Bump

This is for you Jen! A picture of my belly! It doesn't look as big as I feel! 15 weeks and a ton more to go.

Bread Recipe

Hoped you all liked looking at the bread as much as I liked eating it! J/K I will give you the recipe so you can make it for your self.

Milk Bread
from Joy of Cooking

Combine in a large bowl of a heavy-duty mixer and let stand until yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes;
3 tablespoons warm water
1 package yeast(21/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
Add:
1 cup warm milk(105-115 degrees)milk
5 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
Mix by hand or on low speed for one minute. Gradually stir in:
2 cups all-purpose or bread flour
Gradually add until the dough is moist but not sticky:
1 to 2 cups all-purpose or bread flour
Kneed for about 10 minutes by hand or with the dough hook on low to medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic. transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and turn once to coat with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clean cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
This is where you decide what you want to do with the dough, you could roll them up into rolls, cinnamon bread, regular bread, whatever. for rolls I like to divide the dough in two balls, roll them into a 12 inch circle. Use a pizza cutter and cut it into 8-12 triangles(depends how big you like, we like big ones so I do 8) Roll up from the wide side to make crescent shape, place on cookie sheet to let rise until doubled about 40-60 minutes. Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
For the cinnamon bread roll the whole thing into an 8x18 inch rectangle brush with 2 tablespoons melted butter, sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon mixture and some raisins that you soak din hot water and then drained. Roll it up the short way and put into a well greased bread pan. Let rise another hour. Brush with a little egg wash(1 egg 1 teaspoon water, whisk it up) and sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar over the top and then bake 40-45 minutes or until the bottom sounds hollow when tapped with a knife.
And to make it even better you could brush it with some melted butter when it come out of the oven.
Bake all of these things at 375 degrees and you will have the best smelling house ever!

Look what I made!

Just a tease! I will post the recipe tomorrow.

Oh yea! Deep, Dark Brownies

This is an awesome recipe I found. The guy was on Martha awhile back. And I have been making them ever since.

Deep, Dark Brownies

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon best-quality cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

3/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder(you can leave out,it just intensifies the chocolate flavor)

5 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 light brown sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup(4 1/2 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips(optional)

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.

butter an 8-by-8-inch square baking pan. Line with parchment.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour,cocoa powder, and salt; set aside.

3. In a large, heavy- bottom ed sauce pan, combine butter, and espresso. Place over low heat ans stir until butter has melted. Add chocolate, and stir constantly until mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes. remove from heat, stir in both sugars until well combined.

4. Add eggs and vanilla and continue stirring until well incorporated and mixture no longer appears grainy. Sift flour mixture over batter, and stir until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips, if using.

5. Pour batter into prepared baking pan; smooth top with the back of a wooden spoon or spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, 23-25 minutes. Be sure not to over bake. Let cool completely on wire rack.

Recipe courtesy of Matt Lewis from Baked

More trip pictures

So cold this morning!

I have one that will pose all the time and the other one had an attitude for for pictures that I had to bribe him with candy, that's his fake smile!

Cute thing! She could swing all day!

My mom teaching Annalyse to crochet.

Justin and the kids n front of the T Rex's.

The kids were in love with all of the leaves.

Well I was at the dr. all day yesterday to find out why I keep spotting. Come to find out the placenta is right next to the cervix, so I have been told to take it easy and try not to do to much, yea right! With two kids and a house to run that's gong to be real hard! And I cant do a lot of running around like shopping! I guess I will be doing a lot of online shopping this year. But I love going to the stores at this time of year! Maybe I will save up and go once or twice. The baby boy who has no name yet is dong good his heart rate is good, moves a lot and is growing.

I think I will go make some bread and watch a movie.

Were Baaaack!

At the Dinosaur Museum

The coolest swing I have ever seen! The whole thing moves as they swing

Tible Fork Canyon

Hanging around at the park

Not the best family picture, we tried to take some nice ones at the temple but it was to darn cold! And man I look a little puffy!

Even in Utah cold and everything Z still was found without clothes on!

Playing around with Uncle Jeremy

We had such a great time in Utah, it was so relaxing and nice to visit everyone. I loved staying at my sisters for the whole week. We went into the mountains which were beautiful, we went to a dinosaur museum that the kids really in joyed and of coarse we had a great thanksgiving dinner.

Oh! And I had to go to the Hospital while there and found out we are having another boy. I really thought it was a girl and was getting excited, I haven't even thought of boy names! But I am happy about it now, I will have two little monsters running around destroying the house together! We have so many pictures I need to figure out how to do a slide show or something.

One downside was that it never snowed while we were there poor Annalyse wanted to see some so bad! They kept saying they were going to get some but never happened. And come to find out it ad snowed here in Texas! Not where we live, more north but still! It snowed here and not there!

When we got home it was cold here and all I can think about is baking things! So hopefully I will have some good stuff to post about this coming week.

Leave Him Alone

For 5 minutes and this is what he does to the sofa! And then he likes to jump off!

I know its the middle of November and he is still without clothes, its like 70 outside! and our windows have been open for the last month. I hope our electric bill is low!

If I don't post for a while we are getting ready to go to Utah Friday to spend Thanksgiving with my family. I can't wait were gong to stay with my sister, she hasn't seen the kids in two years(because of her health not that she didn't want to). So we are making the trek up there, this is the first time all, meaning me Justin and both kids are going up there. I will try to do a post or two while there, my sister is the one that got me into this blogging thing! Another plus is I don't have to make Thanksgiving dinner! Even though I like to it will be nice to have moms dinner that I grew up with.

Hope we get to see snow!

On another note Zander is so into the super hero's, superman, Spider man, Batman he calls them all man so I never know who he is talking about! He does put his hand up and runs around when he talks about superman so we know that one. He runs real fast to! the other day I got him some Spider man slippers for our trip and he wouldn't take them off for two days!

I think dad is more excited about him liking all of those guys then Z is, now he has someone that will watch all those shows with him.

He just helped him self into the freezer and got a Popsicle!

I need to post more about Annalyse, she is a school all day so I don't get has many pictures of her. She loves school and is doing great at reading and writing. She loves to write stories. She is a really easy going kid and fun to hang out with, we love to go shopping together.

If I don't get to posting, I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Tagged

Okay I was tagged a while ago and I finally have some time to do this.

Tagged by Kelly A.

Four jobs have had
1. News paper deliverer(not fun at 1am!)
2. Baker
3. Office Max(for like 3 mo.)
4. Nanny

Movies I could watch over and over
1. You've got mail
2. Sleepless in Seattle(I love Meg and Tom)
3. Shrek(what can I say? it was a great cartoon for adults!)
4. White Christmas

Places I've lived
1. California
2. Arizona
3. Maryland
4. NJ

Favorite TV shows
1. The office
2. Greys Anatomy
3. Bearfoot Contessa
4. This one could change all the time, right now I like Jon and Kate Plus 8

Places I've been
1. Utah
2. New York
3. Colorado
4. New Mexico

Favorite foods
1. Pasta
2. donuts
3. homemade bread
4. mashed potato's and gravy

Websites I visit daily
1. blogs
2. food network
3. Martha
4. Our online banking

Places I would rather be
1. Italy
2. Hawaii
3. My sisters(I will be in four days!!!)
4. Aspen

Blog buddies I want to tag
1. Fiona
2. Aislinn
3. My sis
4. Carlo( I don't have your blog yet!)

Apron

I am so proud of this little retro number, I made it for my mother in-laws birthday. It came out so cute I think I am going to have to make me one. It came from the Bend the Rules Sewing book by Amy Carol. This book is so awesome! It has gotten me wanting to sew.

Favorite Pasta

I love this pasta so I thought I would share.

Tomato and olive penne

1 pound penne pasta

1/4 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (if you don't have any just sprinkle some garlic powder in the pan)

2/3 pound cherry tomato's, halved

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional but really gives it flavor)

1/4 cup Kalamata olives, (get the pitted kind) and halve them

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese(fresh really is the best)

Cook the pasta and drain.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over med. heat. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring, until just golden, about one minute. Add the tomato's and crushed red pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring, until tomato juices run, about 3 minutes.

Add the penne, olives and cheese to the skillet and toss t combine. Serve with more cheese if desired.

For kids

If you're cooking for kids who don't like olives, toss the olives in for the adults after you've served the kids.

Art Bags

I just made these art bags for the kids to take on our trip to Utah in a few weeks. I saw them in a store and thought it was so cute but didn't want to pay $20 each for one so I thought I could try to make them. They came out pretty good you put the crayons (I like the destabilise) on one side and your little note book on the other side and it closes up with a little tab with Velcro and has cute little handles. Zander loves his I just have to hide them until its time to leave!

Sugar Cookies

This is my favorite sugar cookie recipe, they come out so soft and yummy and the best part is you don't have to refrigerate the dough.

Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 1/3 cups flour

3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Cream the butter, shortening and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, mix just until incorporated. Add the vanilla and then he dry ingredients. Mix until it all comes to gether. Turn out and roll to your desired thickness( I like thick soft ones so I roll to a 1/4 inch or so). Cut out with cookie cutters put them on your ungreased cookie sheet(I put parchment paper on my pans) Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until they get slightly golden on the edges. When you take the out you can let then set on the pan for a few minutes and they will continue to cook so you will have perfect centers.

My husband and I don't like icing on our so I just sprinkle sugar on ours and the kids haven't gotten to decorate the rest yet.

You can make some quick icing with just powdered sugar and milk until you get the consistence you want. If you make it a little thick you can pop it in the microwave for a few seconds and it will make it runny enough to dip them in.

Halloween Pictures

This was at our party

Halloween night, we have a big neighborhood party at one of the parks out here.

My cute Pooh Bear, he was a cowboy at the church party but lost his gun so this is all mom had!

Annalyse as a witch. She only changed her mind about 50 times before deciding what to be.

They are so cute!!!!!

Until they started fighting about candy later that night!!! We had a fun time. Hope everyone had a safe and fun time on Halloween. Now we have our years worth of candy (I wonder if that counts towards food storage?)