Simple Joys

My son is away at college. He's very happy but every once in a while I sense that he misses home (a tiny bit). On Monday I got a text from him asking if it the weather was nice at home. It was raining where he was and he was stuck inside. I took this picture from my window next to my home "office" desk. It was a beautiful sunny day. 

I have had my sourdough starter going for almost a year now. I can't believe it! It's kind of ridiculous how much joy I get out of this jar of weird gooey bubbly stuff. My friends Robin and Joan have tried a few times to get a starter going but didn't have any luck. I shared some of mine with them over the weekend. I was so happy to see Robin's first loaf baked on Monday. What a simple joy it can be...to bake bread for your family.

I was taking some pictures during the process to share with my friends. This is after it has been stretched and risen once an hour, every hour for 4 hours. Then I turn it over and put it into a pretty shape, plop it in this banneton basket to rest for another hour.

Then I score it.

I follow this recipe exactly and it works every time.

It's from Gartur Stitch Farm. If you don't already follow her on instagram...go do it NOW. Her stories are awesome. The farm shenanigans are hysterical.

I served this with grilled chicken, zucchini and rice for dinner.