Baking Bread

Once upon a time ladies did chores by the day of the week. Some still do. ~smile~
Monday is my day to be home all day and do my housework since over the weekend things get a little (a lot) messed up. With my hubby home we often go and run errands together Saturday or do something fun and Sunday is church day for us and then we just relax and spend time together so the housework gets pushed aside for the weekend (except the necessities of course)

Monday is also the day I bake bread. I usually make two loaves since it isn't very nice if you leave it more than a couple of days and if I freeze it, it isn't as good either. With my son living up North, 2 loaves is plenty and if I find I need more I can always make more Wednesday or Thursday. I am still trying to find the new normal for only two of us here now. I made Salisbury steaks with mashed potatoes and peas on Saturday. We are having the leftovers today and hubby will likely take some for lunch tomorrow too. I forgot to pare down the recipe. *sigh* We have tons!! That seems to be happening alot! Good thing my man does not mind leftovers! ~smile~

So anyway, I thought I would share the bread recipe I use and some tips I picked up along the way. For years I couldn't even make bread in a bread machine. It always came out like a brick no matter how closely I followed the recipe. I am now able to make it by hand and it is actually good! Praise the Lord! I know my hubby is! hahahaha!

My first tip I learned that made all the difference is to use water that is almost too hot to touch. I was always scared of killing the yeast with the water being too hot. Not so they like it! I learned this from Big Family Homestead's Vlog. They have tutorials on how to make bread that are very helpful. That is also where I learned when to stop kneading - When the dough is getting firmer and less sticky roll it in a ball and press your fingers into it. If it springs back you are done even if it hasn't been as long as your recipe says to knead and the time needed can change from one time to the next even with the same recipe. In fact the entire way I bake bread I learned from this tutorial. You can find the tutorial I used here.

One other tip that I also use when making pie crusts, cinnamon rolls or anything that needs to be rolled out on the counter is to wipe the counter with a hot wash cloth then lay plastic wrap over it while still wet. This anchors the wrap to the counter then you can roll knead etc. and when you are done simply pick up the plastic wrap and all the flour and mess goes with it.

Here is the recipe I use.This recipe use much less sugar than the Amish white bread Big Family Homestead makes int he tutorial but it is super yummy and fluffy. I found it on Pinterest but I could not find it on my board to share a link. So if this is your recipe please let me know.

Basic Bread




2 1/4 tsp. (1 pkt) active dry yeast - I buy mine bilk from the Amish Bulk Store
2 1/4 cups warm water - almost too hot to touch
pinch of sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. oil
5 1/2 - 6 1/2 cups flour

-In a lg. bowl, pour in water then stir in a pinch of sugar to help proof the yeast then sprinkle the yeast over the water.
-When the yeast is bubbly and foamy add the sugar, salt and oil. Stir.
-Add in 4 cups of flour and then stir to mix in.
-Add remaining flour 1/2 a cup at a time to form a smooth soft dough. The dough should stick just slightly to your fingers but not be overly sticky. ( don't add too much flour to start remember it will have more flour added in during the kneading)
-Knead 5-7 minutes until smooth then roll into a ball.
-Place dough in an oiled bowl, turn over once.
-The recipe says to cover with plastic wrap but I use a warm wet tea towel to cover the bowl then I place it in the oven which I have heated to 170 degrees and then turn the oven off and leave the dough to rise in there for an hour.
-When the dough has risen I cut it in half and roll each half into a long rectangle, wide enough to be the length of your loaf pan.
-Today I tried adding some garlic powder and Italian herbs over the dough before rolling it up. We'll see how it turns out ~smile~. This would be the point to added cheese, cinnamon and raisins etc.
-Roll it up jelly roll style, starting at the short end, into an approx. 8" wide cylinder.
-Place seam side down in a lightly greased loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap. (I have found that when it rises it would stick to my dough so I am trying spraying the plastic wrap with oil spray ie. Pam to see how that works)
-Let rise for an hour. I preheat my oven for the bread and usually bake cookies or a cake etc. in that hour and set my pans near the oven vent on the stove top. I just have to be sure to rotate the pans every so often.

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
-Remove plastic wrap and bake for 30-35 minutes or until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when you tap them.
-Remove to a cooling rack and cool before slicing. It is so hard to wait until they are cool but if you don't you will squish them and it will be unpleasant. Don't ask how I know. *wink*

Happy Monday!
Liisa

Use it Up, Wear it Out, Make it Do or Do Without

When we got our house up North we had a need for a bed spread on a spare bed. However money was short with all the new expenses. What to do?

I may not have had money but I did have an old quilt. It was in sad shape but would be perfect for the spare room with a little help....maybe alot! ~smile~

It had many patches that were worn and had torn away from the quilt and some patches were gone altogether. I looked through my fabric box and found some that would match well with the quilt so I cut it into the right size squares and stitched them in where patches were missing or or just in need of repair. Then I sewed the loose patches back in place. Now I had a like new quilt for our spare bed up north and best yet it was free!

I have tried to follow this old saying of "use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" and it has served me well. So often we think we need something and dash off to buy it. If we follow this old advice we can save alot of money by "shopping" our own homes first or repairing an item or just doing without.

Happy Sunday!
Blessings,
Liisa

Travel Tips

Since I am in the midst of getting ready for a trip North I thought I would share a few tips I have found helpful.

First planning...
 - I have a small coil notebook that I use only for travel. In it I have pack list for various trips past trips which is really helpful to review in order to be sure I am not forgetting anything on my current pack list. Also in this notebook are hotel confirmation numbers for reservations, the address and phone number of the hotel. This has been very handy when we were once rerouted due to an accident and would then be arriving late int he evening and I needed to notify the hotel of our late arrival time. It is also wise to print out the hotel confirmation info with the price if you use something like Booking.com. We used that and the hotel we went to was a small one (not a chain) and they tried to charge us more. Thankfully we had the paper because we had read on Tripadvisor  that this particular hotel was known for that.

-That brings me to another point. If you are staying in a hotel check it out on Tripadvisor.com. They have reviews from REAL people and alot of them. This has saved us soooo many times from an awful experience!

-If you are driving some distance know where the restrooms will be along your route. Check out a map, google maps etc. It seems like a pointless thing but if you were travelling North where there is not a town every 20 km. You will want to know that you better go in this place as it is a long way until the next opportunity. ~smile~

-If you are going on a holiday to a new place and have time in advance send for a travel guide from that city, state or province. We have done this for many of our trips and were really blessed by the amount of info. local maps, restaurant, attractions etc. listed in there. If time is short or as well you can look up the place online for example www.frankenmuth.org. When we went there we planned all we wanted to do and see through that site.

-Once I gather up all this info.  I put it into a folder to take with us, travel guides, printouts, lists I have made etc.

Money Saving...
- Use a booking site to reserve your hotels.

- Bring a picnic on trips to save the cost of buying food on the road. The cost is high and even higher at rest stop restaurants. So easy to get a good large thermal bag (mine is a 31 bag shown in the picture) We usually opt for easy to eat foods like bunwiches and snacks, hard boiled eggs, fruit etc.  But we have had bigger picnics before with salads, meats etc.

-While you are looking up trip info. take notice of all the coupons that are usually available for tourists.

- Choose a hotel that offers free breakfast.Most hotels now over a hot breakfast buffet that is quite good. And hey a free meal is a good thing, especially when travelling with men *wink*

Other tips...
-Bring plastic bags to put dirty laundry in. Never put it back in your suitcase. The last thing you need is for all your clean clothes to smell like dirty socks. You also don't want your suitcase to smell like that the next time you go to use it.

- Stop by a Walmart or grocery store to buy snacks and drinks for the room. You will get what you like and not have to waste money in vending machines.

-Leave your home clean and fresh and ready to go when you leave. Do all dishes, tidy up, clean the bathroom, get rid of all food that will spoil and empty all the garbage cans. You do not want to come home to discover someone has tossed a partially eaten sandwich in the living room garbage and now you have a smelly room and little "unwelcome guests" Eeewwww! Praise the Lord that has never happened to me but I can see how it could happen.

I think that is it for now.

Happy Thursday!
Blessings,
Liisa

Relax and enjoy your time away!

One of Those Days

Yes today was one of those days. The kind that starts off crazy and keeps on going down that path! This whole week I have felt like I was running and running and not quite able to catch up on anything. Today I had to go to a nearby city on an errand for my son so my Mum decided to go with me and we'd make a day of it. It is always a nice day of shopping and lunch out when we go together. ~smile~

I should mention that we are getting ready for a trip North tomorrow as well. I needed to get some laundry done so I could pack when I got home so I put on a load first thing this morning and then got my hubby his breakfast, made his lunch and saw him off to work after our devotional time together.
When he left I sat down to have my personal Bible time with my cat snuggled up on my lap. Next thing I knew it was quite a bit later as I had dozed off. A snuggly purring kitty and a big recliner are a recipe for an accidental nap when you are still sleepy. *wink* Some days 5 a.m. comes really early!

So now I am behind. I grab the laundry out of the washer to hang outside to dry and put in another little load. I dash upstairs to get the kitchen cleaned up and tidy up the living room etc. Next I iron my skirt for today and am part way through ironing my shirt when I discover I put the stain remover on it too soon and as it sat it left a ring after it was washed. *sigh* Just then my Mum honks in the driveway and I notice my watch is wrong! Yikes! So here I am still not dressed, looking for a new shirt to wear. I run up grab another one and as I am ironing I see ANOTHER spot on this one too!!! In disbelief I tear up the stairs toss on a shirt I know is good and needs no ironing. Run to the basement hang the 2 skirts from in the washer and run out to toss the basket of clothes (the first load) on the line. Finally I gasp and sputter my way into the car to a disgruntled mother who has been sitting in the driveway waiting.Great start! LOL!

In the city shopping is going well. I was able to get some yarn I wanted half price at Michael's which was a blessing. We did a bit of shopping and visited a couple of second hand stores (which I love to do). And had some lunch. Then there was Walmart....cue the ominous music.... I had no trouble finding everything I needed and then some. Trouble happened at the cash. I asked if they would price match onions. Yep onions. They were a dollar cheaper at another store and we were both ready to be done shopping so I just thought if they did that would be great if not no big deal. It was a great big ol' deal. I will spare you the story but it was exasperating. But in the end I saved a dollar. Was it worth it? Maybe - the jury is still out on that.

So off we go home. Just as we are leaving town my Mum remembers that we never got what my son wanted! Wow! Praise the Lord she remembered as it is a 45 minute drive to that city and I really did not want to have to do it again. We head back and get what he needed which was the whole point of our trip in the first place.

Now I am behind again. My hubby has no keys with him and will be locked out of the house when he arrives home if I don't beat him there. I call him to give him a heads up. He is the sweetest guy ever and just tells me it is fine, be safe. I love that guy!

God is good and some how I beat him home by a couple of minutes.

Yeah it doesn't end there. I still had 4 errands to run in town, deal with the laundry, pack up for the trip, put away the groceries, grab a shower and find my house under the tornado that seemed to go  through while packing up. I was so grateful my hubby bbq'd dinner tonight. Like I said sweetest guy ever!

Now I am in my big recliner, writing this around a purring kitty, and realising how truly blessed I am. I have a son to run errands for, a great husband, a mother who likes to spend the day out with me and saves the day with her memory, a home to clean, clothes to wash and pack, a sweet chubby cat who loves me, a big comfy recliner,  and above all a truly awesome loving God Who sees me through the crazy days. I just need to slow down more and stop and smell the roses.

Happy Wednesday!
Blessings,
Liisa

P.S. I don't know where I got the picture above, it was on my computer. If it is yours please let me know.

Trip to the Amish Market and Zucchini Bread

 (this picture was taken some time ago ~smile~)

We live near an Amish community and on Saturday my sweet Hubby took me up to the Amish bulk store and to an Amish farm that sells veggies, baking and home canning. We had such a nice time. It is always a wonderful time for me just to drive through the country side and look at all the beautiful farms.

I always get my flour from that bulk store in 50lb. bags. The price is very good and that flour is the best I have ever used! All my baking has turned out so much better, fluffier and generally nicer. They also sell all manner of baking needs, spices, dried goods and oil lamps, and other misc. items.  It is heated by wood stove ofcourse and has no electricity at all, it is a wonderful little store.. I also picked up some herbs, oats and cocoa. I love their cocoa too. It is so dark and rich and a fraction of the cost of the grocery store brand. It is definitely worth the drive out there.

We also stopped at the farm that sells produce and picked up 25 lbs. of new potatoes, a great big candy onion and I grabbed a zucchini.

I made that zucchini into some bread for ladies Bible study today. I got enough grated zucchini to make 4 loaves but decided to make it all into 2 big loaves. Well they came out HUGE! I was so shocked when I opened the oven! But they make some really nice big slices ~smile~

I couldn't get the size to show in the picture but here they are.

Here is the recipe I use. I have no idea who Ethel is or where I got this recipe many, many years ago but thank you Ethel whoever you are! ~smile~

 

Ethel's Zucchini Bread

 

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon 

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup grated zucchini

1/2 cup nuts

 

- Cream together eggs and oil. Mix dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture.

-Add vanilla, zucchini and nuts and mix well.

- Bake in greased loaf pan at 350. degrees for approx. one hour or until it tests done.

- If you double the recipe into 1 large loaf pan then you will need to bake for about 1 1/2 hours or until it tests done.

Enjoy!

Happy Tuesday!

Blessings,

Liisa

We Bought a House!

My hubby and I recently bought a little house up in Northern Ontario. It is a wee town on a lake and our place is only 2 houses from the water. What a blessing! We can hear the loons in the evening and my guys can be on the lake fishing in 5 minutes!

Our son moved up there this summer and while we don't have plans to move ourselves any time soon we do hope to retire there so when this house came up by surprise we prayed ALOT about it and felt we better buy it as it is exactly what we had been hoping for one day and things there are expected to become more expensive soon.We now have a place to stay while we are up there visiting our son, however that means that in order to have a house there and our current home here belts need to be tightened!

Praise the Lord He does not lead where He does not provide!

Our first issue was furniture. We had the dining room set added into the offer and we had a bed and a dresser for us already here. However we had no living room furniture and no spare bed. There was also the need for dishes, cutlery and all the other things a house needs.

I was on the lookout for an inexpensive used couch but everytime I found one it was already sold and truly we couldn't afford them anyway. My hubby assured me that if we waited we would get one in time. I do not do well with not knowing what will happen as I am a planner and list maker but I waited. Then I got a phone call from a wonderful and as it turns out incredibly generous lady from our church. She said she heard I was in need of a couch and she had recently sold her families cottage and one.

I was elated! We went over and were so thrilled  - the couch was exactly the right color and size and was like brand new!! She asked if we might need anything else and then offered us a lazy boy chair - also the right color and like new! By the time we left we had dishes, bowls, cutlery and even a small table just  like I hoped to find one day for up there. Then I found out that the people we bought the house from left us another recliner and my son gave us a spare bed he had ended up with.

God does provide! We ended up with all we needed and to spite our offers to pay for theses things they insisted they were a gift. God is so good!

Happy Monday!
Blessings,
Liisa

Then Sings My Soul

Why did I choose Then Sings My Soul for my blog name?
Well to be honest I purchased a metal sign at Hobby  Lobby that says that and I just loved it because How Great Thou Art is my very favourite hymn (my hubby would say they are all my favourites! ~smile~). It just fit because my soul does just sing out praises to my Heavenly Father because He is truly truly great.

Years ago we were on a trip through Alberta and BC. We chose a small Baptist church to worship at on Sunday and it was the most amazing experience that still deeply touches my heart. This little church was on the edge of a cliff over looking a valley that was surrounded by mountains. Inside the wall behind the pulpit had a huge cross shaped window that looked into the forest. The day we visited all the people who usually played music were away so we sang all the songs without music. When we sang How Great Thou Art surrounded by forest and mountains it just moved me to tears.  Especially the second verse that goes...

When through the woods
And forest glades I wander
I hear the birds
Sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down
From lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook
And feel the gentle breeze,

 

 

Then sings my soul,
My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul,
My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art! 

 

Here is a video of Home Free singing How Great Thou Art.....

 

 

He is truly Great!

Happy Sunday!

Liisa