mortiz049

I love these pretzel rolls. They are great for hot dogs, bratwurst, ham and cheese sandwiches, hamburgers or any type of sandwich.  You can use this same dough to make regular soft pretzels as well. Pretzel Rolls 1 1/2 cups warm water 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or 1 packet) 1 T sugar 2 t salt 2 ounces butter or margarine, melted 4 1/2 - 5 cups all purpose flour pretzel salt (optional) Egg wash =1 egg + 1 T water beaten well Alkaline bath = 8 cups of water + 1/2 cup baking soda at a gentle simmer Mix the water, yeast, sugar, salt, butter and 2 cups of flour together to form a wet batter.  Slowly incorporate the remaining flour a little bit at a time to form a sticky dough.  knead 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic.  This is a dense dough that will not spring back and will still be a bit sticky after kneading.  oil the dough ball with cooking oil and put the dough in a draft free warm place to rise until doubled.  Divide the dough into 100 gram dough ba...

After I finished my Rumpled Ripple Scarf  I knew my next project would be to expand that pattern into an afghan size.  The pattern in essentially the same but for the afghan (and anything larger than a scarf) the foundation chain will need to be more repeats. This pattern is so squishy and soft and I knew it would make a perfect baby blanket.  I chose an a rainbow of colors, making it as bright and colorful as possible.  This blanket is off to Sweden to the newest baby in our family. This pattern uses US crochet terms.  I used a variety of acrylic worsted weight yarn. The colors I used Red - Red Heart Soft Really Red Orange - Red Heart Super Saver Pumpkin Yellow- Lion Brand Vanna's Choice Radiant Yellow Light Green - Lion Brand Vanna's Choice Radiant Lime Dark Green - Lion Brand Vanna's Choice Kelley Green Blue Red Heart Soft Teal Purple - Stitch Studio by Nicole Story Book Lullaby Mulberry The hook I used was size I.  This finished size of this blanket was...

A Vitamix found itself delivered to my front porch. I don't really know how or why, but it did. My loving husband (my sweet, kind, wonderful husband) ordered it without really telling me so it was a big surprise. Our stick blender died and our food processor was on it's last leg. Instead of buying another $100 blender or food processor that is just going to die on us in a couple years he went ahead and invested in a Vitamix.  I saw the UPS truck pull up and I assumed my husband had ordered something from Amazon as he is fond of doing. But as the UPS driver emerged from his truck I saw that he was holding a large cardboard box with big bold letters spelling out "Vitamix". What a surprise! Initially I scoffed at the idea of spending so much on one kitchen appliance but I really do love it. I have been experimenting with it as much as possible. I've been making homemade almond milk, smoothies, pureed soups and sauces. I still have more I want to try, like p...

Summer time is right around the corner and if you are looking for a new favorite recipe to take to cookouts and backyard parties, this just might be the thing you are looking for.  Everyone loves baked beans and these beans are so delicious and easy to put together.  Large meaty butter beans, bacon and kielbasa in a rich homemade sauce.  A great change from your usual baked beans made from small navy or great northern beans. This recipe came from my grandmother's friend Edith.  I knew her when I was a small girl but my family has been enjoying this recipe since before I was born.  Try this recipe for a potluck or just with your family.  I know you will enjoy it :) Ingredients: 3 (14 oz) cans butter beans, drained and rinsed 1/2 pound bacon, sliced, fried and drained 1 large onion, large dice 1 green bell pepper, large dice 1 jalapeno seeded and finely diced 1 (14 oz) can stewed tomatoes 3/4 cup ketchup 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 lb keilbasa sliced into 1/4 ...

Here is my diaper stash!  GMD large cotton birdseye flats, Thirsties Duo Wrap covers and Blueberry Coverall covers. :)

Today is the day.  The Flats and Handwashing Challenge starts today. I really wanted to do this challenge last year but life was very overwhelming at the time.  I was a new mom with a 6 month old and although I was 6 months post partum I was still struggling to recover physically.  The idea of flats seems impossible. The whole idea of cloth diapers seemed impossible when I first started learning about them.  When you are pregnant or preparing for a baby there are several topics that can overwhelm you but cloth diapers is one of the biggest.  Seriously, I was more worried about cloth diapers than I was about breastfeeding (and both ended up working out well for us, thank God!)  I had read so much and watched so many videos about cloth diapers and I never felt like I was making any headway, I still felt so confused and had no idea where to start.  I watched one video which broke everything down in the simplest terms.  I am grateful for that video be...

Starting next Monday I will be participating in the Flats and Handwashing Challenge.  I will be documenting all throughout the week.  So be sure to stop by and hear me talk about poop and pee!  lol!