a trip to the cabin

this weekend was an unusual one...there was almost nothing on our calendar, and not much on the "to-do" list. so we decided on a short visit to the cabin. we made copious amounts of tasty food, including a tomato pie and cheese & chicken enchiladas, watched a movie with the kids, collected wildflowers, watched for birds, took walks along the river, read books, laid in the hammock, and relaxed on the front porch, enjoying the fall-like weather. it was a perfect way to spend one of the last weekends of summer.

Banana Bread and other Baking Adventures

Sam sifts the flour

Ella kneads the dough for the white bread

Max mixes the banana bread dough

Rising

White Bread

Banana Bread

Mmm Mmm Good

The kids and I spent yesterday baking in the kitchen. We made two yummy kinds of bread: Banana Bread & White Bread. I got the white bread recipe from my friend Melissa's blog, and it was a great "first" bread to make if you haven't made bread before. I've made quick breads a million times, but never baked "real" bread...you know, the kind that involves yeast, kneading, rising, etc. It was a super fun and super messy endeavor, but so worth it in the end! Neither bread is expensive to make, you probably have the ingredients on hand (except for rotting bananas...not everyone has those on hand). I have a HUGE bread book with all kinds of recipes in it, and I had chosen a very simple and easy bread to "cut my teeth" on, but realized the morning of the baking that the recipe had milk in it. No milk for Sam! So I checked out my friend's blog and she had the perfect recipe, I suggest you check it out...she has a plethora of bread recipes! We cannot wait to bake more bread...such a wonderful experience for all of us.

Banana Bread

From Better Homes & Gardens (the really old version)

1/3 cup Margarine

1/2 cup Sugar

2 Eggs

1 3/4 cup Flour

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1 cup Mashed Ripe Banana

1/2 cup chopped Walnuts (optional)

Mix all ingredients well and bake for 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees, until the knife comes out clean.

Field Trip

Today my children and I went on a fascinating field trip! We went to visit my Auntie Annie, who works at the Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired. We got to meet all of Aunt Anne's friends, tour the part of the center where braille books & magazines are made, visit the art gallery, and talk to artists who were working on masterpieces for the gallery. I learned so many new things...so did the children. And we saw some beautiful artwork! It was a grand day.