After T, the letter

We had a great weekend!  Saturday after I ran some errands in town, we started a fire in the fireplace and enjoyed its warmth. We have been living with frigid temperatures for a week.  Highs in the teens and lows at night in the single digits and below zero.  Frigid!   The fire felt oh so good! 

I managed to get some hours in on a cross-stitch project.  That made me happy.  I managed to log some hours in the kitchen too.  This is not so unusual but I baked a lot.  Besides making a double-batch of peanut butter cookies to fill the cookie jar for the week (I hope), I worked with some dough!  Sunday, another cold day but not as cold as the Saturday. Olivia and I had to go shopping for craft items for her science project so that was a fun trip. Once home, I continued to wash laundry. I also made a double batch of bread dough.  I had two recipes I wanted to make.  Two new recipes (in one day, yeah!) and one of them lets me cross T off my baking through the alphabet project.  I am getting close to Z, am I not? Six recipes to go! 

What did I make?  Two-Cheese Oregano Bread and Honey-Pecan Cinnamon Rolls. I made the bread to accompany scalloped potatoes and ham for dinner and the rolls for a breakfast treat.  Well, the rolls were more like dessert after we almost devoured the loaf of bread. We are a family of bread lovers! Both of these recipes received a thumbs up. I will definitely be making these again.

First up, the Two-Cheese Oregano Bread.  This was so light and airy yet packed a little kick because there are crushed red pepper flakes in this bread.  The kids didn’t care for those red specks but John and I liked them.  Yum! Can you smell the bread baking?

Two-Cheese Oregano Bread

All-purpose pizza dough *I made my own dough

½ cup shredded provolone cheese

2 Tbsp. grated fresh Parmesan cheese

¼ tsp. dried oregano

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper * I used 1/4 tsp.

1 Tbsp. yellow cornmeal

1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Roll dough into a 12 x 8-inch rectangle. Combine cheeses, oregano and red pepper; sprinkle over the dough leaving a ½-inch border.  Beginning with a long side, roll up jelly-roll fashion, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets; pinch seam and ends to seal.  Place roll, seam side down, on a backing sheet sprinkled with cornmeal.  Cut slits in the top of dough using a sharp knife.  Cover and let rise in a warm place 40 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 450˚.  Brush loaf with oil. Bake at 450˚ for 20 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. 

Let cool briefly before buttering and eating.

Honey-Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

1 (1 lb.) loaf frozen white bread dough  *I made my own dough

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Butter-flavored cooking spray *I melted real butter

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup chopped pecans, toasted

Roll dough into a 16 x 12-inch rectangle on a slightly floured surface. Brush dough with melted butter.  Mix granulated sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over buttered area (leaving ½-inch border).  Roll dough tightly, pressing to eliminate air pockets; pinch seam and ends to seal. Cut dough into 1-inch thick slices.  Place honey in a small microwave safe bowl; heat at high 20 seconds.  Pour the honey into a 9-inch round cake pan, tilting pan so honey covers the bottom; sprinkle honey with the brown sugar and pecans. Place rolls, cut sides down, in pan.  Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts , 45 minutes or until doubled in size. 

Preheat oven to 350˚.   

Bake at 350˚ for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  Invert rolls immediately onto a platter; cool 5 minutes. 

The bread went perfect with dinner.  There were only 3 slices left and I can bet those slices will be gone before I get home tonight.  The rolls, well, John said they were for breakfast but he was the one who ate two first.  We were all doing other things when I noticed two rolls were gone.  John said I shouldn’t bake so well.  I’m dangerous in the kitchen!  I took that as a compliment!  

Here are the pictures:

 See how airy this bread was? You can also see the cheese.

You might have noticed that there are only pecans on half the rolls. Olivia and Elliott don't like pecans so that is how I please them.  Such a good mom!  I could be evil and put pecans all over next time, more for John and I?  Just kidding...but what a thought!

  Enjoy!

Crunchy Sugar Cookies

Sunday I baked another batch of cookies. Once again, King Arthur Flour (KAF) was the source. I receive emails from KAF and boy, if they don't want to make you bake or shop, I'm not sure what is wrong with you!  Visiting King Arthur in Vermont is on my Bucket List, and it's near the top of that list. I'll have to go alone and with a big purse because I want to browse, browse and browse before I load the carts (yes, plural) up.  I know my family would rush me through the store and that would definitely ruin the whole experience. 

Even though I already have the perfect sugar cookie recipe, I wanted to try KAF's self-rising crunchy sugar cookies.  Don't they sound delicious?  The recipe can be found here.  I'm liking the link factor.  No more typing out recipes AND you can print the recipe once you click the link! Just thinking of you and making it easy to share recipes. 

I did not have to put the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes as the recipe says you may have to in order to handle the dough, as it may be sticky. My dough was not sticky and I had to work it with my hands to make it come together. I am sure it would have eventually come together if I kept beating it in the mixer. Next time I'll make the recipe with crisco and see if there are any noticeable differences.

 The first dozen ready for the oven!

 Rolled and ready to be dipped in sugar then place on the baking sheet.

See how nice they puff up. Yes, I opened the oven door and took this photo.  It was hot!

The recipe stated baking time of 8 to 10 minutes. I found you had to watch these carefully or the bottoms got too brown.  Next time I won't grease the cookie sheets since they have enough butter (that is what I used) or crisco  in them that they should not stick.

I was a little disappointed that my cookies did not flatten out like the recipe said they would. They did puff up but I expected them to grow in diameter and then deflate when they came out of the oven.

Even though I was disappointed, they look good in the cookie jar.  I'll be making these cute and tasty (Elliott's comments) cookies again. They are a nice addition to the cookie choices that we make often.

Ruddie was begging so I caved and shared a cookie with him. He had to sit for it.  I think know he expected the whole cookie.  Bad Mom!

These would be great with a tall glass of cold milk but being a tea drinker myself, they are great with a hot cup of Earl Gray tea with a lemon slice.  Either way, I know you'd like them.

I have a real sweet recipe chosen for T. Stay tuned if you have a sweet tooth!  

Baking through the alphabet – Revisited

So with the New Year and my plans for 2013, I am trying to finish unfinished projects. I did pretty good this weekend.  My baking through the alphabet was not supposed to be a long project. Well, it has been a long one. However, I am determined to finish this and so on Saturday, (I was unable to upload photos after baking) I made the R recipe. Reverse Faux-Reos. Let me warn you, they are rich and you’ll need a tall glass of milk to wash them down. Yum!

This recipe can be found at King Arthur Flour, click here, if you are interested.

They were easy to make. I did not roll the batter into balls and use a glass to flatten them out. Since the dough was workable, I rolled it out and cut circles with a wine glass. I wanted to make smaller circles than my cookie cutter and even this wine glass was a little large because the cookies do expand some while baking. I almost forgot to take photos! 

Another note, cut the filling recipe in half. I had a cup of filling left over. I know it won't go to waste.  It'll be used as hot fudge sauce or will go between graham crackers.

These cookies are best the day after baking!  Definitely a keeper.

2013

Happy New Year!

I’m a little behind the ball, don’t you think?

Another year has come and gone and I shake my head because ANOTHER YEAR HAS COME AND GONE.  As my Aunt Meme would say, “Holy Nellie”.  That still brings a smile to my face. 

So, any resolutions out there?  Isn’t that what January is?  The month to make resolutions and the month to break them.  Well, this year, January is all about me.  I’ll be making the time to make changes and I can guarantee, I’ll fail, stumble, get back up and fall down many times, but it is all about perseverance.  Meeting my goals.

Here’s where I am coming from. Last year, I received an email about a book titled The Happiness Project. Did I want to join a happiness group to discuss the book and work on my own project?  After some brief research, I decided to join the group.  This was a step out of my comfort zone so one positive action taken already.  Then I bought the book and started to read it, took some notes and started working on my happiness goals.  To me, it seems like you are making monthly resolutions for a year and as each month comes, you build on those resolutions.  You note your goals for each month and build on them. So my January goals, I work on them in January, and continue doing them for the remainder of the year and each month, I start working on those goals or projects.  A progressive project tackled over the span of a year.  I see it as a huge domino-effect project.   Our group meets again on January 23, and although I have not decided on each months goals, I have January‘s goals identified and written down. I have even started working on them, after all, it is January! 

Now I am not unhappy by any means. I love my life. I live with a wonderful, caring, thoughtful husband, who is my best friend. We share our life with two incredible children (intelligent, humorous, beautiful/handsome, caring and loving) and a great dog (most of the time).  We love our Lord, each other, and we have a solid, happy home life. We are thankful for our blessings and we give thanks to the One that has blessed us.  Yes, life is good. But I want more, I want less, I want to make changes. In with the better, out with the bad, the clutter, the mess.

I am good at making plans and lists but when it comes to meeting my goals, I fail.  I thought this group would spur me to be accountable and so far, with our meeting date in mind, I am working at this project and taking the “bull by the horns”.  I need accountability. 

I have declared January to be my month.  As a mother, I need to take care of myself first in order to care for my family and home. And as a lot of mothers out there, I always put myself last on the list and if I don’t get to me, well, there is always a chance for that next time. Well Hello January 2013 – time for a change!  I am numero uno on my list this year.  Yep and boy, does it feel good (I’ve got to keep telling myself that)!  Cheer for me, cheer for me!  So with January I have decided to put my health and emotional well-being in the spotlight.  My list seems long but I am building a foundation. It has to be strong. I have to be strong physically, mentally and spiritually to function the way I want to. 

January’s happiness project list:

• Schedule a wellness appointment with my doctor as well as lab work.

• Make healthier eating choices and start eating cleaner. 

• Drink water, water and more water.  This is a huge challenge for me but I am working on this glass by glass.

• Exercise daily with one day off each week. 

• Once a week, pamper myself by enjoying a hot bath, a manicure or pedicure. Something that will reward me for my hard work and dedication.

• Spend time with God (I am reading the Bible daily even if it is just a chapter a day). This is the most important item on my list. To live forever, I have to know and understand God. I already love Him but need to know Him much better.  Do you know our Heavenly Father, the One who died for our sins?  Perhaps it is time to welcome God into your heart and life.  Believe me, life is GREAT when you have God in your life and He comes before everyone and everything else. 

I have scheduled my wellness exam (and got an appointment this month) with my doctor. I have started to write down questions and concerns to discuss.  I dread the appointment in some ways as I know what he is going to say. Lose weight, increase your cardio to lower my cholesterol and come back to see me in a few months.  I switched health insurance this year because the plan I had in the past was no longer an option. So I chose one that encourages you to see your doctor, work out (I have access to the university’s facilities and classes (pools, weight rooms, cardio equipment, group classes such as yoga, zumba, muscle pump) PLUS I can meet with the university’s dietitians, fitness consultants and personal trainers.  WOW!   But that is not all, insurance covers multiple wellness appointments with my doctor and the doctor will spend more time with me to discuss my wellness plan and with the access to dietitians, fitness and personal trainers, I should be set. NO EXCUSES! I am definitely motivated.  I have already started my eating log, I have a log to track my workouts and another one to log in my measurements and weight.  I am set to go and have already started. So far, maintaining a journal isn’t so tough.  Time will tell. 

The logs are keeping me on track and motivated as well as the cheers from my personal coach, my daughter. She is wonderful at encouraging me to keep working out, finish that workout, and her encouragement and support are not going unnoticed.  Thank you my precious one – momma loves you.

My personal relationship with God is growing as I learn more each time I read the Bible.  It is the greatest book ever written and I am enjoying re-reading it and learning more each time. 

I’ll be writing more about this year-long happiness journey.  In the meantime, I will continue to finish projects I started a long time ago. I am on R for my baking through the alphabet. I actually made a Raspberry braided sweet-bread but I cannot find the recipe so I’ve chosen another one.  Maybe this weekend I’ll knock some of those recipes off and get closer to Z? 

All in all, cheers to January!! Here’s to a new year, a year of healthy, positive changes.  I have a lot to accomplish. Wish me luck and send me any positive motivation you can – I’ll need it at some point.    

Go-Go's

Last night, as tears dripped off my checks onto my pillow, thoughts buzzed through my head. The world we live in is in constant, non-stop activity. Tragedies happen, life goes on. The world has changed so much in a short period of time. Various improvements that make our life better. Really? We are so busy, I use that term lightly, that we no longer have the time for the important pieces of our life – our families and friends. We have become disconnected yet social-network connected. It’s wrong. We communicate by texting, posting on Facebook, Twittering and by whatever other social media avenues there are out there. Children text and have a phone glued to their hand or head all the time (not in our home though). They text but use abbreviations which ultimately affect their written communication skills. Teachers are pulling their hair out because our young people cannot express themselves in writing. They can't spell.  They don't understand punctuation, tense and other grammar rules.  People don’t know how to hang out together and talk, really talk. People – kids and adults. Do you really need to talk on the phone all the time? Working at a university, the students even talk while using the bathroom. No respect or privacy, for themselves and the other person. (This triggers me to flush the toilet repeatedly). People sit in the same room; play with their phone and then text a person sitting across the very same room – that is their idea of communication. Sad, so very sad. Businesses are open seven days a week too. Banks might as well be since transactions occur seven days a week. What happened to Sundays being a holy day? A day of rest? A day of church and visiting family members. We are all so disconnected. This is advancement and improvement?

And so I cried. I grievied.  I was lost in thought.  I was a mess that should have been snoring.

Time. Making the time to do important things. Visit people. Talk. Listen. This year, I will make the time because once again, my procrastination hurts. Another heart-deep hurt. Yesterday, I attended services for my best friends’ father. Sonny was a great man that knew me all my life. My parents spent time with her parents. His daughter and I grew up together – best friends. I have so many precious memories of her and her family. We were inseparable at times. And even though Sonny frightened me – he would pick on me like my father but he had a gruffness about him, so I tried to keep my distance or at least find comfort in the fact that her mom was near. Funny, as I grew up, I realized my fright was due to my age. I love him and will certainly miss him. I find comfort that he is free from pain and discomfort. And smile thinking he has been reunited with his wife, family and even my father.

I can make an effort to start visiting family and friends. I cannot; however, change the advances that the world makes in leaps and bounds. I can stay grounded – maintain our quiet home life, void of Xbox, Wii and other entertainment. We like to play games, be outside, read, craft, build, cook and bake. We don’t need all the entertainment most homes have. It will invade us before I am ready so I’ll enjoy my family and cherish our lively, daily interaction with each other.

In the meantime, I’ll enjoy my silent laughter at all the Go-Go’s. So far, I feel I’m one up on them.