Month: January 2020

The Latest Zottola Kitchen Adventures

If you visit the Zottola home at any hour, there’s probably something in the oven, on the stove, fermenting on top of our refrigerator, or cooling on the counter. Here’s the latest!

I’ve been baking up a storm (a flour storm?!) and enjoying every moment of it. Since creating my sourdough starter, I’ve been baking a loaf almost every day. Ob-sessed. I’ve done a few loaves of rye and pumpernickel, too. Love those strong flavors.

Sourdough bread

I became the proud owner of this cookbook devoted to cookies and dove right in. Molasses cookies were first on the docket and they were divine!

There’s nothing like a good ol’ cookie to end the day… every day 🙂

Molasses cookies King Arthur Flour

I had an order for a birthday cake and cupcakes and it went well (you can see the cupcakes in this post)! The cake turned out well and the customer was happy. Whoop whoop!

Birthday cake

When I was making the birthday cake, Jimmy and I were getting ready to go to my in-laws for dinner and whipped up this cake (below) with the extra buttercream.

It was fun to “play” with a cake and not have any certain design or decoration I had to do. I didn’t end up going to my in-laws because I started to come down with mastitis (ughhh), but Jimmy said the cake was great!

Decorated cake

Other adventures in the Zottola kitchen have included making vanilla extract (which I mentioned in this post and is finally ready!), mozzarella cheese, and brewing kombucha.

My brother-in-law knows how much I like to play in the kitchen, so he got me a cheese making kit and a kombucha brewing kit for Christmas, which have been a lot of fun. The kombucha has been fermenting for like eight days now, so I think it’s just about ready? Nevermind the fact I’ve never actually had kombucha before, haha.

Homemade mozzarella cheese

My first ball of mozzarella cheese! We ended up grating it and putting it on sourdough pizza crusts and sandwiches 🙂

Have you done anything fun in the kitchen lately?

Currently: January 2020

Happy New Year! I hope 2020 is a blessed year for each and every person who visits this little corner of the internet. Does anyone have any big plans for the year? I want to hear all about them if so 🙂

Here’s what’s currently going on in my life.

Stack of books

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Current books So. Many. Books! I’m reading Ephesians in the Bible and have quite a random conglomeration of books on our bookshelf. Cookbooks to fuel my baking/sourdough addiction: Flour Water Salt Yeast, The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion, and Modern Jewish Baker.

My sister read Parenting by The Book and had is sent to me (Thanks, Hannah!), my dad is having me read this commercial real estate book for work, and I’m almost finished with Stones for Bread.

Currently looking forward to Gardening. I know, its only January. I just miss our garden so much! I’m already dreaming of what we’re going to plant this year.

Current project Joining the National Marrow Donor Program. I got this random feeling that I should donate bone marrow, so I signed up to be a donor in case I’m a match for someone! I sent in my cheek swab kit and should be an official member in a few weeks.

Current drink Death Wish Coffee. What a name, right? Apparently it’s some of the strongest coffee out there. It’s smooth and tasty, and I’ll take all the extra caffeine I can get.

Death Wish Coffee

I think it’s funny that I drink it in a cocker spaniel mug. I guess that kind of negates the hard core factor of drinking it 😉

Current fun Planning family nights. Jimmy, Sadie, and I had a family night once in November and December and enjoyed a special meal and activities and decided to make it a monthly tradition! Maybe for January’s family night we’ll take Sadie for a sled ride on a local trail if we have snow!

Current question What do you go through more of: shampoo or conditioner? I’m pretty sure I go through about three bottles of conditioner per bottle of shampoo. Or do you use them evenly and I’m just weird?

Current beauty product Mackenzie mentioned Invisibobble hair ties and I had to try ’em! The verdict? I may never go back to regular hair ties again.

Currently baking Everything, all the time. Still baking sourdough almost daily, the cupcakes and cake I did for a birthday party went well, and I tried out a new cookie recipe! I’ll have to do a separate baking post because I have about 800 pictures to share 🙂

Red and blue cupcakes

Tell me something current in your life!