Anniversary Baguettes with Dipping Oil

Happy Anniversary to Us!!

Today we are celebrating 42 years of marriage!! How can that be? We were both born in Pennsylvania, moved to Ohio and met our freshmen year in high school.  We were both still in college when we married  in Columbus, Ohio.  I taught Home Economics for several years and then our four children came along.  We lived in Michigan for a short period before moving to Texas and we've been here almost 26 years.   Lucky for us, we were high school sweethearts. I always tell my hubby that with  today's match.com we probably never would have met, as we're so different. He likes to hunt, loves sports,  vegetable garden and I like to read, bake, cook and sew. However, we've just always loved each other, had FuN together, had four great kids and now six wonderful grand kids. My hubby's the most loyal, hard-working, committed, dedicated person. He's had cancer for the past almost 7 years, been on chemo for nearly 2 years and you would never know it. He's MY HERO.  He's the one I,  and our family, can count on and who I LOVE. Happy Anniversary to us!!

Our oldest son's in-laws (and our friends!) share the same anniversary as us.  Isn't that a coincidence?

I made this basket when we lived in Michigan, before moving to Texas, dated 1985!

Elyse pattern wine goblets by Franciscan ($7.99 in 1970, $47.99 today!)

I made an easy meal for us...just summer sausage, grapes, strawberries, cheese, a trio of stuffed olives and French baguettes. The recipe for the crunchy baguettes is from www.kingarthurflour.com and can be found here.  I have another French bread recipe that I love, but it is a softer texture, and can be found  here.   This time I wanted something crunchy and these baguettes made us feel like we were eating at a bistro in Paris, even though we've never been!

These plates were a gift from a dear friend.

We love to dip our bread in an olive oil, which I tried to copy from a favorite Italian restaurant. Here's my rendition:

About 1/3 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
About 1 t. Italian seasoning
About 1/4 t. Basil, dried
About 1/4 t. Oregano, dried
A sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan. Add the garlic and simmer for about a minute, just to get the raw garlic taste out. Add the rest of the herbs. Let cool. Enjoy as a dipping sauce for French bread.

Baguettes rising on parchment paper

My tip for Yvonne's  Tips, Tutorials and Tidbits party  over at stonegable.blogspot.com/, is when  baking breads, such as french baguettes, or pizzas, is to put the shaped dough on parchment paper and slide this onto a rimless cookie sheet. When you're  ready to bake, you can then slide the parchment paper onto the baking stone that's been heating in the oven. Who needs a pizza peel??!!

I am sharing with:

Mix It Up Monday!
On the Menu Monday
Table Top Tuesday
The Bunny Hop
Let's Dish!
Tablescape Thursday
Full Plate Thursday
Tips, Tutorials and Tidbits
Foodie Friday
Weekend Potluck
Seasonal Sundays