Walnut Rosemary Bread

I have made this recipe about 5 times since I received my November 2009 Cooking Light Magazine. It is fool proof bread! I have tried many times to make bread and finally had given up until the editor of this magazine convinced me to try one more time. I LOVE it. I am sad to say I did not take pix this weekend when I made it. So, so, sorry. We were just in a hurry to eat it. I did substitute whole wheat flour for the all purpose flour and it still turned out great w/ a soft, airy texture. Have a light hand when you knead your dough. I have rosemary in my garden and always walnuts in my pantry, but I'm sure you can substitute for different flavors. I may try cranberries instead of rosemary next time. Allow about 2 1/2 -3 hours from start to finish...But it is worth it. :)

2 cups warm 1 % low-fat milk (100 to 110 degrees)
1/4 cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees) USE a candy thermometer if you aren't sure!
3 T. sugar
2 T. melted butter
2 teaspoons salt
2 packages dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
24.2 oz all purpose flour, divided (about 5 1/2 cups)
1 cup chopped walnuts
3 T. chopped rosemary
1 large egg, lightly beaten
cooking spray
1 T. yellow cornmeal
1 T. 1% low fat milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add yeast, stirring with a whisk; let stand 5 minutes.
Add 9 oz flour (about 2 cups) to yeast mixture, stirring with the whisk. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 15 minutes.
2. Add walnuts, rosemary, and 1 egg, and 11 oz. flour (about 2 1/2 cups), stirring with a whisk. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding enough remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time to prevent dough from sticking to hands.
3. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Lightly press 2 fingers into dough. If indention remains, dough has risen enough.)
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
5. Punch dough down.; turn out onto lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half, shaping each portion into a round. Place loaves on a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal (dust it well, this will keep it from sticking). Cover and let rise 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
6. Combine 1 T. milk and 1 egg, stirring with a whisk; brush over loaves. Make 3 diagonal cuts, 1/4 inch deep, across the top of each loaf, using a sharp knife.
7. Place loaves in oven; reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees, and bake 40 minutes or until bottom of each loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Let stand 20 minutes before slicing. Yield: 2 loaves, 12 servings per loaf.

Can you hear it???

I know!!! WE can't either. Here's the story. Our old GE washing machine decided it was done with washing yesterday. Just had it.
So, we headed out to Lowe's and Home Depot to make a selection. I really was planning on getting another top loader. I assure you, I am not into fancy appliances. The whole time we've been married we have never even had to buy a refrigerator due to generous family members just giving us their older but still 'good' ones. BUT, when the salesmen at 2 places told me that the front loader uses 1/3 of the water and really, really spins clothes out well and also rinses much more thoroughly, I decided to rethink this issue. This little Samsung was originally a floor model with a few minor scratches...greatly reduced and still w/in the 'top' of what we would pay for a top loader, so we bought it. The truly amazing thing about it so far is how little noise it makes. I had to just sit and watch it for almost the whole cycle. William came to find me and joined me in the fun.

Here she is! Cute, huh?

Just right...

Annie deems the oatmeal 'just right' and ate 2 bites. We got in a little practice sleepover last night for when baby Meg decides to come. She also was her Papa's big helper this morning with the garbage cans.

Corn Chowder

OK, so I've been cooking off and on now (William may say more off, than on) for almost 30 years. 30 years!!! I wasn't crazy about cooking to start with, but I really have found it hard to get motivated the last few years. So, in an effort to hopefully get a little more creative and more consistent I've determined to fix 4 different dishes each week. I've been doing pretty well the last 2 weeks, so I'm ready to blog and share some of my success stories. First of all my 2 recent 'sources' have been The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook and Meals Made Easy by Real Simple magazine. Really pretty pix in each book that make my mouth water. Now, I'm only going to share recipes that I feel were really yummy and I'd make again even for Book Club. (Watch out, girls!)
My first one is simply Corn Chowder. It was great. I will not make it again until September or October since I feel like it's a great fall soup. What I really loved was the cumin seasoning...so here goes:

Corn Chowder (serves 8, prep time 15 min., total cooking time 30 minutes)
3 oz butter
2 large onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 t. cumin seeds
4 cups vegetable stock
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup canned cream style corn
2 cups fresh corn kernels (I used frozen)
3 T. chopped parsley (Not too crazy about the parsley)
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper
3 T. cream (optional, I omitted)
2 T. chopped fresh chives for garnish

1. Heat butter in heavy based pan. Add the onions, cook over medium high heat for 5 minutes until golden. Add garlic and cumin seeds, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add veggie stock, bring to boil. Add potatoes and reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes.
2. Add creamed corn, corn kernels and parsley. Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes. Stir through the cheese, salt and pepper to taste, and cream. Heat gently until cheese melts. Serve immediately, sprinkled with chopped chives.

Finishing Well

Even though our kids are all 'grown', for some reason the year really still goes on in my mind by the school calendar...September-May. Every August I love seeing back to school supplies, which means a kind of fresh start, and every May, I get that, 'let's wind it down and chill out for summer' feeling. Well, Tamera, our youngest, just finished a long term (12 weeks) substitute teaching position as a science teacher after graduating in December 2009. She finished at the top of her class in December and we are so proud of her. We know you have been a great teacher and those students will miss you!
So, last night we gathered for a good old fashioned burger night and cupcakes to celebrate 'finishing well'. Here she is with her boyfriend, Max...Also joining us were: Kristen, Jeff, Annie, and her friend, Melanie! We love you, Tamera!

What a sweet sound...

We had the sweetest surprise this afternoon! Patrick and Katherine are great about skyping us once during the week and usually once on the weekend. Today we picked up the phone and we heard, "NANA" and "PAPA!"...Tyler's first times to call us by name. Of course we went bananas and that made him even happier. We quickly got logged onto our computer skype so we could do cameras and SEE him say his new words. He just returned to Ireland from a visit to his grandparents in S. Carolina and has picked up new words, all in a rush! "Apple, Juice, Geese, Yes," are just a few. We so enjoyed hearing him say our names :)

Austin Disaster Relief Network

My husband and I were invited to a fund raising dinner last night for Austin Disaster Relief Network, http://www.adrntx.org/. It was great to see some old friends and make a few new ones! This is an organization that is forming to help in times of disasters whether it is in Austin or we have people flocking into Austin (as in Ike and Katrina). I was impressed with how much they have accomplished. It is a network of the churches and Christian organizations in Austin committed to being prepared for disaster relief.
There will be a Training Conference Friday, June 11 and Saturday, June 12. Also First Responder and CERT (community emergency response team) training will be offered (20 hours) June 7-10 (6-10 pm) and June 13 (2-6 pm). CERT is nationally recognized training supported by FEMA and the Office of Homeland Security.

Makes me smile

When I look outside, these things make me smile.

Mimi and Grandbubba's Woodlands Mansion

I just got back from a belated Mother's Day with my own sweet Mom. This is the front of their new home in The Woodlands. Isn't it pretty? It has 4 bedrooms, a study for Dad, a hobby room for Mom (opposite ends of the house, isn't that clever?), a media room, a game area, a family room, a nice kitchen, a wine room, formal areas, a butler's pantry and it just goes on and on. Very nice. I'm just sharing a few of the 47 pix I took to share with just a few close friends and family. This is my Dad, hard at work. :) He's a Chemical Engineering Consultant.
This is Mom in her 'great room'... She really spends most of her time in her really cool hobby room, working on photo books, stamp collections and recipe collections and keeping in touch with emails. :) While I was there, though, we spent our time in Old Town Spring and The Market in The Woodlands. I don't think we bought a thing, did we, Mom? Now, after I had been there a few hours, Mom made a startling confession. She was going to replace the pix on the mantle sometime soon. Truthfully, I hadn't even paid attention to what she had up there. BUT, then I took a closer look.


Well, what do you think? Or, rather, WHO do you think...graced her mantle...in her GREAT room?


Yes, Mom and Dad have 4 kids and umpteen grandkids and 2 great grandchildren, but guess who's pix is on the mantle? Surprise! Her baby, Dean. But, Mom assured me, they are going to put a nice piece of artwork up there as soon as they find it.

Thanks, Mom and Dad, I really did have fun staying in your new home! And Mom, you are the BEST.

my challenge hill

I know, pathetic. I love to ride my bike and I'm working really hard to include this little hill twice during my 50 minute ride. This is the 'easy way' into my neighborhood...I hope to add the 2 bottom segments of hills on this road by the end of the summer. What do you do for your 'challenge'?

Happy Mother's Day!

Thanks for a great Mom's Day! It was great to hear from my 3 kids this morning before 8:30, then get to have frozen yogurt tonight at the Domain. I'm going to do my very best to keep this blog going, especially with the soon to be arrival of baby "Meg". Thanks for giving me so many reasons to love being a mom.