I Killed It

I'm getting together with about a dozen friends tomorrow for lunch. We do this every December and have for more than 10 years. I volunteered to bring Asiago bread. So I made my usual recipe, neglecting to take the temperature of the water before kneading it. I just touched it and then dumpted it in with the flour. I proceeded to knead it. It felt kind of stiff.

Hours later, it had barely risen.

I figure that the water was too warm and I killed the yeast. So ... I started over with two new loaves, minus the Asiago, which I'd used up.  I shaped them ...

slashed them and let them raise ...

and baked them off.

Good enough. Then I decided to knead in some more yeast and water in the Asiago dough and let it raise again. It seemed to have worked. I shaped them, let them raise again, and bake them off. Well, I followed the usual directions and ... they're really dark. And the cheese on top didn't melt. :-( Looks like little marshmallows sitting there.

I gave it a taste taste test. It tastes OK. Just really crunchy. Argghhhh ....

I made this santa chef several years ago. He presided over all the bread baking today.

I'm just about finished with the Christmas decorations. Just a couple Department 56 displays to unpack and set out.

This rocking chair was my mom's when she was little

I put these greenery picks and pinecones on a washstand in the entryway and decided the pinecones looked a little blah.

So I took wome white paint and dabbed it on the pinecones to brighten them up a little.



Hanging in the upstairs hallway



Lorie Line bells

My new Garmin arrived today. Seems like such a big box for such a little box.

I put it under my little tree for now.

My friend Jeanne gave me these on Monday. Fun!! Brownie- and Whipped Frosting-flavored lip balms.

Feeling the need to get off the computer. I'll leave you with this thought:

Good night.