DIY Glass Bottle

 Recently while shopping at an old-fashioned general store,

I noticed some cute glass milk bottles for sale that had a straw 

through the lid for use as a drinking bottle. I thought it would 

be fun to try it myself! I just peeled the paper off a glass juice

 bottle, and removed the sticky residue.

Then, I painted the lid, and my brother drilled the hole in the lid for me.

 I found a nice plastic straw in the drawer that worked great for it! 

By the way...I thought the "S" stamped on the side of the glass fit

 nicely for Simple Inspirations. :)

Mallorcan Ensaimadas

Mallorcan Ensaimadas

These spiral-or snail-shaped rolls are a popular Spanish breakfast treat. I made these rolls once, a long time ago, and just recently made them again. You might want to double the recipe, as they don't last long! :)

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 Tbsp. oil

1/4 cup butter, melted
confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Mix the flour and salt together into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar and make a well in the center.

In a small bowl, mix the yeast, egg, milk, and oil. Pour into the center of the flour mixture, then sprinkle a little of the flour mixture evenly on top of the liquid. Let sit in a warm place for about 15 minutes.

Knead for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic adding more flour if too sticky. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a thin rope about 14 inches long.

Melt the butter. Dip each piece into the butter to coat. On a greased baking sheet, curl each rope into a loose spiral. Tuck the ends under to seal. Let rise for about 45 minutes.

Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes, or until lightly brown. Dust with powered sugar, if desired. Serve warm. Makes: 16 rolls.

 

 Shape the ropes into spirals...

  Bake, and enjoy! :)

Happy Fall!

Happy Fall!

...Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are His:  
And He changeth the times and the seasons.....
Daniel 2:20b-21a

The slight change in temperature is slowly becoming evident in the south,
and I love the cool mornings and beautiful birds singing in the trees. This time
of year begins to have more birds coming through migrating away from those cold
northern states! :) 

What is one of your favorite things about this season?

Flee Idolatry

The great cause of neglecting the Scriptures is not want of time,
but want of heart, some idol taking the place of Christ.

Robert Chapman

Two Roads

"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
- Mark 8:36

Whole Wheat Sourdough Pancakes

It has been a while since I made a post about my sourdough creations. I have done several experiments and I will have to share some of the results with you all. I have tried things like: versatile pasta dough which can be used for anything from plain noodles to tortellini and ravioli, and cakes like chocolate cake, banana cake, and coffee cake, and fun things like pizza dough and pierogies. I had no idea that all of these delicious foods could be made with sourdough and 100% whole wheat! I think it is wonderful to be able to serve my family delicious and nutritious foods using my sourdough starter. I hope you are inspired to do your own experimenting and please tell us what you've been baking in your kitchen! :)

Today I will be sharing my pancake recipe:

 I was hoping to develop a sourdough pancake recipe without using additional flour. That way all of the nutrients would be ready to absorb without requiring a soaking time for the added flour. But the batter was just too thin so I had to add a 1/4 cup of flour. To make this recipe healthier you could prepare the added flour properly by combining the starter, egg, honey, melted butter, and salt the night before and allowing it to set at room temperature overnight: adding the baking soda in the morning. The soaking allows the bacteria in the sourdough time to breakdown anti-nutrients in the whole wheat flour. I  chose to use baking soda to leaven the pancakes because it would have plenty of acid to react with in the sourdough starter. I started off using just 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda, which did a fine job at rising, but I increased the amount to 1/4 teaspoon to help tame the tart flavor of the starter. As an alkaline, baking soda will neutralize acids, therefore, making the level of acidity go down, and subsequently the tart flavor.

 

Whole Wheat  Sourdough Pancakes
1 3/4 cups Sourdough Starter
1 Egg
1 TBSP. Honey
2 TBSP. Butter, melted
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda

Beat together in a medium size bowl; starter, egg, honey, and melted butter. Add the flour and salt and stir. Sprinkle the baking soda over last and stir briefly, but thoroughly. The batter should begin to bubble visibly once the baking soda is added. You don't want to let the batter sit on the counter unbaked for an extended period of time once the baking soda has begun to react. The air bubbles will all rise to the top of the batter and escape leaving your batter and pancakes made with it flat.  Cook the pancakes on a lightly greased hot griddle or skillet. They take a slight bit longer to cook than regular pancakes. Flip them over when the tops are getting dried out and cook until lightly browned. Serve with butter and syrup of your choice. Enjoy!

Love

"This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you."
- John 15:12