Taylor Kristiina

The Easiest Non-Sourdough Bread Recipe

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While I absolutely love sourdough and the process of slow and intentional baking, I greatly dislike the waste of discarding and feeding. To combat this waste, I found clever recipes for sourdough discard that allowed me to make a myriad of baked goods in the most sustainable manner possible. The caveat was that I was baking everyday. For those of you who are like me and just need a simple bake-the-day-before bread, look no further.

Ingredients:

3 cups of organic flour.
2 tsp. of salt.
1 tsp. of yeast.
Herbs of your choice (optional).
1-2/3 cup of warm water.

Instructions:

Mix all dry ingredients together. You can omit the herbs or add a heaping pinch-full. I oscillate between rosemary and sage. Once well mixed, add the 1 and 2/3 cups of hot water. Mix well until the consistency is thick and sticky. If it’s too watery or sticky, more flour can be added. Cover tightly with a beeswax wrap or aluminum foil and leave out on the counter for approximately 18-24 hrs. This will give the yeast time to rise and for the dough to get bubbly.

Once risen, pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees and place the dutch oven inside to slowly heat up. While the oven is warming, remove the dough from the bowl and flour well so that it doesn’t stick to the dutch oven while baking. When the oven reaches the desired temperature, place the well-floured dough inside the dutch oven, mark an “x” with a knife on the top of the dough, and cover with the lid. Bake for 30 minutes. When the timer dings, remove the lid and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Enjoy the warm bread with organic butter and wildflower honey.

Shop my top essential tools:

Ballerina Farm Bread Lame
Le Creuset Dutch Oven
Find more favorites here.

Springtime Play with Haba Toys, Just in Time for Easter

This post contains gifts from HABA and affiliate links at no additional cost to you.

The snow has melted and winter days are officially behind us. To celebrate spring and the upcoming Easter holiday, we partnered with HABA to curate a collection of play essentials.

HABA creates beautifully crafted children’s toys that allow for imaginative and open-play. My daughter loves adding objects in and out of her darling red bucket, kicking around the Rainbow Ball, stacking her Forest Friends, and listening to the chime of the notes as the wooden ball rolls down the race track of the Kullerbu Melody Dominoes Set. The Town Maze Magnetic Puzzle is our new favorite for quiet moments and long travel days.

The charming designs and heirloom quality of HABA toys make them a delightful addition to any Easter basket. Discover the HABA Easter Shop on the website.

Around Here

A trip to the dinosaur museum on film.

The Fellowship slowly coming together in a double knit blanket. I use Purl Soho’s Till yarn, which is lovely to work with.

The art of gifting.

We're getting very old school over here.

The Ballerina Farm Farmer Hydrate electrolyte powder is divine.

I knit this chunky wool sweater. Available in my shop.

Children’s Items I Bought and Highly Recommend

These are purchases that I have genuinely made and this post contains affiliate links at no additional cost to you.

Bella Luna Toys x Haba Kitchen Play Set

Piccalio Foldable Helper Tower

My daughter reached a point in which she no longer wanted to sit in her high-chair. I bought the Piccalio helper tower and it has been a huge win in our home. My daughter contently eats standing up or plays with the water in the sink while I wash dishes and make dinner.

Tonie Box

My mother saw the Tonie Box on TV and ordered it without really understanding what it was. Turns out that it was one of the best gifts we have received. While Tonie recommends many of the figurines for older children, my one-year-old has absolutely loved swapping the figurines and listening to the music. Find a list of my favorite Tonies here.

Bella Luna Toys x Haba Kitchen Play Set

This gorgeous hardwood play kitchen invites children into imaginative cooking, storytelling, and collaborative role-play. My daughter loves to put objects away and take them out, she “sautés” on the burners, and serves us her cooking creations.

Scallop Montessori Bookcase

I am a big fan of organization, so when I found a beautifully handcrafted bookcase for my daughter, I was instantly sold. It sits low to the ground so I don’t have to worry about tipping and it holds a large number of books.

Stapelstein Stacker

The Stapelstein Stacker is an open-ended, modular movement toy designed to inspire active, imaginative play. Lightweight yet sturdy, the stackable elements can be used for balancing, building, stepping, spinning, and creative obstacle courses. Simple in form but endlessly versatile, it supports gross motor development, coordination, and cooperative play—indoors or out. I purchased one (for now) which my daughter uses to watch passersby from our just-a-little-too-tall-window.

Artipoppe Zeitgeist Carrier

The coveted Artipoppe carrier has been hands-down one of my favorite and best purchases. I have used it to help finish chores around the house, to lull baby to sleep, and travelling. Though the price tag is high and there are alternative carriers on the market, Artipoppe’s commitment to natural and beautiful materials is a big selling-point for me. It’s easy as a mom to feel frumpy, particularly in the midst of a busy and hard day, and Artipoppe is the antidote.

Snowed In

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Wearing Christy Dawn Dress, Lauren Manoogian Skirt, The Row Boots, and Artipoppe Zeitgeist Baby Carrier.

Clear Skin with Vetted Dermlab

This post contains gifts and affiliate links at no additional cost to you.

My life has been busier than ever. Between caring for my daughter, work, book club, my endless knitting projects, and our home renovation, there isn’t much time for extras. I love low-maintenance but effective skincare routines which is why I was excited when I came across Vetted Dermlab. Founded by a dermatologists, Vetted Dermlab formulates hypoallergenic skincare using science-backed and ethically sourced ingredients for long lasting skin health.

I use the C Cleanser morning and night which gently removes makeup, dirt, and impurities while protecting my skin’s natural barrier. I then follow up with the M2 Rich Moisturizer which is lightweight and designed to repair the skin and lock in moisture. Living in such a dry climate, I will take all the moisture I can get!

My skin had been a nightmare since the birth of my daughter. But this simplified and supportive routine gave my skin the reset it needed and has helped me to feel like myself again.

Making the Pirouette Smoothie with Ballerina Farm

This post contains gifts and affiliate links at no additional cost to you.

I had the immense pleasure of participating in the launch of Ballerina Farm’s new Pirouette smoothie recipe. A group of us girls met up at the Ballerina Farm store for a get-together and how-to demonstration. I’ve never made a smoothie with such unexpected ingredients and the addition of ginger and olive oil was utterly delightful. I am looking forward to making this smoothie again at home. Thank you for having me, Ballerina Farm!

Pirouette Cherry-Ginger Smoothie:

1/4 C. Whole Milk

1/2 Scoop of Vanilla Bean Farmer Protein

1/2 Pitted Medjool Date

1/4 Small Steamed Beet

1/4 C. Frozen Strawberries

1 C. Frozen Cherries

1/4 Inch Fresh Ginger, Peeled

1-1/2 tsp. Lemon Juice, Freshly Squeezed

1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt

1 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 tsp. Beet Powder (optional)

Vanilla Bean Protein Yogurt:

1 Cup Whole Milk Plain Yogurt

1 Scoop of Vanilla Bean Farmer Protein

Pinch Kosher Salt

Directions:

To a high-powered blender, add the milk, protein powder, date, steamed beet, strawberries, cherries, ginger, lemon juice, and salt. Starting on low speed and slowly increasing to high, blend until completely smooth. Set aside. Measure the olive oil and set aside separately. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, protein powder, and salt. To assemble, add the beet powder (if using) to a large glass or a Weck jar. Twirl the glass to let the beet powder stick around the sides of the glass. You can either leave the remaining beet powder in the glass, or toss whatever doesn’t stick to the sides.

Add a heaping ½ cup of the cherry ginger smoothie to the bottom of the glass. Drizzle half of the olive oil around the edges, then top with half of the yogurt mixture. Add another ½ cup of the smoothie, drizzle the remaining olive oil around the edges, and top with the last of the yogurt. Add the remaining smoothie and enjoy.

Print Your Year with Artifact Uprising

This is a paid partnership and contains affiliate links at no additional cost to you.

Most of our life is captured on 35mm and 120 format film. So having a physical copy of our memories throughout the year is important to me. Artifact Uprising has an easy drag and drop program to create an Everyday Photo Album worthy of life’s beautiful moments.

Every photo was arranged chronologically so we can see how much my daughter has grown over the past year. I have loved every stage of motherhood so the hardest part was choosing my favorite images. I mixed posed and spontaneous shots which gave my yearly album a more editorial feel. Now last year’s film negatives have been turned into an heirloom album my family can cherish forever.

For 15% off your order, use code TAYLORKRISTIINA15. #AUpartner

Meadows Book Club: 2026 Reading List

Only one book this year is on the reading list. One worth reading a thousand times over. One filled with despair, hope, vengeance, and justice.

The Count of Monte Cristo (1846)

“What would you not have accomplished if you had been free?”

“Possibly nothing at all; the overflow of my brain would probably, in a state of freedom, have evaporated in a thousand follies; misfortune is needed to bring to light the treasures of the human intellect. Compression is needed to explode gunpowder. Captivity has brought my mental faculties to a focus; and you are well aware that from the collision of clouds electricity is produced — from electricity, lightning, from lightning, illumination.”