Easy Homemade Bread

Time for the promised recipe post!

I found this recipe on Pinterest (original source), and it worked amazingly. I love making fresh bread, but I sometimes find it difficult to schedule my day around the rising and kneading schedule. This bread, however, is the quickest one I have ever done. It makes two loaves, and they are big enough to eat one and share one with a friend. (Side note: giving someone a fresh loaf of bread as a hostess gift is one of the most show-stopping things you can do!) If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, this is that gorgeous bread I've posted pictures of in the past.

Here's the recipe!

Ingredients:
2 cups warm water
1 packet yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
4-5 cups flour  
1 egg

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Mix warm water, sugar, and yeast until sugar is dissolved. Let sit til you see bubbles. 
3. Begin to gradually add flour and salt until the dough is no longer sticky. 
4. Knead the dough until it is stretchy.
5. Divide the dough into two equal parts and form into two loaves.
6. Place loaves on a greased cookie sheet.
7. Beat egg and brush over top of loaves. 
8. Bake until golden brown. (around 20 minutes)

mine is a little underbaked at this point--you want to keep going a bit past this!

Everett LOVES this bread as a companion to almost anything I cook, but some fresh jam or good honey is the perfect topping to a hot-n-fresh slice.

Enjoy!

--Caroline

Perspective

I was listening to the radio last week, and the guest featured on the show mentioned that his favorite way to regain perspective was to ask himself the following questions:

How will I feel about this situation in 10 minutes?

10 months?

10 years?

I started to ask myself these questions about little fights Everett and I had, and I have been amazed at the results. The questions are short enough to remember, but pointed enough to really change your mind. For example, how much will I care about the boxers on the floor in 10 minutes? Will I even remember them in 10 months? 10 years from now it'll hopefully be our little children's clothes on the floor, so I won't even remember this one time Everett left his in the middle of the living room. I can move on easily and peacefully.

Try it and see what you think! The simplest solutions can be the most effective. My self defense teacher said it best: "I can teach you some complicated stuff that works really well, but you are not going to remember it in a crisis. You are going to remember the stuff that you can make into a reflex, and that'll keep you safe."

I'll be back later this week with some yummy recipes!

--Caroline

Home Making Pt. 1

The Living Room and Kitchen Edition!

We've been in our new apartment for about two months now, and it is finally starting to feel like home. Almost everything we own is vintage or secondhand, and it's a challenge getting it all to go together. The biggest lesson I've learned is how to edit. I have a tendency to put as many pretty things as I can fit in an area, and sometimes that's just not the right move.

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My fur baby Gracie has found her heaven in this couch we got from my parents. 

 Farmer's Market flowers next to our glorious hardwood stairs. I put a bobby pin cup there because I find them all over the house!

 

 Gallery wall with photos of us, watercolors of Bible verses and a bird by yours truly, and some vintage bird prints from Goodwill.

I can't get over how cute my little girl is in her spot!

 

 My family and hubby made fun of me so much for wanting that cardboard poster of elephants by the "planet earth" series that I found at Goodwill, but I cut slits in it and made it a bill holder. I think that makes me the winner of that argument. I found that chalkboard at Home Depot for $10. They sell 2'x4' pieces of chalkboard material for building supplies, but it works great in my kitchen.

Speaking of my kitchen, it came painted this lovely sage color. I am going to keep that paint color, because it looks oh-so-nice with the tile countertops. I hung a painting with the quote "Food is music to the body, music is food to the heart" over our wedding pictures above the sink. 

Couldn't help but throw in this delicious looking shot of the nectarines and blackberries I got at the farmer's market this weekend. Yum!

I will be posting pics of our new bedroom, Everett's new studio, and my new workspace later this week! Any ideas of what color textiles and paint I should go with for the living room?

Have a blessed week!
--Caroline