Artisan Bread Recipe

I posted a picture of some Artisan Bread that I made a while ago. I was asked for the recipe, so here it is. . . I got the recipe from my sister, who has a book called something like; "Artisan Bread In Five Minutes a Day". If you want a more detailed recipe, purchase the book. :)

Okay, so here is my basic version:

3C. Water, luke warm

1 ½ T. yeast

1 ½ T. Kosher or lg. grain salt (table salt, use 1 T.)

6 ½ C. Unbleached white flour

corn meal (to set bread on to rise)

Mix yeast, salt, & water in large container (with lid). Add flour, and mix.

Let rise on counter for about 2 hours—till dough rises, then falls (or at least flattens). While dough is rising rest the lid on top of the container, do not snap lid on.

Place in fridge, let rest 5-6 hours (or over night).

The dough will last about two weeks in the fridge. When ready to bake a loaf, take about ¼ of the dough and form a loaf with a light dusting of flour on the outside. You do not need to knead this bread. You can if you feel you must, but you don't need to. (I am adding some dried tomatoes and fresh Rosemary to a couple of loaves--this is my favorite way to consume this bread).
Once your loaves are formed, place them on a mobile flat surface lined or covered with a generous layer of cornmeal. Let dough rest about 40 minutes. 20 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit with a baking stone placed on center rack. Put an empty broiler tray on the bottom shelf while it preheats. Before placing bread in oven to bake, dust the top with flour then slice it with a knife. Slide bread onto stone then add 1 C. water to broiler pan. Bake for 30 minutes.
When the bread is done, it should look about like this. I made two loaves with tomatoes to show you the importance of keeping the dried tomatoes and herbs inside of the loaf. If you sprinkle them on the outside, they become ash-like. If some are exposed when you slice open the loaf, they are generally still okay and even yummy.
If you fold the tomato mixture into the loaf, instead of kneading it in, this is what your bread slices will look like. . . Yummy!
It took me a few days to find the time to sit down and finish this post, so I hope you enjoy this recipe! It is an easy and great way to add a fresh loaf of bread to any meal.

Our first meeting at the Community Garden

Well, we had our first community garden meeting today. I think everything went well.
My dad tilled up the whole half acre lot for us. It was awesome! He also gave both my boys a long tractor ride. (My camera was put away by then.)
My kids also got a few wheelbarrow rides from one of their grandmas. Yes, I know, my children are very spoiled. They are just really cute and really easy to love. There is no hope for grandparents.
After taking all the pictures a volunteer stopped me to snap a picture with my sis. Isn't she wonderful. (Both my sister and the thoughtful volunteer. Now I can remember this experience.)
If you want to see a picture of our final work, check out the garden website.

Our Trailor

We recently purchased a little toy hauler/camping trailor. My husband had been looking for a little toy hauler(a camp trailer that opens in back to load in four-wheelers or other toys you drive) for quite a long time. He finally found the little 18 foot trailer that we bought. He traveled to Northern Utah without me to look at it, and if he liked it, he had my permission to buy it. Yep, he fell in love and brought it home. The only problem was . . . one of the seats had a big hole in it. When my husband saw it he just thought "Oh, my wife can fix that!" Well, I must confess I felt a little overwhelmed when I looked at the inside of the trailer the first night he brought it home. It was a filthy mess and very well worn out. (That must be why we got such a great deal.) The above picture is one of the window boxes. I would have posted a picture of the seats, but I had them covered before I thought to take a before and after picture. Anyway, this is the fabric we were dealing with. . . stuff that is fairly easily worn out, due to it's large threaded construction. . . .
This is what the window boxes looked like when I was done with them. Upholstery fabric can get pricey really fast. I found the striped fabric on clearance for about 3$ a yard! The best part is the tuqouise stripes match the little bits of color on the walls in our trailer. That is why I chose this to begin with. :)
The seats consist of two large benches that fold up where you put a four-wheeler. They have a wide bench to sit on, and a narrow part for your back to rest on. I sewed striped covers for the wide sitting part, and the upper back rests, I used the coordinating paisley print.
We took our little trailer on its "maiden voyage" over the weekend, and I LOVE how the seats and window boxes turned out. It was a little bit of a headache to coordinate everything on a tight budget, but it all worked out. We are very delighted with our latest financial investment, and our boys LOVE it too!

My Darling Hubbie!

I decided a few weeks ago that Valentine's Day would be a great day to post about the fabulous man that I am blessed to call my husband. Today ended up being a big day for our little family of four. My husband has been in the bishopric for about a year and a half, and he was released today. I have been sitting here, trying to type the rest of this story for a while, and I just can't seem to find the words. Yes, my sweetheart is still worthy to be in the bishopric . . . the Lord just needed him somewhere else more. I forgot to post his new calling. . . . He is the New Young Men President! He is sad to leave the bishopric because he loves the men he worked with, but he is also excited to get to work more closely with the young men. I am so thankful to be married to such a wonderful man. I feel that Heavenly Father created and saved my husband just for me! He completes me. He always knows what to say when I am at a loss for words. He always knows when it is time to take a step back and look at the bigger picture, or when to pause and relax for a short time. He is cool, calm, and collected when I am frazzled. He can stop, laugh, and lighten the mood when I am upset. He almost always knows just the right time to tease me, or when not to. He brings me strength when I feel weak, and helps me relax when I am uptight. I always feel safe when he is with me. He is compassionate, thoughtful, generous, honest, fun-loving, and the most wonderful outdoors man I had ever dreamed of marrying. On this Valentine's Day I have been smiling inside all day, because I have the most wonderful Valentine in the whole world, created especially for me.

Cucumbers-->Pickles!

Two weeks ago I had the chance to get a 50 lb. case of pickling cucumbers from a produce co-op I am involved with. So...I made pickles! The cukes were cheap, so I decided to get a case and try out a few recipes. This way I know what I and/or my family like for future gardening endeavors.
The first recipe I made was a Sweet Relish recipe I got from one of my friends. I have never really eaten relish on, well, anything. This relish is really yummy! I am glad I now have ten pint jars of it, and my friend has her three year supply too! :)

The second recipe I tried was Cucumber Chips. They are another sweet pickle, and I thought they turned out nicely. I even julienne sliced them, so they are not only tasty, but pretty too! I am not sure if every chip is crispy...but they have a good flavor. In the future I am going to have to hunt down some Calcium Chloride to ensure that every slice is crispy.

The third recipe I am trying is a Deli Dill Pickle recipe from my sister's "Ball Complete Book of Home Canning" recipe book. I don't have a picture of them yet because they must sit for another week or two to brine on my counter top. So far they smell good! Hopefully they bottle well too when the time comes.
I had enough cucumbers to do one more batch of something, but I ended up giving them away so I could start on another project which I will have to post about soon. (Reupholstering some seats in a little toy hauler/trailer we bought).

Boys and Weapons

During my bottling endeavors my one year old made a weapon. I am learning that boys can make a weapon out of nearly anything they put their hands on. This is my blender tamper and my bottling funnel.

He was pretty excited to finally have a weapon to fight off his big brother with!