Icebreaker Questions about Me!

So you've found your way to Foofy Not Foofy and you are wondering who is behind this blog, these art and music classes, the handcrafted thises and thats? That'd be me! HeatherAnne Norbury. As my sidebar up there reads (assuming you aren't on a blog reader... if you are you should click through to see the pretty orange on my blog)... so anyway... as my sidebar reads, I am a homeschooling, crafting, cooking, canning, reading, overly busy but trying to keep it all together mama writing a blog. I teach art and music classes in the KC Metro and I also make handcrafts, such as jewelry and crocheted goods, that I sell in my Etsy store and at local craft shows.

I have two wonderful children and a loving husband who puts up with being the sole breadwinner even though we both have law degrees. Our home is a menagerie of pets (two dogs, two cats, two rats, one fish and two snails) and friends (rarely a day goes by without friends over). I am organized by nature so I continue to shovel in the blizzard to try to keep our home tidy and neat. I started Foofy Not Foofy to share craft ideas, canning tips, recipes, book and product reviews and other news, factoids, funnies and tidbits that come my way. The Foofy Not Foofy business has grown to include my art and music classes and my handcrafts. Here are a few more interesting things about me. Please comment with your own answers to some of these questions! I'd love to hear from you.

 1. Do you go by a nickname? Not anymore but for the majority of my life, I was Choo-Choo. My grandmother started calling me that when I was only a few weeks old because some noise I made reminded her of a train. It stuck. I was Choo-Choo until high school when I stopped using the nickname publicly. I used it again through college and law school, though it was shortened to just Choo. When you see me use Hawchoo on things, that is a combination of my maiden initials (HeatherAnne Welch) and my nickname. Some friends still call me Choo, which is fine. Just don't call me Heather. It's HeatherAnne... all one word.

 2. Who is the most famous person you ever met? Ted Williams. He was a close family friend of my grandparents.

   

Me playing piano for Ted at my grandparent's house. Circa 1982 maybe?

 3. What book has had the biggest impact on you? To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It is my favorite book. It definitely opened my eyes to how completely messed up race relations were (and are) in this country and sent me on a path of trying to understand and help make a difference so that all people can be treated with respect and dignity. It also has one quote that I go back to again and again in my life. I even had a band named from it for a time. "It's when you know you are licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." -Atticus Finch.

Band Logo - Artwork by my lovely and talented friend, Heidi

4. Are you a dog person or a cat person? Both, obviously, though I am currently owned by a 15yo Maine Coon named Maggie. So right now, I'm a cat's person. 

5. Do you prefer Coke or Pepsi? Coke and only Coke. It's the only soft drink I like well enough to drink empty calories for. I try to limit myself to one Big Q from Quik Trip a week... sometimes it's two. 

6. What is your favorite holiday? Thanksgiving or Halloween. I really like Thanksgiving and it's relatively low stress levels, but I also really enjoy helping the kids make costumes and taking them around the neighborhood with friends for trick or treating. 

7. What is your favorite cereal? Fruity Pebbles. I haven't bought a box in YEARS and YEARS because I will eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner until the box is empty. Not really a healthy choice. So I just don't buy it. 

8. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? The first thing I remember wanting to be was a ballerina. I may have been in 1st grade. After that, it switched back and forth between architect and veterinarian. My daughter wants to a be a veterinarian. As homeschoolers, I love that we can focus on things that inspire her passion. We do a LOT of science and a LOT of unit studies on animals. 

9. What was the last movie you saw? My Little Pony: Equestria Girls - Rainbow Rocks. We might be a family of bronies and pegasisters. 

10. If you could pick any actor to be president, who would it be? Morgan Freeman

REVIEW: The New Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg, MD and Zoë François

Starting at the title, I was VERY skeptical. I mean, really? Yummy, beautiful homemade bread in 5 minutes a day? Who do they think they're kidding? I have always wanted to bake... to BE someone who BAKES. I even own a top of the line bread machine to help this time-crunched mama (ostensibly) make bread more easily. Even as "easy" as that is, it still just didn't happen all that often. And frankly, bread machine crusts are just not the same as bread baked in the oven.

Skeptical or not, I really wanted to believe that I could fit baking into my daily life. The introduction did nothing to make it sound any less "too good to be true". Then they shared their secrets: 1) "Mix enough dough for several loaves and store it in the refrigerator" and 2) "Pre-mixed, pre-risen, high moisture dough keeps well in the refrigerator." (my emphasis). This dough is WET and as a result, requires no kneading, no proofing the yeast, no resting/rising/resting, no punching down (in fact, NEVER punch it down), no stress or fuss whatsoever. With my trusty kitchen scale and my Kitchenaid mixer, I can put a large batch of dough together in under 15 minutes. The only thing I have to do each day for fresh bread is pull off a ball of dough, shape and bake. There is some resting and baking time involved, of course, but the actual active work required takes mere minutes. I have even cooked a few loaves in the slow cooker (!!!) with zero resting time. You do need to put a slow cooker loaf under a broiler for a minute to crisp up the top but this is a super SUPER easy way to make already super easy bread.

I usually get books from the library first before forking out the cash for them. I will definitely be adding this one to my cookbook collection permanently. They also have written "Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day" and "Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in 5 Minutes a Day". This review is for the 2nd edition of their original book and I plan to buy this one as it includes whole grain and flatbread recipes in it, as well as recipes for pretzels, pain d'epi, pumpernickel, rye, beignets, naan and so much more.  There is a sizable gluten-free section as well! If you want to fit baking into your life, do yourself a favor and get this book. I'm not sure your waistline will thank me but your taste buds definitely will.