Homemade Whole Wheat Pretzels

Friday the boys helped to make pretzels. We made them with fresh ground whole wheat flour. The boys enjoyed kneading the dough and sprinkling on the salt. We found out one of the boys has a knack for twisting the dough into the pretzel shape. We made some in letter shapes too.

Here are the boys with the pretzels just before we stuck them in the oven. After they were done baking they ate them for a snack.

Here is the recipe if you want to give them a try:

1 T. yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 t. honey
1 t. salt
1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
(you can use white flour too)
1 beaten egg
coarse salt

Dissolve yeast and honey in warm water. Mix in flour and salt. Knead for 5 minutes. Divide into eight pieces and shape as desired. Brush with egg and sprinkle with salt. Bake on cookie sheet at 450 for 10-15 minutes. (Other option: skip salt and put sugar & cinnamon on warm pretzels when they come out of the oven instead.)

Soup and Bread

We try to have a soup dinner once a week in the winter and a salad dinner once a week in the summer. My daugher likes creamy soups and this is one of her favorites. Everyone likes the biscuits! Served with a side salad this makes great weeknight meal.

Potato Chowder
2 T. oil
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 T. flour
1 t. salt
dash pepper
1 cup water
6 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup cheese, grated

Boil potatoes until tender. Mash half and leave half as cubes. Saute onion in oil until yellow. Blend in flour, salt, and pepper. Add water. Boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add mashed potatoes (approx. 1 cup), milk, cheese, and cubed potatoes. Do NOT return to boiling after adding milk. Heat through. Garnish if desired.

Cheesy Garlic Bicuits
(just like Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits!)
2 cups Baking Mix* (like Bisquick)
2/3 cup Milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Mix baking mix, milk and cheese until soft dough forms. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Mix margarine and garlic powder; drizzle over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet. Serve warm. Makes 10 to 12 biscuits.

[*To save money make your own baking mix. There are tons of recipes for homemade mixes online. Personally, I don't like Bisquick...I just use my regular biscuit recipe and add a bit more milk and then the cheese.]

Best Internet Finds

Just for fun I thought I'd share some of my favorite internet finds of 2009. Who knows, you mind find something you enjoy on this list as well...

The Pioneer Woman website is one of my best finds! Ree is hilarious, takes beautiful pictures, and shares awesome recipes.

Conversion Diary - the blog of a lifelong atheist turned Catholic. Very interesting. Be sure and check out her conversion story in the side bar as well as her most popular posts.

Amy's Humble Musings - the blog of a mom of many who tells it like it is. She has a little something for everyone. Her ever-changing "Also Worth Visiting" links in the sidebar are great.

Little House in the Suburbs - a shared blog. These gals live the "homestead" lifestyle right where they are...in the middle of the suburbs. A little more self-reliance is a good thing!

Everyday Food Storage - a great food blog, full of recipes made with items everyone should have in their pantry. If you have wheat kernels and a blender you should try her blender pancakes! They're delicious and a good way to get whole wheat into the kiddos!

JANE4girls $800 Annual Budget - a coupon/money saving blog. This gal had a grocery/household budget of $800 for 2009 (the WHOLE year!) and still has some money left! Makes me wish I lived in the land of double coupons! I hope she does it again this year!

Google Reader - Okay, I know what you're thinking...how do I have time to check all these blogs? I can check them all and MANY more in just a few minutes by using a reader. When you use a reader you can check all your favorite blogs at once from the same page. Google Reader is free and easy to use. If you read blogs and aren't already using a reader...put getting one on the top of your "to do" list.

Sitemeter - if you have a blog and want to keep track of your statistics, Sitemeter is a must have!

ScrapBlog - a free, online digital scrapbooking site...yet, so much more! You can make headers or blog elements. If you want a more "personalized" blog start here. It's addicting!

Delicious - an online bookmarking site that helps you keep all your internet finds organized. If you find a recipe, tip, article, or craft online you just add it and tag it so you can find it again easily. If you use Firefox (and you should be!) you can get Delicious built right in so it's super easy to use.

Paper Back Swap - get free books. I wish I would have joined PBS sooner! If you read and/or have books sitting around...PBS is for you! If you would like to join email me and I'll refer you and get a book credit!

My Points - earn gift cards for clicking emails (and shopping). I've made probably about $100 in gift cards this year clicking on My Points emails. I like to get CVS or Walgreens gift cards. With those gift cards (and a couple from prescription transfers) I haven't paid ANYTHING out of pocket at CVS since February 2008...and I've gotten a LOT of stuff. If you're interested in joining let me know and I'll refer you and earn a few extra points!

Pandora - internet radio. Listen to the music YOU like. Put in an artist or song and a "station" will be created for you. I really enjoyed this during the holidays last year; Christmas music with NO commercials.

Library Elf - If you check out books from the library, and your library doesn't offer a reminder, this a must have! Just register your library card number and Elf will let you know when your books are due. It's saved me many $$ in fines this year!

AllRecipes - online recipe book. Find recipes by recipe or ingredients. If you only have tuna and broccoli in the house (I hope that's not the case!) and are wondering what to make...put "tuna" and "broccoli" in the ingredient search and you'll get several recipe suggestions.

Seeing this list makes me wonder what's out there that I haven't discovered yet...

Gratituesday: Recipes on the Internet

Do you remember ten or fifteen years ago when you wanted a recipe you had to call someone who had it or dig through recipe books? One of the biggest blessings of the internet, in my opinion, is to pull up just about any recipe you need in about 2 seconds. I have had a tasty dish at a restaurant and googled for the recipe so I could make it at home. I have longed for a favorite childhood cookie (that was made by a neighbor I lost contact with years ago) then searched for and found the recipe online! It really is amazing if you think about it!

Then there are sites like AllRecipes that allow you to put in the ingredients you have (or don't have) and see what you can make! It's a frugal homemaker best friend!

Here are just a few of the recipes I searched for and have been glad to find this year:

• Bread from a favorite restaurant in our old home town and a video on how to make it!
• The cookies I loved as a kid!
• Red Robin's tasty strawberry lemonade!

If you want to make a new dish you can find the recipe and read reviews about it and sometimes even see a picture tutorial. I have to say this wealth of resources has made me a better cook and more courageous in the recipes I am willing to try! I even found a great way to keep track of all the recipes I find online... but that's another post!

Find more things to be grateful for at Gratituesday hosted by Heavenly Homemakers!

Jesse Tree

Christmas is just around the corner. If you are looking for a wonderful way to make Christmas meaningful I highly recommend a Jesse Tree. We did this for the first time two years ago and it was great!

You can start with Advent or you can just start on December 1st. Each day read a Bible verse and devotional then hang an ornament on a little tree. There are many websites out there to give you ideas and there is no "right" way. Each family does it a bit differently.

There are "kits" you can buy, but it is easy to just make your own. The ornaments can be printed on paper or if you get real creative you can buy items to hang as ornaments that are a bit more three dimensional (like a mini-globe, twine, etc.). I'm seriously considering making some salt dough ornaments with the kids for this years Jesse tree. The tree itself can be a branch that is secured in a pot or you can use a mini-Christmas tree. That is what we did last year and it worked well.

If you are interested, here are some links:
Jesse Tree Instructions, Devotions, and Printable Ornaments
Another Tree with Printable Ornaments
Yet Another Option