Mmmmmm.....homemade bread

One of my Christmas presents was a book called "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. Their method is super easy (no kneading, minimal rising) - you basically make a big bunch of bread dough and it sits in the refrigerator for up to two weeks!! It only takes 5-10 minutes to mix up the batch of dough.

When you want fresh baked bread, you just pull off a section, shape it, let it rest for 20-30 minutes, and toss it in the oven. It's so easy and makes a nice boule, baguette, etc. The book has lots of different variations, but so far I like the basic recipe the best.

And the only equipment needed is a very large bowl or container, and a wooden spoon (although you could use a food processor or stand mixer if you wanted to - I don't happen to have either one of those and the spoon works just fine).

Of course this is not going to help my resolution to cut down on carbs!!

Sharing Cooking Duty!!

Since Scott retired, we have shared responsibility for planning and preparing dinner.  This would work for any situation, but especially those where both people work or both people are retired!!  It gets very tiring for one person to figure out what to eat every day, and splitting the responsibility makes it easier and more fun.

The way we do it is by alternating weeks...that way, whoever is planning/preparing dinners does all the grocery shopping for that week.  The effect is to give the other person a total break from thinking about cooking - it makes all the difference!  (My favorite moments were when the kids would ask what was for dinner during Scott's week and I would just say "ask your Dad"  because I didn't even know!!)

A bonus discovery is that we try different things, and don't get stuck in the rut of fixing the same things over and over.  By the time it is my week to cook, I am more interested in trying something different (or I may make some of my favorite things).  Luckily, Scott is a great cook too!

And, whoever isn't cooking dinner does the dishes!  It works for us - maybe it will work for you!