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our little household
although i often scheme and dream about being back “on the road” (which we actually will be doing for a month this summer!), i can’t say enough about how much i love our little home here in south bohemia, a dreamy, slower-paced corner of the country near rivers, farms, and forests. i love our beautiful altbau-style building and flat that was actually built by my landlord’s grandfather in 1913, exactly one hundred years before we moved in. i love our big heavy wooden table, our kitchen full of light. our balcony, which i am dying to spend more time on and really create a special space with more plants than…
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the bake off bake along, week 10 (finals)
you guys. it’s been a long road these past ten weeks, but the great british bake off bake along has come to an end. i went from a completely novice baker who only made cookies to a person who made biscotti, creme brulee, a frickin’ seven layer czech cake with no sugar in it, and so many more. i learned so many baking terms. i made custard at least three different times. i would say i am no longer afraid to attempt those recipes that seem a little out there; that this baking challenge has made me realize that i can do it. i mean, if i can do a…
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the bake off bake along, week 9
how funny– we all started bake off in the beginning of august and now instead of sundresses, i’m wearing hoodies to bake! i was pretty thrilled about chocolate week, because guys, i think that alternative ingredients week killed my baking mojo. i was such an ambitious, chipper little squirrel that first week with my madeira cake, but every week especially after that turning point, i have rarely liked my bakes. then i almost quit during victorian week, so it’s been a bumpy ride. and perhaps you noticed… i didn’t even post a bake last week! i really wanted to, but with a weekend in the city planned, i only had…
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the bake off bake along, week 3
week three in the bake off bake along is bread week! hooray, bread! but of course, i have to choose from between a quick bread, a baguette, and the show-stopper, an elaborate bread-sculpture. in keeping with staying far away from the show-stopper challenges, and i’m not a fan of baguettes (just not a sandwich kind of girl) left me with the quick bread. immediately, i had an idea for my loaf that i had to run with. throughout my childhood, my mom would buy this cheddar jalapeño loaf at safeway and it was soooo good. mountains of cheddar, the spiciness of the jalapeño that left you wanting a tall glass…
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the bake off bake along, week 1
so, what do you do when it’s too hot too go outside? stay in and bake, of course! i have never seen the bbc program, the great british bake-off, until a couple days ago when i decided to give it a go. (hey, it was too hot to do anything else) i actually really enjoyed it– it reminded me of my love of british programming and britain itself. after my seven week stint falling in love with the UK three years ago living with hosts throughout scotland, you can go ahead and call me an anglophile. (full on. card carrying member.) so! with the dog days of summer in full…
