Update: Pandesal

Tonight, I thought I failed twice..., originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Update on the previous post:

They came out good! The first batch was better, obviously. What with the missing cup of flour in the second batch. But the cheese on top of the second one made it good as well.

I'll be making these again.

I hate baking!

Tonight, I decided to make pandesal (Filipino version of salt bread). A friend in New Zealand made some and posted the recipe on her blog. I got cocky. If she can do it, then I can to. So, I went out and bought yeast.

I followed the directions - and paused when it said to knead the dough. Uhhhh... how do you knead? Again, I got cocky and proceeded to "knead" the way I thought kneading is supposed to be done. I set the dough aside.

It said to leave it for an hour. So, I've got some time to kill.

I went on YouTube and decided to look up "how to knead".

And, boy, did I get it wrong.

So, I left the dough alone, willing it to effing rise. While it's sitting there, I decided to make ANOTHER batch. This time, I will knead it as YouTube has showed me. I followed the directions again, except this time, I'M A FULL CUP SHORT OF FLOUR.

[Insert screaming and grunting here]

I put the 2nd batch in another bowl, and will leave it alone to see if it does anything.

Two big IFs.

I mean, why fail only once per night, right?

I'll let you know how it goes.

Liar

I'm pretty sure, this is NOT good for me.

Or anyone, for that matter.

Nevertheless, happy Valentine's day.

Missing Grandaddy...

Wisdom over cake and candlelights, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

I posted this photo on December 16, 2007. Back then, Grandaddy was healthy and in pretty good spirit. He passed away last year, and it was a loss I took pretty hard. He was the kindest person I know, in the most sincere way.

This is the text that I posted with the photo. I miss him dearly.

I think I was more excited about our recent trip to NC than he was. It was his family that we went to visit but it was me that benefited from the long drive down. One afternoon was spent listening to Andrea Bocceli, Renee Fleming, Luciano Pavarotti, Charlotte Grace (prior to her pop crossover), and the likes, over coffee. Another was spent walking through the arboretum, taking a final look at the gardens before the frost wilt everything away.

And the meals, simple but delicious, were made even more special by the conversations that came with it. I couldn't help but smile at the exchanges between the three generations I was sitting with. I enjoyed listening to them banter with each other.

My most favorite during this trip? The couple of times I sat down with grandaddy and talked "photography". He's been taking excellent pictures way before most of us were born, yet he considers himself an amateur, still. Before we left, he sat me down once again and handed me an envelope with some of his most recent favorite shots. And then wished me luck with my new hobby.

I couldn't help but tear up a bit when he hugged me goodbye...