focaccia

 At 9am I started the process of making focaccia… first I had to mix the biga that I made yesterday with some water and oil, then I added flour, yeast, and salt. Thus began the process of rising… every 30 minutes it needed to be lifted and gently folded… 5 times… then the dough was flattened and spread out onto a baking sheet… 4 times dimpling the dough, letting it rest 30 minutes between times… at 2:00 pm it was in the oven!

Definitely a project for a day that you want to hang around the kitchen!

My rosemary plant is pretty much dead so I chose to top the focaccia with sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, roasted garlic, and a sprinkling of basil.

Two thirty pm: it’s out of the oven and we’ve had (more than) a few squares… I oversalted it but OMG! Fluffy, crispy, salty, yummy. An easy 5/5. It’s like bread on steroids! Too bad that it won’t be warm out of the oven for supper tonight! (update: it’s good cold too!)

Back to the book… Mantras and managing thoughts was discussed in another few chapters. Reframing negatives into positives does change how you feel in a profound way. I try to practice this but get off track sometimes so was glad for the reminder. It’s not always easy to think ‘I feel energetic’ when I’m exhausted but I know the power of words. If you tell yourself over and over again that you’re tired, well guess what, soon you will be!

A whole book could be devoted to changing thinking patterns as of course it’s easier said than done and does need a lot of practice and thought! 

I haven’t decided on a mantra yet - any ideas? I’m thinking of “I’ve got this” or something along those lines.

I read something else that talked about how the brain is divided into sections that manage each body part. Hands and fingers take up a huge part of your brain compared with everything else so if you focus on doing something with your hands you can distract yourself from other physical problems, but taking that a step farther, it might help with anxiety as well. 

I don’t play a musical instrument but it seems that it would be ideal for changing thinking. I’ve experimented with crocheting before but that was a bust - too much swearing to alleviate anxiety! In fact it might be anxiety producing 🤪

Awesome!

“fluffy dough”

“I feel in control, I feel great”