Happy Birthday Shout Out

Today is Birthday Number Three

for Grand Number 11

Happy Birthday "Lead Guitar"

Love You So!

Marketing

It is interesting to me how we can be drawn in by the marketing ploys of advertisers.  If they say it is good for us, it must be.  If they say I will lose "x" amount of weight; I'm sure I will.  If they say my hair will be shiner; I'm sure it will.  The list goes on and on.  So who do you believe?  Sometimes they make it so confusing, because sometimes they don't even know what their product will do.  Case in point.  I buy baking soda and keep a box in my fridge to keep it smelling fresh; because they tell me it will do that.  See.

They are even kind enough to tell me that for best results I should change out the box, every 3 months and provide me with a little spot to write in the date when I need to replace it.  These people are so helpful that way.  But wait.  It is time to replace the box, so I buy a new box.

Hello, what happened to 3 months, now you are telling me to change it out every 30 days.  Really people.  What we weren't buying your soda fast enough.  So what the next time I buy a new box are you going to tell me I need to change it weekly.  Seriously people, who are you trying to kid.

So I did some homework on the soda subject and this is what I found out:

First, a bit of background on the stuff. Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, is about four times stronger that baking powder and is used in recipes with an acidic ingredient like sour cream, buttermilk, and chocolate. Baking soda neutralizes the acids in the recipe and gives you a tender crumb, along with some leavening. This is why, you should whisk your dry ingredients together so that your baking soda is evenly distributed throughout, or you can end up with large holes.

Generally, baking soda does have an indefinite shelf live, but it does lose it's effectiveness over time. A way to check that is to mix 1/4 tsp baking soda with 2 tsp of vinegar, and see if it bubbles immediately. If it does, you are good to go!

The best way to store your baking soda is in a sealed container. An open box on the shelf allows it to absorb all the lovely odors around it, which might not be what you want.  So if you are using it in your refrigerator and you have a peculiarly smelly refrigerator you may need to change out the box more frequently or just toss out the smelly stuff.  Either way I think I will stick with the 3 month plan.  It has always worked for me in the past!  

Bread

After running driving up to the store Saturday and purchasing my missing ingredient (lemon juice) I finally made this new bread recipe.  It is wonderful.  So easy.  So quick.  So tasty.  So perfect.  I used half white flour and half wheat flour.  You could use all wheat if you like.

Bread

2 1/2 c. warm water

3 c. flour

1/3 c. wheat gluten

1 T. yeast

Mix and let sit for 10 minutes.

Add:

1/3 c. oil

1 T. salt

1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 T. lemon juice

3 c. flour

Knead for 10 minutes. Form into 2 loaves. Put into 200 oven for 35 minutes. Don’t open oven but increase heat to 350 for 25 minutes. Turn out of pans to cool.

Doesn't it just make your mouth water!

Light of the World

 Matthew 5: 14-16 – Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Bones

This morning when I received my 6:00 a.m. wake up call courtesy of Kala I thought I would start the day out by making a new bread recipe D1 shared with me.  Sadly I was missing an ingredient so I decided I would make bones instead.  Dog bones.  I've had this recipe for ages and finally tried it.  The girls loved them.  And they were so easy and cheap to make.

Rolls out so easy

Ready for the oven

Hot out of the oven

Can I try one?

Enjoy!

Cleo’s Pumpkin Dog Biscuits
2 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons dry milk
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 1/2 cups brown rice flour *
1 teaspoon dried parsley (optional)
Preheat oven to 350.
In large bowl, whisk together eggs and pumpkin to smooth. Stir in dry milk, sea salt, and dried parsley (if using, optional). Add brown rice flour gradually, combining with spatula or hands to form a stiff, dry dough. Turn out onto lightly floured surface (can use the brown rice flour) and if dough is still rough, briefly knead and press to combine. Reminds me of pie dough.
Roll dough between 1/4 – 1/2″ – depending on your dog’s chew preferences, ask first – and use biscuit or other shape cutter to punch shapes, gathering and re-rolling scraps as you go. Place shapes on cookie sheet, no greasing or paper necessary. If desired, press fork pattern on biscuits before baking, a quick up-and-down movement with fork, lightly pressing down halfway through dough. Bake 20 minutes**. Remove from oven and carefully turn biscuits over, then bake additional 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely on rack before feeding to dog.
* Brown rice flour gives the biscuits crunch and promotes better dog digestion. Many dogs have touchy stomachs or allergies, and do not, like many people I know, tolerate wheat.
**Cooking time will vary with the thickness of the biscuits. My girls like crunchy so I rolling mine out about 1/4", so my cooking time was 15 minutes on one side and about 10 on the other.  You want the biscuit to be cooked through.