Girls Weekend

I had a quick girls getaway to Dallas with Mom and Heather in June. We wanted to go before Heather gets too close to her due date. We headed south Saturday morning and ate lunch at La Madeline before going to a cooking class at Sur la table that afternoon.

Mom making pesto

 The class was "fast and delicious on a budget". We made a citrus marinated chicken with a salad, angel hair pesto pasta with broccoli and tuna, pork chops with cider pan sauce, and farro risotto with kale and goat cheese. We had a great time at the class and shopping in the store afterward. I had never made pesto so that was fun to learn!

 After the class we went and checked out Emporium pies . Which was awesome! We got a few pieces to share but hands down we all loved the Ebony and Ivory best!

We browsed around the stores in the area of emporium pies. Its in an interesting location with several other fun restaurants and shops to check out. 

 We went to North park mall after that and then picked up a pizza at Fireside Pies and took it back to the hotel. The pizza was great and I'd totally recommend trying it out! Sunday morning we went to church and then lunch at Pappasitos, then World Market, Ikea, and then home. WHEW! We've done Dallas trips together several times, but it was fun to try to out some new places and do some new things we haven't done before. Thanks so much Mom for spoiling us with a weekend of shopping, good food, and fun times together!(And to Michael for being happy for me to go and having fun with the kids on his own while I was gone!)

February Project: Making sandwich bread

Emily and I usually cook when we are together and she has been making her own sandwich bread for the past few months. I had chosen "make sandwich bread" for my February DIY project for this year, and so it was perfect to do while on my trip.

The dough is first made into to separate parts. The mixture in this bowl is called the biga.
2 C bread flour, 1 C warm water, 1/2 t of instant or rapid rise yeast.

This mixture is called the soaker. 3 C whole wheat flour, 1/2 C wheat germ, 2 C milk. Both of these mixtures rise/sit overnight.

 

The next day you add these ingredients to a bowl with both of the mixtures: 1/4 C honey, 3 t salt, 2 t rapid rise yeast, 8 T butter. 

 

Mix together with the dough hook attachment.

Needing the bread

Flattening and shaping to roll the dough into loaves.

Dough rolled and ready to bake.

Aaaaand Boom. Done. Fresh bread.

 I must say, there is nothing quite like fresh, warm, homemade bread out of the oven topped with nutella! The bread was delicious. The recipe is for whole wheat bread from a Cook's Illustrated magazine. I loved the bread, liked knowing what all was in it, and that it was preservative free. The recipe was a bit involved with starting the night before, and you need about a 5 hour stretch that you will be home the next day to complete the steps. I didn't include all of the steps in this post. But all in all, I thought it was worth it, and hope to try it on my own next week.