Rise and Shine: The Art of Seed Beading

Rise and Shine: The Art of Seed Beading:

I've been beading since I was little, in fact, I'm still working on the same loom that I received for Christmas when I was about 9.  I star...

English Toasting Bread: ExpressBake 80 min. setting

If you love english muffins, 

then you will want to make this bread. 

When toasted, it has a great crunch on the outside. And who doesn't love all those nooks & cranny's that butter and honey can melt into.

 

English Toasting Bread

1. Place all ingredients into bread pan in the order listed.

3/4 c milk (I warm the milk 1 min. in the microwave)

1/2 c boiling water

2 t sugar

1 t salt

3 c all purpose flour

1/4 t baking soda

Make a small well in the top of your flour and add 

2 t instant dry yeast (I have really good luck with Fleischmann's Brand)

2. Set the Bread Machine on the ExpressBake 80 min. setting and press Start. 

Check after 5 min., scrape the sides if needed. Your dough should be smooth, soft pliable ball that is slightly tacky to the touch.

(If it's dry add 1T or less of boiling water at a time and let mix thoroughly.)

Now let the machine do it's magic!

3. After the baking is completed, remove the bread from the bread pan. 

4. Place on a cooling rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Bread Machine: Healthy Potato Bread

Easy Healthy Potato Bread

using the ExpressBake 80 min. setting

I am the happy owner of an Oster model 5838 Bread Machine. I have experimented with a lot of recipes, attempting to make a healthy bread using the ExpressBake 80 min. setting. After many, many attempts I have finally mastered a loaf of bread that has great taste and texture.

  1. Place all ingredients into bread pan in the order listed.

 

3/4 c milk (I warm the milk 1 min. in the microwave)

1/2 c boiling water

2 T unsalted butter

1/4 c honey or agave or 2 T sugar or dark brown sugar

1 1/2 t salt

1/3 c instant potatoes (I've experimented with all different brands, and it made no difference...save some money and get the cheap ones)

1/4 c wheat germ

1/4 c milled flax seed

1/4 c steel cut oats or regular oats

1 c whole wheat flour

1 1/2 c all purpose flour

Make a small well in the top of your flour and add 

2 t instant dry yeast (I have really good luck with Fleischmann's Brand)

Optional: add 1/4 c chopped sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds

or

Replace one of the flours with Oat Flour. 

HINT: you can easily make your own Oat Flour by taking oats 

and pulverizing them in your food processer. 

2. Set the Bread Machine on the ExpressBake 80 min. setting and press Start. 

Check after 5 min., scrape the sides if needed. Your dough should be smooth, soft pliable ball that is slightly tacky to the touch.

(If it's dry add 1T or less of boiling water at a time and let mix thoroughly.)

Now let the machine do it's magic!

3. After the baking is completed, remove the bread from the bread pan. 

4. Place on a cooling rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Easy Homemade Egg Noodles

Homemade Egg Noodles

This recipe is super easy and so yummy! It took me about 15-20 minutes in prep time and then another 10 minutes to cook the noodles. How easy is that?!

4 eggs (slightly beaten)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 t salt

2 T olive oil

Mix all ingredients together. It should be slightly sticky to the touch, but, not too sticky. Add more flour if needed. Pour half of mixture out onto floured surface. Roll 1/16 inch thick. Be aware that they will plump up 2x their thickness when cooked.

*I use this wonderful device on my rolling pin, Rolling Hills Rolling Pin Rings from Amazon.com. They cost less than $7 (so worth it). The rings are for standard rolling pins and do not work well on French rolling pins.

Cut noodles 1/4 to 1/2 inch width, which ever thickness you want (it's not an exact science). A zyliss pizza wheel works really great for this step. usa.zyliss.com/pizza-wheel

this is half the recipe after cutting

Cook 10 minutes in salted water, chicken stock or the way I did, 

directly in my pot of Turkey Wild Rice & Mushroom Soup

(I cooked in small batches using a straining tool...don't know what else to call it).

Remove and drain.

Ready to add to soup, stroganoff or eat them all by themselves.

DELICIOUS! And so easy...you might never buy noodles again.

MBC: Ewwy Gooey Slime Filled Cupcakes

MBC: Ewwy Gooey Slime Filled Cupcakes: I'll be the first to admit, I'm a sucker for themes but I guess that's no secret really. All you have to do is whisper a project them...

Feline lovers - another lost soul

 Yesterday morning we found yet another lost feline soul outside. This young fella, which we have started calling Leo, is in really bad shape. He is wafer thin and seems to have a facial or mouth/jaw injury. We watched him attempt to eat dry food, but, you could visibly see it was agonizing. So, off I went to the pantry to get some soft food. Poor, poor Leo, he is so hungry. I will post a picture as soon as I can.

Kitty Condos - still need to come up with a name

Just one more reason for Jeff to continue his construction of Kitty Condos. The construction on the bottom floor is in place on our patio. There are 3 condos already equipped with straw and warm blankets for the upcoming winter.We have placed our patio umbrella over it until the second floor and roof construction can be completed.

Lace & Pearl Bracelet

Lace & Pearl Bracelet

from {panka} with love: Glowing jar project

from {panka} with love: Glowing jar project - varázslat a lakásban (EN/HU)...:   Since the above image is one of my 'most famous' photos, I've got a lot of requests on how I made these glowing jars. So, I decided to ...

No Sew...No Glue Pumpkin! 

So stinkin' cute! 

Head over to 

no sew, no glue pumpkin instructions.

2012 Altrusa Chili Cook-Off

The HTA Gang had so much fun...and our Nifty 50's Chili rocked!

The event was a huge success. 

Altrusa was able to surpass last year and raised $16k towards it's literacy program.

Chickadilla Soup

CHICKADILLA SOUP
 

1 lb chicken breast or thighs (de-bone yourself & save)

30 oz diced tomatoes
1 pkg enchilada sauce mix 
1 1/4 c water
4 oz green chiles
32 oz chicken stock
1-15 oz can black beans
1-15 oz can mild chili beans
10 oz frozen corn
1 med chopped onion
3 T fresh cilantro
2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1 t sea salt
1 t pepper
2 minced garlic

Place all ingredients in stock pot & simmer for 1 hr Remove chicken, shred & return to pot. Cook 1 hr longer. Serve over rice. Add a dollop sour cream and some shredded cheddar or Monterey jack.