the snowed in edition
wintering | volume 8
Happy Monday, friends. I hope you’re surviving what appears to be the unhealthiest month of the year. I feel like everyone i know (including us!) has been taken out by some form of virus in bug over the last couple of weeks. We have really had to lower our standards of living around here, but we’re on the other side of it now.
We are in the middle of a snowstorm here in Massachusetts and Zach is off on a much needed solo trip for a few days and there might be a few other things happening in America today but here in our wintering world, it’s a snowy, cozy day and we’re going to live like that’s all that’s happening.
in this wintering volume :
- something to do
- something to play
- something to watch
- something to drink
something to do :
We’re going to bake bread from scratch together this week. I have made one successful loaf in my life and never have I ever had my hands on sourdough, but this feels like a good week to learn a new skill.
Jim Lahey’s No Knead Bread is supposed to be the best recipe for beginners, so that’s what I’ll share with you today. If you’re an experienced bread maker, please give us all your favorite recipes, tips, and words of encouragement!
Ingredients :
3 cups of bread flour (not all-purpose) + more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons fine sea salt
1 1/3 cups water
Instructions :
these instructions come from Eat in Seattle. I need someone to really hold my hand through it!
+ Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until blended. Dough will be a little tacky.
+ Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for at least 8 hours (and up to 24 hours)
+ After 8 hours, turn dough into itself several times. (This means fold the edges to the middle until all sides are now in the middle.)
If you let it sit for 24 hours, the bread will have more of a sourdough-like taste as the fermentation will deepen the flavor.
+ Turn out onto a floured board and pull sides into the middle. Invert, seam sides down.
+ Meanwhile, set your oven to 450 degrees and place your dutch oven, with lid, inside. After preheated (about 30 minutes), take dutch oven out, dust the bottom with flour, and place dough inside. Place lid back on top.
+ Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
+ Remove from oven and turn out to a cooling rack. If you tap bottom of bread and it sounds hollow, this means it is done.
something to play :
I think being snowed in is the perfect day to play a game that takes a long time to play. If we were neighbors, I’d invite you over to play because I have not played this game yet and I really need to find some board game friends! Just taking the game out of the box to take photos made me so happy. It’s so beautiful and well made!
If you have it, let’s play it. If you don’t have it yet, grab it here : Wingspan
If you want to play something a little less tedious, Gnoming Around is a cute card game that anyone can play!
If you’re loving the blanket on the table … me too. It’s from a wintering community small business that has shared with us every year - ReMade. ReMade is business and it is mission. The organization hires women from all over India to create products out of used saris — blankets, bags, table runners, pouches, scarves. We have a little bit of everything in our house. In fact, the second a ReMade box shows up at our house, my kids come through and steal everything. It’s kind of rude but also.. I get it. Every item you get is handmade and many of them are personally signed by the maker. Every purchase you make helps another woman build a future for herself and her family. I don’t have enough space in the email to show you everything I have, so make sure to check in on instagram this week to see a little ReMade fashion show. ;)
something to watch :
With the kids :
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Paddington
Just the grownups :
Fargo
something to drink :
We’re going to wrap up this snowy day with something warm to drink. Have you ever tried whipped hot chocolate?
Whipped Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons hot cocoa mix
2 tablespoons heavy cream (or milk)
½ cup milk (for the base)
Optional toppings: whipped cream, chocolate shavings, marshmallows
Instructions:
+ In a small bowl, whisk together the hot cocoa mix and heavy cream until it’s thick and frothy.
+ Heat the milk in a mug until warm, either on the stovetop or in the microwave.
+ Spoon or pipe the whipped hot cocoa mixture on top of the warm milk + stir gently with the back of your spoon.
+ Add whatever toppings you want and enjoy! (this peppermint/marshmallow combo from Wishes N Dishes is calling my name today.)
Something to think about :
For this week’s something to think about, I’ll leave you with this poem by Morgan Harper Nichols. One small thing at a time, friends. I’ll see you next week.
I need to try that hot chocolate today!!! Also, lovely poem!!!
Wingspan is a great game!