How to Make Homemade Bread

For those out there who find the thought of making bread by hand to be overwhelming, take heart. I felt the same way at one time. It's actually not that difficult--or time-consuming--to make your own bread. If you have a bread machine, it's even easier. But if you don't have a bread machine, or you're unhappy with the results you're getting from the bread machine, try this recipe. I did find it off the internet, but I don't remember where I got it. It's a pretty basic recipe. I have tweaked it a bit to make it my own.

Homemade Bread

1 Tbsp yeast (or one packet)
1 c. hot water
3-5 tsp butter, melted
1/4 c. milk (I use raw milk, which is whole milk, so I don't know how it turns out with low-fat varieties.)
5 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2.5-3.5 c. flour
5 tsp vital wheat gluten

In a large bowl, mix the yeast with the hot water until the yeast has dissolved.
Add the butter, milk, sugar, and salt to the dissolved yeast and mix well.
Add two cups of flour and the vital wheat gluten and mix well. Continue to add more of the flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough is not sticky. (I end up mixing the dough with my hands as the dough gets tougher to mix with a spoon.)
Rub some flour between your hands and flour a clean place to knead the dough. Knead the dough for 10 minutes. I do this by punching it, karate-chopping it, or squeezing it with my hands. Just remember to put it back in a ball every so often while you're kneading.
When you're done kneading, shape the dough into a ball. Spray a clean bowl with cooking spray. Put the dough in the bowl in cover it with a towel. Set the bowl in a WARM, draft-free area for about an hour.
The dough should have risen at least by double. As long as it rises some, you will be okay. Punch the dough two or three times to bring it back to its original size. Knead it a few more times.
Shape the dough into a loaf. You can do this by either spreading the dough out and rolling it up like a jelly roll. Or you can just shape it with your hands and tuck the short ends under. The seam will go down on the bottom. Tuck the ends under, so it looks like a mini-loaf. It should still be about as long as the bread pan.
Grease and flour the pan and place the loaf in the pan.
Cover it with a towel and let it rise for another hour in a warm place. It should double again with the second rise.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for about 25 minutes. A lot of the timing is going to depend on your oven, so check it after 20 minutes. It's done when the pan sounds hollow when you tap it on the bottom.

A few notes:
I use raw milk, which is whole milk, so I don't know how it turns out with low-fat varieties.
I don't bother with temperature when I'm measuring out the hot water. If it's a little hotter than I can handle, then it's good.
I use parchment paper for all of my baking. I usually just throw a piece of parchment in the loaf pan, and then I can lift the bread out when it's done baking.

Completing Him Challenge--Communicating Priorities

July 12 - Make a list of 5 things you currently do and ask him to prioritize them for you of what is important to him. For example - a clean home, home cooked dinner, coupon clipping, service at church, having friends over for dinner, watching/doing sports with him, etc.

Well, this past weekend was rough for me and my husband, so I didn't get to do this challenge in time to post on Monday. I won't go into great detail about my list, but I will say that my husband and I have very different priorities. I just wrote down a bunch of things that I'm currently doing in my life, and the activities that he had listed as most important were definitely not the things that I thought they might be. The things that I thought were most important were at the bottom of the top 5. It was disappointing to me. 

I did learn something about my husband, and I now know what to do to really make him happy. And I do want my husband to be happy. 

Ways to Honor Your Parents

I recently bought a copy of "Polished Cornerstones" and received it in the mail on Monday. If you have never heard of "Polished Cornerstones," it is a book that is used to train daughters to become like the Proverbs 31 woman. It can easily be incorporated into a homeschooling curriculum. There are a lot of projects for girls to work on, and this book can be used for girls of all ages.

I looked through the book on Monday night to see what Cate's first project would be. To go with the lesson on obedience, we started with "a submissive woman." The project I decided on first was Project C. Cate needed to make a list of 10 ways she could show her parents honor and respect. To help her get started, I also attempted this project.

As an adult, I can also show my parents honor and respect. I came up with a list of five things:

1. Ask for their opinion about a problem that I'm having. Thank them for their help.
2. Remember their birthdays and anniversary by giving them a card and a thoughtful gift.
3. Say kind things about them, even if they're not around.
4. As an adult, I need to not rely on my parents to meet my basic needs.
5. Be a good houseguest when I visit. Offer to help clean the house. Keep my own personal space tidy.

I'm sure there are other things I could come up with, but this was a start for me.

This morning I had Cate work on this project. Since my niece was over, I had her participate in the project as well. They both came up with separate lists.






Here is Cate's list:

1. Obey without being asked twice.
2. Do a chore without being asked.
3. Do not whine when they ask me to do something.
4. Let Andrea's dogs out without being reminded.
5. Play with James without being asked.
6. Fill salt and pepper shakers without being asked.
7. Clean basement without being told to.
8. Feed dogs without being reminded.
9. Clean my room without being asked.
10. Remember their anniversary.

Here is my niece's list:

1. Obey them when they ask me to do something.
2. Get them a present for mother's day, like flowers.
3. Show you can do something on your own.
4. Feed the cats when they don't ask me to.
5. Clean the living room without being told to.
6. Get breakfast without my mom making it.
7. Caring for mom and dad and love them.
8. When you come home from school, kiss them and tell them you love them.
9. Make a card on their birthday.
10. Clean the whole house.

They came up with some great things. One thing that I thought of was something that you can't really appreciate until you become a parent. An important way that children can show their parents honor is by behaving well out in public. Our children are a reflection of us in how they behave with other adults outside of the home. When I get comments about how well-behaved my children are, I know I am doing my job as a parent. Even if I feel ineffective at teaching my children discipline and respect, I know that they are learning something.

We also talked about what it means to be submissive and how we are always submissive to someone, whether it be our parents, teachers, employers, spouses, or God. This is probably one of the most important lessons that our children can learn.

Psalm 127:3--"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him."

Getting Clean Laundry

I've been learning a lot about getting my clothes cleaner, so for the next three weeks I'm going to talk about what I'm learning about doing laundry and getting clean clothes. For week 1 I'm going to talk a little bit about cleaning the washer. For week 2 I'm going to talk about the laundry detergent and fabric softener that I use. For week 3 I'm going to talk about spot cleaning clothing and getting stubborn stains out. If anyone has any tips or ideas, I'd love to hear about them.

Week 1: Cleaning the washer

I have recently started using homemade laundry detergent and vinegar on my dirty clothes. At first I wasn't too sure about it. I was getting lint on my darks and the cleaning was okay. Not great, but passable.

Then I just couldn't take the lint anymore. I did a google search and found the solution to my problem on several sites. There were a few recommendations:

• clean the washer with vinegar;
• clean the lint trap if your washer has one;
• use a cup of vinegar with the laundry detergent in addition to the rinse cycle;
• don't overfill the tub;
• wash the clothes that create lint separately from the other clothing.

Cleaning the washer is pretty simple. It's as simple as running a load of wash. Fill the tub of the washer halfway. Put a couple of cups of vinegar in the tub and let it agitate. When the washer is done agitating, turn it off and let the water soak for at least an hour. While the tub of the washer is soaking, you can use that time to locate the lint trap (if the washer has one) and clean it. If your washer is like mine and has a fabric softener dispenser in the agitator, take it apart and clean it out. There was a lot of mold and junk in the dispense of my washer. Yuck! After it's done sitting, let it finish washing. Wipe out the tub of any junk that's left in there.

I don't know what kind of schedule you're supposed to keep with this, but I'll probably do it quarterly.

I can tell you that my wash has been a lot cleaner since I've cleaned my washer. The lint problem still isn't completely gone, but if I toss the clothing in the dryer for a bit, that seems to take care of it.

Making Marshmallows

I love marshmallows, and the kids love marshmallows. Unfortunately, I don't like most of the ingredients in the marshmallows. So that means that it's time to turn to Google and search for a recipe. I can usually find a good recipe for almost anything I need. Not so this time. I had to specifically add "without corn syrup" to find a recipe that did not include corn syrup. I have issues with corn syrup, but that's another post for another time.

So thanks to the Frugal Kiwi for an easy, delicious recipe. The ingredient list is pretty simple, which is a bonus for me. The list of ingredients includes: gelatin (I used unflavored Knox gelatin), water, granulated sugar, honey (I used agave), salt, and vanilla extract. To coat the marshmallows, all you need is corn starch and powdered sugar. Other than the gelatin and possibly the powdered sugar, these are things that are staples in any pantry.

While the recipe is easy, you do need to be able to give your entire attention to the recipe the whole time. I won't reiterate the entire recipe here (click the Frugal Kiwi link to go right to the recipe), but I'll give you some tips that might help you.

• Use a candy thermometer when you are making the syrup. 
• A stand mixer might be easier to use if you have one. If you only have a hand mixer, gently pull the beaters out of the mixture when it starts to climb up to get it off the beaters. 
• The mixture did not pour out of the bowl for me. It was so sticky and gooey. I had a hard time trying to spread it out. I used a 9"x13" baking dish, but and 8"x8" dish would probably work better. 

The marshmallows are so good! They're not exactly like the store bought marshmallows, but my husband told me that they're better than the store bought marshmallows. I have not tried to toast any, so I honestly don't know how that works out. I probably will find out before the summer is over though.

Bon apetit!

Learning to Obey

Today I have a guest blogger: my eight year old daughter. Lately, she's been having an issue with obedience, so I told her that we needed to do a study on obedience. What does the Bible have to say about it?  Well, it turns out the Bible says a lot about it, but I managed to find verses to give her a one week Bible study. One verse per day--more or less--and a story of obedience on the last day.

So here is what she wrote about the first verse: Ephesians 6:1.

Ephesians 6:1--"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right."

I don't really like this verse, because sometimes it's hard to obey my parents. What mommy tells me to do is tough. I don't have confidence in what I'm supposed to do, but mommy has confidence in me. I know God didn't make any mistakes. I try to be like him.

I like helping her, but sometimes I don't like to. Playing is fun, but chores go first. I enjoy doing it in my own way, but sometimes Mommy wants it done in her own way. God wants me to obey my parents even when I don't feel like obeying them.

The End!

In the next few days, she'll explore the fifth commandment, the way Jesus acted toward his parents, and the way that Jesus learned obedience. On the last day, she'll read I Samuel 15, which shows what can happen when you don't do what God wants you to do. She'll memorize one of my favorite verses: I Samuel 15:22. Next week I'll let you know how she did.

To God be the glory!

Desiring to Homeschool

Over at the Women Living Well blog, Courtney shared the day they received their new textbooks and supplies for the upcoming school year. It turns out that she uses a public online school to homeschool her children. It brought the desire back in me to homeschool Cate this coming year.

The only thing holding me back is my husband. John is worried about the lack of socialization for Cate. I'm not really so worried about that, because she'll have access to kids outside the home. Maybe it wouldn't be such an issue either if Cate weren't so anxious in social situations. She doesn't have social anxiety, but she just has a hard time knowing where she fits in in different circles.

Little does she know that I feel the same way about myself. Cate is my "mini-me." She has a lot of the same desires that I do. I empathize well with her.

There was a lot of girl "drama" in her classroom last year. It was a rough year. She ended up getting in trouble with the teacher for being chatty and not focusing.

So I'm not really sure what to do. I'm praying about it right now, so that I know what God's will is. I hope He makes it clear whether we should homeschool or not. I've done too much jumping into things this year, and it's gotten me into a lot of trouble. Now I'm just going to wait on God's will.

Welcome to Homemaker Tuesdays!

Well, since embracing my role as a homemaker, I've been learning a lot of new things. I'd like to share some of the things that I've learned and hopefully pass these things down to my daughter as well.

The one great thing about being home with the kids is that I can get them to work with me in the home. It opens up so many opportunities to teach from a godly perspective and share my beliefs with my kids. Deuteronomy 6:7 tells me to "[i]mpress them (God's commands) on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." In every aspect of life I can share with my children how God wants us to live.

This past Saturday I moved the kitchen furniture and scrubbed the floor on my hands and knees. (Note to self: Don't attempt this again until after I have healed from surgery!) I asked Cate to help me by scrubbing the baseboards and walls while I scrubbed the floor. She got a little sloppy with her work, and I was able to share with her why we put all of our effort into our work. I quoted a couple of Scriptures. I think she got the message, because then she cut a rag for her brother to help out too!

I absolutely loved that little window of opportunity to teach Cate some of God's truth. I have seen her growing and changing this summer, and I'm so happy about it. It's been an exciting time as I figure out how this homemaking and raising kids thing works. I feel like I'm doing what I was made to do. I know Cate is happier as a result. I'm not sure about James, but he is constantly singing some happy little song. I think he's happy too.

Completing Him Challenge--Admiring My Husband

This weeks Marriage challenge is: Admire Your Husband. If you are a blogger write a post all about your husband and what you admire in him and then show it to him! He will smile!
Well, this challenge was a real challenge this morning. That is why I have not posted until this evening. I know I disappointed my husband last night. I woke up at one point, and he wasn't in bed. I know something bothered him, and that something was my fault.

Argh. Satan knows what button to push to create a wedge in our marriage. This certain thing has been an issue for a while now, and I'm not sure how to get over it. I know what I should have said this morning.

I should have said "I'm sorry."

Words feel so meaningless at times, and that was the reason why I couldn't lovingly admire my husband this morning. My heart was not there. It would have been meaningless drivel.

So now I can say why I admire my husband. And mean it.

1. He has a wonderful work ethic. He is a hard worker and puts everything he has into his job. Sometimes to a fault, but you can't say that he is not dedicated to the company he works for. 
2. I'm not sure that there's anything that he can't do around the house. He's been working on cars since he was 14, and people come to him all the time for help with their cars. In addition to cars, he cleaned our furnace out after watching some Youtube videos about it. You know, I think he did a better job than the heating company would have done. He was thorough. He has no formal training, but he did it anyway.
3. Along the same vein, he can fix just about anything. In our church nursery there is a Larry the Cucumber toy that dances around and sings. Larry wasn't dancing so much anymore, but John took it home and fixed it. The kids in the nursery can continue to play with Larry and enjoy him.
4. He is an EXCELLENT cook! I love a man that can cook for me. He even cooked tofu and ate it back in my vegetarian days while we were dating. He has the ability to throw things together and make it taste good. I love the Sundays after church when he makes Eggs Benedict. He does such a great job. 
5. John is a man of strong conviction. His beliefs don't change at the drop of a dime. He knows what he believes, and he knows why he believes that way. 
6. John doesn't go with the flow or follow current trends. He is his own person, and he is not afraid to be that way. He is truly a nonconformist. 
7. He is generous with what he has. John loves to give money, time, and talent to those pursuits he feels are worthwhile. 
8. John is a great father. He loves to spend time with his kids. At bedtime, he will read a lot of books to James. He has a genuine concern for his kids. 
9. John is a great husband. For all the ways and times that I fail him, he still loves me. He knows me and understands me. He accepts me and loves me unconditionally. 

My brain is running out of things to admire about John, but I'm sure I'll think of more before I go to bed. John is a wonderful man. We work together really well, and he completes me better than anyone else could. He's not afraid to challenge me to be a better person.

What do you admire about your husband? I would love to hear about it!

Language and Dreams

This post is more of an intellectual pursuit. This is something I've been kicking around in my head for years. I'd like to write a paper on this, but I have no idea where to even begin researching for it.

So what is this? For some background on how I even came up with this idea--which I'll get to in a minute--I learned French in high school. I got some of the best advice on learning a foreign language from a bilingual girl I knew in school. She told me to not translate while I'm speaking or listening in the language. This served me well as I navigated the finer points of French. It also helped a ton as I gained extra experience while watching "French in Action" on PBS. Even in French 1, when I knew only a handful of words, I watched this and tried to catch any words that I knew. Then rather than try to translate, I pictured the word in my mind visually.

I was also told that I would know I was fluent in a language when I could dream in that language. I don't remember who told me that, but it seemed to be common knowledge and the prevailing thought at the time.

Then I "met" Benjamin Lee Whorf. He is not to be confused with Lt. Wharf on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Whorf is one of my academic heroes. He's a close second to Einstein. Whorf was a chemical engineer who had a hobby in linguistics. He studied American Indian languages and wrote many papers on linguistics based on his findings. He also worked with Edward Sapir on a theory called the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. Basically this states that language shapes our thoughts and, to some extent, our reality. Language is not merely the vehicle we use to express our thoughts. When I studied this in college, I found it to be very interesting. We know what is important in a culture based on what the language focuses on. For example, in America we only have one word for snow. The Eskimo have over 100 words for snow. Snow is not that important to us. We can use adjectives to give the snow qualities, but it is still the same word. Also, in French one of my favorite words is apprivoiser. If memory serves me right, it is translated into English as "to tame." But if you've read "The Little Prince" in French, it means so much more than that. The little prince must show up at the same time everyday to gain the fox's trust and friendship. Tame is an okay word, but it lacks the depth of the French meaning of apprivoiser.

Okay. So what does this have to do with anything? When I lived in Allentown six or seven years ago, I started learning Spanish. I am far from fluent in Spanish, but I did dream in Spanish once. Well, it was more like someone in my dream spoke some words in Spanish. In light of what I was learning about language and linguistics at the time, I wondered what role language actually plays in our dreams. What does this mean for the multi-lingual individual? How does the brain decide what language--or what reality--to dream in? When I had my dream, the person who said the words in Spanish was a Hispanic. I am not Spanish or Hispanic, so it doesn't make sense for me to say anything Spanish in my dreams. It seems that this is a shortcoming of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. I'm not sure if it holds true when it comes to dreams.

I'm hoping that someone has an opinion about this. I'd like to hear some other points of view, especially from someone who is actually fluent in more than one language.