It Rose!

I am engaging in a new life-style of eating Gluten free. Mom suggested I try it due to my low thyroid, adrenal and depression issues.  I was not pleased at the idea of giving up gluten because I love bread!  I didn't want to have to put restrictions on what I could/couldn't eat.  But I'm giving it a try and have found that if you do not want your baking creation to turn into a crumbly mess or get discouraged,  or shed a few tears, then you must add Xanthan Gum! (I've fallen in love with the powdery stuff.)
I've made a Gluten free quick bread twice that never rose above the edge of the bread pan. The middle would sink after baking, and that is not my idea of 'sandwich' bread.  So the other day I made Gluten free bread with yeast.  It was sticky.  Very. Sticky.  I thought I'd never use that recipe again.  I spooned it in the bread pan, put it in the oven (the recipe didn't say to let it rise a second time) thinking it would not turn out to be anything great . . . Until I started to smell something wonderful.  So I peaked in the oven to see what was going on:

Bless it's heart, it decided to RISE instead of sink while baking!  It rose so much, it got stuck in the top heating element in the oven.  Nevertheless, mom and I were able to pry it out.  We took the over-flowing-top off and put it in another pan and sent both 'loaves' back in the oven to finish baking.  But first we got pictures:

(We got dad a Kindle/Ipod for Christmas, and he wanted to try the camera on it.)

Over all, the sticky bread recipe that I didn't think I'd use again, turned out to be down right wonderful! I will definitely be using the recipe again. I might add olive oil and rosemary the next time. 

True Yeast Bread

3 cups GF flour mix (I used Bob's Red Mill)

1/4 cup sugar

3 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum (Miracul powder in my mind)

2/3 cup dry milk powder

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. sugar

Combine this in heavy-duty mixing bowl.

 

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 cup lukewarm water

1 1/2 Tbsp. yeast

Dissolve sugar in water with yeast.

 

1/4 cup butter

1 1/4 cups water

Combine butter and water in saucepan and heat until butter melts.

1 tsp. vinegar

3 eggs

 

Turn mixer on low. Blend dry ingredients and slowly add butter, water mixture and  vinegar. Blend, then add eggs. This mixture should feel slightly warm.  Pour the yeast mixture ingredients in the bowl and beat at high speed for two minutes. Place bowl in warm place, cover and let dough rise until double in size. Return to mixer and beat on high for three minutes.  Spoon dough into three small (2.5 x 5 ") greased loaf pans or one large one. Bake at 350 for about 40-45 minutes, or until done.

Spread with butter and honey, or whatever floats your boat and carries you to cloud nine.

WARNING: It smells wonderful and WILL rise above the rim of pans!

If I lived back then . . .

I was looking through old family pictures today (I'm guessing they're family . . . no names are written anywhere). I found an newspaper obituary for a family member and for some reason the clipping included the obituary for a Mrs. Pearl B. Manley (not related).  It read:

"Mrs. Pearl B. Manley, aged 23, died at her home . . . She leaves several small children."

A moment in my mind went something like this: "Twenty three years old.  She was young.  That could have been me.  By the age of 23, this lady was married, AND had several children. (How many is several?!  I would say more then three . . . at least!)  How young would she have been when she got married?  I'm 23 and I'm not even married, and I certainly don't have several children." 

I went on looking at more pictures, found the following and began to dream:

If I was married by age 23 and had several children, I'd live in a house like this.

This is what one of my daughters would look like. (What a lovely claw and ball stand this it!)

This is what my sons would look like.  And the only way I could get them to have their likeness taken was to remove the items from the above photo off the stand.

This is what another daughter would look like.  Look at those eyes!

Is this what I'd look like?  (I see where the little girl pictured above gets her eyes.)

How would a husband manage the children, the house and the farm?  Would he remarry? I wonder what became of that family. . . what were their names . . .

A few Pictures

It's a Saturday. I'm the only one home at the present time being. It's 59.5 degrees outside, so I hung clothes outside to dry (who would have thought it'd get this warm in January?!). I'm listening to The Maccabeats album entitled Out of the Box.  I'm tired of working on a pair of jeans that are too long. So I thought I'd take a rest and write a new post. But I have blogger's block. So until I think of something to write, here are some pictures for your enjoyment: 

Greeting dad at the end of his last day of work as a health inspector. 

Dad's retirement party.

Enjoying the snow in my reenacting cape that I found at a second hand store.

So glad there was snow for Christmas!

Cousin Rebecca, Uncle Bruce and Natasha skypeing with my cousin Jason who could not be here for Christmas.

I love this picture!

My pants aren't going to hem themselves, so I best get back to them.