Big Sister Designs Blog - Homemade with Love

My favorite whole wheat bread

nospam@example.com (Maria K) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:54:53 -0500

Awhile ago I suggested making bread as a homemade gift. Both of my girls are sleeping so I thought I would share my favorite bread recipe. I got this recipe from a friend who grinds her own wheat into flour. She is the one who showed me how good homemade bread could be.

Whole Wheat Bread

2 packages active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

2 1/2 cups hot water

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 TBS salt

1/4 cup oil

4 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup wheat germ

3 cups unbleached white flour (regular flour is fine, it's what I used today, but I do think it's better with unbleached white flour)

1. Soften yeast in 1/4 cup warm water

2. Combine hot water, sugar, salt, and oil in another bowl

3. Cool to lukewarm (I skip this, by the time everything is mixed it's not that hot anyway)

4. Stir in whole wheat flour and wheat germ (ummm...mixer!)

5. Stir in yeast (mixer again!)

6. Add remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough

7. Knead until smooth and satiny (I prefer to knead by hand but I'm sure you could use your mixer here too)

8. Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 1/2 hours)

9. Punch dough down, divide into 2 portions, shaping each into a loaf

10. Place loaves in lightly greased pans and let rise until double (about 1 hour)

11. Bake about 35 minutes at 350 degrees

Remove bread from the pans to cool. It is done when tapping on the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow. This is a pretty hefty bread. My oven generally cooks things fast but this bread takes the whole 35 minutes so yours may take longer.

Enjoy!

Homemade with Love: amigurumi and knitted softies

nospam@example.com (Maria K) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 22:49:51 -0500

Hello again!Â I wanted to take a break from the kitchen this week and suggest a homemade gift that is just too adorable to ignore.Â And if you're like me, aÂ knitted or crochetedÂ gift willÂ need to be started now for it to be finished by Christmas.Â :)Â

AccordingÂ to Squidoo.com "Amigurumi is the Japanese art of crocheting small animals or toys."Â Being more of a knitter myself, I am including knitted softies in this post as well.Â

There are lots of patterns for sale on Etsy for amigurumi.

LuvlyGurumi'sShop

AmyGaines

You can also find free patterns on the web by searching for 'amigurumi'.Â One website that has lots is http://www.squidoo.com/crocheteddolls.

I can't remember how I found this pattern for Little Red Riding Hood dolls but probably a link from a link from a link, surfing the web kind of day.Â The knitÂ pattern includes Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf, and Grandma and uses scraps of DK weight yarn.Â

There are so many cute ones to choose from!Â Deciding which to make first may be the hardest part.Â

Homemade with Love: Spice Mixes and Flavored Oils

nospam@example.com (Maria K) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 22:40:27 -0500

An easy andÂ fun gift to make is a collection of different spice mixes, flavored oils, or even homemade ice cream toppings.Â I've been saving recipes for spice mixes to make and give my dad who loves to BBQ.Â Putting each one in a pretty tin or jar with a label saying what is recommended to useÂ it on is a simple and practical gift.

If you have some bigger glass bottles you can fill them with flavored oils and vinegars.Â I've seen directions for making rosemary, lemon and dill, basil and garlic, and many more oils.Â Different vinegars could be flavored with lavender, oregano rosemary and thyme, or tarragon and lemon.

If you wanted to put together some food related gift for my husband, ice cream toppings would do the trick!Â I've seen recipes for hot fudge and caramel toppings.Â A nice raspberry sauce would be great in this gift too!

A quick search on google will bring up countless recipes for any of these items but here is the one that started it all for me.Â

Quick and Easy Spice Rub (from the December 2007 issue of Cooking Light):

2 TBS brown sugar

2 TBS onion powder

2 TBS garlic powder

2 TBS paprika

3 TBS cumin

1 TBS coriander

2 TBS chili powder

1 TBS salt

Combine all ingredients.

Good for everything from fish, to tenderloin, to chicken rub about 1 TBS of mix on each cut of meat.Â Cover, and let stand in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.Â Mixture will keep for 6 months when stored in a cool, dark place.

Have you ever tried making anything like this?Â How didÂ it turn out?

Homemade with Love: Bread of the Month

nospam@example.com (Maria K) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 21:57:32 -0500

I'm keeping with my kitchen theme again this week.Â Have you ever made homemade bread?Â Not bread machine bread but real, kneaded by hand, bread?Â If you have then you know how special and absolutely delicious it it!Â And also how much time it takes.Â If you aren't up for makingÂ a loaf every month even just a one time gift of homemade bread would be appreciated.Â

Besides the fact that it is delicious, homemade bread also makes a great gift because it is "waste-free."Â I'm a big fan of waste-free holiday gifts.Â I hate the thought of all that wrapping paper and packaging going into the trash.Â And then all that new stuff to fill up your house?Â I am on a constant mission to keep toys and stuff in generalÂ from taking over my house.Â Bread is a practical giftÂ and once it has been eaten and enjoyed, is gone.Â No more cluttering up your counters or bookshelves.Â Very little packaging, and no wrapping paper required (at least after the initial loaf).Â

Bread isn't very difficult to make, just time consuming.Â After the mixing and kneading, it needs to rise, then be shaped and rise again before baking.Â Depending on your recipe the rise time will be from 45 minutes to 2 1/2 hours.Â Of course you can be doing other things during the rising but I find it best to stay home so I know I will be there when the dough is ready for the next step.Â

In addition to plain whiteÂ bread you can make french bread, hamburger buns, whole wheat bread, cinnamon rolls, andÂ the list goes on.Â Â Peter Reinhardt has some great cookbooks on bread baking.Â Nothing needs toÂ take fancy ingredients.Â French bread for example is only water, yeast, flour, and salt.Â Hamburger buns are the same recipe as bread but shaped different.Â You could make something different each month depending on how you feel.

Have you ever made bread before?Â What kind?Â I just tried a new whole wheat recipe this week and it is delicious!!Â I'm happy to share if anyone wants it.Â

Here are my girls enjoying some homemade bread.Â Everyone prefers it over store bought.

Homemade with Love #2: Cookbook

nospam@example.com (Maria K) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 09:38:30 -0500

This weeks homemade with love gift suggestion is a cookbook.Â Gather all your favorite recipes andÂ share them with someone you know who enjoys cooking.Â

There are lots of ways to make your own cookbook.Â You could gather all different kinds of recipes or choose a theme like kid friendly, desserts, or vegetarian.Â There are also different ways to combine your recipes.Â You could write (or print) them on recipe cards and put them all in a pretty box like this one from Cut the Cake Designs.

You could type all of your recipes, print them on some cute paper, and then either bind them or put them in a 3-ring notebook.Â Websites like cookbookpeople.com can print your book for you after you enter your recipes.Â

If you like to make scrapbooks, why not make a scrapbook of your recipes?Â I don't enjoy scrapbooking but think this would be awesome to receive.

Have you ever made a cookbook?Â Did you follow a theme?Â How did the recipient like it?