Happy Valentine's Day!

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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Epiphany

The year 2009 was one of tremendous growth and introspection for me. So many of the circumstances and situations I found myself a part of caused me to dig deeper and try to understand why I think the way I think, why I feel the way I feel, and why I do the things I do. I still don’t have all the answers. In fact, I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface, but one realization I had this weekend has propelled me into a greater depth of self-discovery.

I’ve always had a love for scrapbooking, card making, sewing, and other visual-type home arts. But I’ve never paused to think about why. While talking with John about a new project or two that I was just starting up, I found myself feeling so excited about them and speaking with a greater passion for what I was doing than I have had in a very long time. I can’t quote myself perfectly, and these thoughts have had more time to distill since then, but essentially, here is what I discovered.

What I really love is the process of taking raw materials and shaping them into something of value. It’s exciting to look at a length of fabric and think of all the possibilities of what I can make from it. I love to start with a blank Aida cloth and a few dozen skeins of embroidery floss and shape a cross-stitched picture from it. I delight in taking a stack of pictures and an assortment of papers and arrange them into something that enhances the memory associated with them. It’s the process of creating that is often just as fulfilling than the actual finished product.

As intrinsically rewarding as creating is, the thing that enhances the completed project’s worth is when I am not doing it solely for my own benefit. I find myself thinking throughout the process “my daughter is going to love this new dress for her doll” or “I hope Sister Smith enjoys this baby blanket” or “John and the kids will really like this scrapbook” or “everyone is going to love these cookies,” then when they do, I feel fulfilled. Whether or not my daughter ends up using the doll dress every day matters less to me than the first smile it puts on her face. Perhaps that scrapbook will gather more dust than attention, but if it provides my family the chance to relive the memory just once, it was worth the effort.

I don’t think it was mere coincidence that I heard three different talks on talents today. It was a blessing to know that I have talents that I’ve worked hard to develop and that the Lord has helped me to increase them. It was also a reminder that there are things I used to spend a lot of time on that I virtually don’t do at all now. I have lost a significant portion of what I had because those things which we neglect will eventually disappear from our lives. I also have a hope that things I haven’t learned to do yet are not entirely out of reach if I’m willing to spend a portion of my time on them to learn.

So what good is all of this introspection? By recognizing that there’s a pattern—a common thread—that is woven through all of my hobbies and interests, it gives me clearer direction to move forward. I feel less selfish spending time doing the things I love to do and more purposeful in doing them. If I decide to reclaim lost talents or develop new ones, I will better be able to enjoy them if I can apply to them the principle I learned about myself—that I love process as much as product and the joy of bringing satisfaction to others. Then the journey is just as delightful as the destination.

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Bean and Bacon Soup

It occurred to me lately that I could post tried-and-true favorites here too. True to form, though, this one took a year or two to perfect. When my husband was little, his favorite Campbell’s soup was Bean & Bacon. That hasn’t changed, actually, but I can’t afford to buy enough pre-prepared soup to feed my entire family and have them all go away full. I had to come up with an alternative version about twelve years ago. So I read the ingredient list on the can: tomatoes, beans, carrots, onion, bacon . . . how hard could it be? The difficult part would be the beans. The only beans I grew up eating were green or jelly, so it took some experimentation to find a method that worked every time.

Cooking beans so they are soft and flavorful, yet do not cause hours of discomfort afterward is the tricky part. I have since learned that most of the gasses are released from beans during their first soaking. So anytime I plan to cook beans for dinner (chili, refried beans, etc), I have to think about it the night before.

Put the measured amount of beans in a bowl or crockpot with 2-3 times the amount of water to cover them. Let them soak all night and drain in the morning. That should take care of most of the unpleasantness of beans.

Place the beans in a crockpot and cover with the same amount of water as before. Let them cook at least 4-5 hours on high or 6+ hours on low, depending on when you want to finish the soup. Do not add ANYTHING else to the beans while they are cooking. The minute you do, the beans stop cooking, and crunchy-bean soup is disgusting. Test the beans occasionally and when they are soft enough for your personal preference, then you can finish making the soup. And I always drain the beans a second time—just to be sure.

So here’s my original recipe, though I always have to double it now that half of my kids are as big as I am. I’d triple it, but my crockpot can’t hold that much.

1 ½ c. white beans (amount set to soak the night before)

15 oz can tomato sauce
3 c. water
2 T. butter
1 small onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
½ c. real bacon bits (I hate fake bacon bits. This is not Bean and TVP soup. You could cook your own bacon and use the drippings instead of butter, but frankly, that’s too much work for me).
½ t. liquid smoke (key for great flavor—available in the grocery store by the Worchestershire sauce and similar oddities)
½ t. salt
¼ t. pepper

Place cooked & drained beans back in crockpot along with tomato sauce and water. (Note: sometimes, since I’m doubling the recipe, I’ll make one can diced tomatoes for a chunkier soup) Sauté remaining ingredients together. Add them to the crockpot. Allow to simmer for at least an hour before serving. The longer it cooks, the better the flavor. It’s even better the next day, but even with a double batch, none of it ever makes it that long.

Unanimous favorite among teens, tweens, gradeschoolers, and parents in this house.

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New Year Projects

Recently I discovered that my favorite skirt was threadbare at the waist. Didn’t look so nice or dressy anymore. I found some beautiful microfiber material on the JoAnn’s clearance rack for about $3 a yard, and used the skirt itself as a pattern. Fortunately, it was a pretty simple design—six squares. A front and back each consisted of three panels. The largest two squares measure from waist to knee. The four smaller squares measure from knee to calf. I hemmed the four smaller panels on two sides and sewed two to the front and two to the back. Then I sewed front to back and put in an elastic waistband. I think I spent more time thinking that I needed to do this project than it actually took to do.

Also last April, my favorite purse ever—a souvenir from Disneyland—was stolen. Crushed, I bought a cheap one that I could make do with until I found a better replacement. Well, this week, my not-so-favorite white purse (guess why it was on clearance?) was so dingy that I couldn’t stand it anymore. Being too cheap to take it to the cleaners, I decided to wash it. Um, bad idea. Won’t be using it again, as the brown leather trim leeched into the rest of the color and the whole thing looks moldy.

Fortunately, I used this as a good excuse to make myself exactly what I wanted. As I look back , it was a good thing that a couple of weeks before my patchwork plaid Mickey bag disappeared to who-knows-where, I had mended the nearly worn-out fabric handle and learned a little about how it was put together. I’ve also made my kids tote bags this year for their music books, sling bags for extra clothes, and quilted bags for ballet shoes. I guess I was finally ready for an experiment without a pattern.

I particularly loved the patchwork look of my Mickey purse, so I rummaged in my bin of fabric that hasn’t seen the light of day in several years. There I found large scraps of microfiber in brown and green. I cut two-inch squares and sewed them together like a quilt. Once it looked big enough, I sewed it into a bag shape. It looked like it needed something still. I cut out a long strip of brown for the handle and decided to add another long strip of brown for the top trim.

Then it needed a lining, and my biggest remaining piece was in green. I laid down the purse on top of it and cut two panels (front & back) about ½” bigger than the outside. It needed to be exactly the same size, plus a seam allowance. I also knew that I needed several pockets for all the junk I carry around, so I cut two more long strips of fabric out of the same material. Each strip was then sewn to a front or back panel, with vertical stitches to create the individual pockets. I also sewed on a couple of strips of Velcro to the larger pockets to make sure they stayed closed. The lining front and back was then sewn together, leaving a hole in the bottom to turn the whole project right-side-out when done.

I really didn’t want to mess with a zipper like my old Mickey purse had, but I thought a nice button closure would work. One more small strip of material with a buttonhole was the last needed addition. I sewed the handles and buttonhole strip to the patchwork bag, then added the brown strip of top trim. Finally, I sewed the lining to the outside, right-sides-together. After turning the purse right-side-out, I hand-stitched the lining closed. It has enough room for all the typical things you’d find in a woman’s purse, and plenty of space to throw in my wallet and camera (which goes everywhere with me).

I’m actually quite astonished that it turned out as well as it did. I think a lot of it has to do with having nice material. I’m actually such a sucker for beautiful material that I have piles of various kinds in my workroom and I constantly tell myself “I won’t buy any more until I use all this up.” Which works until the next time I see something to die for on the clearance rack . . . but that’s another story.

Unfortunately, I only have finished-project photos because I never really intended to post these to this blog at all. Not everyone sews, and fewer people are excited about making something without a pattern. But it’s by request of my husband that I write about my newest projects, just for the record. Thanks for challenging me, John. As much as anything, it shows frugality. My new skirt cost about $6 and the purse didn’t cost me a thing (except about four hours).

What I can say is that if you have a big enough need and an eye for observing a few important details, nearly any creation is possible if it’s worth the time to figure it out and do it. My teenage son kept asking me, “you didn’t have a pattern for this?” My reply, “No, but I knew what I wanted it to look like, so I kept fiddling with it until it seemed right.” He promptly took off with my bag of fleece scraps from the five pairs of Christmas PJ’s that I made last month and cut up squares for a patchwork pillow. Maybe I’ll post his progress instead—honestly, it’s a pattern I don’t think I’m ready to try.

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Lasagna!

I believe that everyone is allowed to have one food or another that they simply don’t have to like. One of my sons hates tomatoes and eggs. Another can’t stand rice. A daughter gags at raisins and peanut butter. For me, it’s pickles, mustard, and hot dogs. And in theory this sounds fine, until it’s time to make dinner—and at least one person doesn’t care for some part of what I’m fixing. I have to keep a mental tally of the few foods I make for dinner that everyone likes. The one in the top spot is lasagna.

I avoided it for years because it seemed so daunting to make, but a friend of mine clued me in to the fact that you don’t have to pre-cook the noodles. That simplifies things quite a bit. I like one-dish meals whenever possible. As my family has grown, I’ve had to make bigger and bigger portions so we have plenty to go around (though there are seldom leftovers). I’ve found that lasagna is actually not an exact science. I can just dump in whatever sounds good, as long as my spaghetti sauce to noodle proportions are correct (essentially one can to every 9-10 noodles), so that they soften enough to eat. So here’s the scoop on tonight’s version:

Ingredients:
2 cans (26.5oz) spaghetti sauce (Hunts is cheapest and runniest, which helps soften the noodles)
1 pkg lasagnae noodles (about 20 noodles)
Various cheeses
Hamburger (or other favorite meat) and/or various vegetables of choice.

Basically, it's easiest to think of lasagna as a noodle sandwich with sauce & noodles on top and bottom with extra fillings in between. First, I layer on about 1/3 of a can of spaghetti sauce in a 9 x 13 pan.

If you're cooking for a smaller group, you can cut the noodles & sauce in half--try a 7 x 9 pan distributing five noodles and half of one can on the bottom, with five more noodles and the remainder of the can on the top.
Next, place five dry noodles on the sauce (one may need to be broken to fit), and layer on another 1/3 of the spaghetti sauce. Add a second layer of noodles like the first, then spoon on the remainder of the can.
I like hamburger in mine, but I've made it without and it tastes good too. I'm also too cheap to buy ricotta cheese, so I've sometimes used cottage cheese that I've strained some of the liquid out of. But my favorite variation is a half-block (4 oz) of creme cheese. Hamburger cooks up beautifully in the microwave in about five minutes--a nice place to add in onions and peppers too--then I add the creme cheese directly to the beef so it is well mixed.

Then I layer it on top of the noodles & sauce.

I happen to have a five-pound bag of spinach in my fridge that we're trying to use up, so two or three cups worth (coarsely chopped) go into the lasagna. This is actually experimental for me--I haven't tried it with spinach before.

My family eats a lot of cheese. I always keep a five pound bag of shredded three-cheese mix in my fridge (that typically only lasts about ten days). I don't measure--I just take handfuls unil it looks like enough. I also sprinkled on some Parmesean.

Lastly comes the top of the noodle sandwich. Pour on 1/3 of the second can of spaghetti sauce.

Place five more noodles and another 1/3 of the sauce.

Then the last layer of noodles . . .

And the rest of the sauce.

Bake for 1 hour at 400, and it will look like this:

Which looks good, but not perfect yet. Topping the whole thing with a layer of shredded mozarella and putting it back in the oven for another five minutes gives it the final touch.

I actually loved the spinach and my kids did too. Surprise! Guess that ingredient is a keeper. We'll be trying out things like zuccini and yellow squash next. Never hurts to sneak in a few more vegetables. Especially with a dish that is more fat-indulgent like this one. The only disappointment was not having leftovers for lunch the next day. Guess I'll just have a spinach salad.

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Better than Mint Oreos

I’m a sucker for anything with chocolate and mint. A good friend of mine gave me two cartons of chocolate-mint ice cream for my birthday, and my sister gave me several varieties of cookies in the same flavor. They both know me well. But my mint Oreos ran out too soon. I had to make a special treat for a gathering of friends, and for my brother’s birthday, so I decided to try something new involving my favorite flavors.

I started with a bag of chocolate chips and used the recipe on the back. Let me say here that most chocolate chip cookie recipes are pretty much the same. But there is one key thing to do to make them turn out well. Last year, my third-grade daughter did her science fair project on different types of fat used in baking. With five packaged cookie dough mixes, she tried using butter, margarine, soft-spread, shortening, and oil. Then she had her classmates rank them by appearance, taste, texture, and so on. By the vote of her fellow third-graders, the margarine cookies won. That was quite a surprise. By my own judgment though, the butter cookies tasted the best, but the shortening cookies were the prettiest. Since then I go half-and-half on the fat. They turn out perfect every time. Guess I won’t complain about helping my kids with the annual science fair—I actually learned something useful that time.

So here is my adapted recipe, courtesy of Hershey’s:
2 ¼ c. flour
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
½ c. butter
½ c. shortening
¾ c. sugar
¾ c. brown sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 c. chocolate chips

To this I added
1/3 c. cocoa
½ t. mint extract

Mix well, drop by small rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheet, and bake 8-10 minutes at 350.

While they are baking, mix up a batch of cream cheese frosting (see Orange Rolls post http://intuitivehomemaking.blogspot.com/2009/11/orange-rolls.html), add ¼-½ t. mint extract (it's strong stuff) and some green food coloring. When the cookies are cool, spread frosting on the backside of one cookie and sandwich with a second cookie. If the cookies are still warm, it will melt the frosting and they’ll run all over (yep, I tried that and had to put them in the fridge to salvage them).

Just make sure you save enough for your family before you fill your party platter. I didn’t have any leftovers to take home.

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