Lunar Eclipse

Did you stay up to see the eclipse the other night? Yeah, I realise that it was late and on a work night, but my daughter and I did. It was amazing! The night sky clear, and the moon was so bright it didn't look real ~~ a real gem in the sapphire velvet sky! The full eclipse was a dark and ominous red, glowing and surreal. We fell asleep at about 4:00am, as the first slivers of the light began to reappear. But it was a successful viewing all in all. And more importantly, I got to be there for my daughter's first eclipse. I will not have many more chances to be there for her firsts, and I am feeling a little sad because of it. But she is growing up, and that is to be expected...

Hey, we did learn a lot while we were up late, though. They play some really informative stuff late night, and we learned about natural ways to kill fleas (vacuum the carpet every day, and use salt on the carpets during the intervals), and that pasta water is a good plant food. Hey, it was worth it to only get 5 hours of sleep that night, but I am paying for it now!

Something New to Try

I thought you might like another favorite to try. This recipe is an adaptation of one originally appearing in Sunset magazine. It is my absolute favorite bread, chewy and hearty. It takes a little longer to make, but it’s definitely worth the effort! The long rising time makes the garlic sweet and mellow.

Biga Bread with Garlic

¾ teaspoon active dry yeast
1 Cup cool tap water
1 teasp sugar or honey
¼ Cup Biga (recipe follows)
2 Tblsp milk
1 Tblsp finely chopped garlic (or rosemary)
¾ teasp regular salt (optional, I omit it)
3 – 3 1/4 Cups flour
½ teasp coarse salt

In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over water and sugar or honey, let yeast dissolve. Add biga, milk, garlic, regular salt, and 2 Cups of flour. Mix well, and then knead in ¾ Cup more flour to create slightly sticky dough. Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours until doubled.

Punch down dough and knead briefly. On a floured board, shape dough into a smooth ball. Place on a well floured baking sheet. Cover with plastic and let rise again about an hour, or until springy when lightly touched.

At least 30 minutes before baking, place baking stone or a large baking sheet in the oven and heat oven to 400 degrees. With a sharp knife or razor slash top of dough, sprinkle cut with coarse salt. Mist the dough and walls of oven with spray bottle filled with water. Slide dough onto hot stone or baking pan, bake for about 35 minutes, or until bread is deep golden brown. Cool on rack.

Biga:
¼ teasp yeast
½ Cup cool water
1 Cup flour

Sprinkle yeast over water, let dissolve. Add flour, mix well. Cover and chill 24 hours before using. Can be stored in the fridge up to 2 weeks. Makes 1 cup.