The Accidental Boilermaker

Apple pie is one of my favorite things to bake.  And lucky for me, we had amassed a variety of apples in the fridge so I made a pie for Nate last Friday.  I was really happy with how the lattice top turned out.  I've watched my grandma make lots of lattice pie crusts, but I don't think I have ever done one myself . My sourdough starter is going strong.  This is from day 2; the bubbles mean it's alive.  The starter is on day 5 and it can just about double in size in 12 hours, another good sign.  Hopefully by Friday or Saturday I will have enough starter to try a sourdough bread recipe. We planted our fall garden yesterday (pray for late frost).  Broccoli, cauliflower, and three varieties of lettuce.  Pictures to come when the plants get a little bigger.

Something I have wanted to do for a long time is make my own sourdough starter.  I was always worried I didn't have enough time and afraid that I wouldn't be able to keep the thing alive.  Well, since moving I have more than enough time and if I kill the starter, oh well.  I'll just try again. I used a recipe from  Wild Yeast blo g .  This one doesn't call for pineapple juice, but another recipe did.  Something about yeast liking the acid.  If this starter fails, then maybe I'll try adding the juice. All the ingredients and necessary supplies. My starter! Stay tuned - if it all works out, in about a week I can start baking with my starter.  Fresh sourdough bread, yummy.

In case you missed Nate's blog post from yesterday , the mystery of the peppers has been solved.  There are habeneros and yes, they are incredibly and painfully hot. There was a big car show yesterday at the Veteran's Hospital too.  I love car shows even though I know nothing about old cars.  Here are some of my favorites.

Having family come visit can be stressful, but it is also wonderful knowing that your family will drive 12+ hours (some with a baby) to visit because they love you.  We hiked, we cooked, we went to the zoo, and went shopping.  It was fun and exhausting - a good combination. Off on a search for a waterfall! The Mill Mountain Zoo is on the small side, but they have red pandas and otters (some of my favorites). 10 mile hike to the Dragons tooth, another 2 miles back down - needless to say, we were tired when we got home.

My birthday present from Nate arrived today - a hammock!  And it's not just any hammock.  It is super lightweight and comes with its own stuff sack, so I can take it camping.  No more sleeping on the ground for me!

I had a very nice birthday today. We didn't do too much. Visited a new church, went out to brunch, and took a nap. Very relaxing. I broke my birthday giant cookie cake tradition and opted for cupcakes this year. They were delicious.