I'm back from Stepford. I mean, Daybreak. Seriously, what a fun weekend! I learned lots at Breathing Space about hair and makeup, interior design, sewing and, my favorite, cooking.
But before I get to that, I wanted to share with you the simple gift I made for my roommate (roommate gifts are standard at most overnight blogging events).
Since I was strapped on time, I mostly used what I had on-hand, and I was really lucky with what we had. Thursday, my man Branden baked his favorite ginger snaps. The Amish friendship bread starter Melissa gave me was ready to bake, so I made that as well.
I ran over to Target and found this cute box in the $1 section at the front of the store. It was the perfect size for the bread. I also picked up some tissue paper to line the box.
Once home it was a simple matter of arranging the baked goods and tissue paper into the box and using some ribbon I had on-hand to tie it up. I wrote the tag using a pointed pen and calligraphy ink. Not as pretty as Melissa's, but it's a good start. I can't wait for her class to launch (we're SO close!)! Janet loved the homemade goods, too.
Speaking of homemade: you guys, the Food Nanny might have changed my life. She is so smart! I love her approach to eating whole foods. Basically, plan your dinner schedule and stick to it. She has a cuisine associated with every day, so she always has some structure from which to start when making her plan.
Her recipes seem to be simple, too. She shared this fabulous French baguette recipe that only takes an hour to make. Seriously, who can't do that? I think I'm going to give her cookbook to my mom for Mother's Day with a loaf of this bread.
French Baguettes
by the Food Nanny 1 1/2 cups warm water 1 1/2 T. active dry yeast, (2 packets) 2 tsp sugar 3 1/4 cups flour 2 tsp salt melted butter In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup of the warm water, the yeast and 1 tsp of the sugar. Stir to combine and let mixture stand for about 5 minutes or until foamy. In a large mixing bowl blend the flour, salt, the remaining teaspoon of sugar and the yeast mixture. Gradually add remaining water and mix until the dough forms a smooth ball that is not too sticky to handle (if it is too sticky add a little more flour). Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead briefly until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cut the dough in half and shape the halves into baguettes. Grease a baguette pan (or a cookie sheet) and place the loaves in the pan. Score the loaves down the middle, cover with a dish towel and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and place a shallow pan of water in the bottom of the oven to create steam. Bake the baguettes for 15 minutes. If desired, brush the tops with melted butter halfway through the baking. For a softer crust, brush with butter when they have finished baking.Click here to download the printable 4x6 recipe card.
For photos of the event, check out this Flickr stream from Jenny K Photography.