Sunday recipes: Thanksgiving dinner

And the holiday season begins. It hardly seems fair that we just get done with all the awful political ads, and they start right in on all the awful holiday ads, but oh well. Here at NDiN, I think we’ll turn off the tv and spend the week cooking.

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Here’s the turkey, which I (Xan) will actually be making for the December holidays rather than Thanksgiving this year. My sister-in-law will make Thanksgiving.

Turkey with apple-raisin stuffing
from Sphere magazine, circa 1975
1 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. butter
1 quart chopped apples (I use Granny Smiths)
1 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. golden raisins
1/4 c. fresh parsley
1 egg
1/4 c. apple cider
1 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Saute onion in butter over medium heat until transparent (about 5 minutes); stir in apples and celery, simmer uncovered over medium heat sitrring occasionally (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat, lightly beat egg and stir in, stir in remaining ingredients. Stuff bird. Oops. Find a recipe/instructions for roasting a stuffed turkey. Do that. (Actually Alton Brown says make the stuffing separately, cook the bird unstuffed and spatchcocked- you heard me- and then stuff it on the sly when no ones looking, during the “resting” period after you take it out of the oven.)

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Ahhh, where does that time go. I (Sincerely, Emily) am involved in a lot of things this year that are taking me away from home during the day and I find that I seem to be scrambling to get anything done right now. In terms of our Thanksgiving dinner, so far, the only two things I have thought about are the turkey and the stuffing. The local man I was getting a turkey from let me know that the turkeys did not put on weight, therefore, he has no turkey for me. I scrambled to find an organic turkey this past week. Yesterday I started making bread for my stuffing.

I use my normal no-knead bread recipe.  Then I add seasonings.

No-Knead Bread

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp yeast (original recipe is 1/8 tsp, but I never got much of a rise so I added more!)
• salt
• 1 1/2 cup water (adjusted for your flour

Before I add the water I add the following herbs and spices

• 2 T dried oregano  or minced fresh oregano
• 2 T dried minced onions (or fresh)
• 2 T dried ground sage or minced fresh

Mix dry ingredients together then start adding your water a little at a time.  I tend to never add the full water, I prefer my dough on the dry side. I then cover my bowl with plastic and let it sit over night or all day or until I remember to get back to it. I then knead the dough (yes, I knead the no-knead dough!) just a bit to pull it all together.) I then place it in an oiled bowl and let it rise about an hour or until it has doubled in size. I pre-heat the oven and the crock pot insert to 500F. I bake the bread, covered, for 30 minutes at 500F, then 15 minutes at 450F uncovered.  (see my above link for photo of crockpot insert)  (you can use dutch oven.) I allow the bread to completely cook before cutting it into cubes to dry for stuffing. The bread has all the wonderful herbs and spices already in it, but I do tend to add more when I make the stuff.

Ok, now I am in the mood for the holidays… or at least the food part!

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What are you making for Thanksgiving?

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Breakfast Bread

We had a couple of requests for bread recipes this past week so I thought I’d be obliging and share our Cinnamon Swirl bread. This is the bread that my daughter asks for almost every morning of the week. It’s fantastic toasted and supremely decadent served up as french toast. I’ve used both dried cranberries and raisins as a filler, but it would be fantastic with diced dates or prunes, dried apples, or any other dried fruit, and seed. I hope you enjoy!

My recipe is based on this one published in Bread Baker’s Apprentice and shared by Smitten Kitchen. I’ve altered it to suit my family’s needs.

Makes one two-pound loaf

• 2-1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
• 1-1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1-1/2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp  honey
• 1/4 cup yogurt
• 1-1/2 tsp instant yeast
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1-1/2 cups room temperature water
• 2 Tbsp oil for bowl
• 1/4 cup raisins or cranberries
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tsp cinnamon

I always add 1/2 cup unfed sourdough starter (the perfect way to use up ”waste” when you’re feeding it). You can also substitute 1 Tbsp of whey for water.

1. In a large bowl mix all of your dry ingredients.
2. In your mixing bowl add honey, butter, yogurt, and one cup water. If you’re adding sourdough starter, now’s the time to add it. If you’re using a stand mixer jump to the next step. For hand mixing, make a well in your flour combination and start adding your liquids. When your dough forms a nice ball and no flour remains you’ve added enough liquid. Sprinkle a workspace with extra flour and work your dough for 8-10 minutes. The ball should be slightly tacky and springy. Skip the next step
3. If you’re using a stand mixer you can begin adding about 1/3 of the dry mixture using your paddle. Once that’s very well incorporated switch over to your dough attachment. Continue adding flour until the dough begins to work up your hook. You’ve added enough dry mixture when the dough resembles a tornado and the sides of the bowl are clean. Allow the dough to mix on medium speed for about 5-6 more minutes.
4. Oil a bowl (I like grape seed oil but have used olive oil as well) and roll dough in the bowl to cover with the oil. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and allow it to rise for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until doubled in size.
5. Lightly sprinkle flour on workspace and gently roll out dough. Very carefully pull and shape the dough to form a rectangle about 8 inches by 12 inches. You don’t want to release any of the air trapped in the dough by handling the dough roughly. Drizzle your honey all over the top of the dough. Sprinkle with your dried fruit and finally the cinnamon.



6. Carefully roll up the rectangle of dough to form the swirls and set inside an oiled bread pan. Cover pan and allow to rise for another hour or until bread rises just past the top of the pan. During the last 20 minutes of rising, set your oven to 350 F.
7. Bake bread for 30 minutes. Turn bread around for even baking and finish baking for another 10-15 minutes or when internal temperature reaches 205 F.
8. When bread is done baking, turn out immediately on a cooling rack and try to be patient before you cut into it. Okay, okay, 10 minutes should be okay but a half hour is even better!

Slice off a good hunk and top with some homemade butter and, if you have a real sweet tooth, a drizzle of honey and enjoy!!

You can find Jennifer over at Unearthing This Life where she blargs about her life with one Kid, one Hubby, two cats, and seven chickens. Yes, the boys are outnumbered.

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Sunday Photos…Fresh from the Oven

“Like all areas of cooking, bread making engages all of your senses, but it is a particularly soulful pursuit. The bouncy, silky feel of the soft, elastic dough, the hollow thump of a crusty brown loaf, the earthy flavor of slowly fermented wheat flour all contribute to the experience, but what’s most captivating is the blessed smell of the loaf of bread as it bakes in your own kitchen.”

Jerry Traunfeld The Herbfarm Cookbook

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Here at Chiot’s Run baking bread is a weekly occurrence. The oven is on all the time, especially in winter, producing loaves of all shapes, sized, colors and flavors, many are tucked away in the freezer for summer eating to save time during that busy gardening season. In the summer the oven is on less often, usually on once or twice a month, producing enough bread to last for 2-3 weeks and a batch or two of scones, biscuits or zucchini bread for quick breakfasts and of course some hamburger buns for those summer cookouts.

It doesn’t get much better than the smell of freshly baking bread, scones, or biscuits in your own oven. We haven’t bought store bought bread or baked goods in many, many years.

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Here at Unearthing This Life, cooking runs in our blood. Both Hubby and I spent time working in restaraunts on the prep side, grill side, and saute areas of the kitchen. We both took our respective turns behind the bar and out on the floor as well. Neither of us spent much time baking (even though I enjoyed a short stint in a bagel bakery). It took going through the Real Food Challenge for me to finally understand baking from scratch. So, it may be surprising for some of you to know that bread is relatively new to me.

Now that I finally “get” bread making, I have to prepare it about twice a week. Since there’s three of us, and we’re homeschooling, we go through our loaves rather quickly. And one loaf of bread is always cinnamon cranberry swirl, with extra  honey. That is our breakfast bread. It makes fine french toast and an excellent dessert bread as well.

Other than bread, a regular treat for us is pizza. Every Friday night is pizza night. Even if delivery did travel this far out in the Boonies, I don’t think I’d opt for that choice considering the taste of the pizza we prepare. I did grow up 25 miles outside of Chicago after all – and I know what pizza is supposed to taste like.

Since Hubby was ordered on a low triglyceride diet almost three years ago, we severely limit our other sources of simple carbs. Carbs in our house serve a purpose – to introduce healthy grains, extra fiber, and fermented foods into our food source. Our dough always includes whole wheat flour, with whole grains added, and fermented with sourdough starter. Having too many family members with gut problems forces my recipes to consider their needs first and foremost. Using sourdough and organic flours seems to help reduce tummy issues. Hubby also weighs in on average 25 pounds less than normal now that we’re concious of the types of carbohydrates he consumes.

I think that goes to show that you can eat your carbs and have your health too, as long as you limit yourself and make sure you’re consuming quality grains.

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What do you bake that fills your spirit or mends your body?

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Real Food Give-away Week Three Winner!

I was supposed to post the winner yesterday, but Kim’s Righteous Rant stirred such a lively conversation that I didn’t want to interrupt it. So, without further ado, the winner is Stacy from the Little Blue Hen. Email me your address (my email is on the contact us page) and I’ll get the book in the mail to you. I hope you enjoy it. I’d love to hear about the breads you make. For the rest of you who wish you won the book, you can get it here (Artisan Bread in Five Minutes), or you can try your library. (I tried that, but had to wait weeks to get it and couldn’t keep it long enough.) I thought I could copy a few recipes and be fine, but the cost of copying almost the whole book was more than buying it. If you dream of great bread, but don’t have the time, this is a book you should own! (AND USE!!!)

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Saturday Recipes Whole Grain Sandwich Bread

With all the cooking that has been going on around here there is one thing that is a constant in my kitchen. No matter what else I’m cooking,  I bake bread twice a week, rain, shine, or otherwise.  And although I experiment with different types of artisan breads my sandwich bread recipe has remained fairly constant for decades now.  It makes 6 loaves or in my case 3 loaves and two pans of raisin sticky buns!

Into my Bosch bread mixer (can also be done by hand which I did for years)

5 1/2 cups warm Water

2/3 Cups organic Canola Oil

3/4 Cup Honey

Mix slightly then add…

3 TBSP Yeast

Let the yeast proof for about 10 minutes (till it gets puffy and foamy)

While yeast is proofing mix...

2 TBSP Salt (slightly less if using sea salt)

1/2 Cup Vital Wheat Gluten

1 Cup of Flour (here is my flour mix recipe…you can also use 100% whole wheat but it will be slightly more crumbly)

Add this to the yeast mixture and mix.

Then add...

12 – 13 Cups Flour (knowing exactly how much comes with practice.  Some will depend on the exact amount of water you put in, the moisture content of the flour, the humidity of the kitchen…but this will get you close.)

Mix thoroughly then knead for 10 minutes.

When it is kneaded put it in a large bowl (or in my case a large pot with lid) cover and let rise until doubled.

Punch down and make into loaves, sticky buns, rolls or whatever you are craving at the time.

Let rise again until the bread is 1 1/2 to 2 inches above the rim of the loaf pan.

Bake in oven preheated to 350 degrees.  Here is where I’m a bit of a dork…I’m not sure how long to bake it.  I have never set a timer (although I will try to next time so I can report back) but I’m guessing about 25 minutes.  I can tell by the color and the sound when I thump it if it is done (it will sound hollow)…sorry for not being more precise.

Remove from oven, cool on wire rack.  I always put butter on the top crust when it is hot.

Eat and Enjoy!

If you want a step by step in-depth tutorial with pictures… go to bread baking part 1 and part 2 on my blog.

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Go to Olive Oil Bread Recipe pizza focaccia calzone

As many of you know I am a big fan of the Five Minute a Day Artisan Bread books.  I especially like the recipes for breads like focaccia, pizza crust, bread sticks, flat breads, and stuffed calzones.   Out of all the bread recipes in the books this is by far my most used.

It is so simple and I have a bucket of this dough in my frig at all times.

This is my slightly modified version of the recipe found in the original book.

Mix in lidded bucket or bowl…

2 3/4 Cups warm water

1 1/2 TBSP yeast

1 1/2 TBSP Salt (I use sea salt so only use 1 TBSP)

1 TBSP  organic sugar

1/4  organic extra virgin Olive Oil

Into this add…

4 Cups Whole grain flour mix (I use a flour mix that I grind that is 40% regular whole wheat, 40% white whole wheat, 5% barley, 5% oat, 5% rye, 5% whole wheat pastry flour)

2 1/2 Cups Organic White Flour

Mix with a large spoon until all the flour is mixed in, this is a very moist dough

Cover and allow to rise until it doubles in size or flattens on top.

Put in the frig for use later. The longer it stays in the frig the more sourdough flavor it develops.  We only like it until about day 4.  If you like your bread really sour then leave it in longer.  Since it has whole wheat I wouldn’t let it go past a week.

You can also use it right after the first rising but it is really sticky…just use enough flour to keep it from sticking.

For foccacia bread preheat over with a pizza stone to 425 degrees.  Take out a grapefruit size handful of dough work it into a circular shape about 3/4 ” tall.  I usually top mine with roasted peppers and tomatoes. Let rest 20 minutes (sometimes I am in too much of a hurry to do this step)

Bake until the edges are golden brown about 20 minutes

The book calls for baking with steam (broiler pan with water in over) but my family prefers a softer bread.  If you use steam you get a great crust.

I love this recipe…seriously simple, seriously good!

Come back Monday and I’ll cover grinding whole grain flours and my sandwich bread recipe.  Also make sure to let us know how you’re doing on the challenge in the comment section of yesterday’s wrap up post so you will be entered into our first giveaway!

Kim can also be found at the inadvertent farmer where she raises organic fruits, veggies, critters, kids, and…a camel!

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Whole Wheat Banana Bread Vegan or Not

We love banana bread around here, seriously dig the stuff.  I have perfected what I think is the yummiest whole wheat banana bread and it happens to be low fat too!  So if you love banana bread but want a healthy version that is moist, sweet, yummy and very bananaeee (new word, like it?) then hold onto your peels this recipe is for you!

Ingredient list:

• 1/3 Cup Veggie Oil
• 1/3 Cup Applesauce (I use unsweetened)
• 3 eggs (or equivalent in egg replacer)
• 3 1/4 – 3 1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour (this kinda varies depending on the size of your eggs and how runny your applesauce is)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 large mashed bananas (smashed, smooshed and otherwise mutilated bananas if you are cooking with a kid!)
• Nuts are optional…I would suggest walnuts…if you don’t live with any nut-haters that is.

First you start out with a good old friend…lets all give a warm welcome to ‘the New Cook Book’  by Better Homes and Gardens…although it isn’t even close to new as it was a wedding present that was given to me by my grandma 25 years ago (again let me reiterate that I was a child bride) .   Banana Nut Bread from page 51 is the starting point for this recipe.

One…ok me…must also wonder why someone would name a book ‘The New…’ anything considering that it will soon not be new and therefore it will then be a big fat liar, just a thought

Sorry Grandma I laid your nice book on a hot burner…now this would have surprised my Grandma but since the rest of you visit here once in a while I betcha it doesn’t surprise you.  My hubby always keeps 2 fire extinguishers in our kitchen…just in case!!!!!!

Start with the oil poured by my lovely assistant Sweet Girl

Next is the applesauce

Stir, stir

Next comes the sugar, yummy

Add eggs…

Scoop up an egg…

Touch the egg,  plop it down a couple of times,  poke it,  smell it,  play with it till mama sees what you’re doing and makes you stop

Measure out baking powder, talk to mama about leavening and such…science is so cool!  Don’t forget the baking soda and salt.

Add half of the whole wheat flour…mix but don’t over do, quick breads like to be treated tenderly, they are the princesses of the bread world.  Unlike yeast breads that  like to be slapped around a little…ok I’m stopping before this discussion evolves into something sorted!

Have fun smashing the bananas!  Note, if you lick the bananas off your fingers make sure no one’s  watching!

Pour in the bananas…WAIT what is that I see a tiki hut?

Oh my goodness its a couple of Hawaiian girls and a palm tree,  you discovered my secret to super duper bread…shhhhh don’t tell!

Stir and then add the rest of the flour, stir some more, remember gently, gently…it tastes better when you stir it wearing a groovy headband!

Put into pans and then into oven,

no,…pour into pans and then place into the oven, pouring it into the oven is a bad idea.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Fresh out of the oven…oh so pretty!  Can you smell it?  No?  Sorry just trying to torture you a little!

Most and delicious…very, very good

Moist and delicious with applesauce…even better!

This really is a great recipe and it can be enjoyed with little guilt (well unless you smother it with butter which I hear is good, I would never do that myself, not ever…really I wouldn’t!) This particular bread should  never be enjoyed alone though…go grab someone you love (or are wildly attracted to) and give ’em a big  kiss and share some homemade goodness with them…

BTW…if you don’t have a groovy Hawaiian plate to use you could put on a bikini and a grass skirt and I think it would work just as well. Aloha!

Kim can also be found at the inadvertent farmer where she raises organic fruits, veggies, critters, kids…and a camel!

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Bread Challenge Part 2

As promised part two to my personal bread challenge (if you are looking for part 1 it can be found here.)

Now down to the nitty gritty…or they yummy part!

First of all here is my make twice a week whole wheat bread recipe that is almost identical to the one that my folks made for so many years…my go to recipe…everyday bread for sandwiches, toast, and just because I feel like bread!

Mix…2/3 Cup Oil (I use organic canola), 2/3 to 3/4 Cup Sweetener (honey, molasses or a combo), 5 1/2 Cup very warm water.

Add…3 Tablespoons yeast and let proof (stand until the yeast is all puffy!)

Mix…4 heaping Tablespoons Vital Wheat Gluten, 2 Tablespoons Salt, your ‘extra’ flours up to 4 cups (I usually use 1 Cup rye, 1 Cup oat, and 2 Cups White Whole Wheat flours)…you do not have to add these flours but it is fun!

Mix into liquid/yeast mixture.

Then add your Whole Wheat Flour

In total you use about 14 Cups of flour (this includes the ‘extra’ flours)…this is approximate as it is slightly different each time.

All of this I do in my Bosch Bread Mixer…you can do it by hand.

Knead 10 minutes. Turn into very large oil coated bowl.  Cover and let rise until doubled.  Punch down, form into loaves and let rise till it is about an inch above the rim of the bread pans.

Bake at 350 until a deep golden brown (or 195 on a bread thermometer)(or until it sounds hollow when tapped)

This makes 6 loaves or 1 large pan of sticky buns and four medium loaves.

My sticky buns are made from this recipe.  I pre-cookk raisins with brown sugar and cinnamon and then roll out my dough into a rectangle and add the raisins on top.  Roll into a long log. Slice into rounds and put in a pan that has a little oil, brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped nuts at the bottom.  Flip the whole thing over when done so the sticky bottom is on the top and the plain top is on the bottom.  I am trying hard to resist the urge to be humorous here about sticky bottoms and sticky buns…but I will refrain!

Next is one of my all time favorite recipes it is directly from the back of my bag of King Arthur Flour’s organic cracked wheat.  I don’t make it for us anymore since going vegan but I still make it for my friends and they always appreciate it….it is heavenly!

Pour 1 1/4 Cups boiling water over 1/2 Cup Cracked Wheat in a large bowl, cover and let rest for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

Stir in 2 Tablespoons butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 Cup Honey or Molasses let cool to lukewarm.  Add 2 teaspoons yeast and let proof for about 10 minutes (skip this step if using instant yeast)

Stir in 1/4 Cup organic dry milk, 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour, and 2 Cups White Whole Wheat or All Purpose Flour ( I used White Whole Wheat)

Knead by hand, mixer or bread machine to make a soft slightly sticky dough (8 minutes by hand is what I did).  Let rise covered till doubled (1 1/2 hours or so).  Shape into loaves and put into 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan.  Cover and let rise till 1 to 2 inches above rim.  Cut a vertical slash down the middle of the loaf place in preheated 350 F oven.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until brown and hollow sounding when tapped or 195 degrees F on instant-read thermometer.

Makes 1 loaf.

Finally there is a whole book that Alan asked me about that I use often.  It is called Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. It truly is a time saver and an incredibly easy way to make bread.  My go to recipe is the olive oil dough that I use with white whole wheat flour for pizza and focaccia bread.  There are recipes galore in there although most are not whole grain.  It takes a little playing with the recipes to adapt them for whole grain flours but it is well worth it.

The concept of this book is to mix without kneading, let rise and then put the dough in the frig for use every day.  Just grab some, shape, sometimes let it rise or sometimes not (depending on what you are using it for) and voila…bread in just minutes of prep time…awesome!  It keeps from 5 days to almost 2 weeks depending on the recipe…if you love sourdough leave it in he fridge a week and use, yummy!

Now for the technical stuff.  I use a very old Bosch Mixer, Grain Master Whisper Mill for grinding grain, I order most of my grains from Azure food co-op with some speciality flours from King Arthur.  King Arthur also has a great book called Whole Grain Baking…wonderful recipes!

Lastly as far as baking with kids here are a few hints to make it easier and more fun.  I bake with two little ones ages 6 and 2, they both have their own stools to bring to the counter (although the baby ends up on the counter most often) They each get an itty bitty bread pan or two to make their own loaves…trust me this can take a loooong time.  We use measurements and reading recipes for reading and math for homeschool.  We often give bread as gifts which the kids love…they make a card and tie the loaf up with ribbon.  Sweet Girl likes to experiment with different spices in her bread…some have been hits (pumpkin pie spice) some not so much (white pepper).  Remember this is a learning experience for them…this is how we bring up the next generation of bakers and lovers of real food.

Most of all have fun…take the time…it is seriously worth the effort!

Kim raises organic fruits, veggies, critter, kids, and a camel over at the inadvertent farmer

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Being a Farmer for a Day…

I scratched my head a little when I found out we were doing  ’a day in the life of…’.  I wondered if anyone would really want to know what the nitty gritty of my day was or would they just rather see some well chosen pictures and a little text…my usual blog fare.

In the hopes of not boring you to death…or worse yet…scaring you to death…here goes

A day in the life on Willowbrook Farm!

In the wee hours of the morning Baby Boy wakes up,  and since he sleeps with us…don’t ask…I cannot ignore him.  I roll over to nurse him and squint at the clock…3:43 am.  Ughhhh, why after 5 kids have I not grown a backbone to just let him cry it out in the middle of the night?  I am weak and at least 3 nights a weeks the little cherub makes me pay for my weakness by doing this middle of the night dance we do…nurse, sit up, tell mama he is hungry… I drag him and myself out of bed and into the kitchen…banana and water…his food of choice at now 4:08 am.  I do not have to turn any lights on as my grow lights over my precious tomatoes and peppers light the downstairs with an eerie fluorescent glow.  With banana and sippy cup in hand I plop the little guy on the couch, add some wood to the fire, gather an armful of blankets and settle with him in the corner of the couch.  As he eats his banana with his eyes closed and humming to himself I wonder just how much I will miss this when he gets bigger.

5:30 am Sweet Girl comes out to the couch and snuggles up under the blankets, hubby says goodbye and is off to work.  Sweet Girl tosses and turns and talks to herself while I in a semi-comatose state, I tell her to pipe down cause I’m sleeping…yeah who am I kidding?  She is neither going to be quiet and I am certainly not getting any more sleep…

6am…we’re all up and I’m wandering the house wondering what to fix for breakfast, where is my bathrobe and where did I leave my sanity?

7am…Oatmeal with apples, cinnamon, yogurt, and raisins.  Sweet Girl doesn’t like raisins but I do…

I tell her to be brave and eat around them.

 

Sometimes Baby Boy pours his own cereal…ughhh!

 

8:30 am…we’re all fed and dressed.  Its time to feed the menagerie of animals…

The big guy always gets feed first because he is pushy and well he is the biggest!

He also needs to learn to chew with his mouth closed for goodness sake…

 

Next are the llamas and the goat

 

Baby Boy especially loves feeding the goat…

 

9:00…After feeding we go into the house and do a little laundry or some dishes.  Next we start on home school.  Bible, then reading.

We are in the middle of reading ‘On the Shores of Silver Lake’from the Little House on the Prairie Series.  If ever I am tempted to complain about the work around here I just have to think of the Ingalls family and all their hard work and I am less likely to feel quite as sorry for myself…perspective is a marvelous attitude adjuster!

I always say just two chapters…four or five…or six…later we move on…

unless we decide to read some more!

10am or so…The kids play while I either sew on the current etsy order or fiddle around with editing pictures or something equally productive on the computer.

Sweet Girl and I usually start a batch of bread, cookies, or something of the sort just before lunch.

As the bread is rising or the cookies baking we eat lunch together…usually sandwiches and fruit…original huh?

 

Next comes cleaning up the baby from his sandwich…

After lunch we go and wander through the garden, check our mouse traps, look for newly emerged sprouts and head to the hen house to feed the girls and gather eggs…

After the big girls are fed we move on to feed, water, and otherwise just enjoy watching the little girls…

We have 10 aruacana chicks.

As the kids play outside I wash the eggs and start another load of laundry and try to remember to start the dishwasher so we will have clean dishes for dinner that night.

I go outside to check on the kids…

Sweet Girl can often be found being artistic with sidewalk chalk…

 

Baby Boy is all about his car and big wheel…

 

I usually take my camera with me when I go outside just in case…

Just in case pristine white crocus are just dying to have their pictures taken!

Baby Boy usually takes a short nap around 1pm

I also try to get done at least some kind of garden project when the weather permits.  I am in the middle of building two tunnels for the garden, actually one is done and planted with cabbage, lettuce, brocolli and kale ,while the other is taking up room in the garage…sorry honey!

 Note: This is something I see all day long when I look down…

We are working on puppy manners…so far, we are losing!

Around 4pm we go in and start dinner.  Sweet Grace does some kind of handwriting, thank you notes, cards, etc. while I rack my brain to come up with something that is quick, nutritious, inexpensive and quick for dinner.  Soup or pasta often fit the bill…both goes perfectly with homemade bread. 

Although today I actually made a huge calzone, spinach and cheese, for dinner. 

 

6pm dinner with hubby and kids.

6:30 clean the kitchen and fold some laundry while hubby plays with the kids

7:30 have worship and visit with the kids

8pm bedtime for Sweet Girl…daddy does this, brush teeth, put on pajamas, and then reads with her.  They are reading ‘The Secret Garden’  even daddy likes this one…unlike Anne of Green Gables which he did not…too girlie and too wordy…in his opinion!

While sister is going to bed Baby Boy runs around the house like a crazy kid trying to avoid getting his jammies on.  I finally nab him and squeeze him into his dinosaur pj’s while he make growling noises like a T-Rex…or his version of one.  As I try to pin down the squirming baby I wonder how it is that hubby gets to read A Secret Garden in the quiet of the bedroom while I’m stuck with the wild child….I call for a re-vote!

I finally get the kid ready, brush his teeth while he giggles and spits toothpaste on me.  We settle into the rocking chair and read a couple of his favorite books.  He starts yawning…finally…I nurse him and he finally nods off…its around 9pm.

Sometimes I turn on the tv and watch something mindless but sometimes I just sit in peace and enjoy the fire…

10pm Hubby and I look at each and agree that if we don’t go to bed right now we will be soooo very sorry in the morning…

Oh yeah I forgot to let the puppy out!

I let the puppy out, go brush my teeth and wash my face, then go let the puppy back in. 

I pass the laundry room on the way to bed and must throw just one more load in…

Pass the kitchen next and decide to make hubby’s lunch for tomorrow….

Going by my growing area I must stop in and check on my tomatoes and peppers…

Finally make it back to the bedroom, hubby is asleep…Baby Boy is asleep…Sweet Girl is asleep…

I am tempted to stay up and enjoy the quiet, but I know better…

3:43 comes awfully darn early in the morning!!!

 

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Onion Rye Scones

At our house, soups with homemade bread are common dinners in the winter.  We enjoy these savory scones with our soups instead of our usual sourdough bread on occasion.  These scones are especially good with chowders and creamy soups, though they go well with anything.

Onion Rye Scones

1 Large Onion, Sliced

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

3/4 Cup Rye Flour

1 ½ C Unbleached flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 Tablespoons Butter

2 Tablespoons Molasses

2 Eggs, Beaten

3 Tablespoons Sesame Seeds

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a baking sheet.

Saute the sliced onions in the olive oil until translucent.  Set aside to cool.

Combine the flours, baking powder, and butter with a pastry cutter, knives, or your fingers until crumbly.  Add the molasses and eggs, mixing well.  Add the milk a little bit at a time, until a dough forms (you may not need the entire 1/4 cup).  Knead the dough slightly.  Form the dough into a 9″ circle. Place the circle of dough onto a greased baking sheet.  Score the circle into triangles by slicing 1/4″ inch into the dough.  Top the dough with the cooled onions and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

 

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.  Enjoy!

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