Double the Fun

A few weeks ago I was asked by Tabitha Alterman, the Mother Earth News and Natural Home & Garden food and gardening editor, to write a blog for their website. So, I asked myself if I had the time or motivation to do two blogs, and decided that I didn't. But ... I'm doing it anyway!
My new blog over there is called "Common Fare" and I'm writing mostly about food and cooking, including my Chocolate-Bacon Muffins (seen at right) and Lemon Polenta Cake. Click here for the recipes. I'm not sure what the deal is with the "Comment" function for the blogs there, but the situation looks a little bleak. Consider opening a user account and then you can Comment away your afternoons!
Hank and I have recently returned from the Mother Earth News Fair in Puyallup, Washington, which was a big hit. I did "The Art of No-Knead Artisan Bread" workshops on Saturday and Sunday from the prep kitchen at the Fairgrounds while behind me, Eating Well magazine's food editor, Jessie Price, sliced fish and prepared appetizers for her demonstration. It was a hoot, and she was great! What wasn't great was the oven at the fairgrounds. An electric range not capable of sustaining 475 degrees (and hardly even reaching it for that matter), yielded less-than-perfect loaves and downright despicable baguettes. Though it did make me want to hug my hard-working Kenmore Elite Pro gas range when I returned home. I realized I would not have my bread biz, The Local Loaf, without that crucial piece of equipment.
All in all, it's shaping up to be a busy summer. Lots of gardening, farming, and projects in the works, which I'll detail here soon. Love and miss you all!