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At Home with Bubbles and Artisan Bread






We've spent a lot of time at home the past couple of weeks due to coughs and colds. Well, to be fair, we've been home a lot the past couple of months! :-) I stand amazed and inspired by all you moms of more than two, and how in the world you ever leave the house! With nursing and nap times and possible car sickness in or more child.....my goodness.



But it's getting better for us. I think George is finally moving to just two naps a day, with an early bed time, and Elizabeth is taking her one nap a day at a more predictable time each day. These changes sure help make life a little more manageable!


Here are a few things we do with our days when we're at home......


We blow bubbles...


We do laundry......



We hang out.....


We try on hats.....




We attempt to step outside...at least once in a day, just to make sure the sun is still shining, of course. Someone's gotta do it. :-)




We bake bread.....

I got one of the coolest books for Christmas, it's titled Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzburg and Zoe Francois. It's truly awesome! I've always enjoyed baking, but their style of making a wet dough and then refrigerating it, is ingenious. In a nutshell, one stirs up the dough/batter (takes about 5 mins), then lets it sit on the counter to rise (2 hrs), then sticks it in the fridge. It makes four small loaves and is good to use for up to 2 weeks!! And to bake a loaf, one takes a handful of dough, shapes it into a ball (less than a min), lets it rest( 40 mins), then bakes it on a pizza stone for 30 mins. So yummy.....and so, so easy! :-) I highly recommend this book and the whole process. The authors have a second book I can't wait to purchase, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.


I'd love to hear some comments about any of your bread baking adventures, folks. :-) Or what you do with littles those long, long days at home.


~Melissa

Comments

  1. Julia Park TraceyFebruary 22, 2012 at 3:12 PM

    that book sounds awesome. I'd love to get my own copy! love the pix! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MelissaFebruary 22, 2012 at 8:58 PM

      :-) Ahhh, thanks....I found these shots fun, too. Let me know what you think if you end up trying this book!

      Delete
  2. HarmonyFebruary 22, 2012 at 4:33 PM

    Oh, I want that book. Except that bread is not supposed to be part of the regular diet in our home :-p But I have made the New York Times No-Knead Bread quite a few times (similar process to what you describe, but baked in a dutch oven--the lid keeps the steam in and makes the crust chewy) and I always want to eat the whole loaf by myself in the first day.

    Looks like you are all keeping busy at home!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MelissaFebruary 22, 2012 at 9:01 PM

      That sounds like such an interesting technique for bread baking! I've never done that....sounds soooo good! Yeah, like you, I could eat these loaves all by myself....no help needed. :-) I'm never gonna loose these baby pounds! :-(

      And yes, we are keeping busy! thanks for reading and staying in touch! Love ya! :-)

      Delete

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