Outback Bread

Basically all bread has four ingredients: water, Yeast, flour, salt, (and typically oil too). What makes them different is the extra things you use (honey, molasses, EVOO, sugar, brown sugar, sun-dried tomatoes, etc). Also using a different flour can change the taste. Typically you use a little warm water to pull yeast out of dormancy. Then sugar is what the yeast eats to produce the gas pockets in the bread for when it rises. You mix it all in, let it rise, punch it down, then let rise one more time. Finally cook. Outback bread isn't that different according to a blog I read. Marcie and I went to Outback last Friday so I wanted to know if we could reproduce their amazing bread. Here is what I found.

• 2 packages dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup dark molasses
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 cups rye flour
• 2 1/2 -3 cups bread flour
• Shortening for greasing the pan
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• Oats
  

Mix the first three in a bowl till you start to see a few bubbles. Then mix in the rest (minus the last three). Once that is smooth, mix in the bread flour to make the dough harder and more elastic. Let rise. Grease and sprinkle cornmeal on the pan. Add dough to pan and let double in size. Sprinkle oats and/or cornmeal on top. Bake 30 minutes at 375.

First Harvest: Asparagus

Our first harvest is in. It takes Asparagus three years before they can be harvested. We bought our plants already two years old so this year we can finally eat them. They shouldn't be picked unless they are as big as your little finger. These were the first to fit that category. Hopefully once it gets warm more will come. Next year I hope they will do even more.

Also we planted from seeds artichokes. They don't produce in their first year either but we're hoping they will next year. Our apple trees are also doing well. Our gala only has one branch with buds but our Pixie Crunch has a lot. I will probably cut off the buds on the pixie because the tree is so small. I'd hate to dwarf it too much. The gala however can go whenever it wants as it's already a good size. You can see pictured to the right my one flowering gala branch. It's taken from my cell phone which won't focus on items close up.

Wake Co ePub checkout

In case you have an eReader that can read ePub format (sorry Kindle owners), here are six simple steps for checking out a digital book from the Wake Co. Public Library. Oh, and books.google.com has hundreds of free ePub books (the classics mostly) which you can keep forever. Open these in digital editions and follow the last two steps to read DRM free ePub and PDF on your Nook.

1) Install Adobe Digital Editions

ADE is an ebook reader program for your PC. In addition to being able to read ebooks, it is also the tool that you will use for transfering the book to your eReader device. This is a one time install.

2) Go to the library's website and find the book you want to check out.

This is pretty simple. If you have a valid library card and pin number, you can just find the book you want and place a hold on it. Once the title becomes available you will get an email letting you know it is ready to be checked out.

3) Check out the book

Also pretty simple. Log in and go to "My Holds" found in the "My Downloads Account" tab. Just follow the steps for checking out your book. Just in case, select 21 day checkout. You can always return early but it's nice to have that extra time.

4) Download the book

When you select download, the default application should be adobe digital editions. Allow it to open (not save) and adobe will open up the book to the first page.

5) Attach your eReader device

Your device should have come with a cable to attach it to the computer. The PC should auto-detect your device. You'll know you are successful when your device icon is in the bottom left side of Adobe Digital Editions.

6) Drag the book to your eReader

You may have to select library view first but it should work. Just drag the book icon to your eReader icon and YOUR DONE!!!

Now here is an idea I'd like to see. With all the smart phones out there, why isn't there an eInk smart phone that just does ebooks, text, and telephone calls. I don't need internet and all that other stuff. Charge $5 a month for Nook app which includes unlimited book downloads and the e-reader software. That's a smartphone I would buy although angry bird on V's new iPhone does look fun.

Marcie's Blog

Let me introduce Marcie's blog ".. MB .."

http://mbmarcie.blogspot.com/ will take you there although like mine, it also gets imported to Facebook. The design looks better then mine although the html needs to be tweaked slightly so that all the links work. She already has a few posts on there about the things she's made and some of the plants she's caring for. I'm excited for her since she will be making all kinds of cool things. Her creativity is her best quality and I love that it shows up in everything she does.

2011 ACC Tourney

Thursday's games
No. 8 Virginia vs. No. 9 Miami, noon
No. 5 Boston College vs. No. 12 Wake Forest, 2:15 p.m.
No. 7 Maryland vs. No. 10 N.C. State, 7 p.m.
No. 6 Virginia Tech vs. No. 11 Georgia Tech, 9:15 p.m.

Friday's games
No. 1 UNC vs. 8-9 winner, noon
No. 4 Clemson vs. 5-12 winner, 2:15 p.m.
No. 2 Duke vs. 7-10 winner, 7 p.m.
No. 3 Florida State vs. 6-11 winner, 9:15 p.m.

Saturday's games
1/8-9 winner vs. 4/5-12 winner, 1 p.m.
2/7-10 winner vs. 3/6-11 winner, 3:15 p.m.

Sunday's game
Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.

Viral Reference

I love it when a CEO or founder shows knowledge of viral culture. In a recent interview about poaching software developers, Jason Baptiste gives homage to THIS youtube video. It was made famous by THIS video. The quote goes like this:

Hide your designers, hide your developers, because we’re recruiting everybody out there.

Movies 2 for $9

I just bought tickets for Gnomeo and Juliet. Marcie has been wanting to see it so when I head about a deal online I figured I would take it. Fandango posted a Living Social deal where you buy two tickets for $9. Not bad considering it's $9 for just one ticket usually.

Mustang: a CR Top Pick

Most people who know me know I'm a fan of the Mustang. Two models in, I've loved being an owner and it seems I'm not alone. Consumer Reports just ranked the Ford Mustang a top pick in their 2011 tests. This is something that rarely happens to American cars but I'm not surprised. Ford has kept the same body since 2005 when they unveiled the retro look kicking off the muscle car revival we're seeing. Since then, they've made improvements every year making it not only a fun car to drive but also a safe and fuel efficient ride. I can personally attest first hand on their improvements. The difference between my 2004 and 2008 mustang is huge. My current car jumps off the line much faster then my old one ever could. Also, the 2004 third gear sounded like it was going to throw a piston even at low RPMs while my current one runs smooth in each one. I'd love to trade in my current car for the 300 hp 31mpg current model but that wouldn't be financially smart. I'll have to stick to dreaming.

The Maze Runner and upcoming books

I love young adult books. After coming off a phase of only reading the classics (read Alexandre Dumas if you want some great classics), I'm really enjoying the fast paced quick reads.

Hunger Games is perhaps one of the best examples. What a crazy story! Since finishing that series, Marcie and I finished the first and second book in the Maze Runner trilogy and it was just as good as Hunger Games. I didn't know that it was going to be a trilogy so I was very disapointed to find out the last book, "The Death Cure," would not come out till October. I guess that's ok, I've still got about five more Shakespeare plays to read and a few other books I'm looking forward to before that day.

Books:	Year	Month	Day
Troilus and Cressida	2011	3	1
Hamlet	2011	3	15
Macbeth	2011	3	29
King Lear	2011	4	5
The Emperor of Nihon-Ja: Book Ten (Ranger's Apprentice)	2011	4	19
The Tempest	2011	4	19
The Kane Chronicles, The, Book Two: Throne of Fire	2011	5	2
Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel - The Warlock	2011	5	24
Septimus Heap, Book Six: Darke	2011	6	7
The Magician King	2011	6
The Death Cure	2011	10
Empire - Eragon Book 4	2011
Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel - The Enchantress	2012	5
Septimus Heap Book 7	2012	6

Zodiac

Ever read your fortune in those magazines? Probably not since we all know it's fake but a recent joke by Allstate may have newspaper warning certain signs to watch out for traffic. In honor of the "new zodiac sign," Allstate posted the number of accidents per sign. While the data is real, I don't think it takes into account how many drivers each sign has. Virgo which has 700% more accidents then Scorpio may have 700% more drivers.

So, along with other vague blanket statements like something unexpected will happen today, you might get warnings to watch out for oncoming traffic on the way home.