Fool Proof Wheat Bread

This recipe tastes great and is pretty forgiving. Thanks Gina. She got it from the Kitchen Center in Provo.
Note: Gina uses freshly ground wheat. I buy wheat flour from the store but as soon as I get a wheat grinder I'll switch to freshly ground. What a great way to use food storage wheat! You can mix this in a Kitchen Aid, Bosch, etc.. or do it by hand. The mixer is faster.

Combine 8 cups fresh Wheat Flour, 2 1/2 Tbs. Yeast & 6 C. warm Water. Mix and let sponge for 10-15 min.
Add 1/2 C. Vegetable Oil, 2 Tbs. Gluten, 2/3 C. Honey, & 2 Tbs. Salt. Mix it for a minute and then add 4 -6 C. additional Wheat Flour until dough pulls away from sides of bowl (be careful not to add too much flour). Mix it for about 3-4 minutes and then add 2 1/2 Tbs. Dough Enhancer (this makes it lighter and rise better) then mix for another 2 minutes.
Use water or a tiny bit of oil on your hands to form loaves. Fill loaf pans about 1/2 to 2/3 full. Place in cold oven and let rise until doubled. Turn oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30-35 minutes. Makes four 2 lb. Loaves.
Happy Baking! I'd love to know how yours turns out.

Homemade Bread

Lately we've had a greater drive to really live better by eating more whole grains and exercising. So last week we decided to start jogging together as a family whenever we can. Mostly on the weekends, Thanksgiving morning, etc.. We have a soccer field right across the street from us that has a huge track going around it. It's great! The kids and I have a goal...to beat Dad's 10 mile regular jog and run in a marathon as a family. We'll see.
Well I also started baking homemade wheat bread a couple of weeks ago. The bread tastes great. I bake about 4 loaves every 4-5 days and freeze what I'm not immediately going to use. I refuse to buy bread anymore, since I can make it cheaper, healthier, it tastes better, and it's a pretty simple process. Plus they just don't have great tasting German bread here. Cleveland had it everywhere.
The kids loved it the first week, but the excitement has worn off. Oh my! Now all I hear are complaints. Would love your ideas?

What...no Turkey on Thanksgiving Day!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving...despite not having Thanksgiving Dinner on Thanksgiving Day!
My children were a little upset but after I explained that the Turkey still needed to unthaw and that we would be eating our Thanksgiving Turkey on Sunday instead, they were okay.
Has this ever happened to anyone else?
For some reason I got carried away with everything else that I forgot about the turkey.
Well it was a little late, but it was delicious. Too bad I didn't take any photos. I think it was one of the best Turkeys we've ever made. Very moist.

I am grateful for so many things. Here are just a few.
-My healthy family. -A good husband that supports me and my crazy ideas. -Feeling the Spirit. -Having wonderful friends. -A roof over my head and always having food on the table. -Being able to exercise (even when it hurts). -For rain. We are in such a drought down here that every little drop is a blessing. -To live in this country and enjoy the freedoms that I sometimes take for granted.

I've Been Tagged

Thanks Sara. I honestly hate writing about myself, so I'll keep this short.
5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Ranleigh & I had moved to Cleveland, Ohio from Provo, Utah. Driving into the city for the first time was a bit of a shock, but now we love and miss Cleveland and all the friends we made.
2. We were living in small rental in Little Italy for a few months and were looking to buy a house.
3. I was working out of our house for Dean Witter, Discover & Co. which later changed to Morgan Stanley. It was a very good job and a great company to work for. We were blessed with an awesome down payment for a house.
4. Ranleigh & I had just closed on our first house ever in Cleveland Heights and were actually moving into it this week.
5. Let's see..I was so busy and exhausted with moving that for Thanksgiving dinner we just had chicken, potatoes, and green beans.

5 things on my to do list today: I was tagged last week so this is my list from last friday:
1. Prepare sharing time lessons for junior and senior primary.
2. Prepare an object lesson for an after church meeting with the primary teachers. We called it 20 minutes & a treat.
3. Bake a batch of Chewy Oatmeal squares for the above meeting.
4. Bake 15 loaves of bread and make cute tags to go with my object lesson.
5. Clean the house and pick up Ranleigh from the airport.

5 food I enjoy:
1. I love candy. Switzer's Black Licorice is my favorite. Swedish fish is my second favorite. If I have to eat anything with chocolate on it then it has to be a Turtle or a haystack.
2. I love Daquiri Ice cream from Baskin Robbins.
3. I love real Italian Ice but not in Italy. It's just so much better in Germany, especially in Darmstadt or Hermeskeil.
4. I love my mother's Rouladen.
5. I love Indian food at the Bombay House in Provo.

5 bad habits:
1. I talk too much and sometimes too fast.
2. I drive too fast. I realize that this is the United States and I'm not in Germany!
3. I'm not patient when other people don't know how to merge in traffic. I think they need to go back to driver's school. I especially hate it when slow cars are driving in the left lane (what I call the passing lane) on the freeway.
4. I love the saying 'everything in it's place and a place for everything'. I hate being disorganized.
5. I try to do too much. I have a hard time saying no.

5 favorite places that I've been (only 5?): Not in any particular order.
From the time I was 12, I was blessed to be able to travel all over Europe and I have friends in some of the most beautiful european cities. I can't wait to travel again! If anyone else wants to come along let me know.
1. Lago Maggiore, Italy
2. Lausanne, Switzerland
3. Nurnberg, Germany
4. Bavarian Alps, Germany
5. Amalfi Coast, Italy

5 of my favorite toys:
1. My new Mac
2. My camera
3. My new Ipod (Ranleigh won it at some work raffle)
4. My Zyliss Food Chopper (full capacity one)
5. My Kitchen Aid mixer

5 people I tagged:
1. Jessica J.
2. Rebecca L.
3. Debby A.
4. Hatsuho C.
5. Lani K.

Love this time of Year

We are truly blessed with so many things! Thanksgiving comes during such a beautiful time of year (the harvesting of the crops, the leaves changing colors, etc.,) that I wanted to share this quote with you. It's one of my favorites.
Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds. ~Theodore Roosevelt

Some Photos of our Cute Kids