Baking Bread - Sheltering at Home

My first loaf of bread - made in Oakland.

This is the first loaf of bread I've ever made from scratch. It took me 24 hours to let the dough rise. Normally I wouldn't have the time to venture into baking bread, which I find intimidating. But with time at home I was able to take the baking leap. It is a rustic wholewheat loaf that tasted great with butter and then I used the remainder to make french toast and bread pudding. 

Ida's loaf made in Maryland.

I shared the photo with my family in Maryland and my 8 year-old niece was inspired to use the same recipe (Mark Bittman No Knead Bread) to make her white flour loaf featured in the second photo.

Peeple's Place

My mom, brother and friend Nancy all emailed me about the new Peeps store in Maryland. Clearly, I have a reputation amongst the Peeple. I love peeps, but please don't buy me any as it is an addiction I can't control. The crunchy, sugary, slightly bitter taste with mushy center fills me with joy. I can eat an entire package in about 1 minute.

I so want to ride in the peep-mobile.

Here is a link to the New York Times article and video about Peeps store.

Knit and Stitch

I have become a bit of a celebrity at Knit and Stitch in Bethesda, Maryland. The women in the store loved my crackberry cozy and then they insisted that I show them the felt skirt on my blog. They love it. So cool that they are supportive of my craftwork!

Cooking for a Crowd

Last night was I cooked up a thank you/good bye dinner for my DC hosts before moving on to San Francisco. As I mentioned in the previous post Meals Make Memories the menu was inspired by meals I had in the past two months after returning to the States from London.

Guests:
My sister and brother-in-law Marlene and Mandeep
My brother Matthew and his fiancee Rachel
Rachel's Mom Ann
Matt and Rachel's roommate Tyeliah and her friend Jody
Downstairs neighbor Richard

Here's what I served and the locations with links to posts on my blog which they commemorated

Jerk salmon, catfish, prawns and portobello mushrooms - Jamaica
Spoon corn bread - Maryland
Asian coleslaw - Teaism influenced
Steamed baby artichokes - Virginia
Strawberries with fresh maple/vanilla whipped cream - Virginia & Maine

Marlene also brought mouth-watering pastries that we shared.

What a meal!