Life’s Ideas

I have never tried bread baking in the Philippines nor have I observed somebody doing it. I have absolutely no idea how do it until just recently. I searched the internet for information on bread baking, the basic steps, the equipments needed, recipes with reviews and other tips and recommendations from expert bakers. I did not buy a bread machine because I was determined to learn the basics. Bread baking is very intimidating to me at first but then I decided to try.

The first bread that I baked was French bread. The recipe is very simple, it just called for flour, water, butter and yeast. I just followed the recipe religiously and I made it. The bread did not look perfect in shape but it was not bad at all for a first timer.

The next bread I baked was white bread. I figured I need to have one good recipe for this because we love to eat white bread once in awhile. The recipe called for either bread flour or all-purpose flour. I used the all purpose flour but then my bread was good but I did not like its texture. I should have used the bread flour instead.

My third was the whole wheat bread. I could not believe it. That was the best bread I have ever made. It was also as good if not better than store-bought breads. Now, I have found my whole wheat bread recipe for keeps and what’s even better, it calls for whole wheat bread flour only.

The best part of baking our own bread is really knowing what is in the bread. I can be sure it has no unwanted additives and preservatives because I bake it myself. There’s also a definite plus, your bread comes cheaper than store-bought breads and there’s always the assurance of freshness. Baking helps relieve stress too and is very rewarding.

Tags: additives, all-purpose, baking, bread, butter, flour, French bread, freshness, preservatives, white bread, whole wheat, yeast
Posted in Food, Cooking and Dining, Health and Home, Living and Loving, Wellness and Me | No Comments »

    I came from the Philippines, a hot and humid country in the tropics. Winter is something I could not fully comprehend before I came to Canada. It was fall when I arrived last year but even then, the cold is too much for me. I bundle up every time my husband and I go out but I still chill with the cold.

    Then came winter and I’m here in Regina, Saskatchewan. Our winter temperatures here sometimes hit -40 °C. During these times, cars wouldn’t start so you would need to heat up your car for usually about two hours before you drive.

    I was really excited when winter came, when the first snow fell. It was my first winter. I felt like a little child who wanted to play in the snow, making snowballs and throwing them. As the days went by, I would peek out of the window and still watched with awe at the landscape covered with snow. This time, there is some degree of reluctance in me whenever we go out. I love winter and I think I love the cold, too. It’s just that my body has a mind of its own that I cannot force it to automatically adjust to extreme temperatures, much as I wanted to. My nose bleeds when the atmosphere is dry. My skin is starting to have all kinds of problems I have never encountered before. I already have bad skin since I have an idiopathic condition that requires me to take loads of antihistamines for as long as it takes. Here, it just got worse.

    Then I started reading about how to care for the skin during winter.  I searched the internet for products with good consumer reviews and are good for problem skin like mine. I now apply moisturizers  within five minutes after every bath while my skin is still damp. This way the moisturizer locks in the moisture left in my skin after bath. Vaseline petroleum jelly is my friend now, since it is the only product I could use to moisturize my lips. I also wear sweaters even at home whenever I feel cold. Less exposure means protection from dryness. Lastly, investing on a good name brand of humidifier was a good decision.  It adds moisture to the air so my skin does not feel very itchy from dryness anymore. No more nosebleeds too.

Tags: dryness, extreme temperatures, humidity, moisturizer, nosebleed, regina, Saskatchewan, vaseline, winter
Posted in Living and Loving | 3 Comments »