It is cold* here, finally. Since I’m an East Coast transplant, I expect biting winds and miserable conditions from October through March. Didn’t say I liked them, I just expect them. But when I’m in a t-shirt and shorts in December, I think something’s a bit off. Which is why I’m glad a big storm blew through here dumping rain, overturning trees, and leaving fresh cold in its wake. It makes a fire in the fireplace more practical than when it’s in the 70s outside.
I imagine all my loyal readers have been on the edge of their seats since Friday, wringing their hands and fretting over the dishwasher situation. [drumroll] Still nothing! Our plumber went into radio silence on Monday despite an appointment, then didn’t return calls on Tuesday, so I’m assuming he won the lottery and is drinking mojitos poolside in Antigua right now. Which means our brand new dishwasher is still sitting in our dining room, jostling for space with the Christmas tree. I should add I haven’t received my 24k gold toilet, so it’s been a rough week. It’s funny how time is so flexible when it comes to making appointments, and so rigid when the bill is due.
I ran out of flour this weekend, marking the 200lb milestone for flour. It’s actually more than that since it doesn’t include whole wheat and the 5lb bags I was buying before bulk. I’m proud to have made that much bread, and this weekend I realized I can make a damn fine loaf of sourdough. This time I didn’t do an overnight ferment of the formed loaf, and I’ve been keeping my starter at 100% hydration and much more active. I think I made my best bread yet, a sourdough batard with real sour flavor, golden bubbly crust, and chewy crumb. It seems the extra night in the fridge lets the culture break down much more starch into sugars, which results in a very dark crust. I think for a daily bread, I actually prefer the lighter gold crust. I still haven’t picked out which new recipe I’m going to try, but I’m enjoying the lull in baking after Bread Week, so there’s no rush.
By the end of the week, I expect the dishwasher to still be in our dining room. Like bringing an umbrella to prevent rain, I’m hoping this reverse psychology will work, and I won’t be hand-washing dishes any more. Yeah.
*This is San Diego, after all, so cold means it’s in the 40s in the morning and 50s to 60 during the day. That’s cold enough for me.
Writer, architect, father, husband.