Economically eating..

BEHOLD MY LOAF OF BREAD!!!!!!!!!!



Last night, after reading this post on The Simple Dollar, I was overcome by an intense determination to make my own damn bread. I think I had attempted something along the lines of dinner rolls many a year ago and they did not work out...in any way...and I decided I hated yeast and vowed never to use it again.

The photo above is technically my second loaf of bread I made today as the first one didn't come out too well...ah haha... I used the recipe in the aforementioned article first and I don't think that there was enough liquid in it or enough flour. So yah, it rose during the first half, sort of rose during the last part and then sunk in the oven while baking. I tasted it, and it wasn't half bad but I was determined the make a decent loaf of bread.

The second one that came out nicely (yep, the one in the photo), I used an entirely different recipe and put it in my bread machine on the 'dough' cycle. I had a quick lesson today that told me people with weak wrists should not knead the dough for ten minutes by hand. Since I don't own a nice, fancy Kitchen-Aid mixer (but ooh man do I want this one), the bread machine actually worked great! I just had to take it out, roll it up, put it in the bread pan and let it rise for an hour before baking.

I am giddy.

On that note, next week is my own "eat from the pantry" challenge. I've read a lot about others doing their own by eating what they have without going to the store for little more than the bare essentials. My pantry and freezer is stock full of stuff I bought but never made and looking it over, I've got a good meal plan for a week and half. I went to the store today only for some produce and milk totalling a scant $25compared to the usual $80-$100.

I think half the time I just go to the store on habit. I buy stuff and then I put it away and don't make it. I'm one of those who wastes a lot of money by throwing away food. It doesn't really fit in line with my new economical thinking, so hence the challenge to myself.

I've made my meal plan for the next week, and my new food goal is to make a meal plan when I start making full trips to the grocery store again (which won't resume until I've exhausted my food stock). No more wasting food and throwing my money in the garbage.

Good luck to me!