Guide to Storing Your Bread
I don’t mean your cash (does anyone call it bread anymore, or am I dating myself?) – I mean, of course, your bread. I’ve been doing some experimental bread baking lately- despite being on a “low carb diet”- ha! – and the result is that I’ve had more wholewheat loaves and rolls of brioche than I know what to do with. Which brought me to researching on the best ways to store bread- and I share them with you here:
Rule #1: If at all possible, freeze it.
That’s right, baked bread is best stored in the freezer. You must wrap it properly, in cling wrap then a freezer bag or freezer-friendly container. This way, your bread will retain moisture, be free of mold, and most importantly, retain its flavor for as long as several weeks.
Rule #2: If you can’t freeze it, use a breadbox.
By “breadbox” I mean any clean, dry, ventilated container- you don’t have to run out and busy an expensive container emblazoned with the word “bread” on it- kept away from hot spots or appliances like your refrigerator or radiator. This is your best choice if, say, you want to have that bread you bought today for breakfast and maybe a sandwich snack tomorrow. It should last from a few days to several days this way, but really after 3-4 days you should be thinking about transferring it to the freezer anyway.
Rule #3: Don’t store it in the refrigerator.
Resist the urge to store your bread in the regular food compartments of your fridge. It may prevent mold from forming, but it’s also the quickest way to get your bread stale.
I like to store my sliced bread in the freezer, ready to go directly into the toaster or toaster oven.
Thick Strawberry Milkshake
To this day, my most favorite drink to have with a good hamburger is a milkshake. I like Vanilla, Chocolate will do in a pinch, but most of the time, it’s got to be Strawberry. Because the burger joints in my areas either don’t have milkshakes on their menu, or make them too sweet and too runny, I usually order a burger without a drink, and make one of these at home with my trusty Osterizer blender:
Thick Strawberry Milkshakes Makes one tall glass.
Ingredients
2 scoops Strawberry Ice Cream (Your favorite brand will do… I’m particular to Haagen-Dazs. Mmm.)
1 cup Whole Milk
1/4 cup Frozen Strawberries (or fresh, if you’ve got them!), hulled
2 teaspoons Sugar
Put strawberries in your blender. Pulse until mushy. Add the Ice Cream, Milk and Sugar, and give it a good whirr.
Serve with a wide straw, and your favorite hamburger.
Bowl of Raspberries
I’ve posted previously about my love for strawberries, but my second favorite berry and berry flavor, has got to be raspberry. A bowl of fresh and tangy, sweet, refreshing, juicy raspberries- is there anything better?
Turns out, there’s a large number of raspberry recipes online- from raspberry sherbet, to raspberry pie, to this ridiculously easy-to-assemble Raspberry Chocolate Torte (which I’ve tried, and which is awesome, by the way). There’s even raspberry vinaigrette, which, I’m sorry, looks so much like a pitcher of delicious raspberry juice in the photo, I want to down a glass right now.
Still, the best way I like my raspberries is fresh and plain. No sugar, no cream, just a bowl of plain deliciousness, thank you very much. I like to wash them quickly in very cold water, and serve them immediately. They’re packed full of good things like antioxidants, vitamins b and c, and lots of fiber (which means I can enjoy them without breaking my low-carb diet). It’s foods like these, perfect from nature, that really make me smile.
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Foodie Game: Restaurant City
Yes, Facebook is great for finding everyone from your best friend in the first grade, to checking out what your ex-boyfriend’s been up to, to networking for business purposes- but the truth is there’s one thing that’s been making sure I visit Facebook daily, and it’s called Restaurant City. Here’s what my restaurant currently looks like:
Emphasis on the “currently”, because as anyone who plays this strangely addicting game knows, one is constantly decorating and redecorating in Restaurant City. You start with a small, simple structure- one or two tables, a stove, a cook and a waiter- and, as in the best of games in this genre, from there it’s all about building.
With each level, you get a larger restaurant or an additional employee, and you build your menu with ingredients you “collect” (one free ingredient a day, two if you answer the daily food quiz correctly!) And, because it’s a Facebook game, the social aspect of the game is most important: you must trade ingredients with your friends, giving up an ear of Sweet Corn for an Onion, for example, or some Rice for three scoops of Ice Cream. It all depends, of course, on what dishes you’re featuring on your menu. Used to be, you could only feature one dish from each category (Starter, Entree, Dessert, Drinks)- but a few days ago, RC increased this to two dishes per category- causing a huge flurry of ingredient-trading, at least among my similarly-obsessed friends.
Sound like something you might enjoy? Check out Restaurant City by Playfish Games on Facebook. And while you’re there, don’t forget to visit the bFeedme Facebook Page and become a fan.
Delicious Links this week
Ready for some comfort food? Yeah, me too. This week, I’ve picked out five uber-comforting dishes for you, with the kicker that these are all pretty easy recipes to follow. See for yourself:
1. From Tea & Cookies comes these (surprise, surprise) cookies that look like they would be awesome with tea. Or milk. Or coffee… they’re Apricot Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies. Their name speaks for itself, no?
2. Over at Smitten Kitchen, this Cantaloupe Salsa has me smitten for several reasons: first of all, I love cantaloupe. So much that I’ll take any excuse to have it. And in a salsa? Chilled, as a side to something spicy? Come to Mama.
3. We’ve all had Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, but Dozen Flours’ Upside Down Sweet Cherry Cake looks like it might be even better. If you like cherries, this is a no-brainer.
4. If this is how geeks eat, then I wouldn’t mind being called one! What geeks eat’s Perfect Potato Salad is made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, chopped fresh parsley, green onions, and mmm… bacon.
5. And finally, a pancake recipe! Because I will never tire of featuring pancake recipes here at bFeedMe. Banana Pancakes from My Baking Addiction are chock-full of good stuff, from fresh bananas to whole milk to vanilla extract to cinnamon. Pour on some maple syrup and a generous dollop of butter.
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