Tasty Tuesday - Whole Wheat Bread

A while back I was blessed enough to win an amazing new appliance for my kitchen, a Nutrimill grain mill.  Since then, I have been having a lot of fun grinding grain and trying out new recipes.  My family likes whole wheat bread, and most of us actually prefer it to white, but I have had a hard time finding a good whole wheat recipe that doesn't come out too heavy or have too hard of a crust.  And now I know why, store bought whole wheat flour is nothing compared to freshly ground hard white wheat flour!  It tastes so much better and makes a very light and fluffy loaf of bread!  If you bake your own bread and want to make it even better, I highly recommend getting yourself a grain mill!  They are kinda pricey, but if you could taste the difference you would know it is worth it!  It will actually pay for itself very quickly with the money you can save over buying good wheat flour.  And it is healthier for you!  (If you live near me, I will even bake you a fresh loaf so you can taste the difference for youself, just let me know want one!)  Here is the recipe that I use and it probably will work with regular flour, but might not be quite as tasty!

1-1/2 cups hot water
1 cup cold milk
(The resulting temperature will be lukewarm so as not to kill the yeast)
1/3 cup oil (I use melted coconut oil and I think that is another reason this bread it so good!)
1/3 cup honey
3 eggs
4-1/2 tsp. instant yeast
2 Tbsp vital wheat gluten
4 tsp lecithin granules
6 to 7 1/4 cups freshly milled flour
1 Tbs. salt

Combine water, milk, oil, honey and eggs. Add yeast, gluten, and about 5 cups of the flour. Mix on medium speed until well blended. Add the salt. Continue to mix adding the flour 1/2 cup at a time. When the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl enough flour has been added. Knead 8-10 minutes in a mixer (more if done by hand), or until the dough, forms a smooth ball . Let rise until double. With a single or double batch, you may let the dough rise in the bowl. With a triple recipe, turn the dough out onto a floured surface to let rise.

After rising, form into loaves or other shapes. Place in greased loaf pan. Let rise until at least double in size. Bake loaves at 350o for 25-30 minutes.  When done, brush with melted butter for a really soft crust. Recipe makes 3 medium size loaves or about 30 dinner rolls.

Enjoy! There is nothing better than fresh bread with butter on it while it is still warm!

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Raising Olives

It's Swagbucks' 3rd Birthday!

Have you signed up for Swagbucks yet?  Today is their 3rd birthday and they are giving out lots of codes for free Swagbucks!  Hurry and sign up to get your free stuff!

Pirose Nursing Cover {Review}

One of my favorite parts of having kids has been being able to nurse them.  However, one of my least favorite things is having to nurse them in a public area.  It doesn't happen very often, but once in a while we find ourselves at a place where there is just no quiet, private place to go.  For these occassions, I love having a nursing cover.  When I was given the opportunity to review the Pirose nursing cover by Reno Rose, I thought it looked like a great idea!  The Pirose cover is a very lightweight unique cover that can be very fashionable as well as functional.  Besides being a nursing cover, it can be worn many different ways as a scarf, shawl, head band and stroller or purse accessory, and comes in three different sizes.  You can also check out this You-Tube video for more pictures of it being worn.

(Clearly, this picture is not of me.  I may look a little more stylish and cuter wearing my new scarf, but only a miracle could make me look that good after four kids!)

What I like:  I love that it is so versatile! It can be worn instead of taking up room in the diaper bag.  I received the Gwendolyn for review and it is a beautiful flowery pattern on very lightweight material.  I like how light and breathable it is and doesn't seem to bother Peanut when it lays on her head.

What I don't like as much: Peanut likes to be able to look at me when she is nursing and the Pirose doesn't allow that very well.

If you are a nursing mom or plan to be in the future, I highly recommend the Pirose cover!

If you are interested in purchasing a Pirose cover for $35 you can do so HERE. You can also check them out on Facebook or Twitter.

This is a MamaBuzz review.  My new scarf was provided by Reno Rose Inc for this review.

Tasty Tuesday - No Knead Bread

Ok, so I'm at it again.  Trying out bread recipes.  But this time, I may have succeeded in finding one my family really likes!  And this one is so easy, even your kids can make it mostly by themselves!  This is really tasty with soups and stews and I usually double it to make a larger loaf.

No Knead Bread

3 cups flour- I've used all white and a mixture of white and wheat, both tasting equally delicious
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon table salt)
1 1/2 cups warm water

Mix together until blended. Cover and let rise for 18 hours (yes that's right 18 hours!). Turn onto a floured surface. With wet hands or spatula, fold the dough over a few times and shape into a ball. Gently pick up and place in oiled bowl or a flour dusted cotton towel. Let rise about 2 hours. When you have about 15 minutes left, turn on your oven to 450 degrees and place a covered baking pan (I use my big soup kettle) in the oven to preheat.  Remove the pan after 15 minutes and sprinkle cornmeal on the bottom of the pan. Pour dough into the pan and replace lid. Put into the oven and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake for 15-20 more minutes. Cool on a rack.

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5 Little Bunnies {Review and Discount Code!}

My munchkins love books.  They love looking at them, being read to, and listening to recordings of books.  I like reading with them too, but sometimes it is nice to get somethings done while they are listening to a recording.  So when I received 5 Little Bunnies book and CD from Twin Sisters Productions for review, I knew we would all like it.  It is a board book of the Five Little Bunnies and the CD has a read along for the book plus 19 other fun kids' songs.  The kids have loved listening to it!  Some of the songs they are familiar with and some were new to us, but have quickly become songs they know and sing along with.  We have really enjoyed reading and listening together, but I also find the kids sitting on their own with the book reading the story.  Lovebug hasn't figured out when to turn the pages yet, so I love it when Buddy or Sweetie sits with him, helping him turn at the right time, and listening together.  They also love dancing or doing hand motions to many of the songs. The Five Little Bunnies book is a board book and if your kids are like my and tend to break destroy things with amazing speed, you probably appreciate board books as much as I do.  The suggested ages for this book are 0-6 and I think that is pretty accurate since all of my kids have enjoyed it.

Here is a little info about Twin Sisters Productions:

For over 23 years, Twin Sisters Productions has been dedicated to producing quality educational and inspirational music resources for children, families, and educators. Founded by fraternal twins, Karen Mitzo Hilderbrand, and Kim Mitzo Thompson, Twin Sisters Productions has continued to expand its product line to include CDs, read and sing-along books, floor puzzles and educational workbooks, all with the purpose of learning through music. These products have received over 160 awards for educational excellence and creativity as well as classroom and family fun, thus reflecting Twin Sisters Production commitment to producing educational audio of the highest quality and value. These awards include nine RIAA (Record Industry Association of America) certified Gold albums and one Platinum album. With thousands of songs that teach and over 26 million albums sold, Twin Sisters Productions positions itself as the leader in children's educational music.

If you would like to hear a sample of the songs, you may do so HERE and if you would like to purchase the Five Little Bunnies book and CD please go HERE.  Twins Sisters has offered my readers a 30% off discount on their site, good through March 31, 2011, using the code FIVEBUNNY.

This is a MamaBuzz Review.  Thanks to Twin Sisters Productions for providing this book to me for free for review.