Homemade Amish White Bread

Super yummy bread and super easy to make!

Ingredients

1 (.25 oz) package active dry yeast
1/2 cup plus 2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 heaping tablespoon lard
1 tablespoon salt
7 to 8 cups white flour (You can substitute some of the white flour with wheat flour if you like. Taste just as yummy.)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in ½ cup warm water. In a large bowl combine lard, sugar, salt and two cups of warm water. Add the yeast. Stir in enough flour to make a soft, elastic dough that doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl.

Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Divide the dough into two equal pieces and form into loaves. Place the loaves into two lightly greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Cover the loaves with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.

Bake about 45 minutes. The bread will sound hollow when it is done.

The recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks:

For Sale By Owner

Last Saturday I came across the blog Remodelaholic a great blog about, you guessed it, remodeling! Full of DYI projects and inspiration. One of the best parts of the blog (for me) is that every Saturday they host a "For Sale By Owner" blog party. I'm sure there are others out there but this is the first blog party I have found that allows you to showcase your business website, Etsy shop, etc. So, if you make or sell something, stop by today and link it up HERE! I've also found some really neat Etsy shops!

Almost Friday..it's break time!

Our weeks are full so when Friday comes around I try really hard to just be home. I take Grace to school, then Jilian hang out at home all day. Part of the treat is taking a quick break to find some new blogs! This Friday I'll be hanging out at these great blogs:

The YUMMIEST Peanut Butter Cookies EVER!

Warning! These cookies are SO delicious you will not be able to eat just one! The night I made these I had FOUR, ouch!!

Ingredients
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup dried cranberries

Directions
Heat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, sugars, eggs, baking soda and salt until smooth. Fold in the oats and cranberries.
Shape the dough into balls (about 1 heaping tablespoon each) and place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Using the tines of a fork, flatten each ball, creating a crisscross pattern (you are suppose to do this but I was lazy!).

Bake, until puffed and golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Credits: I found this recipe in the December 2011 issue of Real Simple Magazine

Laundry Room Clean Up...

My laundry often becomes the "drop zone" for random items! This morning when starting a load of laundry I finally felt motivated to clean up the poor laundry room, probably because the SUN is shining! :-)

Before

A bag of hand-me-down clothes (thanks Kelly), Christmas items that need to be packed a way, a new bottle of bleach, clothes to be washed, items that need to be donated...dust...

The utility sink...needs a washing...paint brushes that have been drying for...ah...a couple months!

After

Oh..SO much better! This pictures brings me peace! :-) The basket on the dryer does belong there, a catch-all basket for dirty kitchen towels, random dirty socks found throughout the house...

Freshly dusted windowsill

Cleaned utility sink...and I put the paint brushes away!

Clean work space...the vintage bread tin holds my wash rags, tucked inside the large white tin are my supplies for making laundry soap, the small white tin holds the laundry soap, the vintage cracker tin serves as a trash can and the small bowl (I made years ago when I took a pottery class) catches all the random things I find in pockets.

Before

A VERY overloaded "junk" drawer

After

Much better, half the stuff could be tossed or didn't even belong there!

My next step...KEEP IT THIS WAY!!

My beautiful Ballerinas

Grace





Jilian