Homemade Bread

We go through a lot of bread in our house.   About a loaf a week to be exact, which to me…is a lot.  I’ve never thought to make my own bread, but I’ve recently tried to cut costs on groceries and other household items.  I also don’t like to see the insane amount of ingredients listed on a loaf of store-bought bread.  I think it’s like 20 ingredients or something crazy like that.  I’ve only bought whole wheat bread and there are still that many ingredients.  I have a bread machine, but the bread always has a thick outer crust, which I am not a fan of for sandwiches.  So, I got a recipe from my Grandma (she makes her own bread) and have made it a couple of times.  The bread tasted great, but it didn’t rise as high as I would’ve liked it to.  Thus, I was on the search for a whole wheat bread recipe that would suite my needs and I came across this:

Simple Whole Wheat Bread
Simple Whole Wheat Bread

I’ve made two loaves so far and it’s so good!  It rises quickly and it doesn’t fall apart when you cut into it.  We’ve made sandwiches, eaten it plain or with butter…anyway you slice it (no pun intended :))…it’s good.  One thing I like is that it only has 6 ingredients.  Another is that it has no sugar, but uses honey instead.  I will be using this recipe from now on for making my own bread and next time I plan on substituting whole wheat bread flour for the white bread flour the recipe calls for.  I’ll let you know how it turns out.  Now to find the perfect whole wheat hamburger bun recipe.  If you have a recipe, please share :)

 

10 Random Things About Me

  1. I like the right side of my face better than the left, but I like the left side of my body better than the right.  (Am I  the only one who thinks like this??)
  2. I like eating cookies and drinking coffee.  I am getting old…and I kinda like it :)
  3. I wake up every morning at 7am to do 3 miles on the treadmill.
  4. I much prefer to do things alone than in a group.  I’m kind-of a Type A girl.
  5. I own like 25+ pair of high heels (from when I worked in the corporate world) and I never wear them, but can’t seem to part with them.  My kids wear them around the house daily though.
  6. I have been married for 7 1/2 yrs (together for 14).
  7. Originally from ND and usually visit once a year.
  8. I vacuum my living room 4x a week.  With 2 toddlers, it’s necessary.
  9. I only drink decaf.
  10. I can watch reruns of ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ until the cows come home.

I’ve learned to embrace all the randomness about myself the older I get.  I think we should all do that, don’t you?

And Then We Went Black

I never thought I would paint anything black in my house, but as you would have it, you get older and your taste changes.  The inside of our front door was very plain and boring.  I don’t know that it had ever been painted, but I knew it needed to be after we went white in our living room (more on that to come).  I used to want a red door, but I’m over that since I lived with reds in my home for 5 years.  What can I say, I like change and the older I get, the more I crave it.  Anyway, back to the front door.

I convinced my hubby to go along with me on the black door and he really didn’t oppose like I thought he might.  He was willing and able to tackle the project for me (since I’m pregnant and all, I don’t want to risk the paint fumes).  It only took a couple of hours and we have a newly updated door.

BEFORE
BEFORE

 

So boring, don't you think?
So boring, don’t you think?
After
After

 

Close Up
Close Up

All you need is a foam roller brush, painters tape,  some latex primer (we didn’t use oil-based b/c we weren’t sure what was on there before), and some black latex paint (we used Rustoleum brand made especially for doors).  We didn’t remove the door from the hinges, but did remove the hardware (handle, lock).  It’s a nice, simple project to complete on the weekend.   Let me just say…I’m loving the black :-)  I think it really refreshes the area, don’t you?