Fall is Upon Us

I know I'm not ready for Fall to be here. I know the choices are not there and it's here regarless of whether I want it or not. Summer always seems to fly by so fast...too fast for my liking. This year was no exception. We didn't have much heat this year. I think the temperature made it up to 92*F the day we went to see the Elk herd, but that was it. Temperatures didn't climb to that point again. It got up to 88*F a few more times, but honestly nothing else. We've had a very wet, very cool summer this year.

With Fall being upon us, baking season has begun. Everything from quickbreads, to cookies, rolls and yeast breads are coming out of my oven. It's working overtime for me and I'm so blessed to have it. We're using up our stock of white flour slowly, but honestly if we hadn't had the stock, we probably would not have been able to pear down the food budget like we have. Yes, I use white flour. I know I need to use more wheat flour, but I believe I've made it to a point were if I used more wheat flour in my baking, my husband may not like it all that much. I've adjusted recipes and I believe I've attained the point at which his comfort zone is most likely to enjoy the higher fiber without compromising his taste.

Here is an example~ I love baking banana bread. When bananas get a little too brown, we toss them in the freezer for use in breads. I have taken my basic Betty Crocker banana bread recipe and looked at the white flour usage in it. I split the amount of white flour in to a little bit of oatmeal, mostly whole wheat flour and just enough white flour to keep things "ok" and not too heavy. I'll post it below to show you what I mean.

Banana Bread

1 Cup Sugar

5 1/3 TBSP [unsalted]butter, softened (No substitutions)

2 eggs

1 ½ cups or 3 Bananas

1/3 Cup Water

2/3 Cup All Purpose Flour

¼ Cup Oatmeal (Quick Oats)

¾ Cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

½ tsp Salt

¼ tsp baking powder

½ cup chopped nuts

Heat oven to 350* F. Spray loaf pan with non stick canola oil spray. Cream sugar and butter together. Stir in eggs until blended. Add bananas & water; beat 30 seconds. Stir in remaining ingredients expect nuts just until moistened; stir in nuts. Pour into pans or muffin tins. Bake until wooden pick inserted comes out clean, loaf pans 45-75 minutes, muffins 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan.

Apple Sauce Bread

Use above recipe, but add 1 1/8 tsp cinnamon and 1 1/2 cups apple sauce.

Originally the recipe called for 1 2/3 cups of white flour. I split the 1 cup up between the oatmeal and whole wheat flour to give the recipe more fiber and B vitamins.

I recently made Pumpkin Bread too. I didn't have to do much at all to it because it already had whole wheat flour in it.

Pumpkin Bread

1 ½ Cups Wheat Flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp cloves

½ tsp nutmeg

1 Cup Pumpkin (I used pumpkin I processed myself)

¾ Cup Honey

2 egg whites

2 TBSP Apple Sauce or Apple Juice (I used juice)

1 TBSP Canola Oil

1 TBSP Vanilla

Mix dry ingredients in one bowl. Mix wet ingredients in another bowl. Then mix everything together until just moistened with a wire whisk. Bake 1 hour @ 350*F.

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1C. vegetable oil
2 C. sugar
2C. shredded zucchini

Mix above together.

Add:

1 t. salt
3C. flour
1 t. baking soda
3 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. baking powder
3 t. vanilla
1 C. milk

Mix thoroughly. Pour into 2 loaf pans and bake at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hrs.

Yield: 2 loaves

Very moist and delicious!

Of course, none of this would be complete without my Honey Whole Wheat Bread recipe. This is the recipe that I have the most fun with.

Earlier this week, I made one loaf of Whole Wheat Italian Herb bread in the bread machine. While that was going, I made my Honey Whole Wheat bread. By far, this is the most versatile bread recipe I've tried to date.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

6 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

1 Cup Honey

½ Cup Coconut Oil (or Shortening)

1 ½ TBSP Salt

4 TBSP Yeast

6-8 Cups All-Purpose Flour

4 ½ Cups Warm Water (120-130*F)

Using DOUGH HOOK-Mix Whole Wheat Flour, honey, coconut oil (or shortening), salt & yeast in Bosche Mixer; Add warm water. Beat on low speed scraping bowl frequently. Add All-Purpose Flour one cup at a time, mixing between additions. Allow Boshe Mixer to knead dough for 10 minutes on high speed. Dough should be soft to the touch, but not stick to your finger when touched.

If it is still sticky, turn dough out on counter and knead in flour ½ cup at a time until desired consistency is achieved.

Spray Large metal bowl and place dough in it and turn dough around inside the bowl to coat the dough with the spray. Turn dough over and repeat. Place in warm oven (one that has been preheated to 200*F and turned off, but kept shut) for 1 hour to rise. Keep covered with a clean damp dishtowel.

After 1 hour, punch dough down. Knead about 10 times. For hamburger buns, weigh out 3 ounces of dough on the scale. Roll in to balls, place on baking stone or cookie sheet and flatten. Allow to rise until double in size. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown at 350*F.

For hot dog buns, weigh out 4 ounces of dough on the scale. Roll in to “snakes” about 6 to 8 inches long. Place “snakes” close together, but not touching. Allow to rise until double in size. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown at 350*F.

For bread loaves, spray loaf pans and place dough measured in to 4 equal parts in to loaf pan. Allow to rise until doubled in size. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until golden brown at 350*F.

For dinner rolls, weigh 2 ounces of dough and place in muffin tin. Cut decorative top in to dough just barely in to the top in the form of an X. Allow to rise until double in size. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Well, it's time to go tend to my portion of the pizza the children are making for dinner. Enjoy!

Demolition and Organization

Demolition and Organization

To Be or Not to Be....

I have considered whether it's easier to post a blog post here, then copy and paste it to my xanga blog or vise versa. By far, for me, it is much easier to post things on xanga, then just update here for everyone to just hop on over.

I've opened my blog over there to completely public, except for posting comments. You'll need an account to respond to my blog posts.

I'm also on facebook, so please feel free to click on the little facebook thingie to the left.

For now, here is my most recent post on xanga.

Blessings,
Regina

Summer Bike Ride 2

We stopped for a little bathroom break, but DD found the bathroom behind us locked just for the cabin use. Fortunately we had just a little ride down the road to a playground where the bathrooms were open. :0)

We stopped to take in the sights. We couldn't belive how many inner tubes and canoes there were suddenly.

See what I mean?! This was so precious and fun to watch this dog and his owner.

Summer Bike Ride

Last Wednesday, my wonderful DH decided to borrow our friend's trailer, load up the bikes and go for a bike ride along the Clarion River. Here are a few pictures I took along the way. What an absolutely beautiful day it was complete with lovely and wonderful family to enjoy it with. :0)

If you look very closely, there are canooes and inner tubes along the river. This was such a beautiful day that others decided to take advantage of it too.

I thought this was absolutely breathtaking. What a blessing from the Lord!

Here is the Mountain Laurel peeking out from behind the Hemlock tree. It's beautiful!

My boys decided to use their drills and get to work getting the rust off an old wrought iron table my Dear IL's gave us before they moved to Florida. They worked and worked on it.

They needed to get the rust spots off so that we could repaint it in white. My wonderful hubby repainted the chairs already and they look fabulous!



There is a slight problem with the table, however. There are a couple metal pieces rusted together. He's been soaking them in oil spray (WD40 or something else) every couple days to see if it will soak in and come apart eventually. We'll see what happens. :)









I just love seeing them work together.

I thought I would include a pic of my dear husband "chasing" the boys up a tree when we were passing the time before meeting some friends from NM. Doesn't it look like they're having such fun?! We call this "Tree Climbing 101". LOL One time my MIL called and asked what the kids were up to. I told her about our newest class called "Tree Climbing 101" and I think she was shocked and didn't know what to say. I guess it's a good way to label a PE activity, huh?! LOL

Have a blessed day!

Regina

*Sigh* Prophetic Cartoon from 50 years ago

Prophetic Cartoon from 50 years ago

VBS Preparation

For VBS this year we were looking for something with the theme going along with a forest. Last year we found some neat stuff on the Amazon jungle and things like that, but the publishers do not keep the same things from one year to the next. I wasn't able to get things at the deep discounted price from last Fall. Instead, I found Wildwood Forest~Discover the Untamed Nature of God. The scriptures are fabulous, the songs are wonderful and everything else just fits in to place. I'm still struggling trying to find volunteers with everyone's work schedules. It's so disheartening. I'm hoping that this Sunday will bring many more. We're offering nursery services for VBS workers with some wonderful loving people in the nursery to help.

I've been meditating upon this verse~

"How hast thou helped him that is without power! How hast thou saved the arm that hath no strength! "(Job 26:2)

and this verse~

"The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. "(Psalms 28:7)

and this verse~

"Lord, all my desire is before thee; And my groaning is not hid from thee. My heart throbbeth, my strength faileth me: As for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me. My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague; And my kinsmen stand afar off." (Psalms 38:9-11)

and this verse~

"Yet I will rejoice in Jehovah, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Jehovah, the Lord, is my strength; And he maketh my feet like hinds' feet, And will make me to walk upon my high places." (Habakkuk 3:18-19)

and this verse~

"Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might."(Ephesians 6:10)

3:16

This morning in my prayers and devotions, I was impressed to study the 3:16's of the entire Bible. I'd like to share them with you now. If you will notice, not all the books of the Bible have a 3:16. The ones listed below are from the KJVR. These have intrigued me and spurred me on to study those scriptures around them, before and after as well. I hope they uplift you as they've done so to me.

3:16

Gen 3:16
(16) Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Exo 3:16
(16) Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:

Lev 3:16
(16) And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savour: all the fat is the LORD'S.

Num 3:16
(16) And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded.

Deu 3:16
(16) And unto the Reubenites and unto the Gadites I gave from Gilead even unto the river Arnon half the valley, and the border even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon;

Jos 3:16
(16) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.

Jdg 3:16
(16) But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh.

Rth 3:16
(16) And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her.

1Sa 3:16
(16) Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I.

2Sa 3:16
(16) And her husband went with her along weeping behind her to Bahurim. Then said Abner unto him, Go, return. And he returned.

1Ki 3:16
(16) Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.

2Ki 3:16
(16) And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches.

1Ch 3:16
(16) And the sons of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son.

2Ch 3:16
(16) And he made chains, as in the oracle, and put them on the heads of the pillars; and made an hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.

Neh 3:16
(16) After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of the half part of Bethzur, unto the place over against the sepulchres of David, and to the pool that was made, and unto the house of the mighty.

Job 3:16
(16) Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.

Pro 3:16
(16) Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.

Ecc 3:16
(16) And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.

Isa 3:16
(16) Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:

Jer 3:16
(16) And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.

Lam 3:16
(16) He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.


Eze 3:16
(16) And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Dan 3:16
(16) Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

Joe 3:16
(16) The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

Nah 3:16
(16) Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away.

Hab 3:16
(16) When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops.

Zep 3:16
(16) In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.

Mal 3:16
(16) Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

Mat 3:16
(16) And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

Mar 3:16
(16) And Simon he surnamed Peter;

Luk 3:16
(16) John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:

Joh 3:16
(16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.


Act 3:16
(16) And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

Rom 3:16
(16) Destruction and misery are in their ways:

1Co 3:16
(16) Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

2Co 3:16
(16) Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.

Gal 3:16
(16) Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Eph 3:16
(16) That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

Php 3:16
(16) Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

Col 3:16
(16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

2Th 3:16
(16) Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.

1Ti 3:16
(16) And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

2Ti 3:16
(16) All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Heb 3:16
(16) For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.


Jas 3:16
(16) For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

1Pe 3:16
(16) Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

2Pe 3:16
(16) As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

1Jn 3:16
(16) Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Rev 3:16
(16) So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

A Not So Fishy Story...Part 3

We didn't catch anything. We had a lovely time though, looking at critters of all kinds. We had never seen this type of water bug that had me so entranced. They were almost as big around as a penny gliding easily on top of the water. Amazing!

They're the black specks. It's amazing!
Needless to say, it was a morable trip...just a few minutes down the road from us. What a blessing!

God Bless!