I am not Jewish, but this recipe was just too good not to share with y'all! I don't know much about the traditional bread except that it is an enriched dough (meaning it has eggs in it) and is usually breaded. My Recipe comes from Leah. Her first Challa video shows the actual bread recipe. She has three others showing different shaping methods which can be found on YouTube. And the recipe can be found here.
I used mostly fresh ground flour for this recipe and it turned out wonderful. This is definitely a must try recipe!
We cut the recipe in half and made a large braided loaf with 12 large rolls. Here are some pictures of our Challa.
I hope and pray that each and everyone of you had a blessed Christmas. Today I was fortunate enough to have my family around with good food and presents. I would like to cap off the day by sharing one of our candy(ish) recipes.
Toffee Bars!
36 saltine crackers
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Lay the crackers down in a single sheet. melt the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla over medium heat. Boil for 3 minutes then pour over the crackers, spreading evenly. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the chocolate and let stand until melted. Then spread the melted chocolate over the entire pan. Cool in the refrigerator or at room temperature until the chocolate has set. Store at room temperature. Watch these disappear!
Less than TWO days before Christmas. WHAT??? Guess I need to finish my shopping! ; ) But for all of those who are in the baking spirit, here are some recipes from years past plus a new (old) one.
*NEW*
Peppermint bark:
2 packages of vanilla almond bark
1 bag of peppermints, crushed
I'm telling you, this recipe is as easy as melting chocolate and sprinkling peppermints over it. Really, that's it! Melt the almond bark in a microwave or over a double boiler. Spread evenly over a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Sprinkle the crushed peppermints over the top. Cool at room temperature then break into pieces. So easy yet so delicious!
December is here, the school year is winding down to a close, and I am SO ready to get out of here. Don't get me wrong. I actually enjoy learning and getting away from home, but its hard when you only have a few days left and Christmas right around the corner. Yes, I am home sick. And on top of being home sick I also have a cold. It rained almost all day yesterday. And the fire alarm went off at almost midnight last night (only during finals week). I am ready to put this semester behind me and get started celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Is that too hard to ask?
But this semester hasn't been too bad. Its hard to imagine that this time last year I was finishing up my first college semester. I have almost completed 51 credit hours! Where has the time gone? It seems like I start complaining to myself and then realize that time has passed me by. And so here I am again. Wanting to go home.
But isn't that how life is? There are always the fun and pleasant things along with the boring, mundane, and even unpleasant events. But all of it works together for God's perfect plan. Plain and simple. So take time today and enjoy the beauty of God's plan. whether you are struggling (like I think I am) or whether everything is going swell. And when you are in those dark times, look back at how far you have come to get to this spot. Like if the power goes out; think of the things that you have that got you to this time. The power couldn't have gone off without you first having a roof over your head and electricity to supply it with energy.
Its the little things that help me get through the day. I couldn't be sitting here complaining in my dorm room without already completing almost another full semester, and I couldn't pay for college without my job. And even though I am sick, I shouldn't be out socializing. I should be studying for pete's sake! (Or, you know, writing a blog post...)
So enjoy this day that you have been given. No matter how rainy or sunny, cold or hot, beautiful or yucky it may be, It is all for His purpose.
And
we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those
who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 Fly with Christ! Rachel : )
Friday was Eleanor's 12th birthday! Man am I getting OLD! But for her birthday, I told her that she could pick out a recipe and we would make it together. I had never done this before. But to my surprise, she was supper excited to make something with me. (Typically I'm in the kitchen making something and ask her if she wants to join me, to which she quickly and bluntly answers no. But not today!) She picked a super awesome recipe from Christy Jordan at Southern Plate. Easiest Red Velvet Cookies: foundHERE
We had so much fun making these. You should try them for your next birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentines day, or any other event.
Hello everyone! I hope that y'all are having a good day!
Its cold here. Almost lunch time and it isn't even above 40 degrees yet. Its been cloudy and gray most of the morning. And windy. There has been a constant, strong north wind. But I love days like this because it makes me appreciate seasons. Think about it for a second. When its cold, we want it to warm up. When its raining, we want it to dry up. When its hot, we want it to cool down. When its dry, we want it to rain. We never seem to be satisfied with what we are given. So next time you start to complain (and I am talking to myself here too) just look for something positive in your situation. If its cold, be thankful that it might snow. If its hot, be thankful that your garden will grow. If its raining, be thankful that you're not having a drought.
Its the little things like this that help me through the day. Speaking of little things, I have three recipes that I found yesterday to share with y'all. I am still at school so I haven't been able to test them out , but they look soooooo good! I hope to try them shortly and you should too! Let me know how they turn out in the comment section below. : )
Since I am at school, and have no way to cook for myself, I bring you a recipe from Jaclyn at Cooking Classy (it can be found here). It is called Pear, Pomegranate and Spinach Salad and it looks AMAZING! Please try it out and let me know how it is.
We only had 2 days for fall break. Welcome to college...
Officially fall break was from October 11-14. From Saturday to Tuesday.
In my opinion, Saturdays and Sundays shouldn't count for "breaks." And we should get a whole week off instead of 2 days. That is my opinion, but nobody asked me.
On to the recipe:
Over fall break I made HOMEMADE CROISSANTS! I was so proud of myself. There are a lot of recipes out on the internet, so choosing one was difficult. But I ended up making the one from this video:
I felt like he explained the process very well. And here are my croissants. I hope you make some for yourself! If you do make them, tell me how they turned out. Did you follow the recipe exactly? Or do you have your own croissant recipe? If you do, I love getting new recipes! (especially old family recipes!!!) Please share in the comments below. : )
I even put some white chocolate in the leftover dough. It tasted SO good!
Oh, how many times my mom has said "Go do something." Usually this meant schoolwork, as I was never lacking in the crafting department. Ever since I was little, I have been inclined to do things with my hands. I was, and still to today, always building, creating, and inventing things. That is how God designed me.
But lately I have been yearning to do something more with my life. I have been going through the motions of this christian life; not doing anything significant for the kingdom of God. I wake up, eat, go to class, dance, go to Focus (our college church worship service) and then go back to sleep. I try to avoid people, especially new people. Many would classify me as an introvert. I would use this as an excuse not to talk to people. I wouldn't even talk to my roommate. I was in a spiritual rut. I would look at all the bad things happening in town and around the world and wounder when God would make things better.
But God is helping me dig my way out. He is showing me that if I want change, I must do something about it. He is giving me strength to speak more. I am starting to talk to my roommate. I am trying to listen for his direction for my life: school work, family, friends, missions. life...
This post is not supposed to be a "Look at me! Look what I did!" type of message. Please hear me out. God wants to do AMAZING THINGS through each of our lives! He uses us to spread the good news of salvation to the world. We are to be his hands and feet. He wants us to stop our plans, which are so unimportant, and follow his plans which are SO much higher and better and on top of that PERFECT compared to anything we could ever imagine!
Where do I fit into his plans? This is what I asked God.
He is first showing me that speaking to people isn't going to be the end of the world. (*GASP!!!*) It might even mean NEW LIFE to someone! Imagine being the one to tell of God's grace to a suffering, corrupted world! Having the grace of God and not sharing it with others is like having a candle at night but covering it up. How will anyone else be able to see? Those around you will continue to stumble while you sit comfortably and enjoy the light. This is of no help to anyone! We must take our light and spread it with others! This starts a chain reaction and soon everybody could have access to the light.
While I was driving around this afternoon, I heard this song on the radio and started to cry. It expressed everything that I was feeling. It is "Do Something" by Matthew West.
I leave you with this: I don't know everything that He has planned for me. I don't even know what will happen tomorrow; no one does. But I do know that God has everything in his perfect control. All I have to do is let go and let God to his work. I just need to be open to whatever he has planned, whether that be talking to a roommate or traveling to the other side of the world. He has created all of us for a specific purpose and we need to stop, listen to him, and do something!
Hello everyone! I hope and pray that all is well with you. I come to bring some musical encouragement for the day(or night if you live on the other side of the world). This is one of my favorite christian songs right now. It is "Multiplied" from NEEDTOBREATHE. Enjoy and remember to trust God because his plan is perfect!
My words are few and far between. I rarely get to the point. Lets just say that writing really isn't my favorite thing in the world. But I come here today to encourage everyone to follow what God's plan is for your life.
About my 9th grade year I started thinking about colleges, majors, and future careers. I had (semi)decided that I wanted to do something in the nutrition field. This decision only made sense because my favorite things to read were nutrition books, I loved to cook, and I wanted to help others become healthy. You could say that I was created (by an omniscient God) this way. When I was little, my mom would call me the "water police" because I wanted to make sure that she was drinking enough during her 4th pregnancy. As I got older, I would tell other kids that they were going to get sick drinking sodas on hot days and would suggest water.
God designed me this way. I eventually picked a college and began classes last fall. After a week of school, I helped with a Chrysalis weekend on the kitchen team. Yet while I was serving the girls, I asked God why I was really there. Yes, I had a very selfish moment. I wanted to go home, or go back to school or something else for the rest of the weekend. Then God reminded me of His plan. The kitchen leader put me in charge of the special diets (gluten-free, vegetarian, etc.) because no one else knew what to do. I had regained my purpose and finished off the weekend with joy.
As the weeks went on I began struggling with Chemistry and it was looking bleak, or at least it seemed that way. I had yet again lost sight of my purpose. And again God said that this was just a little road bump in my path. I have since finished Chem 1 and 2. I haven't finished my schooling, and I am far from done but I am telling part of my story to show others that we all have our own struggles.
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Persevering must finish its work that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4
James isn't telling us that we might face some troubles. He is saying that we will face troubles; it is just part of the most perfect plan: God's plan. God wants to see us grow, develop, and blossom into His children.
Today was the first day of classes. It was also one of the hottest days of the summer. After walking all around campus trying to locate my classes for the week, I was soaked. There is some good news about today: Monday Night Swing. My school has a swing dance group that teaches every Monday night. I love swing dancing. It makes me feel like I have traveled back to the 1940's. I think that is the homeschooled-history buff in me. Plus it is an awesome way to make new friends {which is good for us unsocialized homeschoolers ;) } And on top of that, IT IS FREE! {and that is good for ANY college student!}
Well... I have to run off to another class. Enjoy this beautiful day that God has given us!!
Here it is! The sourdough recipe! Finally!
(You can find the sourdough starter recipe here)
Sourdough Bread:
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp. salt
1 cup starter
1 1/2 cup warm water
6 cup flour
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Transfer to a larger and greased bowl; turn over to coat. Cover tightly with foil and let rise overnight. (do not refrigerate) In the morning, punch down and knead a little. Divide in 2, knead 8 to 10 times, then place into grease loaf pans and let rise about 5 hours. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes.
No one really knows what a blessing homegrown food is. In the society of supermarkets and fast food chains, sometimes we forget the simple pleasures of growing your own food. God is truly blessing our garden this summer. He has given us squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and lots of basil. There is nothing like a sun ripened tomato or that first pot of green beans! I am salivating at the thought... I just wonder is how people look at all of God's creation and still don't believe in His existence! His beauty and grandeur are present in ALL of creation.
.JPG)
.jpg)
