Describing Homemade Bread

       Today is the day i am making homemade bread rolls; the weather is cold, and i figured that i may as well take advantage of that and warm up the house in a pleasing way.

         It is a time consuming process…but, from the time i started heating the milk , butter and sugar for the base in a small non-stick sauce pan; i start anticipating that nutty, sweet bread smell.  The tangy yeast dissolves in the warm water quickly; and, when added to the liquid base…it starts taking on a life of it’s own.

         I started adding the eggs to the liquid base and whaaaa laaa…the grains and flour start going in.  Soon, it is time for the nitty- gritty of bread baking.

          Time to get rid of the mixing spoon, stick my well washed hands in and just start hand blending all of the ingredients; so that they are all well mixed.  It starts to take on that yeasty bread smell.   It takes a few minutes to get the sticky dough off of my hands.  Well worth the inconvience, i say!

           Put it all in a large glass mixing bowl and cover it up with a towel and let it rise in the warmth of the open oven door.  Waiting is the time consuming part.

            This particular recipe is extra- special good…but, it has to rise twice.  Once in the bowl…then, i pinch off small globs and put them into greased muffin tins.  Let them rise another 20 minutes….until they resemble puffed up, mushroom shaped rolls.

             While the oven does its stuff heating up the dough to the right temperature to finish baking them into the warm, fluffly rolls; I melt the stick of real butter that will be brushed on top to keep in the moisture and add the last finishing touch.

               There is nothing, that says welcome home, like fresh baked bread.    It’s only to be matched with a nice batch of home made chicken soup.  Ummm..it is good to be hibernating on this freezing cold day.  Thank you God for a home to be in and the ingredients to make a wonderful meal that will last for a couple of days.

Advertisement

Read Full Post »

Rose’s last bloom

      It is getting to the point, in the fall weather where my flowers are putting on their curtain call.  My roses are the showiest besides the fall mums.  The roses always get their last frilly, fragrant showcase around this time of year.

      Fall’s frost has just begun to threaten them.  When temperatures start to fall at night in Michigan, my roses get motivated to get all covered in blooms.  It reminds me that spring will come and winter will not last forever (even when it SEEMS like winter lasts for 9 months out of the year).

      So today, i will go out after church and cut a few of the showier ones.  Then I will  bring them inside and put them in my gorgeous eggplant, clear purple vase.

       Then i will breathe in their fruity, lemony and musky scents all day and all night; until, they just can’t perform for me anymore.  It is a short life when cut…but if they are left to frost’s frozen fingers their life will be even shorter.  That is the only way i can do it…cut them i mean.  At least this way, their bloom is appreciated as long as possible. 

Read Full Post »