From what I've read,
Valia, it's totally fine for less frequent bakers to store their starter in the fridge over the week, although you want to give it one to two hours at room temperature after feeding it before you refrigerate it again.
Cultures for Health has a good article on various methods of feeding sourdough starter. (Scroll down to see the one for their recommendations on feeding refrigerated starter on a weekly basis.) In general, I've read that it's not a good idea for fermenting foods to come into contact with metal (short exposure to a metal utensil is okay), but I've never been able to figure out exactly why, other than the fact that it might harm the metal itself because it's acidic. I might have to do some googling and get back to you on that!
(
EDIT: So I googled because I'm a compulsive googler (
), and apparently prolonged contact with metal can kill the yeasts in the sourdough. So it's possible that transferring it to a metal bowl could have given it some trouble. A little time on your kitchen counter top and a couple of feedings ought to nurse it back to health, though!)
A very happy birthday to your father,
Jo!
Mmm, those Cheerio Squares sound so good. I don't think I've ever had any of those before, but I do love Rice Crispy Treats.
I had an epiphany about that the other day: "You can take the Rice Crispy Treat principle and apply it to ANY kind of cereal!"
I think I've seen recipes for marshmallows made with honey and gelatin, but I'm not sure how well that would work in that kind of application, and it's definitely not as easy as opening a package of Jet-Puffed.
Lately I've been making easy "taco salads" by adding taco seasoning to ground chicken and tossing it with some chopped cabbage, raw onion and whatever salsa I have on hand. (A garnish of sour cream would be nice, too, but I'm not eating dairy right now. Harrumph.
) It's really tasty and very easy, and it's nice to make ahead for the next couple of day's lunches, too. I tried a version with green tomatillo salsa today and I think that's my favorite so far.