Glorious Bread!

I've had the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day from the library for, like, 3 months now. They just keep letting me renew it, so I'm keeping it! The authors of the cookbook made a recipe for Family Fun and I tried it out. Fabulous! Seriously. If you make this recipe, you will be singing "Bread glorious bread!" before long, I promise.

The Dough

2 c lukewarm water
1 1/2 T granulated yeast
1 1/2 T sea salt
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c honey
1/3 c canola oil
6 c unbleached all purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour

In a large bowl or lidded container, stir together the water, yeast, salt, eggs, honey, and oil or melted butter, then mix in the flours. If needed, the last bit of flour can be incorporated with wet hands.

Loosely cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature until it collapses on top, about 2 hours.

Use the dough immediately or refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use it over the next five days. It can also be frozen in airtight containers or freezer bags for up to one month (we recommend freezing the dough in 1-pound portions for ease of use). Frozen dough can be shaped, rested, and baked after it has defrosted overnight in the refrigerator. To cut a recipe's worth of dough from the bulk batch, dust the surface of the dough with flour, then use kitchen shears or a knife to snip off what you need.

The Bread

Lightly grease an 8-1/2- by 4-1/2-inch nonstick loaf pan. To help the dough hold its shape while it rises, cloak it: dust it with flour, then quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface and tucking it under the bottom, then rotating it a quarter-turn as you work.

Stretch the ball into a loaf shape as shown and place it in the pan (it should be about three-quarters full). Let the dough rest for 90 minutes covered loosely with plastic wrap, 60 minutes if you're using fresh, unrefrigerated dough.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the top of the loaf with the egg wash, then use a sharp, serrated bread knife to make three cuts across the top. Place the loaf on the oven's center rack and bake it until it's brown and firm, about 45 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and let it cool completely on a rack before slicing.


YUUUUUUUMMMMM!

Cookie cake.... sorta.

I have posted about this cookie recipe before and I want you to know that it makes a dang good cookie cake! A little while ago I really wanted a piece of cookie cake. Having no reason to purchase one from somewhere, and being averse to all the junk that goes into mass baking these days, I used my favorite cookie recipe and it worked! I originally intended to make some icing and put it on top, but we ended up eating it before I got around to it.

Cornbread yum yum

How many of you out there love Jiffy? I mean, who doesn't, right? Well now you can say, "I used to love Jiffy, but Anna showed me a better recipe and now my life has changed forever." Really, go ahead and just say it because I'm about to change your cornbread-making forever. Ok, ok, that's a bit lofty... but here's an awesome cornbread recipe that you seriously won't be able to stop eating. I mean, look at that pan. That's after our family of 2 adults and 2 small girls have eaten dinner. We LOVE this stuff. Here goes:

Golden Sweet Cornbread
(originally from allrecipes.com)

1c all purpose flour (I've used a combo of whole wheat or white wheat that worked well)
1c yellow cornmeal (I've used blue before and if worked fine)
2/3c sugar
1 1/2t salt
3 1/2 t baking powder
1 egg
1c soy milk
1/2c veg oil
1/2t vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 and grease your pan (either a 8x8 or something equivalent). Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Stir in egg, milk, and veg oil until well combined and pour the batter in the pan. Bake 20 minutes or until the center is done.

Pinkish Skirt

Finished it!

So I made this skirt and I'm very excited about it. Quite snappy, if I do say so myself. I had Dan take the picture before I put three large buttons on the side for the closure. And what about that picture, eh? I'm on the stool, baby gate in the background... whatever. I'm happy I get some sewing done these days, no matter what the house looks like! My mother in law was in town and enabled me to start and finish this skirt in one day, which is an incredible feat for me at this time in my life. At first I thought this was Little House on the Prarie-ish with the giant ruffle, but I have since changed my mind and love it. Oh yes, I used a pattern for the middle part, it's New Look 6944.

I love this

Every time we drive home from Louisiana I see this sign. And every time I see it, I don't have my camera handy... until last week! I think this is hysterical. Maybe next time we head home I'll get a better picture of it.

Cleaning Out Proof

So just in case you thought I had forgotten about this lovely blog of mine... I haven't! I've been thinking about SO many things lately and have honestly been too busy to post any of my thoughts. They are coming eventually. But for now I'm putting up some pictures of our de-stuffing process. I cannot believe how much we've gotten rid of, yet how much we still have! At the moment, I'm doing my best to find a proper balance for our family. I've discovered that some of us have a more consumerist view of owning things (the more the better, right?), and for most of my life I've fallen into this category of consumer. I don't really fit there any more, so this process has been interesting, to say the least. Also, very humbling and at times embarrassing - especially considering the stuff we had amassed when there is so much need elsewhere.

Cleaning out the girls closet

I know this picture is sideways, but there are mounds of storage containers in my home now... nothing to put in them.

In these boxes were clothing from my two daughters first year of life. Tons and tons of clothes that were hardly worn. They were sorted and fit into the blue tub in the next picture.

These are all the clothes, blankets, and shoes got rid of from the above bins. I gave them to a friend who is due with a girl in January. She was thrilled.

Packed up for a garage sale at a friends house! Sold most of it for next to nothing.

One of many before and after shots... I'm still not done with most of the organization that needs to happen. It takes so much time!