I can't believe that I actually survived this weekend. I'm SO tired!! I've been three nights in a row with five hours of sleep or less. I'm headed to bed, but I just wanted to say that I made it! We had a great BYD here tonight, our first with our new bishop. He really loves the kids, and they really respond to having a young, down to earth bishop. He is great to work with from the standpoint of my calling. We have a new stake president (which is what caused us to get a new bishop, because ours was called as the 1st counselor in the stake presidency), and he cut our ward budget by $2000 for the year. I was nervous about how much our budget was going to be cut, and shared my concerns with the bishop. He assured me that he couldn't make any difference in the amount of the overall ward budget, but that he would see to it that the YW had plenty of money in our budget. So, we JUST got our new budget today, (we were told it was being cut about 2 1/2 months ago. . . .) and what did our new bishop do? He took our budget from before, and gave us even more money!!! He REALLY wants to make sure that the YW have a great budget to work with. I'm thrilled about that!!!
We had a fun time hosting two girls from the BYU-Idaho symphony band. It was so fun to get to see them perform! They were all such amazing musicians! Kate thought it was too loud, but Luke was enthralled!!! He sat and danced the ENTIRE TIME!!! It was very cute. After the performance, some of the kids came down and were talking to the people in the audience. One girl came straight to me and told me how much she loved watching Luke dancing the whole time. She said she was so impressed that he kept time to the music during every song. I hadn't noticed that, but she said she kept watching him the whole time. I thought it was cute. He definitely loves music!!!
I'm off to bed so that I can do another long run in the morning. I've eaten more garbage this weekend with parties, guests, more parties and guests. . . I need to do at least another 5+ miles in the morning to get rid of this!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Okay, so I'm really not dead, it's just been a CrAzY last couple of weeks!!! I don't know where the time has gone!!! This weekend, I'm helping throw a baby shower, hosting either two or four girls from the BYU-Idaho symphony band (that's what it's really called, I've never heard of a symphony band before!), and hosting BYC and BYD at my house. I also am babysitting for our babysitting co-op tonight. . . I will be able to breathe a lot easier once this weekend is over!!!
Randy informed me this morning that his deployment has been extended. Fortunately, not all the way until December, but it's looking like closer to the beginning of July. So much for going on the cruise we had planned. I'm sure we'll find something else fun to do!!! We are SO excited for all of the visitors we are going to have in May!!! It will definitely help the time go by much faster until Randy gets home.
We are really enjoying the warmer weather, especially in the evenings. We have been spending a lot of time on the trampoline, tiring everyone our right before bed.
Kate is enjoying growing up more than ever. She is now absolutely insistent that she help me cook whatever it is that I'm cooking. Sometimes it's cute, sometimes it's a bit of a nuisance when I'm in a big hurry. I feel like we've been on the go so much the last couple of weeks that I'm constantly telling my kids "Hurry and eat! Hurry hurry hurry! We have to go now!" I'm really tired of having to tell my little people to hurry all the time. Will it ever end!?!?!??!
As for recipes. I fixed a HUGE Mexican feast yesterday. We had some friends over for lunch, and we had a cinco de Mayo celebration. I made two kinds of salsa (cabbage salsa-- the same kind as Mi Casita, for those of you who know where that is, and a fire roasted salsa), homemade refried beans, shredded chicken, shredded pork, grilled veggies, tostada shells, guacamole, flan, and strawberry pina colada pie. It was QUITE the feast!! We had so much fun eating it. I'll post the recipes another time. I just wanted everyone to know that I was still alive!!! I'm off to bed now.
Randy informed me this morning that his deployment has been extended. Fortunately, not all the way until December, but it's looking like closer to the beginning of July. So much for going on the cruise we had planned. I'm sure we'll find something else fun to do!!! We are SO excited for all of the visitors we are going to have in May!!! It will definitely help the time go by much faster until Randy gets home.
We are really enjoying the warmer weather, especially in the evenings. We have been spending a lot of time on the trampoline, tiring everyone our right before bed.
Kate is enjoying growing up more than ever. She is now absolutely insistent that she help me cook whatever it is that I'm cooking. Sometimes it's cute, sometimes it's a bit of a nuisance when I'm in a big hurry. I feel like we've been on the go so much the last couple of weeks that I'm constantly telling my kids "Hurry and eat! Hurry hurry hurry! We have to go now!" I'm really tired of having to tell my little people to hurry all the time. Will it ever end!?!?!??!
As for recipes. I fixed a HUGE Mexican feast yesterday. We had some friends over for lunch, and we had a cinco de Mayo celebration. I made two kinds of salsa (cabbage salsa-- the same kind as Mi Casita, for those of you who know where that is, and a fire roasted salsa), homemade refried beans, shredded chicken, shredded pork, grilled veggies, tostada shells, guacamole, flan, and strawberry pina colada pie. It was QUITE the feast!! We had so much fun eating it. I'll post the recipes another time. I just wanted everyone to know that I was still alive!!! I'm off to bed now.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Randy's Alaska Pictures
I know some of you have seen these, but not everyone. Here are some pictures Randy took (or had taken) while he was on his Alaska sortie this week. Not only is he getting a tropical vacation, but an arctic one as well!!
I guess these are some mountains somewhere in Alaska-- there is a beautiful B-52 wing. That's his view out his window when he's flying.
And here's Randy flying; you get to see his whole "get up" of his mask, helmet, etc.
I guess these are some mountains somewhere in Alaska-- there is a beautiful B-52 wing. That's his view out his window when he's flying.
And here's Randy flying; you get to see his whole "get up" of his mask, helmet, etc.
The weekend is here. . .
I think the weekends are the hardest time for me while Randy has been gone. When he's home, I look forward to it for family time. Now, it just feels like one more day without a break. I'm even more tired than usual tonight. We're in a babysitting co-op and tonight was my night to watch kids. Actually, it was a make-up night because I traded with someone so that I could skip my turn while I was in South Carolina. I have co-op again in two weeks. . . really no break!! That's alright. It's part of life! I just need to prepare my lesson for Sunday. I'm teaching in Young Women's. Something I absolutely LOVE doing. I was supposed to teach two weeks ago since it was fast Sunday then, but I goofed and forgot to coordinate with the advisers who usually teach to tell them I was doing it the Sunday AFTER conference (I was just getting back from SC two weeks ago and wasn't prepared to teach a lesson). I'm such a flake sometimes! Who's idea was it to make me the young women's president?!?! Not mine!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the ideas on the standard's night. We had a presidency meeting about it today. We have a BRAND new Bishop (sustained two weeks ago, so we haven't had a real Sunday with him yet). Poor man. . . I was in his office at his work the day after he was sustained (he's a professor at a university here). Our ward has been treading water for two months-- our bishop was called into the stake presidency in the beginning of February, and we just got our new one sustained two weeks ago. It was really rough on us. . . so, poor needy me was the first in line to talk to the executive secretary. Fortunately, our new bishop has a very strong interest in our YW program (his daughter is a beehive, whereas our last bishop didn't have any daughters in our program), so he is very willing to help fill any gaps we have. I don't want our standards night to be dull or boring, but I don't want to go overboard either. The bishop is very specific that he wants strict guidelines for what is appropriate to be discussed with the girls. So, we'll see how it goes! We're going to try to put it together in three weeks, because May is packed! Mother's day, high school graduations, Memorial Day. . . That will be a little sad of a holiday for me. Randy and I met the day after Memorial Day six years ago! Go figure that we're about to have our sixth wedding anniversary. Wow, that went quick!
Tonight, I made BBQ chicken pizza for dinner. It's a favorite in our family! The pizza crust recipe that I use is Angela's, I've just changed it a little bit:
2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons yeast
2 tablespoons honey
1/8 cup evaporated cane juice (organic sugar)
2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup ground golden flax seeds
2 tablespoons oil
2 cups white flour
3-5 cups whole wheat flour (I really am not sure how much it is, I just put the dough hook on my mixer after I add the white flour, then put in whole wheat flour until the dough is a nice soft ball, pulling away from the edges of the bowl)
I let this knead for about 5 minutes, then split it into three pieces. If I'm using my baking stone, I will quite often bake the crusts individually for about 10 minutes each, then pull them out and put them on a cooling rack. That way, I put on the toppings when I'm ready to make the pizzas and it only takes about 10 minutes per pizza in the oven to finish baking and cook all the toppings on. I bake it at 350 degrees. If you roll the crust out and want to bake it all at once, spray the pan you're using, then sprinkle corn meal over it; put the dough on whatever you're using to bake it (cookie sheet, pizza sheet, baking stone), then let it rise for about 5 minutes before putting the toppings on. You can use this crust for any kind of pizza. I usually to a cheese, olive, pineapple and sometimes pepperoni one for my kids, then make a BBQ chicken one and alfredo chicken one for the adults. Needless to say, I haven't been eating any alfredo sauce since Randy's been gone since I've been trying to lose weight!
To make the BBQ chicken pizza, I try to keep BBQ chicken in the freezer. I will find quite often that I buy chicken breasts, then they will just sit in the fridge for a few days without me using them (my lovely phobia of meat, I'd rather not have to handle it. I wish it would just cook itself! I've taken a lot of microbiology and I know what grows on it!!!), so I'll trim them and throw them in the crockpot. I will often trim the chicken and throw them in with about half a bottle of BBQ sauce and some water, then cook on low for about 8 hours (be careful, the BBQ sauce has so much sugar it can burn easily and it smells really bad if it does!). Then I just shred it and put it in labeled freezer bags. You can also grill the chicken, basting with BBQ sauce while it's cooking. So, here's how I make it:
BBQ sauce all over pizza crust (my FAVORITE kind of BBQ sauce is Jack Daniel's. Randy doesn't like me using it because he says it's supporting a liquor company. If you live somewhere where you can buy Famous Dave's BBQ sauce, I highly recommend that, too)
Mozzarella and provolone shredded cheese mix (about a cup)
About 1 1/2 cups shredded BBQ chicken breasts
Thinly sliced red onions (just a few to give some flavor)
Finely chopped canned pineapple (the tidbits are already the perfect size, they just don't sell those at Sam's, so I chop up the chunks)
A sprinkle of bacon bits (I buy the precooked ones at Sam's; they have the nitrates in them, so they're really bad for you. . . but I only use a tiny bit. If I'm really on top of it, I'll have some uncured bacon cooked in the fridge and I'll cut that up with scissors over the pizza)
Bake at 350 until the crust is well browned and the cheese is all melted (about 20-30 min. if crust is not prebaked, about 10-15 if it is).
Once it's out of the oven, I like to snip some fresh cilantro over the top. It adds a really fun flavor twist!
Enjoy today's recipe! I love the responses I've gotten from people who have liked the recipes and my blog. On Sunday I'm making my crockpot nachos. I've had MANY requests for that recipe, so stay tuned for that, and I make it with my homemade refried beans. . . so I'll hopefully have the time to post that recipe, too!
Thanks for the ideas on the standard's night. We had a presidency meeting about it today. We have a BRAND new Bishop (sustained two weeks ago, so we haven't had a real Sunday with him yet). Poor man. . . I was in his office at his work the day after he was sustained (he's a professor at a university here). Our ward has been treading water for two months-- our bishop was called into the stake presidency in the beginning of February, and we just got our new one sustained two weeks ago. It was really rough on us. . . so, poor needy me was the first in line to talk to the executive secretary. Fortunately, our new bishop has a very strong interest in our YW program (his daughter is a beehive, whereas our last bishop didn't have any daughters in our program), so he is very willing to help fill any gaps we have. I don't want our standards night to be dull or boring, but I don't want to go overboard either. The bishop is very specific that he wants strict guidelines for what is appropriate to be discussed with the girls. So, we'll see how it goes! We're going to try to put it together in three weeks, because May is packed! Mother's day, high school graduations, Memorial Day. . . That will be a little sad of a holiday for me. Randy and I met the day after Memorial Day six years ago! Go figure that we're about to have our sixth wedding anniversary. Wow, that went quick!
Tonight, I made BBQ chicken pizza for dinner. It's a favorite in our family! The pizza crust recipe that I use is Angela's, I've just changed it a little bit:
2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons yeast
2 tablespoons honey
1/8 cup evaporated cane juice (organic sugar)
2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup ground golden flax seeds
2 tablespoons oil
2 cups white flour
3-5 cups whole wheat flour (I really am not sure how much it is, I just put the dough hook on my mixer after I add the white flour, then put in whole wheat flour until the dough is a nice soft ball, pulling away from the edges of the bowl)
I let this knead for about 5 minutes, then split it into three pieces. If I'm using my baking stone, I will quite often bake the crusts individually for about 10 minutes each, then pull them out and put them on a cooling rack. That way, I put on the toppings when I'm ready to make the pizzas and it only takes about 10 minutes per pizza in the oven to finish baking and cook all the toppings on. I bake it at 350 degrees. If you roll the crust out and want to bake it all at once, spray the pan you're using, then sprinkle corn meal over it; put the dough on whatever you're using to bake it (cookie sheet, pizza sheet, baking stone), then let it rise for about 5 minutes before putting the toppings on. You can use this crust for any kind of pizza. I usually to a cheese, olive, pineapple and sometimes pepperoni one for my kids, then make a BBQ chicken one and alfredo chicken one for the adults. Needless to say, I haven't been eating any alfredo sauce since Randy's been gone since I've been trying to lose weight!
To make the BBQ chicken pizza, I try to keep BBQ chicken in the freezer. I will find quite often that I buy chicken breasts, then they will just sit in the fridge for a few days without me using them (my lovely phobia of meat, I'd rather not have to handle it. I wish it would just cook itself! I've taken a lot of microbiology and I know what grows on it!!!), so I'll trim them and throw them in the crockpot. I will often trim the chicken and throw them in with about half a bottle of BBQ sauce and some water, then cook on low for about 8 hours (be careful, the BBQ sauce has so much sugar it can burn easily and it smells really bad if it does!). Then I just shred it and put it in labeled freezer bags. You can also grill the chicken, basting with BBQ sauce while it's cooking. So, here's how I make it:
BBQ sauce all over pizza crust (my FAVORITE kind of BBQ sauce is Jack Daniel's. Randy doesn't like me using it because he says it's supporting a liquor company. If you live somewhere where you can buy Famous Dave's BBQ sauce, I highly recommend that, too)
Mozzarella and provolone shredded cheese mix (about a cup)
About 1 1/2 cups shredded BBQ chicken breasts
Thinly sliced red onions (just a few to give some flavor)
Finely chopped canned pineapple (the tidbits are already the perfect size, they just don't sell those at Sam's, so I chop up the chunks)
A sprinkle of bacon bits (I buy the precooked ones at Sam's; they have the nitrates in them, so they're really bad for you. . . but I only use a tiny bit. If I'm really on top of it, I'll have some uncured bacon cooked in the fridge and I'll cut that up with scissors over the pizza)
Bake at 350 until the crust is well browned and the cheese is all melted (about 20-30 min. if crust is not prebaked, about 10-15 if it is).
Once it's out of the oven, I like to snip some fresh cilantro over the top. It adds a really fun flavor twist!
Enjoy today's recipe! I love the responses I've gotten from people who have liked the recipes and my blog. On Sunday I'm making my crockpot nachos. I've had MANY requests for that recipe, so stay tuned for that, and I make it with my homemade refried beans. . . so I'll hopefully have the time to post that recipe, too!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
What a crazy day
My poor kids. . . I feel like there is RARELY a day that we get to stay at home, even for the majority of the day!! It seems like the only days we stay at home are when I'm watching someone else's kids, so even when we're home, it's not normal life! Today we went to someone's house so that I could help them dry pack can stuff, then we went to another friend's house for lunch and to play for a little while. We came home for REALLY late naps for the kids, and for me to clean the house a bit. Then as soon as they woke up, I rushed them to eat dinner, then we were out the door to Sam's Club and Enrichment at the church. We left that early to come home and have baths and go to bed. Where did the day go?! Needless to say, my children didn't get a fun dinner. Just leftovers.
I read in a magazine today that there are usually only two people who care about someone's blog: the blogger, and their mother. So, I figure, hey mom, if you like it, that's fun! Anyone else who likes it is just an added bonus! I guess in this case, I hope Randy likes it, too, since he's on the other side of the world!
A little update from him, he just did a 24+ hour mission from Guam to Alaska and back. It sounds like he had fun. I haven't really talked to him much since he finished it-- just basically enough to know that he's alive.
It is always nice to get away and have some adult interaction for a few minutes. Luke kept giving the poor people in the nursery at enrichment a hard time, so I'd have to go calm him down every little while. I did get about five minutes' peace here and there. That's a vast improvement over what I have been getting!!! I just hope Randy comes home in June, not December. I'm not sure if I can make it eight more months!! Two seems doable, but not eight!
Does anyone have any great ideas for a standard's night for youth? I'm putting one together right now, and could use any input available. I want to make a lasting impression on the kids. Quite a few of them need a good jolt!!!
I read in a magazine today that there are usually only two people who care about someone's blog: the blogger, and their mother. So, I figure, hey mom, if you like it, that's fun! Anyone else who likes it is just an added bonus! I guess in this case, I hope Randy likes it, too, since he's on the other side of the world!
A little update from him, he just did a 24+ hour mission from Guam to Alaska and back. It sounds like he had fun. I haven't really talked to him much since he finished it-- just basically enough to know that he's alive.
It is always nice to get away and have some adult interaction for a few minutes. Luke kept giving the poor people in the nursery at enrichment a hard time, so I'd have to go calm him down every little while. I did get about five minutes' peace here and there. That's a vast improvement over what I have been getting!!! I just hope Randy comes home in June, not December. I'm not sure if I can make it eight more months!! Two seems doable, but not eight!
Does anyone have any great ideas for a standard's night for youth? I'm putting one together right now, and could use any input available. I want to make a lasting impression on the kids. Quite a few of them need a good jolt!!!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Today's recipes
Today for dinner we're having chicken noodle soup. I know, it's odd, when it's over 80 degrees outside. But, I was making bread, and thought that the two went hand in hand: fresh bread, yummy soup! So, here are the recipes for today's dinner:
Chicken Noodle Soup
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 of a chopped onion (yellow or sweet)
2-3 stalks chopped celery
1- 32 oz. box of chicken broth (I LOVE the organic free range chicken broth that Costco has-- it's cheap and it tastes SOO good! I have a huge supply of it, especially since I don't live anywhere near a Costco. You can buy the same broth in the store, it's just more than double the price of Costco's. I think the brand is Pacific Foods)
1 lb. chopped cooked chicken breast
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2-3/4 cup carrot puree (steam carrots first, then puree in blender)
1/2-3/4 cup zucchini and yellow squash (steam zucchini and squash first, then puree in blender)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat egg noodles
Salt and pepper to taste
Saute the onion and celery in butter on stove top just until tender, about 5 minutes. Add in broth, chicken, carrots, basil, oregano, and vegetable purees. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes before serving. In a separate pan, cook the egg noodles according to package directions. To serve, put cooked noodles in a bowl, then pour desired amount of soup over noodles. This works well for various reasons: some people like more noodles, less soup; storing the noodles aside from the soup keeps them from getting mushy when used as leftovers.
Tip for chicken: I like to cook the chicken in broth the night before. Then it's nice and tender and very flavorful. I trim the chicken of any fat before putting in the crockpot. Once it's cooked, I pull the pieces out and shred them, then I strain the broth (saving it) for any fat, then pour it into the soup. It sounds complicated, but it's very quick and makes the chicken SO good in the soup! If you don't think about doing this the night before, you can cook the chicken on high in just a few hours, or cook it on the stovetop in the broth just before making the soup. I always save the broth that I cook the chicken in, just make sure to pour it through a fine strainer to catch any of the fat that cooks off the chicken.
My bread recipe is a compilation of different recipes I've gotten from other people. I've had to tweak it just right for my climate. The only problem in me posting this recipe, is that I don't really know how much flour I use!! I just do it by watching the dough and the look of it!
Whole Wheat Bread
2 1/2 cups warm water (warm enough that it's warm to the touch, but not too hot that you couldn't hold your finger in it)
2 1/2 tablespoons yeast (I buy it at Sams because I go through so much yeast. I know this is a LOT of yeast, but I don't have very much patience for rising dough. You can use less, it just takes a lot longer to rise)
1/2 cup evaporated cane juice (organic sugar)
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons oil (I use organic safflower oil)
2 1/2 teaspoons salt (I use real salt sea salt, and just slightly less than a tablespoon)
1/3 cup ground golden flax seeds (I grind them in a coffee grinder-- don't try to grind in a wheat grinder, they will ruin it because of their natural oils!)
1/2 cup vital gluten flour (I buy this in bulk at Whole Foods)
4 cups of white wheat ground in my nutrimill wheat grinder (however much flour this makes is the exact amount I use for this recipe, but it will differ slightly by climate; I grind the flour on the very finest setting)
I mix all of this in my kitchen aid with the paddle attachment on until it is well blended. Then I add about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of flour and let it mix for about 2-3 minutes, until it is well blended. I then switch to my dough hook, and add 1/2 cup of flour at a time, making sure each time it is well incorporated before I add more. If you add the flour too quickly, your dough will be really stiff and lose it's elasticity. I usually am doing other things while I'm making bread, so I'll add a half a cup, go do something, come back add more, so by the time I'm finished, the dough has been kneading for a while. Once the dough starts forming a nice ball, pulling away from the sides of the bowl, I let it knead about another 5-7 minutes. The dough should still feel sticky to the touch, while still pulling away from the sides of the bowl. I spray a large plastic bowl with cooking spray, then flop the dough into it (it will still feel pretty sticky). I spray a piece of saran wrap with cooking spray and put it loosely on top of the dough. I let the dough rise about 30-45 minutes, until it's a little more than doubled in size.
Then I melt butter in a bowl and shape the dough, dipping in the melted butter before I put it in whatever pan I'm using. This dough works well for rolls, loaves, hamburger buns, etc. This recipe makes two LARGE loaves of bread (Randy likes the loaves big because he makes a sandwich on the bread everyday for lunch). The loaf pans I use are about 9x5 (I'm just guessing on size). Make sure to spray whatever pan you're using first, before putting in the rolls, loaves, etc. I let the shaped dough rise about another 30-45 minutes, then bake at 350 until it's done (the cooking time will vary- loaves about 30-40 minutes--I think, I usually just keep an eye on them after about 20 minutes, the rolls only take about 15-20; once again, I just watch them really closely).
Take out of the oven, then immediately turn onto a cooling rack-- if you don't do this immediately, the dough will sweat, then it will get dried out on the bottom. Use a pastry brush, and brush the left over melted butter. Then cover the bread with a clean towel until it's cooled.
If anyone has any questions, you can call me! I've taught lots of people how to make bread!!
By the way, does anyone know what to do with a three-year-old who puts herself down for a nap at about 4:30pm every day?!?! I won't hear Kate for a while, then I'll go looking for her, and find her asleep in bed late in the afternoon. I don't know what to do!! She usually won't take a nap during Luke's nap time, but then at about dinner time, she's tired, so she'll go lay herself down!!!!!! ACK!!!!!
Chicken Noodle Soup
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 of a chopped onion (yellow or sweet)
2-3 stalks chopped celery
1- 32 oz. box of chicken broth (I LOVE the organic free range chicken broth that Costco has-- it's cheap and it tastes SOO good! I have a huge supply of it, especially since I don't live anywhere near a Costco. You can buy the same broth in the store, it's just more than double the price of Costco's. I think the brand is Pacific Foods)
1 lb. chopped cooked chicken breast
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2-3/4 cup carrot puree (steam carrots first, then puree in blender)
1/2-3/4 cup zucchini and yellow squash (steam zucchini and squash first, then puree in blender)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat egg noodles
Salt and pepper to taste
Saute the onion and celery in butter on stove top just until tender, about 5 minutes. Add in broth, chicken, carrots, basil, oregano, and vegetable purees. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes before serving. In a separate pan, cook the egg noodles according to package directions. To serve, put cooked noodles in a bowl, then pour desired amount of soup over noodles. This works well for various reasons: some people like more noodles, less soup; storing the noodles aside from the soup keeps them from getting mushy when used as leftovers.
Tip for chicken: I like to cook the chicken in broth the night before. Then it's nice and tender and very flavorful. I trim the chicken of any fat before putting in the crockpot. Once it's cooked, I pull the pieces out and shred them, then I strain the broth (saving it) for any fat, then pour it into the soup. It sounds complicated, but it's very quick and makes the chicken SO good in the soup! If you don't think about doing this the night before, you can cook the chicken on high in just a few hours, or cook it on the stovetop in the broth just before making the soup. I always save the broth that I cook the chicken in, just make sure to pour it through a fine strainer to catch any of the fat that cooks off the chicken.
My bread recipe is a compilation of different recipes I've gotten from other people. I've had to tweak it just right for my climate. The only problem in me posting this recipe, is that I don't really know how much flour I use!! I just do it by watching the dough and the look of it!
Whole Wheat Bread
2 1/2 cups warm water (warm enough that it's warm to the touch, but not too hot that you couldn't hold your finger in it)
2 1/2 tablespoons yeast (I buy it at Sams because I go through so much yeast. I know this is a LOT of yeast, but I don't have very much patience for rising dough. You can use less, it just takes a lot longer to rise)
1/2 cup evaporated cane juice (organic sugar)
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons oil (I use organic safflower oil)
2 1/2 teaspoons salt (I use real salt sea salt, and just slightly less than a tablespoon)
1/3 cup ground golden flax seeds (I grind them in a coffee grinder-- don't try to grind in a wheat grinder, they will ruin it because of their natural oils!)
1/2 cup vital gluten flour (I buy this in bulk at Whole Foods)
4 cups of white wheat ground in my nutrimill wheat grinder (however much flour this makes is the exact amount I use for this recipe, but it will differ slightly by climate; I grind the flour on the very finest setting)
I mix all of this in my kitchen aid with the paddle attachment on until it is well blended. Then I add about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of flour and let it mix for about 2-3 minutes, until it is well blended. I then switch to my dough hook, and add 1/2 cup of flour at a time, making sure each time it is well incorporated before I add more. If you add the flour too quickly, your dough will be really stiff and lose it's elasticity. I usually am doing other things while I'm making bread, so I'll add a half a cup, go do something, come back add more, so by the time I'm finished, the dough has been kneading for a while. Once the dough starts forming a nice ball, pulling away from the sides of the bowl, I let it knead about another 5-7 minutes. The dough should still feel sticky to the touch, while still pulling away from the sides of the bowl. I spray a large plastic bowl with cooking spray, then flop the dough into it (it will still feel pretty sticky). I spray a piece of saran wrap with cooking spray and put it loosely on top of the dough. I let the dough rise about 30-45 minutes, until it's a little more than doubled in size.
Then I melt butter in a bowl and shape the dough, dipping in the melted butter before I put it in whatever pan I'm using. This dough works well for rolls, loaves, hamburger buns, etc. This recipe makes two LARGE loaves of bread (Randy likes the loaves big because he makes a sandwich on the bread everyday for lunch). The loaf pans I use are about 9x5 (I'm just guessing on size). Make sure to spray whatever pan you're using first, before putting in the rolls, loaves, etc. I let the shaped dough rise about another 30-45 minutes, then bake at 350 until it's done (the cooking time will vary- loaves about 30-40 minutes--I think, I usually just keep an eye on them after about 20 minutes, the rolls only take about 15-20; once again, I just watch them really closely).
Take out of the oven, then immediately turn onto a cooling rack-- if you don't do this immediately, the dough will sweat, then it will get dried out on the bottom. Use a pastry brush, and brush the left over melted butter. Then cover the bread with a clean towel until it's cooled.
If anyone has any questions, you can call me! I've taught lots of people how to make bread!!
By the way, does anyone know what to do with a three-year-old who puts herself down for a nap at about 4:30pm every day?!?! I won't hear Kate for a while, then I'll go looking for her, and find her asleep in bed late in the afternoon. I don't know what to do!! She usually won't take a nap during Luke's nap time, but then at about dinner time, she's tired, so she'll go lay herself down!!!!!! ACK!!!!!
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