Gotta get all of Chapter Six done in my Basic Tax Preparation text. I aced the second quiz yesterday (that's TWO 100%! Woo-hoo!), but the mid-term is next Wednesday, so I want to get it all done NOW. That way, on Tuesday of next week, I can concentrate on studying for it.
Oh, and pay no attention to that glass of wine. It's from last weekend. Honest! ;-)
Yep, a smallish (for me) pile of laundry, and I may actually get this folded and put away today. That does depend on whether Pixel will insist on keeping her spot in the warm-snugglies - which she often does by simply being too cute and adorable for me to disturb!
And then there's those heavy grates from the KitchenAid cooktop. They're wonderful, but kind of a pain to clean because of their size and weight. They don't really fit in the dishwasher, and they don't really fit in the sink, so I can never give them a really long, sudsy soak to get all the grime off. Fortunately, their "cure" (they're cast-iron, I think) is very good, and nasty scrubbing is pretty much not needed. The "floor" of the cooktop really needed a good cleaning, too, but now it's all sparkly - and ready to get dirty again!
Here's the first batch (although, I ought to say "first TWO batches") of bread, just starting its second rise. I was feeling quite ambitious today, and so I started the sponge stage for these four loaves at about 730am, right before I took the Munchkin to school. It's now about 1pm, so in a little while I'll shape them and put them into loaf pans, let them rise a third time, and then pop them in the oven. They ought to be done at around 3pm-ish.
(OOPSIE UPDATE: I say "first TWO batches," because I do two two-loaf batches at a time from the recipe I have. I'm using The Bread Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum, and think it's a GREAT resource! The recipe is for the "basic white sandwich bread," and she describes it as "the bread that WonderBread wishes it was." I replace about 1/4 of the white, all-purpose four with whole wheat, and it still comes out absolutely soft and delicious!).
I told you I was feeling ambitious: this is the second batch - another four loaves! Right now, it's in the "sponge" stage, which means I've taken part of the flour and yeast, and mixed them with the honey and the water in the recipe. They get a good rise started, which adds yumminess and texture to the bread. Since space and bowls are at a bit of a premium at the moment, I just put in the rest of the flour and yeast along with the salt, powdered milk, and butter right on top. The sponge underneath will actually bubble up through the dry layer as that yeast really gets cranking. I'll probably start kneading it at around 230pm, which means I'll be pulling another four loaves of freshly baked bread out of the oven at about 7pm tonight.
And, if I may, the aroma of fresh bread permeating the house definitely balances out the irritation of cleaning, laundry, and homework!
Hey! I also got Bible study done, AND wrote a pretty good post this morning (if I may say so), too! I guess this goes down as a very productive day *grinz!*
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