I'm full.

I don't know what got into me this weekend, (the weather maybe?) but I cooked, and ate, a lot.

First up was no knead bread, which I've been wanting to try for a while. Many people have tried this recipe already; it orignally appeared in the New York Times, but I used this one and I think I first saw it on not martha.

Anyway. The dough was a sticky mess throughout and I think my yeast was a little old - this version didn't rise much. But the texture was so good - crunchy on the outside with chewy innards. I'll definitely be giving it another try.

Can you see how fudgy those brownies are? I ate more than I should have, but I went to pilates yesterday which cancels some of them out. From Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook.

I also made Polenta Egg Cups with Balsamic-Roasted Grapes and Sausages (thanks Elaine!) for brunch. It was an easy recipe and I might make it next weekend when R.'s mom and dad come for a visit.

By the way - I recently inherited the butcher block shown in the above photos from my grandma. It's covered in knife scratches and is always faintly oily even when clean. When I'm using it I like to think about all the pie, bread and potpie dough that must be soaked into its surface.
Not much else going on here, although my lab project has kinda been sucking lately. I'm in more of a data analysis phase and things are slow. Hate that. Makes me feel like it will take 20 years until I'm done!