Bendy Bread

Now that Hannah is in school she is very much "activity oriented".  She is so used to going from one project to the next while she is there, that she has come to expect that same type of entertainment at home.  "I'm bored" has become one of her favorite sayings around here.  I tried to explain to her that Mommy doesn't always have to have the ideas, that it is fun to try and think of things to play by yourself too.  I love Hannah and as much as I would also love to spend the ENTIRE day playing dolls or doing puzzles with her, there are other things that I have to get done.  Not so sure that she got it, because in the next breath she asked if we could bake something.  I remembered a recipe I had found for bread that you play with before you bake it!  I changed it from the original version, so I guess that makes it okay to share.

Bendy Bread:

1 C unbleached white flour

1 C + 1T of whole wheat pastry flour (regular w.wheat flour is too heavy, we used Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour)

2 t baking powder

2 T sugar

1/4 t sea salt

1 egg

1/2- 3/4 C milk- to obtain dough like consistency

1/4 c vegetable oil

Topping:

1/4 C brown sugar

1 t cinnamon

2-3 T melted butter

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the wet ingredients separately.

Add the wet to the dry and mix until combined, you may need to add more milk or more flour in order to achieve a doughy consistency.

Flour the table (and the floor, and your shirt, and your pants :) Knead the dough until it is more firm and elastic (a minute or two).

   

Divide the dough evenly between your participants. Perfectly even.  Let them mish, mash, squish, squash, roll and shape the dough into the desired forms.  (keep in mind the baking time of a big blob.  I had to send Hannah back to the drawing board a few times.)

Combine the topping ingredients. Sprinkle onto the shapes (which should be on a greased cookie sheet.  I used "Pam with Flour".)

Bake at 350 for 15-20min depending on the size and shape of your dough.  Try and wait patiently as the yummy smell oozes from the oven.

Cool and enjoy with a glass of milk.  (This was a person that Hannah made...she let out and evil laugh as she bit its head off)

And my thankful thought of the day goes out to my friend who gladly came to my rescue around 11:30 am when I had run out of ideas (and energy) to keep Hannah occupied.  She brought her girls over to play and we enjoyed some coffee together.

School tomorrow :)

my pheasant and her pie

Be proud of her,  she did it all by herself (be a little proud of me too for letting her do it-- there were moments when I literally had to put my hands in my pockets.  I worked hard at letting go of how I thought it should look.  And, like her mother, she made a terrible mess.  Flour everywhere!  This is Emma's Blackberry Pie that she submitted to the baking contest at school today.  They were celebrating Reformation Day and honoring Martin Luther.  We did not win...but participating was the emphasis- we were beat out by Strawberry Rhubarb.

Her costume was fun and fairly easy to make. The goal was a 15th century peasant.  Or as Hannah would say "she is a pheasant". Emma was trying to look poor in this picture...thus the somber face. (Red eyes again!  Anyone know how to adjust this in photoshop? I don't think that my camera has that option.  I hate using my flash...but there is so little daylight anymore.) At 1:00am this morning as I was finishing off her apron, I wasn't sure it would all be worth it.  Funny enough, she won 3rd place for "Best Period Representation" in the Elementary Division. That sweetened the deal to some extent.

Lots of lovely gowns like these.  The children also took part in a lavish feast featuring medieval-ish food.

 

Check out these girl's archery skills.

 

Also some action packed sword fighting!

All in all a glorious day, remembering important and courageous people.

How to bake with children

We have more apples around here than we know what to do with.  I went a bit overboard at the orchard thinking that we could make applesauce, and dry them into fruit roll-ups.  Neither have been accomplished yet.  My husband told me not to worry because it was beginning to look like they would sauce themselves right there in the boxes.  At least it is getting cold enough now that the fruit flies are no longer an issue.

Anyways, this afternoon the girls and I (the neighbor girl too) decided that making a pie sounded fun.  I love baking with my children-- here are a few things that I have learned along the way.

#1- Have everything set up and prepared. Gather all ingredients, all utensils, all recipes and aprons ahead of time.  If there is even the slightest lull in the action- they will lose interest.  Perhaps even begin sword fighting with their wooden spoons (not good especially when they are covered in dough or batter.)

#2: Always make sure that everyone has equal amount of "turns" and don't forget who gets to go next.  Children are very particular about the order in which they proceed.

#3: Make cuter aprons for everyone.

#4: Be on the look out for sneaky food snatchers and finger lickers.  They are everywhere!

#5: Refer to #2

#6: Give up control, stive for fun not perfection.

 

 

#7: Don't be afraid to get messy!

#8: Waiting can be fun especially if you play sliding games on the kitchen floor.

#9: refer to #7 (bad focus)

May all your baking days be sweet!