cha-cha-cha ciabatta

I've spent a lot of time baking lately, and I've been disappointed in the results fairly often. I made a 100% whole wheat loaf last weekend which was a bit of a dud. It never really rose, despite the fact that I stuck it right in front of the propane fireplace (right next to Thomas). This weekend I made a sauerkraut rye loaf, which turned out ok. It's definitely a different flavor, a bit heavy though. Last night, I made the biga (that's the starter) for a ciabatta loaf and I have been working all day on this loaf of bread...literally. Ok, so mostly I just let it sit, but I did have to deflate it and stuff. So finally, it is done, and I have to say, it is delicious!

Here's a photo:

I had it for dinner with olive oil, pepper, and parmesan cheese.

Last night I also made a winter vegetable soup with barley and shredded cabbage. And tonight I made blueberry muffins. Tomorrow, my friend Peggy is hosting a LoveLarisa party at her house for brunch, so I thought I would bring some muffins over too. I'm not expecting a huge turnout, but it was nice of her to offer and I'm sure it will be fun anyway.

I didn't have to work today because it was Veterans Day, so I took the opportunity to start planning our vacation next week. There's not really much to plan since it's a cruise and everything was pre-booked, but I planned out our itineary anyway, along with a budget. The nice thing about this vacation is that I paid for it in February. Now it's just incidentals and a few meals, though that adds up pretty quickly too. I'm getting pretty excited, mostly about Budapest and Vienna. We are definitely going to go to the thermal baths in Budapest. Other than that, I still don't really have anything planned. Oh well. I'm going to Reny's tonight to do a bit of last minute shopping for the trip.

Not much else going on...basically just wanted to post a picture of my ciabatta. I know, my life is riveting. : )