Tennis Ball Cake

We have an amazing cake decorator at the shop, but sometimes 

she isn't available to do a cake, due to her incredibly busy schedule.  

When we received a request for a Tennis Ball cake, she encouraged me to try it on my own ... and this was the end result.  

Considering my decorating skills are still pretty basic, it turned out OK 

and I'm super happy to report that the customer was thrilled!

No-Knead Crusty Artisan Bread

I've thought long and hard about what the first official recipe should be for this blog and given that I'm a baker/chef-wanna-be,
with aspirations of a full-service bakery one day,
I decided it needed to be baked (rather than cooked).
And, something we make a lot of in our little shop is bread. 

Bread for sandwiches, bread for Panini's, bread for soup,
croutons & bread crumbs ... if it's bread, we're trying to make it.

Fresh bread can take an ordinary turkey sandwich
and make it extraordinary! 
 We are all about delicious and SIMPLE.
And, simple is key in an operation as small as ours. 

We found our regular sandwich bread made pretty bland Panini's
and we needed something easy and flavorful.
So we searched the internet and came up with 

No-Knead, Crusty, Artisan Bread 

... with a tinge of sourdough flavor.  

You'll need anywhere from 5-24 hours for this bread, from start to finish.  The longer you let it sit, the stronger the 'sourdough' flavor will be.  If you're not much of a sourdough fan, then 5 hours is perfectly sufficient. 

We start out like this:

And we end up like this:

This is truly the easiest bread in the world.

First, gather your 4 ingredients ... yes only FOUR ingredients:

1.5 Cups tepid/lukewarm water

1/2 Tablespoon Salt (I prefer Kosher)

1 1/2 teaspoons of Yeast (1 packet)

3 Cups All-purpose Flour

This recipe doubles very nicely, if you'd like to make two loaves at once.

Now you're going to toss it all in your favorite mixing bowl
and give it a good, old fashioned, by-hand mixing.

After all the ingredients are incorporated and you've scraped down the sides, you are left with a ball of thick, pasty, floury goo ... either cover it with plastic wrap or put a lid on it (only securing 3 of the 4 sides - it needs some breathing room) and then let it sit.  

All day.  

All night.  

As long as you're happy with.  

5 hours.  

20 hours.  

It's good.  

When you're ready, pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees.  If you have a lovely, heavy, enamaled Dutch Oven, you can use it instead,
but if you're cheap like me or your dutch oven is otherwise occupied,
you can just put a huge pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven,
so it properly steams the dough and makes a wonderful, crusty outer layer.

Give a quick mix to your doughy mess and
plop it onto a lightly floured surface. Roll it into a ball shape.

Lay your dough ball out on a parchment lined baking sheet.
For added fun, you can dust your parchment with cornmeal.

Let sit for 30 minutes.

Slice the top with a sharp knife in a criss-cross to let the steam escape.
Slicing is actually optional - if you don't, it will split on its own
and create its own lovely design.

Place in the preheated, steamy oven (be careful) and cook for 35 minutes.
Remove from oven, place on a cooling rack and slice when ready.

Voila!

Pretty darn incredible, huh?
Look at all those lovely holes to catch all the butter!

I'll Have What She's Having

So many times in life we forgo the simple pleasures ... 

this is a reminder to always eat dessert!

Don’t Miss Out

I have a new delightful friend,

I'm almost in awe of her;

When we first met I was impressed,

By her bizarre behavior.

That day I had a date with friends,

We met to have some lunch;

Mae had come along with them,

All in all ... a pleasant bunch.

When the menus were presented,

We ordered salads, sandwiches, and soups;

Except for Mae who circumvented,

And said, "Ice-cream, please. Two scoops."

I was not sure my ears heard right,

And the others were aghast;

"Along with heated apple pie,"

Mae smiled, completely unabashed.

We tried to act quite nonchalant,

As if people did this all the time;

But when our orders were brought out,

I did not enjoy mine.

I could not take my eyes off Mae,

As her pie ala-mode went down;

The other ladies showed dismay,

They ate their lunches, and they frowned.

Well, the next time I went out to eat,

I called and invited Mae;

My lunch contained white tuna meat,

She ordered a parfait.
I smiled when her dish I viewed,

She asked if she amused me;

I answered, "Yes, you do,

And you also do confuse me."

"How come you order rich desserts

When I feel I must be sensible?"

She laughed and said, with wanton mirth,

"I am tasting all that's possible."

"I try to eat the food I need,

And do the things I should;

But life's so short, my friend, indeed,

I hate missing out on something good."

"This year I realized I was old,"

She grinned, "I've not been this old before;

So, before I die, I've got to try,

Those things for years I have ignored.

"I've not smelled all the flowers yet,

And too many books I have not read;

There's more fudge sundaes to woof down,

And kites to be flown overhead."

"There's many malls I have not shopped,

I've not laughed at all the jokes;

I've missed a lot of Broadway Hits,

And potato chips and cokes."

"I want to wade again in water,

And feel ocean spray upon my face;

Sit in a country church once more,

And thank God for His grace."

"I want peanut butter every day,

Spread on my morning toast;

I want un-timed long-distance calls,

To the folks I love the most."

"I've not cried at all the movies yet,

Nor walked in the morning rain;

I need to feel wind in my hair,

I want to fall in love again."

"So, if I choose to have dessert,

Instead of having dinner;

If I should die before nightfall,

You'd have to say I died a winner."

"That I missed out on nothing,

That I had my heart's desire;

That I had that final chocolate mousse,

Before my life expired."

With that, I called the waitress over,

"I've changed my mind, it seems;"

I said, "I want what she is having,

Only add some more whipped-cream!"