bread-xperimentation.

i pulled my starter out of the fridge a good month or so ago now, vowing that it wasn't going back in, and i'd be making heaps of bread to keep it under control!
i wanted to perfect my loaf, to get a consistent loaf coming out of my oven day after day.



while i haven't quite reached that consistency (to be honest, i'm not sure i ever will with my haphazard measuring techniques) everything that has come out of the oven has been DELICIOUS and bread, and i think that's a win!

the other thing i was hoping to achieve with my constant baking, was experimentation. i wanted to do more with my sourdough starter! and i most certainly have!
there have been lots of batches of sourdough english muffins, and a couple of sourdough chocolate cakes too!
but what kind of experimentation could i do with the average loaf?



well i could double the size of the loaf i guess?
i have two loaf tins, one is on the smaller size, and fits my average dough in it perfectly! the other is a little bigger, and a double dough, well it fits into it like a glove!
it's probably a more similar size to the loaf you'd buy in the supermarket, potentially good for sandwiches if you could cut it thin enough to get your mouth around two slices!

i've also changed up my cooking methods...



this little loaf, i baked in the slow-cooker! which is why it's a little on the blonde side. it has a soft crust and is actually excellent at soaking up soup!
bb is fond of a soft squishy loaf of bread, so i'm hoping i can experiment a little more with this cooking method and bake something that he really loves!

the final thing i've been experimenting with (and probably my favourite!!) is a pull apart loaf.



squishing out the dough as thin as i could, spreading some delicious pesto about and sprinking a wee bit of grated cheddar over everything, before rolling it up, slicing it into little rolls and shoving it into a baking tin.
so delicious fresh out of the oven, though probably not the healthiest! i think i'll save this one for when we're having folks over so that bb and i aren't eating the whole thing ourselves!

what's your favourite way to eat bread?

meal planning monday.

how thankful i am to see this monday. it has been a long, long, LONG weekend of working while headachey, and i am grateful to have woken up this morning with a slightly clearer head and even a wee bit of energy to boot!
today will primarily be a watch movies and crochet day i think, but i'm also intending to get into the kitchen and get some preparing done for dinners this week, making things easier on the night!



tonight, i'll whip up some meatballs! we haven't had them in a while and they're so easy and delicious!

tomorrow night, i'm off to ballet, so i'll pop a fish curry in the slow cooker.

wednesday, bb has requested thai chicken noodle salad, so i'll throw that together. i'll poach the chicken today to have it organised, then all i need to do is clean and pick the salad leaves and cook the noodles. should be simple!

thursday, i'll grab some fresh lamb. maybe some cutlets? i've got a hankering! lots of fresh vegies with them should do the trick.

friday night, i'll be at work late. there's some bolognaise in the freezer, so i'll cook up some pasta before i leave and have it ready to heat and eat when bb and i get home! simple!

i'll leave saturday up to bb to organise, as i'll be working. can't wait to see what he whips up!

and sunday, well i'm hoping it will be another big cook up day, after a big shopping day. the freezer is quite bare at the moment!

what are you eating this week?

sunday snippets.

playing along with {tinniegirl} and her sunday snippets.

a few pictures, and some words, summing up the week that just was.



this face has been the reason for radio silence. terribad tension headaches have been keeping me well away from my laptop and blogging. i had posts planned for thursday AND friday but my body just wouldn't co-operate.
rest and recuperation have and will continue to be on the agenda.



what to do when you can't find the tupperware smoothie container for a blueberry breakfast smoothie on the go? use one of the 280394 passata jars in the cupboard of course!
perfect size don't you think?
i'll definitely continue to use a jar for my smoothies as i can't for the life of me find that container!



i got to doing one of my most loathed tasks earlier this week, bra shopping! bleurgh!
thankfully the shop where i went, i (eventually) got fabulous service. always makes life a little easier!



i haven't had a lot of chance to get much f anything done this week, but i started this little swatch at ncb on wednesday night, and managed to get it all done!
it still needs a block but i do so LOVE those colours!

what have you been up to this week? do you suffer from tension headaches too? what are your go-to remedies?

october

surely september was the quickest month ever? i'm feeling a little shell shocked by the speed of this year as a whole to be honest! slow down 2014, there's more to be done with you yet!

i went pretty well on my goals for september i think... the lightbox got made (and destroyed, and fixed again), the scarf is done, the sock, well it's on it's way, and my legwarmers are all done too! yahoo!
there are seeds in the ground, i took my lunch to work for the large majority of the month, but the 10k a day thing? well that was a pretty major fail to be honest. particularly when in the last week, i forgot to put my fitbit on one day, and yesterday, i couldn't even find the thing! oops!!! it's something i definitely want to keep working towards though!



now october, what do you have in store for me?
on the crafty side of things, finishing the red sock is priority one! i want to be done and DONE with those red socks ha ha! i'd also hope that i was finished up with the little granny square blankie project i started the other day (and shared a little about yesterday...) and i also really wanna get started on my sock plans!
on the health front, taking lunch is again, a big priority this month, but will need a little more creativity as we have just lost our kitchen at work! much fewer implements will mean more needs to be done at home, but with all the wonderful spring ingredients coming into season (*cough* check out my broad bean!!), i'm hoping it won't be too hard!
i'm also going to try to get back on the running bandwagon. i have missed it so!! i got out and went for a run monday after work, and despite being still tender 2 days later... i did love it while i was at it! with daylight savings happening over the weekend, it will be so nice to get out and de-stress with a run after work! awesome!

another thing i have considered over the last week or so, is blogtoberfest. i've participated the last few of years (most of my posts are tagged if you want to have a look), but i feel like i don't need the pressure this year. i'm getting into my blogging groove, doing my own thing and i am happy with that!
i'm hoping to still get around and check out the other blogs that are doing it though!

what are your plans for the month ahead? are you participating in blogtoberfest this year?

tour through blogland.

a couple of weeks ago now, the lovely megan of silver threads of happiness tagged me in her tour through blogland post, and i am so excited to take part!

i've been reading megan's blog for a little while now, after officially finding her on instagram when she started commenting on a few of my pictures.

i'm loving reading about the renovations that megan and her partner are working on at the moment, and all of the crafty little things she gets up to!



and how could you not like someone surrounded by tulips?

anywho, i have some questions to answer about myself...



1) what am i working on?
so many things!!!
i'm knitting up a little red sock! i've finished the top section, and the heel, now to knit the body of the foot and the toe. home stretch basically...
i also started a little crocheted blankie project out of 3 similar looking balls of yarn i grabbed from my stash last night. i was craving something mindless to work on, but with a bit more instant gratification than i'm getting from knitting the aforementioned socks, with their super thin needles and wool! i think i'll keep working this granny square, round and round, until i run out of yarn!
i've got some other sock plans on my mind, but i'm waiting on the right size needles, and a bit of time to whip up some swatches. can't have socks that don't fit!
and i've also got a loaf or two of bread on the go, i'm working on experimenting with my sourdough at the moment, it's equal parts fun and terrifying!



2) how does my work differ from others of its genre?
um, i'm not really sure about this one... i don't really find myself being too competitive or comparative with what i do, and i just do what i do because i love doing it! comparison being the thief of joy and all that, i take inspiration from what others do, but try to rock it in my own way!



3) why do I write/create what i do?
i create what i do because i like to fill my time with making things of value and use. whether it be a loaf of bread to fill a tummy, a scarf or socks to keep someone warm, or a dishcloth to help to keep my house clean. all of which bring a smile to my own face, and hopefully anyone i'm sharing with too!
and i write about what i create mainly ha ha!



4) how does your writing/creating process work?
my mind seems to be always buzzing with ideas, forever inspired by the physical world around me or here in the virtual world. the trickiest thing is finding time to get to creating what i'm thinking of before it flits back out of my head. lists are good for that ha ha!
and lists are also great for keeping my writing on track! i've recently started keeping an editorial calendar for my blog, and it's ensuring that i've got a post planned for most days. i love posting as routinely as i can and keeping to a bit of a schedule. little bit of a control freak ha ha!



and now to introduce my two nominees... well one nominee actually...
i sent out quite a few emails to writers of blogs i love to read, but didn't hear back from lots of people. i get how busy life is though, so i'm rolling with the punches ha ha!

anywho, nominee...
cam is a blogger who i have been reading for just about as long as i have been reading blogs! and i was lucky enough to meet her in real life through a group of melbourne crafty bloggers and now consider her a good friend!
i love cam's creativity and she has a wicked sense of humour! and i love that she is always up for coffee and cake!



Well hi there, my name is Cam.

I'm a Designer, Crafter, Maker, Sometimes blogger, and Obsessed Collector of all manner of weird and wonderful things.
I adore colour and pattern and anything with a bit of vintage style.

keep an eye out for cam's post in the next couple of weeks over at curlypops! and thanks again to megan for the nomination!

meal planning monday.

monday, monday, monday again. bb and i had a good cook up yesterday, filling the fridge up with lunches for the week! now for the plan for the week ahead...



tonight, we're going all out and heating up the bolognaise bb made yesterday. big job i know. i'm cooking up some pasta to go with it as we speak, and re-cycling a loaf of bread i baked yesterday into a herby garlic bread. can not wait!

tomorrow night, i'm off to ballet, but before i do, i'll whip up some salmon patties. i don't know that i've ever made them before. well i have when i used to work in a bistro kitchen, but not at home ha ha! much smaller quantities happening i think!

wednesday night is ncb night! woohoo! it didn't quite come together last fortnight so i'm super pumped to catch up with everyone! i'll grab something while i'm there and bb, well he's on his own!

thursday night, i'll grab some pork fillet out of the freezer, whip up a marinade and throw together a stir-fry. will have to raid the last of the pak choy from the garden too. perfection.

friday night, i'm working late, so osso bucco will be going in the slow cooker. last week, i tried out the old slow cooker that mum brought down for me and it worked a TREAT! i am back in slow-cooking business! so happy!

and i'm working all weekend this week! i have let bb know already that he is in charge of the kitchen and cooking so hopefully he whips up something amazing!

what are you eating for the week? have you ever come across a dodgy slow cooker?

sunday snippets.

playing along with {tinniegirl} and her sunday snippets.

a few pictures, and some words, summing up the week that just was.



the lemon meringue pie i made for bb for his birthday didn't want to come out of the tin...
it still tasted super delicious though!



lots of kitty snugs happening this weekend.
i was super happy as he woke us up at 5:45 friday morning (which was fine as we needed to be up and moving) and then 8:30 yesterday morning (yay! sleep in!).
this morning though, 5:15. #jerkcat strikes again!



i've been doing a little bit of experimenting with my bread baking.
FINALLY!
and i'm loving it!



and finally, sampson met a friend this week!
i think we have new neighbours, as i've never seen this little kitty before.
they're a little unsure of one another, but i'm hoping they'll become good friends!

what's your week look like? been doing any baking?