiting in a hot tureen! ~Lewis Carroll, 'Alice In Wonderland'


Well, I might not actually have had a 'hot tureen' full of green soup...but I did have a nice big pot of it, and with the New Year calling out for healthier fare after all the sugar indulging during the holidays, and our weather deciding to take a very chilly turn this past week, it seemed a most appropriate, warming, and welcoming dish to cook up!



Wintry weather and soup go together so beautifully, don't they?

Well this particular soup is one that I've been making for many years, it's extremely delicious, extremely healthy, and it's from one of my all time favorite cookbooks...'The New Basics'. I'm sure many of you know of it, but if perchance you don't, then please do check it out, it's as much a pleasure to read as it is to cook from...one of the absolute best!

Broccoli Spinach Soup:
Peel and chop 2 pounds of broccoli, set aside. Melt 1/2 stick butter in 5 qt. soup pot, add onion, leeks, carrot, and garlic, and a little salt and pepper. Saute until soft, about 10 minutes. Add chicken stock, broccoli, tomatoes, and parsley. Bring to boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, add one 10oz package baby spinach to the soup (much easier than using bunched spinach and having to clean it)...we've also used swiss chard in place of the spinach (very good)...which *is* bought bunched. Stir in cardamom, fresh grated nutmeg, and more salt & pepper. Cook one more minute, remove from heat, and allow to cool slightly.

Puree soup in food processor or blender (careful there), return to pot, add the juice of one lemon...and my own personal touch if you like, some crushed dried tarragon, and a teeniest pinch of cayenne. Then...enjoy!

Here I've paired the soup with a turkey, cheddar, and apple sandwich on whole grain bread...so good! And speaking of bread...here comes the 'challenge' part of the post.

My new blogging friend Karianne, of Thistlewood Farm, is hosting an 'Imagine The Impossibilities' challenge, where you pick something that has been a nagging impossibility for you in the past...and tackle it head on! Well it turned out that Karianne's most challenging-challenge was the same one that I've been agonizing over for years...baking homemade bread. So I've decided to make Williams-Sonoma's No Knead Rosemary Lemon Bread for my challenge, as I've heard many good things about the 'no knead' method, and think it might be a good way for Dry Active Yeast and I to get reacquainted!

I have absolutely no issues with baking pies, cakes, cookies, muffins, cobblers, crisps, tarts, and all other manner of baked goods you could possibly think of...but anything with live yeast...no thank you! My one attempt produced rock hard lumps of what was supposed to be soft and chewy cinnamon rolls...and after that, I swore off yeast baked goods for ever, although secretly, I've been wanting to try using the little buggers (the yeast) again for years, and thanks to Karianne...now seems to be the perfect time to give it a go.

So, my trusty little Le Creuset pot and I are going to attempt to make the Rosemary Lemon Bread this week...and no matter what happens, I'll be sharing the results with you all (dear oh dear).

Those of you that have made No Knead Bread before (such as Jacqueline of Beauty In The Ordinary, who has made a different version of it and loves it) please feel free to share any little nuggets of wisdom you've learned about the process...and most of all...please, please, please...wish me and my little yellow pot luck!

A Summery, Northwesty, Potterish Pause

Hello friends! I feel as if I've been away from you forever, even though it's really been only a week. I've been in a bit of a stupor since New Year's (can you believe we're already two weeks into the new year?), but it's been a busy kind of a stupor. I really could have completely crashed after the holidays, gone on vacation...or just laid low for a smidge...but the surprise that gets me every single year, got me again this year...I had to start planning my summer camps, ASAP...all five of them! Any little shred of creativity I had left in my system has been put into figuring them out (themes, dates etc.)...and I'm happy to say, I only have one deadline left to meet, but the bulk of it all *is* figured out now...so a big "whew" is in order, and I feel I can breath again!! Now I just have to actually create the projects.

I'm particularly excited about two of the camps, as they are going to be held at a local salmon hatchery that has great facilities, walking trails, owls, gardens, and a pheasant farm! My partner and I each taught a camp there last summer and we fell in love with it, so we've decided to devote our camps to what makes the hatchery and our area, the Pacific Northwest, so very special...the salmon and owls are going to be the stars, but they'll have some wonderful extras to share the spotlight with as well!

Now salmon aren't the prettiest fish in the sea (or river)...so coming up with a visually pleasing, artistic way to showcase them, is going to be interesting. I love the label at the top (actually, I'd like to have it framed!)...and the painting above, done by a local artist, is extremely fun and vibrant...and I could totally see the kids having a blast doing something along those lines, especially since it makes the salmon not look as scary as it usually does at the end of it's life (hooked face and all).

But then there are the versions depicted by the many Indian tribes that inhabited our state for centuries...I really love these and think the students would as well. The one above actually looks a bit like a Totem Pole salmon, which might be the way to go since...

We most definitely will be making and studying Totem Poles at camp!

Particularly the one that has been standing in Pioneer Square since 1899. It has an absolutely fascinating, if not somewhat sad history, which I think the kids will enjoy learning about...I know I have.

There isn't a salmon on it, but I believe there is an owl...which are after all, going to be featured in the camp as well. Speaking of owls...did you know that you can order owl 'droppings'...and then dissect them for little bones, and *THEN* piece together said bones to find out what the poor little creature was?? You Can! My partner told me about it...she's actually going to do it...sounds fascinating, doesn't it?!

Anyway...there's so much this area has to offer, I don't know how I'm ever going to be able to narrow the projects down to a manageable bundle...we might end up having to have a Northwest Wonders camp part two!

I know the kids don't drink coffee...but I bet their parents do, and besides...this *is* Seattle after all...how can we not pay tribute our most celebrated drink?!

So after all the planning (in which coffee did play a huge part), the lack of recovery time from all the wonderful holiday hoopla, not to mention a few very special family birthdays thrown in for good measure...I felt like one of the Puget Sound jellyfish, and have literally been in a fog for the last two weeks when I wasn't working...a Potter fog to be exact!

Do you see them...up in the top glass cupboard?

There they are...my magical diversions...in all their very heavy and thick, paperback glory.

It's hard to believe, but I had never read any of the Harry Potter books...and I thought it was high time I should, so I've been escaping to Hogwarts as often as I can, and hanging out with Harry, Ron, and Hermoine. I'm truly amazed it's taken me this long to get around to it...but I'm enjoying them immensely! I'm shocked how much more is in the books than the movies...very eye opening!
They've been the most perfect tales for a post holiday, summer camp planning jellyfish to escape into, although...they been the reason that I haven't' been visiting any of my dear blogland friends this past week...I've missed you!

I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone very much...I feel the clouds have lifted a bit with summer being taken care of (for now), it's time to see how the New Year has been treating you...I do hope it's been a marvelous, relaxing, and very happy two weeks for all!!

See you soon...♥

(images 1,3,4,5,8,9,10 here, image 2 here , image 7 here , all others personal)