And the verdict is...

Loved the blueberry muffins!  We even made another batch today, doubled it and added half blueberries and half strawberries.  Delicious!  I also tried the Oatmeal Sandwich bread from Good to the Grain, and it was great.  Especially with butter and strawberry jelly, yummm! I think the best part came from the 5 year old when he said that it tasted just like the other bread and he'll eat it.  I'm taking that as a ringing endorsement!  And it was so easy, this could become a staple in our house.  On to the bread I was working on from Chad Robertson's, Tartine.  I REALLY wanted to make this bread.  You make the starter yourself, growing it on the counter, feeding it everyday, making real, honest to goodness homemade bread.  It didn't work for me.  I got to the point where you start to make the bread and I couldn't get the homegrown yeast to do their thing.  It could be because it is so cold here (Seriously, it was -4F when I woke up.  Air temp! Not wind chill!) that the guys couldn't get going.  I may try again when it warms up.  You know, around June.  It really is an inspiring book and I tend to like those.  Stay warm folks!  And here's something to warm your toes, Cubs pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training on Monday!  That is a sure sign that spring is on its way!  One day, before kids, the hubby and I were driving in Evanston in the winter and we passed a church marquee that said:  "The 4 best words:  Pitchers and Catchers report"!  Gotta love it!

Blueberry Muffins from The Bread Bible

Did you know that fresh blueberries look amazing in the dead of winter?  Seriously.  I took the kids to TJ's this morning to get their favorite crackers.  $35 later we were on our way home.  Those are some expensive crackers!  What really happened was....we ran into blueberries.  They looked so good and so juicy and so blue, especially after their long flight from Chile.  We couldn't resist.  Not wanting to waste them, I  made blueberry muffins this afternoon (and as a little side, I was able to substitute half of the AP flour with whole wheat).  Found a recipe in The Bread Bible, very easy, smells delicious, now the hard part...waiting for the 5 year old to get home so we can eat 'em!

I'm also in the process of making 2 loaves of different bread.  The first is one I've been working on for about a week now.  It's the Basic Country Bread from Chad Robertson's book, Tartine.  I borrowed this from the library and it must be pretty popular because I've been on the waiting list since OCTOBER and I just got it 2 weeks ago!  If the bread turns out as well as it's supposed to, I may have to get it.
The second bread is the Oatmeal Sandwich Bread from Kim Boyce's Good to the Grain.  The last recipe I made from this book made rock hard chocolate chip cookies.  We're in the first rise now, so far so good!