25 for my 25th : progress

A little update on my 25 for my 25th list:

1. Visit Portland, Oregon √

I have been dreaming of visiting Portland for quite some time. And though we are traveling a lot in these next few months (for the holidays), our anniversary week was as good a time as any to make the trip. So we bit the bullet and bought plane tickets and stayed with my husband’s cousin. Read about our trip here and here.

3. Make my own sandwich bread √

This has been something I’ve been wanting to do for a while, and the other week I finally decided to just go ahead and attempt it (lucky me I had all the ingredients on hand). I used this recipe but used all unbleached white flour since my wheat was expired (I also use the rapid rise yeast that comes in little packets). And it was so much easier than I imagined it would be (at least with a stand mixer to knead the dough)! It took a few hours from start to finish and was SO GOOD. My husband and I literally downed an entire loaf straight out of the oven. We froze one, and he took the rest to work for sandwiches. Needless to say, this will have to be a regular/weekly occurrence around here (just have to keep a lot of flour on hand).

4. Go apple picking √

This has been another something that I have been wanting to do for a while. Last year we were planning on going, but we missed the season (it ended early last year). The closest orchards to LA are at least 2 hours away, and we couldn’t find a weekend to make it this year, so we threw “apple picking” into our Portland itinerary, and I’m so happy we did. My husband jokes that we only had to fly 2 hours to Portland to go apple picking, but we both really enjoyed it (and yes we brought bags of apples home in our carry-on luggage). Once I get those photos developed, I’ll be sharing more about it.

I’m also making progress on my reading list: