Today’s prompt is all about your favorite people. This is an easy question to answer. My favorite people to be around are my family. This includes folks who are family by blood as well as our chosen family. I’d also include my puppies in there as well even though they’re not technically “people.” Life is made rich by the people we choose to create memories with.
At the top of Mount OgdenMy Folks and I at Gulfstream Beach
Now that my kids are older, it’s weird not having two of my favorite people around all the time. I’m happy they’re doing well on their own as they should, but still miss them all the same. It is nice to be able to spend time with just my spouse after two decades of busyness. It’s almost like a second honeymoon. Although since his injury, the Mayor is now home for good. There was no sense in keeping him on the West Coast when we couldn’t play hockey.
The Fam at our ancestral church in NorwayMy Bestie and I in Boston
It’s weird having our weeknights back after more than a decade of daily hockey practice. We get to do things like make dinner, eat dinner at the table, and even watch TV. I may even bake some cookies or bread this evening. I’m dying to try my new mixer. I couldn’t bake over the weekend while we swapped out the stovetop.
We finished the transition work yesterday with the assembly of the treadmill. I say “we,” but my Hubby is the one that did the proverbial heavy lifting on both projects. While he worked on the treadmill, I worked on cleaning up the kitchen and making sure all the marble and sawdust were gone. Additionally, I’m still in the process of decluttering the space, so it was a productive day. I didn’t bake anything this weekend as I’m told injecting marble dust isn’t good for you.
We also made an appearance a the rink as the Mayor’s team had a tournament locally. While he doesn’t have to travel with them for away games, we felt that his absence at local games was unacceptable. After all, you’re part of a team, you need to be there for them. It doesn’t matter if it’s your career or if you’re an amateur, you support the steam. does suck to have to watch from the sidelines and not be able to help the team. As for me, it was nice to get out of the house and see some hockey folks.
Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you.
I love my On Cloud running shoes! They’ve been with me to Boston, Minneapolis, Canada, and have even hiked the Mighty Five. I got my first pair of On Cloud sneakers from a friend who didn’t like the way they fit. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I liked them at first either. Until I started running in them regularly and stopped having pain in my knees and ankles. I love these shoes!
It’s transition time over as we switch out our stove top, our treadmill, and our KitchenAid Mixer. We’ve had the KitchenAid mixer since we got married in 2001. We bought the treadmill in 2005 after moving to Florida and leaving the elliptical behind. Lastly, the stovetop is original to the house and was installed in 2006. It’s hard to believe that the stovetop is the same age as the Mayor and everything else is older than him. The stovetop is the last of one standing out of the original appliances that came with the house.
This morning the Hubby took the old treadmill to the dump and removed the old stovetop. While he worked on expanding the opening for the new stovetop, I vacuumed and shampooed the carpet where the old treadmill was and where we’ll set up the treadmill. I bought a mat to place the treadmill on this time, so it won’t jack up the carpet too badly. Once the carpet has dried, I’ll set up the mat. Tomorrow we’ll set up the new treadmill, which I am so excited to try!
I was going to bake today, but the amount of marble dust in the air isn’t conducive to baking. It’s truly radiating all over the kitchen and family room. I will be able to bake up some loaves tomorrow once it clears out enough.” Instead, I’m cleaning, feeding the birds enjoying their plumage, and watching seasons two and three of Loudermilk. The Hubby is finishing up the installation of the new stovetop. I can’t wait for it to be ready for use!!!
Write about your approach to budgeting.
I used to use a software program but decided paying for a license wasn’t worth it. Now I use an excel document to plan my budget and track my expenses. It’s not the most sophisticated method, but it works. And now back to transition time.
After twenty years of faithful service, I upgraded my KitchenAid Mixer. It has served me well over the past two decades, but it’s time to move on to something bigger and stronger. We bake a lot and in larger batches, so it became obvious the classic-sized mixer wasn’t big enough to handle our regular baking anymore. After all, I bake several loaves of bread a weekend. Moreover, when we bake cookies, we usually make a double batch.
Consequently, I upgraded to Kitchenaid’s 7-quart stand mixer. The bowl is huge! Especially when compared to the bowl of its predecessor. It also has a stronger engine and more speed. One thing that will take some getting used to is that this is a lift stand mixer and not a tilt-head model like our old one. It will take some getting used to after twenty-plus years of using a tilt-stand mixer. I will say that a stand mixer is a must-have for any kitchen. It allows you to attack your baking with maximum efficiency. We use our mixer several times a week. It will make your baking and cooking life so much easier. I love my mixer!
As for our old mixer, we’re refurbishing it so it can go to a good home. KitchenAid mixers may be expensive, but we’re going to squeeze every last dollar out of each of ours. I’m excited about being able to pass it down. Some of my favorite baking tools my Grandma or mother passed down to me. The beautiful thing about baking and cooking is that it keeps us connected to our past and loved ones that are no longer with us. I will return in a few weeks with a review of the new mixer.
Have you ever unintentionally broken the law?
I broke the law at my most recent hair appointment where I may or may not have fallen asleep under the hair dryer. Unbeknownst to me, the simple act of falling asleep in that chair is illegal in Florida. This is one of the foremost issues Florida’s government wants to solve. Never mind the spiraling costs of homeowners and auto insurance.
The Mayor is feeling a bit discouraged this Valentine’s Day, due to some disappointing news from his hand surgeon. We had hoped he’d be able to play at the state tournament, but she put an end to our hopes today. Unfortunately, even though the pins are being removed in two weeks, there hasn’t been enough healing and regrowth of the bone for him to safely play the tournament. Realistically, we’re looking at a return to the ice well into the spring. Naturally, he’s pretty upset as he had hoped to play with his team.
He assuaged his disappointment, however with some sweet treats and a Publix sub for lunch. Originally, he asked to go to Publix for a gift bag. Curiously, he came back with a gift bag, some sodas, a pub sub, and some candy. Do you think he shared any goodies with me and the puppies? Not. He did, however, offer to pick me up some Starbucks this afternoon. Despite the lack of quality sleep lately, I may take him up on the offer since it doesn’t seem to matter anyway. We’re all a bit discouraged around here today. I do have a new treadmill and stand mixer coming today, which is pretty exciting.
If there was a biography about you, what would the title be?
If there was a biography about me it would be: “Hot Mess Express, lessons in perseverance.” I don’t think the title needs much explanation.
Is there anything more aggravating than health insurance? I don’t think so. Today’s aggravation with Cigna comes from them doubling the price of my Synthroid on top of doubling my premiums. Of course, the generic is free, but unlike most drugs, Synthroid and its generic partners are not the same. Unlike other drugs, where generic may be just fine, doctors recommend you stick with what you start with. To change later would be disruptive due to differences between the drugs. This does work both ways, so if you start with the generic, you stay with the generic.
Cigna has been on my shit list for a while now. Firstly, I can no longer use the pharmacy I’ve used for 18 years. I guess they don’t want me using a pharmacy that has a majority stake in Aetna. Moreover, they’re refusing to pay for Hubby’s MRI because apparently, they know more about knee injuries than his orthopedic surgery. I guess they’d rather the surgeon root around in the operating room figuring out the scope of damage instead of the surgeon knowing and planning for it ahead of time. It’s an utter crock of shit.
What I’d like to say to Cigna
It’s aggravating because who has the time to fight with their insurance company? I’m grateful that my hubby’s injury isn’t emergent. At this point, we’d be better off playing roulette at the casino to cover our medicine bills than trusting Cigna to do the right thing by my family. After all, I’m on the hook for both the Mayor’s surgery and the Hubby’s. To be fair, I don’t think an insurer that faithfully covers their clients’ medical bills exists in this galaxy. If you find one, it’s like finding the Holy Grail. Anyway, I guess my overarching point is that Doctors should be dictating standards of care, not insurance companies and large hospital systems.
What were your parents doing at your age?
At my age, my parents were working their butts off, so my brothers and I could go to college. Their hard work and dedication to us allowed each of us to be successful. Now, I’m attempting to do the same thing with my boys. Also, when they were my age I used to make fun of them for going to bed early. Now here I am in bed by 9:00 pm every night. I guess we do eventually become just like our parents, which is just fine in my book because my folks are amazing.
The day after the Super Bowl should be a national holiday. After all, it’s estimated that over 16.1 million Americans will call out sick today with the Super Bowl Flu. Although I only made it past Usher’s performance before heading to bed, I fully support another Monday off work. We work way too much in this country instead we should focus on things that matter like our family, puppies, and baking.
Speaking of baking, I made two more loaves of sourdough French bread. They turned out amazing and are currently residing in my new breadbox. I also made chocolate star sourdough bread, which tasted much better than it looked. Honestly, I’m not sure what happened, but instead of looking like a star, it looks like a mutant octopus. Oh well, it just means that I’ll have to try again. Next time I’ll ask for the intercession of Saint Elizabeth the patron saint of baking. Now if today were a holiday, I could have tried again today. But no, here I am at work like schmuck.
I did make some potato crisps and spinach puffs for the big game, which we enjoyed with some brisket the hubby made. As for commercials, my favorite was the Dunkin’ Donuts ad with JLo, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Tom Brady. I did enjoy Usher’s halftime performance, especially the closing number. However, why can’t they get the sound right for the halftime performers? Year after year the audio sucks, which detracts from the whole experience.
If you had the power to change one law, what would it be and why?
If I had the power to change one law, it would be to suspend parking fines for elephants here in Florida. I thought I would pick something silly. Otherwise, there are so many stupid laws on the books that I’d be here all day.
Getting started with sourdough can be quite intimidating. As I shared a few posts ago, I started my sourdough journey at the start of the year. To get started there are a few things you should buy or ensure you have on hand. I did include them in my prior post, but so you don’t have to toggle between the posts. Fortunately, you may have a lot of these items on hand.
What you need:
Sourdough Starter Jar Kit that includes two starter jars, recipes, jar labels, a starter guide, and a marker
Banneton Bread Proofing Basket which comes with: an oval proofing basket, bread-making tool supplies including scoring lame, metal and plastic scrapers, basket liner, and cleaning brush
After you get your goodies, the first step in getting your sourdough started is starting your starter. There are a lot of different recipes for sourdough starters, which can make it overwhelming. For my starters, I used the guides that came with my kits.
Sourdough Starter recipe:
What you’ll need: flour, water, starter jars and kitchen scale
Day 1: add 50g of water to the jar followed by 50g of flour. Mix with a spatula until you obtain a creamy texture. Mark the feeding level before covering it with a towel and placing it in a warm place without drafts. Come up with a fun name for your starters. Mine are Dough Pesci and Marlon Brandough.
Day 2: repeat day one steps (try to feed your starter at the same time daily.)
Day 3: you should start to see some signs of activity now, like bubbles on the surface or an increase in volume. Discard 1/2 of the volume and repeat the steps from day 1.
Day 4-7: discard 1/2 of the volume of the starter before repeating the steps from day 1. You should see an uptick in activity with larger bubbles and a slightly acidic aroma.
Day 7: it may be ready to use. I was able to make bread at 7 days with mine, but the bread got better as the starter aged.
If you bake often, like me, keep feeding it daily. Remember the most important part of feeding is to discard at least 1/2 of the starter. If you don’t discard it, there won’t be enough to keep the starter fed and it will die out. To keep up with my baking needs, I feed it about 100 grams of flour and 90 grams daily and have moved it into bigger jars.
If you’re not going to bake immediately, you can put the starter in the fridge and feed it bi-weekly. I’ve noticed that most sourdough recipes include instructions for dealing with starters coming from the fridge.
I live in South Florida, so there is plenty of moisture in the house. Keep in mind if you live in a drier climate, the amount of flour and water you need may be different. Play around with it a bit to find what works for your kitchen. I chose this starter recipe because it was pretty pedestrian, which I needed. I didn’t want an overcomplicated recipe that I may screw up. In the end, my starters flourished, so I guess I was worried for no reason.
Meet Dough Pesci and Marlon Brandough
A couple of closing notes on the starter:
Discard into the trash or set aside the discard for use in recipes. There are a lot of great recipes out there that use discard.
Be careful if you have pets, as the discard will ill your dogs or cats.
Don’t discard the discard into the sink as it can muck up your plumbing.
What’s your favorite candy?
My favorite candy is chocolate. I love it and could eat it all day every day. If only eating it like that wouldn’t make me both severely obese and diabetic. I am a chocolate snob and have Norwegian milk chocolate Freia delivered monthly. Everyone my kids ask where they are, I’m a bit cagey with them. While I am happy having a piece or two a day, they’ll kill all of the bars in a day or two. I’m also a big fan of Milka and Cote D’Or chocolate bars. Also, I’d never say no to Leonidas or Neuhaus chocolates.
The daily grind is wearing me down today. Maybe it’s the special kind of stupid people I’ve been dealing with today or perhaps a lack of sleep, but I’m tired of the grind. At this point, I’d like a nice vacation to an island or national park far from civilization. Most days the people I talk to at work are amazing. I’ve made at least three new best friends already this week. Today they’re just demanding and rude, they’re not nice people.
I work out during my lunch break, which is always a good way to reset my energy. Today’s workout was an ass-kicking treadmill workout from Sherica on Apple Fitness +. Since I just got back to running Sunday after a few weeks off, the runs have been tough this week. Thankfully, I saw a huge improvement today versus the runs on Sunday and Monday. Hopefully, the upward trend will continue when I run again on Friday.
Now I have both puppies chilling with me as I finish my work day. I’m hoping my afternoon goes better than my morning. To be more specific, I hope I’m down for the day with the token transfers. Fortunately, my dogs are here to help me survive the afternoon. I’ve also been looking through my Utah trip pictures, which always makes me happy. One of the words of the day is staghorn, so I thought I’d probably write about Zion. This was, of course, until I realized that stag horn is a type of fern, not a sheep. Doh!
Bighorn sheep with not a staghorn in sight
Do you need a break? From what?
Yes, from people. I don’t know what is in the water today or if the moon is full, but people have been exceptionally special today. And they’re not special in a good way. They’re special in the worst way.
In today’s edition of First World Problems, I present to you my Roomba I3+ EVO and Braava wet jet combo. I upgraded my Roomba after Lord Vader died an unceremonious death after driving through a large puddle the Piggie had left on the floor. This combo represented a big upgrade from my original duo: the Roomba 960 vacuum and the Braava jet 200 mop. Well, at least it was supposed to be an upgrade.
Lord Vader was not a self-emptying Roomba, but he was reliable. You put him on the charger, he charged and at the appointed time he vacuumed. With my new combo Pinky and The Brain, it’s not so simple—neither of the new combo charges with any reliability. I have to double-check that they’re on the charger properly and charging. Sometimes Pinky goes to the dock and its brushes keep spinning making a mess of the docking station.
Perhaps they should ponder cleaning my floors
Now poor Brain can’t seem to find its way off the docking station. Recently, whenever I’ve gone to start the Brain, it says it’s stuck on a cliff and can’t move. If only Pinky was a little more fearless, he would overcome that cliff. This defeats the purpose of having a vacuum and mop that can run daily simultaneously. I could go on and on about this subject, but I won’t bore you with my First World Problems.
The most important invention in your lifetime is…
Oh boy, this is not an easy one. There have been so many things invented in my life that it is hard to nail down. I think I’d have to go with the internet. For better or worse, it has put information at our fingertips and let us become connected to people around the globe.
