Bread vs. Rachel - Round #1

ok - so let me shed some light on my thought process - bread = good, baked goods in my house = AMAZING, time it takes to make bread in my house = troublesome - here lies my starting point today...

..I do have a bread machine BUT when you see on pintrest a recipe for a fantastic, five ingredient, three bowl bread recipe - how can you pass up the chance AND the story of the girl and her mom sharing in baking the bread just added to my excitement to try this recipe... Alexandra's Kitchen

(warning: got a little distracted at some points - so not all the steps have images, but check out the original website - she has great photos)

 pretty simple ingredients - flour, salt, lukewarm water, sugar, and active dry yeast

adding the active dry yeast to the lukewarm water/sugar mixture - in the background the whisked flour and salt mixture

 adding the liquid to the greased (with butter) bowl with the flour mixture

mixed together with a wooden spoon - then left the dough to rise for an hour and forty-five minutes, before beating down the dough, dividing it in half and dividing the dough between two VERY WELL GREASED PYREX BOWLS - let this proof again...

after proofing for another half hour - put the dough in the oven at 425 degrees for ten minutes before reducing the temperature to 375 degrees for another 23 minutes...and VOILA - two loaves of bread (on the right in the bottom side up just for you to see how golden brown it should be and on the left the top of the finished bread) 

and because I can't even deny this and I feel like I need to stress one detail that I really struggled with....BUTTER THE PYREX BOWLS REALLY WELL - REALLY REALLY REALLY WELL...

my second loaf got stuck in the pan - oops!! (live and laugh :) ) 

didn't take away from the final result though (with a special shout out to Tastefully Simply and their magical Strawberry Rhubarb jam...this bread was delicious!! 

God Bless (and remember to butter your bowls thoroughly),

a thoughtful purchase...

the level of excitement about my newest purchase cannot be explained - purchasing a wonderful necklace, while at the same time helping others = is not too good to be true! 

Noonday Jewelry company is an awesome, fair-trade jewelry in-home company - each piece has a unique story and has been hand crafted by people in countries include Rwanda, Uganda, Ecuador, Ethiopia, etc... who are simply filling the needs in their lives of providing for their families, providing opportunities for education, and opportunities for healing... (take a moment to read the Noonday Story)

about two months ago a dear friend of mine made the bold choice to serve the Lord by serving others and selling this awesome product - fast forward to tonight and I had the opportunity to co-host a party...so excited for my awesome pieces!! 

It will take a couple of weeks for one purchase to arrive...but I was able to go home with a fantastic necklace...

 handmade in Uganda - this necklace has beads made of seeds and paper beads

my party will not close for a couple of days (4/23/2013 to be exact) - if you would like to purchase any pieces, or just ask some questions about these pieces or the product - send me an email ( raadams002 [at] gmail [dot] com ) and check out my friend's website... Noonday Collection! 

God Bless ~

To embark on another year...

Today is my birthday...

shared with numerous others, with the anniversary of Lincoln's death, the sinking of the Titanic, Jackie Robinson's debut on the Brooklyn Dodgers, and Income Tax Day (it should not be a shock that I am a history teacher - I have been obsessed since birth)

instead of a lengthy blog of new adventures and attempts - I would like to share with some of you the new exciting gifts I received...

1. have you heard of clarisonic? 

I am so excited to share with everyone my Clarisonic Plus 

 my favorite feature and what I am looking forward too the most is the great handle - I have unfortunately been plagued by scars from acne on my shoulders - so definitely a beneficial addition

2. and I am sure you have heard about the fabulous movie Lincoln 

what a better way to celebrate - than an evening of remember such a great man and enjoying a wonderful soundtrack (Daniel Day Lewis won an Oscar for his work)

 

3. loving this new nail polish color - Essie Mojito Madness  

Looking forward to a great year...until tomorrow - God Bless! 

 

Taco Bread? Sure!!!

this week for me is crazy - ACT Prep Course, 2nd Job, Bible Study, Charity Trivia Night - all great things - but I am also doing this biggest loser thing at work and do not want to have to eat out every night and I sure did not want to make something new every night...

...so I got creative...

TACO BREAD - kind of like pizza bread but with taco flavors/ingredients...easy to prep ahead of time and then can be assembled whenever so I do not have to have left overs all week...

this idea is definitely not my original piece, saw an image on pintrest and just decided that was enough - so if you want to change flavor combinations - DO IT!! 

 whole wheat bread (one loaf, uncut), one tomato, half red onion, half a green pepper, taco season, five green onions, cheese, and one pound of your meat of choice (next time I am going to try shredded chicken) 

 Next - simply prepared my veggies and got the turkey in the pan to start cooking...

after adding the red onions and peppers into the strained meat - add 3/4 cup of water and the taco season and let it look down for about five minutes

in the mean time - prepare the bread...

here is where I was planning ahead - I cut the bred in half and then halved the halves (fallowing me?) - setting aside two halves for later in the week and making two now - one for dinner Sunday night and one for my crazy Monday night (which I ended up having as cold taco pizza - and just as good) 

now you just build the tacos on the bread

cook the taco bread in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes - depending on how crispy and melty you want the cheese because everything else is already cooked 

while this was baking, I put everything away - already chopped and cooked for the next meal when I will compile another taco bread and just have to put it in the oven...

I added some salsa to eat with - but no reason why guacamole and sour cream would not taste fantastic!!       

Just super excited about trying something new!! 

God Bless, 

  

Meet Me In St. Louis...

anybody singing the broadway song yet? GOOD!! it has been in my head all day

 

got to spend the day visiting my little (although we must use this term lightly - she is a young lady now) sister visiting St. Louis - doing a little shopping, exploring the arch (my first visit - I know, don't judge) and eating some delicious food (gosh - all I do is eat - and I am not complaining)

have you been to the arch in St. Louis before - I had no idea they had a great little museum underneath that chronicles the history of St. Louis, the building of the arch...

...originally an idea in the 1920s - FDR financed the clearing of the river front starting in the 1930s, however was halted with the onset of WWII, which will resume construction in 1947 - finished and dedicated in 1963 by LBJ - oh goodness - I digress - stop me if this happens again...long story short - I really enjoyed the historical notes of the arch...(no we did not venture to the top this time...

so after dragging Sarah (the little one) all around the arch and getting her historical fix - it was time to get our eat on...Sarah's choice of course...

...off to the Cheesecake Factory we went - and of course I told Sarah the rule that we had to try something new because it is a fun adventure...

For me (on the left, cause you might be confused?) I ordered the flatbread with pears, arugula, blue cheese, and carmelized onions and might I just say it was delicious!!! Seriously - I am in love with apples, brie, and honey baked and I am definitely going to try this combination at home as well - if you have other cheese combo's to share - please do!! 

 

 For my little sister - the Chicken Teriyaki - which was delicious - but the best moment was definitely the bananas served with the dish - I made Sarah try this - it was bananas with brown sugar on top and put under the salamander - HOLY HANNAH - the flavor was great, however the texture was a little unique - not sure I would venture to try them again - however, always try something once, right?

thanks to the waitress who helped us out with the stellar shot!

ok - next - dang, what did we do next? Such a busy day and such a great time - it was off to the galleria - and a little shopping...

Sarah got to venture into the Apple store to check out her new laptop (well the one she ordered and was delivered to my parents - another story, for another time), we stopped by the Yankee store - got some new smells...

AND - the BEST FOR LAST ... VERA BRADLEY...

my birthday is coming up soon and SURPRISE - in the mail I received a nice little treat in the mail from my good friend Vera - so Vera, to you I say thank you...

my friend Val surprised me with this wonderful new pattern in paper clips and stationary for Christmas and it is now my summer print!! Go Wild - and yes it does in fact make me feel like I am going wild (ha ha - insert fun smirk here)...I am in love - my ipad fits in smashingly, my Twirly Birds wallet is a great combination - oh now to switch over ... and girls you know this is a fun process! 

Had such a great day with my little sister!! 

God Bless,