No Yeast Bread Recipes!

Hey ya'll, here are some recipes for yummy breads for those of us who are yeast bread challenged.  (My secret to yeast breads is a candy thermometer - the water has to be between 120 and 130 degrees F.)  However the below breads no worries about yeast at ALL!

Irish Soda Bread (Note: Clint calls this “crack bread” he is addicted to it -:)


Ingredients:
3 tbsp margarine
1 tsp baking powder
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
¾ cup whole milk
1 tbsp sugar
1/3 cup raisins (optional-I don’t like them in there)
1 tsp baking soda

1. Heat oven to 375degrees F. Grease cookie sheet
2. Cut the butter into flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder & salt in large bowl using pastry blender (I used a wooden spatula until I got a pastry blender) until fine crumbs.
3. Stir in milk until dough leaves the side of the bowl.
4. Turn out onto lightly floured surface; knead 1 -2 min or until smooth.
5. Shape into round loaf about 6 ½ inches in diameter; place loaf on cookie sheet and cut an X into the top with a floured knife.
6. Bake 35 – 45 min until golden brown; brush with butter if desired (I never do that, but it is probably good).

Quick Rolls

Ingredients:
2 ¼ biscuit mix, divided
½ cup butter, melted
1 (8oz) carton sour cream

1. Combine 2 cups of biscuit mix, sour cream, and butter, stirring well.
2. Sprinkle remaining biscuit mix on a flat surface.
3. Drop dough by level tablespoonfuls into biscuit mix and roll into 36 balls place 3 balls into each of 12 greased muffin cups (you can also make them one ball per mini-muffin cup).
4. Bake at 350degrees for 15 – 20 min. or until golden brown.

Makes 12 regular size rolls and 36 mini rolls. Rolls can be made ahead, stored in freezer ziplock bags and frozen for later use.

Lemon Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
5 tbsp. butter
Grated lemon peel and juice of 1 lemon for glaze
2 eggs
½ cup finely chopped nuts (optional)
½ cup milk
1 ½ cup flour

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Cream butter and sugar; beat in eggs, add milk and mix well
3. Combine flour and baking powder; add to butter mixture and stir until smooth.
4. Stir in lemon peel and nuts
5. Pour into greased loaf pan
6. Bake for 1 hour.

Glaze: Mix together lemon juice and ½ cup sugar; spoon over hot bread when just taken from the oven.

Banana Bread

Ingredients:
3 – 4 very ripe smashed bananas
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
1 egg beaten
1 ½ cup flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix bananas, butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in large bowl.
3. In separate med/small bowl mix flour, baking soda and salt.
4. Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients and stir until saturated.
5. Pour into 4x8 loaf pan.
6. Bake for 1 hour, cool on wire rack for 15min then remove from pan and slice.
7. Refrigerate or freeze until used.

Women of a Certain Age...

Ok...so I DO NOT want to admit it, but I am a a woman of a certain age.  So, the good news about being my age is that I actually have a clue...vs. just thinking a I do - : )  The bad news is that I cannot do all the things I used to not think 2x about in the past...for instance...Liz vs. the man chair -

This is the man chair...looks harmless enough right?  Well - NO not so much.  I am starting my business and I am trying to get my room in order.  So, the above "man chair" was in my way and I needed to move it.  My Mom (who has evern more a clue than I do)...told me not to move it, but did I listen?  NooooooooOOOOO.  I moved it about 5ft across the room.

So, 20min after I moved the chair - chest pains only on my left side - didn't think anything about it until it went down my left arm.  I called "ask a nurse", who told me I probly didn't need to call 911, but should get seen by my Dr.  My Dr. doesn't have the equipment to check out my heart, so I had to go to the emergency room.  OK...I figured I would go in, they would check me out and it would be nothing...but if I didn't - I would just worry about it the rest of the day. 

Well, I answered one question wrong and they ADMITTED ME - WTH????  3 blood tests, an EKG, echo picture of my heart and a lung blood clot test later (and 31hours later) I finally got outta there!  I was FREAKED out...but mostly sure it was not going to be a heart thing...  Don't get me wrong - I am soooo glad I got it checked, but those are 31hrs that I will never get back.  However, it is impossible to measure how many hours I gained - if it had been something and I didn't go get it checked - right?

I HIGHLY recommend that you get checked out if you have chest pains of any kind, but even more than that - I recommend that "women of a certain age" just leave those stupid man chairs alone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Positive Discipline (Oxymoron?)

Somehow in my mind this phrase has always seemed like an oxymoron...I remember the first time I saw it on some books in the book store.  At the time my son was only months old and not in need of discipline, so I was content to snicker and stick to my guns about spanking. 

As he got older, I found out that my son does not respond to spanking, he laughed at me when he was just younger than 2 years old.  It hasn't gotten any better, I feel like I have to hit him a lot and too hard to make a difference and then I feel like poop for it (even though I know I needed to correct that behavior).  

We have enlisted the help of "time out" on the naughty spot (a placemat that I take everywhere with me) and I think it is important to smack a hand or leg if he does something dangerous and you have to stop it ASAP (like about to touch the stove etc.). 

However, I think I need more tools in my tool box...so I googled the oxymoron "Positive Discipline"...what I found right off the bat is the website:  http://www.stophitting.com/   I do not think that I agree with all of the website, because they want legistaltion against spanking and I do not think that is a good idea - I think parents have their hands tied behind their backs enough as it is in raising their kids. 

Under the link of "Discipline at Home" I really liked what they had to say.  They give a really definition of warmth and structure...which even I had wrong in my head.  They have several exercises to discover how you are doing to meet your short term and long term goals.  There is even information that helps you discover your long term goals and define your short term goals. 
E.g. My short term goals right now are: 
-  to get him to poop in the potty
-  to get him to stop talking back
-  to get him to go pee on his own
-  to have him get dressed by himself...etc.

However my long term goals are more like:
-  for him to be honest
-  for him to be a problem solver
-  for him to be a hard worker/self starter
-  for him to be good at relationships
-  for him to be happy, healthy and well adjusted...etc.

When your son is only 3, these are not things that you think of on a daily basis.  So, it helped put things in perspective.  The website also gives ideas on specific ways that you can give your child warmth and structure, which I believe are also valid and helpful. 

What I was really looking for was a method of positive motivation...like a "gold star" chart or putting marbles in a jar for good behavior and taking them out for bad behavior etc. 

Still looking for that...write more when I figure that one out - Later!

Am I Worthy?

So, I am starting my own business...I have my EIN number, but haven't bought any machinery, taken in any work or made any money yet...but I am having my house cleaned...

I am trying so hard to come to terms with it...I feel lazy/spoiled/ecstatic/thrilled/distressed, but de-stressed...I broke my toe, so that makes it easier to justify...but then, why do I have to justify it? 

The crazy thing is in my younger years, I used to clean houses - I even had my own business for a while (although I never made any money) back in the day...so of all people why should I enjoy it???


I am no spring chicken...I have paid my dues, I made tough decisions and stuck to them, I have worked my butt off since I was 16yrs old (and before that at my house) - if I have the money and want to get my house cleaned shouldn't I get to without feeling like pooh about it?

I say NO to feeling bad about it...I am going to embrace it!  I am putting money back into the economy and providing jobs right?  I would rather spend my time cooking healthy food for my family, raising my son to be a productive member of society and being creative with quilting and writing...

I say YES to feeling much better about my house being cleaned even if I didn't do it...Whoooo hooo!!!

Roast Chuck in a Foil Bag

Yummy!!!   I am not sure if I put this recipe in here or not, but I am not going through 88 posts to figure it out : /

You get a 2 - 4lb hunk of Chuck Roast and Roast it!  Sorry no pics, but ran outta time last night...

2 - 4lb hunk of Chuck Roast                            1 jar sliced mushrooms, drained
1 medium onion, chopped                                1 tsp paprika                                                  
1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted        1 tsp garlic salt                                                
1 foil oven bag                                                 1 tsp rosemary powder                                   
3/4 cup red cooking wine                                 1 tsp basil

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2.  Chop onion and put in bottom of the bag
3.  Mix rosemary, garlic salt, basil and paprika well in a bowl and rub all over the chuck roast
4.  Put roast in the bag
5.  Spoon soup on top of the chuck roast
6.  Pour wine around the roast in the bag
7.  Twist bag shut at the top and poke small hole in to vent
8.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hr per lb or until meat thermometer reads 170degrees.  (When I did this...it took an extra 20min to get to 170 degrees, which is well and the way I like it).

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!

Broke My Toe!

Ugh!  You never realize how much you use your toes until you break one!  I was moving really fast the other day and caught a chair between my second and third toe...hurt like (you know what) and 3hrs at the emergency room later...it is fractured.  Luckily the Tylenol works really well.  It only hurts when I am on it for too long or if I move wrong (usually stupid movements that you wouldn't think would hurt) it is excruciating. 

I am blogging trying to keep busy and off my toe.  I knew it was broken from the second I did it and took my sock off.  My third toe was kinda hanging off to the side a little (which you really didn't notice unless you looked at my other foot).  It started to swell instantly and within 30min it was all black and blue.

Now, I have to go see a podiatrist to make sure that it is healing ok...it was the craziest thing.  Instead of taping the toe that I broke...they taped the two on the right together (my 4th toe and my pinky toe).  I know it was the right thing to do, because it feels soooo much better with them taped. 

Well, I will probably be bloggin' more now...I can't sew, can hardly drive and need to sit down and elevate it - ugh so boring!!!!!!!!!!!!

What's for Dinner? Italian Sausage Soup!

Thanks to Paula Dean (with some adjustments) - Italian Sausage Soup

2 cups egg noodles (dry)
1 tsp of butter/margarine
1 lb of italian sausage (I like sweet)
1 10oz jar of spaghetti sauce
32oz chicken broth with no msg
1 can of zuccinni in tomato/garlic sauce (Del Monte makes it - LOVE it!)
1 red bell pepper
1 onion chopped
2 carrots sliced thin
3 cloves minced garlic (I use the stuff in the jar so for that about 3 tsp
1 tsp oregano

1.  Cook sausage, onion, carrot, pepper and garlie in dutch oven on med heat until sausage is brown and crumbly (approx 20min) - Drain well
2.  Cook egg noodles according to package, drain and add 1 tsp of butter to keep  from stickin.
3.  Add  chicken broth and spaghetti sauce heat to boiling and simmer for 5 minutes
4.  Add oregano and can of zuccini heat until warm.
5.  Put noodles in bottom of the bown and ladle soup over top and serve.

Yummy hearty soup for these cold days!