Artisan Bread- in a crockpot!

So it's been preeeeeetty hot this week! We changed our 4th of July plans because of the heat, and ended up staying at my in-laws house (w/ central air!) for the rest of the week! It was so nice to sleep in comfort and not worry about keeping the kiddos cool! Now we're home and trying to cool down our house that feels more like an oven! When we got home Friday night, we turned on our window units, barricaded all four of us in our room, and slept pretty well all night. But our house had to wait for cooler weather until it could catch up! We finally got a relief from the heat over the weekend!

I noticed I had a bunch of bread dough in the fridge. I'd made a couple loaves to take with us for the week, but we'd already eaten those up and wanted to use up the rest of the dough. My neighbor found this crockpot version of the artisan bread I shared on here a couple weeks ago, and I've been itching to try it.

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This heat wave has been the perfect opportunity! It been sooo hot and I was definitely NOT going to turn on my oven especially to 450 degrees, while we've been trying to cool our house down... So I decided now was the perfect time to try this crockpot version!

This is SO easy!

Form the dough into a ball
place on parchment paper
lower into crockpot and cover
set on high
wait an hour*

It was even quicker and easier than the already quick and easy baked version!
What I love about it being in a crockpot is that it comes out very soft, like a big roll! :)

I have to admit that it took me two tries to get this right! The first time was over the hot weekend! I ended up overcooking it because it just didn't look or feel done. It felt too soft on top so I thought it wasn't done and ended up leaving it in too long! We cut the bottom crust off and were still able to eat the rest. Other than a crispy bottom, it turned out fine. I think the top of the bread just looks lighter than I was expecting, but for more color on the bread or for more crispiness, just stick it under the broiler for a few.

Last night I tried again. I was determined to see if it would work! *It ended up taking closer to two hours, even though her recipe says 1 hour. There could be many reasons for this. One is the amount of dough used (i might've used a bit more than she did). Also, every crockpot is different. I had to get a new crockpot a couple months ago, and I notice that it doesn't cook as fast as my old one did. So keep an eye on your bread the first time, and let me know how long it takes your crockpot.

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So the crockpot bread was a SUCCESS, and we had it today for lunch! :) It's so much better for sandwiches than the baked version. The crustier, baked bread is still yummy, but can be a little too chewy for sandwiches at times.

I think I might slow-cook my bread more often than baking bread now!! :)
And one of the best things about it is..... you don't have to clean the crockpot!!!! whoo hoo!

Let me know what you think, and if you try it!

Easy Artisan Bread 5 mins a day

So it's been awhile! We've been so busy with our families and new babies, and just focusing a little more on our role as mothers! We'll let you know when we decide to open the shop back up. (There are still some goodies in the shop that we have available!)

While I've been busy adjusting to staying home with two kids, I've had this desire to lead a more simple life. It might sound like a totally antiquated way to look at things, but I would love to have less stuff, and make more things from scratch for the sake of our health and frugality!

My hugest inspiration has come from Tsh Oxenreider's books "Organized Simplicity" and "One Bite at a Time." I've been purging our house over the past several months and incorporating a lot of her budgeting, scheduling, and organizational advice into our lives. I've enjoyed trying new things, especially when we love the outcome and they make our lives better! I hope to share what I've been up to in upcoming posts!

I just have this picture in my mind of being able to make bread for my family everyday. I guess that sounds like the ultimate stay at home mom practice. But I hate to bake bread because of the the time it takes and all the steps, and I would never get up early to make it!  I had kindof given up my dream of daily bread baking as unrealistic for today's mom (especially since I don't like the process of making bread anyway!) But while reading blogs a couple weeks ago, I followed a bunch of links that lead me to a blog that share a bread recipe that claimed to only take 5 minutes a day! SO, I tried it out and I'm thrilled to say I've made bread almost everyday since... And I don't plan on stopping...

Get a load of this...

...Only 4 ingredients (You probably already have them!)
...mix the ingredients, let is rise and stick it in the fridge for when you're ready to bake!
... it can be stored in the fridge for up to two weeks!
...It's DEE-licious!

So this is the picture off of the blog because I haven't taken my own. But this is exactly how my bread looks too!

The recipe makes four 1 lb loaves, so I probably make bread about twice a week. It seriously takes 5 minutes to mix the ingredients, then when you want bread, you just go to fridge and cut the dough you need! SO easy!

Now let me tell you how amazing this bread tastes! It smells soooo great while its baking, and the cuts you make on the top of the dough before it bakes makes the final product look like you're a real professional baker! :) It's a crusty bread: chewy crust, and super soft inside! The one word I used to describe it the first time I ate it was "Rustic." Because of the very basic ingredients and the fact that we were tearing pieces off, it felt like something you'd eat in Europe! :) Tim said he's only tasted bread like this when he is overseas! Just a simple, rustic bread and very tasty!!

I read another blogger who said she uses it for pizza crust, so I plan to try that, and I'd also like to experiment with a 2 lb loaf since the 1 lb loaf is a little small. I went to GFS to buy a bigger container (like what's pictured on her recipe) because I didn't have one big enough that would allow for all the rising.

So, you really really reeeeeally need to try this bread! Let me know if you do and what you think!!

What other things do you  make from scratch?? Enlighten me with your tips and recipes!

Pasta with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce-- my vacation prep recipes {part 2}-

So after a wonderful time as a family in the Traverse City area, Titus and I said goodbye to Tim and are now in PA visiting my family for 10 days! It's so nice for him to be with his grandparents who he doesn't get to see very often. He's loving his time with them, and is being such a joy! I'm particularly proud of how he's doing after our 6 am flight and lack of sleep! Thanks to the videos Tim downloaded onto my ipod, the empty seat next to me on the plane, and lots of snacks, he did amazing on the flight! And I think we're pretty much caught up on our sleep too!

My big boy on his first flight!

Titus with his Papa

Preparing for vacation can be such a stressful time! All I wanted to do last weekend was get fast food so that I didn't have to take the time to cook or dirty up a lot of dishes. BUT my hubby was gone for the weekend shooting a wedding so I didn't have a vehicle! Grr! So I made a couple one-pot favorites that I've modified from other recipes to use up some the food I had on hand. Yesterday I shared the recipe for Potato Corn Chowder (w/ Bacon!).

The second dinner I made was a modification of Olive Garden’s Tuscan Garlic Chicken recipe that I LOVE! I didn’t feel like dealing with thawing, breading and frying chicken, so I just made the pasta and cream sauce part of the dish, which really is my favorite part! Because I was trying to use up produce in the fridge before our vacation, I used a couple more ingredients than it called for. It ended up being a lot heartier of a pasta dish, and I actually liked it better than the original! So here’s how I made it, but feel free to get creative and add what you have on hand, are trying to get rid of, or what just plain sounds good! :)

Angel Hair with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
3 Tbls EVOO
½ cup white wine (I usually use cooking wine, however it’s NOT what I prefer since there’s so much sodium added to the cooking wine. But it does provide similar results and depth of flavor for a cheaper cost.)
1 Tbls flour
2 cups heavy cream (or half and half)
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
½ can of diced tomatoes (drained)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled (You could use more. It was leftover from the chowder the night before)
1 lb spaghetti-type pasta

 Bring a pot of water to a boil for your pasta to cook in! You don’t want to forget to do this till the end! The original recipe uses fettuccini; I used angel hair. Thinner pastas hold more sauce! :)

 Saute garlic and pepper in large pan with EVOO for  3-5 minutes, until peppers are soft. (My pepper is yellow, just so you’re not wondering where it is in the picture) Stir in flour, and almost immediately add the wine to deglaze the pan. (Mmm! My favorite part!) Stir until the flour desolves into the wine and then add the cream. You can also use half and half to make it a bit less bad for you! This particular time, I only had a cup of cream (leftover from some scones I made), so for the other cup I used whole milk. (Just don’t ever use only milk with this recipe- I did once, and it didn’t turn out good! The cream sauce was kind of translucent and had a weird texture.) Anyways, after you add the cream, let it come to a bubble and add the spinach. I also spooned in half a can of diced tomatoes. I loved this addition, however next time I’ll probably used the petite diced ones. Be sure to drain them too! (Sauteed mushrooms would probably be delicious in this as well!) Once the spinach wilts, stir in the cheese until melted. (I’ve forgotten that step a couple times- believe me, you can really taste the difference!) Add your cooked pasta to the sauce and mix well. Sprinkle bacon on top. Serve hot!

 Let me know if you try this recipe or yesterday's potato corn chowder recipe, and if you try anything different! Enjoy!

Potato Corn Chowder (w/ Bacon!)-- my vacation prep recipes {part 1}

{For those of you keeping up with my travel intinerary, you'll notice this post is a couple days behind because of a lack of internet connection to post it.}

So here I am, relaxing on vacation in our little cabin in the woods… and I actually have some time to blog, and really enjoy it too! :) We brought church kids to camp (woo hoo, Lake Ann!) and are enjoying the cabins provided for the youth leaders who would like to stay. We’re having a blast and Titus has been well-behaved, sleeping well, and SO happy! We went to the children’s museum this morning, and to a secluded beach tonight. It’s been very hot, but we’ve been staying cool and our cabin has been staying surprisingly cool as well! I slept great last night!

Anyways, even though our vacation is turning out to be super fun, memorable, and relaxing for us, the weekend leading up to our vacation was SO busy and stressful for me. Tim was shooting a wedding all weekend, and Sundays are always busy when you’re married to a pastor. I was busy not only packing for this trip plus the flight Titus and I will be taking on Thursday to visit my family, but I’m frantically filling Blue Ladybug orders, and finishing up some special gifts for my future sister-in-law’s bridal shower that will take place while I’m in PA. (You’ll be seeing pics of them soon, but first I have to give them to her! Haha) Of course, vacation prep is stressful for everyone! I’ve been trying to balance using up the food we have in the house, while not using a lot of dishes so I’m not creating more work for myself! It is always tempting to run to get fast food- saves time and cleanup. I probably would have resorted to that this weekend while Tim was gone (I hate cooking when he’s gone!), BUT I didn’t have a vehicle. SO I worked hard to create meals for Titus and I that were quick, delicious and didn’t dirty a lot of dishes! I was pretty impressed with the two meals that I came up with. Here’s the first one (no pictures except for the one I snatched from the Betty Crocker website). Be sure to check back tomorrow for the next one: a yummy angel hair pasta with garlic parmesan cream sauce.  

Okay, so the first recipe is a modified version of a Potato and Double Corn Chowder from my Betty Crocker Cook Book. It’s meant to cook in the crockpot, but I never have done it that way! I used real potatoes instead of frozen hash browns and I cook it on the stove!

Potato Corn Chowder (with Bacon!)

4 baking potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 medium onion, chopped

2 Tbls EVOO or butter

1 can whole kernel corn (or half a bag or frozen corn, whatever you have)

1 can creamed corn

1 can evaporated milk

½ tsp Worchester sauce

6 slices bacon- cooked and crumbled

Salt and Pepper

It only involves the time it takes to cut up potatoes, throw the ingredients together and let flavors meld, while the potatoes cook! I don’t have pictures for this one, but here’s the basic idea. Throw the potatoes and onion, into a large pot or skillet with a couple tablespoons of butter or EVOO. Season with salt and pepper. Let that saute for about 10-15 minutes so that potatoes can begin cooking. Next add the corn (kernel and creamed), the evaporated milk, and Worchester sauce. Let simmer until the potatoes are soft and soup has thickened (about 20-30min). Make sure to stir frequently- I’ve had this soup scorch way too many times! Add bacon and serve hot with cheese sprinkled on top!

Let me know what you think of this recipe and if you try it! :) And by all means, if you want to try the crockpot version, do it! And let me know how it goes!

Guess which one of us is pregnant!?

So, The Blue Ladybug will be growing this Christmas!!! For those of you who don't already know, I (Mary Beth) will be having our second child, due at Christmas time! We are so excited! So I've been busy this past month figuring out a short list of things we will need for our family when the time comes- double stoller, extra freezer, toddler bed, more cloth diapers, etc... It's a little easier this time around because we've just recently done this, and have most everything we need. But the things on our short list also seem to be bigger items... And I'm so bad about getting out garage saling- I'm just hoping that the few people I've mentioned a few items to will come through for me! :) Otherwise, I'll just be going through Craigslist- which I also have never done!

Any recommendations or advice on double strollers, and kids sharing rooms? I need any help I can get!

I've been so fortunate that I, once again, have not been sick! However, I've been having more aversions to food, and to most cooking in general! Fast food has been my craving so far! Some food and smells have made me slightly queasy. After ruining my enjoyment for several regular dishes I make by forcing myself to eat them, I've started to plan our menu around what sounds good to ME. I know this sounds terribly selfish, but I'm finding that I'm eating better and feeling better about food too! (Don't worry, it's all stuff that my family likes too!) Tonight's dinner will be Chicken Noodle Soup, with enough leftover for tomorrow's lunch! Yum!


Titus sipping his smoothie! He loves these new treats!



 I've also been wanting more cold foods, probably because of the lack of smell most cold food produce, and they just seem to be more refreshing to me! My friend, Leah, of Priceless Memories, loves smoothies and suggested some of her own recipes to me! So the past two days, I've made Titus and myself smoothies for breakfast. I used her chocolate and strawberry recipe because it was so easy and had so few ingredients (2, to be exact!). She likes to use Silk, and I found chocolate soy milk at Aldi for 2.39! That made this healthy smoothie that much cheaper! I used frozen raspberries instead, because that's what I had on hand. SO delicious! Today I made another recipe she gave me using frozen mixed berries, juice, yogurt, and a banana. (Maybe she'll post that one someday!) I loved that as I was drinking this smoothies, I knew it was not just delicious, but also so healthy for me! I'm looking forward to trying more of her recipes, and finding out what ingredients I like best in smoothies! Leah just posted a recipe for a Mint Mojito smoothie that I've got to try! It's very pregnancy-friendly as it has lots of folic acid in it, but it's a sneaky way to get your kids to get some green veggies! Can't wait to make this one!
Check out Leah's Blog!

Who likes smoothies!? Have any good smoothie recipes for me to try?

Family Easter Activities {a craft + a recipe}

Today we are super excited to share with you a couple of fun activities to do with your kids this Easter Weekend! {But these activities are just that fun, that you could do them alone!} Enjoy the excitement that Easter brings to kids and families, as well as reflect on the true meaning of Jesus Christ's victorious resurrection!

Mod Podge Easter Eggs

This fun craft is taken from Sew Mama Sew that was posted on her Facebook page. We’ve made a few modifications so that all the supplies can be purchased at Walmart if you don’t live near a craft store (like me!)

Supplies List:

Fabric Scraps

Mod Podge

Small Plastic Easter Eggs (Modified from Paper Mache Eggs)

Foam Brushes

Newspaper & Paper Plates

Optional: Pinking Shears (to minimize loose threads)

 This craft is pretty self-explanitory by looking at the pictures, so I'll briefly run through some instructions.

Lay out your newspaper to protect the surface your kids are working on. Have some paper plates handy for squirting the Mod Podge on, and for putting the finished eggs on to dry. 

When I made my eggs, I didn't have any foam brushes, so I just used my fingers. It was messy, and pretty knarly to clean off, so next time I will definately use a foam brush. But for kids, I can imagine that it will probably end with them using their fingers anyways. It's not big deal though- warm water should loosen any dried on Mod Podge and make it easy to come off. 

Hold an egg in one hand, and with the other dip a fabric scrap in the Mod Podge and place it on the egg, using the foam brush to smooth it out. Repeat with the fabric dipping, arranging on the egg and smoothing with the brush until no plastic is showing. Make sure the entire egg/all the the fabric is covered in Mod Podge. Set the finished egg on a paper plate to dry. Repeat with as many eggs as you like! They should only take about a 1/2 hour (approx) to dry! (and flip them over at some point so the bottom can dry too!)

Use these fun colored eggs for decoration, or even for an Easter egg hunt! Every child will have their own unique egg!

Resurrection Rolls

This is my first time making these fun, easy & oh-so-delicious rolls!  They are a wonderful reminder for you and a teaching tool for your kids about the true meaning of Easter! Each ingredient has significance and the end product leaves your kids in awe as they discover the rolls are hollow inside! So interactive for kids, as well as spiritually memorable! I’m looking forward to making this a tradition every year with our family! This recipe is a combination of a couple different recipes I found on the Internet.

Ingredients:

Crescent roll dough

melted butter

large marshmallows

cinnamon

sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Separate all the crescent roll triangles. The crescent roll represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in.

Take a marshmallow, {the marshmallow represents Jesus’ body}. and roll it in melted butter, which represents the oils used to embalm His body.. Then roll the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar which represent the spices used to anoint the body.

Wrap a crescent roll triangle around the buttered marshmallow (Bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside- not in normal crescent roll fashion.) This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body in linen garments.

Repeat with remaining dough and marshmallows.

  

Place in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. The oven represents the tomb.

When the rolls are ready to eat (allow to cool), have each of your kids open up a roll and discover that it’s hollow inside! Just like the linens were left in the tomb and Jesus’ body was gone! He is risen!

NOTE: I found that baking them in a muffin tin versus a cookie sheet helped them to not ooze as much and held together better!

Hope you’ll get a chance this Easter week to make some memories by doing these with your kids, as well as spending time reflecting on all the Jesus Christ did for us this week many, many years ago!

He is Risen!!!

Time to Eat: Pizza English Muffins

I'm certainly not the greatest cook. In fact, I rather dislike cooking most of the time.  I'm not even a huge fan of baking.  But something about the fall weather brings out the Martha Stewart in me.  Haha!  Every year, around this time, I get in the cooking/baking mood.  My husband puts the grill away for the season, and I start digging through all my recipe books looking for long lost recipes.  I think something about being indoors more, watching the trees change color, the cooler days and nights, gives me that desire to nest a bit.  I crave the hearty soups, warm biscuits, and yummy tastes of fall.   As Christmas nears, that brings a whole new avenue of cooking/baking.

Even though, I certainly enjoy being in my kitchen more at this time of year, I still have a very defined style of cooking.  I steer away from recipes that have more than 6 or 7 ingredients.  If I can't pronounce the name of  a food, I quickly turn the page.  I like quick, simple, uncomplicated cooking for the most part.  

Now, I hear that MaryBeth and her husband are quite the adventurous cooks!  And that they are pretty good at it too.  So I hope she'll be sharing some of her tasty recipes here too.  From me, you'll see my favorite "stand by meals", and lots of kid friendly meals too.  Which brings us too....

I have a picky eater.  My  2 1/2  year old,  would eat peanut butter and jelly everyday, for every meal if I let him.  I am searching for something healthy, but good enough for Cameron's standards, errr...taste buds.  I have invested in quite a few children's recipe books.  Today, my Pizza English Muffins (aka. Mini Pizzas) is a combination from my friend Karrie and Taste of Home's Cooking for Kids

Photo credit

The ingredients for this recipe are :

Whole Wheat English Muffins.  My friend Karrie uses biscuit dough from a can (ie. Pillsbury) I didn't have any on hand the day I made this so we went with English muffins.

Pizza sauce of your choice

Mozzarella cheese

Pizza toppings of your choice

Open up the English muffins and lay them open side up on a baking sheet.

If you are using the dough biscuits, lay them on the baking sheet and press them flat with the palm of your hand.

Then using a spoon, spread the sauce over the pizza.

Next is Cameron's favorite part to help with.  Putting the cheese on top.  This is such an easy way for kids to help with cooking and get involved in the kitchen.  Cameron loves to be in the kitchen stirring, or dumping or whatever else you can do to help!  And I believe that, picky eaters especially, are more willing to eat what they helped make.

Aunt Stacy joined us for lunch today too.  You are welcome to add whatever you want to the top off the pizzas at this point.  Cameron likes his plain, but I added pepperoni to Stacy's and I's.  Then pop them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.  

Cameron loved his!

And so did Elissa!

If you try out this recipe,  let us know how it turned out and if your kids enjoyed it!

~Laura