Valerie's Workshop

Well, it was another long Monday for me. I work every Monday, week after week, and they always seem to test me. Whether it is my patience, my kindness, or my nerves, retail-Mondays give me a run for my money. To reward myself (and ultimately my family) I decided to stop at Borders on the way home. Our local Borders is closing and I was able to reward myself with to half-price hard cover foodie books. To say I'm obsessed with cookbooks, and hoarding hard covered books in general, is an understatement and the additions to my library were a much need treat! fresh raspberries & liqueur I snatched up a copy of 52 Loaves by William Alexander. However, the book that has me really excited is this one ... Back to Basics, Traditional Kitchen Wisdom.  For years * now I've been baking my own bread, growing tomato plants on cramped apartment balconies and using fresh eggs from my friend's chickens. To say this book fits my lifestyle is an understatement. This year I plan to

For weeks and weeks now I've been wanting to make cupcakes. With all the commotion at our house lately, setting aside enough time to make dinner, let alone cupcakes, has been challenging. Well, that all changed on Wednesday! Wednesday was the first of two food-focused days for me, filled with making comfort food and necessity baking. I made two loaves of whole wheat bread and a batch of English muffins to restock our pantry, and for dinner I made a batch of fried chicken and cast iron skillet corn bread (with salads on the side for a bit of green). Thursday's baking, however, was all about pleasure. And what is more pleasurable then a pretty pink cupcake with a flower on top? (Answer: a cupcake with a cup of coffee, a sunny spot in the house and the sound of the radio, Bodie laughing, and Harper chewing on a bone drifting through the background!) Even though our general mood has been sad at home, lately, I've been trying to cheer everyone up the best way I know how ...

As I finally sign back into my account, I come to the realization that my last post was in regards to Koa, our beloved golden retriever. How sadly ironic it is that I am posting tonight ... our first night without him. Koa spent the last three weeks being pampered and loved. He recovered well from the surgery, but unfortunately the cancer was already very advanced. His mind and spirit were high as always, offering smiles and tail wags as often as possible, but his body was rapidly deteriorating. At 11am today, March 21, 2011, Koa's life with us on this earth ended. Even though his body is no longer with us, his positive spirit and years of happy memories will remain with us always. Needless to say, the last three weeks have been overwhelming. I felt, today, as though a cloud of grief has drifted over our house. And as sad, scared, anxious and gloomy as we were, the past few weeks have brought us so much closer as a family. We dedicated multiple days to family time ... hiking