My Once A Month Cooking (OAMC): Bread Starter

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Bread Starter

I'm so disappointed...it didn't work. Just sat there...didn't ferment at all. So...I will try another one. This new one has to "ferment" for 10 - 14 days, so I guess I'll have to be patient! Darn it anyway! I was hoping to try it out and at least make a loaf or two of bread. I need to have a warm place to sit this and let it "ferment". Think I'll sit it on top of my refrigerator! Since my range is electric, can't use the pilot light for it. The top of the refrigerator is the warmest place I can think of.

This morning I got up early, well early for me on a Saturday, and hung clothes on the clothesline, pulled some weeds, and watered the garden some more. I also did "poop" patrol in the backyard. Then it got too hot to be outside, so came inside to do some things. I finished putting recipes into my notebooks and did another load of laundry. I shredded 5 lbs of cheese for our salads and casseroles this week. I washed the food processer and then I chopped up some reese's peanut butter cups and some baby ruth candy for toppings for our ice cream. Again I washed the food processer.

For dinner we had the dreaded left overs. Smothered steak, baked beans, potatoes, and salad. Then I made a trip to Wal-Mart for supplies for my muffins! Of course, social person me, I saw several people that I know and don't get to chat with much, so had to take advantage and chat for a bit. When I finally got back home, I started making my muffins. I got the pumpkin ones whipped up and in the oven as I'm typing this. I had to take a break and sit down and rest. I'll post the pictures and the update of the baking later on this evening.

Tomorrow for lunch I'm considering making Indian Tacos. I'll post the recipe later too. Been several years since we had them and I'm kind of hungry for them. although I can't eat the shell, but the rest of it I can. I'll serve with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, guacamole, cheese, sour cream. For dessert, I am thinking of Rhubarb Pie. I need to hone my pie crust skills. After the muffins are done, I'll see how I feel and might make the pie. If I had room in my freezer, I'd freeze some rhubarb, but I don't have the room. I've never tried canning it....Mmmm

Well muffins are done. sorry, no pictures. I got too busy and forgot to take pictures. I can take pictures of the end product I guess. Wow, does my back hurt! Guess I should have rested more! I'll be fine in the morning though! Wow...so many muffins. Also made pumpkin/chocolate Chip bread and applesauce nut bread! so..should have enough to feed the masses at church tomorrow.

I also mixed up my bread starter and got it "sitting"...so 14 days from now I should know how it is going to work out!

The Peanut butter and jelly muffins, the jelly was strawberry. I had it opened in the fridge already, so decided to use it. The Chocoholic muffins sure lives up to its name, baking chocolate, chocolate chips, melted togther then add chocolate chips added to batter right before baking. For the applesauce bread...I had some homemade applesauce that had cinnamon in it. I cut down the cinnamon in the recipe, so it won't be so overpowering.

Will post recipes and pictures tomorrow.

Love to all

No comments:

Post a Comment

Introduction

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by deciding what to prepare for a meal? I know I have. Many times. Especially our evening meal when our three children were growing up. Then one day I stumbled across a program called "Once A Month Cooking" (OAMC) and thought I'd give it a try. It was a lifesaver and I loved it. I did it for years, from the time my youngest was in preschool until he was in the 8th grade. I don't remember why I quit, just that I did. When I was doing the OAMC back then I prepared a lot of full, complete meals and froze them, entree, side, and dessert. The only thing I had to actually prepare for the meal was the vegetable or the potatoes. For those of you not familiar with the OAMC program, I will try to explain it to you here. This blog is to try to help you see what it takes, how to do itm give you ideas and how much fun you can actually have. OAMC is the ultimate do-ahead dinner preparation technique. The secret of the OAMC technique is that you cook all your dinner main dishes for a month (or two weeks or even a week) in one day, freeze them, and enjoy eating tasty food, every night without the hassle of lengthy meal preparation. In this blog, I will try to provide the menu we use, shopping lists and recipes. You do not have to have organizational skills, nor do you have to be a good cook to successfully accomplish OAMC. What you need to expect and plan to is: Take a longer-than usual shopping trip, preferably the day or night before your cooking day. Spend the bulk of your month's food budget on this shopping trip (saving money over the course of the month) Cook with a partner or two or three, like I do, for maximum fun and efficiency. Cook half a day for a two week cycle, a full day for a month cycle. Love the freedom and possibilities this will bring to mealtimes. Enjoy family building times around the table and like us, the time we cook together. Take the stress out of having company for dinner I suggest for the first few time you do the OAMC to try to do the two week cycle. Then when you get the feel of the "system" advance on the full month if that is what you want and have room for the food. Also in this blog I will frequently give you suggestions of what to serve with a certain recipe. Please feel free to email me with any suggestions and question syou might have. Even leave a comment here on the blog.