Three in One

Three new recipes in one afternoon. I had fun, washed too many dishes and added three recipes to my approved recipe collection.  Does it get any better than this?

This is a long overdue post since hunting season has come and gone.  I was officially a “hunters’ widow”.  On Sunday, November 17, I had motivation running through my veins and I was busy, busy, busy.  Laundry got done, from washed to folded and placed in rooms!  I cleaned both bathrooms. I vacuumed, dusted, and changed bedding.  I forgot to eat lunch although by that time, I was in the kitchen. Both ovens would soon be working.  I had pulled three recipes that I planned to make and I made them all that afternoon.  

Iced Oatmeal Cookies

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Glaze:

2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 Tbps. milk

Preheat oven to 350˚.  Spray baking sheets with cooking spray and set aside.  Place rolled oats in a food processor and pulse for about 10 seconds until coarse.  Mix oats with flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cream the butter and sugars together. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add vanilla. Gradually add in flour mixture until combined. Roll dough into 2 tablespoon size balls and place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until the bottoms begin to brown.  Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  I removed them from the cookie sheets after 15-20 seconds and placed them on the wax-paper lined counter.

Mix the glaze ingredients together.  Quickly dip tops of the cookies into glaze and let excess drip off. I did not dip, I drizzled.  If you have leftovers, store the cookies in an airtight container.

The men in the house like English muffins.  I have a recipe to make English muffins but I also have a recipe for English Muffin Toasting bread.  I can now say I have made the English Muffin toasting bread.   It was easy and toasted up very nicely.  And yes, it does have those little crevices for the melted butter…yum. So here’s the recipe.   Give it a try and let me know what you think. 

English Muffin Toasting Bread*

3 cups King Arthur unbleached all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. sugar
1 ½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. instant yeast**
1 cup milk
¼ cup water
2 Tbsp. olive oil or vegetable oil
Cornmeal, to sprinkle in the pan

Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and instant yeast in a large mixing bowl.

Combine the milk, water, and oil in a separate bowl and heat until the temperature registers between 120˚ - 130˚F.  Make sure to stir the liquids well to get an accurate reading.

Add the hot liquid to the dry ingredients and beat at high speed for 1 minute.  The dough will be very soft.  Lightly grease an 8 1/2” x 4 ½” loaf pan and sprinkle the bottom and sides with cornmeal.

Scoop the soft dough into the pan, leveling it in the pan as much as possible. 

Cover the pan, and let the dough rise until it is just barely crowned over the rim of the pan.  This will take 45 minutes to an hour.

Preheat your oven to 400˚F.   Remove the cover from the pan and bake the bread for 22 to 27 minutes, until it is golden brown and its interior temperature is 190˚F.

Remove the bread from the oven, and after 5 minutes, turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool.  Let the bread cool completely before slicing.

*King Arthur Flour recipe

**I purchase instant yeast from King Arthur Flour and I love it.  I am not sure what the conversion to store bought yeast would be for this recipe. 

 This bread sliced so nicely!

And the last recipe from my baking spree, yet another King Arthur Flour recipe was Buttery Herb-Garlic Pull Apart Bread.

I made this to go with dinner that night as we had lasagna.  Even with the seasonings, the kids loved it. This recipe is nice because you can customize the flavors. 

Buttery Herb-Garlic Pull Apart Bread

3 ½ cups King Arthur Unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsp. instant yeast
2 Tbsp. potato flour or ¼ cup instant potato flakes * I did not have
3 Tbsp. Baker’s Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 ½ tsp. salt
¼ cup Herb and Garlic Artisan Bread Flavor or 1 to 2 Tbsp. of your favorite dried herbs **
4 Tbsp. soft butter
2/3 cup lukewarm water
½ cup lukewarm milk
 
Filling:
2 Tbsp. melted butter
½ - 2/3 cup shredded mozzarella or your favorite pizza cheese(s)
1 – 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Mix all the dry ingredients together.  Warm the water and milk.  Add butter, water and milk to the dry ingredients.  Mix well.  Knead for 5-7 minutes until soft dough forms.  Divide dough into 32 pieces. Shape the pieces into smooth balls.  Dip the top of each ball into the melted butter. Lay 11 balls in the bottom of a lightly greased 9” loaf pan.  Sprinkle with half the mozzarella or pizza cheese.  Use 11 balls of dough to make a second layer; top with remaining cheese, and Parmesan, if you choose to use. 

Top with remaining dough balls; making sure the buttered side is up.  Place the pan in a warm, draft-free place to rise (I use my oven). Allow the bread to rise until it’s crowned about ½” over the rim of the pan.  Bake in a preheated 350˚F oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until it is golden brown. Remove the bread from the oven, and after 5 minutes, turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool.

 

** I used Herbes De Provence which I purchased from King Arthur Flour.

Living

It’s been a while.  Still doing what I do.  Still loving and giving thanks for the blessings and people in my life. 

In three words - life is good.

It’s the third month of school and the kids transitioned from a relaxed summer routine to a structured, learning and sports routine almost seamlessly.  I think they adjust much easier than us. Us being the adults and one of us, acts like he is an old man.  A grumpy old man at that.  This year, Elliott’s school day is an hour longer.  That was good news and it’s about time.  He hasn’t noticed a difference. He never even complained. They are getting a later wake-up call too since I am driving to work.  I’ve been over the pros and cons of driving versus taking the bus.  I have to say, I really miss my reading time. Really miss it. I am not seeing much text and the librarian probably thinks I have moved. People notice change.  It has been school and sports.  Soccer was a wonderful experience for Olivia.  I had my doubts about her stamina with the sport but she proved me wrong.  So I question myself, “why was I doubtful?”  She had fun, learned the sport and enjoyed playing.  Skills and aggression will develop with each season.  We’ll be looking into local soccer camps that are offered in the spring and over the summer.  Elliott plans to attend a week-long football day camp at Cornell.  We’ll let him experience it and then if he wants to attend the camp again, I might let him stay on campus.  I really dislike cutting my apron strings. It is so difficult for me but so beneficial for them.  Motherhood pros and cons – that’s another topic that I am not ready to write about.

So we are back to sit-down dinners. Nights spent at home. Not rushing around to get out the door for practice.  Although basketball will start soon!  Our nights are filled with “how was your day” dinner talk, homework, baths, reading, watching tv or playing on the Nook or Kindle (not much time for the last options).  John has been busy with the dog. They have been out birding a few times and their bodies are complaining.  Ruddie runs so hard he limps later and John complains about how tired he is.  I told him he needs to condition as well as work with Ruddie. He did not respond to that comment. I smiled and understood: I said out loud what he was thinking.  Yes, I understand.

I have been to a few services over the last two months – four to be exact.  Four too many and one was about 30 years premature.  So I gathered to remember those individuals and enjoyed viewing photos of them and their loved ones, hearing stories and visiting with friends, classmates and school teachers.  It’s always nice when we get together  - the years and miles melt away.  We talk about jobs, children and school (for most it is now colleges) and how we relax.  Life takes all of our time unless we make the time and after the last few services, I will be making the time to visit with family and friends.  I like writing letters as well so I plan to start sending letters or hello cards to people – just because I want them to know they crossed my mind.  Will you be one of those people?

People come and stay or pass through each of our lives.  I don’t handle the passing through very well. I like to hang on to friendships but have learned to walk away when the relationship is and for me, has been, a one-way street.  It is hard for me but let’s say, I have put my walking boots on quite frequently and now I feel better walking than I do trying to “hang on”.  I have better living to do than wasting time on people that just don’t give a damn about me.  Life can get too complicated when you struggle to keep it the same. We all change.  We go through life in different stages. Whatever stage you are in, sets the stage for those adults and families you become acquainted with.  Distance is another factor as well.  It shouldn’t be due to all the technology our world is built around but honestly, the last thing I want to do when I get home is boot up the computer and send emails. Facebook is nice for hearing the latest news from your friends but I am not a ‘post-everything or often’ person.  I need human interaction.  Come visit and we can talk over a hot cup of coffee, tea or cocoa and some cookies.

Tonight is a special night.  The men of the house are leaving to drive north and will spend the night in a hotel.  They are going on a fishing trip tomorrow and have to be at the river early.  They are both so excited they are bursting at the seams. I am happy for them and hope they each catch a big steelhead.  Elliott fears his fish will cough up the hook if he does catch one.  I hope not. I want this to be a fun, exciting and rewarding experience. I know it will be memorable.  Their day will start really early and I am fretting.  Allergies have been bothering Elliott so I hope he remembers to take his medicine. I have packed it.  I don’t want him to fall out of the boat or get hurt.  I know he is with his father. I cannot help it, sometimes I worry when we are all sleeping at night. Safely in our own home.  I stress over possibilities, not actuals, and that ages me – emotionally ages me. So with the men out of the house for the night, the little miss and I will be making dinner together and having a quiet dinner.  I offered to take her out for dinner but she wanted to stay home and make our dinner. Either way, I cannot lose – I get to spend time with our beautiful daughter.  I am bursting at the seams!  Just me and Olivia. I even bought her dessert that she doesn’t know about.  She loves magnum ice cream bars so I have some in the freezer downstairs.  Depending on her school work, maybe we can watch a movie or paint her nails. I’m happy just having her all to myself.  Ruddie will feel abandoned but Olivia is looking forward to having him sleep with her.

Soccer

Olivia played soccer this year.  We were surprised that she chose that sport to play since she tells us she hates to run.  She had practice every day after school for two hours.  She learned to manage her time.  One life lesson worth learning.  She had a tough start and we pulled her from the team because of a foot problem. However, after getting in to see the specialist, almost right away, she was able to play and she enjoyed it.  We went to the home games and she played well. She was aggressive and moved the ball down the field.  She was a joy to watch.

My mother and sister even made a game and that meant a great deal to Olivia.  I believe she plans to play soccer next year so we'll be looking for camps to send her to next spring and summer. 

Meet the modified Panther soccer team! Olivia is #9. 

Keeping On

I lost a dear friend late last week. We said our good-byes on Monday.  To my childhood friend and one of my "big brothers", I love you.

Last Visit

Today I spent time getting dressed

Making sure what I wore was clean and pressed

Head held high, shoulders back

I ask for strength, I know I lack

One more glance in the mirror

Then out the door to see you dear

Restless nights, filled with prayer

Placing you in God’s comfort and care

A dreadful day, full of tears

Thinking of you through the years

Memories of our childhood days

Neighborhood fun, games, and playful ways

Words we say and memories shared

Show your family how much we care

We say good-bye for you are gone

But in our hearts, you live strong

Written September 18, 2013 SFW

Summer...Sweet Summertime

Summer is here and already half of it has gone by.  The kids are having a great summer at daycare.  They are swimming almost every day.  It all depends on the weather. All that sun and exercise makes them tan, hungry and tired, although they won’t admit the latter.  They beg to stay up late every night.  They have discovered Duck Dynasty and watch every single episode that they can.

Summer just ticks by too quickly.  We get settled into the summer routine, then we go on vacation and settle into that relaxed mode, then we are back to work and daycare so our routine changes once again. In less than six weeks, they will be going to school again.  That means we have to go school shopping (yuk). If I am lucky, we’ll have one really good day of shopping and get most of their clothes then.

So with summer, we look forward to our vacation time together as a family. We traveled north again to Portland, Ontario.  The weather was nice, not as hot as last year but we only had one day that was gray with rain sprinkles. The lake was high this year as we saw some patio furniture on the docks half under water.  The fishing was great. Elliott, for the second year in a row, caught the most.  However, he rarely has a fishing pole out of his hand.  Olivia did not fish much this year. She liked paddling around on a sail board.  John fished more this year than he has in the past but Elliott reeled in the keepers.  Actually, I reeled in one keeper and Elliott and I supplied a bass dinner before we left.  Our week together went so quickly.  Always good to return home and get Ruddie. We missed him so much.  He was glad to be back home as well.  

Here are just a few photos:

 

 And then our normal was violated.  Early Monday morning, without going into all the details, John’s gas tank was punched and apparently the intruders heard Elliott and I talking as he had woke me up.  We called 911 and by the time the officers and fire department personnel left, it was 4:00 am.  Our first workday back and John had to call in so he could take care of his truck.  This event has left us feeling violated.  In all the years John has lived in the house, he has never had any problems.  So we now have a security system. That however, has not helped Elliott sleep better at night.  We are working on that. 

One activity that will help Elliott fall asleep starts today, July 29.  Let’s just say, Are you ready for some football?  Ready or not, we are jumping into the fall sports season. Olivia will play soccer and Elliott will be playing football. 

Schedules will really get busy with school, homework, practice and games.  I am excited and looking forward to supporting our children and their teammates this fall. Go Panthers!

See I have jumped right into fall and we are in the middle of summer. I’ll slow down, as the days go by fast enough. 

Our summer has been full to date:

• Swimming
• Ticks
• Mowing
• Weeding
• Harvesting
• Hiking
• Vacationing
• Reading
• S’mores
• BBQ’s
• Lots of parties
• Friends and family

Growing

This week has been busy and it is only Wednesday.  Summer officially started last Friday and that was the first day of summer vacation for the kids.  They stayed home with their dad and worked hard in the hot sun, staining the deck.  We have been blessed with two wonderful kids. We tell them that often.  They should know not only do we love them but that we also appreciate their help. 

They seem to change overnight.  Olivia will be an 8^th grader next September and Elliott will be a fourth grader.  It will be their last year in their current school building. They will then move to a new one. 

Back to summer!  They are in full swing and are experiencing new adventures this summer.  Olivia is participating in a career exploration program at Cornell University.  She will be on campus for three days and two nights.  I went with her to registration and helped her get settled in the dorm room.  Yikes!  In a few years, we will be moving her in to her dorm for real. I wasn't crazy about this trial run. She was so excited and told me I could leave, as she started to unpack.  Where did my little girl go?  So I left and took the bus back to central campus and returned to work.  As I walked to my car that afternoon, I saw a group of the career exploration kids and I looked for Olivia. It wasn't her group and I got tears in my eyes. 

I arrived home and it was quiet.  John wasn’t feeling well and Elliott was staying overnight at his friends’ home. Elliott has been attending a basketball camp at Elmira College. It is a four-day camp and he is enjoying the activity and learning the skills needed to play the game. Perhaps he’ll want to sign-up for basketball next winter?  He is branching out as well and making new friends and learning new skills.  Both Olivia and Elliott are growing and because they are, I have to. 

I don’t like letting my kids go.  Yes, I want them to enjoy these opportunities but I stress about them when they are not home.  What if they get hurt?  Olivia recently went to a theme park and the first ride she rode on, gave her whiplash.  The phone message gave me instant stress and I wanted to drive three hours to pick her up. We spent a lot of time on the phone that day.  She survived. I survived but it was a long, stressful day for me. I was relieved only when I picked her up and saw that she was okay. She had pain for about a week but she was fine.  I know I can’t keep our children in a bubble. I want them to, and I encourage them, to experience the opportunities that they are offered.  It’ll make them stronger and better individuals.  I want what is best for them – like all parents.  I just want to avoid cutting those apron strings before I have to. I don’t like these growing pains.  I'm not ready for them just yet.