Comments on: Friday miscellany: Melting snow, little wins

By: Laura Vanderkam

Laura Vanderkam — Wed, 03 Mar 2021 16:34:56 +0000

In reply to Megan.

@Megan – on it! In the next week or two…I’m always up for a seasonal fun list.

By: Megan

Megan — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 17:04:47 +0000

As you talk about the snow melting and moving into spring – I would love to see a Spring Fun List. Our spring in MN “seems” to be coming early so my plan to take a couple days off to ski, sled and ice skate with my kids over their spring break isn’t working out as planned. It got me wondering what are the fun things to do in Spring – especially early spring as the snow melts so some outdoor items are hit or miss (or muddy). I searched the site but summer, fall and winter seem to be the key fun lists so I’d love to see a Spring one added.

By: Laura Vanderkam

Laura Vanderkam — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 02:17:24 +0000

In reply to Anne Marie.

@Anne Marie- thank you so much! I’m glad I’ve been providing some non-social media scrolling fun during all this. Here’s hoping it’s all over soon…

By: Anne Marie

Anne Marie — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 23:23:52 +0000

I also want to echo the comments above about how helpful your honest but “glass half full” blog has been during this covid era – I have it on my phone as my default ‘screen break’ instead of social media. So much more energizing!

On the sourdough front, my husband has been baking for years and created a how-to for friends keen to start during isolation (“bread-solation”) – it’s a series of short videos on Instagram (non-commercial): https://www.instagram.com/breadsolation/

By: Elisa

Elisa — Sun, 28 Feb 2021 21:10:21 +0000

Whack-a-mole is a great way to describe our school situation, too.
As for sourdough: I’ve never made an all-white-flour loaf that was tangy enough for my taste. I find I get the best flavor when a bit of whole wheat and/or rye flour is involved. The Perfect Loaf site is fantastic for all things sourdough, and in particular, I’m a huge fan of this recipe. It is fussy, but doing everything exactly as he instructs nets amazing bread. https://www.theperfectloaf.com/beginners-sourdough-bread/

By: Laura Vanderkam

Laura Vanderkam — Sat, 27 Feb 2021 15:36:13 +0000

In reply to Sarah K. @Sarah K - thank you, I really appreciate that!

By: Laura Vanderkam

Laura Vanderkam — Sat, 27 Feb 2021 15:35:57 +0000

In reply to Chelsey. @Chelsey- woo hoo! I suddenly feel very useful. Hopefully a few others actually opened that email after reading this. I wonder what sparked the email. Probably a lot of $50 Amazon gift cards going out the door over there...

By: Joy

Joy — Sat, 27 Feb 2021 13:33:27 +0000

My understanding for tangy sourdough is that it’s a combination of a tangy starter plus lots of time for the initial dough to sit. I usually forget to start my dough the night before but that overnight sit is a key component. The King Arthur site has a recipe for Extra Tangy sourdough. I just started mine for tonight which means it won’t sit long enough even though I remembered to leave my starter out an extra day or so to get some more tang in it. Here’s the King Arthur recipe. Hope it works for you. https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/extra-tangy-sourdough-bread-recipe

By: Sarah K

Sarah K — Sat, 27 Feb 2021 10:10:54 +0000

This is a random comment not really related to your post, but your blog and your podcast are really a blessing to me, especially during the pandemic. Just want to say thanks for continuing to produce this stuff and for sharing. Your posts tend to inspire me to do things that are either fun or good for me.

By: Chelsey

Chelsey — Sat, 27 Feb 2021 03:42:23 +0000

When I read this, I remembered I’d also just received a reminder from OpenTable that I had points that were expiring (cue reminiscing about pre-COVID, pre-baby times lol). I had skimmed the email subject, assumed it would be annoying to redeem, and deleted it. But after reading this post, I checked my deleted messages and was also able to redeem points for a $50 Amazon gift card. Thanks!