Daily Bread

Ok- I'm back!  Five days into the New Year and we are starting to get around again!  It's a good thing because we were clean out of bread!  I have been wanting to try out some other recipes of Marmee's for a while, but in all honesty, haven't had the money to buy a lot of ingredients that I didn't already have.

So this week, in desperation to try something new (and have something valuable to post about) I gave her Daily Bread Recipe a shot, with a few alterations.  Instead of hulled millet in the recipe I used milled flax seed and instead of honey I used demerara sugar.  I also had to use a little more white flour than called for because I ran out of wheat (can you believe it?!  50lbs used already!).

While I am sure I would like the recipe better with the honey (mostly just because I have had a hankerin' for honey lately) I do really like the recipe.  With the flax seed added it just tastes so.....

so....

healthy!

I love filing up my freezer with a batch of bread dough again- it is a comforting feeling, knowing I am providing pure food for my family, simply.

I'm consistently amazed with the variety and number of recipes in Marmee's Bread Basket cookbook!  I could literally make a new recipe every week of the year if I had the money!  And so far I have yet to find one that we haven't enjoyed.  This silly little cookbook, $7.29, is worth every penny- I highly recommend it!  Seriously!

And this wouldn't be a baking post if I didn't mention my love for my BOSCH Universal Plus Mixer!  It has rocked my world and changed my baking life forever!  My husband asked me the other day, "So, now that you've had it for a while, do you still life making the bread?"  I think he was secretly hoping I would say "no" because he doesn't like the size of the slices of bread since the loaves are made in an 8" bread pan.  But I do still enjoy it- especially when I get to try a new recipe.  It makes me feel like such a homemaker!  I love tying on my apron and making something wholesome and delicious.  I love the aroma of fresh bread baking, floating through my small home.

Thanks again Marmee for the wonderful opportunity to use such an amazing machine!  I am hoping to do another baking post this week since I was too sick to do one last week.  And get around to talking about resolutions too!  I hope you missed me!

Be sure to visit my sponsor- Marmee's Bread Market- for recipes and everything else you need to easily make fresh baked goods for your family!

Best-Ever Banana Bread

Recently I tried out Marmee's recipe for "Best-Ever Banana Bread" from The Bread Box mini-mag, and to be honest I was hesitant of its name's bold claim because I already make the best banana bread ever :-
) ... or so I thought.  You see my recipe has shredded carrots and is gloriously delicate!  Hers, however, boasts a heap of sour cream and, according to my husband, retained a nearly decadent level of moistness that stole the title for best banana bread on his pallet! 

I must agree, this bread was moist and yummy enough to be devoured before I even got a chance to consume one piece in it's entirety!  I actually made the batter the evening before and baked it as muffins in the morning (you know how I like to prep ahead!).  See the enjoyment-

I think in the future I will actually make a hybrid of both recipes (mostly because I like having the veggie factor of adding carrots!) but it also stands incredibly well on its own.  I highly recommend it!  Plus, The Bread Box mini-mag has so many other amazing recipes in it you really can't go wrong!

Served with a hard boiled egg it was the perfect light breakfast! 

I also wanted to mention a little tip that I learned not long ago.  Since I made the batter the night before, I stored it in a zip-top bag in the fridge overnight and then simply clipped a corner off the bag to portion it into the muffin tins in the morning!  Super easy and clean!

Be sure to visit my sponsor- Marmee's Bread Market- for recipes and everything else you need to easily make fresh baked goods for your family!

What could be better than homemade hamburger buns?!

This last weekend we decided to have hamburgers so I thought why not take the opportunity to try making my very own hamburger buns?  I love that now that I own a BOSCH Universal Mixer I can even consider throwing together homemade hamburger buns, and make it actually happen in a relatively short amount of time!  The recipe for Soft Buns that I used this go around is featured in the Marmee's Favorites Bundle giveaway I currently have running, along with The Bread Box mini-zine.

I ended up substituting some of the unbleached flour for whole wheat, but they were still gloriously light and fluffy!  I also rubbed their tops down with butter after they came out of the oven, but you could also brush them with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds before baking and they would be equally wonderful!

Of course my hubby and kiddos were delighted to have the real deal on their burgers.  My husband was so jazzed that he even wants me to make some hotdog buns next time!  Even better, I was able to freeze approximately 25 more buns to pop out and bake up anytime we need them.

These buns are very versatile and could be used not only as buns but also as rolls for dinner or, as I like to do, a mid-morning, mid-afternoon, mid-evening and mid-night snack!  Hey- I like me some good bread!  You ladies have really go to try this recipe!  Seriously!  Run over and pick up a copy of The Bread Box at Marmee's wonderful little shop, Marmee's Bread Market, or you could also enter to win a whole bunch of great recipes in my current giveaway- Marmee's Favorites Bundle!  Don't miss this opportunity ladies!

Be sure to visit my sponsor- Marmee's Bread Market- for recipes and everything else you need to easily make fresh baked goods for your family!

Menu Plan Monday- August 16th-22nd

Well, I had been hoping to have our menu planned through October by now, and while I am not quite there yet I did at least finish through the end of this month!  Horrah!  Needless to say, I have decided to work A LOT of baking into my plan since I have my fun new BOSCH Universal Mixer from Marmee's Bread Market (my wonderful sponsor!), which truly does make baking home-baked goods simple and easy (I SWEAR!)!  For now, I will go ahead and just give you the breakdown for this week's menu though:

Breakfasts:

Baked Peanut butter oatmeal

Baked Peanut Butter Oatmeal (lo)

Best-Ever Banana Bread & hard-boiled eggs

Best-Ever Banana Bread & hard-boiled eggs

Cereal & hard-boiled eggs

Biscuits w/ scrambled eggs

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Lunches:

MTM- yogurt, carrots, bread, cheese, olives

Egg Salad Sandwiches & Carrots

PB&J Waffle Sandwiches

Rib Quesadillas w/ carrots & cherries

Lunch at Nana’s

Friend’s Birthday Party

Loaded Nachos

Dinner:

Pizza

Leftover Pizza

Ribs w/ mashed potatoes & corn

White Chicken Chili

White chicken chili left-overs

Salmon Cakes, Broccoli & Salad

Salmon burgers Broccoli & salad (Left-overs)

Snacks:

Ants on a log/ Dried fruit

Yogurt/ Dried Fruit

Ant on a Log/Fruit leather

Dried Fruit/ Yogurt

Snacks at Nana’s

Ants on a log

Peanut Butter toast

Oh, and here is a little tip for you!  When making your menu plan and shopping lists, take the time to also make a list of all the things you need to prep-ahead so that you can save yourself some work!  I use one of those magnetic planner notepads from the $1 section at Michaels that has lists for each day of the week- that way I can keep it right on the fridge and be reminded of what I need to do to stay ahead of the game.  For instance, I write down for each day how I can prep breakfast, lunch, snacks and even a few dinner components the night before while I am making dinner so that I am always a day ahead and never have that "rushed" or "behind" feeling.  Here is what my prep schedule looks like for this week, just to give you a better idea:

Monday-

Take Ribs out of Freezer for Wednesday

Boil Eggs

Make Egg Salad for tomorrow's lunch

Tuesday-

Make Banana Bread Batter for tomorrow's breakfast

Make PB&J sandwiches for tomorrow's lunch

Put rub on ribs for tomorrow's dinner

Make Ants on a log for tomorrow's snack

Wednesday-

Prep Rib Quesadilla's for tomorrow's lunch

Go Grocery Shopping

Thursday-

No Prep Ahead (mostly leftovers)

Friday-

No Prep Ahead (mostly leftovers)

Saturday-

Prep Overnight Cinnamon Buns & Frosting for brunch tomorrow

Grate Cheddar and swiss cheese

Sunday-

Make Frittata for tomorrow's breakfast

Make English Muffins

You can find more great meal ideas over at Meal Planning Monday being hosted by OrgJunkie.org!

Be sure to visit my sponsor- Marmee's Bread Market- for recipes and everything else you need to easily make fresh baked goods for your family!

My Brand New Bosch Universal Mixer from Marmee's Bread Market

Any of you who have ever looked into baking your own, homemade bread for your family have no doubt heard of the amazing machine that is the Bosch Universal Mixer.  There really is nothing else like it on the market, as far as a home machines go, with a large enough motor to withstand the torque of consistently making large quantities of bread dough.

Many of you have probably seen the other posts I have written about trying to win one of these mixers because I have been dying to get one for nothing short of 2 1/2 years (talk about delayed gratification!)!  I managed to get my NurtiMill for Christmas last year, but in all honesty, it is still sitting on my counter, unused, because the thought of milling all that grain and then having to make the dough by hand was just too daunting!  Well, not anymore!  YESTERDAY, on my happy little doorstep arrived a happy (not-so-little) package containing my brand spakin' new Bosch Universal Mixer courtesy of my wonderful new sponsor- Marmee of Marmee's Bread Market!!

Ok- in all honesty, the box never did actually make it to my doorstep because I was anxiously waiting for the UPS man practically at the window and met him in the yard and practically kissed him!  I also received, via USPS, Marmee's HomeBaker's DVD in which she will teach me how to make bread (which I love because it is like she is actually joining me in my own little kitchen!  And yes, I like to pretend she did this just for me!), her wonderful Bread Basket Cookbook that is packed full of recipes (it will probably take me years to actually try everything that looks good in there, and so far there isn't ONE that doesn't!) and an issue of The Bread Box recipe mag!  Keep in mind that she sent all of this out only on Monday and it arrived in just 2 days!  Talk about service!

Here is the full spread of everything I received from Marmee- notice the cookie paddles she included too!  I can't wait to try them out!  What a great excuse to try out that new chocolate chip cookie recipe I recently found!

Now, my heart did catch in my chest a little bit when I noticed that the box had been damaged, but luckily my new baby mixer wasn't!

Cute baby in box- just had to post it!

As of now, she (yes, my mixer is a "she"- maybe I should name her Martha II too! haha!) is still sitting pristinely on my dining room table for all to admire while I clear a space for her on my small kitchen counters!  A friend of mine very generously supplied me with some wheat to get me started on my little baking adventure until I am able to get to our "local" (and by local I mean an hour away and in a different state!) grain supply store, so I am hoping to possibly start breaking "her" in as early as this afternoon!  It will just depend on whether or not I am able to get to the store to pick up a few extra things I need.  (Side-note- I actually did stop by the store after our park playdate with aforementioned friend and her children, but after Rhythm had skinned his hands on the playground, Lion Cub had beat him over the head with his stainless steel sippy cup, and I turned around to find them both on the brink of meltdown from being too close to naptime,  I thought it would be best to back out of my parking spot and return home...  Ok, so actually I asked Rhythm, "Are you up for it?"  To which he promptly replied, "NO!"  Alright then.  Maybe later.)

Next Tuesday you can expect a full review of my new Bosch- especially since I plan to use it probably about 20 times between now and then!  Also be sure to keep your eyes open for some great giveaways coming up in the very near future along with an announcement about the Bosch raffle I'm hosting that you won't want to miss!

Be sure to visit my sponsor- Marmee's Bread Market- for recipes and everything else you need to easily make fresh baked goods for your family!

Announcing my First Official Sponsor- Marmee's Bread Market!

I am thrilled and honored to introduce you to my first official sponsor- Martha Greene (or Marmee, as her patrons affectionately know her) of Marmee's Bread Market!  I am so excited to be embarking on this partnership with Marmee and am even more excited by what it is going to allow me to pass on to you, my lovely readers!  Over the next 6 months every Tuesday I will be posting reviews, how-tos, videos, recipes and LOTS of giveaways (including an awesome raffle for a Bosch Universal Mixer Plus coming in October- you won't want to miss this!)!!!  It is seriously going to be so much fun and I think we are all going to learn a ton!

So, for our first week I thought it would be nice for you all to get to know Marmee and her business a little bit better.  For starters, she hosts three wonderful websites that are just perfect for the homemaker in all of us:

Marmee's Bread Market- 

Where she sells pretty much everything you could ever need to make your own, fresh bread easily and realistically!

The Homemaker's Mentor- 

Where she offers monthly lessons to help you become the best homemaker you can be!

Marmee Dear- 

Where she offers a wide variety of items that she has used in her own home and has found to be either useful, delightful or both!

You can read a cute little story about Marmee, her family and how her business developed, on her About Us Page at Marmee's Bread Market.  It is sweet and fun- definitely worth the read!

To round out this intro I thought it would also be fun to include a little interview I had with Marmee-

So Marmee, how did it all begin?  What inspired you to start passing on your homemaking knowledge and offering products to other homemakers?

I've always loved to share....I think it is a gift that I have been given and it just thrills and delights me to share things that help and inspire me with others.  I also hold a firm conviction that the role of woman is to be in the home but definitely

not sitting around eating bon-bons - I love to work at home! Since my early years of marriage I have thot up ways to supplement the family piggy bank by using my talents from home.  So the love of sharing what I love and use in my home was a natural fit

for me to have a shoppe where I could promote and encourage homemaking and offer quality products that I already use and love in my home.

What is your favorite thing to bake?

Homemade breads and of course the favorite of favorites....cinnamon buns!

What is your number one tip to mothers of young children and/or homemakers?

Life is in seasons and if you are in a hard season right now - this too shall pass!  I'm always thankful for a new day where we can start fresh! 

Did you grow up being taught homemaking skills or did you learn them after you got married?

This could be a very very long answer so I am not sure how to make it short....I was born in East Pakistan as my parents were pioneer missionaries to that 3rd world country. I spent the majority of my life there until I was 14. My mother was a marvelous homemaker but due to the situation in that country I grew up with full time servants that did everything for us including mopping the floors, serving us our meals, doing the dishes, laundry and all the household duties.  So my first experience in really learning to keep "my place" tidy was in the dormitory for boarding school (age 14) as we had room check daily and got demerits for anything out of place.  The Lord just gave me a great desire for home, a husband and turned my heart towards those things in my highschool years. I took every single home ec, sewing, foods and nutrition class offered as electives.  I was married right after high school at the age of 18 and then the journey began - me in my own home - and wow have I learned each step of the way.  I think that is part of the reason I have such a passion for teaching my girls everything they need to be the keepers of their own homes and love to share it with younger women who are a few steps behind me in their journeys.

And just for fun, what is your favorite past-time?

I love love love to sew.  I love to garden. I love to decorate and make a blank room full of love and beautify it with well loved things. I love graphic design / layout and to create publications and have self published 9 titles so far.  I love to spend time with my family and children and grandchildren.  I guess I just wish we had more time in every day! 

I feel so blessed to have health, family, the Lord as the King of my life, and a wonderful husband to guide me and love me.  So I guess my favorite past time would be living life.  I want to be an old lady with NO regrets.

What a cool lady with a crazy life, huh?  I sincerely hope that you all will enjoy getting to know her and her businesses as much as I know I will over the following months!  Just to make sure you don't miss out on any of the action, make sure you follow or subscribe to my blog (over there on the right sidebar) and you can also look for lots of updates on twitter and Facebook!  Hey- and while you're at it, why don't you buzz on over and give Marmee's Bread Market a little visit?  I would love to hear what you all think!

Aren't you bored at home though?

That is the question I was recently asked by a mom of one of my old friends when we were talking about how I stay home with my boys- all day (gasp)!  I think I actually laughed out loud when she said it!  I guess if you consider non-stop concerts (both singing and playing a wide array of instruments!) from a very musical 4-Year-old boring...

or chasing after the craziest 14-month-old I've ever met...

or cleaning up nearly constant messes...

or trying to figure out how to capture the heart of your child while balancing discipline and punishment...

or listening to silly 4-year-old humor...

or watching your 14-month old truly start embodying the essence of the term "little brother"...

or going on crazy outdoor adventures...

or seeing the world through the eyes of your children...

or trying to study and apply the principles of being a true keeper of the home...

or watching them sleep...

or seeing your boys bond...

or learning more than I ever thought possible by choosing to homeschool (and we are only in preschool! haha!)...

or any of the other thousand things I do in a day...

  If you consider all that boring, then, yes, I guess I have the most boring job on earth!

Tiring?  Yes.  

Frustrating?  Often! 

Filled with joy?  Absolutely!  

But boring?  Never!

Meal Planning Monday- July 26, 2010

Meal planning has been consuming and plaguing me lately (along with curriculum planning, but that's another story entirely!) and my honest to goodness goal is to have all of our food- meals and snacks- planned out from August through October.  Why you ask?  Lots of reasons, not the least of which are saving money and simplifying my life!

Cooking for my family always goes better when I have a well thought out planned established well in advance, so although it is a lot of work, I know it will be sooooo worth it!  And best of all- you get to benefit from it!  I am going to do my best to make my plans available to all of you along with tons of recipe links (and recipe posts), so you can hopefully simplify your first few months of school too!

Right now though, I just have this week planned (phew) and not only do I think it is going to be ubber-yummy, I also think it is going to be quite economical for my little fam!  Enjoy!

Breakfasts:

Monday- mini quiche (recipe to come! These are premade, and frozen so you can make in bulk and use again and again!)

Tuesday- scrambled eggs & whole wheat banana carrot muffins (frozen batch of batter- will share recipe also)

Wednesday- baked egg puffs (from Deceptively Delicious)

Thursday- blueberry bagels & eggs

Friday- cereal, yogurt & hard boiled eggs (this is an on-the-go day)

Saturday- oven omlet roll w/ partially whole wheat biscuits

Sunday- whole wheat cinnamon rolls 

Lunches:

Muffin tin Monday- carrots, yogurt, sweet pickles, cookie cutter pb&j sandwiches, pasta salad, watermelon

Tuesday- jazzed up mac & cheese (from Deceptively Delicious)

Wednesday- tortilla quiche leftovers w/ carrots

Thursday- pb&j waffle sandwiches with applesauce & cheese  (will share recipe, or really more of the method!)

Friday- tuna, ranch & spinach wraps with apples, oranges and pretzels

Saturday- pizza quesadillas w/applesauce

Sunday- loaded nachos w/pinto beans, olives, sour cream, sausage, avocado & salsa

Dinners:

Monday-Thai Chicken Curry over rice (recipe to come)

Tuesday- Ceasar chicken over Summer Salad (recipe to come)

Wednesday- Tortilla Quiche with side salad

Thursday- Crock Pot Carolina BBQ Pork sandwiches with Cabbage Ramen Salad 

Friday- Carolina BBQ Pork & Cabbage Ramen Salad leftovers

Saturday-  New England Pot Roast w/ potatoes, carrots & Salad (Betty Crocker)

Sunday- Shepherds Pie (Paula Deen)

Snacks:

Dried Fruit
Mandarin Oranges
Pretzels & Peanut Butter
Honey & Butter Toast
Parmesan Quesadillas

For more great meal plans for this week, hop on over and check out Meal Planning Monday @ OrgJunkie!

Down on the Farm!

This past weekend we finally decided to visit a local farm (Spokane Family Farm) that produces the BEST milk you will ever taste!  Their emphasis on quality, sustainability and genuine care for their animals in unmatched!  This farm has been up and running for about a year and a half and this amazing couple does all the work (or very nearly!!) themselves!  The husband (Mike) milks their 30 cows (all of whom have actual names) twice a day, and bottles 500 gallons of milk every other day, while the wife (Trish) mucks pens, cares for the calves and all the other animals, AND takes care of the two little boys they still have at home (they have 7 kids in total).  Talk about AMAZING!  (I know I am using a lot of exclamation points here, but bear with me because each one of them is deserved!)

Mike comes from three generations of dairy farmers and is so skilled and knowledgeable at what he does that he has actual taught the inspectors of their farm a few things along the way!  Mike is so knowledgeable, in fact, that he very consciously made the decision to not certify his farm as organic.  Being such a small farm, he understood that they simply would not be able to survive if they were forced to sit by and watch as sick cow die instead of treating her with antibiotics.  Instead, he is able to avoid many problems by quickly recognizing issues at their onset since he and his wife have such a close relationship with their cows, thus allowing them to make necessary changes and focus on prevention, then if need be, administer antibiotics.  Any cow treated with antibiotics is kept out of rotation until they are completely free of the drugs, but their life is graciously spared.  These cows are genuinely a part of the family!

In reality the product this farm is turning out is actually higher in quality and purity than organic milk anyway!  Right off the line the milk is immediately chilled to halt the growth of bacteria and then put through a pasturization process that only heats the milk 45 additional degrees above what it is when it is pumped from the cows- thus allowing the bad bacteria to be eliminated but the good bacteria and cultures to remain.

Mike and Trish also only sell their milk in its whole, non-homogenized form.  As Trish put it, milk only comes out of the cow in two forms- cream and skim, anything else is just computerized.  Mike and Trish suggest that if you would rather not drink the milk whole you can put it into a jar with a spigot (such as an iced-tea jar), which allows you to drink the skim milk and save the cream for making things like butter and ice-cream!  I typically drink it whole (since it's so darn delicious and I need the fat!) but would also love to start making things from the cream as they suggest!

Another cool thing is that the water they use to clean the holding tank is also the water they use to heat the pasturization machine (sorry- forgot the name!) and it is then passed into the barrel (I know there is a different and better word for it- forgive me!) that the cows drink from!  Talk about sustainable!  These people have thought of everything!

This family was truly inspirational to be around and talk to!  In fact, our family and the other family that we toured with actually ended up staying at the farm till 8:30pm (the tour was at 5:00pm) just talking, sharing and learning from the remarkable people!  Trish is passionate and full of knowledge herself on a whole plethora of topics.  I just want to apprentice under her to get a real crash course in good, old-fashioned homemaking!  She makes nearly everything from scratch (I am hoping to take a yogurt and cheese making class from her this summer!), homeschools her kids, seems to truly have her feet on the ground and her priorities in order, and so much more!

Being with this family on their precious little farm has only deepened my desire to move to the country- especially after seeing how much R-Man LOVED the experience!  The next day he kept asking if we were going back to the farm!  Which brings me to the really fun part- check out the rest of our pictures!

The "Wanna-be-Country" version of me, feeding a calf!  Woohoo!

Jer and Lion Cub

R-Man and his very good friend L- He thinks he is going to marry her someday... I'm okay with that! (Her mama is one of my best friends and my doula- so, I know she would have my grandbabies naturally!  Hehe!)

R-Man, L & N- checking out the cows- this one was only a week and a half old!!

R-Man trying to ride a donkey with the help of our friend Mr. C!

He was soon bucked off!

Cute donkeys just walk freely around the farm!

Tried to let Lion Cub take a ride too, but he freaked!

What R-Man really wanted to do was ride one of their horses!  Someday we'll have some buddy!

Collecting eggs from the hen house (I really want one of these!  Fresh eggs daily- sounds great!  Now I just have to convince the hubs!)!

Petting the bunny!

Hmmm... can you tell he's from the city?  L was actually the first one to do this and R-Man quickly followed suit!  So funny!

Mike and Trish have recently signed with a distributor which is taking their milk farther than they were able to themselves.  So, if you live in Washington, Idaho or Montana (maybe Oregon too- I can't remember!) you should seriously be on the look-out for it on your grocery store shelves!  It is the one with the black top and is typically found in the natural foods section.  It costs $4.99 a gallon (which is actually cheaper than organic even though its better!), or $3.50 (or 3 for $10) if you live locally and are able to pick it up from the farm.  (Speaking of which, I am working on putting together a small co-op of families to purchase the milk directly from the farm with. So, if you are local, shoot me an e-mail and I can give you more specifics!)

You can find this amazing farm online here and also on Facebook.  I truly believe that you can't find better milk, probably in this whole country (and I'm not exaggerating!), so if you come across it, be sure to pick up a gallon to not only support this amazing family but to also nourish your family the best way possible!