I'm still around!

Hi! Jennifer, I'm still here! Sorry I haven't blogged for awhile. You can always tell when I've got a lot on my mind because I won't blog anything for awhile. I guess you could say we're exploring the idea of relocating out of state. We leave for Oregon tomorrow after Nephi runs his 40 miler. Nephi is interested in a CHT (certified hand therapist) job in Bend/Redmond area. He has a pretty serious interview on Monday. We are all going to check out the area, look at housing, interview, and find out if this is the direction our life is taking us. I am a little stressed out about it. My family gives me pep talks on an almost daily basis which has helped a lot. I have to say that this whole thing feels kind of right, and at the same time I want to roll into a ball on the floor and just say that we're staying here forever. I'm pretty sure I can get over the whole rolling into a ball thing. :) Anyhow, Nephi hasn't even been offered the job yet so I'm prematurely stressing out. I just have a pretty good feeling they'll want him. So we'll see how it goes. If it's a go, the stress will continue so you probably won't hear much from me but I will be sure to post as soon as we know what anything either way.

I did it!

I ground my own wheat and made my own bread! I have tried more than once before and failed so this was a triumph for me. I made 4 large loaves, 4 mini loaves, and a pan of cinnamon rolls. It was awesome! I was totally stressed out the whole time actually because I was so scared it would be a failure. If I couldn't get it right this time I would've felt hopeless. Aunt Suzanne, these turned out just like your bread. I am so happy and relieved that I've finally kicked the brick of bread curse. (I took a picture but I couldn't get it to upload)

Whole wheat bread recipe

Okay, Melinda: Here's the bread recipe. It is a big batch...you may need to halve it for a kitchenaid. ? A couple of notes the teacher told us. Your dough should be tacky NOT sticky. Once you've added all the flour. Put it away. You should use oil on the counter when you knead it. NOT flour.
This recipe that makes 6 loaves of bread calls for 2 TBSP of dough conditioner so if your using another recipe adjust it as needed. You can add it to any dough recipe even if it isn't called for.
Also Melinda, at the class he used the same batch of dough to make a bunch of little loaves, a large pizza, and a big batch of cinnamon rolls. So all you need is good dough and you can bake to your hearts contents (and stomachs cravings!) The cinnamon rolls made with the wheat dough were really good. I never thought they tasted "off" at all.


100% Whole Wheat Bread

5-6 cups hot tap water (hot to the touch; not hot enough to burn finger)
2/3 cup oil
2/3 cup honey
2 tbsp. Kitchen Specialties dough enhancer
2 tbsp. instant yeast ( we recommend SAF yeast)
2 tbsp. Salt
2 tbsp. vital wheat gluten
12-16 cups freshly milled whole wheat flour

Pour warm water into Bosch mixing bowl. Add approximately 6 cups flour on top of liquid. Then add dough enhancer, oil, honey, yeast, and gluten. Use the (M) momentary switch to mix well.

Add approximately 5 additional cups flour, and salt. Turn to speed 2. Continue adding flour � cup at a time until the dough pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl. Continue kneading on speed 2 for another 5-6 minutes. NOTICE!!! If using a kitchenaid take out dough and knead by hand for an ADDITIONAL 6 minutes.

Oil or grease hands and counter. Divide dough into equal portions and shape into loaves. Put into well greased pans. Let rise until double in size. Bake 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on top. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack. Top of loaves can be brushed with water or butter for shiny appearance. Dough can be used for pizza crust or cinnamon rolls
The Preparedness Store � 208/ 524.8300 � info@thepreparednessstore.com

My educational Saturday

I went to a free class today at the Emergency supply store here in town this morning. It was a class about wheat bread. IT WAS AWESOME!!! The owner of the store has a kitchen set up cooking show style with an angled mirror above so you can see everything. I went thinking it may be real boring, you know like Enrichment or something :), but it was the most informative class I've ever been to regarding wheat. We watched the entire process of him grinding wheat into flour and turning it into all kinds of things. And we ate everything at the end!!! He made homemade wheat breat of course, cinnamon rolls, whole wheat pancakes, and pizza! I was in CARB HEAVEN!!! He made the pizza with pepperoni flavored textured vegetable protein. It sounds gross I know. I have never added any of that "fake" meat to my food storage. But I am SOLD. It was DELICIOUS! Everybody loved the pizza. It seriously tasted like real pepperoni. He simmered it on the stove with water for it to reconstitute and then used it as a topping. I realized that it would be great to add to any tomato based meal like spaghetti. At 13.00 per #10 can I couldn't pass it up.
I learned so much at the class that I can't regurgitate it all right now but here's some interesting points that stand out:

Wheat is a whole food. You could pretty much live off it. It is full of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc. That's why it's so vital to have enough in your food storage.

Once ground, wheat oxidizes and loses 70-90% of its nutrients within 3 days. So that whole wheat flour you can buy at the store is pointless. Kept cold, it stays good just a little longer. You really have to grind it fresh and use it quickly to reap the nutritional benefits.

Wheat is graded by the growers determined by its quality. The VERY low quality is sold to the companies that produce white flour. They don't care...they're stripping it down to nothing anyways. PLEASE do not buy white bread for your family. It's garbage.
the mid level wheat is sold to cereal companies and the best wheat is sold in bulk unprocessed to people like us. The wheat we are buying these days for our storage is very nutritious and high in protein.

Weavils are a big problem with wheat. That is the main reason why we need to seal it up so tight. There are already weavil eggs(?) in your wheat. If you don't store it properly you give them the right environment to grow and take over. yuck....

Add dough conditioner to any whole bread recipe you're using. I can't remember everything it does but it makes your bread much softer in the end.

Rumford baking powder is the BEST baking powder. It is aluminum free and for whatever reason makes the best bread. He said to use Rumford in every recipe that calls for baking powder.

Anyhow....that's just a few tidbits....the class had such an effect on me that I went home, talked to Nephi, and then got online and found a great price on a Bosch mixer. I ordered it! I have a kitchenaid already but as he demonstrated he showed how wonderful a Bosch is and I was sold. It's true. I've tried to make bread in my kitchenaid. It just can't handle it well. Nephi made me promise that if I bought it I would actually start making bread. That has been an empty promise for me in the past but for the first time I actually feel like I can do it.
Nephi's mom is on a mission and she said awhile back that I could go to her house and pick up her old HEAVY wheat grinder to use. We picked it up this evening and I am ready to get to work. I even have an open bucket of white wheat.
Oh yeah, he demonstrated whole wheat pancakes where all you have to do is throw a cup of wheat kernels in with milk, eggs, salt, oil, and honey into the blender and it makes yummy, nutritious pancakes. If you're a pancake family then I guarantee no one would think these taste strange. I'm tired of typing so if you want the recipe leave a comment. After this class I strongly suggest that everyone 1)get wheat 2)store some 3)keep some on hand (to at least make healthy pancakes for your kids if not a lot of other things) 4) check on getting a grinder, they're not cheap, or at least having access to someone else's.

Flashback Friday: Who was your best friend in your neighborhood?

Back in the "old days" it was Minette Faught. She lived in the next house down and her and/or her brothers would be knocking at our door first thing in the morning. This was in the days when half of Mesquite was still dirt and shrubs and there were so many places to use your imagination. Minette's mom was grouchy so we mostly played at our house. They did have a small camper trailer though and we spent many an hour playing house there. Wow, my memories are really vague. Oh, I remember the above ground swimming pool. Remember Marta? We thought it was so amazingly cool and we could've had so much fun in it but they wouldn't allow anyone else to get in it. how rude.. I guess now I can understand that her mom who never paid much attention didn't want anyone else's kids drowning on her property. Smart. Oh yeah, and the chickens....they were running loose everywhere! They would literally kill their own chickens for dinner. Behind their house they had a basement dug that they always swore they were going to finish and they never did...they just always had this huge hole in the back. Did I mention they also had a ton of junk cars, a whole lots worth, piled on top of each other that their dad Charlie (a mechanic) would get parts from. Wow....what more can I say... We did run into Minette just last month and had fun reminiscing with her. She even remebers things about our grandpa that we don't.