This holiday is almost completely overlooked by our family at times. I buy valentines when they go on clearance after the big day so I don’t have to think about it the following year (and also because I’m cheap). Consequently, the kids know they can just rummage in the bin in the storage room and pull out a new box of cards for their class. They get pretty excited about that part, actually. Now that they can all read and write for themselves, all I have to do is provide a little candy for them to tape onto the notes they will distribute. My biggest reminder that Valentine’s Day is coming up is by the fact that once they begin the project, little heart stickers and odd cards litter the kitchen table for the better part of the week prior to their parties. Finally on the day of, I see that there are some that say “Mom” in the “to” space and it dawns on me that I’d better write out cards of love and appreciation to my children as well.
It’s not that I don’t like to show love to my children or my husband, I like to think that it’s something that I do all the time. The problem lies in the tendency for Valentine’s Day to coincide with two other events (at opposite ends of the spectrum) that easily detract from it. First of all, it always seems to fall on the same weekend as our Stake Conference, and when you’re married to the Stake President, it ties up a bit of time. Secondly, the school science fair is usually the week following, so there is a frantic push to get projects and display boards done over the weekend because it’s less likely to be done very well on a school night. I thought of a “thirdly” too: John and I celebrate the day we got engaged every February 4th. We’ve already had a special date this month, and Valentine’s Day doesn’t do as much for romance by comparison.
While talking to a good friend of mine yesterday, she made the comment, “I love this holiday because it’s the one where my kids are most likely to think of giving instead of receiving.” How profound! Where I’ve always thought of this as a laid-back kind of holiday where I don’t have to do very much, I realize that perhaps I’ve been missing an opportunity to teach my children a valuable lesson in giving. On one hand, I think they get the concept pretty well without me interfering. On the other hand, by not pointing it out to them, perhaps the lesson will be completely lost as time goes on. They’re only in elementary school for so long, after all.
So as I sit here at my computer, listening to my children watching a church movie in the room beneath me, I reflect on the idea of changing my perspective a little. I would do well to encourage their spirit of love and giving by devoting a little more of my time and attention to enjoying this holiday we call Valentine’s Day. And there is certainly much to be gained by nurturing a little more love for family and friends.
http://intuitivehomemaking.blogspot.com/
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Red-Ribbon White Bread
About three months into my engagement to John and three months still to go, my sweet grandmother invited us to their house to open our wedding gift from her and Grandpa. Much to our astonishment, it was a Bosch mixer, very much like the one she always made bread in. Admittedly, it sat unused in a cupboard of our tiny apartment for most of the time we lived there, but I promised myself when I had a house of my own, it would have a place of honor on the counter. And it has ever since.
If your mixer doesn’t hold the volume of a Bosch, it’s easy to cut in half. One batch makes four full-sized loaves.
5 c. warm water
2 T yeast
½ c. sugar
½ c. oil
2/3 c. powdered milk
2/3 c. potato flakes
2 eggs
2 T. salt
12-15 c. flour
Pour water into mixer and sprinkle in yeast. The rest of the ingredients can be added after a minute or so. I always start with the sugar (because it helps feed the yeast) and end with salt (because it halts the growth of the yeast) before I start adding the flour. Mix in 6-7 cups flour until dough is smooth (it will be very sticky). Add in the rest of the flour 1-2 cups at a time until the dough is not sticky to the touch (if it comes off on your fingers, keep adding flour until it doesn’t. Once dough is desired consistency, let it mix for several more minutes.
At least in a dry Utah climate, the most helpful thing to having bread rise and not dry out and crack in the process is oil. Where many recipe books will say to roll out dough on a floured board, I use oil instead. I’ll pour several tablespoons of oil out on my counter, take a pastry brush to spread it out and oil the pans with it at the same time, then rub my hands in it to get it out of the mixing bowl.
Divide the dough by pinching in half, then half again until there are four loaves. 
If the mixer has done its job right, it only takes about 2-3 times kneading by hand to shape dough into loaves.
Place into pans, brush oil on the tops, and cover with a dishcloth to rise.
After about an hour (I use rapid-rise yeast, regular yeast may take a little longer) the dough should be ready to bake. Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 30 minutes. 
When done, remove bread from pans and place on wire rack to cool so the bottom doesn’t get mushy. I usually run a stick of butter over the tops while they're still hot, which gives them a nice golden glaze. This is my family’s favorite, and after several years of experimenting with ingredient proportions, it took second place in the State Fair in 2005. 
2 T. dough conditioner
2 T. vital wheat gluten
2 T. lethicin oil
Imagine my surprise though, when my wheat bread recipe, based off my white bread, won a blue ribbon that same year.
http://intuitivehomemaking.blogspot.com/
If your mixer doesn’t hold the volume of a Bosch, it’s easy to cut in half. One batch makes four full-sized loaves.
5 c. warm water
2 T yeast
½ c. sugar
½ c. oil
2/3 c. powdered milk
2/3 c. potato flakes
2 eggs
2 T. salt
12-15 c. flour
Pour water into mixer and sprinkle in yeast. The rest of the ingredients can be added after a minute or so. I always start with the sugar (because it helps feed the yeast) and end with salt (because it halts the growth of the yeast) before I start adding the flour. Mix in 6-7 cups flour until dough is smooth (it will be very sticky). Add in the rest of the flour 1-2 cups at a time until the dough is not sticky to the touch (if it comes off on your fingers, keep adding flour until it doesn’t. Once dough is desired consistency, let it mix for several more minutes.
At least in a dry Utah climate, the most helpful thing to having bread rise and not dry out and crack in the process is oil. Where many recipe books will say to roll out dough on a floured board, I use oil instead. I’ll pour several tablespoons of oil out on my counter, take a pastry brush to spread it out and oil the pans with it at the same time, then rub my hands in it to get it out of the mixing bowl.
Divide the dough by pinching in half, then half again until there are four loaves. 
If the mixer has done its job right, it only takes about 2-3 times kneading by hand to shape dough into loaves.
Place into pans, brush oil on the tops, and cover with a dishcloth to rise.
After about an hour (I use rapid-rise yeast, regular yeast may take a little longer) the dough should be ready to bake. Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 30 minutes. 
When done, remove bread from pans and place on wire rack to cool so the bottom doesn’t get mushy. I usually run a stick of butter over the tops while they're still hot, which gives them a nice golden glaze. This is my family’s favorite, and after several years of experimenting with ingredient proportions, it took second place in the State Fair in 2005. 
I never did master Grandma’s wheat bread recipe, but over the years I’ve adapted my own. One note here is that it typically takes about 16 cups of wheat flour for 100% whole wheat bread. There’s also a big difference between red wheat and white wheat, and white wheat has a much nicer, lighter flavor and texture if you're grinding your own. I know you can buy whole wheat flour in the grocery store, but I've never tried it, so I can't vouch for it. :)
For wheat bread, I actually use the same recipe as white, but there are three critical extra ingredients that make up for the lack of gluten found in white flour so that the bread will be light, moist, and fluffy instead of dry and dense. They’re typically found at specialty food stores (like the Bosch Store—that’s where I go), but they make all the difference—and they last a very long time.
For wheat bread, I actually use the same recipe as white, but there are three critical extra ingredients that make up for the lack of gluten found in white flour so that the bread will be light, moist, and fluffy instead of dry and dense. They’re typically found at specialty food stores (like the Bosch Store—that’s where I go), but they make all the difference—and they last a very long time.
2 T. dough conditioner
2 T. vital wheat gluten
2 T. lethicin oil
Imagine my surprise though, when my wheat bread recipe, based off my white bread, won a blue ribbon that same year.
http://intuitivehomemaking.blogspot.com/
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