Lesson 960: Little House

Hello, Readers.

Eloise here,

wishing you a happy summer. 

It's been going well at my house,

The Lamp Post.

The lake has been beautiful.
Here is the sunset from

the little blue cottage

on July 4th.

An eagle flew over us right before sunset.

Happy Birthday, America!

We've been busy with American kind of things this month:

Ellen was not celebrating USA's big birthday stateside.

She was in Italy for a week!

Check out her best photos on her 

social media accounts.

This little house has been overflowing with activity.

It has been the biggest producer of flowers this summer!

We love flowers!

It's taken two summers,

but we finally got our hollyhock!

We saved seeds from our giant zinna from last year.

We named it Sam.

His offspring bloomed again,

towering above the others.

On the subject of giants,

Natalie is trying her green thumb with some pumpkins

this year.

We got this one for fun.

Cinderella may have to go to the ball on a skateboard--

this is all he's grown.

Natalie loves labeling her plants.

Evidence of Natalie's touches

are all around.

Her butterfly garden is coming in nicely this year.

Last year it was a flop.

These are the American Legion poppies

she is pretty proud of.

We got one strawflower

and it is so unique and beautiful.

The Forget Me Nots 

are coming up around Josie's grave.

We have them timed to bloom on her 

the day she died--

which was also the day Hazel was born.

That is also the stump of one of the 22 ash trees

we lost due to the emerald ash borer in 2020.

The ash tree is regenerating!

We have a lot to learn from the land,

and it is fun trying

and failing

and trying again.

That's what the pioneers did--

just like the Ingalls family.

I pre-gamed and reread this book 

on Monday to be ready for the Netflix reboot

of the 1970s and 80s tv show.
It ran for 9 seasons!

It has been extremely interesting watching the new portrayal.

I've spent much of the week in rabbit holes

looking up different perspectives,

particularly of the Osage tribe.

I highly recommend watching,

and reading, of course.

Speaking of reading,

I am having a Book Party as soon

as American Legion baseball is over.

Look for announcements as to the time 

in a week or two.

Come to the Lamp Post for the best book-sharing session around.

I'll have plenty of sourdough for you to snack on

and you will leave with a long reading list

and a bouquet of flowers!

Here's is my favorite summer reading spot

in my little house--

the front porch swing with my soft blankey.

It's the best spot to watch the sun rise

and begin the day with a story.

I'm almost done with my summer saga.

It's soo good!'

Here's my evidence from the text as to why.

Funny thing is that I'm reading Covenant of Water

next to my dry creek bed.

I started this one today, too.

Anyone else reading this 

very entertaining

and well written true story?

Headed to watch another episode of Little House.

Let me know in the comments if you are watching it too!

Eloise

Lesson 959: American Timeline

Happy Birthday, America!

We turn 250 years old today! 

                                                    Eloise has been flipping through images

of American timelines for the last week.

I like this one the best as it is represented

by a winding path.

The most epic journeys are never in a straight line.

I've also been taking US History quizzes

to test my knowledge.

Check this one out--

it moves fast 

and has multiple choices.

This might be fun to pull up at you picnic.

US History Quiz

This next one is really good if you have 12 minutes.

It is an old Jeopardy episode with our beloved game show host

Alex Trebek.

It was so great to hear his voice again.

What an interesting man he would have been 

to have at your dinner party!

This quiz is referred to as the Eras Tour

of American history.

If you want to skip ahead to your special interest,

here are the Eras categories.

00:00 - The Revolutionary War 01:09 - The Civil War 02:18 - Reconstruction 03:19 - The Gilded Age 04:39 - The Roaring ‘20s 05:52 - World War II: The Home Front 07:01 - The Civil Rights Movement 08:08 - The ‘70s 09:18 - It Was the 90’s 10:17 - Remember the 2000s? ______________________________

Click the link below

Jeopardy Chronological US History

Since we mentioned the Eras Tour,

Eloise would be remiss without

congratulating Taylor and Travis!

As time marches on,

we are on a windy road of development.

Below is the briefest of image walks

to illustrate how much can change in 50 years.

Take it from a 55 year old writer.

1776

1800s

1850s

1900s

(Cousins--Grandma O was born in 1900)

1950s

2000

2026

Happy birthday, America!

We all are responsible for carrying the American inheritance forward.

Reflect on how YOU can do YOUR part

in following the wise words,

 which I believe are

the finest guidance ever written 

for a human society:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, 

that all men are created equal, 

that they are endowed by their Creator 

with certain unalienable Rights, 

that among these are 

Life, 

Liberty 

and the pursuit of Happiness.

Enjoy pursuing your happy.

Eloise

Lesson 958: Sourdough

 Hello, Readers!

We hosted a surprise party at our house last weekend. 

Charlie Mastered It!

and the gathering was a huge success!

Friends, family, and good food made for a delightful night.

My contribution was three loaves of sourdough 

that I cut up and served with fresh strawberry jam.

People really liked it.

 

Tonight's blog I'll give you a run through of how I make it.

I am very much like Sourdough Sara on TikTok,

a North East girl who is fun and funny.

She refers to herself as a Type B sourdough enthusiast,

and I rest in that same camp.

I'll start off by stating that everyone

differs in approaches and tools.

The weather clearly impacts your dough.

Finding time to make and monitor the dough can also be challenging.

Friends Dr. Rachel and Maddie

have asked for lessons,

so they can get their first read through here.

Anyone else interested can make their way to the Lamp Post

sometime and get a review in person.

Here are your B-quality photos

with captions

(too tired for editing photos tonight),

that will get you started on your own sourdough journey.

This is part of a loaf I made yesterday

so you can see the end before you start.

In education we call this

thinking with the end in mind.

I keep a canister of flour on my kitchen counter next to the sink

for easy access.

I keep a half cup measuring cup right in there!

My favorite mixing bowl I believe once belonged to

my Canadian Friend, Elizabeth.

I buy the big bag of Makers Mark Bread and Pizza flour

from Sam's club.

It is a giant bag and costs $11.

I will show you how to make the bread

with starter that is already active.

I grew my own,

and will share mine to get you started--

kind of like that Amish bread thing.

Add three cups of flour to a bowl

Even though I have a gram scale,

I don't weigh the flour,

I just scoop it and try to get close to level--

a little less in the first cup

means a heaping scoop in the second.

I do, however,

measure out 15 grams of salt.

Dump the salt into the bowl and stir with a whisk.

This is the starter that you "grow"

by feeding it some flour and water daily

or every other day or so.

Going on vacay?

You don't have to take it with you--

you can just put it in the refrigerator and it will keep

until you get back and give it a feed.

Take off the Betsy Ross hat,

and put it into the half cup 

that you have stowed away in your kitchen canister

because all of your other cups have melted in the dishwasher

or have print far too little for your eyes to see.

I dump the rest of the jar into a conatiner.

I used this one because, Glory BE!

I found the matching lid.

This is you discard.

Save it and you can make all kids of stuff with it.

Ask my kids and their friends--

Natalie's sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies are 

a Lamp Post favorite.

You can store it on your counter or in the refrigerator.

Here's a little side quest for you--

This is how you "feed" your starter

so it gets all thick and bubbly to use for your bread.

Remember that half cup I had sitting there?
It will be part of the 1 : 1 : 1 ratio--

1/2 cup of starter

1/2 cup of flour

1/2 cup of water

After I add the water,

I stir it with a wooden spoon 71 times,

in honor of my starter's name:  71!

She's named after the year of my birth!

After my 71st stir,

the spoon arose a little thick,

so I added some more water--

just a quick squirt from the sink faucet--

I don't know how much.

See?  That's better.

Now it's the consistency of pancake batter 

and that is what I aim for.

Now, we wait.

See the green bowl I have all ready with the flour and salt in it?
It's there all ready to go when the starter is bubbly.

My time schedule is this:

I feed my starter and prepare the flour and salt

between 10:00-11:00 at night.

It does its job through the darkness

and when I wake up, it's ready to go.

It takes about 5-6 hours,

and it works for me because I'm 

both a night owl and an early riser.

This is what the starter looked like at 5:00 am.

See the bubbles?
That's how mine looks.
I've viewed others on YouTube and TikTok

and they are wild!

Very bubbly--almost foamy.

Mine never gets like that

and it works just fine.

Take that purple half cup you have hiding

and fill three of those with water and put it into a bowl.

If you need help with math--

1/2 plus 1/2 plus 1/2 

equals

1 and 1/2 cups of water,

if that seems easier for you.

Then pour out 1/2 a cup of that bubbly beauty,

and dump it in the water bowl.

It floats if it's good and ready.

Now, I've had some that didn't float

and went ahead and baked with it anyway

and the bread was fine--just more dense I think.

Stir it together with this cool tool you get with your kit.

Dump the liquid into your prepped green bowl

that you made earlier--

the one with the flour and salt.

I stirred it 71 times with the weird stir thing

officially called a dough whisk.

They say the dough is supposed to be shaggy.

It took me awhile to figure that one out,

as I was not much of a baker prior to this.

Now cover with a warm, wet dish towel

all wrung out.

Let it sit for one hour.

While we are waiting for the dough to rest,

let's look at some things you will need.

I got my tools from a general starter kit from Amazon

for $35 a few years ago.

Dough whisk

Banneton basket with liner

I bake mine in a cast iron Dutch oven.

I got it as a gift for my birthday.

The orange baking thing comes with most kits.

You put your sourdough onto that 

and then put the orange think in the Dutch oven.

My Griswold cast iron is expensive--

you can find less expensive options 

like the flowered one 2 photos down.

I got that from Walmart

and used parchment paper on the bottom for a liner.

And if you are lucky enough,

you will find a cool bread basket for a dollar at the Goodwill

Oh yes,

forgot to mention in the earlier photo--

get a cooling rack--

Walmart.

Also eat your kiwis,

hence the bowl of them to the right

of the great green mixing bowl.

 Tick, tick, tick.

One hour has passed and it is time to stretch and fold the dough.

You have to do it about four times,

about every half an hour.

Watch a YouTube video or TikTok

because that process is hard to photograph.

Notice the abouts...

Sometimes I stretch it three times and forget one.

Sometimes I forget and stretch it an extra time.

Sometimes I get engrossed in my book about the history of India

and completely forget and an hour goes by--

it's all fine.

It looks kind of like this after stretching.

Then you leave it sit for awhile again.

See the little bubbles starting to rise up in the dough?

After a few hours--

I flour the clean countertop

and get it ready for shaping.

I love this part.

I plop the dough out of the great green mixing bowl

and shape it into the state of Pennsylvania.

I live up there.

Fold up the bottom part way up.

Fold the top down to make a log like shape.

See that cool bubble?

Turn it vertically and roll it up into a ball.

Pat your little dough ball--

it feels like a baby's butt in a diaper.

You'll have to shape it to make it stronger.

Watch a YouTube or TikTok to see process.

I shape it 33 times because that is my favorite number.

Place the baby butt dough ball into your lined basket.

I cover and let mine rise some more so it is big and fluffy

I cover mine with a beeswax sheet

and put it in the refrigerator overnight

if I don't have time to bake it.

I like fresh bread in the morning

plus it makes the kitchen smell really good.

Baking times vary by oven.

For mine, 

I heat up the cast iron in a 450 degree oven.

I put the cast iron in,

turn the oven on,

and when it gets to temperature,

I put the bread in.

I bake mine for 30 minutes with the lid on,

then 3 minutes with the lid off.

33 is my favorite number, you know.

Homework:

Watch some sourdough bread tutorials on YouTube or TikTok

to become familiar with the methods and materials.

Give me a holler if you need some assistance.

Relax!

It will work out.

And a note to the sour commentor on a reshared facebook post,

the July 4th celebration has been named by our President,

a Trump Rally--the biggest one ever.

I will not be watching.

A good rule of thumb that I follow when responding to posts:

If I have not seen the person in many years,

since high school even,

have wished them a happy birthday,

or bought them a Christmas gift---then I refrain from commenting.

There is strength in just scrolling past.

Enjoy the weekend,

and good luck with the bread!

Eloise