Twisted

On returning from a recent trip to Boston, Bryant told me about the complimentary breakfast offered by the hotel he'd been staying at.  He said it was a standard breakfast buffet except for one thing - the egg/cheese/bacon breakfast sandwiches were served on soft pretzels!! 

Obviously we had to try it.

I've made over a dozen different pretzels recipes in the last year or so and the one below is far and away the best.  I knew we were going to be out on Saturday afternoon, so I whipped up a batch on Friday evening.  When we got home from my Gram's birthday celebration on Saturday Bryant scrambled up some eggs and poured them into a large skillet in a thin layer.  As they cooked he "cut" them into portions with the edge of the spatula while I split the pretzels. 

We layered egg, cheese and bacon or ham onto each pretzel and let me tell you something - they were amazing!  Super filling, but ridiculously easy and delicious. 

Soft Pretzels or Pretzel Bites
Makes 8 pretzels or about 132 pretzel bites

1 1/2 C hot water
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp dry yeast (or, one packet)
3 Tbsp butter, melted
2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 1/2 to 5 C all purpose flour
A splash of vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray
3 quarts water
3/4 C baking soda
1 whole egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp cold water
Coarse sea salt or additional kosher salt

Combine water, sugar, yeast and slightly cooled butter in a large bowl and mix until well combined.  Let this mix sit for about 5 minutes or until the yeast is foamy.

Add the salt and flour and mix by hand until well combined.  If you're using a stand mixer, increase the speed and continue to knead (with the dough hook) until the dough pulls away from the edges of the bowl.  If you're mixing by hand, knead on a lightly floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. 

Oil a large bowl (or spray with nonstick cooking spray), add the dough and turn to coat it in oil.  Cover with a clean, damp hand towel and allow to rise in a warm area for about an hour or until dough has doubled in volume.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Put the water in a large pot and set it on to boil.  While it's heating up, get the pretzels ready. 

Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured work surface and knead it for just a moment or two before splitting it into 8 approximately even pieces.  Roll each piece into a  rope about 22 inches long (I put a tape measure out on the table and use that to gauge my ropes.  If you're making pretzel bites, cut each rope into 1 inch pieces.  If you're making pretzels, twist the dough into the appropriate shape.

A friend recently told me that she has a hard time getting her pretzels to maintain shape when she moves them to the water.  If the dough is coated in flour, it won't stick to itself.  If you're having this problem, put a bit of cold water in a bowl and use your fingers to drip a tiny bit on the spots you want the dough to stick to itself.  Press the pieces together and let them sit for a few minutes before boiling.  The water will help the dough stick to itself and maintain shape.

When all your pretzels are rolled or your bites are cut, check on that pot of water.  If it's up to a good, rolling boil, slowly add the baking soda.  The soda/water will bubble quite violently, so I recommend you don't add the soda all at once - sprinkle it on slowly. 

If you're making pretzels, boil them one or two at a time for one full minute.  If you're making pretzel bites, throw a bunch into the water (carefully) and boil them for about 30 seconds.  Either way, remove them to a greased cookie sheet and just let them sit while you boil the rest of them. 

When all your pretzels or bites have been boiled, use a pastry brush to paint some of the beaten egg onto each one, then sprinkle with salt.  Or, after the egg wash, sprinkle on cinnamon sugar for a sweet pretzel treat.

Make sure they don't touch each other on the pan, then bake for 15 - 18 minutes for pretzels and 10 - 12 for pretzel bites.

Serve warm or room temperature with condiment or toppings of choice.  Bryant likes French's mustard, I prefer a whole grain mustard or cheese sauce. 

I think these should last a few days at room temperature, but 24 hours is the longest they've ever lasted in this house and they only lasted that long because we were sleeping or out of the house for most of that time...

Nettled

I'm easily irritated. 

It's true. 

For the most part I'm relatively easy-going and it doesn't last long, but it's amazing how often I feel a little spark of annoyance or petty anger over silly things.

Things like...

Wet counters - seriously, how hard is it to wipe up the water you just spilled?  Whether it's sticky or just plain wet, damp counters just drive me up the wall. 

Misleading recipes - I'm willing to accept that because I'm doubling most recipes I'll have to increase cooking time (sauce for 4 people will reduce a lot faster than sauce for 8 people).  However, I hate recipes that say they only have 15 minutes of cooking time, but when you add up the directed times it's more like 25 - that's a huge increase when you're talking about twice as much food/time.  Either get it right, or simply don't list an estimated time. 

Lack of chocolate - I think this one is pretty self-explanatory.

Medical professionals who think they know it all - I understand that the extra years of schooling probably mean that they know more than I do in general, but that doesn't mean they know my body better than I do.  As a big, fat for instance: the delivery room nurse who refused to believe I needed to push because they'd checked me 20 minutes ago and I was only dilated to six.  This wasn't my first rodeo, it was my fourth delivery and all of them were very quick once they got started.  I knew exactly what I needed (there's no mistaking that feeling), but she was convinced that I just needed to relax, I was getting ahead of myself and it was all in my head.  If I hadn't been so angry, I probably would have laughed at the look on her face as she ran out into the hallway and grabbed, literally, the first doctor she saw. 

Rosalie's eyebrows - In the first two Twilight movies, Rosalie Hale (played by Nikki Reed), had obviously lightened hair.  She had that darker roots, lighter tips look that is so popular and it looked reasonably good on her.  She was pretty.

In the third Twilight movie, Eclipse, her hair is completely bleach blonde, but her eyebrows are reminiscent of Eugene Levy!  Why, David Slade, why?? 

If you've read the books, you know that Rosalie is supposed to be this amazingly gorgeous woman, absolutely perfect, physically. And in the first two movies, she was quite pretty. 

But when I watch Eclipse, all I can see are her eyebrows. 

Misspelled product signs - I actually find it completely unacceptable to have a handwritten sign in a grocery store misspelled.  If you have the product right in front of you, there is no excuse for spelling it wrong.  When I worked at Walmart, an assistant manager was putting out a display of cereal and had misspelled "Honeycomb" to "Honeycome."  I pointed it out and he said, "Oh well, no one cares how it's spelled."  It took every bit of willpower I had not to scream at him that people did care, he was just an idiot.  When he went to lunch, I took  his sign down and replaced it with one of my own, correctly spelled. 

So there's a brief list of things that have irritated me lately.  What's bugging you? 

Current Events

There's nothing really special going on here today and I thought it was time for another update, so here you go...

Knitting:  Mandie and Caleb's afghan is moving along, although slower than I'd like.  As of last night, it was 14 inches long and is starting to feel like I might actually finish it someday.  It makes my hands hurt to knit for too long, so I've been breaking it up into several small knitting sessions instead of one long one each day.  Seems to be working so far!
I've pretty much put my sock knitting on hold, so no update on the Mockery socks.  Sock #1 is still at the heel turning.

Pookie asked me this morning to knit him some fingerless mitts like the ones I made for Midge last year.  He knew exactly what he wanted - black with rainbow stripes, a little tighter than Midge's, but just as long.  He was so disappointed when I told him they'd have to wait! 

School:  The Boy is doing very well with American School (correspondence high school) and has an average grade of about 95%.  He's completed a couple of courses, including Essential Math.  He just sent in his final for that class and he was at 99% before, so I expect he'll finish the class in the high 90s.

*proud Mom face*

The other kids are doing very well, too.  Scooter is nearly ready to start high school and we'll very likely enroll her at American School, too.  I thought about reusing The Boy's books and just designing my own exams, but one of the big benefits of American School is the diploma.  If we reuse the books, she'll get a good education, but not a diploma.  She can still take the GED, but it's not quite the same thing, you know?

Pibb will be starting fifth grade very soon - probably in the next six weeks.  We're just slogging through the last of the 4th grade book and making sure he understands some of the math concepts before we push on to the next level. 

A project I'm really excited about is history timeline binders.  Each kid gets a three ring binder, with divider tabs for different time periods.  Inside each divider we'll make a timeline and then do pages with more information about the individual entries.  We're going to start them this coming week, so look for more details in a future post.

Midge is still struggling with reading, but I took him in yesterday for an eye exam and now I think I know why it's been so hard for him.  The doctor said that he can see clearly, but its hard for him, so he's putting so much effort into just seeing the letters that he doesn't have enough focus left to really be learning the sounds.  I ordered him some reading glasses and I'm looking forward to seeing just how much better he does with them.  

Bryant's job:  He's been at his current job for about six months and it's going really well.  He's traveling a lot, taking classes and teaching classes.  In fact, I suspect he's working on the slides for his class this afternoon right now!

*proud wife face*

Household:  Have you seen the movie The Money Pit with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long?  Yeah, that's kinda how it feels lately...

A few weeks ago, our heater died.  The estimate to replace it was far more than we could afford at the time, but between scrimping together what we could and a personal loan from a great couple, we were able to order a replacement last week.  It was installed a few days ago and while the new system is significantly smaller than the old one, it is far more efficient and should do a much better job.

Almost immediately after the heater crapped out the kitchen ceiling started to leak like crazy.  The roof over the kitchen/garage join has been problematic pretty much from the beginning of time and it's really just given up the ghost now.  So we're going to rebuild the roof in that spot, then put in some flashing and new shingles.  Plus, we'll insulate the atticway to help avoid the ice dam problem. 

However, the roof leaking has damaged the kitchen ceiling enough that it needs to be replaced.  But, the people who installed the ceiling didn't seem to know what they were doing, so replacing the ceiling means replacing the walls, which means replacing the kitchen cabinets, countertop, etc... 

Late in the summer we'll be gutting the kitchen and replacing pretty much everything but the floor.  Oh, and we're keeping out fridge and stove as they are both pretty new. 

As much as I hate having to spend so much money, I'll be happy to have a kitchen that is a little more up to date and that I can choose colors, materials, etc... 

Oh, and our current kitchen has almost no electrical outlets, so we'll remedy that, too!

Craftiness:  I'm currently planning three parties (one in April, one in May, one in September) and I'm loving it!  I've been whipping up sample invitations, party favors and decorations like crazy.  I'm tempted to post all my projects here, but then when it's time for the parties, there won't be any surprise left!  So I think I'll hold off on posting too many projects, at least for right now. 

I will say this, though - I went to Michael's yesterday and bought a pad of 180 sheets of scrapbook paper and I had to force myself to sit down and work on school stuff instead of just playing with it all morning!

What have you been up to lately?

Magic Box

I love scrapbook paper, but I don't scrapbook.  I have done it and I have some supplies, but I never really got into it.  But, oh, the papers!  There is such a variety of colors, textures and sizes available that I could be entertained for days with nothing more than stacks of paper, a pair of sharp scissors and a pencil.

Fancy box - Not so fancy from this view...

This is what I made last night.  Yeah, I know it doesn't look like much right now, but I am super proud of it for two reasons.  1)  I've never made a paper box before.  2)  Looks can be deceiving.  This isn't just a plain old box...



When you take the lid off, this is what you'd see.

The coolness factor increases a little here.  It's becoming clear that it's not really just a plain boring box...  And then it opens up!



Fancy box!!

 Each of those boxes is attached to the outside of the box, but not attached to any other box.  Seriously simple for such a great presentation!  I could easily see these boxes filled with candies, jewelry (like a necklace, bracelet, earrings set - fourth box filled with chocolates, because really, what goes better with jewelry than chocolate?), cookies, even Matchbox cars. 

I opted for a Valentine's color scheme, but in my head I've already put together about a hundred different color options.  Plus, each box can be decorated with stickers, stamps, bits of lace, ribbon or whatever suits your theme.

If you want to make your own, here is the tutorial I used.  If you follow the link, you'll see several other color/decorating ideas.  She also uses different papers to achieve different looks.  I used heavy scrapbook paper (not cardstock) and it worked beautifully. 

When I showed this to Bryant, he asked me what I planned to do with them.  And you know, I have no idea.  They feel too special to give to just anybody - like they should only go to people to appreciate handmade items and the time and effort involved in making something like this. 

My Internet connection keeps dropping out, so I'm going to post this now, while I still can.  : )

Dressed Up Cupcakes

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you probably know that two things I love to do are bake and craft.  Today, I combined them. 

Perhaps you've seen the ridiculously expensive cupcake wrappers for sale all over the Internet or in a specialty store.  If you're not sure what I'm talking about, click here to see some examples. 

Now, some of those are laser cut and might be a bit fancier than mine, but at $13 for a dozen, I need them to be more than just pretty - they need to be able to get up and make the cupcakes themselves!

On the other hand, from a 12 X 12 sheet of scrapbook paper that cost me $ .59, I was able to get six of these pretty little wrappers...

Obviously I used several different sheets of paper for these.

For this one, I even went a little crazy and used some fancy blade scissors!

And, because Bryant loves graph paper...

I used the template here, but found it was a bit too tall for my cupcakes (you might notice that some of them look like they're sinking down into the wrapper).  After I made a few of them, I trimmed the template down by about 1/4 inch and they fit much more nicely.  However, I think that's very much a matter of personal taste and may need to be adjusted if the cupcakes are particularly tall. 

I think some cute shaped punches would add a nice touch, particularly if they were for a special occasion.  For a lazy Friday though, all the fancy we needed was sprinkles, artfully applied by my decorating crew - Pookie, Midge and Scooter!

For Safe Keeping...

While I was making dinner last night, Pookie fell and hit his head pretty hard on a door frame.  He had a nice sized goose egg, but was otherwise fine.  Since it was a pretty hard hit and he's so very little still, I decided I should wake him up a time or two in the night, just to make sure he was okay. 

I tucked him into bed about 8:30 and when I was ready for bed at 11, I popped into his room to check on him.  The first thing I noticed was that even though it was chilly, he was laying on his back, spread eagle, completely uncovered.  He'd gone to bed in a shirt and unders, and his unders were a little...fuller...than they normally are. 

I woke him up and after determining that he knew his name and age, I asked him what was going on with his unders.  He said he didn't remember (as he was falling back asleep).  He rolled up onto his side and from the back of his unders I saw an ear.  Yup, a stuffed bunny ear. 

He had put Stuffy (a six inch tall, very floppy bunny), Stuffy's Uncle (a five inch tall stuffed bunny) and Stuffy's blanket (a knit dishcloth that he absconded with as soon as it was off my needles) into his underwear before falling asleep.

This morning I asked him if he remembered why he'd done it.  His response was, "I put them there to keep them safe.  I didn't want monsters or zombies to steal them while I was sleeping." 

I love four year old logic.

Stir Fry Sauce

Last night I made stir fry for dinner and I was about halfway through getting my mise en place when I realized I didn't have any stir fry sauce.  After a brief consultation with Cap'n Google, I had a recipe in hand and was ready to go!

Have I mentioned that I love to make things that most people think they have to buy?  I really do.  I'll never buy stir-fry sauce again.  Not only was this recipe super simple to throw together, but the recipe source states that it'll keep up to three weeks in the fridge.  I made a full batch last night, used half of it and stuck the rest in a well-cleaned pickle jar (it has to be something with a tight fitting lid) in the fridge. 

I was a little leery at first.  We have been using the same brand of sauce for years and I was concerned that this might not be as good, but my fears were unfounded.  Turns out this recipe was exactly what I wanted - quick, simple, easily tweaked and delicious!  The sauce was a little bit bland, but see my notes below for reasons and fixes.


Basic Stir Fry Sauce
1/2 C cornstarch
1/4 C brown sugar
1 Tbsp fresh minced ginger root
2 lg cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 C soy sauce
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
2 C chicken, beef or vegetable broth
1/2 C dry sherry (optional)
1/2 C water

Combine the first five ingredients in a large container with a tight fighting lid.  Add soy sauce and vinegar, then shake to fully blend.  Pour in the broth, sherry and water.  Shake well again and store in the fridge up to three weeks.   The recipe says this can be frozen, although I haven't tried that yet. 

And, just so you know, the cornstarch will separate out of the sauce and form a solid brick on the bottom of the jar while it's in the fridge.  That's why you need a tight fitting lid - you'll have to give it a very good shake to mix it all back in. 

This made about three cups of sauce and for us, about 1 1/2 C was enough.  Obviously how much you use will depend on how many people you're feeding and how saucy you like your stir-fry. 

My notes:
I used ground ginger because I didn't have any fresh ginger on hand.  I suspect fresh ginger would have given it a bit more kick, which would have been great. 
I also used just a small shake of red pepper flakes because I didn't have any ground pepper on hand.  I actually prefer the flakes, so I'll keep using them, just maybe add in a bit more next time.
I left out the sherry, although I might consider adding a splash of red wine next time, just to give it a little more oomph. 

I can't wait to try this sauce with some crisp-tender blanched green beans, too!  Maybe throw in a little red onion and some cashews... YUM!

Possessive

This is another poem I wrote a while ago, but my recent inability to sleep has brought it back to the forefront of my mind.  Enjoy.



A Bit on the Possessive Side
 These days Insomnia
has become my swirling
intoxicating lady-friend

She’s a bit on the possessive side
and insists on spending every night
after dragging me out
to parties with Idle Thoughts,
her old friend from school

We sit and watch TV
but I can’t hear a damn thing
with her constant prattle –
“Rye bread mold causes insanity?”
“That Brazilian girl was cute.”
“I’d love to visit Easter Island!”

She’s quite addictive
but I need to find a way
to let her down gently.

Cupcakes don't hang!

Sorry for the bloggy silence lately - I've been in a bit of a funk.  Between the heater going out and a few minor issues, I just haven't had much creative voice or desire to do anything beyond the daily necessities. 

However, yesterday I was kicking around online, looking for a particular tutorial I saw eons ago, when I saw this...

I can't imagine seeing this and not getting excited!

Cupcakes hanging from the ceiling?  Oh, the genius!  Here is a link to the whole post and more images.  

I haven't quite convinced Bryant of my need to build this yet, but I'm working on it, so stay tuned...