Counting My Blessings

A couple of years ago, Rob, Emily and I started a dinner ritual of telling each other what 3 things we were grateful for each day. I started it as a way to infuse some optimism into everyone's outlook, especially Emily's. You know how kids seem to complain a lot? Well, I know that it's impossible to frown when you're smiling. Likewise, it's hard to complain when you are expressing gratitude! At first food seemed to be the constant subject of gratitude. So, we said good meals could only count as one thing to be thankful for. We like a challenge at our house! :) Then being grateful for our family became a common theme. So, we started saying we were grateful for the usual things, the usual things being good meals, our loving family, our comfortable home, the kitties. So, now we say we're grateful for the usual things and then go from there. We don't say what we're grateful for every day anymore, but it's often enough that we remember on a regular basis that we have a lot to be thankful for. Lately I've noticed that on days when I come home exhausted from a hard day at work Emily asks what I'm grateful for. Something tells me that's not a coincidence. The kid is pretty smart. For that I am always grateful. Sometimes the student becomes the teacher and I am happy to be reminded, especially on day's that have sucked the life out of me, that I always have so many things to be grateful for...good friends (make that EXCELLENT!), a job that is challenging, engaging and rewarding, good health, a sense of humor...and, of course, the usual things!

The Joy of Baking Bread

Making and baking bread is one of my favorite weekend activities. I starting making bread when Rob and I were planning our restaurant, Emily's Pantry & Cafe. When we were restauranteurs I was chef, kitchen manager and lead baker in charge of bread. We made all the bread that we used for sandwiches, pizzas and bread pudding. The idea of making bread for a restaurant was one of the many things that kept me up nights right before we opened. But it was, all in all, one of the easiest things we did at the cafe. The restaurant venture failed after only 8 months, but I developed a passion for homemade bread and have been making it for my family ever since.
Making the family bread sounds like something right out of Little House on the Prairie, but I assure you, it's not old fashioned or all that difficult. All you really need are some kitchen essensials: a couple of baking dishes to bake the bread in (I love my glass Pyrex 1.5 qt, 8.5x4.5x2.5 inch baking containers) a good sized mixing bowl, measuring spoons, measuring cups and ingredients. I use my KitchenAid mixer, with dough hook for kneading, but that part is optional. Some cooks prefer to hand kneed their dough, but I opt for efficiency and less mess to clean up.
I have some tried and true "old standby" bread recipes that I've collected over the close to a decade that I've been making bread, but I'm always looking for new ones to try. Don't be afraid to substitute ingredients. Most of the time I substitute soy milk for whole cow's milk. Sometimes I replace some of the white flour with whole wheat. The great thing about making bread for your own consumption is the "right" to make the recipe your own.
If you're just getting started and want to really learn about bread, an excellent purchase would be The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart. It gives you a knowledge base that takes the mystery out of bread baking. Again, reading an entire book devoted to bread making isn't a requirement. Bread baking is like everything else in life...practice makes perfect.
In case you were wondering, baking bread does not automatically translate into weight gain. Fresh baked bread can be cooled (this is a must before slicing!), sliced and frozen. When you're ready to enjoy, you can take out what you want to eat and defrost it in the microwave. 2 loaves last about 2 weeks at our house. I don't eat that much bread, but it's the best for sandwiches made at home! The other misconception about bread is that you have to slather it with butter. It's so good that, in my humble opinion, butter is totally unnecessary.
While I'm doling out my personal opinions, the other aspect of baking bread that appeals to me is how much less it costs than store bought, how it contains no preservatives and how wonderful the house smells during baking and cooling! Don't try to rush the process. Read your recipe before you make plans to bake. If you plan it right you don't have to be housebound during the entire process. The loaves I made today had 3 rise times of 45 minutes each. I took a brisk 35 minute walk in the neighborhood during the first rise. I am a multitasker after all.
So if you're never made bread, give it a try. You might be surprised by how much you love it! Bon Appetit!

Hydration Packs - Not just for Cyclists

This morning I debated whether to ride my bike or take a walk. I had given up on walking in July because of the heat and turned to cycling. While I love to ride my bike, like it or not I have to think about my safety. When I ride by myself (that's every time I'm riding for exercise) I have to be looking out for traffic, other cyclists that aren't good at sharing the pathway, walkers that need to be passed, my being a klutz and last, but certainly not least, the boogie man! I jest, but I've lived in Houston long enough to have heard about women, exercising alone, that were attacked. I bought mace and strapped it on my bike, but it kills the endorphins of exercise when, in the back of your mind, you're on high alert so as not to be a victim.

While on the other hand, I live close enough to Memorial Park that I can walk or drive there, have plenty of company and get in a 3 mile "pre-measured" walk. I love it. For me, walking (especially at the park) is the perfect way to get outdoors and enjoy the benefits of exercising in a social environment that is motivating, while having introspective "me time." I get the best ideas when I walk! No headphones for me - it's all about letting my mind wander and get the creative juices flowing.

But, back to the heat...Well, I bought the hydration pack so I could ride my bike in this God awful heat wave. Why not use it for walking? So I filled it up with ice water and off I went. I might have been the only walker at the park with one on, but who knows? I may start a trend.

Singing Pandora's Praises

I would describe myself as a positive, optimistic, industrius, glass half full kind of "gal." That doesn't mean that I don't have bad days. Today was a perfect example. It started out with the bluetooth to my Blackberry refusing to stay connected. Details of work, really not worth mentioning, got me down as well. Roots are showing...I feel bloated and it's so hot and humid in Houston right now that getting on a bike, even with a hydration pack, at 6:30 at night seems unbearable. So I resorted to Plan B after dinner tonight. Instead of going out in the heat and sweating like a pig I chose to stay in. I gave myself permission not to be super driven today. One day without exercise won't kill me after all and stressing about perfection just might. So I drank a glass of red wine, sat on my massage chair (best purchase EVER!) and put Pandora on. I have about 50 stations set so I have music for every mood and occasion. Right now Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac, Ambrosia and Earth Wind & Fire are doing their job and mellowing me out. Tomorrow is another day and I don't mean that in a Scarlett O'Hara kind of way. So, in the vein of Having it All, I thank Pandora for helping me create an oasis at home tonight after a rough day in the trenches.