Bread and Yeastophobia

I have a confession to make. I used to have a serious fear of yeast. Terrified. I was a big scaredycat and avoided baking anything requiring yeast for years. No breads. No pretzels. No cinnamon rolls. No way. Nooooooo. Way. Why go through all that trouble? There's all kinds of steps involved.. there's proofing... rising.. bubbling.. festering.. living.. breathing... all kinds of junk.
My change of heart about yeast came about 6 years ago.
In 2007 my husband and I moved to Raleigh from Toronto (we lived there for 3 1/2 years before we got here). Before then we were in Montreal but you've heard this before. When we got to Raleigh I remember one Sunday as I was making a sauce (we say sauce in my family... not gravy. because that's just crazy.) I was thinking that we could really use a nice crusty loaf to go with dinner. Then I tried to figure out where the local bakery was. I couldn't find one. Sure the grocery stores had 'artisan' bread but I was looking for a really fantastic bakery like I was used to back home. Truth be told, I started linacucina because I was hungry. For real.
That's when I began making my own bread. It actually started with focaccia. I missed my red and white pizzas. I had a mission. Eventually I got the hang of it and now I bake some sort of bread at least once a week.
Don't be afraid of the yeast, gang! It's super easy and totally worth the time and effort. If not only for the way your house will smell while your creation is baking in the oven.
Whether you're kneading dough with your own two hands (that's how I do), using a mixer or a bread maker (cheater.)  - Ok.. I'm a little bit kidding about the bread maker and cheating. I've had bread done in a machine and it's really not horrible. If nothing else, it's super duper convenient. It's like the crockpot of the breadmaking world. Set it and forget it.
Whatever you decide to make and however you decide to make it, do it. Give it a try. Really. You'll love it and you'll wonder what the big deal was in the first place. Plus it'll give you major domestic diva points when you go around telling people how you bake all your own bread. *hair flip*
Breadtopia and The Fresh Loaf are some great resources for beginners. Check them out!
xo
L

Rustic Loaf

 



 

 

Challah

 

 

 

Red & White Focaccia

 

 

Croissants

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting Married and Hating Cake

It makes me a little bit sad to think about it, but there are actually folks out there who hate cake. Can you believe it?! It's like the people who hate chocolate. Or ponies. How does that even happen? It happens. And it's ok. I promise I won't take it personally.
More often than you'd think, I get a call from a couple wanting to know about my wedding cakes and almost in the same breath they'll tell me that they don't actually like cake, but they need one because they're getting married. Why? Who says?
I did a little digging about where all this cake business comes from. What's the symbolism? WELL... according to Wiki, back in the day the Romans (...and we all know how the Romans can get..) used unsweetened barley bread. The groom would break a piece of bread in half over the bride's head (really? crumbs in the hair? are we happy about this?) symbolizing "breaking of the bride's virginal state and the subsequent dominance of the groom over her". ....oh laaaawd. First of all I was barely able to type this because I was giving the side eye to that dominant Roman.
Later on, the barley bread (yum?) was replaced by white wedding cakes which, again, symbolized the bride's purity.
In 2013, are we still thinking the cake is symbolic? Notsomuch. These days the cake is not much more than 1. a showpiece and 2. a dessert.
If you're looking for a showpiece and a dessert, cake is not your only option. I know I've said this often, but it's your day and you should do what you want. If you don't like cake... and if your family knows you don't like cake.. why on earth would you want a cake at your wedding? Do something else. I'm doing more and more weddings where couples are opting for cobbler, or an assortment of pies or pastries. I've even had some do cookies. I've even had some not do anything sweet at all! I've done focaccia, cheese and fruit tables.
There are so many options available for all you Cakey Go-Hately's out there. Don't be afraid to switch it up!
xo
L

 

Pastry Selection

 

 

Focaccia

 

 

Chevre Stuffed Strawberries

Do People Really Use an Egg Slicer to slice Strawberries?

Does that happen in real life?
I recently saw a commercial on Entertainment Tonight BBC News or maybe it was an article in Cosmo The Wall Street Journal or probably Us Weekly The New England Journal Of Medicine or something... it was an ad showing how you could supposedly make your life easier by using an egg slicer to slice your strawberries. Are we doing this, you guys?  I don't think I know anyone who even owns an egg slicer to begin with . Is this task that hard?
I'm a little bit fascinated by kitchen gadgets. In general, I'm not a fan. Not because I don't think that some of them are useful. It mostly boils down to laziness. Is the time saved using this gadget worth me having to then wash this gadget and it's itty bitty parts and wires and little holes. I'm not a fan of dishes more than I'm not a fan of gadgets. 
I do own a garlic press, I won't lie. It's a really nice garlic press. I used to use it all the time.. back when I thought I needed to press garlic. I've grown since then, you guys.
Buy yourself a chef's knife. Spend a lot of money on it and get a good one because it'll really be the only thing you'll need for most tasks. A good knife will change everything. Really.
There are some gadgets which are quite useful, though, and I probably couldn't live without them. Favorite gadget? This thing.

It probably has a name, but I can't remember what it was. It's a peeler that Julienne's as I peel. I'm not fancy enough or have enough patience to julienne properly, so I use this thing.

My other favorite gadget, is this.

 

I love it because it's Bakelite and it's vintage and I collect vintage & antique kitchen stuff. It's incredibly awkward and not really efficient, so I never use it. Once in a while when I'm feeling nostalgic I'll bust it out and make some pudding with it. My mom had one when we were kids and that was my job when I was little. Now that I'm 25 (I'm not 25) I'm no better at keeping the pudding in the bowl and not all over my kitchen counter. I still love it.
What's your favorite gadget?