Summer 2009 Magazine Cover

I thought it was time that I post a preview of the cover for this summer's issue! Isn't it pretty? :)

Cinnamon Rolls

We were in need of some bread this morning, so I decided to make a sweet dough so I could also make cinnamon rolls. I took some pictures while I was at it :)


In a small pan melt together 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup milk. Heat until butter is melted and mixture is warm. In the Bosch mixer with the dough hook:

4 1/2 cups warm water

warmed milk mixture

3/4 cup honey or maple syrup (I prefer maple syrup, and not pancake syrup)

2 eggs

3 Tbsp. dough enhancer

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

3 cups freshly ground hard wheat flour

2 1/2 Tbsp. Saf yeast (instant yeast)

Mix for 1 minute until well combined. Cover and let sponge for 35 minutes, jog down as it rises to the top. Add:

2 1/2 Tbsp. sea salt

enough flour to clean the sides of the bowl

Add flour one cup at a time until the dough is cleaning the sides of the bowl. Don't over add flour, the dough should be soft and tacky, but not gooey.



Yes, today was a good baking day! While I was letting the dough sit for a minute, it completely rose out of the top! There is no way to get out of letting the children give it a few pokes.

Now this is enough dough to make at least 2-3 loaves of bread (and sweet breads are extra yummy just with butter and honey!), plus 1 and half pans of cinnamon rolls.



On an oiled counter top, roll out a large portion of dough into a large rectangle about 1/2" thick.

Brush well with melted butter and sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Brush again to distribute the cinnamon.

Sprinkle with brown sugar.

Roll lengthwise, making the roll fairly tight.

With a long piece of dental floss, slide the floss underneath the roll, cross the threads, pull and cut.

Place rolls in a greased baking dish. Leave a little space between each so they may rise without becoming too crowded!

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes until brown and done.

~Glaze~

In a small bowl whisk together until smooth:

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 Tbsp. half&half

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 Tbsp. melted butter

I added 1/2 cup of coconut milk powder, but that is optional. Coconut milk powder is usually found in specialty baking stores. Enjoy!

Many blessings, ~*~Jessica~*~

Faith

This was an excellent reading from Elisabeth Elliot. It takes care of putting faith in objects around us which tends to destroy our looking up toward the creator when things don't go our way. I like the absolutes much better. Be encouraged, Theresa

Realities
"Faith...the evidence of things not seen. (Heb 11:1 KJV).
What realities can we be sure of? There is a popular notion about prayer which assumes that the thing asked for ought to be the object of faith--"Lord, give me this or that," wherefore "this" and "that" become the realities. No. The Bible states the absolutes that we can be certain of: the character of God, his love, his will that we be conformed to his Son's likeness, his sovereign control of all the universe. When faith latches on to those realities which we do not see with our eyes, it can never be confounded. If it makes the thing asked for its object, faith itself will dissolve if the Lord's answer is no, or not yet, or wait.
"In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust. Let me never be put to confusion" (Ps 71:1 AV).
Elisabeth Elliot

Breakfast Shortbread

This is a yummy whole wheat shortbread. We use soft white wheat, not hard. Enjoy!

Makes a 9"x13" pan

Chop 11 Tbsp. butter into a mixer.

Add:

2 Tbsp. of baking powder

1 tsp. sea salt

3/4 c. sugar

1 cup of half-n-half beaten with 2 eggs

Jog just to mix up and add:

5 to 5 1/2 c. of soft white wheat

You will see your bits of butter not mixed all the way in, this is fine. Dump into your sprayed or greased pan and use a fork to distribute evenly. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 min.

We call this baby's shortbread because it's been every little one's favorite breakfast treat. It's so fast to whip together too.

Blessings, Theresa

Stuffed Bread

This is just about the best thing you can do with bread, stuff it! This recipe makes 3-4 large loaves. Cut the recipe in half for a smaller quantity.

In the Bosch mixer with the dough hook combine:

5 1/2 cups warm water

4 Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. sea salt

3 1/2 cups freshly ground wheat flour

2 1/2 Tbsp. SAF yeast

Begin mixing and start adding white flour one cup at a time until the dough starts to clean the sides of the bowl. This can take up to 5-6 cups of flour. The dough should be soft and tacky but not gooey. Knead for 5 minutes and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. If you have a baking stone, stick it in the oven and heat it up!

Divide the dough into 3-4 portions (4 portions will make smaller loaves, 3 will make bigger). On a floured counter, roll the dough out into a rectangle. Make sure the dough is still about an inch thick. Place filling on one half of the rectangle.

I sauteed half of a small onion, thinly sliced, in one tablespoon of olive oil with basil. The rest of the filling was pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, olives and a little thyme.

Fold over and seal the edges. Fold over again, pat and stretch back into a rectangle. Again, cover one half of the dough with filling.

Fold over and seal the edges. Begin to work the dough into loaf form. You can tuck in a little more filling here and there as you go so there aren't big unfilled portions of bread!). Pinch and tuck close the open ends and shape into a loaf.

Place loaf on a couche or floured pan in a warm place and let rise until doubled in size.

Place on baking stone (or lightly greased baking pan) and bake for 30-35 minutes. Bread should be a golden brown. Filling may leak out a bit, but that's alright, that's the best part!

There are so many other filling besides the ones we used! Some other good fillings are~ roasted vegetables, prosciutto, ham, fresh herbs, shredded beef, seasoned chopped chicken, deli meats and practically any kind of cheese!

Enjoy!

Finished Dresses

The dresses I've been working on..

Would anyone like a quick lesson on how to put lace on the bottom of dresses? I always used to hem. I don't anymore.. I took some pictures and thought about posting a quick lesson.





Nothing too fancy, very simple. I meant to show the back neckline which hangs lower. They have pretty pearl buttons on the back.

Blessings, Theresa

Sneaky Healthcare Agenda?

This isn't going to be a long drawn out post on my views about healthcare. We are called to stay alert and so here is what I discovered this morning.

Not many healthcare plans cover maternity. Just looking over some options with my husband's insurance coverage through his work was eye-opening. We went all the way up to the $900 a month plan, $1500 deductible and you still pay 20% and they still at that cost did not cover maternity.

Ridiculous! The world is made by having children, people are going to have children regardless if healthcare covers it, or are they? How sneaky is that agenda? Who is behind the wheel of these healthcare plans?

If you stay alert you will see more and more of this happening. The world is literally going down the road of trying to control us and quick. Well, my two cents here, midwives are going to be in popular demand and soon. What a blessing though, what a blessing. Reinstating old testament values.. so to the loose nut behind the wheel... we say thank you!

Why were we looking at maternity? Yes, the Lord blessed us again, baby 11 is due in November.