English Muffin Bread

This bread is delicious and tastes like an English Muffin :)

Recipe From BHG Diet Cookbook

Ingredients

•     Cornmeal
• 6  cups  all-purpose flour
• 2    packages active dry yeast
• 1/4  teaspoon  baking soda
• 2  cups  milk
• 1/2  cup  water
• 1  tablespoon  sugar
• 1  teaspoon  salt

Directions

1. Grease two 8x4x2-inch loaf pans. Lightly sprinkle pans with cornmeal to coat bottom and sides; set pans aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine 3 cups of the flour, the yeast, and baking soda; set aside. In a medium saucepan heat and stir milk, water, sugar, and salt just until warm (120 degree F to 130 degree F). Using a wooden spoon, stir milk mixture into flour mixture. Stir in remaining flour.
3. Divide dough in half. Place dough in prepared pans. Sprinkle tops with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 45 minutes).

4. Bake in a 400 degree F oven about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove bread from pans. Cool on wire racks. If desired, serve with Honey Butter. Makes 2 loaves (32 servings).

Celebrating Trent

OurCrazyFarm: A New Home

I became friends with a beautiful lady, Terri, maybe two years ago. She has a blog called Our Crazy Farm, where she shares her faith and her journey as a mom, farm wife, friend, and the like. Her daughter, Grace, and my daughter Lizzy, became pen-pals through snail mail about a year ago.

On Friday the 18th of February, her 12 year old son went to be with Lord. Please be in prayer for her, her husband, Rob, and their family, friends and community during this difficult time.

Yogurt Treat

Cayla made this for Lizzy the other day. It is just Vanilla Yogurt with cut up strawberries. Cayla even took the picture for me.

Not sure if I mentioned this before, but I thought because my girls are 8 years apart that they would never fight with each other. I grew up in a house of 5 children and we fought t-e-r-r-i-b-l-y! It was not a christian home and not even a home filled with love, so things got ugly at times.

I guess I never took into consideration that my children would be sinners as we all are. Understandably, no parents like to consider their beloved children as evil, just as parents would reject any thought that their newborn is ugly.

But it's so nice when they do something sweet for each other :)

Because we are sinners it is important to teach our children the Moral Law before they become self-righteous. This shows them God's standard of "good" instead of them accepting what the world teaches that they are good and do not need God.

A few years ago I found this video on teaching the 10 Commandments. It's a great tool for teaching our kids :)

Cherry Crumb Pie

 

LoL Well the picture turned out way worse than the pie actually did. This wasn't from scratch. It was my oldest daughters birthday cake. She has asked for cherry pie instead of cake for a few years. I finally did it for her. I had other goodies for our non cherry pie lovers. 

It was always within our means to make cherry pie instead of cake yet I thought it wasn't a good thing to serve b/c it didn't fit into what I thought was expected of others. It was good to do this small thing, it really make her happy. 

Your friend,

The Still Learning Parent

Felt Clothes

After a play date with lil friends and much talk about inspiration and creativity, Lizzy made new clothes for Strawberry Shortcake.
Again and again I don't make time to do special things like getting together with friends. I was truly blessed to sit with my new friend as our daughters played together.

Morning Breakfast

These french toast slices were made another day and then frozen. This is a great way to use up stale bread. It's great to have some things prepared! :)

Calzones

A weekly meal in our house are calzones made from whole wheat pizza dough. We fill ours with ricotta (re-goat-ta) cheese and mozzarella cheese, served with marinara sauce on the side. Sometimes it is great to have a special tool to make your food pretty.... but sometimes it is great when you already have something to do the job just as well. Calzones need to have their edges sealed. I've done it with my fingers and with a fork. If I had a fork that was bent to fit my pan I wouldn't have looked farther, but on a cookie sheet with a lip a normal fork doesn't now work well. So... I opened my utensil drawer all the way and looked and looked and then tried a beater... I think I like the look <3
For a nicer presentation you can brush off the cornmeal and brush milk on before it is baked.

 

Gifts

For Valentines my Valentine gave me very pretty roses. We visited my mother in law as well which is always fun.

 Also that day a dear friend, Terri, send me a surprise after reading this.

Gorgeous unscented soap!

Berry Sunset Soap (Smell delicious)!

I didn't blog for a few months and didn't even realize she and her family had started a soap business. Please
visit Nubian's Delight when you have a chance. I have started using the Pure and Simple, it is beautiful. It doesn't dry my hands and it is really unscented. I can't tell you how many unscented things are really scented.

If you enjoy blogs, you will love to visit Terri at Our Crazy Farm too. She is a great encouragement to me. Thank you Terri for the soaps <3 They are lovely!

Today is my oldest 18th Birthday. I feel like she's turned 18 already because we have been helping her prepare for college, lots of forms and applications. Happiest Birthday dear Cayla!

Banana Bread

 

Who would have ever known that you can make a wonderful loaf of Banana Bread from yucky bananas. The recipe I use is from the Better Homes and Gardens new Cook Book. I visited there website here and found really helpful hints. I was going to add my recipe, but you will see at the website there are many many varieties to this simple and sweet bread. 

 I've tried to make this bread in my bread machine but it was not good. It is worth making this with out your machine.

This time I had substituted almonds for walnuts and it was very good. If you can always wrap your cool banana bread and serve the next day when the flavors have had time to meld beautifully.

Banana Bread with walnuts

Church Doors

Beautiful Red Doors of a Presbyterian Church.

Many of these churches are about 100 years old.  I wonder about their faith and excitement in building a place to worship. I'm sure they assumed it would still be standing today. That's not a concept our generation thinks about much.... things lasting.

Popcorn

With the age of microwaves I didn't know how to make popcorn for a long time until my husband showed me. It is ridiculously simple and yet it can burn easily. LOL,,, but don't be discouraged, it's not hard.

First I start with 2 T. (tablespoons) of cooking oil. I do not use a pan with a copper bottom because it heats slowly and I always end up cooking it too long in that pan and then some of it burns. I would suggest using a "cheaper pan" and please let me suggest to use the same pan always b/c you'll get to know how it cooks time wise in that pan. If you make it regularly you will perfect it in that one pan, but if you use different pans you need again to watch and listen carefully.

I use 1/4 c of popping kernels, so it's double of how much oil you use. (I've tried to use butter but it usually burns).
Pretty simple right.
Cover pan.
Heat on medium.
Shake pan about every minute until you hear the 1st kernel pop. Then shake every 20 - 30 seconds after that 1st piece pops. Don't peek because you could get burned.
At some point it will slow down. Watch for the next stage when it is only popping about every 3 or more seconds. It's done by then. Don't try to pop every piece.

Dump in a big bowl and add your favorite topping or eat it as is :) If you are daring, try ScooterMcGee's Kettle Corn. If you love Roba's Kettle Corn, you may want to try and make some. Or are you they type of person who only likes kettle corn in the autumn with your candy apples and pumpkin pie?

Happy Valentines Day

For Valentines Day this year my daughter and I made mini buntings out of scrapbook paper and cotton yarn.  We nipped the corners off after we folded them. I glued them with a hot glue gun for a fast assembly.

Our cut triangles are about 3" from top to bottom.

Lizzy made a 8" X 10" of this kitty and wanted to scan it and make it into a Valentine wish this year. She is becoming quite creative on her own :)

Church Doors

 Can you tell this is Greek Orthodox Catholic. The doors are stunning as is the church itself. I've never been inside of this church. My oldest daughter had a project of driving all around the local towns to take pictures of the doors of churches.

Church Doors

The Gorgeous Doors of a local Lutheran Church.

Soap

With many of my family having perfume allergies I never saw more use for pretty soaps except to display them and treasure them always. But as you can see the jar is half full because our littlest loves to use them. You never know what your children will love. I am grateful to have the soap from a dear friend. She is helping to make memories.

Real Tacos

Remembering my garden, I came across a picture of one of our dinners. Simply tacos.... maybe not "real" it was not from scratch, but it had garden tomatoes in it, yum. I have been hungry for a real tomato and also have been trying to push healthier snacks on my family. We grew yellow, pink, and red tomatoes. Every meal looked delicious with them in it!

Roma Tomato
Cherry Yellow Tomato
Yellow Cherry Tomato
German Pink Tomato

The roma tomatoes keep coming back every year. I do not have to buy them. Last year was my first year buying yellow and I do hope the cherry yellow comes back, otherwise I will be looking for them at Home Depot again.
The German Pink I received from a friend. I can't say enough how nice it was to receive that tomato plant. If I have extra I will do the same for her and other garden friends.

Calendar

I love new ideas and sometimes you make something with very little money. But... sometimes it just doesn't work.

The reason this doesn't work is because I never found a "pen" that writes nicely and erases nicely on glass.

 I'm sharing this because for the love of sharing sometimes you will come up with a better idea, like one that will work and I'll see it :)

Pets

I had wondered how Molli would be after we lost our dog. For a few weeks she would come into the dining room and meow loudly. Naturally we gave Molli alot of attention and she adjusted quite fine. I would dare say that she has become the queen of the house.

She has truly taken over :)

Photography

 My oldest daughter taking a picture of the youngest taking a picture of a bee.

Kit Kitridge

I really love it when a movie or even something simpler inspires my girls to do something wonderful like write (or type). To hear your child say they love to type is just great. A neighbor was throwing away this old typewriter and we happily rescued it and found new ribbon thanks to Ebay :) The typewriter has been great for things like spelling words!