le blog

I have been searching high and low for inexpensive pink and lavender dish towels and came to the conclusion that such a thing does not exist. So I decided to remedy this by purchasing plain white flour-sack towels and dying them myself. I did not want to use harsh dyes and looked to a more natural method - tea staining.  begin with inexpensive 100% cotton flour-sack towels When you think about tea staining, shades of brown and tan most likely come to mind. That is your traditional tea staining approach that uses some form of black tea, like Orange Pekoe. I decided to take a non-traditional approach and use an herbal blend to capture pink hues. It was (mostly) a success. What You Will Need: 100% cotton flour-sack towels (I bought a 12 pack) you may wash them ahead of time, but do not use fabric softener on them as it interferes with the staining process 1 box of Tazo Passion Tea distilled white vinegar latex gloves (optional, but recommended) Process: Step 1:...

One of the positives about being home full time is that I have more opportunities to bake. For the past four weeks, I have baked fresh bread each Wednesday. And while there is definitely a learning curve involved, there is also something incredibly therapeutic about the process.  I love that the dough forces me to be patient and wait for it. It gives me great pleasure to watch it double in size, and sheer delight to deflate it so it can rise again. I can be gentle when I turn it out onto my floured countertop, or more aggressive when I cut, knead, and slap the dough. I can be creative when I shape the loaf...I can turn it into a boule, a loaf, a baguette, a bâtard, some rolls - why, I can even braid it! (still working on the braid...last week's braid looked more like a blob!) The possibilities are limitless. And even if you mess up and it is ugly, you still get to eat it and it will (most likely) still taste yummy. This week's rosemary olive bread was my most succes...