A house behind the foliage

Trimmed up the trees and can finally see the house from curb now. It is really a startling difference.

Perrrfect loaf

Beautifully risen and golden brown. If only there was smell-mail!!!

zojirushi bread machine

for those that know: we have had this machine since 1999 and we make a loaf of bread a day.

the two current favorite recipes:

White Oat Bread
1 3/4 cup water
2 tsp sea salt (15 g)
3 Tbl local honey (55 g)
2 Tbl Canola Oil (10 g)
420 grams of White Unbleached Flour
100 grams quick oats
80 grams vital wheat gluten
2 Tbl powdered milk (80 g)
2 tsp yeast

Basic Setting (3:30)


Whole Wheat Oat Bread
2 cups of water (480 g)
2 tsp sea salt (15 g)
3 Tbl local honey (55 g)
2 Tbl Canola Oil (10 g)
600 grams of Flour (1.5 cups of wheat and 1.5 cups of oat groats ground with Whisper Mill)
70 grams vital wheat gluten
2 Tbl powdered milk (80 g)
2 tsp yeast

Wheat Bread setting (3:40)

Black Bean Brownies

1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 cups white sugar
1 cup cooked black bean puree
4 eggs
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

PREPARATION:

Mix cocoa, butter, sugar, black bean puree and eggs together in a bowl until well blended. Sift dry ingredients together and stir into wet mixture. Grease a 9 x13 inch pan with cooking spray and pour the batter into the pan. Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees or until done. Frost with your favorite chocolate frosting.

Easy, Festive Chocolate Holiday Pretzels

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Excellent alternative to messing around with melting chocolate and dipping pretzels.

SERVES 30 , 3 plates

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Ingredients

• 3 (10 ounce) bags checkerboard or windowpane shaped pretzels
• 1 (17 5/8 ounce) bag holiday M&Ms plain chocolate candies (orange & red)
• 6 (11 ounce) bags Guittard Milk Chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees.
2. Open the bags of pretzels and remove all the unbroken pretzels.
3. Place whole pretzels on waxed paper-lined cookie sheets in a single layer.
4. Place three chocolate chips on each pretzel, repeat for an entire cookie sheet.
5. Place cookie sheet/s in the preheated oven, bake for 4 MINUTES FOR THE SHEET OF pretzels
   
6. Immediately upon removing from the oven, place one M-n-M on top of each pretzel/chocolate.
7. Place cookie sheet in freezer for 8-10 minutes, to allow chocolate to re-set.

Raising my Kids... It is complicated

Each day, children need to hear their parents say:

1. I think you are marvelous: We have to correct, nag and direct them all day. Sometimes they need to hear from us what they are doing right and well. Try to balance your positives to negatives at least two to one.
2. You can do it. This is usually a better thing to say than “I can do that for you” because more than doing for them, we need to let them know that they are fully capable of doing for themselves.
3. Good Job. Praise after a job well done is very important. As young adults, they still need praise and encouragement.(We all do!) Saying an unconditional “Good Job” without the added comments of advice, or ways to improve, is money in the bank.
4. You are capable of better. They also need to hear the truth from us. If they are not giving their all to an effort and the end result is poor, we need to tell them so, constructively and without letting them off the hook.
5. What was good about your day? This is a better variation of “How was your day?” because it invites them to open up if they want to. But its not so trite. They need to know that you want to hear about their lives…everyday.
6. Can you help me _________? There are so many things that your teenager is better at than you. (Electronics comes immediately to mind!) Asking for their help accomplishes many good things. It engages them in the household and your life. It equalizes the power in your relationship. It makes them feel good about their skills. And it makes them feel valued by you.
7. I Love You: Just because they seem uncomfortable with the mushy stuff, doesn’t mean they don’t need, crave and want it.

Topgun

That is one top gun hottie

Worship

Sunday at church... well not your 'average' church service!

Pinto Bean Cookies

Ingredients

• 3 cups brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 cups Crisco
• 6 large eggs
• 2 1/4 cups pinto beans, mashed
• 2 1/4 cups applesauce
• 3 teaspoons baking soda
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 6 3/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cloves
• 1 1/2 cups nuts, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups raisins

Directions

1. cream crisco, sugar and eggs, add mashed pinto beans and applesauce.beat till fluffy --
2. add dry ingredients.beat till smooth.
3. stir in raisins, and nuts.
4. drop by tspful on parchment paper covered cookie sheet.
5. bake at 375* for 15-20 minutes.or golden brown.

Modelin'

Already posing for portraits, Jordan is such a handsome boy!

Midnight snack monster

Midnight snack.. Must find some carbs!

Angel boy

Playn

Politics this week

Because Joe and Jane Six-Pack also have retirement funds: Over at the Six-Pack residence I am guessing that rumored layoffs down at the plant are a subject of much concern. What with the little Six-Packs going to the dentist next week, maybe mom and dad want to hear what's good about McCain's economic vision, not what's bad about Obama's now irrevocably broken relationship with his spiritual mentor. (serious giggles)

Meanwhile...

Meanwhile, America's infrastructure priorities will probably take a distinctly European turn -- especially under Democratic leadership -- with a greater focus on mass transit, walkable cities and "smart growth" and declining support for the kind of subdivided, car-connected sprawl that has flowed outward from our cities since the days of Bailey Park. Gas will probably get more expensive, thanks to stricter environmental regulations as well as market pressures; so will McMansions and big lawns, vaulted ceilings and master suites. More Americans may well eschew the suburbs entirely, opting for the denser, mixed-use neighborhoods that New Urbanists have been urging on us for decades -- kinder, gentler and hipper versions of the Pottersville depicted in George Bailey's nightmare vision, dotted with coffee shops and farmers' markets instead of honky-tonks and gin joints. (drinking my second cup of coffee here)

We tightened our belt in 1999 when we went effectively to one income. we tightened our belt in 2001 when we added Magnus to our brood. we tightened our belt seriously when the crash hit 2002 and we once again trimmed the fat off the budget in 2008 with appliance reliance reduction (getting rid of the electric dryer and the electric dishwasher and the electric deep freezer) we trimmed 338 kwh off our bill each month, we shut off our computers at night, we unplug appliances when not in use and we are still using 1500- 2300 Kwh and are finding new ways to eliminate our consumption or start producing our own with solar.

the grocery store is my next challenge. how to trim the fat off that starting with meat of course and including more bean recipes during the week. This weekend I made a KILLER chili.

Saute BASE:

1 bunch of cilantro shredded

3 roma tomatoes chopped

1/2 cube butter
1 red onion chopped

1 1015 Sweet Onion chopped

1 yellow bell pepper chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
2 poblano pepper chopped

1 ripe mango chopped

juice of one lime

Soak over night and then boil BEANS:

1 lb of black beans
.5 lb of pinto beans
1 whole head of garlic, peeled, crushed, and chopped

Combine and SIMMER 5 hours:

base
beans
4 cans diced tomatoes
1 packet of taco sauce

1 can dice green chilies

Served over YANKEE Corn Bread Muffins made with Sweet Corn and sugar.

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 cup yellow corn polenta
1 Tbl Butter
2.5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 can creamed corn

just because we are in a Depression, doesn't mean that we will not eat well.

Jordan cutie

Splish splash, my little duckie is soo cute!

Gas Prices

While this seems like a good idea, the fact is that we are still not 'getting it' if the guy on the street corner is having a 'sale' on heroine, it is still POISON!

Granted, I felt that I needed to fill up so that I could drive my kids to Cub Scout Camp that was 85 miles away, had we found something closer, that would have been better. I guess we can all come up with excuses until the automakers finally produce a plug in car that we can afford. In the mean time.. my Honda Hybrid did get 39 mpg in town and 45 mpg on the highway.

Aunt Jazzer

little skinnie minnie

Look any diff? just a tad....

She's a hottie

Pretty Jazzer is visiting in Southern California, having fun at Camp Pendleton!

Someone LOVES Jordan

Lol... these two just need to get serious. Seriously!

New Digs for Erik

Everything recycled from around the house but the new floor and ceiling. Magnus was so impressed he wrote a mini book with cute illustrations about it.

Magnus new room
by Magnus

I have a new room. It's cool. (rock on)
I used to share a room. I had 100 toys.
I did not want to share a room.
My Brother has a new room too.
I had a carpeted floor room.
My brother has a wood floor room.
The End.