Tuesday, December 16, 2008

All Day Bread


Snowy days are great for all day projects that keep the house warm. This morning I mixed up a batch of No-Knead bread dough and let it sit above the fireplace all day. The only thing I changed with the recipe was to trade one cup of the liquid for some Papst beer. I read about it in Cook's Illustrated. It adds an extra yeasty flavor. It just came out of the oven and is crusty and airy. Dinner will be the bread, goat cheese, pickles and some wine. I love snow days!
We never did get around to making wontons, maybe later this week. It sounds like Justin and I will be housebound the rest of the week.

Today was sunny and icy. We took advantage of the pause in the storm to get out of the house. Our first stop was Powell's Bookstore. It is the perfect place to spend a few hours, combing the shelves for interesting reads. We got a few gifts for family and lengthened our library checkout list.

Next, we wandered down to The Nines Hotel, which is above the remodeled Macy's downtown. We had heard rumors of a new restaurant and went to check it out. On the eighth floor is the most amazing looking restaurant, called The Urban Farmer. I would love to eat there one day soon - it is definitely high-end- the menu has fabulous looking steaks, foie gras, and raw seafood.

We got there as they were setting up for happy hour so they let us explore. The tables are scrubbed wood surrounded by tall grasses. The effect is at once fancy and outdoorsy with the bright light shining from the sky lights. My favorite section was called "The Pantry". Wooden shelves surround a number of tables, the shelves are lined with mason jars filled with pickles, fruit, and veggies.

It is like my dream kitchen!

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