Artisian bread

Bonjour internet
(and thats the extent of my writing French.lol).

 So you must be wondering why I'm attempting this really hard language well today i made something french...... Baguettes. Qui ! Mon-Ami's i made beautiful french bread. it took a lot of hours (good thing i had the day off) but it was so well worth it, the bread was nice and crusty and the inside was beautifully fluffy. I enjoyed making it and watching my family enjoy it made it twice as nice.  I can now see the lore of staying home and being a homemaker (I'm not attempting to insult anyone but before I thought as a homemaker i personally would be bored but i realize now there is so much to do because you become a crazy perfectionist so your home looks stunning..and you are never bored! *poof* problem solved)

Recipe:

1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/4 cup water
2 1/2 tsp yeast
3 1/2 cups unbleached flour


Yeast: follow instructions on package to set it up

Dry ingredients:

1. In a bowl mix together the flour (sift it first) and salt, with a wooden spoon create a well in the center of the floor and pour in proofed yeast (plus water) and create a sponge in the center by adding flour slowly to mixture with the spoon. allow to sit for 20 minutes covered with a clean kitchen cloth
2. mix in all the flour and add water slowly to create a soft sticky dough.
3. turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft, smooth and supple, takes about ten minutes
4. in a lightly oiled clean bowl place dough and allow to double in size for 1 1/2 hours make sure it is covered and not in a drafty place
5. punch down, recover and allow to rise again for 45 mins, punch down again, recover and let rise again for another 45 mins
6. divide the dough and shape into two baguettes place on baking tray or baguette tray and allow to proof for 50 mins

Place in oven and bake until golden brown (about 20-25 mins @ 475 degrees )and when you hit the baguette it should sound hollow. place on wire cooling tray and allow to cool or serve hot.

well i hope you enjoy it as much as my family did....

love and light always

Aisha

It taste just like.....

....Chicken.

 Yeah Yeah i know we have all heard the tales of how something we have never had before how similar it taste to chicken well im here to tell you its A LIE darn it its all a LIE it never taste like chicken.

Let's start this tale off right;
I went to support my sister at her school's Black Student Union event, where they had tables set-up by different students, and groups, and of course a wonderful (read free) lunch, of every culinary newness as possible, and a petting zoo.

It was a way for the sororities and frats to do something good and bring the different factions of her small school together.  The event went off without a hitch, at first it was a little slow, then the petting  showed up and everyone came out.

I got to hold an american alligator, I had to do the pixalating, I don't know the people behind me and my facial expression is too weird, gators are squishy and it felt odd, it was both muscular and squishy at the same time, so I pulled a face, and of course that's the picture they snapped UGH!!

There were many tables that were placed outside with different displays. Including my sisters',

only problem was it was hot and they forgot to bring out shade for us, and they happened to pick the most in the sun quad. So we were sitting out in the heat of the day dying, of course then they brought out the food:
Wild flower salad:

Bloodfruit and something else I can't remember.

and the piece that inspired this post, Spicy Fried Gator:

It was chewy, and crispy, spicy and very different. It was nothing like chicken, it took like an hour for me to get up courage to actually try it. The salad went down easy, the bloodfruit was actually really good, the gator?!?!?!? Well all I can say is that I tried it. I won't be going out of my way to eat it, but it's something I can say I did. it was especially weird because I had just held a gator and now I was munching on one.

Here are the other animal pictures:
Lynx, it was easy to hold actually:

The lynx close-up, it was actually pretty friendly, it didn't scratch or attempt to leave when it was done. It just sat there.

The Gator before I held him:

The animals are generally rescued, the show was a way to earn money to help keep the preserve open. They collect exotic 'pets' that owners turn out and the country doesn't know how to deal with.  It was an excellent show because they had all kinds of animals, including a python that at 20 feet is considered a baby.@_@

But we had fun and I got to check off two of my bucket list items. So it was a good day.
Be Blessed everyone and thanks for reading