Pretzels

I made these yesterday and they were SO good!! :)

Makes 16 pretzels:

1 package active dry yeast

1½  cups warm water

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

4 ¼ to 4 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 egg, beaten

Coarse salt

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water.  Add the sugar and the 1 teaspoon salt.  Gradually stir in the 4 cups of the flour to make a dough; add additional flour if the dough is too sticky.
2. Turn our the dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic (3 to 5 minutes total).  Shape the dough into a ball.  Place the ball in a greased bowl; turn once to grease the surface of the dough.  Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 45 minutes). 
3. Punch down the dough.  Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface.   Cover the dough and let it rest  for 10 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°.  Roll the dough into a 12x8- inch rectangle.  Cut the dough rectangle into sixteen 12x 1/2 inch strips.  Gently pull each dough strip into a rope about 16 inches long.
5. On a greased baking sheet, shape each dough rope into a pretzel by crossing 1 end over the other to form a circle, leaving about 4 inches at each end.
6. Take 1 3nd of the dough in each hand and twist once at the point where the dough overlaps.  Carefully life each end across to the opposite edge of the circle; tuck the ends under to make a pretzel shape.  Moisten the ends with water and press to seal them in place.  Brush the tops of the pretzels with the beaten egg.  Sprinkle with the coarse salt.
7. Bake in the 350° oven about 18 minutes or until the pretzels are lightly browned.  Transfer the pretzels to a wire rack to cool.

Moistening the ends of the shaped pretzels with water before sealing them will help keep them in place so that they don't pop up.

If you prefer, you can sprinkle the pretzels with poppy seed or sesame seed (or even cinnamon and sugar!) instead of the coarse salt in this recipe.

Store any leftover pretzels in an airtight bag or a covered container.

--From Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook--

*Ana*

~*is lovely*~

Pioneer Woman

I just recently discovered this wonderful blog.  It's much more than just photography... GO check it out!!! :) 

Pioneer Woman Photography

"Little" Brother :)

Little Bits of Spring

Click here to see more pictures....

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::~The sun came out the other day and it poured brilliantly into our little abode.  I just couldn't keep myself from taking a picture of this little music box being warmed by the spring sun.  :)

Tuesday Ramblings :)

Today we had one of our trees cut down and, of course, we asked if Greta could come over. Kate said she could, so we made a day of it! We sat and watched the tree come down and then we went shopping and had a lunch date with Ana. It was a great day for all of us! :) 

 

This is my oh-so-cozy-log-cabinish-blanket.  

Spring is finally here!

The stump of the tree we cut down.  It was kinda big.  :)

 Also, I have been reading The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom.

It is the most beautiful and yet horrifying books I have ever read. Beautiful in that it shows the faith that her and her family had. Horrifying in the sense of what happened to these people at the hands of the Germans.  It is not "light" reading by any means.  Each chapter has brought me to tears.  It's a very sobering yet encouraging account of what they went through.  The trust that they had in their Heavenly Father is amazing.  

 

It was cold.
Cold as we walked back to the Beje, cold as I washed for supper, cold even in the snug gas-lit dinning room. Between me and each familiar face around the table crept those small icy fingers. For all Tante Jans's talk about it, death had been only a word. Now I knew that it could really happen-- if to the baby, then to Mama, to Father, to Betsie!

Still shivering with the cold, I followed Nollie up to our room and crept into bed beside her. At last we heard Father's footsteps winding up the stairs.  It was the best moment in every day, when he came up to tuck us in.  We never fell asleep until he had arranged the blankets in his special way and laid his hand for a moment on each head. Then we tried not to move even a toe.

But that night as he stepped through the door I burst into tears. "I need you!" I sobbed. "You can't die! You can't!"

Beside me on the bed, Nollie sat up. "We went to see Mrs. Hoog," she explained. "Corrie didn't eat her supper or anything."

Father sat down on the edge of the narrow bed.  "Corrie," he began gently, "when you and I go to Amsterdam-- when do I give you your ticket?"

I sniffed a few times, considering this.

"Why, right before we get on the train."

"Exactly. And our wise Father in heaven knows when we're going to need things, too. Don't run out ahead of Him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need-- just in time."

~*~

*This delicious spring green set of cream and sugar containers makes me very happy.* 

*Thank you antique store!*

Spring-ish

*Yes, its the same fabric as in my header. *

:)

With Christ and For Christ

:::::All Suffering in a Christian Calling Is With Christ and For Christ:::::

All experiences of suffering in the path of Christian obedience, whether from persecution or sickness or accident, have this in common; they all threaten our faith in the goodness of God and tempt us to leave the path of obedience.  Therefore, every triumph of faith and all perseverance in obedience are testimonies to the goodness of God and the preciousness of Christ-- whether the enemy is sickness, Satan, sin or sabotage.

Therefore all suffering, of every kind, that we endure in the path of our Christian calling is a suffering "with Christ" and "for Christ."  With him in the sense that the suffering comes to us as we are walking with him by faith, and in the sense that it is endured in the strength that he supplies through his sympathizing high-priestly ministry (Hebrews 4:15).  For him in the sense that the suffering tests and proves our allegiance to his goodness and power, and in the sense that it reveals his worth as an all-sufficient compensation and prize.

Not only that, the suffering of sickness and the suffering of persecution have this in common; they are both intended by Satan for the destruction of our faith, and governed by God for the purifying of our faith.

Desiring God, John Piper pp. 216

In the Kitchen With Auntie

You can see more pictures from this day HERE.... and HERE

Just a couple of my sets (:

3 Years Old

Isn't she just the most scrumptious little 3 year old ever?? :)

Edelweiss

 

Click on the picture to see a video of Edelweiss  :) 

Totally LOVE this song!! :)

Magnetic Board

Take your scrabble pieces and just glue magnets on the back.

My messy bed.  :) You can kinda see the board on the left there under the pink paper.  I bought the board for  $3.00 at TARGET! :)

Once you glue them on they look like a whole bunch of chocolate and graham crackers.  :) MMM making me hungry! :)

Decorate Freely :)

I love buttons

Voila!

 

BUTTONS! :)

 

  

 

 If you'd like to see clearer versions of some of my favorite pictures from this project you can go HERE.

(:

Header Worthy???

A New Bookshelf

Here is some fabric that thrills me!

Cyclamen For Mama

Happy(early) Birthday to Mama ::"~

Of Gnocchi and Kale

Mama and I tried out a recipe for Gnocchi with a delicious side of kale.  In my opinion it turned out pretty tasty! :)