You can use whatever brands you want in your bread, these are just some of my favorites. I decided early in my Sourdough journey that I was going to prioritize local ingredients as much as possible. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
I use Dakota Maid Flour for all of my baking. It is milled in Grand Forks, ND, which makes it local to me. The link takes you to the North Dakota Mill website, but I buy it at Hugos or Sams Club.
All Purpose Flour–I use this to feed my starter and for baking pretty much everything except sourdough bread.
Bread Flour–Sourdough bread needs a stronger, higher protein flour.
Whole Wheat Flour–10% of the flour in my sourdough recipe is Whole Wheat Flour. This adds texture and helps add to the sour flavor during fermentation.
Rice Flour–I prefer this Thai rice flour to anything else I’ve tried. It’s texture is much finer, more like powdered sugar or cornstarch. Rice Flour is used for dusting the loaf right before you score it. It helps the scoring design stick out more.
Salt–literally any salt will do. If I’m feeling fancy, I’ll use this Diamond Crystal Kosher salt, but I usually just use the cheap Iodized Salt from the grocery store.
Preferred Inclusion ingredients:
I always use American Crystal Sugar in all of my baking. It’s grown and processed locally and I can buy it at most grocery stores. This link takes you to the factory website. They sell regular Granulated Sugar, Powdered Sugar and Brown Sugar and I use it all.
Dried blueberries–this is what I use in my Blueberry Lemon bread instead of fresh or frozen blueberries. You can also buy them at Walmart or grocery stores.
I do most of my reading on my Kindle or listen to Audiobooks. I love my Kindle Paperwhite, I’ve had at least five Kindles since I started reading e-books. I get most of my books and audiobooks from my library through the Libby app, but I sometimes use Audible for those popular books with a really long wait. Use my links to sign up for Audible, purchase a Kindle or purchase a book. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I keep track of all of my reading on Goodreads, so follow me there!
Most of my books continue to be audiobooks. I love to listen to books while I’m working out, cleaning, cooking, showering, driving and everything in between. I spent a ton of time in the car or at home by myself, which allowed for lots of listening time. From June-August, I listened to or read almost 50 books! You can see ALL of my summer reading on my Goodreads page, but here are my top summer reads.
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six comes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s Space Shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits.
Vicki’s notes: This book is my #1 pick for 2025. Who doesn’t love the 1980s, space, love and suspense? Taylor Jenkins Reed does it again:)
From the USA Today bestselling author of Nora Goes Off Script, a novel about a former adolescent TV punchline who has left her awkwardness in the rearview mirror thanks to a fake-it-till-you-make-it mantra that has her on the cusp of success, until she tells a lie that sets her on a crash-course with her past, spending a week in Long Island with the last man she thinks might make her believe in love.
Vicki’s notes: I loved this one, it just made me smile the whole time I was listening to it:)
#1 New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later.
Vicki’s notes: Another excellent novel by the author of A Man Called Ove and the Beartown series. I love his sense of humor and the way he tells stories.
Katie Vaughn has been burned by love in the past—now she may be lighting her career on fire. She has two choices: wait to get laid off from her job as a video producer or, at her coworker Cole’s request, take a career-making gig profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West.
The catch? Katie’s not exactly qualified. She can’t swim—but fakes it that she can.
Plus: Cole is Hutch’s brother. And they don’t get along. Next stop paradise!
But paradise is messier than it seems. As Katie gets entangled with Hutch (the most scientifically good looking man she has ever seen . . . but also a bit of a love hater), along with his colorful Aunt Rue and his rescue Great Dane, she gets trapped in a lie. Or two.
Swim lessons, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses ensue—along with chances to tell the truth, to face old fears, and to be truly brave at last.
Vicki’s notes: This was a fun listen after we had just been to Key West. Plus there’s a dog!
Four dissatisfied sixties-era housewives form a book club turned sisterhood that will hold fast amid the turmoil of a rapidly changing world and alter the course of each of their lives.
Vicki’s notes: I loved this novel about women discovering feminism and learning how to be strong, independent women.
Sisters Cassie and Zoe Grossberg were born just a year apart but could not have been more different. Zoe, blessed with charm and beauty, yearned for fame from the moment she could sing into a hairbrush. Cassie was a musical prodigy who never felt at home in her own skin and preferred the safety of the shadows.
Vicki’s notes: I love Jennifer Weiner and her newest did not disappoint.
It’s been ten years. In case you’re out there somewhere—in case you’re listening, I’m here. And I have so much to tell you.
It’s been nearly ten years since Gabe’s been gone when Lucy finds a tiny piece of paper in a box of his old photos. An address in Rome. Why did Gabe keep it, and what was he doing in Italy? Lucy buys a last-minute ticket. Impulsive, but Gabe always brought that out in her.
Lucy’s journey to uncover Gabe’s secret leads her to Dr. Dax Amstrong, a New Yorker in Italy working with an NGO. His broad shoulders and sad, intense eyes draw Lucy in. His touch reaches her in a forgotten place—one that no one has neared since Gabe.
But her old life awaits, along with an earth-shattering decision—whether she and Darren should tell their son Samuel the truth about his real father. How can Lucy move forward while she’s rooted in regret? Fate broke her heart in the past. Can finding new love set her free?
1. The Seven Sisters 2. The Storm Sister 3. The Shadow Sister 4. The Pearl Sister 5. The Moon Sister 6. The Sun Sister 7. The Missing Sister
Maia D’Aplièse and her five sisters gather together at their childhood home – a fabulous, secluded castle situated on the shores of Lake Geneva – having been told that their beloved adoptive father, the elusive billionaire they call Pa Salt, has died.
Each of them is handed a tantalising clue to their true heritage
Vicki’s notes: So there are actually 8 books in this series and I loved each and every one of them! Every summer I look for a reliable, available series that I can listen to back to back. Each of these 8 books were 20-25 hours long and kept my mind occupied for much of the summer. I loved hearing all about the seven sisters and their heritage and at the end, their adoptive father’s story. Highly recommended!
A teenage girl breaks free from her father’s world of isolation in this exhilarating novel of family, identity, and the power we have to shape our own destinies—from the New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Things and Watch Me Disappear
The first thing you have to understand is that my father was my entire world.
Growing up in an isolated cabin in Montana in the mid-1990s, Jane knows only the world that she and her father live the woodstove that heats their home, the vegetable garden where they try to eke out a subsistence existence, the books of nineteenth-century philosophy that her father gives her to read in lieu of going to school. Her father is elusive about their pasts, giving Jane little beyond the facts that they once lived in the Bay Area and that her mother died in a car accident, the crash propelling him to move Jane off the grid to raise her in a Thoreau-like utopia.
As Jane becomes a teenager she starts pushing against the boundaries of her restricted world. She begs to accompany her father on his occasional trips away from the cabin. But when Jane realizes that her devotion to her father has made her an accomplice to a horrific crime, she flees Montana to the only place she knows to look for answers about her mysterious past, and her mother’s San Francisco. It is a city in the midst of a seismic change, where her quest to understand herself will force her to reckon with both the possibilities and the perils of the fledgling Internet, and where she will come to question everything she values.
Vicki’s notes: I cannot imagine finding out that everything you know about yourself and your family is a lie.
Spanning twenty years and one life-altering summer in Croatia, Slanting Towards the Sea is at once an unforgettable love story and a powerful exploration of what it means to come of age in a country younger than oneself.
Ivona divorced the love of her life, Vlaho, a decade ago. They met as students at the turn of the new millennium, when democratic Croatia was alive with hope and promise. But the challenges of living in a burgeoning country extinguished Ivona’s dreams one after another—and a devastating secret forced her to set him free.
Now Vlaho is remarried and a proud father of two, while Ivona’s life has taken a downward turn. In her thirties, she has returned to her childhood home to care for her ailing father. Bewildered by life’s disappointments, she finds solace in reconnecting with Vlaho and is welcomed into his family by his spirited new wife, Marina. But when a new man enters Ivona’s life, the carefully cultivated dynamic between the three is disrupted, forcing a reckoning for all involved.
Vicki’s notes: This book was really beautifully written. It was a heartbreaking love story.
Corby Ledbetter is struggling. New fatherhood, the loss of his job, and a growing secret addiction have thrown his marriage to his beloved Emily into a tailspin. And that’s before he causes the tragedy that tears the family apart.
Sentenced to prison, Corby struggles to survive life on the inside, where he bears witness to frightful acts of brutality but also experiences small acts of kindness and elemental kinship with a prison librarian who sees his light and some of his fellow offenders, including a tender-hearted cellmate and a troubled teen desperate for a role model. Buoyed by them and by his mother’s enduring faith in him, Corby begins to transcend the boundaries of his confinement, sustained by his hope that mercy and reconciliation might still be possible. Can his crimes ever be forgiven by those he loves?
Vicki’s notes: Wally Lamb is an old favorite. She’s Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True rank among my top 25 books. His new book did not disappoint.
Set in Hollywood and Carmel-by-the-Sea, an unforgettable story of the unlikely friendship between an Oscar-nominated screenwriter and a young actress hoping to be Alfred Hitchcock’s new star — from the internationally bestselling author of The Postmistress of Paris and The Last Train to London,
1957. Isabella Giori is ten months into a standard seven-year studio contract when she auditions with Hitchcock. Just weeks later, she is sequestered by the studio’s “fixer” in a tiny Carmel cottage.
Léon Chazan, next door, is annoyed as hell when Iz interrupts his work on yet another screenplay he won’t be able to sell, because he’s been blacklisted. But soon, they’re in his roadster, speeding down the fog-shrouded Big Sur coast.
2018. Twenty-six-year-old screenwriter Gemma Chazan, in Carmel to sell her grandfather’s cottage, finds a hidden safe full of secrets—raising questions about who the screenwriter known simply as Chazan really was, and whether she can live up to his name.
In graceful prose and with an intimate understanding of human nature, Meg Waite Clayton captures the joys and frustrations of being a writer, being a woman, being a star, and being in love. Typewriter Beach is the story of two women separated by generations—a tale of ideas and ideals, passion and persistence, creativity, politics, and family.
Vicki’s notes: Old Hollywood and sexism and politics…loved it!
In this dazzling debut novel, a hidden and nearly forgotten magic—of Reforging pencils, bringing the memories they contain back to life—holds the power to transform a young woman’s relationship with her grandmother, and to mend long-lost connections across time and space.
Combining the cross-generational family saga and epistolary form of A Tale for the Time Being with the uplifting, emotional magic of The Midnight Library, Allison King’s stunning debut novel asks: who owns and inherits our stories? The answers and secrets that surface on the page may have the unerasable power to reconnect a family and restore a legacy.
Vicki’s notes: I loved the supernatural elements of this family story.
Inspired by a true literary mystery, New York Times bestselling author of the mesmerizing The Secret Book of Flora Lea returns with the sweeping story of a legendary book, a lost mother, and a daughter’s search for them both.
In 1927, eight-year-old Clara Harrington’s magical childhood shatters when her mother, renowned author, Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham, disappears off the coast of South Carolina. Bronwyn stunned the world with a book written in an invented language that became a national sensation when she was just twelve years old. Her departure leaves behind not only a devoted husband and heartbroken daughter, but also the hope of ever translating the sequel to her landmark work. As the headlines focus on the missing author, Clara yearns for something far deeper and more her beautiful mother.
Vicki’s notes: A book about a book that’s also historical fiction!
In this razor-sharp, diabolical debut thriller, a young woman steps into her deceased twin’s influencer life, only to discover dark secrets hidden behind her social media façade.
Julie Chan has nothing. Her twin sister has everything. Except a pulse.
Julie Chan, a supermarket cashier with nothing to lose, finds herself thrust into the glamorous yet perilous world of her late twin sister, Chloe VanHuusen, a popular influencer. Separated at a young age, the identical twins were polar opposites and rarely spoke, except for one viral video that Chloe initiated (Finding My Long-Lost Twin And Buying Her A House #EMOTIONAL). When Julie discovers Chloe’s lifeless body under mysterious circumstances, she seizes the chance to live the life she’s always envied.
Vicki’s notes: Fun and devious and a little evil:)
“Not all stories of adoption are stories of pain and regret. Not even most of them. Why don’t we ever get that movie?”
India Allwood grew up wanting to be an actor. Armed with a stack of index cards (for research/line memorization/make-shift confetti), she goes from awkward sixteen-year-old to Broadway ingenue to TV superhero.
Her new movie is a prestige picture about adoption, but its spin is the same old tired story of tragedy. India is an adoptive mom in real life though. She wants everyone to know there’s more to her family than pain and regret. So she does something you should never do—she tells a journalist the truth: it’s a bad movie.
Soon she’s at the center of a media storm, battling accusations from the press and the paparazzi, from protesters on the right and advocates on the left. Her twin ten-year-olds know they need help–and who better to call than family? But that’s where it gets really messy because India’s not just an adoptive mother…
The one thing she knows for sure is what makes a family isn’t blood. And it isn’t love. No matter how they’re formed, the truth about family is this: it’s complicated.
Vicki’s notes: I have been wanting the read/listen to this one forever. I loved the original twist on the abortion/adoption story.
With her celebrated humor, insight, and heart, beloved New York Times bestseller Emma Straub offers her own twist on traditional time travel tropes, and a different kind of love story.
On the eve of her 40th birthday, Alice’s life isn’t terrible. She likes her job, even if it isn’t exactly the one she expected. She’s happy with her apartment, her romantic status, her independence, and she adores her lifelong best friend. But her father is ailing, and it feels to her as if something is missing. When she wakes up the next morning she finds herself back in 1996, reliving her 16th birthday. But it isn’t just her adolescent body that shocks her, or seeing her high school crush, it’s her dad: the vital, charming, 40-something version of her father with whom she is reunited. Now armed with a new perspective on her own life and his, some past events take on new meaning. Is there anything that she would change if she could?
Vicki’s notes: I stumbled on this one by accident and loved the time travel aspects of this love story.
One summer morning, twelve-year-old Edward Adler, his beloved older brother, his parents, and 183 other passengers board a flight in Newark headed for Los Angeles. Among them is a Wall Street wunderkind, a young woman coming to terms with an unexpected pregnancy, an injured vet returning from Afghanistan, a septuagenarian business tycoon, and a free-spirited woman running away from her controlling husband. And then, tragically, the plane crashes. Edward is the sole survivor.
Vicki’s notes: This one was heartbreaking, but ultimately healing and beautiful.
Audiobook, ★★★★
Please let me know what you’ve been reading, I’m always looking for my next great book!
As a sourdough baker who sells my bread and goodies, I’m always looking for new, delicious recipes. Bonus points if the recipe uses a lot of discard (unused, flat sourdough starter). Extra bonus points if the recipe is so good you can’t stop making it and put it on your menu almost immediately.
These scones definitely get bonus points and extra bonus points. They are sweet, crunchy, soft, buttery and delicious.
Because scones are like biscuits and call for grated butter, they can be time consuming to make. While I was experimenting with this recipe, I discovered how easy it is to use my food processor to grate my butter. I add cubed butter to the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder and pulse 8-10 times until the big pieces are gone. What a time saver!
If you don’t like white chocolate chips and/or craisins, feel free to substitute them with nuts, other dried fruit or chocolate chips. If it sounds good to you, it probably is! Don’t skip out on the Maple Butter Glaze, though, it really makes the recipe. You can also add a drizzle of melted white chocolate if you like!
Shaping scones can be tricky. I bought a couple of these silicone scone pans and use a food scale so all of my scones can be the exact same shape and size. If you don’t have these pans, shape the dough into disc about 1 inch thick. Cut into 8 even wedges and place on a cookie sheet. Alternately, you can just use a cookie scoop or roll the dough into circles. Do whatever works for you! Even if they turn out ugly, they’ll still be delicious!
To get the full benefits of long-fermented sourdough, the dough should rest in the fridge for 12-48 hours before shaping and baking. If you don’t want to wait, that’s fine, they’ll still be delicious without the full sourdough benefits. You can also shape the scones (with or without resting in the fridge) then freeze for baking later.
To bake after freezing, there is no need to thaw the scones. Place the frozen dough on a cookie sheet, brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, then follow baking directions.
Maple Glazed Cranberry White Chocolate Sourdough Discard Scones
Makes 8 Scones
1 1/2 cups (188 grams )All-Purpose Flour 4 T. Sugar 1 T. Baking powder 1/2 t. salt 5 T. cubed cold butter 1 c. (225 grams) sourdough discard 1/2 c. (119 ml) heavy whipping cream (plus extra for brushing) 100 g. white chocolate chips (plus extra for drizzle, optional) 80 g. craisins 1 T. sugar (I use Sugar in the Raw) 1 T. cinnamon
Maple Butter Glaze
2 T. Butter, melted 1/4 c. maple syrup 1/3 c. (40 g.) powdered sugar 1 t. vanilla pinch sea salt
Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and butter in the food processor. Pulse 8-10 times until there are no big chunks of butter.
Dump flour mixture into a large bowl.
Add sourdough discard, heavy cream, white chocolate chips and craisins.
Mix with a large spatula or hands just until combined.
Cover and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. (Can skip this step and bake right away, but the scones won’t be long fermented.).
Preheat oven to 425º.
Shape into 8 equal portions (see above for methods). You could easily freeze after shaping and bake later.
Brush the scones with heavy cream.
Mix together cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle on top of scones.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until they start to brown.
Remove to cooling rack.
Mix together glaze ingredients.
Once the scones are cool, drizzle them with the glaze.
Allow the glaze to dry, then drizzle with melted white chocolate, if desired.
Enjoy your fresh scones with a cup of coffee and hide the leftovers from your kids!
I have been wanting to get a nice computer for personal use for years and I finally did it. I’m so happy with my choice and for only $800, it feels very affordable for an Apple.
I have been using this eyeliner for years and it is so hard to find in the stores. The only place I can ever find it is Amazon. I love that it’s a little sparkly and easy to smudge and doesn’t overwhelm my fair coloring.
This charger is amazing! It has all the cords I need and you don’t need a separate cord to plug it in. So handy for travel or when you don’t want to bring all of your cords.
I have been perfecting my Sourdough Bread recipe since the beginning of 2024, though I made my starter in 2020. I started doing sourdough during the covid lockdown in the spring of 2020. I made my own starter, which I jokingly call my Covid baby. Up until 2024, I kept my starter in the fridge and only fed it once every two weeks. I would sometimes use the starter for discard recipes, but never really tried to make true sourdough. One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2024 was to make more of my own baked goods. I wanted to stop buying bread, buns, baked goods and maybe pasta. The first thing I had to do was master the basic sourdough recipe. After a lot of trial and error, this recipe is what I use for most of my loaves.
For one loaf of Sourdough Bread, you will need:
300 g cold water (we have well water, so I use it from the tap)
50-100g bubbly sourdough starter (usually fed within 12 hours)
50 g whole wheat flour (I use Dakota Maid, which is grown and milled locally.)
450 g bread flour (I use Dakota Maid, which is grown and milled locally.)
10 g salt (I just use iodized salt, but a lot of people like Kosher salt or Pink Himalayan Salt)
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix by hand or with a mixer until just blended. Do not over mix! Cover and let sit 30 minutes at room temperature. For the next 2 hours, perform 4 sets of stretch and folds every 30 minutes. After you’ve done that 4 times, cover and let sit until doubled and puffy. Depending on the room temperature, the time from the first mix to fully proofed is about 12 hours. I do a lot of mixing up the bread after work, then proofing overnight. Shape the loaves then place in a tea towel lined bowl and cover with the towel. Place in the fridge for 6-48 hours. When you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 450º with Dutch oven inside for 30 minutes. Turn dough out onto parchment, dust with rice flour and score as desired. Place dough into hot dutch oven. Bake loaf for 35 minutes covered then uncover and bake for 5-20 more minutes until the inside reaches 205º F. Put the lid back on if it’s getting too brown and not reaching 205º. Let bread cool on the counter as long as you can stand it before eating.
Here is my typical timeline, which takes about 48 hours from start to finish.
Day 1:
8pm: feed starter so you have enough to mix your recipe tomorrow. Cover and let sit.
Day 2:
5pm: mix bread using above recipe
5:30pm: first set of stretch and folds
6:00pm: second set of stretch and folds
**The second set of stretch and folds is one I add in my inclusions–fresh Jalapenos and Cheddar Cheese, Cranberries and White Chocolate, Roasted Garlic, Rosemary and Parmesan Cheese….they are all so delicious!
6:30pm: third set of stretch and folds
7:00pm: fourth set of stretch and folds. Cover and let rise overnight.
Day 3:
5:30am: shape loaves, place in a tea towel lined bowl and wrap towel around to the top. Place in the fridge.
5:00pm: Preheat oven to 450º with Dutch oven inside for 30 minutes.
6:00pm: Turn dough out onto parchment. Dust with rice flour and score as desired. Place dough inside hot dutch oven. Bake loaf for 35 minutes covered then uncover and bake for 5-20 more minutes until the inside reaches 205º F. Put the lid back on if it’s getting too brown and not reaching 205º.
6:45pm: Let bread cool on the counter as long as you can stand it before eating.
In need of sourdough starter? Let me know and I can hook you up! Have you tried baking sourdough and had success? Are you intimidated by sourdough? Do you have questions or need help? I’d love to hear from you! Interested in buying sourdough bread and goodies and live nearby? Check out Vicki’s Kitchen on Facebook! Also check out this post for my favorite sourdough making tools and supplies.
I’m working on cleaning out the fridge before we go on a trip, so my goal this week is to plan meals that use what we already have. I hate hate hate wasting food so I pretty much do this something like this every week. In general, I get my recipes from Pinterest and modify them based on what we have, so I’ll include the links for each recipe inspiration. I almost always make 4-6 servings of whatever I’m cooking for supper so we can both have lunch the next day with the leftovers.
Food I want to use up before we leave:
Potatoes
Romaine lettuce
Peppers
Iceberg head
Carrots
Spinach
Feta
Asparagus
Brussels sprouts
Eggs
Parmesan cheese
Cheddar cheese
Blue cheese
Bacon bits
Sweet potatoes
Half and half
Here is my plan so far with what we have to use up:
Asparagus Tart—We have wild asparagus in our backyard this time of year so I’ll make this yummy tart with puff pastry and the eggs, Parmesan cheese and half and half we have in the fridge. I’ll serve this with a classic wedge salad to use up the iceberg lettuce, bacon bits and blue cheese in the fridge.
Tofu and roasted vegetable Buddha bowls—I love to freeze tofu then squeeze out the liquid and marinate and bake it. It tastes just like chicken and we love it! Here is the tofu recipe I like to use. I’ll roast up the Brussels sprouts in the fridge and the last of the asparagus with some onions, carrots and sweet potatoes and a can of garbanzo beans and serve it all over quinoa with an Asian ginger peanut sauce. To make the dressing, I just mix PB2 powder with an Asian ginger dressing I bought at Aldi. So easy and so good.
Cheeseburger Salad—-To use up the lettuce and the last of the cheddar cheese in the fridge, I’ll fry up a pound of hamburger and cut up some pickles and onions and we’ll have this Cheeseburger Salad with a mix of ranch dressing and burger sauce. I usually make my own dressing, but I’m not feeling that this week.
Spinach and Feta Turkey Burgers—-To use up the feta cheese and spinach in the fridge I’ll mix up these delicious turkey burgers. They’ll be amazing with the last of the potatoes cut into wedges and air fried and raw carrots and peppers. I always have buns in the freezer so it’s easy to thaw a couple for this meal.
This week I also have a ton of rhubarb that I got from a coworker and we have some onions that won’t last while we’re gone. I’ll chop them both and freeze them in baggies so they don’t go to waste.
Here are the products I use the most in my Sourdough Micro-bakery. I literally use most of these every day. Use my links to purchase if you’re interested. See this page for my favorite sourdough ingredients. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Kitchen Aid Mixer—Last summer I treated myself to a refurbished bowl-lift Kitchen Aid Mixer. I use it to do the initial mix for my sourdough loaves and to mix up my cookies, brownies and other baked goods. It has been a lifesaver for my poor arms!
Bread Lame— This is basically a razor blade holder and is used to score and decorate the loaves before baking. I love this one because it’s easy to hold and store.
Kitchen Scale—I rarely use measuring spoons and cups anymore. Weighing my ingredients is much more accurate, faster and makes for fewer dishes!
Dutch Oven— I always bake my full-sized loaves in Dutch ovens. I have several brands, and this one is similar to what I have. My oven can fit 4 at once and I rotate them during baking to ensure even browning.
Silicon Trivets—I put these in the bottoms of my Dutch ovens to protect the loaves from burning on the bottom.
Cooling Racks—I have 4 of these and use them all the time for cooling my loaves and baked goods.
Electric Knife—I love this electric knife for slicing my loaves. It really saves my hands and is easy to use.
Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls —When I’m not using my mixer, I use my stainless steel mixing bowls. These come with lids which makes them great for storage.
Rubber Spatulas—These are always dirty at our house! I like that they are all one piece and don’t have any seams. They wash up nicely and last forever.
Bench Scraper—I have a metal one and a plastic one and I use the metal one way more often. This is great for dividing up dough and also for shaping loaves.
Tall Silicone Oven Mitts–These are a must to keep your hands and arms from burning every time you reach in the oven!
Digital Probe Thermometer— I use one of these on every loaf that comes out of my oven! 205º is the magic number!!
Parchment Paper–I use parchment paper squares under my loaves when I bake them. It makes it easier to move the loaves around and protects them a bit from burning.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Foldie—-I swear this bag holds everything! It can be small or big. I am in the middle of packing for a two week road trip in our tiny Miata and I can fit all of my clothes and toiletries in this one bag! It easily fits in our tiny trunk and I’m not using up more than my share of space. It will also work great as a carry-on for my upcoming flight and will fit easily under the seat.
Refillable Candle—I love burning candles but I hate just throwing away the jars when they’re done. I tried making my own candles to refill them and it is messy and expensive. I found many (also expensive) brands of refillable candles online but settled on these more affordable candles from Amazon. These candles are made with a sustainably sourced, biodegradable vegan wax blend that does not contain parabens, propylene glycol, phthalates, or paraffin, and are made with recyclable materials. I haven’t tried a scent I don’t like, but the “Coconut and Chill” is my favorite. The filled jars are $16.99 and the refills are $10.99. They are easy to scape out and the refill pops right in. Makes me feel better about burning candles since I’m reusing the jar over and over.
Magnesium Nighttime Cream—I’ve been seeing lots of videos about the benefits of magnesium spray or cream for sleep. I found this more affordable version on Amazon and so far I am loving it. It comes in lots of scents, but I chose lavender because I find it relaxing at bedtime. I just smooth some on my legs or feet at bedtime and I’m out like a light!
Puzzle Board—I love puzzles and usually have one in progress on my kitchen table. For my birthday this year, I bought myself this puzzle board. It has 6 drawers for sorting pieces and even has a plastic cover if you need to stash it away for awhile.
Cross-Body Purse—I’ve been looking for a cute summery cross-body purse that holds a lot and I found it on Amazon! This purse is bigger than it looks and has so many zippered compartments! It has plenty of space for my kindle, phone, earbuds, sunscreen and sunglasses with room to spare! It comes in lots of cute colors, but I picked the “Dark Pink”.
I do most of my reading on my Kindle or listen to Audiobooks. I love my Kindle Fire, I’ve had at least five of them since I started reading e-books. I get most of my books and audiobooks from my library through the Libby app, but I sometimes use Audible for those popular books with a really long wait. Use my links to sign up for Audible, purchase a Kindle or purchase a book. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I keep track of all of my reading on Goodreads, so follow me there!
For the month of May, most of my books were audiobooks. I love to listen to books while I’m working out, cleaning, cooking, showering, driving and everything in between. I read 3 books and listened to 10 books this month. Upon reflection, I was very generous with the “four star” reviews. I think I’m usually more reserved, so I’m happy to see that I enjoyed so many of the books I read/listened to this month. I read more nonfiction than I usually do this month.
“In this moving, hilarious, and insightful memoir, Laurie Woolever traces her path from a small-town childhood to working at revered restaurants and food publications, alternately bolstered and overshadowed by two of the most powerful men in the business. But there’s more to the story than the two bold-faced names on her Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain.”
One of my favorite types of nonfiction is a good foodie memoir.
“From a psychotherapist, and national advice columnist comes a thought-provoking new book that takes us behind the scenes of a therapist’s world — where her patients are looking for answers (and so is she).”
“Maia D’Apliese and her five sisters gather together at their childhood home, “Atlantis”—a fabulous, secluded castle situated on the shores of Lake Geneva—having been told that their beloved father, who adopted them all as babies, has died. Each of them is handed a tantalizing clue to her true heritage—a clue which takes Maia across the world to a crumbling mansion in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Once there, she begins to put together the pieces of her story and its beginnings.”
I can’t wait for the next book in this series! So good.
“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets First Lie Wins in this electric, voice-driven debut novel about an elusive bestselling author who decides to finally confess her true identity after years of hiding from her past.”
“There might be no such a thing as a perfect guy, but Xavier Rush comes disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes—all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediately yes. That is until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. Like, really wrong. Of course, there’s nothing Samantha loves more than proving an asshole wrong…”
I make sure I read all of Abby Jimenez’ books. Shes a Minnesota Author who often brings local settings into her stories.
“John Green, the #1 bestselling author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and a passionate advocate for global healthcare reform, tells a deeply human story illuminating the fight against the world’s deadliest disease.“
I’m a sucker for anything written by John Green. I’ve been loving his recent non-fiction.
“Meryl Wilsner’s spicy f/nb romance, where two lifelong best friends go on a nonrefundable honeymoon together and discover sometimes to find a happily ever after, you just have to ask.“
I’m a sucker for a good trashy romance novel, but this one was pretty graphic and made me uncomfortable at times.
“A funny, fiercely intelligent, and moving collection exploring marriage, friendship, fame, and artistic ambition—including a story that revisits the main character from Curtis Sittenfeld’s iconic novel Prep—from the New York Times bestselling author of Eligible and Romantic Comedy“
I’ve been a fan of Curtis Sittenfeld since her first book and this novel or short stories did not disappoint.
“Avery Jensen is almost thirty, fresh off a breakup, and she’s tired of always being so uptight and well-behaved. She wants to get a hobby, date around (especially other women), flirt with everyone she sees, all the fun stuff normal people do in their twenties. One Avery doesn’t know how to do any of that. She doesn’t have a lot of dating experience, with men or women, and despite being self-assured at work, she doesn’t have a lot of confidence when it comes to romance.”
I like reading Jasmine Guillory because she is always inclusive and realistic.
“Set in a not-too-distant America, I Cheerfully Refuse is the tale of Rainy, an aspiring musician setting sail on Lake Superior in search of his departed, deeply beloved, bookselling wife. An endearing bear of an Orphean narrator, he seeks refuge in the harbors, fogs, and remote islands of the inland sea. After encountering lunatic storms and rising corpses from the warming depths, he eventually lands to find an increasingly desperate and illiterate people, a malignant billionaire ruling class, a crumbled infrastructure, and a lawless society. As his guileless nature begins to make an inadvertent rebel of him, Rainy’s private quest for the love of his life grows into something wider and wilder, sweeping up friends and foes alike in his wake.”
The catfish has been cleaned and the kitchen too! Only now can my gear be put away. Our rafting trip went well and will hopefully be a lot funnier tomorrow after I check on my buddy Brent to make sure he’s okay. He took a swim and ended up wearing my extra dry clothes.
So far, nothing was hurt but his pride. Lessons were learned and reviewed. The raft will be repaired, improved, and ready for more redneckery as soon as the rest of the crew are ready to go.
You can probably guess I have a hard time sitting still. The raft forces a person to sit and wait. With a good tailwind, using a pole or a paddle wouldn’t make any difference in our speed, so we had to sit and talk. Sometimes I’d lay back, rest my head on a throwbag, and just watch the clouds. This is exactly what I needed.
Only a couple of people saw us (that we know of). One man came running out of his new house, waving and yelling, “Hey! Where’d you start? Aww man! As soon as I’m all moved in I’m going to do that too!!”
And there were a bunch of kids climbing the rocky cliff near the city pool. As we floated up behind them, I yelled out, “Make good choices!” As if we’re in any position to talk. 😉 Fun fact: when I was that age, my friend group had a big styrofoam raft until a classmate stole it. When we caught him using the raft, my buddy and I launched a barrage of dirt clods, which resulted in him flipping. “Make good choices,” indeed.
Anyways, I’m happy the first good river camping trip of the season is behind us. We’re already looking forward to the next adventure.
What The Huck! 