Cooking Story: Bread Explosion!
Once I was cooking bread and I left it in the Bosch,And I forgot all about it!
My younger brothers and sisters came running upstairs a half hour later shouting “the bread overflowed the bread overflowed!”I ran down the stairs and in the kitchen I saw that the bread had indeed overflowed it was all over the floor, counter, Bosch, and garbage can, it was a mess! only half the dough was usable I learned my lesson not to leave bread dough to long!
Blessings ,
RL
Kneading Dough by Donna Cosmato
Cooking, Family, Family Life, June 2010, Life At Home, Stories, Virtuous Girlhood | Comment (1)Spinach Quiche Recipe
Protected: Family Friday #2 (and 3)
Recipe of The Week #34 Homemade Yogurt Recipe
Recently we tried our hand at making homemade yogurt. Here is how to do it with pictures!
First of all you need:
1 Quart whole, skim, or 2% organic milk
2TBSP organic cow yogurt
2/3 cup dry milk (non- fat)
A yogurt maker. (We have a Salton Yogurt Maker model #GM5that works wonderfully! It was a good buy!)
Candy thermometer
Pot
Spoon
Ladle
Add Starter thermometer
First of all preheat yogurt maker.
Than add the quart of milk and 2/3 cup of dry non-fat milk.
Than boil the milk mixture in the pot until it reaches 212 F.
Than cool until the thermometer reaches the right temperature on the add starter thermometer.
Add starter and stir.
Ladle into yogurt maker. (you must ladle or else you have a HUGE mess! Believe me we tried this before 
Let cook for 1o hours. Than let sit in the refrigerator for overnight.
In the morning you may sweeten with organic cane sugar appx. 1/3 cup to taste and 1 tsp. vanilla.
Flavors:
Banana: 1-2 Bananas chopped up or pureed.
Strawberry: 10 strawberries chopped up and washed.
Blueberry: 1 pint of blueberries washed.
Berry: Berrys of your choice washed.
Peach, plum, or nectarine: 3 of either fruit washed and chopped up.
Vanilla: 1 tsp of vanilla.
Add your choice of flavors and stir.
Enjoy!
~Miss RJ
By Me, Cooking, Family, Family Life, June 2010, Life At Home, Recipes, Siblings, Virtuous Girlhood | Comments (2)Protected: Family Friday #1
Ways For Young Woman To Earn Money
There are a great many things that teens can do to help out! I myself as a teen can relate too many of these things and have done most of them!
Paid:
- Babysitting (This is commonly known but I thought that I would mention it! :D)
- Photography
- Bake Sales.
- Computer Stuff (Web Design, etc,etc)
- Sewing.
Volunteering:
- Babysitting help out a mom at your church or a neighbor just out of the goodness of your heart!
- Farmers Markets this is a great learning opportunity! Most farmers are willing to let hard working teens help them out!
- Barns. Know before some of you “citified” teens wrinkle your noses; some horse owners may let you help them out in exchange for riding the horses! Or just help out with the animals in exchange for a reference!
- Organic Vegetable Gardens. Many vegetable gardens (including Prairie Crossing inside Grayslake, IL) love having teens and whole families around to help out!
- Plant Sales and Craft Sales. Some business owners would be happy to have someone help them out at these events.
- Kids Craft tables. Most people who have sales or family fairs would love tweens and teens to help them out at Craft tables! My mom, and 2 younger sisters and I just volunteered at a Kids Craft table over May 3rd.
- Local family events. Offer to help coordinate or plan some local family events in your neighborhood or homeschool group they may want some help!
Who knows maybe you can even help give homeschoolers a good name! 
Once they find out that you are homeschooled they will probably want you to work for them as you may be home most of the time. Oh, by the way some people may be willing to let your whole family work with you as they were for us! It’s quite a learning experience! These are just some ideas to get you started! Come up with your own and let me know!
Blessings,
RJ
Life At Home, May 2010, Virtuous Girlhood | Comment (1)Please Pray!
Please pray for me and my 4 younger siblings as we have a piano recital tonight at 7:00 PM. I am soooo nervous! Even thou I have practiced, and practiced I know I am going to be sooooo nervous as soon as I get up there! So if you could just pray that I would be calm and play my piece with no mistakes I will be sooo grateful!
Piano keys by Vera Kratochvil
~RJ
Life At Home, May 2010, Virtuous Girlhood | Comments (3)Website Of The Month
The website of the month is drum roll please…………. Congratulations Miss Kathryn Y owner of Prairie Rose Designs!
Over the year or so my family has had much pleasure of working with Miss Kathryn! She is a great graphic design artist! She has done great themes for RobnT Business Solutions (One of my family’s business) Faith And Family Books Blog, (yet another of my family’s business!) and friends websites like: Liberty Day As well as graphic design for her Photograph Contest and much more!
- She is very easy to work with!
- She is very patient!
- She knows what she is talking about and is very helpful!
- Her prices are not that expensive!
- In addition to blog theme design she also does twitter, E-book covers, banners, buttons, headers and more!
Congratulations Kathryn! Please consider supporting a fellow Christian and checking out her site! Who knows maybe you need some affordable graphic design.
Blessings,
Miss RJ
April 2010, Family Life, Life At Home | Comments (2)Sorry…..
Sorry for the lack of posts. We are down with colds/ flu like symptoms. So it is very probable that I will not be posting regularly this week! As I seem to be the one that is getting better the fastest!
Anyhow thought I would let you know!
Blessings,
Miss RJ
April 2010, Family Life, Life At Home | Comments (2)Baking and Selling at a Farmers Market
(Article used with permission from the Kings Daughters)
Baking and Selling at a Farmers Market
By Sarah Bayer
Rules and regulations vary from farmer’s market to farmer’s market, but with ours, you only have to become a member of the farm bureau for $20.00 a year, which is a great deal because of the profits you’ll make selling your produce. It’s totally worth it!
With some farmer’s markets, they have special requirements for your kitchen. As far as the food goes for the market that I go to, you cannot sell anything that is made with dairy products or that needs refrigeration.
Here’s what I typically bake each week for market: whole wheat bread, cinnamon raisin bread, cinnamon rolls, apple pie, rhubarb pie, peach pie, sugar cookies, monster cookies, peanut butter cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, zucchini bread, pumpkin bread, banana nut bread, and granola. (See end of article for recipes.) What I bake varies depending on the kinds of fruits and vegetables that are in season and what people are in the mood for. For example, I have found that people aren’t really in the mood for pumpkin bread in the summer, but in the fall they are.
Some other ideas of items that you can make and sell at farmer’s market are soap, jam, cookies in a jar, dry salad dressing mix in a jar, dry homemade pasta, pretzels, buns, dinner rolls, and much, much more! Just be sure to check out the rules ahead of time and bake away!
Set-up
You’ll need a canopy, table, tablecloth, chairs, and a money box. When I first started I didn’t have a canopy because I couldn’t afford one. Then one day, one of my customers generously bought me one because he felt bad for me sitting out in the sun, even though it didn’t really bother me. A canopy is a big help in shielding the produce from the sun (or rain). Sometimes I tie a tarp to the back for added protection.
Building consistency with your customers is also important. This past summer I was out there selling whether rain or shine.
Another thing that is very important is to bake the highest quality goods possible – this means no hairs J! It is also important to be consistent in what you make, in the size, and in the taste. To help with consistent sizes, I make large cookies and measure them in a ¼ cup measuring cup, and I weigh my bread dough so that each loaf weighs the same amount. If you decide to make large cookies, getting the right size and baking time is something that you just need to get the knack of. For instance, after measuring and rolling the dough into balls, I flatten them with my hands – a little with the oatmeal raisin and a lot with the peanut butter cookies. Each kind of cookie has a different consistency.
Packaging
It is important to display your produce in an orderly and appealing way. I package my produce with bags from B&G Products. Their web site is www.bgpaper.com. They have a variety of different sizes. Since the bags are long, I cut them with a paper cutter for my cookies. You can also get twisty ties from this company. I print the labels on our computer using sticker paper. If you print labels on your computer, be sure to use a font that is easy to read. I also print posters with prices on them and posters of specials.
Business
Here are the prices of everything that I sell (as of the year 2002):
Cookies – package of six for $3.00
Double crust pie – $7.00
Loaf of bread (1½ lb.) – $3.00
Cinnamon raisin bread – $3.75
Cinnamon rolls – seven for $3.75
Banana nut bread – $2.00
Zucchini bread – $2.00
Granola – $2.00 a pound
Always be sure to be friendly and courteous, even with crabby people, those who criticize, or people who are particular about things that seem very insignificant. One time a lady was mad about the bills I gave her for change. Be humble about people’s suggestions, and don’t be disheartened if you only make a small profit the first time (or the first season, for that matter). One guy made only twenty-five cents the first time he went.
The first time I baked for market, I earned only around $40 to $60 profit, which was only enough to pay for ingredients for the next week. But as time went on, I began to make more and more. This past summer, I made $100 to $300 a week. (It would depend on the weather and the town’s activities.) The Lord really blessed!
Over time you’ll find what the biggest demand is and how much to charge. But once you set a price, keep it, unless of course something happens like the price of apples go up, or you’re not making a big enough profit. But don’t let people talk you out of your price. I’ve had people complain about my prices and even try to bargain with me. But hey! I sell it for what it’s worth to me! Sometimes I need to remind myself that it would be better to bring it home to my family than to sell it for less. And by the end of the day, I’m usually sold out! If not, my family is delighted! My parents agreed to pay for the electricity and the bread ingredients in exchange for my leftovers.
You can freeze leftover cookies for the next week. Just make sure that they are completely thawed by the time you sell them. You can also keep granola for a long time. But everything else needs to be baked fresh because, after all, that’s why they’re coming to you – for fresh products. I bake the granola early in the week because it’s time-consuming and doesn’t need to be baked fresh. On Thursday, I bake the banana bread and cookies. I bake the bread and everything else on Friday because it is most important for the bread and pies to be the freshest possible. And I sell on Saturday.
Sometimes I pass out free samples of mini cookies, or bread cut into small squares. People love it!
I think I’ve pretty much included everything I know from baking for a farmer’s market. Everything else just comes with time. Don’t get disheartened if the first time you try, your batch flops! Over the years that I’ve been baking, I have made so many mistakes. It’s not even funny – especially when it’s the second or third time you’ve made the same mistake. My most recent blooper was to put two tablespoons of sugar instead of salt in my bread. This seems to be an all-time favorite with bakers – we’ve all done it! But keep on baking!
For you, things will be different than they are for me. Maybe you’ll make more money, maybe less. Maybe the town you sell in will be smaller or bigger. Or maybe there isn’t a big demand for baked goods. But take heart! You’re not only making a monetary profit, but you’re also learning valuable skills.
I love baking as well as cooking and, even though I sometimes get sick of it, I keep coming back to it. I just can’t help but make another batch of cookies J. I love it! Making desserts is definitely my favorite! Happy baking!
Sarah’s Recipes
Whole Wheat Bread
6 cups warm water
1 cup oil
1 cup honey
~ 18 cups whole wheat flour, divided
2 tbsp lecithin
¼ tsp vitamin C
4 tbsp gluten
2 tbsp salt
3 tbsp instant active dry yeast
Preheat oven to warm. Place water, oil, honey, and 6 cups flour in a Bosch mixing bowl. Add lecithin, vitamin C, gluten, salt, and yeast. Mix on speed one, adding remaining flour until the dough sticks to the sides a little. Put lid on, increase speed to three, and let mix for four minutes. Spread oil onto a countertop; remove dough from bowl. Divide into six equal parts, weigh, shape, and place into greased loaf pans. Place in warm oven for 15 minutes or until risen just above the sides. Increase heat to 350 for 30 minutes. After removing loaves from oven, place immediately on cooling racks. Makes 6 loaves.
Pumpkin Bread
2/3 cup shortening
22/3 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups (16 oz.) pumpkin
2/3 cup water
31/3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
2/3 cup coarsely ground nuts
2/3 cup raisins
Heat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients in given order. Pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Makes 2 loaves.
Variation: substitute zucchini for pumpkin, omit cloves, and add 1 tsp vanilla.
Banana Nut Bread
2½ cups flour
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
3½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1¼ cups mashed bananas
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup chopped nuts
Heat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Remove from pans when completely cool. Makes 2 loaves.
Cinnamon Rolls
1 batch of bread dough, divided into six equal parts and weighed
cinnamon, divided
1½ cups brown sugar, divided
3 cups chopped nuts, divided
Preheat oven to 350. Roll out one of the sections of dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon until dough is covered. Sprinkle ¼ cup brown sugar. Evenly sprinkle ½ cup nuts. Roll. With scissors, cut into seven pieces. Place in a greased pie pan. Repeat process with remaining ingredients. Bake for 30 minutes. Place pans on racks. Place on styrofoam plates when cool. Makes 42 rolls.
White Frosting (for cinnamon rolls)
½ cup butter, softened
¼-½ cup milk
1 tbsp vanilla
2 lbs. powdered sugar
Beat in given order until smooth. Place into pastry bag with a large circle tip. Swirl frosting around each roll. Let dry for several minutes before packaging.
Caramel Frosting (for cinnamon rolls)
½ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup milk
~ 2 cups powdered sugar
Boil butter and brown sugar for 1 minute. Add milk. Boil 1 minute. Let cool for several minutes. Put in Bosch mixer and beat in powdered sugar until smooth. Place in a pastry bag with a large holed tip. Swirl onto rolls. Let sit for several minutes before packaging.
Granola
3 gallons rolled oats
2 lbs. sliced or slivered almonds
3 cups pecans
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup whole wheat flour
2½ tbsp cinnamon
1 cup wheat germ
3 cups water
4½ cups oil
4½ cups honey
1 tbsp vanilla
Mix first seven ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients. Stir all together. Add more honey and oil if necessary to coat all dry ingredients. Spread on greased pans – not too thick, or it will not cook evenly. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Note: I usually substitute walnuts or another type of nut for almonds, since almonds are so expensive. Makes 14 lbs.
Sugar Cookies
3 cups flour
½ tsp baking soda
1½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients. Combine both mixtures. Shape, and place on a greased cookie sheet. They will be sticky, but if you grease your hands, it will help. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Makes 2 dozen.
Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
¾ cup shortening
1½ cups peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups flour
Preheat oven to 350. Combine first six ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Stir all together. Shape. I measure it in a ¼ cup and roll into a ball. Flatten onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and bake for 10 minutes or until fully cooked. Cool on racks. Makes 3 dozen. For market, I usually bake 2-4 batches.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup raisins
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2½ cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups oats
¾ cup chopped pecans (opt)
Preheat oven to 350. Mix eggs, vanilla, and raisins; soak for 1 hour. Cream butter and sugars. Add raisin mixture. Add remaining ingredients. Stir. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Makes 3 dozen. I usually make 2-4 batches.
Monster Cookies
12 eggs
4 cups brown sugar
4 cups white sugar
2 cups butter, softened
6 cups peanut butter
3 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp baking soda
2 cups chocolate chips
18 cups oats
2 cups M&M’s
In a very large bowl, mix all ingredients in given order. Mix thoroughly after adding each ingredient. Shape dough (using ¼ cup measure again), and place on a greased cookie sheet; flatten. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Cool before removing from sheet. Makes 6-7 dozen. These cookies are my customer’s favorites. I only bake one of these huge batches.
Pie Crust
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup + 2 tbsp shortening
6 tbsp water
Combine flour and salt in a Tupperware bowl with a lid. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add water. Mix gently. Place lid on bowl, and shake until dough forms a ball. Remove from bowl. Divide into four parts. Roll out on floured surface. Fold in half and then half again. Place in pie pan and unfold. Place filling on crust. If making a double crust pie, repeat recipe and then crimp the edges. Makes 4 crusts.
Fresh Apple Pie
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup flour
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
dash salt
6 cups thinly sliced pared apples
Pastry for 9” double-crust pie
2 tbsp butter (opt)
Preheat oven to 425. Mix dry ingredients. Stir in apples. Pour into pastry-lined plate. Dot with butter. Cover with top crust. Crimp edges, and poke with a fork. Bake 40-50 minutes. Makes 1 (9 inch) pie.
Fresh Peach Pie
1 cup sugar
¼ cup flour
¼ tsp cinnamon
5 cups sliced fresh peaches
1 tsp lemon juice
Pastry for 9” double-crust pie
2 tbsp butter (opt)
Preheat oven to 425. Mix dry ingredients. Combine peaches and lemon juice; add to dry ingredients. Pour into pastry-lined plate. Dot with butter. Cover with top crust. Crimp edges, and poke with a fork. Bake 35-45 minutes. Makes 1 (9 inch) pie.
Fresh Rhubarb Pie
11/3-12/3 cups sugar
1/3 cup flour
½ tsp grated orange peel (opt)
4 cups chopped rhubarb, divided
Pastry for 9” double-crust pie
2 tbsp butter (opt)
Preheat oven to 425. Mix dry ingredients. Pour half of the rhubarb into pastry-lined plate. Sprinkle half of the sugar/flour mixture onto rhubarb. Repeat layers. Dot with butter. Cover with top crust. Crimp edges, and poke with a fork. Bake 40-50 minutes. Makes 1 (9 in.) pie. ©
Articles By Others, Family Life, Life At Home, Recipes, Seasons, Stories, Virtuous Girlhood | Comments (4)
Recipe Of The Week #27
Grandmother’s Coconut Chess Pie
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. flour (should be heaping)
1/8 tsp. salt
¼ cup white sugar
¾ cup white Karo syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
unbaked pie shell
¼ lb. butter
12-14 oz. coconut (can or bag)
Beat eggs well and set aside. In mixing bowl blend flour, salt, and sugar; then add eggs. Next add syrup and vanilla; beat until well mixed. Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell. Slice butter into thick slices and cover top of pie. Sprinkle coconut on top of pie and bake for about 1 hour in 300 degree oven or until firm and brown. Serves 8
Linda: “I inherited this recipe from my Grandmother Evans. It’s one of the best pies I’ve ever tasted!” (Page 83)
This is another recipes from my mother’s review! Here:
Articles By Others, Family Life, Life At Home, Recipes, Virtuous Girlhood | Comment (1)Beauty Tips: 3 Recipes To Make Your Own Lipstick
Well you say, I don’t/can’t wear lipstick well I am sure your mom, Aunt, cousin, or grandmother does! Make some for them! So, here are three recipes for lipstick! (plus a base recipe!)
These make great gifts and are easy to make for little to no money!
Happy crafting!
Photo credit of here.
Articles By Others, Family Life, Life At Home, Reviews, Tip Of The Week, Virtuous Girlhood | Comments (5)Bible Verse: Philippians 4: 6-13
I would have to say that Philippians is my favorite book in the bible! It is so encouraging to me so I thought I would share part of my favorite chapters!
Philippians 4: 6-13
Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you. 10 I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me; you were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I complain of want; for I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content. 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. 13 I can do all things in him who strengthens me.
Family Life, Life At Home | Comments (2)Saturday Movie Review: Hannah Montana The Movie
Now before all my readers die from shock and your parents opt me out of your favorite blogs list please just read my review!
I don’t like Hannah Montana. The only song that I really like from her is one of Miley’s songs called The Climb. My mom and dad don’t like her music or her show. They don’t agree with her dating things, and they certainly don’t like some of her clothing. And I think Sarah’s parents thought the same! So I was surprised when Sarah did a review of the movie. I told mom and dad about it and about a month later they watched it one night and we watched it after they watched it. Here is my opinion and my review. You are entitled to yours. Please don’t give me flack comments. Please note that this movie is not for boys. (At least not the beginning! I highly suggest having your parents preview it before you watch it!)
The Review:
The story starts out with Hannah in her little concerts and stuff. (note their is one beach song where her backups are wearing well you know what for a brief 1-2 minutes we covered it up!) It is a story of Hannah/Miley becoming rather spoiled, so her dad decides to take her back to the family farm. But she doesn’t know that! It’s rather funny to see her expressions……. The catch is no one but her brother, dad, her friend Lily, and her Grandmother know that she is both Hannah and Miley. Miley must learn that she isn’t the only one in the world! So, Hannah has to learn self-control, servant hood, to be brave, to love and obey, and ultimately to give up her rights. Of course there is a cute farmhand who used to have a crush on her but is “over” it. And falls in love with her again (I did not agree with this part!) And they go out and I can’t remember but there is only one kiss. (Blah!) Their was humor and drama intertwined and it was an ok movie. Not my ultimate favorite, but still good! It was better than some movies out there at this time in life! I would give it 6 1/2 out of 10 stars. (only because of the romance and some of her backups clothing) I would definitely recommend parents previewing it first. Anyhow, that’s just my review!
Blessings,
Miss RJ
Family Life, Life At Home, Reviews, Virtuous Girlhood | Comment (0)Sewing Tips: Sense and Sensibility Tips
Do you sew? Are you going to make a dress by Mrs. Chancey? Than do I have something for you! I discovered a while back a page on her site and she has step, by step sewing tips and instructions for her dresses!
Happy Sewing!
Blessings,
~Miss RJ
Family Life, Life At Home, Sewing, Tip Of The Week, Virtuous Girlhood | Comment (1)
