Bread On Tuesday ~ Week 11 {French Bread}

French bread was the first bread that I ever made!  

When I was a newlywed (34 years ago), my aunt gave me a cookbook that her local women's club had published.  I was not a proficient cook in those days (to say the least!), but I perused the recipes in this book, knowing that "real" women had made them.  For some reason, one day I decided to make French bread. 

 

Amazingly enough, the bread turned out beautiful and delicious!  Beginner's luck maybe, but I even impressed a few people by giving loaves of French bread as Christmas gifts.   

Although it takes a little time, the process is relatively simple...and maybe you'll impress your friends and family with your baking prowess. 

This week's bread...

(Makes 1 loaf) Ingredients: 1  1/4 cup warm water 1 package quick-rising yeast 2 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons shortening 1  teaspoon salt 4 cups all-purpose flour Directions: Mix water and yeast into mixing bowl.  Stir to dissolve. Stir in other ingredients and mix with spoon until smooth.  Knead dough until smooth and elastic. Round up in greased bowl; turn to bring greased side up.  Cover with damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Punch down.  Let dough rise again until doubled, about 20 minutes. Roll into 15 x 10-inch oblong.  Roll up tightly toward you.  Seal by pinching each end together.  With hands on each end, roll gently back and forth to lengthen loaf and taper ends. Place diagonally on lightly greased baking sheet.  Make 1/4-inch slashes on dough ant 2-inch intervals.  Brush with cold water and let stand 45 minutes.   Brush again and bake at 375°F for 35 to 40 minutes, until top is golden brown. Cool on rack before slicing. MY NOTES: I used my Kitchen Aid stand mixer for both mixing and kneading the dough. If you use active dry yeast (as opposed to the quick-rising), double all suggested rising times. I sometimes use a combination of half white flour/half whole wheat pastry flour for a loaf of French wheat bread...yum!

One more week in our Bread On Tuesday series.  

Check back next week for a bread with a fun surprise!

Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread.

Ruth 1:6

Looking for a recipe from another week?

Week 1: Sweet Potato Bread

Week 2: Cheryl's Semi-Sweet Corn Bread

Week 3: Three-Cheese Bread

Week 4: Multi-Grain Bread

Week 5: Rosemary Bread
Week 6: Cheddar Biscuits

Week 7: Parmesan-Herb Focaccia 

Week 8: Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Week 9: Coconut Bread

Week 10:  Naan

Sunday Snapshots: A Little Green

A few shots from the annual nod to our Irish heritage...

1) Owen dodging his weekly kiss from Aunt Kati...while holding on for dear life to his piece of  Irish soda bread!

2) Papa, dressed in Irish green, snuggling with Alaine, dressed in her jammies

3) The bairns' table

4) Corned beef and cabbage and Irish soda bread

5) Always desserts.  This week: Key Lime pie (not so Irish, just a hint of green), Irish potato candy, chocolate-mint sandwich cookies

6) Kati in her new kelly green shirt, dealing out cards for Apples to Apples

And then there's my favorite picture of the day...

She looks like a dangerous beast, no?  ☺

Stealthy Homeschooling?

No, I'm afraid that post title carries the wrong connotation.  It sounds a bit war-like...and our homeschool is anything but war!  (We're all on the same team!)

What I'm trying to convey is that of learning taking place, almost without the student even being aware.  Although...hmmm...the student is aware, so that's not right either.  

Maybe what I'm referring to is learning that is not a part of the "school day."  Learning that is natural, easy to accomplish, and fun.  Learning that is a part of a lifestyle of learning.  

I'll give you two recent examples from our homeschool.  

I told you about my book find, Twenty-Odd Ducks, the children's book illustrating the importance of punctuation.  What I didn't tell you was that I was so enamored with it that I read it before it ever got home, as I sat in my van waiting for Ron at a doctor's appointment.  I thought that I would read it with Bekah the next day, and that we'd find all of the differences that punctuation had made in the example sentences, and laugh over the hilarious scenarios.

Then I thought better of it.

I decided, instead, to lay the book on the kitchen table and allow her to discover it.  Before dinner, she had picked it up, taken it over to the kitchen love seat, and was reading and laughing.  Every few pages, she'd hop up and bring it to one of us (or every one of us!) and share the funny picture.  She read them aloud.  She described the pictures.

I think she read it three times that evening!

It was so much better for her to relate to the book herself, and enjoy and glean the ideas for herself, than for me to "teach" the book to her.  She "got" it...and she'll remember it.

Another way that we have brought some fun-and-natural learning into our "not school" time is by instituting Game Night.  On Monday nights, while Dad is balancing the checkbook and writing out bills, we have begun to play educational games.  I have accumulated quite a few educational games in my twenty-odd years of homeschooling.  (Did you notice my use of the hyphenated "twenty-odd", as in the aforementioned book? ~grin~)  Some games were ordered to accompany a specific topic of study, some we picked up at museum shops, some were purchased at yard sales.  But there are many of them that Bekah (the youngest...and only student now) has  never played, so we're choosing a different game each week to play with her.

The first Game Night was happenstance.  Bekah took Scrambled States of America from the game shelf and asked if anyone would play with her.

Dad was busy with the checkbook (so not a game!), but Kati and I both agreed to play...and we had a ball!  In fact, she convinced us to play it twice, and another time or two later in the week! And so, I was inspired to make it a regular activity.

One night we played "Presidential Lotto" in which you fill your board with photos of the Presidents as a card is turned over.  We added a twist to that one. Before you could add a President's photo card to your board, you had to give a bit of trivia about him.  If you didn't know any, you deferred to Dad who certainly would.  Another Monday evening, we used a deck of "Quiz Me" cards with questions about famous Americans.  

I believe that there is great reward in learning itself, and it doesn't always need to be "fun." However, when there is enthusiasm on the student's part, learning occurs and knowledge is gained rather easily.  

Bread On Tuesday ~ Week 10 {Naan}

While traveling through Asia as part of our world geography studies last year, we wanted to make some Indian food.  Having enjoyed a scrumptious Scandinavian meal, and a yummy Italian meal using recipes from the children's cookbook, Emeril's There's a Chef in My World!: Recipes That Take You Places, we again looked to this cookbook for inspiration.  We made Mango Lassis (oh. my. goodness.), Coconut Chicken Curry, and the bread that I am featuring this week, Indian Naan Bread.  

I had never eaten Indian food before, let alone cooked it.  But our meal that evening convinced us that there were some great possibilities with Indian cuisine!  (Side benefit: our house smelled wonderfully spicy long after the food was consumed!)  

Last year when Bekah and I made naan, we cooked it on a cast iron griddle (top left picture in the above collage).  Tonight, I grilled it in my panini maker (top right, bottom right).  The consensus was that the cast iron  griddle made better naan.  We liked the grill marks, and the somewhat crisper outside.

(See my "MY NOTES" at the bottom of the recipe below for other changes that I made.)

As an aside...

If you make Indian Naan Bread and don't have a favorite Indian main dish recipe, consider trying this recipe for Coconut Chicken Curry.   I had neither black mustard seed nor coriander, so I omitted them.  I decreased the amount of curry to 2 teaspoons, simply because we have not eaten Indian food and I didn't want the curry flavor to be overpowering.  I also substituted ground ginger for fresh.  Maybe it would be better without my changes?  But we piled it on a helping of basmati rice, and we all loved it!  Yum!

Back to this week's bread...

(Makes 6 servings) Ingredients: 1 teaspoon active dry yeast 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/2 cup warm water (100-110°F) 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading dough 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon clarified butter (still warm) Directions: In a glass measuring cup, combine the yeast and sugar.  Add the warm water and stir well.  Let the mixture rest until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. Sift together the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl.  Make a well in the center of the flour with clean hands and pour the yeast mixture and 1/4 cup of the clarified butter into the center.  Mix together with your fingers until a smooth dough forms.  The dough should be slightly sticky.  You can add a small amount of extra flour if needed. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 3 minutes. Oil a small mixing bowl with the remaining teaspoon of butter and place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean, damp kitchen towel and let rest in a warm, draft-free place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Position rack in center of oven and preheat the over to 400°F.  Lightly grease a large baking sheet. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and transfer to a lightly floured work surface.  Using a lightly floured rolling pin, gently roll each portion of dough into a circle about 5 or 6 inches in diameter.   Transfer the dough circles to the prepared baking sheet and bake until just golden brown and puffed, 12 to 15 minutes. Using oven mitts or pot holders, remove the baking sheet from the oven.  Serve immediately. MY NOTES: I used my Kitchen Aid stand mixer for both mixing and kneading the dough. I added at least a 1/2 cup of flour to make the dough dry enough to handle.  (It was still sticky, as the instructions direct.) I did not clarify the butter this time.  (I was in a hurry; I only melted it.)  I saw no difference. I did not roll out the dough or shape it into circles, preferring the somewhat oblong, uneven shapes that I have seen in bakeries. As stated above, I prefer to grill the naan on a cast iron griddle.  (I have not tried the oven method.)

And David said unto him, 

Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; 

and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.

II Samuel 9:7

Looking for a recipe from another week?

Week 1: Sweet Potato Bread

Week 2: Cheryl's Semi-Sweet Corn Bread

Week 3: Three-Cheese Bread

Week 4: Multi-Grain Bread

Week 5: Rosemary Bread
Week 6: Cheddar Biscuits

Week 7: Parmesan-Herb Focaccia 

Week 8: Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Week 9: Coconut Bread

Sunday Snapshots: Cupcakes

It was a bright and sunny Sunday, and the tone was cheerful...

from the sprinkled cupcakes sitting in their brightly striped papers,

to the bright and cheerful clothes that everyone was wearing.  

No winter shades, no wools or fleece...

but purple-and-navy 

and coral

and aqua

and royal blue

and hot pink.

(The photographer should have taken more fashion shots today.)

Here are some of my favorite cupcake shots:

sooooo pretty 

yummy!

~ two sweet cupcakes in coordinating outfits ~

He's been my cupcake for almost 35 years!

Friday Potpourri

A rambling collection of thoughts and pictures from an up-and-down, calm-and-stormy, busy-and-quiet week...

It was time for the biannual twirling, whirling, modeling, posing, oohing-and-aahing, happy Clothing Day in which the girls (daughter Bekah, 11, and granddaughters Maddie and Alaine, 8 and 2) try on clothes to see what they have for the upcoming season.  (Answer: plenty!)

There was a day of pouring rain and ferocious winds.  It was a productive school day, but a very unproductive house-y day.  I just couldn't get motivated surrounded by dreariness.  But it was a good day for reading and for making soup and this yummy cornbread.  (Thanks for the recommendation, Kristin!)

(Photo by Kati)

We enjoyed reading and giggling through this book.  I stumbled over it on a discount book table, and knew it was for me!  Everyone got a kick out of it.  Some of us have read it more than once.  (This is the children's book accompaniment to the adult title Eats, Shoots and Leaves.)  

Here is just one pair of the giggle-inciting examples demonstrating the difference that punctuation makes in a sentence.

Kati began a six-week blog series on COLLECTIONS   She is highlighting some of her own collections, sharing stories and ideas and sources and trivia and (get this!) SIX different give-aways!  Yes, SIX! 

The deadline for the first give-away is at midnight tonight, so hop on over and enter to win this charming set of stamp magnets.   And there will be another next week...

 

I am so thankful for the Spirit of God, living and moving in my heart.  I am thankful for conviction, for the fact that He does not leave me alone, but lovingly shows me when I am wrong.  I am thankful for the Living Word of God, and how He speaks to me through recorded Scripture.  Among others, this verse has spoken to me this week...

For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

"No good thing."  I am so thankful that He knows what is a "good thing" for me.  It may not be something that I would consider a good thing.  But He is my Father and He knows best.

So how about your week?  Has it been up or down?  Calm or stormy?  Busy or quiet?  Or has it been like mine...all of the above?  

And have you found Him to be faithful?  

Bread On Tuesday: Week 9 {Coconut Bread}

...And a Book Review to Boot!

As we made our way around the world last year as part of our homeschool geography studies, we dabbled in a bit of ethnic cooking.  One of my favorite resources was the children's cookbook, Emeril's There's a Chef in My World!: Recipes That Take You Places. 

We made several of the recipes in this cookbook.  Mango Lassis and Indian Naan Bread when we studied India.  Swedish Meatballs and Swedish Cucumber Salad on our way through Scandinavia.  Pepperoni and Fresh Mozzarella Paninis and Chocolate-Hazelnut Biscotti as we spent time in Italy.  

All were fabulous.  I am not kidding.  

Now these were not your basic children's cookbook kinds of recipes.  Some of them are time-consuming.  I found some of the recipes a bit complicated.  A child who had only a passing interest in cooking could find these tedious. But a child who enjoys cooking, and has an adult to work with, will have a blast.  Every recipe that we have tried was well worth the time and effort, and the results were dee-licous!  Kids-requesting-repeats dee-licious!  

We decided that we'd keep trying recipes from this cookbook (and cooking ones we had already tried*), even though our year of world geography emphasis was over.  

Coconut Bread, is from There's a Chef in My World!, and it did not disappoint.  The loaf was full of rich coconutty flavor.  I think I'd consider it a dessert bread, almost like a coconut pound cake.  Baked in mini-loaves, Coconut Bread would make wonderful homemade Christmas gifts.   

* These are the Swedish Meatballs and Cucumber Salad that we served at Sunday's birthday dinner.

This week's bread...

(Makes 1 loaf) Ingredients: 1 tablespoon plus 1/2  cup unsalted butter 2 1/2  cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon  baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 (6-ounce) package frozen fresh coconut flakes, thawed OR 1 1/3 cups sweetened flaked coconut 1 1/4 cups coconut milk 2 large eggs 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions: Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat the oven to 35oF. Grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter.  Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Stir to combine. Using a knife, cut the remaining butter into small cubes.  Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, blend the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Add the coconut, stirring to combine. In a second large mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, eggs, and vanilla.   Using your clean hands, make a well in the flour mixture and pour the milk mixture into it, stirring just until moistened.  The batter will be lumpy. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Using the oven mitts or potholders, remove the pan from the oven.  Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Invert the bread on a wire rack to cool.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God,

that I will send a famine in the land,

not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, 

but of hearing the words of the Lord. 

Amos 8:11

Looking for a recipe from another week?

Week 1: Sweet Potato Bread

Week 2: Cheryl's Semi-Sweet Corn Bread

Week 3: Three-Cheese Bread

Week 4: Multi-Grain Bread

Week 5: Rosemary Bread
Week 6: Cheddar Biscuits

Week 7: Parmesan-Herb Focaccia 

Week 8: Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Linking up with Allyson's Finished Friday at All Our Days..

Sunday Snapshots: 85

Today we celebrated the 85th birthday of Ron's mom.  The mother of eight children, she has actually been celebrating all week long, first with one, then with another, sometimes in, sometimes out.  I think that she is plum tuckered out with all of the coming and going, but we're glad she made time to join us for dinner today so that we could honor her.  

It was a comfort food sort of day.  While the cold wind blew outside, we helped ourselves to Swedish meatballs and buttered noodles, sweet potato bread and cucumber salad.  Kristin made peach cobbler which we ate warm, topped with vanilla ice cream.  Kati had made "cupcakes for two" so that Mom-mom would have a birthday cake and candle.  

Everyone gathered around the table and sang "Happy Birthday," thankful for time spent together and for all of God's gifts.

A Special Day {In Which Ben Picks From the Activity Jar and Gets a "Bag of Stuff"}

I have had a great time with this series, sharing our most recent Special Days with you. Today is the fourth and final part, as Ben's Special Day was the last one this time around.  (You can read any of the previous parts by clicking the links below.)    

Part 1:  "Special Days" With Papa and Gran Part 2:  A Special Day {In Which Maddie Goes to the Spa}  Part 3:  A Special Day {In Which Gavin and Owen Visit the Lego Store}

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Part 4 

On another cold (and this time ~windy~) Saturday, Benjamin, age 4, had his very first "Special Day" with Papa and Gran.  

I had talked with his mama, and we had decided that this first Special Day could be low key--some together time, doing things that 4-year-old boys (at least this particular 4-year-old boy) like to do.  Benjamin himself had just a few requests.  He wanted pizza from "the pizza store" (meaning not homemade), "with meat on it."  And he wanted a "bag of stuff" as his brothers had brought home bags when they returned from their Special Day.

I decided to make an activity jar and fill it with things to do.  Ben could reach in and choose what he was going to do next, which would offer a little structure to the day and also build the excitement. Bekah and I made colorful little cards to go into the jar. We put plenty in, thinking that we'd just keep going until our time ran out, and save the remainders for another time if we didn't use them all.  (Ha!)

The activity jar was an overwhelming success!  Ben loved putting his little hand in that jar and pulling out a fun thing to do.  In fact, I think he enjoyed pulling an activity card out of the jar as much as he enjoyed the activity itself!

The first card said "Wii."  So into the living room he went with his aunts and decisively told them which game he wanted to play..."Mouse Trap Remix."

As soon as the game ended, he was back to the jar.  This time he pulled out "snack."  I made him a cup of hot chocolate and put it in my special grandchild mug (the one that says "I love you to the moon and back," a line from the sweet children's book Guess How Much I Love You) and gave him a mini bag of Cheez-Its.

He continued choosing activity cards from the jar, sometimes rushing through an activity so that he could come back to the jar!  We joked that we'd have to take him home by lunch time, because we were running out of things to do.  ☺

Here are some of the things he did...

One of Ben's favorite activities was what we had labeled "candy hunt," but what he renamed "Candy Land."  This was Bekah's idea.  While I entertained Ben upstairs, she and Kati used brightly colored construction paper to lay out a Ben-sized game board throughout the house.  On some of the spaces, they had written special instructions ("go back two," "take a giant leap," etc.).  Then they gave Ben a large rubber die to roll and determine how many spaces to step.  A bag of candy was hidden in a basket at the end of the course.  I suppose it is great fun for a four-year-old to be a part of a life-sized game!

We also had to make a last minute switch.  Originally, Papa had planned to take Ben on a wheelbarrow ride through the woods.  But it was soooo cold and windy, we thought that a better plan would be for them to go out for ice cream.  (Ben was none the wiser, as the switch was made behind the scenes.)

Bekah went along too (Ben's request), and she reports that on the way to get ice cream, Ben was already talking about choosing another card when he got back. Funny boy!  

As you might have already guessed, we did run out of activities before we ran out of time. (Kristin was going to pick Ben up after dinner.)  But we just recycled some of the favorite activities, and came up with a couple of additions, and we kept him busy until dinner!  

As promised, Ben received a "bag of stuff"!  I had purchased a set of Duplos from Target's clearance shelf after Christmas (is anyone shocked?).  Since the brothers had brought Legos home in their bags, I thought that I'd tuck the Duplo set into Ben's bag, along with some other treasures including a bug pencil, an Angry Birds note pad, some alphabet stickers, and a coloring book.  

We ate our pizza store pizza...with meat on it...

...and then Ben played some games with Bekah until his mama came to pick him up.

Ben's Special Day was the simplest one that we did this time around.  But I don't think either of the children enjoyed their day any more than Ben did!