Thursday, February 29, 2024

Biblical proportions, pita and Henrietta

 I was reading online while watching Northern Exposure, and just as I read the phrase "biblical proportions", one of the Northern Exposure characters said it. As if he was reading over my shoulder. Cue eerie music..

This is not cooking, it's the prep for making a gallon of laundry soap, castile soap for grating, borax, washing soda, to be dissolved together then diluted with hot water. Done.


This is cooking. Prep for Turkish pita bread from the Bread and Salt blog.


Here's the dough, risen and ready to be formed. I tried a way of rising it which worked fine. On top of the toaster oven set at low, about an hour, great rising, at least double its size.
 


I made it into a log, used the bench scraper to cut into pieces, rolled each out, about ten minutes in a hot oven


And here's the whole lot, most now in the freezer


Except this one, stuffed with spinach and crumbled parmesan, great supper

 
I'm really pleased with this addition to the bread repertoire. 

And here's what I'm reading for an online book club, very readable, and I keep being outraged over the treatment of minorities even though I knew some of this. Well worth reading, I feel it's a moral imperative for an old white lady to read and digest this.
 

My neighbor's husband is home from India, and A.  brought back the container from the Valentine cookies, refilled with Indian treats. 

She never returns a container empty, very classy.  So I lived another lovely day.





31 comments:

  1. I have never made pita bread. Nice to have different treats.
    I put my bread dough in my oven with the light on it generates just enough heat to make a great rise on my breads
    Cathy

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    1. The light in my oven is led, no heat! The pita bread w really good.

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  2. Wow those turned out great. Treats from India how fun.. Have a wonderful day.

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  3. Oooh, what wonderful sounding bread! I've read the book about Henrietta Lacks. Incredible how the patriarchal systems are so prejudiced. But great thanks that her life lives on in so much cancer research. I think she now has a statue somewhere important (which I forgot).

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    1. Appalling that the "price" of "free" treatment was to have procedures done, samples taken for research, with no consent. Her cells have done so much good, and her family has never benefited.

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  4. I make pita sometimes. It's so delicious. Great way to get a good rise!
    I hate it when I hear something said either in person or in whatever I'm listening to when I read the word of phrase at the same time. It has always seemed like an omen to me. It seems to happen rather frequently. Having said that- how can you watch TV while reading? I could never do that!
    I haven't read that book. I should.
    Those Indian treats look wonderful.

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    1. I flip back and forward, monkey mind can't stay on one thing!

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  5. Lovely days are the best! I laughed when I read about the 'biblical proportions' because I can't tell you how often that happens to me. Maybe I'm just attuned to it more than others.

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  6. I've made pita but not for a long time. I turn my oven on for a couple of minutes then put the dough in a just barely warm oven and close the door. It works. You have some very good neighbors, but then you are a good and generous neighbor.

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    1. That's a thought about rising. My oven takes ages to fire though. Aging oven, electronic ignition.

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  7. I'm so impressed you can make homemade pita bread! It looks delicious too. Good trick with the toaster oven.

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    1. It's not hard to make. Particularly if you like making all kinds of breads.

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  8. Your food always looks so good. If only I were more industriois, ambitious, etc.!
    I read that book years ago. Just looked at my copy on Kindle. It was a good enough book that I bought it. Thought I remembered seeing something about her family getting some money. Yes. If you Google, you will find that a biotech company "settled" with the family in 2023. Of course there will never be justice for what. was done, and the money was a drop in the bucket, but at least a little recognition of wrong! Glad to know you are reading it!

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    1. I'm glad they did get a settlement, thank you, didn't know that.

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  9. That sent me down a rabbit hole reading about HeLa. I think I have heard about her cells before but didn't delve into available knowledge on it. Must do so.

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    1. That's where I was on her until this came up as a book club selection. Definitely worth looking into.

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  10. one blogger I read that doesn't post often anymore makes his own crackers. something else to add to your bread repertoire.

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    1. I used to make them regularly, but haven't for a while. Thanks for the reminder.

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  11. Great job on the pita bread. I’ve never made it but it looks good.

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  12. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks should be required reading about the seventh grade, and several times thereafter. Wonderful book. Love your pita bread. I've made it several times, long ago.

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    1. It's definitely valuable, and very important to know her impact, even without her knowing or agreeing. I found that her main outdoor statue is in her birthplace, Roanoke VA. There are smaller ones inside medical institutes. Some recognition finally. The financial settlement for her family didn't happen till 2023. High time.

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  13. Your pita bread looks yummy, Liz. And what a nice return gift for you!

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  14. Liz, I couldn't find that blog for the pita recipe. And I looked hard, because your bread looks delicious! Found restaurants, books, and many, many explanations of the significance of the phrase, but no blog. If you have a minute, could you please share a link or write out the url? Thanks very much!

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    1. Try https://breadvsalt.blogspot.com. She commented in here a few posts ago, too.

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    2. I think a Google on bread&salt using the ampersand might work too

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  15. Nice bread and good neighbours.

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