Reclaiming The Home

homemade gifts, painted toes, and SOS

A certain two year old is getting mighty grown up, and I am loving every minute of it.  She is so girly and so so sweet.  I could just nibble those little toesies but I won't.  She absolutely adores getting her toes painted.  Her daddy usually does it for her, but she insisted I do it today, and well.... who am I to argue with cute toes like that staring me in the face?  She wiggles her toes when she gets them painted, so they're all sorts of silly, but I think that's just part of the awesome fun-ness of being two and having pink painted piggies.

Right after we finished her mini pedicure, the mailman brought me some amazing goodness!   My dear, dear friend Robyn sent me some awesome birthday presents - a Priority flat rate box stuffed full!  Here are just a FEW of the goodies she put in there for me!

Let me tell you, there was so much more, but for the sake of those of you on dial-up I'll just tell you - the package was FABULOUS! :)   Thank you Robyn!  You're such a sweetheart!  I had so much fun going through everything, and the girls and I spent the afternoon batting the balloons around the apartment together... at least until Anna crashed on the couch for her afternoon nap and Abbi got distracted with a movie  :)   Thank you, my friend :)

In other news, I sat down tonight and made out the grocery list for all of the recipes from the Recipe Contest!   As I was on my way out the door  to go shopping I realized that I didn't have my wallet in my purse.  We looked *EVERYWHERE*.  I mean ev-e-ry-where.  Not one stone left unturned. 

Under the couch - *check*
Peek in the laundry - *check*
Look in the fridge? - *check*
In every possible hidden crack in the car?  - *check*
Inbetween kids' mattresses - *check*

Its probably someplace obvious.

I had to call and cancel my cards and will be ordering a new license and all of that soon.   :(   Poo.  That said, I will have to wait to go shopping until this weekend when hubby can go with me and use his card.  I'll start making the recipes then.   I'm so so sorry for the delay - I am craving them.  Big time.

Since I couldn't get to the store tonight, we had a staple dinner for most any Army family.  Sh!t on a Shingle (also known as SOS).  Its basically beef & gravy over toast.  It may not look delicious (or sound so, by the name), but it REALLY is comfort food, SOOOO tasty, and cheap to boot.  I used *THIS RECIPE* just to make sure I was getting proportions right.  I hadn't ever tried it with worcestershire sauce before - it was a nice addition!  If you get a chance, give it a try!  Its also GREAT for breakfast using sausage instead of chipped beef or hamburger.  (note: chipped beef is the "traditional" way of fixing SOS, but that's mostly because it can be dehydrated and rehydrated easily.  I prefer the taste and texture of hamburger or turkey burger, but you can use whatever strikes your fancy! - ENJOY!)

Dinner Challenge! Southern Sausage Apple Bake

Over at the Sommer Designs blog, she has posted a 5 night Dinner Challenge! I’m going to take her up on it starting Friday night! I’ll be sure to post photos and recipes here.

Are you up for the challenge? If so, post here, and be sure to link us up (and on Sommer’s blog too!) when you do post your dinners! Photos are optional! Yum!

To start out, gather your ingredients.  You'll need:

~4 apples
~1 Tbs olive oil (not pictured)
~1 pkg of kielbasa (or any similar type sausage - turkey kielbasa works great and is low fat)
~2 pkg of cornbread mix (we used Martha White this time, but have also loved the Jiffy Mixes and they are also SO cheap!!)
~1 cup milk (can substitute for water if needed)

The first thing you'll want to do is peel your apples.  Be sure to keep your peels & your cores to make potpourri later (i'll post a pic & instructions at the end of this post!)

Once you have your apples peeled, you'll want to slice them into thin slices.  Put them in a pot that has been drizzled with olive oil, over medium heat on the stovetop.  Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occassionally.

While your apples are simmering, slice your sausage into 1/4 inch slices, and preheat your oven to 400*F.

In a medium bowl, mix your cornbread mixes with the milk, stirring well. (note: 2 year olds think this is the best part)

Once your apples are done, you'll want to pour them (and their juices) in a 9x13" baking pan.  Add in the sausage and distribute evenly throughout the pan.  Pour the cornbread mixture over top, gently spreading around with a spatula or back of a spoon.

Place entire thing in the oven, and cook for 20 minutes (or until top is lightly golden) at 400*F.

Makes 6 hearty servings!  (and always gets rave reviews around here!) :)

Now... to make the potpourri!  Use your apple peels and cores (dont worry about seeds, etc, its all fine).  Put them all into a pan, sprinkle with cloves (crushed or whole are both fine), and about 1/2 cup water.  Put on simmer, and enjoy!

Audrey's Knitting Needle Tutorial!

We have been very fortunate to have  a guest speaker today!!  Audrey, a dear friend, inspiring crafter, and world-class relcaimer, has agreed to share her knowledge and skill in creating her own knitting needles!! 

If you've ever wanted to give this fun craft a try, it is truly worth it, and with Audrey's instructions, completely doable for anyone at any crafting experience level! 

Here are Audrey's wonderful instructions!

To make my DPN’s: I used common household bamboo skewers. Sharpened both ends in a pencil sharpener, sanded the shaft and points until smooth, and then polished them with a white crayon and a sheet of notebook paper.

Materials:

Dowel rods or skewers (chopsticks could work too)

Sandpaper: 100 grit – 400 grit (3-4 different grits)

Plain paper

White crayon or wax

Knob or button to top the needles. (In a pinch a rubber band)

Pencil Sharpener

Choose Your Weapon

When choosing your dowel rod you may find it helpful to have some sort of measuring device. In this way, you can get exactly the size you want. I did not measure mine at all, so whenever asked, “What size needle is that?" I told people “skewer”. Please learn from my mistakes. It will make me feel better.

If you purchase your dowel rod from a large chain store, they can cut it to your specified length. I used kitchen scissors, and had to deal with splintering.

Getting to the Point

Once you have your rods cut, you will run them in a pencil sharpener. Do the same to both ends for double pointed needles, just one end for standard needles.

True Grit

Next is the sandpaper. In this step, you will sand the needles using progressively finer (higher #) grits. By doing this you will get the rid of the splinters and burs in the wood. Be sure to sand the shaft and the point, paying special attention to the tip. The tip and the point receive the most activity when knitting and it would be a shame if your yarn kept being snagged. I found out how frustrating it could be to have to go back and sand each of my DPN’s. I have already made all the mistakes for you.

The Debate

This part is optional. I have seen some who do not polish their needles, yet I cannot tell you which way is best. If you choose to polish your needles, here’s how. Rub the entire surface of the wood with a white crayon. Then use a sheet of paper to smooth the needle, just the same as when you were sanding the wood. Once again, pay careful attention to the point and tip. 

The End

This is the last step, unless you have made DPN’s. This must be my favorite part. Finding that special something, that tells the world “This is custom!” Make your needles as unique as you want them to be. Glue a river stone, glass bead, or drawer pull to the end. Shove on a plastic toy or pencil eraser. Let impatiens rule your life and twist a rubber band to it. I have done that.

Congratulations

You now own, custom, one of a kind, original, not to be found in stores anywhere, hand crafted knitting needles.

When I asked Audrey to share a bit about herself with you all, here is what she said!

Name: Audrey Husbands Name: Brian Age: 36 Occupation: Stay at home mom/Homeschool mother Hobbies: Knitting, crocheting, cooking, gardening, and sewing Number of Teeth: 28 Allergies: Cats, mold and people who don't cover properly Favorite Food: Sushi Favorite Color: Green Favorite Movie: The Wizard of Oz Favorite Animal: Cat

Favorite Candy: Chocolate peanut butter cups

Her husband was able to add a bit more about her, so that you all can see a piece of the amazing gal that she is.

Audrey grew up in Brooklyn and Coney Island NY. As an adult her family moved to Hillside NJ where she attended Kean College. She earned a BS in business management with a minor in technology. She met her husband, Brian, in college and got married in 1995.

 

In college she worked for Adolph Gotcho as an assistant purchasing agent and later moved onto working for American Products as a purchasing agent and expeditor. She additionally held jobs as a sales rep in a sporting goods store, as a teacher’s assistant in a grammar school, as a worker in a laundry mat, offered a job making costumes for the renaissance festival and co-owner of an organized recreational camping business.

 

For most of her married life she has been a full time home builder (mom). Audrey began homeschooling her children in Kindergarten and continues to homeschool them today. The managerial skills she learned in college and her business life greatly help her run the home school.

 

Being a housewife and a homeschool mom she has taught herself how to hand sew, machine sew, crochet, knit, become computer savvy, repair almost everything broken in the home, cook like a short order chef, learned how to cut corners and save money, and much more.

THANK YOU Audrey!! :)  We surely do appreciate your contribution to the group!

(a few tips after trying this with the tutorial!!  You can find pre-cut dowels in some craft stores, so you may not have to cut them yourself!  You could also use candle wax or beeswax to finish off your needles if you would like to do that instead!)

Ladies (*and gents*), be sure to leave her a comment if you found this to be fun, informational, interesting, or any other number of adjectives!  :)  Thanks

Mutt Muffins and Crayon Cookies

The holidays are upon us and the gift making rush is a big part of that for me (and a part that I love, I might add).  Our family is coming to stay with us this Christmas, and they have two lovely little doggies they're bringing with them as well.  I say little, but one of them weighs more than my husband!  Anyhow, all this means that we will have four dogs, one cat, four adults and two kids here for Christmas!  My goals are to do something handmade for everyone!  I'm going to share what I've been doing for the doggies and the kiddos since they are slightly less likely to read the blog!

I have been really trying to find a good doggy treat recipe that both of my boys love.  I tried a new recipe the other day, called Mutt Muffins.   As usual, I made a few changes based on what I had on hand.  Instead of honey, I used sweetened cinnamon applesauce in place of plain to make up for the sugar. This also substituted the spices since the applesauce was already spiced!  They turned out wonderfully, and I wound up with about 4 dozen small Mutt Muffins. 

I would recommend using only one heaping tablespoon per muffin cup, like I did with these.  Even with these smaller muffins my Golden Retriever, Buddy found them to be a bit chewy (which he liked) and quite the mouth full!   We got two-paws-up from Buddy, though Jack (our Terrier) was not nearly as impressed with my baking today!

I have also been working hard on some unique gifts for the kidlets!  I have really been looking forward to making them each a set of Crayon Cookies (called such not because they are edible, but because of their shape and size)!

Many of you know that my oldest daughter has developmental delays and Autism.  She has a hard time with her fine motor skills so its hard for her to hold a crayon correctly.  These will hopefully help that, as they are bigger and easier to get a grip on!  Here is how you make them!

STEP 1: Find yourself a lot of crayons!!  I got my bag at Good Will for $2.99.  There are enough in there to make at least a dozen crayon cookies!  Probably a few more.  What you see here is what is left after making one batch of 6 crayon cookies.  The crayons do not have to be new, and actually, it is usually better if they are not, since I love to look at this as a way of recycling and reusing as well!

STEP 2: Peel the paper!  To do this you will have to follow two steps.  One might ask, "What is so hard about peeling crayon paper?"  Let me tell you - after the fourth or fifth one, I could tell you exactly what was so hard about it!  Some of the crayons were very tightly wrapped, others seemed almost glued on (most likely from heat melting the wax of the crayons to their papers).  I have also learned that Crayola crayons are the most difficult to unwrap.  I still managed however, and its okay if there is a little bit of residue.  It does not have to be perfect.  The easiest way to get past this is to A) Cut down the side of the crayon, very carefully with a knife or pair of scissors (adults only please - no kiddo injuries!).  B) Peel away the paper from the slit that you cut down the side of the crayon.

STEP 3: Put It In the Pan!   BUT! Before you put the crayons in the pan, you will want to spray your muffin tin with non-stick spray.  It is also important to choose a pan that you don't mind using solely for crafts.  I chose one that I have been using for crafts for a long time (and looks pretty pathetic, so please excuse its condition - it works for this purpose LOL!).

Then you will need to decide how you want your crayon cookies to look.  Do you want them to be a big jumbled bunch of colors, showing every color in the box?  Would you like them to be sorted by color exclusively?  Do you want a few hints of like colors together?  (i personally chose to put like colors together.  So for example, my yellow crayon cookie has some orange and some green in it.  my blue crayon cookie has some purple and some green in it.  My red crayon cookie has some purple and some orange in it, and so on!)

(again i'm sorry about the ugly pan!  believe it or not, i'd washed it just before this picture... its mostly stuck on glue or paint or ink... its not gross, i promise!

STEP 4: Bake it Baby!  Set your oven to 400* and immediately put the crayon cookies in (do not preheat).  Let it bake for 10 minutes and remove immediately.  It is totally fine if they don't melt completely.  Let cool until they are no longer runny.  Here are what mine looked like as they cooled:

STEP 5: Freeze It!  Put the entire pan in the freezer.  DO NOT TRY TO REMOVE THEM WHILE WARM!  I made the mistake of trying to remove the crayon cookies while they were warm, thinking they would be easier to get out.  FALSE!  They fell apart.  I put the remaining 3 in the freezer and went back to them 2 hours later.  They popped out VERY easily, by just tipping the pan upside down.  If you DO get some that break, don't fret!  spray your pan again with non-stick spray, and re-bake them to melt together once again in the proper shape, and freeze. 

Here are some photos of what they look like in their finished sizes!  Notice how they nest in one another and stack so well!  Imagine the wrapping possibilities!  You could also probably store them in a reclaimed and decorated Pringles container!

Have fun reclaiming, and do let me know if you try either of these crafts! :)

Reclaiming Yarn, Electricity, and Family Time

This is what I have had my hands in the past week!  I spent a couple of days just listening to audio books and unraveling away at this beautiful angora sweater that I picked up at the thrift store for $3.95 over a month ago.  It is now a delicious pile of yarn waiting for me to put it to good use!  I love the idea of turning something that someone else cast off as unusable and turning it into something beautiful and full of possibility!

We have also been spending as much quality family time as possible since my husband will be out in the field at work this week (camping on site), so it will just be me and the girls starting tomorrow.  We wrapped presents today and put them under the tree, which just gives such a festive feel to the tree (it no longer looks naked LOL!).  I still have a few things to work on this week while hubby is away, to add to the Christmas goodness since I'm trying to do a lot of homemade things this year.  I'd post them here, but I dont want the recipients to find out what they're getting this year!!

I hope you all are enjoying the season, staying warm, and finding creative inspiration as well! 

And as a quick follow up, I am THRILLED to report that Christina finally got her power on today!  Its amazing how much we all take for granted with electric heaters, our ovens, microwave, lights, television, computers, washing machines and dryers.... my heart really goes out to all of the families and individuals without power as a result of this ice storm this season... sending up prayers, and an extra thank you for finally warming my dear friend and her family with the blessing of electricity! :)

Getting that Grocery Budget Under Control

This post is inspired first and foremost by the discussion currently going on the Reclaiming The Home group on Ravelry.   

Secondly, I was really pleased by my grocery haul today, even with the Thanksgiving shopping!  By using coupons for items that I needed, and shopping specifically at a store that doubles coupons, I was able to save $59.84 on my grocery bill.  I spent a total of $87.14 for two weeks!! 

There have been SO many wonderful tips from the gals at Ravelry too!  Here are just a few highlights!

Bapple shared that she loves Cook's Illustrated.  For a meager $25  per year she says she is able to search recipes by rating and has never had a bad recipe from this site!  She said the best part is the organization aspect.  If you choose your recipes on the site, it will provide you with a grocery list, itemized by section (produce, meat, etc!)

Another site to check out that provides something similar (but free) is Recipe Zaar!

DianeToo had some wonderful suggestions too: "check to see what is on sale each week and build a few meals around that? For example, if chickens are 79 cents a pound... you can roast one, cut one up for any recipe calling for chicken pieces, make soup, etc.                                        

When chickens were on sale I used to spend a bit of time being "the butcher"... I would turn them into legs and thighs and wings... boneless skinless chicken breast... and put what remained into the stockpot and make soup. Several chickens turn into quite a few packages of "dinner in the freezer"

                                       

Stock up.  If you buy spaghetti when it is "Buy one get one free" you are getting it for half price. 

                                       

Use less expensive ingredients and substitute. In season fruits and veggies are often the most affordable. Take advantage of them.

                                       

Check if there is a "scratch and dent" (I don't know what else to call it) grocery in your area. I have one... and while you have to check to see if stuff is in date, etc., I have gotten remarkable buys there. I get tea at 2 for $1, cereals are usually $1.25 - any size... well guess what - I buy the big ones! LOL

                                       

Find some less expensive recipes that your family likes and use them regularly. There is a crock pot thread going on with some great ones!"

She also suggested trying generic, and even going so far as to do a blind taste test between your favorite brand name and the store brand to see which you like better.  She was pleasantly surprised!

AuntPam said, "I am a big coupon/sale shopper and get the Sunday paper delivered every week just for that reason. (and not on any other day) I go through all the circulars and jot down items that we can use that are on sale and where ... then I go through those coupon fliers and cut out any we can use. I plan the next week's meals based on what we've got & what's on sale. Every time there's a meat sale I stock the freezer. My shopping list is a necessity ... and I never let my DH do the shopping!

Karne is a moderator over at Frugal Homemakers on Ravelry, and suggested that members take a peek over there as well for some great frugal ideas!

Isrbrown suggested checking out Saving Dinner from Flylady's LeAnne Ely

DustinAC mentioned that by going by herself and not taking hubby or the kids, she has saved money from not having as many impulse buys!

Caednkat said, "what really helps my dinner budget is to get to know the managers in the meat departments of the grocery stores you shop at a lot. They will let you know when they usualy mark meat down. The marked down meat is fine as long as you either cook it or freeze it within the next day."

nicolethegeek suggests buying meat in bulk, even possibly a 1/4 or 1/2 of a cow, or a pig.  Many places will package it ahead of time for you, and by buying a side of meat you are supporting local farmers, as well as getting a good deal on meat that will last you a long time.  Just make sure you have plenty of freezer space!

Tastyyarns suggested growing your own vegetables and herbs in a garden.  Not only is it healthy and frugal, but it is so very tasty and satisfying knowing that you grew your own food!

Ladybugmom suggested not going grocery shopping while hungry, because you are more likely to buy unneeded and unhealthy items (so true!)

Joni noted that after cutting out most processed foods from her diet, the grocery bill dropped drastically, even though they were purchasing more produce!  To try out her system, try shopping around the edges of the store, which has primarily fresh vegetables, meats, and dairy.

In addition to the INCREDIBLE suggestions by these amazing reclaimers, I have a few tips to share!

Watch your portion sizes!  In today's culture it is very common for us to eat 2, 3, or even 4 times more food than is necessary for our bodies to flourish!  A meat serving is about the size of a deck of cards.  Imagine a large steak feeding a family of 4!  That can surely help the budget stretch, and the waistband tighten!  Healthy in all respects!

Bake your own bread!  I love this recipe and with the small amount of yeast used, it winds up being incredibly cheap!  The taste cannot be beaten, its beautiful, and there is just something wonderful about the smell of fresh bread being baked in the oven.

A note about buying whole chickens:  If you buy a bone-in chicken, whether whole or in pieces, you can carve off the skin and fat at home without much effort, and save a lot in cost, if you are a frugal gal (or guy for that matter). Since this is a thread on lowering the grocery bill, this is a wonderful way to help drop the cost.  I try to keep my chickens bone-in for more than just monetary reasons however! I love to make chicken stock. Bone-in chicken is wonderful for that!!  If you roast a whole chicken for example, you can boil the carcass after you are finished carving the meat off (this applies to any way you cook it really - roasting was just one example). Then, remove the carcass from the water, and refrigerate the broth. If it turns to gel, you've created your own delicious chicken stock (if not you still have a yummy broth you can use!). You can freeze it, can it, or use it right away. This is a fantastic addition to just about any dish.  You can make gravy with it, make soup, add it to rice for flavor, or use it as a substitute for anything calling for chicken broth. You can literally throw the stock in the crock pot, add a couple leftover veggies that need to be used in the fridge, pour in some noodles, and a bit of seasoning, and you now have chicken soup. YUM! The wonderful thing is that you can do this with red meat as well. I save my bones in the freezer until I have enough to make beef stock. (can we say beef stew - YUMM).

Last but not least... a few of my favorite links!!!

Mothering.com - Meals on the Cheap - Under $2 meals

Hillbilly Housewife Emergency Low-Cost Menu & Meal Ideas

Hillbilly Housewife Best Bets for your Budget

So.... do you have any tips to share? :)

A little culture

Hello All!  Happy Sunday to you.  Today is when daylight savings time ends, and we fall back an hour.  I suppose that would technically make today the longest day of the year.  With gorgeous fall weather like this, I am thrilled for the extra hour to enjoy it. 

I have been spending a lot of time with my yarn as of late.  As most of you know, I sew, cook, garden, read, scrapbook, do photography, and embroider as well.  Still, I appear to have been bitten by the yarn bug lately.   

(here's proof!)

This lovely lady is Daniella - my friend Christina's foreign exchange student from Venezuela.  She is one of the sweetest girls I've ever met, and so much fun to hang around with.  Being out of the country and away from her home has been a challenge and a joy for her, and I know she thinks of Christina, Don and their loving kids as a part of her family.  It was such a pleasure to get to spend some time with them all and get to know Daniella personally.   The hat and scarf she is sporting in this photo were ones I made for her the night before a big football game that she was to go to.  She was so concerned that she didn't have many warm clothes to wear this fall, so I was happy to offer this little gift.  I've already been asked for the pattern for the hat and scarf several times, so I am working on writing one up right now.  I'll be sure to let you all know as soon as it is finished!

In other homey news, I have been preparing for the beautiful fall season, clearing out the clutter and taking stock of our resources to find out what we will need to replace, repair, or restock before winter hits.  With the time change comes the change of the smoke alarm batteries, as well. 

As a part of our fall preparation, we often find ourselves looking through our freezer and pantry to make an inventory of the various foods we have on hand that need to be used.  You know what I'm talking about.  We all have them.  The odd can of green beans or half bag of rice sitting sadly in the cupboard, neglected for months of meals.  For me, making a pantry inventory then allows me to be more creative with our meal preparation, by using the ingredients that I know we have on hand.  We still do plenty of grocery shopping, but I dont double up on items we already have this way, and I can plan ahead to gather items that would compliment the foods we have and need to use.  Many of our favorite dishes were formed through this manner, and its a tradition with the changing of the seasons that we have kept up with for several years.  I hope it will be for many more years to come as well, though in future years, I envision looking through my pantry full of home-canned goodies waiting to find a tasty use.  Yum!

Happy Halloween :)

Happy Halloween Ladies and Gents... I hope its a spooky one for you!  We are going to forgo the trick-or-treating tonight, since the stomach flu has made its way around our entire household (fortunately both kitty and puppy remain unscathed). 

Even still, I have acquired our yearly package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cup (minis) for the dressed up little youngin's who darken our doorstep this All Hallows Eve.  Since I am feeling much better, I plan to help them devour it over the next few weeks, beginning of course with a snack or two this evening.  Yum!

Since the family is so sick and all snuggled tight in their beds, I plan to use this lovely evening to get a little crafting done.  I feel the need to do something slightly harvesty (yet frugal *wink wink*)... hmm... what could it be?

Holiday Hoopla

About this time of year it really settles in on me that the holidays are just around the corner.   My mom and my husband both just celebrated their birthdays and for me that means it is time to start prepping for Christmas as I have never prepped before. 

I'm working hard to have a handmade Christmas this year.  We have agreed to get a few new things that we need, like underwear, and some things for the house.  The kids may get a couple of books or movies.  But 99% of what we do this Christmas is going to be from our own two hands. 

I've been gradually working my way through the gift list that I made up a few months ago, but there is still a lot left to go.  With a little elbow grease, and some Christmas music I know I can get it done in no time flat. 

I don't have any photos to show from this past week because I have been down with the flu, but I will update with some that are waiting on my camera just as soon as I get a chance.

In the mean time, here's a photo of a dress I refashioned for my daughter last spring.  It is one of my favorite refashions.  When I took this photo I hadn't yet trimmed off some of the threads, so my apologies for that.  Hopefully you can get the idea from this photo though. 

Blessings!

The Flavors of Fall

Happy Monday my friends.  It appears that it has finally started to feel a bit like fall around here.  We had a 90* day yesterday, and then a cold front moved in last night, bringing the season's first cold snap to our excited doorstep.  We adore autumn here, and welcome it with open arms, and windows. 

One way that we celebrate this beautiful season is with the season's first loaf of fall bread.  Something about the soft bread, hot from the oven, with the crisp crackling crust tickling my tastebuds, just makes fall set in for me. 

It could also be that my excitement for this tasty treat is also in its beauty and display.  Pictured here is the bread dish we have been using the past few years.  I love it, but I also wanted something with more of a fall theme.  My momma surprised me with a beautiful pumpkin platter that will be perfect for displaying our bread throughout the season.  It is my new favorite dish, and will be used quite often!  Pictures of that to come soon.  For now, here is a taste of fall from our cozy little homestead.

This tasty recipe first appeared in the article The Secret of Great Bread: Let Time Do the Work, by Mark Bittman in the November 8th, 2006 New York Times.

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery

Time: About 1 1/2 hours plus 14 to 20 hours rising

- 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting [I used bread, also suggested is substituting 1 cup whole wheat flour*.]
- 1/4 teaspoon instant [aka Rapid Rise, QuickRise, Instant Active Dry, Perfect Rise, or Bread Machine Yeast] yeast
- 1 1/4 [1 3/4] teaspoons salt
- Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 [1 1/2] cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. [I put it on top of my fridge.]

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal [rice flour was suggested as it won't get gummy]; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart [about a 4-quart pot is preferred] heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 [10 or 15] minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1 1/2-pound loaf.