This blog is title This Runner’s Recipes for good reason…I love to cook and bake. After running, cooking is my favorite hobby. And cooking is like running for me: calming, meditative, endlessly fascinating.
While I save complicated meals for holidays and special occasions, I love cooking the everyday, simple meals. I of course have days when I don’t want to cook…but more days than not, I enjoy cooking and making foods from scratch.
That said…I am not Martha. I’ve committed my share of Pinterest fails (my family has plenty of photographic and anecdotal evidence of that) and anything too complicated or artsy flusters me. I prefer simple and uncomplicated recipes.
I don’t have any original recipes to share with you today, so instead I will share with you what I’ve been cooking lately.
Sourdough Starter
I became interested in making my own bread during my first year of graduate school. I was living by myself (and this was before I adopted Charlie), so I was lonely during the work week. I needed a hobby in addition to running that could occupy my “free” time while giving my brain a break from research and writing. Bread is both a science and an art, much like running, so naturally I was drawn to it. (I’m also English and German heritage, so loving bread is almost in my blood.) So I began to bake homemade bread, and it’s been a hobby of mine ever since then.
This year, I decided to cultivate my own sourdough starter. Sourdough offers many nutritional benefits, including probiotics and (as Michael Pollan argues) easy digestion. But fermenting bread and water is also not an easy task, so the challenge of it attracted me as well.
I had attempted my own starter two summers ago, except I stored it in too warm of an area and forgot to feed it during a vacation weekend…which result in molded dough, not fermented. Mold is not good eats, so needless to say that started ended up in the trash.
This time, I did it properly: weighed all of my ingredients, stored it at the right temperature, and fed it diligently until it smelled tangy and bubbled. I followed this recipe from King Arthur Flour and am pleased with the final result.
Sourdough…Everything!
When you make sourdough started, you have to discard approximately 4-8 oz of starter each day. I hate to waste food, but also sourdough starter serves an excellent sponge for easy baking.
I made these insanely delicious sourdough waffles with whole wheat flour (and stored extra in the freezer). One night, we had this sourdough pizza crust, made with whole wheat flour, which made for a tangy and flavorful crust.
Finally, my starter was fermented enough to bake my first loaf of whole wheat sourdough bread. I need to work on my shaping (I usually just bake my sandwich bread in a loaf pan), but for my first loaf of sourdough I was proud of this.
I promise not all I bake is bread…but that seems to be all I’ve taken photos of!
I’ve also loved these recipes lately:
Sweet potato fries: Who knew a pinch of cornstarch could render such good sweet potato fries? I stopped making these for a while at home after getting frustrated over soggy fries.
Hummus: Chickpeas are some of the few legumes that agree with my stomach, especially if they’re cooked until soft and pureed into hummus. This recipe produced a thick, spreadable, creamy hummus – and this recipe to cook the dried chickpeas.
Crockpot soups: I use the crockpot to make chicken stock, so why not use it to make soup? This chicken noodle soup recipe is fan-freaking-tastic, thanks to how the slow cooker coaxes out the flavors from the stock, vegetables, and chicken.
Small Batch Cinnamon Rolls: I made these for us on Christmas morning, when we wanted a couple cinnamon rolls but not a full dozen for the two of us. These rolls rose beautifully and were sweet, fragrant, and most of all easy to prepare.
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What are you cooking lately?
What are your plans this weekend?
20 Responses
Im very impressed with that sourdough! It sounds like alot of work. Ive been using the crockpot more lately but otherwise trying to keep things as simple as possible. Those small batch cinnamon rolls are a great idea!
It was a good amount of work, but never too much time per day – most of it is hands off or baking with the discard, which is optional. The small batch cinnamon rolls were so good!
Make sourdough tortillas. I remember having those when we were in San Fran and they were AWESOME
That’s now on my list – thank you!
Those cinnamon buns look bomb!
Holy crap, they were. Make them!
I wish I could eat that bread though the screen! OMG Sourdough is among my favorites and paired with a hearty soup? Yes please! I am in awe of your baking abilities!
Thank you! Sourdough is so good – the best bread!
I love reading about your cooking life and adventures. I wish I had more time to cook. Like you, it can be very calming for me. It is relaxing. As much as possible, I love to cook from scratch!!
Lately, I have been cooking a variety of things. Earlier this week, though, I made veggie fajita’s that (although simple), I do have to admit they were fantastic. And they have made for some amazing lunch leftovers this week, too. 🙂
My weekend includes the usual of soccer and running. 🙂 Maybe some “relaxing”, too. Hope that the 4 of you have an enjoyable weekend!! Stay warm!!!!
Do you have the recipe for those veggie fajitas? I love fajitas and really love lunch leftovers! I hope you have a great weekend!
I keep wanting to get a starter going but haven’t. This is my push to do so. I love sourdough!!
You should do it! It only takes a few minutes per day. The King Arthur recipe is so clear and helpful!
I love using my slow cooker for soups, stews, and chilli especially in the winter! That chicken noodle soup sounds delicious. I just got a new blender so I have been trying out lots of recipes that require it!
Stews and chilis taste so much better when they can cook slow and low!
Ooh wow, you made your own sourdough bread? That would be so fun; but I think I would probably mess it up at least once. I love that you keep trying. Cause that loaf looks beautiful! 🙂
We’ve been doing a lot of baking and simple meals lately. Last night I tried a 2 ingredient pizza crust. Have you tried that?
I have messed up sooooo many loaves of bread in the years I’ve been baking – it’s definitely an art, and the only way to get better is by making the mistakes and learning. You should definitely try it!
I have been trying a lot of recipes from the Run Fast Eat Slow cookbook (the ginger molasses bread is my favorite so far), and yeast bread is on my list for this weekend too!
Oooooohhhh I need to try that ginger molasses bread!
Those cinnamon buns look awesome!! Sourdough is so great to have on hand too. My husband got into it about a year ago so he’s the one in charge of bread making. The girls and I love it!
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