Un-professional, here I come

Let's start with this - I love my job. I love being able to take my daughter to work with me. I love that I don't have to dress up. I love having flexible hours. But sometimes all of those things backfire!

Yesterday, since Mindy is out of town, I picked up some donated (free!) onion starters and seed potatoes. And so today I'm in gardening clothes and flimsy washable flip-flops. But I forgot that a representative from a Xerox printing company was coming to meet with me today. And of course he was in a suit & tie. Now, I love my job and I love being a mom and I love that they mix so well, but today I felt like I looked like a "mom." Slouchy clothes, hair not done, not much makeup on. Toys and dolls in the office. And I had to tell him to be quiet so he didn't wake up my sleeping child.

Maybe the lesson should be check my calendar so I'm more prepared?

Whole Wheat Soda Bread

Okay, so this is the bread I made last week, for those who came to my party on Saturday. It's super easy and tastes great. It's best right out of the oven with butter, in my opinion.

Whole Wheat Soda Bread

Ingredients:
1 c white flour
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs cold butter
2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 c buttermilk (I used soured milk - just add vinegar to sweet milk - but don't be skimpy - the acidity in the milk reacts to the baking soda to make the bread rise)

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Combine the first four ingredients and mix well. Cut in butter. Stir in whole wheat flour and oats. Make a well in the middle of the mixture and pour in buttermilk. Mix with a fork just until blended. Knead on well-floured board 1 minute (Not too long - too long will make the texture too tough).
Shape in a ball and set on greased baking sheet. Press into 6 in circle and cut a cross in the top. Bake 40 minutes or until well browned and the loaf sounds hollow.

I made this on Sunday evening, as well, and that time I gave Anne a small ball of dough to knead herself and shape into a ball. She thought it was pretty cool, but wasn't too excited about the messy hands. I say this to say that you can make the bread the size you want - just adjust the baking time.