Disney & Sourdough

(11) Never too old for Disney.  My grandma loves Ice Skating and she also loves Disney.  So when Disney On Ice "Treasure Cove" began advertising shows in our area, she quickly organized an outing for anyone in the family who wanted to join her.  "Of course, I'll join you, grandma!"  I know these opportunities to spend time with grandma won't always be here, so I jumped at the chance.  As soon as she got a head-count, grandpa drove her to the Event Center to purchase tickets.  There were 8 of us in our group this year, which spanned 4 generations.  We all grew up with Disney.  Grandma's favorite Disney snow is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  Who doesn't love those cute little dwarfs!  I hope that when I am 85 years old, I'll be able to attend Disney on Ice with my own kids and grandkids.  And I'll tell them that the tradition began with their great-great-grandma Bernie.

(12)  Sourdough Bread.  This is one of my favorite kinds of breads, but I've never made it because it takes a special "starter" to mix into the dough.  And it seems like a lot of work!  Sourdough reminds me of the trip Chad & I took to San Francisco in 1999, and all the sourdough we ate while we were there.  I'm not getting any younger, so I decided that now would be a good time to give it a try and make some myself.  I found an easy recipe for Sourdough starter on-line, which also got good remarks from those who tried it.  I have been "feeding" my starter each day with 1/3 cup water, 1/3 cup flour, and a pinch of sugar.  And boy, has it grown!  The girls think I'm silly, and they call it my "baby".  The whole process is really fascinating to me.  Who figured out that this process would result in some of the best-tasting bread ever created?  I mean, seriously.  It had to be an accident, didn't it?  But today was an exciting day!  Besides the fact that I got to sleep in, it was time to use our starter and make some bread.  Even Chad took a turn kneading our first loaf of bread from our very own first-generation starter.  (My husband is the best!)  I wonder if I'll be able to keep this starter going and share it with my daughters some day.  Some starters have years of history.  Wouldn't that be fun to pass on to my girls in 10-15 years?  Okay, back to reality.  Our first batch of sourdough looks and tastes wonderful!  Chad was so excited to try the sourdough that he dropped the tub of butter on the floor...upside down.