Eek... I've been busy.

Christmas was a bit tough. It was our last holiday at my Aunt and Uncle's house, as my aunt died a few years ago and my uncle has now remarried and is (renting? selling?) no longer going to be in their lovely house with the ocean views...

Gah. I don't even want to think about that. No more house. I can't imagine what it's like for my cousins to think that they no longer will have a home to come back to, or a room other than someone they barely know's guest room.

No more depressing topics- it is time for sleep.

On the bread front, though, things are going well. It has been about a month and a half and we have bought only ONE loaf of storebought bread. (I wanted panini for dinner.) My brother is visiting and we just demolished half a loaf of fresh baked raisin pumpernickel bread. I am yet to decide if I will bake any of the bread for Wednesday's annual fondue party.

The economy in pictures- part 1 of 2.

Bottom photo- baking soda I took out of my fridge. Purchased in June.
Top photo- new packaging from December.

Hm. Evidently baking soda has changed since I bought my last package. I guess now I should buy more every month because they told me to!

Check out "Victims of the Grocery Shrink-Ray" at The Consumerist.

"Barista" is a really stupid word.

This is what Saturdays look like.

Knitting a Christmas present with my favorite weekend snuggle buddy.

I may have a problem.

Sooo.... I've used 23 cups of flour making bread in the last two weeks.

That is 10 loaves of bread. I'd never made bread before in my life.

4 baguettes
1 "rustic italian" loaf
1 beer bread
2 pizza crusts
1 carrot cake bread
1 dilly bread

I have a pizza crust going right now and I'm trying to decide if I should make another loaf of bread this evening, although I would have to choose my recipe carefully because I'm running out of one of the 5 pound bags of flour I bought since I started this. I've bought 18 pounds of flour and I'm RUNNING OUT. (5 lb. all purpose, 5 lb. bread, 5 lb. whole wheat, 1 lb. rye, 1 lb. vital wheat gluten, 1 lb. some other floury thing.)

Whee!

Edit- Okay, make that 25 1/2 cups of flour and 11 loaves of bread. There's some wheat bread for sandwiches tomorrow rising in the kitchen. The pizza was awesome again. I doubt we will ever again buy the dough from Trader Joe's, as it simply can't compare.