Toad Bread: Attempt 2

Click here for some context and to see Attempt 1

The GF and I decided to re-attempt Nikk Alcaraz's toad bread recipe -- this time following the ingredients and instructions from his newly-posted YouTube video.

We made only slight ingredient adjustments based on what we had on hand.  Here is what we used:

Ingredients

Dough:

100 g  whole milk

100 g water 

14 g granulated sugar 

9 g active dry yeast 

400 g bread flour 

9 g salt 

28 g unsalted butter (softened)

10 g apple cider vinegar 

1 large egg

Egg Wash:

1 egg yolk 

1 tsp water 

~1/2 tsp garlic salt

After proofing the yeast in the warm water & milk, we mixed all the dough ingredients into a ball, then kneaded it for 10 minutes.  Then we let it rise for about an hour and a half, punched it down, and pressed out the air bubbles.  

Then we got to shaping! Starting with a tight egg shape.

(Woah, hand reveal!)

Then, we covered him in plastic wrap for one more 30-minute rise, and he plumped right up:

Then came the egg wash...

And finally, we baked him at 350° for 28 minutes.

Just look at our beautiful boy!

Some excellent photography from my Ghoulfriend

He's quite a bit handsomer than our first loaf, and he tastes SOOOOO much better.  This loaf is fluffier, chewier, and more flavorful.  The garlic salt in the egg wash added a nice subtle hint of umami.  

This recipe was really very easy, too.  Definitely give it a shot if you've thought about making your own.  

Follow-along with Practical Peculiarities' YouTube video or purchase the cookbook: Peculiar Baking.

Happy baking!

A little collage by the gf :)

The Great Pumpkin Project: October 1st 2025

I'm tired of neglecting this blog! I completely forgot to post this on October 1st, so here it is now. I'm trying to remind myself that something is always better than nothing, so.... better late than never!

We kicked off October with my favorite annual tradition: The Great Pumpkin Project!

 

It was the ghoulfriend's first time participating (which was very exciting for me and her!).  It was a cooler night than usual for Central Florida, so we sat out back and carved up two jack-o'-lanterns.  I don't know how, but I always forget how much fun carving pumpkins is; such a simple but fulfilling pleasure.

Mine's on the right, hers is on the left.  Hers is much better than mine, I think.

 

 

 

We also drew up our own tags this time. I put the URL to the GPP mission page on mine, but after seeing how much space it took up, I decided to make a shortened version (tinyurl.com/GPP-Mission) for future use (the ghoulfriend put it on hers).  

The gf placed hers on a retention wall along a dark but busy road.  A popular bike/pedestrian path runs by as well, so it definitely got plenty of visibility!

I placed mine near a bridge along that same path.  Not as much foot traffic, but hopefully one or two people saw it and appreciated it.

Afterwards, we hit up Lazy Moon Pizza for a cheese slice and a PBR.  All in all a wonderful evening spent together!

If you want to know more about The Great Pumpkin Project or participate yourself, check out this post of mine and follow @GreatPumpkinProject on Instagram!

It's time

On the night of September 1st, as I was walking the ghoulfriend home from an event, we both inexplicably stopped in the middle of her quiet neighborhood street.  The wind blew, rustling the fallen sycamore leaves.  It was a cool 75° (cool for central Florida).  The New Moon meant it was dark, save for the streetlights.  We turned and looked at each other, wordlessly communicating that we both knew... it's time

"I'm normally a stickler on dusting this one off before the threat of hot days have
passed, but this year I'm appealing to the feeling over the calendar. It’s time folks"
- Sam Heimer, original artist

More-so than last year, it really feels like Halloween is coming.  Among friends and online circles, there has been a steadfast patience for the arrival of the season; a patience not felt last year (as Sam Heimer pointed out in this post) when many jumped the gun, declaring "spooky season" as early as July.  For whatever reason, I didn't see that as much this year, and I think we are better for it. 

The next day, September 2nd, we invited a close friend over to have a cozy day in.  We watched Fantastic Mr. Fox and baked homemade pizza and pumpkin bread (both of which I make quite well, if I do say so myself).

The ghoulfriend and I are very ready for this season to start.  This will be our first Halloween together, and I can't think of anyone else I'd rather share it with!

Summerween

Summerween takes place on the 22nd of June each year, but can really be celebrated anytime during the summer.

While it's true that I do believe one can begin celebrating Halloween "too early" (a sentiment not commonly shared by many of my spooky peers) I enjoy Summerween because it doesn't attempt to rush the seasons (at least not the way we celebrate it).

Big box stores are already starting to put out their fall and Halloween decorations despite the full-swing of summer's heat, tempting many of us to engage in autumnal daydreams and wistful consumption.  Trust me, I feel that temptation myself.  But just like how I could sit in a lawn chair with my feet in a kiddie pool and pretend I'm on the sandy shores of O'ahu, I know it wouldn't feel the same.  It would feel too.... empty.  Nothing compares to the real thing, the real Halloween.

And that's where Summerween comes in.

"jack-o'-melons" carved by The Ghoulfriend and one of her friends

Instead of futilely pretending it isn't 99° outside, or imagining the leaves changing color, or cranking my AC to "Arctic Circle" just so I can cuddle under a blanket next to the fireplace... Summerween seeks to uplift the summer season, making it more palatable to spookier folks like us by injecting some Halloween fun into it.

For our Summerween celebration, we got a group together out at a friend's lake house.  During the day, we boated, jet-skied, and drank cold beers and seltzers.  We carved jack-o'-melons after lunch, snacking on the red flesh as we worked.  After watching the sunset from the dock, we went inside and made homemade pizza.  We topped the night off with more beer and a screening of Scream (though admittedly, Friday the 13th would have been more appropriate).

The operating room

To me, Summerween is all about celebrating the wait for Halloween and accepting summer as a necessary part of that wait. We're enjoying our favorite parts of summer -swimming, eating popsicles and watermelon, cooking out, spending time outside with friends- and doing a couple Halloween-y activities to scratch the itch.  It feels like a throwback to Summer Vacation as a kid (except for the beer).  Instead of fighting summer, we embrace it, enjoy it, and declare, "This is how Halloween people do it!"  

I know not everyone feels this way, but for those who do, I hope you find ways to "embrace the wait" rather than trying to force the whole holiday of Halloween to arrive earlier.  After all, the real Halloween only comes once a year... that's what makes it so special!

Afternoon Tea with Tinnitus Rex

Storytime!

Back in January, on our first-ever date, my now-girlfriend (henceforth referred to as "The Ghoulfriend") suggested a spontaneous stop-in at Stardust Video and Coffee.  I'd never been, and she'd been wanting to take me for a while (when we were just friends).  I absolutely ate it up.  It was the most hipster establishment I have ever set foot in: Coffee, food, old bookshelves, a cocktail bar, an analog photo booth, eclectic décor, wall graffiti... But it was the live music that really did it for me.

Unbeknownst to either of us, Stardust was hosting a live performance featuring Daniel Fuller (aka Daniel Fuzztone), Billy Davis, and Jeff Matz. We entered the building to the most brain-buzzing distorted drones I've ever experienced live.  It was magnificent.

It's hard to place a genre on the music played that night, but "Improv post-rock shoegaze noise" would get you close enough I think. Here's a snippet from that night: 

When I spoke with Daniel after the show, I learned that Billy and Jeff are members of the local band Tinnitus Rex, a self-described "improv noise band".

Fast-forward almost two months, and I caught wind of an upcoming event: "Afternoon Tea with Tinnitus Rex"

(Source: Orlando Weekly)

The event was taking place tomorrow! I pitched the idea to the ghoulfriend, and she was all for it.  So, just like our first date, we headed to Ten10 Brewing Company for an impromptu date of listening to some of Orlando's finest noise-makers.

A video clip doesn't quite portray the sheer volume and intensity of their music, but here's a couple anyways:

We both had a wonderful time drinking tea and beer, spacing-out to music, and reflecting on the past two and a half months together.  Her and I agreed: we want to go on many more eardrum-destroying Tinnitus Rex dates!

Click here for the Tinnitus Rex website