Beginnings and baked yummies.

Since moving to VA, I've gained an interest in cooking and baking. Mostly because, at first, my husband was working and I wasn't yet. The whole lounging around the house and not doing a lot was fabulous at first, but the novelty wore off after a week or two. We're big fans of chips and salsa (food in general, but that will become painfully obvious) so one day, I decided to make the salsa fresh rather than go out and buy a canned version. You could say that was the beginning of my culinary adventures! I've had rough experiences since moving, ironically, not due to the move itself. I've landed jobs I haven't been happy with, had to delay my Masters degree, and was overall pretty gloomy about life except for my fantastic husband and two gawgis kitty babies, Elliot and Elphie. Cooking has become a motivator and something I'm not only fairly good at, but a hobby that puts a skip in my step. I haven't done theater since moving, and cooking allows my creative juicy juices to flow. Hubby and I have become adventurous in our meals, and lucky for me, he is super proactive about trying out vegetarian recipes with me! I gave up meat in December of 2005, so it'll be almost seven years sober this year! I'm really grateful to have found a guy who embraces my choice and encourages  our meals to be vegetarian as much as possible.

Yesterday, Hubby mentioned I should start blogging about our recipes. His sister blogs, and while I never read her blog consistently, the idea seemed like fun. I don't want to look like a poser, so I'm keeping this blog to myself and probably Hubby, too. The name, "Bo Bo's Biscuits" is after Hubby's and my imaginary bakery. Maybe we'll have it one day. Our little Elphie loves to sit on his tummy and knead, so we have deemed her the biscuit baker. We say, "You making biscuits, Elphie?" Her nickname is Bobo because she's bow-legged, and Elliot is nicknamed Bear Bear because, well, he thinks he's a bear. I'll get to that later I'm sure. Among our foodie adventures, I'll probably spill into my life as an SLP grad student, Mommy to my babies, and life overall with my awesome little family. However, most posts will revolve around food because that's just the way we do it in our household.

Where to begin!? I have a propensity for baking, so I'm going to start with one of my favorite attempts so far. I've been cooking for over two years, so some highlights will range from 2010 to present. I was raised Catholic and my mom's family is 100% Italian. Therefore, as my hubby just loves to remind me, I'm 50% Italian. My dad is german, french, PA dutch, and something else I can't remember. We didn't grow up seeing my dad's family often, but we certainly saw my mom's family. Every week. Multiple times a week. You see what I'm getting at. My point is, while I was brought up Catholic Italian, I think one of my favorite breads of all time is Challah: the Jewish bread! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!! I blame it on my Grandmom who introduced Fiddler on the Roof to me and my sister as little kids. Hubby and I have been getting challah rolls from Trader Joe's every week for veggie burgers, egg and cheese sandwiches, etc. and I decided one day to dare make it on my own. I chose a fairly simple recipe since I wasn't sure how it would turn out.

 The braiding was easy because I didn't do the five-knotter (I'm sure there's a technical term for it, but I don't have a clue what it is).

I tend to like my challah on the lighter side, not as browned. Also, the dough came out a tad denser than I like, but it was still yummy yummy! I love that I keep discovering cheaper ways to have the food I love, rather than buying it at the store. It really poses a challenge. I think, "What else can I make that I usually buy in-store?"

I have to head to class, but I feel an addiction to food blogging coming on.

Love and cupcakes,
Erin