You never know how much bread is eaten until you actually start baking it yourself. We have a family of five here and there's always a teen or two extra at the house on occasion. I bake a loaf a bread from scratch with my handy dandy ancient slightly tired Kitchen Aid mixer pretty much every other day. My mixer moans and groans and threatens to come off the countertop every batch, but I refuse to let the Redneck replace it until it completely KICKS the bucket. It's lasted this long, roughly 10+ years, that it will make it a bit longer.
Bread....the staff of life or so they say. I make homemade white bread right now, but I've dabbled with grinding my own wheat for bread, honey wheat bread made from flour from the store, unbleached flour, all types of flour. My conclusion is if I'm baking it from scratch it's a heck of a lot better for you than the storebought stuff. I just threw some hamburger buns we bought about 2 weeks ago to the birds because they weren't being eaten and they weren't even moldy (growing) yet!
So this morning, to my amazement, I knew my recipe off the top of my head. I proudly acquired it from another blog and have adjusted it for my use. The original recipe and blog can be found here http://www.roxanashomebaking.com/white-sandwich-bread-recipe/. She explains how to create this bread rather well and that's one reason why I tried it.
My adjustment was I went from 1/2 cup of warm water for my yeast to a cup of warm water. Why? it just wasn't happy in ye ole mixer without it. This of course causes me to play with my flour content on occasion by adding more, but I'm okay with that. It makes a nice warm happy loaf of bread that keeps the kid critters coming back for more.
It takes me about 2 hours from start to finish to get a loaf of bread. Now I originally started doing my bread creations in ye ole ancient breadmaker, but I do not like the shape of the bread. I want a loaf of bread that is easy for sandwich making for the critters (kids). So on occasion, I make the bread dough in the breadmaker and then switch to the oven, but I have found that frankly its just as simple to do it in my Kitchen Aid and go from there.
So this morning I'm waiting on bread. I don't usually mind it, but I have errands to do and I'm motivated. So to keep from losing my motivation I'm writing a blog about bread and then I may consider housecleaning some and definitely wiping my counters down.
I have come to the conclusion that I need a bread cutting area in my kitchen. A place where I can leave the BREAD only cutting board out with a bread knife as well. Why? Because I wash every single one of my cutting boards at least once if not twice daily from the constant bread slicing and eating that happens around here. It may slow down with the children in school, but if you need a slice or want a slice since it's homemade, you have to slice it ;-).
I have debated pre-slicing but still haven't decided to go for it because the pre-slicing tools out there on the market have awful reviews and frankly I don't feel like taking the chance on messing up the entire loaf and having a kid whine about the slice job I did. I'll let them cut it so they can't complain!
So I'm off shortly to go buy more flour because my box is empty. Keep in mind my box holds 50 quarts of stuff. I have already planned on doubling my flour purchase this month because I'm at the bottom of the barrel so to speak!
Stay tuned as I try more bread recipes out and see what other culinary trouble I can get into!
Friday, August 30, 2013
Friday, August 16, 2013
Military Housing
I'm listening to things going on right now and have heard over and over again in my past 20 years of military spouse life that living on post is AWFUL because everyone is in your business. First of all, what does in your business mean? I know we all actually know it but seriously if your neighbors pick up on stuff and pay attention to things its because its out there already. Second of all, I have come to the conclusion that military families pay more attention to what is going on around them and their environment.
Seriously folks, we hear it from our husbands and wives, my Redneck, the FRG leaders, OPSEC reminders etc., so what do you expect? People pay attention not just because they are "nosy" but because our husbands/wives that are soldiers have trained us to pay attention to what's going on in our backyard. Frankly after September 11th, we need to do this.
Personally, I think it takes a village to raise a child, support a military family and to be a part of a community. You may not like it and that's fine don't live in a military housing community if you can get away with it. But honestly, I think it's not as awful as folks make it out to be. We look out for our own. We have neighborhood families that attempt to take care of each other when they are allowed and its not looked at being in someone's business. Nobody ever knows everyone's business. Nobody can. You just need to look at it differently and roll with the punches.
Do I pay attention to what goes on in my neighborhood? Yes, I do. I do it for the safety of my family. I need to know the climate of the neighborhood is safe and things are going alright in order to allow them to enjoy the things they wish to do. Do I let neighbors know my business? Yes, I do. Why? Back to that it takes a village to raise children, to support a military family, etc. I appreciate my neighbors and I appreciate them enough for them to know what has happened at and around my home and what my children are up to in order to keep them walking the straight and narrow.
Yes, I'm old school. I've been on the receiving end of phone calls from parents being told about my girlfriend and I speeding in the backwoods of Lowndes County. She was driving that time ;-). But in the end, it's for the safety and protection of our children and family that that statement has come to be.
It takes a village. It takes a military family to recognize and see issues that are happening in another military family. Sometimes people don't like them pointed out, but in the end it is for the best to help children, spouses and even the soldier. Situations vary and ways of doing this vary, but remember when you complain about military housing....at least those of us living in and around you are in the same boat as you. We know the deal, we know your pain, your stress, your sorrows and sooner or later we all help each other.
It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a military spouse to understand another military spouse past or present. It takes a neighborhood to make sure our children are safe and protected when they walk down the street.
Seriously folks, we hear it from our husbands and wives, my Redneck, the FRG leaders, OPSEC reminders etc., so what do you expect? People pay attention not just because they are "nosy" but because our husbands/wives that are soldiers have trained us to pay attention to what's going on in our backyard. Frankly after September 11th, we need to do this.
Personally, I think it takes a village to raise a child, support a military family and to be a part of a community. You may not like it and that's fine don't live in a military housing community if you can get away with it. But honestly, I think it's not as awful as folks make it out to be. We look out for our own. We have neighborhood families that attempt to take care of each other when they are allowed and its not looked at being in someone's business. Nobody ever knows everyone's business. Nobody can. You just need to look at it differently and roll with the punches.
Do I pay attention to what goes on in my neighborhood? Yes, I do. I do it for the safety of my family. I need to know the climate of the neighborhood is safe and things are going alright in order to allow them to enjoy the things they wish to do. Do I let neighbors know my business? Yes, I do. Why? Back to that it takes a village to raise children, to support a military family, etc. I appreciate my neighbors and I appreciate them enough for them to know what has happened at and around my home and what my children are up to in order to keep them walking the straight and narrow.
Yes, I'm old school. I've been on the receiving end of phone calls from parents being told about my girlfriend and I speeding in the backwoods of Lowndes County. She was driving that time ;-). But in the end, it's for the safety and protection of our children and family that that statement has come to be.
It takes a village. It takes a military family to recognize and see issues that are happening in another military family. Sometimes people don't like them pointed out, but in the end it is for the best to help children, spouses and even the soldier. Situations vary and ways of doing this vary, but remember when you complain about military housing....at least those of us living in and around you are in the same boat as you. We know the deal, we know your pain, your stress, your sorrows and sooner or later we all help each other.
It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a military spouse to understand another military spouse past or present. It takes a neighborhood to make sure our children are safe and protected when they walk down the street.
I recently got into canning. You know that old fashioned thing your grandmothers did when you were a child and maybe just maybe your very own parental units did. It started out as a quest for knowledge because one of these days, my beloved Redneck (that would be my husband of 20+ years) is going to retire from the Army. When that happens, we're going HOME to the farm! But that's another story.
Canning started with pickles. Now you have to understand that I don't eat pickles. I don't like vinegary things, but it seemed like an easy thing to try and do and especially if you are water bath canning only and don't have a high dollar fancy pressure canner nearby. Mama said she'd share hers when we got to the farm, but that's still aways to go.
So I found a really great magazine that is now tattered and torn and has corners bent on pages and Post-It notes attached as well with other notes that I started the summer with. That magazine is still available out there and it is a Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication on "Canning." It made my mouth water looking at the recipes and so I paid for it and brought it home and began my journey into the world of canning.
I'm still working on my recipes and am tweeking some because my Dad made a delicious spaghetti sauce recipe when we were kids and canned it. Even though I know I can't remember the flavors completely, I want to create my own sauce recipe and can it. So stayed tuned for that ongoing saga ;-).
Pickles......I don't like pickles, but my Redneck does and the majority of the human population out there loves pickled vegetables. So I followed the directions to the "T" and made Zesty Honey Pilsner Pickles for him. I patiently waited the week until they were done. Pickling takes time. Some recipes take longer than a week others less time. We opened that jar of pickles and I had him try them. I got the look....... You know the why in the world haven't you made these before look? Then I had one jar that didn't seal and somebody had taken them home and he called and ate the entire jar in pretty much one sitting. I was hooked. I had to can. I had to figure out what to make next.
My niece was with me for the summer and she tried the pickles and said they're good, but I like dill pickles. You know what came next then, right? I made quarts and quarts of dill pickles. I had to scour the earth....no supermarkets....looking for dill seed because it's a hot commodity in pickling season. I found some beautiful fresh dill weed at a local supermarket and put that in the jars as well. I made pickles so that her aunt that she lives with wouldn't have to buy pickles for awhile. Those pickles were lip puckerable according to her and delicious.
Now Redneck saw that I was having a good ole time canning because I had now delved into the land of jam. The Better Homes and Gardens magazine had delicious jam recipes in it and let me tell you there is nothing like blackberry jam with thyme and honey slathered on a rack of baby back ribs. I tried a blueberry jam recipe that called for cinnamon and decided to go with my Dad's current favorite cinnamon which is Saigon or Vietnamese Cinnamon. It has a different flavor than typical cinnamon and it shows off the blueberries rather well in the jam.
At this point in my endeavors, my Redneck decided that it was time for an expenditure......the pressure canner. He got on ye ole Amazon a favorite of ours for years now and found the All American Pressure Canner 21 qt version for me. I was nervous about that one. First of all, Mama said she'd share well with me when we reeee-tired. I want to retire and go to the farm. Second of all, it's expensive and what if I blow the house up? No, seriously there's this story about Michael's Mama and some pinto beans and a pressure cooker and she covered her ceiling in pinto beans. We now know from reading the directions....something Redneck's in this house do well....Army trained rednecks that is. That pressure cooking loose dried beans is a no go because it will gum up the pressure valve and then BAM you just might get pinto beans on the ceiling. So nope not going to do that one at all.
The Pressure Canner.....It's big, it's heavy, it's scary as all get out. But oh when done just right will it make some delicious food.
So stay tuned and hear about my previous and ongoing endeavors into the world of canning, cooking fresh and health which includes attempting to grind my own wheat, make homemade pasta, bake the bread we eat in the house and get rid of the boxes of prepared foods in my pantry (a work in progress).
Anita
Military Wife, Mom to Three Girls in the House, a Cat, a Dog and a Guinea Pig
Canning started with pickles. Now you have to understand that I don't eat pickles. I don't like vinegary things, but it seemed like an easy thing to try and do and especially if you are water bath canning only and don't have a high dollar fancy pressure canner nearby. Mama said she'd share hers when we got to the farm, but that's still aways to go.
So I found a really great magazine that is now tattered and torn and has corners bent on pages and Post-It notes attached as well with other notes that I started the summer with. That magazine is still available out there and it is a Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication on "Canning." It made my mouth water looking at the recipes and so I paid for it and brought it home and began my journey into the world of canning.
I'm still working on my recipes and am tweeking some because my Dad made a delicious spaghetti sauce recipe when we were kids and canned it. Even though I know I can't remember the flavors completely, I want to create my own sauce recipe and can it. So stayed tuned for that ongoing saga ;-).
Pickles......I don't like pickles, but my Redneck does and the majority of the human population out there loves pickled vegetables. So I followed the directions to the "T" and made Zesty Honey Pilsner Pickles for him. I patiently waited the week until they were done. Pickling takes time. Some recipes take longer than a week others less time. We opened that jar of pickles and I had him try them. I got the look....... You know the why in the world haven't you made these before look? Then I had one jar that didn't seal and somebody had taken them home and he called and ate the entire jar in pretty much one sitting. I was hooked. I had to can. I had to figure out what to make next.
My niece was with me for the summer and she tried the pickles and said they're good, but I like dill pickles. You know what came next then, right? I made quarts and quarts of dill pickles. I had to scour the earth....no supermarkets....looking for dill seed because it's a hot commodity in pickling season. I found some beautiful fresh dill weed at a local supermarket and put that in the jars as well. I made pickles so that her aunt that she lives with wouldn't have to buy pickles for awhile. Those pickles were lip puckerable according to her and delicious.
Now Redneck saw that I was having a good ole time canning because I had now delved into the land of jam. The Better Homes and Gardens magazine had delicious jam recipes in it and let me tell you there is nothing like blackberry jam with thyme and honey slathered on a rack of baby back ribs. I tried a blueberry jam recipe that called for cinnamon and decided to go with my Dad's current favorite cinnamon which is Saigon or Vietnamese Cinnamon. It has a different flavor than typical cinnamon and it shows off the blueberries rather well in the jam.
At this point in my endeavors, my Redneck decided that it was time for an expenditure......the pressure canner. He got on ye ole Amazon a favorite of ours for years now and found the All American Pressure Canner 21 qt version for me. I was nervous about that one. First of all, Mama said she'd share well with me when we reeee-tired. I want to retire and go to the farm. Second of all, it's expensive and what if I blow the house up? No, seriously there's this story about Michael's Mama and some pinto beans and a pressure cooker and she covered her ceiling in pinto beans. We now know from reading the directions....something Redneck's in this house do well....Army trained rednecks that is. That pressure cooking loose dried beans is a no go because it will gum up the pressure valve and then BAM you just might get pinto beans on the ceiling. So nope not going to do that one at all.
The Pressure Canner.....It's big, it's heavy, it's scary as all get out. But oh when done just right will it make some delicious food.
So stay tuned and hear about my previous and ongoing endeavors into the world of canning, cooking fresh and health which includes attempting to grind my own wheat, make homemade pasta, bake the bread we eat in the house and get rid of the boxes of prepared foods in my pantry (a work in progress).
Anita
Military Wife, Mom to Three Girls in the House, a Cat, a Dog and a Guinea Pig
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)