Worth the wait

"It takes time. It takes patience. But the rewards are great.
Every loaf you bake is slightly different, but most of all, it is uniquely your own.
Nothing you can buy at a store will give you as much satisfaction."

- Nancy Silverton

Molly and me with sourdough loaf #3

I'm definitely feeling pretty pleased by my efforts so far! I've baked the last couple of weekends and have ended up with some really good bread. It takes about 2 days to make, but most of the work takes place on the morning of the first day. The rest of the time is spent watching and waiting for the dough to ferment and rise.

I burned the bottom of my first loaf, but we were able to turn the inside of the bread into croutons for Jason's homemade gazpacho, so no big deal! And I also experimented with using some of the leftover starter to make sourdough pancakes, which were absolutely delicious. Speaking of my starter, we've named it "The Yeast Beast" and now it lives in the refrigerator between baking sessions (much easier to maintain). 

I think I need to keep working on the basic loaf of country white bread for the next few weeks, but am looking forward to branching out and trying some different types soon. Baguettes, rosemary olive oil bread, raisin brioche ... I can't wait!

Inter-National debut

I am so proud. Jason's first ever gig poster SOLD OUT and received more than 7,500 likes on Instagram. I wish we would have been able to attend the concert to see it in person, but alas, it was in Portugal and we weren't able to make it! They sent us 10 copies though (Jason did the artwork, but it was printed by someone else in London). I love it!

Happy camper

Ever since we moved to Evanston, we've been hearing about Camp Echo. It seems like half the kids in Evanston end up going to this camp at some point or another and they all just love it. Molly and her friend Ryan have been talking ... and talking ... and talking about going for about as long as they've been friends. So the build up has been pretty intense.

Finally, it was Molly's week to go. The night before departure, she had a complete meltdown. She was worried about the swim test. She was sad that Jason was out of town and wouldn't be there to see her off. She was just plain nervous.

I was kind of nervous too. She's never done anything like this before. Would she be responsible enough to put on her sunscreen? Would she be homesick? Would she like the food? Would she have drama with her friends?

It turns out, our fears were unfounded. Molly had a wonderful time. She made bracelets, went kayaking, bought stuff at the trading post, stayed up late every night, burned a couple of marshmallows. All the best camp things. Next year, she wants to go back for 2 weeks!

Ready to go

A duffel bag as big as the camper

About to ace the swim test - she earned the highest level swim cap

When I saw her face as she was getting off the bus, I knew she had had a good time

Reunited!