Dark Rye Caraway Bread

I had a silly dream about buying some rye flour. So, the next day while in the health food store I purchased some dark, rye flour for only .99/lb. I made up the dough yesterday and let it rise and build flavor overnight. It was delicious. My husband described it as "stout" and shared that it reminded him of bread he at in Germany while stationed there in the service.



To add to the fun, I made it in the pot that is in my small crock pot. It was a very sticky dough and I didn't want to chance it going flat.


Here is the dark, rye flour. Not really dark looking. I added white bread flour, course black pepper, lots and lots of caraway seeds, dill and kosher salt. It was delicious! We had roast beef and horseradish - oh, I have to mention the red onion on it too.

What is Cuter than Cute?

Don't let the pink bib fool you. This is not Hannah or Leah but little Matthew. He fell asleep during lunch the other day. I got a picture of his pretty eye lashes.


Here's today. I forfeited his 10:30 short nap to see if he will sleep longer at his 1:00 nap. Well, today it didn't work either. He only slept about 25 minutes and he's hanging on me a bit cranky at the moment. Little stinker!

Sleepy head!

Oil Instead of Mayonnaise

I was out of mayonnaise one day and didn't want to take the time to try homemade. So, I made a delicious dressing for our sandwiches. You can also use it as an Italian salad dressing. Here's the ingredients:

A good, fruity olive oil - this is key. If the oil isn't delicious on it's own, it's not going to be worth it.
Red wine vinegar
1-2 cloves of crushed garlic
Kosher salt
Coarse black pepper
2 good pinches of Italian herbs

Drizzle heavily on your sandwiches. Enjoy!

Buttermilk bread

Here's a loaf of buttermilk bread I made the other day. It was so tasty and made wonderful toast the next day to put my eggs upon.

One of My Two Babies

I have two babies. No, they are not twins. They are just under a year apart. Here are some pictures of my baby boy Matthew.

It's Baby Leah...

Here's our pretty, baby Leah. She is truly a doll. She melts right into me when I hold her more than any of my babies did. And she's so easy! Why's she so easy? Because she sleeps all day!




Oh Leah, you are 2 months old already. Your daddy just turned 50 yesterday and I will be 40 in a matter of a few months. We know that you may be one of our last children and though our desires are to keep having children we know the Lord will close my womb one day soon. Our bodies are tired and our backs ache but we love you and the others dearly. I will miss you too as a baby in my quiet place one day. Therefore I better get off this post so I can hold you and kiss you again sweet one. There's not much time left....

Leah's First Smiles

Oh, how I wish this picture would have turned out clear and in good color from our camera but it did not. This is the best I could do with it but at least it captures her pretty little smile and eyes.


Here's a happy baby! It looks like she's smiling at one of her sisters. I love this little, pink outfit. Hannah wore this just a couple of years ago. It makes me a little sad when I pull out another outfit that Hannah wore. She's just not so little anymore. But, I have my precious Leah now to enjoy for a time as a baby. : )

Pumpkin Pie - Not Canned

A woman I used to work with suggested "Sweet Pumpkins" to grow for canning or using for pie. We didn't grow these sweet pumpkins this year but sure do plan on it next year. I got these for .19/lb recently and decided to give this recipe a try: http://www.pickyourown.org/pumpkinpie.php
It turned out beautiful and delicious. By the way, did you know that canned pumpkin is a combination of squash? I believe it doesn't even have pumpkin in it!


The sweet pumpkins steamed and ready for processing.



Here's all of the ingredients mixed together.

The finished product. Of course we finished it off with homemade whipped cream.

Homemade Tamales - the real thing

Wrapped in banana leaves

We sold some of our roosters to a fellow the other day. He called us up one night to share with us that his wife made some homemade tamales with the meat from the roosters and he wanted to bring them by. They were so scrumptious that we decided we best eat the meat of our own roosters and quit selling them. Anyways, these tamales were wrapped in banana leaves. I will have to ask my husband where they originate. Here's a couple of pictures of the tamales. Oh, I wish I had a pan of them now. My mouth is watering....

Homemade Cheese Crackers - Recipe Added

Recently it's been on me again to make homemade crackers for the kids for snacktime. I found this recipe that only calls for 1 1/2 ounces of cheese - I'm sure I used close to three. Anyways, they were so very good. I am not going to buy Cheese Nips anymore. They stored wonderfully and stayed crisp the three days we had them (we ate them pretty quick). I will try to post the recipe this evening. : )





Ready to roll out



Aren't they pretty and so natural looking? They are packed full of flavor too!

Simple and delicious

Cheddar Cheese Crackers

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/3 cup plus 2 Tablespoons of tepid water (90 to 100 degrees)
2 Tablespoons solid vegetable shortening, room temperature butter, melted.

Shred the cheese or cut into small chunks. Mix 1 cup flour, add dry ingredients and cheese. Add water and shortening, mix well. Place dough in fridge with plastic wrap for 1 hour. Can sit up to 2 days.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Divide dough in half and roll one half no longer than the length of pan. Fold the dough from ends to make 3 layers. Turn dough and roll it again into a 1/16" rectangle. Lift the dough and lay on prepared baking sheet. Prick surface with fork tines then use a pizza cutter, cookie cutter or sharp knife to cut dough into desired size. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

Bake until lightly browned and crisp - 8 to 15 minutes. Usually towards the longer side to crisp them. Don't worry if a few become almost scorched along edge of pan. I had to throw a few away. Brush with melted butter and enjoy! The crackers will stay fresh for 3-4 weeks if stored in an airtight container.

This is the short version of the recipe from http://www.amazon.com/Bernard-Claytons-Complete-Book-Breads/dp/068481174X

Random Pictures

I thought I would play catchup on some pictures taken in the past that I haven't posted. And just some random ones I thought would be fun.



One of my early sewing projects. I'm still using this burp cloth for Leah now. It was Matthew's last year.


A purse I made over a year ago. It started to fray right away thought (this was made out of a valance) so I never got to use it. The kids liked it though!


Some pretty aprons I started but never got to finish. I have about 16 or so unfinished. I can't wait to complete this project one day. Life's just a little busy here though....


These sparrows lived in our barn for a time. These are actually the babies of the sparrows that hatched them. They flew out within a few days of me taking this picture.


My pregnant belly just a few months ago with Leah.


A pear from our pear tree. Delicious like a fine, white wine.

A grocery bag holder that I made just a month or two ago.


Elisabeth 3 years old



Caveman, oh I mean Matthew. He's chewing on a bone I gave him from my rare occasion of a good steak dinner.


Snowflake pictures I took yesterday. Matthew and Elisabeth cut out snowflakes yesterday. We rarely get any snow here so this will have to suffice.


One of my finds - A $3.00 box of vegetables I picked up at an outdoor market yesterday.

Me and Matthew; I'm trying out Picasa photo editor here.

How Am I....

How am I ever going to let this cutie grow up??? Oh, Matthew you are just too adorable to me. I don't ever want you to grow up. Please just stay like this little, adorable boy forever. Do this for mommy, okay?

Cold Mornings

Here is our partial view outside of our kitchen window. We love looking out at this gorgeous scenery each morning and evening. The day this was taken it was very cold outside. There is a river across the way where goose hunters were nearby and their dog would run out onto the river that is frozen to retrieve the downed goose. We often spy a local herd of elk outside across the way too.

New Pictures of Baby Leah

Our little Leah is 6 weeks old already and momma is feeling great! Here are some pictures taken just today.

Silly little picture...

Here's the beginnings of little smiles. A little blurry but still beautiful. Leah is really growing on me lately. She is the most cuddly of them all. I LOVE that about her.

You're finally getting some cheekers little Leah!

Leah and Hannah (2 years old)

At times it feels like I have Hannah back as a baby again. Leah reminds me once again of what it is to have a little baby girl in the home again. She has a sweet disposition and beautiful, beautiful eyes. Leah in the Bible was spoken of as having "soft eyes". The Lord knew this little girl would definately have soft eyes.