{February 6, 2011}

Today I made French bread from scratch for the very first time ever. I used this recipe: French Bread, Hoagies, & Buns which was very easy. Problem is, I think it probably needed to cook another 2-3 minutes despite me already adding a few minutes to the called for 18-20 mins. I also learned that putting fresh-from-the-oven bread on to a cutting board just steams the heck out of the bottom making it a bit sticky. Once I realized this I put a cooling rack in between the bread and the cutting board allowing the bottom to dry back out. Still, although the inside was done, there were a couple of places that definitely could have used a bit more cooking time. Flavor was good, although the crust was not crispy enough, but hopefully the next time I make it it will turn out much better. To accompany the bread (and the reason I made it in the first place) I served up one of our favorite main dishes: Spicy Shrimp. Bellies now full we're back to watching the Superbowl. Ian is cheering on his team, the Green Bay Packers, while neither Ryan nor I could care less who wins. At least it's far less stress-inducing than last year's was for Ryan. Lord only knows when the Dolphins will get back to the 'Bowl. I'd be happy if they made it to the playoffs next year.

Photo taken with the Instagram app with the Hefe filter applied.

On to the pic...{click to view full size}