the good, the bad, and the newly built

This weekend had its share of highs and lows. It started out high with another fine dinner joined by the swirlwsmellslurp crew at Lazy Ox Canteen, which is quickly becoming our favorite place in LA. Then we (or to be specific I) saw a few lows. First the kitchen aid mixer vibrated off the counter top and crashed onto the kitchen floor making a nice dent of course not before taking out a eames chair on its way down . I also broke a spoon rest with a orange and split the oven stone in two while baking bread. Looks like I'll be heading to sur la tabla next weekend. Lastly I managed to check my knee on the shower door getting in. After which I promptly crawled into bed in attempt to avoid breaking anything further. I can report that David woke up in one piece. But among all the lows we did build the second vegetable bed in the back yard. Although building a triangle is decidedly more complex than squares.

who kneads the gym when you have Peter Reinhart?

I come from a family of serious bread makers. I'm not really talking rustic breads that are all the rage now but sweet breads that beg for butter and make your mouth water just at the site. These are my Grandma Mary Lou's dinner rolls, or cinnamon rolls or sugar bread or anything else that she puts out with a little yeast in it. In the past year I've taken up the calling and have been baking bread around once a week. Mostly I've been experimenting with no-knead loafs because let's face it, a bread that requires no kneading is like Christmas everyday of the week. We've also taken to weekly pizza with homemade dough. Lately that includes a recipe from Mozza which is a show stopper. And speaking of Christmas, this year I acquired two Peter Reinhart bread cookbooks, The Bread Baker's Apprentice and Artisan Breads Everyday. These books have seriously broadened our weekly breads and often on the weekend I find myself making more than one recipe. Last week for Dave's birthday lobster boil I put out both the corn bread and the best biscuits ever. (that is the title of the recipe and they are!) Today it was a Ciabatta loaf (pictured) and cinnamon rolls (currently proofing). I'm hoping to work up to a true baguette by Summer and maybe by then my arms will be swimsuit ready.