 I feel like I'm going to take some heat for this but I think the sourdough society is a cult.😂Kidding. But I do doubt that anyone who knows someone who is a part of this elite sourdough bread making society - hasn't been asked to accept a portion of their starter.😂 I like sourdough as much as the next girl and I'm not out here to condemn these bakers or their craft. I'm just trying to avoid getting absorbed into the sourdough bread baking business so much that it consumes every free moment of my time.🥖😅 Quite honestly, I don't have the time OR the patience for sourdough. Even more importantly, I don't want to get in the habit of keeping a bunch of freshly baked sourdough bread in the house. I know myself pretty well and I'm 100% certain that I don't have the self control not to eat an entire loaf of freshly baked bread in one day. 😂  You know what's even better than making my on sourdough bread? Having a bestie who's perfected the art of the sourdough and is willing to share.😅 Her sourdough is seriously delicious - way better than anything that I could replicate in my own kitchen. 🥖 Don't get me wrong - I enjoy baking my own not-so-sour bread. I like the whole process and at the end of it - I've got a delicious loaf of bread and no leftover starter to monitor. I respect the fact that there are bakers out there who carefully "feed" their starter even on the days that they're not making bread but as for me, I'll stick to regular yeast breads. It's the next best thing to having your friend bring you loaves of their homemade sourdough.  Rustic Boule 19.25 ounces bread flour 1/2 teaspoon yeast 13.25 ounces room temperature water + 2 Tablespoons more water 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
 Allow to cool 2-3 hours before slicing.
Ciao!
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 If grilled asparagus and a caesar salad had a baby - it would be Grilled Caesar asparagus. That's the best way I know to describe this dish.😂 Fresh asparagus tossed in a cheesy, lemony, homemade Caesar dressing, grilled to charred perfection and served with a crusty, toasted baguette. Hungry yet?🤣 The asparagus fan club at our house is very small. I am it's only member.🤣 So it probably goes without saying that I don't make a lot of asparagus for myself at home. It would be great if I could buy a single serving at a time instead of a big bundle.  This asparagus was more than just a side dish. I actually made a meal out of it. And since I'm all alone in the asparagus loving camp over here, I feel like I can throw this asparagus on the grill alongside a steak for my meat loving husband next time and we can both have a meal that we crave.🥩  Grilled Caesar Asparagus 2 Tablespoons lemon juice 1 egg yolk 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons anchovy paste 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/2 cup + 3 Tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese 5 inch long baguette, cut into 1/2" thick slices 2 pounds (1/2" thick) asparagus
 Arrange asparagus on grill and cook 2-5 minutes until charred.  Transfer asparagus to a platter. Top with cubed bread, shredded parmesan and remaining dressing.
Ciao!  I'll be the first to admit that I don't have the best memory when it comes to my childhood. I can't remember the name of my best friend in Kindergarten or recite all the words on the third grade spelling bee like my husband. But one thing that I DO remember about my childhood is spending what felt like hours and hours playing in the gigantic snow drifts that surrounded our house every winter.❄️ I've learned not to trust my memory so I never really knew whether there were actually 5 foot snow drifts or if they just seemed exceptionally huge from my unusually short perspective.🤷🏻♀️😂 Then I found this picture of me, my brother and my neighbors in the homemade snow fort that we built in my front yard during an Ohio winter as proof that we really did have massive amounts of snow in Ohio. This is also proof that brothers giving bunny ears to their little sisters in pictures is a time honored tradition.🤣  We got some snow in Georgia last night. Not nearly the amount that we used to get when we lived in the snow belt, but our pristine white layer of glistening snow made for a pretty wintery morning.
Taking pictures of snow will never get old.  In honor of the artic blast that much of the country is experiencing today - I though I would share one of my favorite frozen treats. Pineapple whip is super easy to make and it's just as delicious on a winter day as it is on the hottest day of the summer.  Pineapple Whip 8 ounces pineapple juice 1 1/2 cups vanilla ice cream 4 cups frozen pineapple chunks 1/4 cup sugar 2 teaspoons lemon juice pinch of salt   Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.  Transfer mixture to a glass dish and freeze mixture 30 minutes.  Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a 1M tip and swirl whip into dessert dishes. Freeze again if needed.  Ciao!
 My DIL definitely wins the presentation award for her super cute Christmas themed soup idea. Clearly I need to take a cue from her and look through some instagram reels, the next time I need to photograph a bowl of soup. 😅 My slow cooker potato soup was really delicious even though the pictures of it are seriously lacking. 😬📸  Slow Cooker Potato Soup 4 slices turkey bacon, chopped 1 large onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced thin 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast 2 cups sliced carrots 2 cup sliced celery 8 cups chicken broth 2 teaspoons dried thyme 1/3 cup fresh chopped parsley salt and pepper
 Cook on low 8-12 hours.
 Add chicken to soup and serve with fresh parsley.
Ciao!  I'm a sucker for a good sale. Please tell me I'm not the only one who has a hard time walking past a clearance rack full of sweatshirts, shoes or purses without stopping to take a look. The truth is I have an even harder time ignoring a sale at the grocery store.😅 When there's a Buy One Get One sale on cream cheese - you better believe that I buy a whole case.😬 Frozen turkeys went on sale last November and in my eagerness to take advantage of the "super sale" - I bought 4!!🦃 Just as a reminder - there are only 2 of us living in this house.😅 There's no question that they were a good price but I'm certain that we didn't need 4 of them. We weren't even home for Thanksgiving this year. 🤦🏻♀️  I cooked 2 of the turkeys in November and I cooked another one for Christmas dinner.🍗 The last turkey got pushed to the very back depths of the freezer - only to be rediscovered when I emptied out the freezer of all of the holiday provisions in January. You know you have a big freezer when you can hide a 12 pound turkey behind a stack of Christmas casseroles.😅 I figured that there's no time like the present to cook up my rediscovered bird. We're not hosting a dinner party anytime soon but I'm not going to let that stop me from grilling up this budget friendly meal. Brace yourselves for all of the turkey casserole, soup and salad recipes.🤣  Turkey Gravy 6 cups chicken broth turkey neck and giblets (no liver) excess turkey skin 1 onion, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 1 celery rib, chopped 4 sprigs fresh thyme 8 sprigs fresh parsley 2 garlic cloves, smashed 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup dry white wine 4 Tablespoons butter 5 Tablespoons flour 1/2 cup turkey drippings, fat removed
 Stir in turkey drippings. Add extra broth to thin if desired. Season with salt and pepper as needed.  Ciao!
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