My First Boule (and other updates)

It has been a long time since I posted to the blog, so I fear this may become a lengthy entry... but I will try to succinctly provide some updates of my goings-on and that of the family.

As for the title, I baked my first loaf of bread yesterday! More specifically, it was a whole wheat, no knead sourdough bread. Hopefully next time I will plan it better so that it is all done before 10 o'clock at night! I feared that it would turn out disastrously b/c it seemed so dense as I was handling the dough yesterday, but it was actually not half bad. The crust is really hard, most of it too hard to eat (and it looks a little over cooked, but I thought it looked pretty nonetheless) but the inside is actually quite tasty! I could not resist breaking into it before it was completely cooled last night to try some warm bread with butter. Delicious! (But then again, when isn't warm bread fresh out of the oven with butter on it delicious?) I had some this morning too and it is still good.

Which that all leads to an update on some things I have been doing. I recently took a cooking class based on a book/cookbook called Nourishing Traditions. I was completely unfamiliar with the book prior to the class, but I had read many passing references to some of the concepts during my internet trysts on various discussion boards etc. Well, to put it one way, it has somewhat revolutionized my whole view of nutrition and food preparation! (I know "somewhat revolutionized" is an oxymoron but I hesitate to commit myself completely b/c it is such a departure from my previous habits and paradigm. I sincerely hope to incorporate much of the methodology, but it will be a work in progress for a while. I am trying to take baby steps, although Michael might tell you it has been leaps and bounds.)

I have already tried out many of the concepts I learned: making my own cultured dairy products including kefir and yogurt, some of which becomes whey and cultured cream cheese; making meat stocks from scratch, brewing kombucha, making lacto-fermented veggies, soaking grains, sprouting seeds, baking sourdough bread... The biggest "drawback" to traditional methods of food preparation is that it requires a lot of time. That sourdough boule was a good 34 hours in the making. Soaking grains and legumes can take anywhere from 7-24 hours. Sprouting seeds can take 1-4 days,kombucha takes about a week, etc. Not that I have to do much to the food during that time, but I have to plan well in advance if I want it to be ready by a certain time. But then again, planning ahead is much better than my prior M.O. of "It's 4:30pm, what will I make for dinner?!" Old habits die hard, so I'm still working on the meal planning stuff, but I've been having fun experimenting with the recipes. I am motivated though b/c I've learned what an impact traditional food preparation has in increasing the nutrient availability and absorption of the foods we eat. And of course I want my family to be as healthy and vital as possible. They are worth the extra effort!

Consuming and preparing traditional foods not only appeals to me on a scientific level (i.e. the science of nutrition), but on a philosophical level as well. I have come to understand what it means to eat food "as close as possible to its natural state" in a whole new way. Previously, I understood that to mean one should avoid processed foods. But I only considered the processing that occurred after the harvest or the slaughter. Now I understand that the way food is raised from its very conception (seed, egg, embryo, what have you), also has a significant impact on its nutrient value for us. The old adage "you are what you eat" has taken on even greater meaning to me. When we interfere with the Natural Law, it has deleterious repercussions. This is something I have long seen with regard to our modern society. If that holds true for people, why not also for our food? Well, I could go on about this much longer as I have been pondering these things for several weeks. But I suppose that is enough for now on that topic.

House updates: We have a new back patio; we have repaired termite damage to the house; and we just came back from purchasing our new kitchen cabinets and counter tops.

I know in my original termite post I said there hadn't been any damage to the house. That is what the first inspector told us, but when the second guy came to do the actual extermination he reported that there was in fact significant damage to the rear band sill and it had to be completely replaced. That involved jacking up the whole house so that the old one could be removed and then putting in a new one. Needless to say, that was not cheap. Having that repair done was part of our reason for deciding to go ahead and redo the back porch/patio since the repair was more easily accomplished without the porch anyways. Plus a timely advertisement for a reduced rate on brick pavers = new patio!

The kitchen cabinets will be ready in about four weeks. Then we have to demo our current kitchen (donate it to Habitat for Humanity), install the new ones, install the counter tops, new appliances, etc etc. It should all be done 2-3 months from now.

I must express my gratitude to God for all His abundant blessings on our family. We are fortunate enough to be able to take care of all our needs and many of our wants. Thank you!

Simon has already had two haircuts! I first cut the back of his hair over a month ago after a bath. When his hair was wet, it was about down to his shoulder blades, so I trimmed it off. But I didn't cut anything else, and he started to look pretty silly with his poofy sideburns, so I gave him a proper haircut about a week after that. Now it has grown so much that I had to cut it again a couple days ago.

He has also started rolling over and vocalizing in a most amusing way. (I think he might be trying to imitate my singing.)

We have also spent some good times with family in the past couple of weeks getting visits from out-of-towners and attending and celebrating graduations. We have four graduates this year (in the extended Hoffman family) - Congrats everyone!

I have gotten woefully behind on my housework and I'm trying to accomplish some "side" projects little by little in addition to the everyday stuff. Like organizing closets and getting rooms finally set up.

Michael is of course doing his day job, taking care of maintenance and various house projects (painting, assembling, installing, etc.) He also has a couple golf outings lined up in the near future which is good for him to get some leisure time doing something he loves.

I think that is long enough for now. It has taken all day to finish this! I will try to post more photos someplace... maybe on Facebook or Shutterfly or both.