Yes, You Can Make Homemade Bread

Baking bread makes me happy, mostly because other people enjoy freshly baked bread so much. :)

Basic Italian Bread Recipe, by Katiefucious

1 Tbsp (or 1 packet) yeast
2 cups warm milk (the fattier the better--I find buttermilk works wonderfully)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp salt
5 cups flour

**If you're using a bread machine, add the warm milk and yeast and let them sit for about five minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients in the order listed. Use the dough setting. Add flour as needed, if the dough sticks to the sides.

**If you're mixing it by hand, do much the same thing, but knead the resulting dough with your hands for about ten minutes until it's smooth and not too sticky. A nice bread dough will feel soft and not lumpy. It will be doughy, but won't stick to everything. Add flour as needed. When the dough is nice and smooth, take out a large bowl and grease the sides and bottom of it with olive oil. Put the dough into the bowl and roll it around to make sure it is covered with oil. Cover the bowl with a damp towel. Let dough rise until doubled in size--about an hour or so.

When the dough has risen, punch it down and remove it from the bread machine or bowl. Separate it into two lumps, and shape them into your loaves. Put the loaves on an ungreased baking surface like a cookie sheet or pan--you can put them both on the same cookie sheet if there is enough room between them. There should be at least six or eight inches between them or they will stick to each other after they rise.

Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for another hour or so. If you can find a sunbeam, that works very well! The dough will rise until almost double in size again. If it doesn't rise quite that much, don't get frustrated.

When the dough is almost finished rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Depending on how you've shaped the loaves, baking time will vary. I check the loaves while they are baking. It will probably take at least 20 minutes, so maybe set your timer for 20 min and then check it every five minutes afterwards. When the outside of the loaf is a nice warm brown color--not too dark--the bread will be done.

Sometimes I roll out the dough and cut it into strips to make breadsticks. They are really really really really really good. Yummmmm.

Chocolate Chess Pie

I just made my first Chocolate Chess Pie and I'm in love. Chocolate pie is my favorite so I was excited to try this one. I took out a book from the library, titled simply, "Pie" It has over 300 recipes in it. I'm looking for a used copy on ebay that will be somewhat affordable. Anyway, I used a refrigerated crust, but I partially baked it according to the recipe.

OMG!! What a difference it made with the bottom crust. It took longer, a lot more watching, but it is so good! I can't wait for Chris to try it.

slumber

having myself and each of my family members fall asleep and stay asleep for the duration of the night. at all around the same time. That would be heaven. And at this point, an unattainable dream. Sigh. There is no need for any plus size lingerie in this house. Double sigh.

junk food and play places

Since I"m on my own for the weekend with the kiddos, I've been trying to think of things to do to get us out of the house and keep us busy. And to keep them away from the variety of electronics that I let them use during the week.


tonight we are meeting friends at McDonalds, where Chris doesn't like to eat. With the play place, the kids will go nuts and run around. me and tish will pass the baby back and forth, giving me a break from him breaking my arm off holding him.

Time to go!

clothes time

It's time to break out the shorts and tanks around this place. Some may be hip hop clothes, flowing dresses or bathing suits, but a change of body coverings is in order.

Any reason to jazz up my look, or do something different is cause for a smile in my book. I spent the afternoon looking at goodwill for some original attire, but didn't find anything that I would spend my $ on. Next off, it's heading to the basement to figure out what I already have!

large leaps

and small steps. The house has started to become more "us". We have had some major painting done, replaced some furniture and now we are having the outside painted. With each little personalization, (not including the new basement dehumidifier into that category) the house becomes ours.

But, I'm noticing more that it is the little things that really make it feel like home. I'm thinking about when I went to the basement and brought up some art prints I had done a while back. I set them up in our bedroom. They don't match. It doesn't "add" anything to the room from a design point. But each night when I fall asleep and look at them, I feel at home.

New Job!!!

Joel got offered another part time job! Yippee! And it could possible grow into full time. We will see! Oh so happy and proud of him!