Because I needed another hobby

It looks like I've caught the Bread Making Bug. The colder weather tends to make me want to spend more time in the kitchen, and soup with good bread always sounds so good when you're cold coming home from work in the evenings.

My first attempt was successful--a nice round loaf with french herbs. Subsequent attempts have produced weapon-like structures, barely edible and tasting slightly of beer. Still, I'm determined. I've read a couple books from the library, and decided to buy Baking Artisan Bread . I like the author's writing style, and he gives tips on how to achieve good results without having to go out and buy equipment (for example, making a steaming tray out of metal utensils in a pan).
My goal is to be able to make whole grain bread eventually-- and not have it weigh sixty pounds.





This is the Pan Francese recipe from the book.



Creamy Leek & Potato Soup

Chop an onion and 2 leeks and cook in butter until soft, in a saucepan. Add 2 cloves of garlic and cook another minute on medium heat. Add 5 cups of vegetable stock and 2 chopped potatoes and bring to a boil, then simmer 20 minutes, covered, on low heat.
Allow to cool a minute or two, and puree (I love my hand blender for this!).
Add lots of pepper, a touch of salt, and a touch of cream if you have it; the potatoes make this soup pretty creamy and I find it isn't really necessary to add cream.

I was actually out of bread tonight so I toasted some muffins in a frying pan to go with it, and that was pretty good.

Make lots and you'll have left overs to freeze and defrost, some chilly evening soon!

Marvin the Pee-er and other cats

Does anyone know what would cause a cat to pee excessively? Marvin has been peeing a lot. Much more than usual. It seems like all he does sometimes is go back and forth between his water dish and his litter box (mixing things up every now and then with a number 2) and we're a little concerned. He seems healthy and happy otherwise, but it is strange. Of course Marvin has always been a bit strange, with his love of chocolate, gum and salty armpits (tries to lick them).

Within the last two weeks I have encountered 7 cats while walking to work or doing errands. The first one surprised me, and I expected that he would run away when he saw me. Instead though, he came right over and wanted to be petted. The same thing happened with the others! Each time they surprise me by walking over to me as I pass them on the sidewalk, and each time they're surprisingly friendly and want to be petted. I don't remember ever seeing so many cats just hanging around on the sidewalk, or ever being able to reach down to pet a cat who didn't know me like that. These ones have all been exceptionally snuggly and friendly, rolling around on their backs and swishing around my legs!

I'm kinda thinking there is something strange going on here. I've concluded that two possible things are happening:

1. Some kind of foreign intelligence (possibly from outer space) is attempting to tell me something via these soft and inconspicuous messengers. Most likely something to do with the upcoming election, like a warning about Steven Harper and the Conservative government and its detrimental effects on our environment, culture and health care system.

or

2. Cats in Halifax did a lot of reproducing last winter.

I'm leaning toward number 1, though.

Home

A little discombobulated, but home.