Wordless Wednesday

Homeschooling is time consuming...

but I am so making this sourdough bread.
I just started the sourdough starter.  Can't wait!

1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups warm water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar

In a large mixing bowl dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water.
Stir in 2 cups warm water, flour, and sugar.
Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed till smooth.
Cover bowl with 100% cotton unbleached cheesecloth.
Let the mixture stand at room temp for 5-10 days, or till it has a fermented aroma, stirring 2-3 times a day.
To store the starter, transfer to a jar, cover with the cheesecloth and refrigerate till ready to use.
Do not cover tightly or use a metal lid.
To use starter, bring desired amount to room temp.
For each cup of starter used, replenish remaining starter by adding 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup water and 1 tsp of sugar.
Cover and let mixture stand at room temp for at least 1 day or till it is bubbly.
Refrigerate starter for later use.
If you have not used the starter within 10 days, stir in 1 tsp of sugar.  Repeat every 10 days unless starter is replenished.

After the 5-10 days that it has fermented, I will post recipes.
Also if you ever have the chance to go to Disney's California Adventure, go to Boudin tour.  They give you sourdough bread to eat while you are on the tour.  It is so yummy!
Here is a video tape of the tour not by me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUi76-iVdjE

Enjoy!





This and other cookbooks can be found on amazon.com.  Just click the ad on the right. :-*

My name is Maria and I am a Mom over 40

Last night while enjoying my popcorn sprinkled with nutritional yeast and looking through Wednesday's lesson plan, I received an email inviting me to join a group of moms in the SFV called moms over 40.
I was appalled! How dare they they invite me to such a group!
But then I realized 
OH SHIT I AM A MOM OVER 40!
It hit me like a Lego brick.
I felt so down that I was tempted to pop another bag of popcorn.
Just the words alone put me in a depressive state.
Mom over 40.
Then looking back at my over 20 years (!!!!) experience of being a mom the Lego brick came back to me like a boomerang.
It's not so bad.
I am looking forward to the next 20 years of being a mom over 40 with an empty nest.
In fact, in 6 1/2 years my youngest will be 18.  Which in my mind means I can do what I feel in my own time and at my own pace.  I know many moms who do that with kids underfoot but I am my mother's daughter.
A martyr, if you will.
I put my kids first in everything and I'm okay with it.  Now I'm not perfect.  I've made many mistakes over the years.
Perfection is not my game because honestly those who claim to be perfect with the organic foods, cooked from scratch have some serious probs, dude.
I'm all for eating well but sometimes I will buy that jar of pasta sauce or (gasp!) fruit juice with only 10% juice.
So yeah, I am a mom over 40.
I have the cesarean scar, stretch marks that looks like the map of freeways crossing Southern California, allergy to dairy and thyroid disease since the birth of my youngest to prove it.  And the promise from my youngest to put me in a nursing home where they will treat me like royalty because I wiped her butt clean when she was a baby.

Pad Thai Wrap

Yesterday, my Yesenia did a 2-3 minute shoot in warm and sunny Venice Beach for YouTube sensation Beck Bennett.
The woman who played her mom was talking about cable and how expensive it was. She asked me what cable company we belonged to and I told her we did not have cable.
Her response was the typical response I have been hearing for years: What no Disney? Do you own a TV? Do you not watch TV at all? What do you do to relax? What do you do for fun?
First off, I told her we don't watch TV for fun.  Fun is to all jump into the car and GO somewhere.  We go to Disneyland.  We go to the museum.  We go somewhere where we communicate and joke around.  For relaxation, we pop lots of popcorn and watch a movie from our own DVD library or we pick up what we find at the library.  We own 2 televisions.  One in the living room and one in my bedroom and they are all powered by a regular TV antenna.
So, what is the big deal?
I think we rely too much on hiding in front of too many electrical devices.  When my kids are filming or are at an audition, I see about 98% of the kids hiding in front of their phones, Nintendos and tablets.  I have made it our business to not do that at all.
An up and coming director told me she prefers to see kids communicating with other children or adults in the waiting room or onset.  It shows they are friendly and have better communications skills.
How refreshing!
My teen and husband always take a book to Disneyland.  Most of the time we are deep in conversation about Disney facts or whatever. When we are waiting on a line and are trying to be patient and I find myself defending them.  One woman said out loud "why would someone bring a book to Disneyland".  I confronted her and was also loud when I said "why is it okay for someone to hide in front a device be any different that someone in front of a book? Is it not the same thing?"
She gave me a surprised look (I'm little but I have a big voice and it carries) and agreed.
By the way, she was reading from her Nook.
Now, I am not perfect.  Sometimes I am behind my computer or phone but I always try to be mindful of others and be more approachable.

Now about some eats!

A couple of months a new cookbook came in the mail, Vegan Junk Food by Lane Gold.
My new favorite recipe is my 2 favorite things, a wrap and Pad Thai.
For real.
And is so good that you will have to control yourself and not more than one.

1 8oz package flat rice noodles
1 tsp oil
1 6oz package savory baked tofu, Teriyaki flavor
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tbsps lemon juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp chili paste
2 tbsps peanut oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red chili, sliced
3 green onions, green and white parts, cut thinly on the diagonal
1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
6 tortillas or flatbread
3 cups mesclun greens
peanut sauce (they said spicy but I can't deal with so much spiciness)

in a large saucepan, boil enough water to cook noodles, about 10 minutes or until tender.
drain.
toss in 1 tsp oil to prevent them from sticking together
slice tofu into thin strips.
in a small bowl, combine soy sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, and chili paste.
set aside
in a large saute pan over high heat, coat pan with peanut oil and saute onion, garlic and red chili until onions are translucent.
add noodles, tofu and green onion.
toss with tongs to mix well.
add the soy sauce mixture.
stir well.
remove from heat.
stir in peanuts and cilantro.
on each tortilla or flatbread, place about 1/2 cup Pad Thai, 1/2 cup mesclun greens and drizzle on the peanut sauce.
wrap into a cylinder, secure with a toothpick in 2 places and cut in half.

Enjoy!