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bread making in the FS

I have become a pretty good bread maker in the last few years. Bread at our last 2 posts left a lot to be desired. Enter the bread above. I use the Master boule recipe from 'Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day' The book is great but can be a little intimidating for a non baker. It is easy peasy. Really you just throw all the stuff in some tupperwear, I use a Lock & Lock container and only close up 2 sides. We almost always have some bread dough in the fridge.

I also seem to have consistent luck with making my bread in more a baguette shape. I also do not use a stone, just a regular baking sheet. And for the water you throw in? I have an old baking sheet on a bottom rack and throw it on that. If you have the dough already in the fridge it takes 40 minutes to get an awesome loaf of bread. With the same dough I have made cinnamon rolls and nann. Yum!

Good things about North American posts

So our North American posting is a little on the dull side. No ayis or amahs, no foot massages to be had, they don't even give you a head massage with your haircut - shocking! But you can sometimes score. Last week I stumbled into the sort of icky thrift store and scored the above.

A paper mache egg made in Western Germany. It was crammed into a polyester bag with some other easter do-dads, for $1.50 Score!

The quilt top it is on is one my Mom put together probably in the 80's in Africa. I bought some Kona cotton and now it sits ready for a backing and some hand quilting.

more decorating

Usually my decorating projects involve cheapness and DIY. This one does not - well, it was cheap. When we lived in China everything was cheap. We had lovely slipcovers made for all our living room furniture.

And as an added bonus we got to listen to our ayi and tailor Li Yi yell at one another in Sichuanese - all while laughing and smiling.

So sad these now live in a box in our basement.

pack out

This is what post pack out looked like when we left our last post.

Toys strewn about the floor? Chinese made soon to be going to the trash room left overs.

An exciting sign - sort of

The Wal mart parking lot in Ogdensburg NY. Who knew the Amish also like Wallyworld?