Easy Sourdough French Bread

For over 20 years I've been baking bread, I'm pretty good at it too. But I was never able to master sourdough. I don't really know why, but I couldn't do it. UNTIL my friend gave me this recipe...Try it and see for yourself.

Sourdough Starter :

1 Tbsp. yeast
1 cup warm water (between 115* and 125*)

1 cup flour
2 tbsp. sugar

NO METAL is to come in contact with the starter. In a large glass or ceramic  jar (2 quarts or larger is best to prevent dough spillage) dissolve yeast in warm water for about five minutes. Add flour and sugar, mix until everything is well combined. Place a coffee filter or double layer of cheesecloth over the mouth of the jar and secure it with a rubber band (if you're using a mason jar, you can use the neck band to secure it). You will notice over the next few hours the starter will rise, almost like Bread would, it's best to stand the jar in a bowl in case any rises out of the jar. After a few hours you will notice it will deflate, that's totally fine, it's suppose to. Keep the jar in warm area, out of the way spot. Everyday you need to stir the starter, you will notice the liquid separates from the starter, this is normal. Between 3 to 7 days you'll start noticing a strong sour smell once you put your nose up to it, at this point it's ready. No matter how much you use for a recipe, replenish it  with 1/2 cup warm water, 1/2 cup flour and 1 tbsp. of sugar. If you don't use any starter within a 10 day period of time, remove and throw away 1/2 cup of starter and replenish.


Sourdough French Bread
  2 loaves 

1 tbsp. of Yeast
1-1/2 cups warm water (between 115* and 125*)
1/2 cup Sourdough stater
2 tbsp. oil
2 tbsp. sugar (divided)
3 1/2 to 4 cups of all purpose flour ( I highly recommend that you 
                                                           DO NOT use bread flour)
1/2 to 1 cup flour for dusting 

Egg Wash:
 1 egg white
1 tbsp. Water


I highly suggest coating your hands with shortening every time you plan to touch the dough. At this time it's okay for the amount of starter you're using to come in contact with metal. Preheat the oven to 400*.  In a standing mixer, dissolve yeast and 1/2 tbsp. sugar in warm water, allow it to stand for 5 minutes. Add the starter, oil, 1 1/2 tbsp sugar and 3 cups of the flour. Mix on low speed until a soft ball forms, adding additional flour if needed. You'll noticed that the dough will be sticky to touch, it's best to handle with oil on your hands. Place in a greased bowl, turning the dough to get well coated. Cover, allow to rise in a warm area for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until doubled. After the  first rising you will notice the dough will be really spongy and sticky, place the dough back into the standing mixer. Add 1/2 cup of flour and mix on low until the dough comes back to soft ball, adding more flour if needed. Dust a work area with flour, working with half the dough at a time, roll dough into a 12" rope and place on a really well greased cookie sheet. I prefer a baking stone. Repeat with the second half of the dough. Allow the bread to rise for 30 minutes. Beat egg white and water together until well blended. Brush each loaf with the egg mixture and bake for 15 minutes. Brush the baked loaves again with the egg mixture and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until lightly brown


To make Sourdough Cheesy Garlic Bread

 8 tbsp. Soft butter (1 stick)
 3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp oregano
Cheese of your choice (I used mozzarella) 


Preheat oven to 400* . Allow the bread to cool. Mix the first 3 ingredients until smooth. Slice the bread right down the middle lengthwise and spread butter mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the butter is fully melted. Unwrap the bread, sprinkle your favorite cheese. Use the amount of cheese to your liking. Place back into the oven with both halves facing up for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese melted and there's a slight crunch to it.

Enjoy  :)


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Homemade Jellied Cranberry Sauce

 YUP......the holiday season is upon us. My favorite time of the year. It's that time when everyone is gathering veggies and fruit at farmers market and grocery stores, getting ready for our family and friend get togethers. When I was at my local farmers market, I came across 12 oz bags of whole cranberries on sale. I'm a cranberry freak so I had to pick up 2 bags. It wasn't until I got home when I realized I had no idea what I was going to make with them. Even thou I love my cranberry juice, it come to mind...homemade cranberry sauce !?!?!? So I googled it and with a little experimenting I came up with this recipe....

Jellied Cranberry Sauce
2- 12oz bags of cranberries
1 cup water
1/3 cup orange juice
2 cups sugar
1 envelope Knox unflavored gelatin

Rinse and sort  cranberries, remove any white or rotting berries. In a pot bring Cranberries and water to a boil over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes. You will start hearing berries making a popping sound about half way mark , cook long enough to ensure berries are fully cooked. At this point you will notice the liquid is starting to thicken. Once berries are done, remove from the heat and allow it to cool for a moment or 2 NO LONGER then that. Run the berries through a food mill to remove skins and most of the seeds. If you don't have a food mill, like myself,  run the berries and liquid in a blender until smooth or until all berries are  crushed, then place mixture thru a fine sieve. Using a wooden spoon, use pressure to help the sauce strain. You will notice a good amount of skin from the berries are left behind in the sieve, but some still gets thru. Personally I'm totally fine with that, it gives the cranberry sauce a unique texture, it's not gritty, but there's a texture. Place the sauce back into the pot.  Meanwhile mix gelatin and orange juice in a small bowl and set aside. Over medium heat add sugar to the sauce, once you see the beginning stages of boiling add the orange juice mixture and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. 

At this point you have two options with the cranberry sauce...home canning or jello mold. Home canning will produce about 2 pint jars


ENJOY !!!!


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Pick up a copy of my ebook   "Having A Very Merry Christmas on a Budget" for $1.99...available thru Kindle and Kindle apps 

Apple Cider Butter

Fall is a beautiful  time of the year. You have the beauty of changing colors of the trees, the sights, smells and tastes of everything apple and pumpkin. The other day, like I do every Autumn, I started to stock up on my  pumpkin puree. While doing that, it came to mind that I haven't made anything with apples for a long time. Considering I had apple cider and several pounds of apples, I looked around and  found and a terrific recipe for apple cider butter. Like I always do, I changed a few ingredients around and came up with this gem. Takes a little while to make, but the time is well worth it.

Apple Cider Butter   makes about 4 pints

6 lbs Apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 cups apple cider
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg


Add sliced apples and apple cider into a large saucepan. Simmer until apples are soft. Once soft, puree the mixture using a food processor, don't liquify, you want it somewhat chunky. Return the pureed apples to the large pot, add sugar and spices. Cook slow until thick, stirring frequently, thick enough to round up on a spoon. You know when you're getting to that point when the mixture bubbles it looks like little lava puddles. To test, place a spoonful of apple butter onto a small plate that was chilled in the freezer, if you see a ring of liquid around  the apple butter, it needs a little more time to thicken. Keep cooking, stirring and testing until it's thick enough

Ladle the hot butter into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust 2 piece caps and process for 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner.




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ENJOY 

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

Ever since I made my own homemade laundry detergent, and loved it,  I've been looking for new ways to make my own cleansers. Since I've seen so many recipes for homemade dishwasher detergents, I figured I'll give it a try. After trying a few of those recipes, I conjured up my own. My recipe is simple, it calls just for four simple ingredients. For those of you who make their own cleaners will have at least two of those ingredients on hand...Borax and Washing Soda (NOT baking soda). For those of you who don't have them, you'll find them in the laundry/cleaning aisle at your local grocery store. They usually sit around in the area of the powdered laundry soaps section.  The other two ingredients are salt and Citric Acid. For those who are not familiar with citric acid, it's used in home canning to replace lemon juice or vinegar in certain recipes. I buy my citric acid at a bulk store, if you don't see the citric acid in the spice aisle at your local grocery store, look in the home canning section at your grocery or hardware stores (whichever one has a larger selection). Yes you heard right, home canning supplies in a Hardware store. Twenty years ago when I started home canning, small mom and pop hardware stores was the ONLY place you found home canning supplies, now it's everywhere. I don't know about home depot, but I DO know Lowes carries a nice selection of home canning supplies ONLY during the summer time. True Value Hardware stores carry it year round. If you still can't find citric acid, I have a link on the right for you to buy it from Amazon. Enough of home canning and back to the Dishwasher Detergent.  It's real simple to do, the combination of the ingredients is as follows :

       Powdered Dishwasher Detergent 

           1 and 2/3 cups of Borax
           1 and 2/3 cups of washing soda
                3/4 cup of Salt
           2/3 cup of Citric Acid

                               



        Combine all the ingredients and store in a air tight container. To use, place 1/2 tbls in the prewash tray and 1 tbls. in regular wash tray. For those who have hard water I suggest using jetdry or vinegar in the rinse dispenser.  

                              
                                  

                                  ~~It's That Easy~~



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Make-Ahead Chicken Pot Pie

Like most people, there have been times when I made a meal that end with leftovers of some kind. Me being a cheapskate, I don't like to put anything to waste, especially meat. After any meal I'll take leftovers and store them in zip-lock bags in the freezer until I'll have enough to make another meal with them. Since my family doesn't like outright leftovers I tend to repurpose the food into a new dish so they're fooled into thinking it's not leftovers. Chicken pot pies is one of those dishes. I use leftover chicken and leftover fried potatoes from the morning meals, my family absolutely loves it. This recipe makes two pies, I'll use one of the pies for dinner on the day I make it and the other one I'll freeze for a lazy day where I can't be bothered to cook. Make sure you label the pies with the cooking instructions before you freeze them.


                                          Chicken Pot Pies 
                                                   2 pies

                                      2 cups of fried potatoes
                                      4 cups of cubed chicken
                                      1 (16oz) bag of mixed vegetables
                                      1 cup of butter (2 sticks)
                                      1/4 cup of diced onion
                                      1 cup flour
                                      2 cups of milk
                                      2 cups of chicken broth
                                     1 tsp of thyme
                                     1 tsp of basil
                                     1 tsp of oregano                                                                                       1 tsp of freshly ground pepper
                                      2 pie crust 

              In a large bowl mix together potatoes, chicken and vegetables and set aside. In a large sauce pan melt butter with the onions on medium low heat. Once the butter is melted, turn the heat  to low and whisk flour into the melted butter until no lumps are present. Slowly incorporate milk, broth, thyme, basil, oregano and black pepper into the flour mixture and continue to whisk until thickened. Pour milk mixture into the large bowl and mix with the potato mixture until fully incorporated. Divide the filling into two pie plates and cover with pie crust, don't forget to cut a small hole in the center of the crust for the steam to release. 

To cook a unfrozen pie:  

Place pie in a preheated oven at 425* and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling hot.


To cook a frozen pie:

DO NOT THAW. Place foil around the edge of the pie to prevent burning of the edges. Place the pie into a cold oven, and turn the heat to 425*.  Bake for 35 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350* and bake for an additional 75 minutes or until the crust is a golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

** For individual servings you can use custard cups and adjust your cooking times. Since I never made it like that, I'm unsure of the cooking times or how many it will make...BUT it can be done.




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Blueberry Ice Cream

Granted it's the middle of winter and if you live in the northeast then you know how bad it really is. But of course 1-1/2 feet of snow doesn't stop my family's sweet tooth for ice cram. I usually make my Homemade Strawberry Ice cream but unfortunately I ran out of frozen strawberries, BUT I did have frozen blueberries. Since I had to keep my promise for homemade ice cream I decided to use the blueberries. I changed around the recipe a little and came up with this yummy version. 


Blueberry Ice Cream 

1 and 1/2 cups of frozen Blueberries, partially thawed
2 egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tub (16 oz) of frozen whipped cream, thawed 


In a stand mixer,  whip together partially thawed blueberries, egg whites and sugar. Whip for about 20 minutes or until it resembles extremely fluffy whipped cream. Fold in the whip cream, DO NOT stir. Stirring will cause both the whipped cream and blueberry mixture to deflate, so fold together. Once fully combined place in plastic containers and freeze for at least 4 hours before you plan to serve.


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15 Activities For Children with Autism

Parents know how craft and activities is a big part of childhood, heck everyone loves crafts and having a bunch of fun. With autistic children certain crafts and activities can not only be fun but also help with learning and with sensory problem. I put together 15 great ideas to share with you today.

I Spy Alphabet Bottle

Alphabet bottle is not only fun to make, but keep your child focused. This will also help with recognizing the letters. Have them find a letter and imitate the sounds of each of those letters.

Homemade play dough

Hide toys within the play dough which will encourage to touch and it will hopefully help with the sensitivity. This project can also be a teaching tool with the child learning math and  measurements

Homemade finger paint  

Again most Autistic children have a sensitivity to certain textures. Even thou this is a messy project it's totally fun to do.









Squishy Bag

If finger pants are to messy for you, then this project is perfect for you. Another great way to teach the alphabet




Sensory table

This sensory stimulation is another device at home for sensitivity, most preschools have these just for that problem.

Matching game

match up the stick pair an place them side by side to complete each shape. This will help your child with learning about shapes

Bird feeder Ornaments


Great learning tool about Nature. Good for texture sensitivity

Smelling Station

Great guessing game and helps with fear of certain smells









Counting

Autistic Children needs hands on  learning,  Now a days in kindergarten one of the things they focus on is counting to 100, this project will help with counting and improving math skills.





Sensory shower play for kids
 I think the title says it all, do I need to say anything more? Shaving cream is wonderful for sensory, heck you can get them clean while you're at it.





100 Free Dr. Seuss themed printable, crafts, recipes, and activities

Now who doesn't love Dr. Seuss?   This provides great learning worksheets to support what your children are learning in school.








No sew t-shirt superhero capes
 One of the things autistic children need is help with imagination.These superhero capes will help. Fun to make and no sewing skills are required 







 Benefits of climbing trees

You can learn a lot through play









Storytelling with illustrations

Learn how to make story time fun. For a list of books aimed for Autism children go here, they list books by age.





Fat Brain Toys

For Birthdays and holidays consider shopping online at "Fat Brain Toys" They carry toys, games and tools for children and adults with special development needs







Thank you for stopping by, become a follower of my blog to keep updated with all my great ideas~ Carleen :)


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Sloppy Joe Casserole

Coming up new easy recipes that would please a family of picky eaters are always hard. Sloppy Joes has always been a family favorite, but it gets tiresome after awhile. So I looked around for recipes to spruce it up a little and wound up combining a few recipes to come up with this new family favorite.

                         

                               Sloppy Joe Casserole 
                                                                             serves 6


1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup red bell pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. prepared yellow mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
3 tsp. brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
 1 box of Corn Muffin mix (8.5 oz.)
1egg
1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese


Preheat oven to 350*. In a skillet brown ground beef, onion and bell pepper. Once meat is fully cooked, drain and return to the skillet. Over low heat mix the ground beef with garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, salt and pepper until the meat is well covered and sauce has thickened (about 2 or 3 minutes). Transfer the meat into a small casserole dish, preferably 8x8 dish. In a separate bowl mix together 1 box of corn muffin mix, egg, milk and cheese. Pour the corn muffin mixture over the ground beef evenly. bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the corn muffin top comes out clean. 

1 (8.5 oz) box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Read more at http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2013/07/cornbread-sloppy-joe-casserole-recipe.html#HGGvSVKc1QlUAyi8.99

Thanks for stopping by, Become a Fan and follow My blog for more fun ideas~ Thank you, Carleen

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1 (8.5 oz) box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Read more at http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2013/07/cornbread-sloppy-joe-casserole-recipe.html#HGGvSVKc1QlUAyi8.99

1 (8.5 oz) box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Read more at http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2013/07/cornbread-sloppy-joe-casserole-recipe.html#HGGvSVKc1QlUAyi8.99

Easy Maxi Skirt Pattern

I don't know about the rest of you but I love skirts, you can just throw them on and go. Since spring is not that far away (hopefully), I went and looked in my closet only to see that it's time for new skirts. So I whipped out my sewing machine and thumbed through my fabric stash and put together a pretty skirt that's perfect for spring. Since I know I'm not the only one who loves maxi skirts and since it was so simple to put together that I thought it was perfect to share.

 All you need is:
Fabric (yardage depends on waist measurements)
3/4 inch wide elastic
matching thread 

To find out the amount of fabric you need, measure your waist line and double it (if you measured 35 inches double it and get 70 inches). For the the length, figure out how long you want it to hang and add 2 inches (if you want it to be 28 inches measure and cut it to 30 inches). With these measurements you will have a large rectangle.







Fold the fabric in half, width ways, with the right sides together.  Before I sew the raw edges together, to prevent frying, I do what I call a rolled seam. I fold the raw edges a 1/4 inch in and then fold a second time 1/4 inch, pin, press, and stitch. This way the raw edges are tucked in and will prevent frying.





Stitch both sides together to form a side seam and press open. Pressing the seam open will help the fabric to lay flat against the body.














 For the hem I follow the same procedure that I used for the rolled seam.  I fold the raw edges a 1/4 inch in and then fold a second time 1/4 inch, pin,  press, and stitch. (like what is shown in the first photo)











For the waistband fold over 1 and 1/4 inches, tucking the 1/4 inch under (this will help to prevent frying), pin, press and stitch closed leaving a 2 to 3 inch opening so you can thread in your elastic.















For the elastic, take the measurement where you want the skirt to sit and minus 1/2 to 1 inch (depending on how snug you want it, but remember elastic is very stretchy). To thread the elastic I take yarn, knot on the one end and stitch onto the elastic. The other end of the yarn I thread it into the eye of a tapestry needle and tie it into a knot to prevent the yarn from slipping out of the needle. Thread the elastic through the opening of the waistband of the skirt, keep threading, bunching up the fabric as you go. Make sure you don't loose the one end of the elastic into the fabric when threading, if you want you can safety pin the elastic to the opening of the waistband. Once you fully thread the elastic through, stitch the two ends of elastic together. Before you stitch the elastic, make sure it's not twisted. Stitch the opening to the waistband closed.

There you go...you now have a maxi skirt




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