Catching Up With The Kelnhofers-52

This week on Catching up with the Kelnhofers, I have finally figured out the secret to sourdough and shared some of my favorite ways to use the discard.  I’m also sharing a fun thing Nick and I did on IGTV last weekend, so I hope you enjoy! Also – this is a special Catching Up With The Kelnhofers – it’s been 1 year of me doing these posts!! Cannot wait to keep doing them through the years.

this image

I must have made over 20 loaves of sourdough bread before FINALLY, last week I bought a banneton basket and kit thing from Amazon for $40. Here is the kit I got.

My bread finally turned out amazing!

Yes, it requires a lot of practice to work with sourdough, but man-o-man do the right tools help.

I’ve made 2 loaves that were both better than anything I’ve made without the stupid basket, lol.

New On The Blog:

Another week of delicious recipes, lists and family updates!

• Strawberry sauce recipe – enjoy this sauce on everything; pancakes, ice cream, oatmeal and more!
• Catching up with the Kelnhofers – your weekly family update from last week.
• BLT pizza recipe – combine a classic BLT sandwich with your favorite pizza crust and enjoy!
• The best one pan recipes – when you’re in a hurry, one pan recipes are the best, so I shared a list of my favorite.
• Love List 6 – my favorite new series on the blog!
• Things in my cart for the Nordstrom anniversary sale – so many great things I want to buy!

What to Make:

I’m celebrating sourdough this week and reminding you of all the great things you can make with a sourdough discard:

• Sourdough pizza crust – we use this over and over again at home.
• Sourdough pierogi – homemade pierogi are the best and this is a great way to try them!
• My emotional experience starting a sourdough starter – this sure was a journey; read all about it here.
• Sourdough scallion pancake – maybe the best thing I made with my discard.
• Tuna salad with pickled celery on sourdough bread – one of my favorite ways to use my sourdough bread.

What I Made:

• Did you catch our IGTV? If not, you can see it here. I made beer brats (with Gluten-Free beer because of Nick’s barley allergy and we found a barley-free beer) and Nick made old fashioneds. It was very fun and there was a special appearance from Ben who, of course, wasn’t napping lol.

• I also made cinnamon sugar raisin bread with sourdough starter discard. Ben helped, we just made up the recipe – used my honey oat flax bread recipe – and added a little of the sourdough starter discard and then filled the center with cinnamon, sugar, and a few raisins and rolled it up. It was a success!!

• I’ve been testing a recipe for quick pickled eggs, and I’m obsessed, they’re so good. Cannot wait to share with you soon!

• Also, made mashed potatoes for a friend, I used the recipe in my cookbook.

• We made balsamic grilled vegetables for the millionth time this summer, they’re just so amazing!

Reader Comments:

Since we’ve been making these on repeat, it’s nice to see what readers think of them too! And, this reader has a great tip if you don’t have a grill:

• “I’ve made these twice; a huge hit. I doubled the recipe the 2nd time I made these because there were zero leftovers the first time around; my guests were going for seconds! I didn’t have a grill basket so I ended up baking them in a 9×13 pan for 45 minutes at 350°. They came out great. Will def make these over and over.”

Reader ReCreations:

Huge shout out to @jenna483 who shared this delicious looking recreation of my jalapeno cheddar pull apart bread.

Item from Amazon you didn’t know you needed:

• Painter’s tape!! I use this for art projects AND for labeling containers in the fridge!

What I’m Reading:

• Still reading The Two Lives of Lydia Bird. It’s a tear jerker for sure!

What I’m Watching:

• We watched ‘to all the boys I’ve loved before‘ and I LOVED it, such a great rom-com! But it also made me feel old because I thought the Dad role was so good and more relatable.

Personal Stories:

• Beach day for the win! I took Ben on a little adventure day, we went to the lake, threw lots of rocks and stones in the water, relaxed, and then on the way home stopped at a baker which was set up so nice with hand sanitizer and ‘patio rules’ signs. Ben pointed and told me the sign said “Ben gets to have a cookie and mama also gets a cookie” lol, love his version.

• Ben picks his own outfit for walks, and he’s a goof on our walks. Have you ever tried to tell a three year-old that he has mis-matched boots on?! lol

• Early morning I left the house, Frankie’s hair was so funny, Ben & Nick said the cutest goodbye, and my ‘stuff’ on the car seat sure looks different in 2020: hand sanitizer and mask (and I had a Starbucks breakfast sandwich and it was beyond amazing not to cook for 1 meal!!)

• Nick’s mom gave Ben a paw patrol puzzle set, he did so good, I was impressed. We love puzzles!

• I made some oatmeal bars for the kids and Freddie grabbed the big one, and then took food off Frankie’s tray, lol.

• Nick held up Frankie outside my office because he was proud of her outfit, and I couldn’t agree more. Her socks even had bows on them, lol.

• It’s Nick’s birthday this weekend and I loved turning the calendar page and seeing all the cute pics!

• The twins were being just beyond cute, they’re growing so much!!

• Ben is loving all of the fresh summer fruits we have around – especially watermelon and blueberries (he can eat the whole container!)

Did you know?

• You can see some great recipe videos on my IGTV – check it out here! I am also starting to do some live cooking, along with Nick so keep an eye out for more videos like the one I mentioned at the start of the newsletter!

Popular this week:

• Most visited blog post: I loved seeing this that you liked learning about the Serbian sausage recipe.
• Most liked Instagram post: this tasty strawberry sauce image.
• Most pinned image: always a celebration with this pin about how to make a mimosa bar.
• Most viewed YouTube video: making a spinach salad with homemade dressing was popular this week.
• Most purchased item: This cookie scooper that I love too!

Do you like to shop the Nordstrom anniversary sale? If so, what do you have your eye on? I’d love to hear, so just leave a comment below and let me know!