Closing forever

This is not symbolic of anything, just funny

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Milestone News

We are excited to add a new milestone for Norah. She rolled over today from her back to her stomach, just shy of 6 months. About 2 minutes afterward she got tired of it and started to cry. Either way, exciting news!

Making Fresh Bread

I have been meaning to post this, but time is pretty short for me this summer. I am planning to start making bread for my family every day this week based on a book by these guys:



I may actually but their book. I already have baking stones and plan to get the buckets with lids (my Pampered Chef covered glass measuring cup is too small), and a pizza paddle from amazon.

The Master Recipe: Whole Grain Artisan Loaf

Follow the instructions below to make enough dough for at least four 1-pound loaves. The recipe can easily be doubled or halved.

5 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tbsp (2 packets) granulated yeast
1 tbsp kosher salt (or to taste)
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
4 cups lukewarm water (Note: You can add a teaspoon of dried herbs to the water for herb-flavored breads.)
Cornmeal or parchment paper
1 to 2 tbsp whole seed mixture for sprinkling on top of the crust: sesame, flaxseed, caraway, raw sunflower, poppy and/or anise (optional)

1. Measure the dry ingredients. Use dry-ingredient measuring cups (avoid 2 cup measures, which compress the flour) to gently scoop up flour, then sweep the top level with a knife or spatula. Whisk together the flours, yeast, salt and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or, preferably, in a resealable, lidded (not airtight) plastic food container or food-grade bucket. Lidded (or even vented) plastic buckets designed for dough storage are readily available.

2. Mix with water — kneading is unnecessary. Heat the water to slightly warmer than body temperature (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit). Add to the dry ingredients and mix without kneading, using a spoon, food processor (with dough attachment), or heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle). You may need to get your hands wet to get the flour to incorporate if you’re not using a machine. Don’t knead! It isn’t necessary.

You’re finished when everything is uniformly moist, without dry patches. This step is done in a matter of minutes, and yields a wet dough that remains loose enough to conform to the shape of its container.

3. Allow to rise. Cover with a lid (not airtight) or cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flatten on top), which will take about 2 hours. Longer rising times — even overnight — will not change the result. Fully refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and is easier to work with than dough at room temperature. So, the first time you try our method, it’s best to refrigerate the dough overnight (or at least 3 hours) before shaping a loaf.

After it’s been refrigerated, the dough will seem to have shrunk back upon itself. It will never rise again in the bucket, which is normal for our dough. Whatever you do, do not punch down this dough! With our method, you’re trying to retain as much gas in the dough as possible, and punching it down knocks gas out and will make your loaves denser.

On Baking Day

4. Quickly shape a loaf. First, prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal (or lining it with parchment paper or a silicone mat) to prevent your loaf from sticking to it when you slide it into the oven. Dust the surface of your refrigerated dough with flour. Pull up and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece of dough, using a serrated knife or kitchen shears. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won’t stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating a quarter-turn as you go to form a ball. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it’s not intended to be incorporated into the dough. The bottom of the ball may appear to be a collection of bunched ends, but it will flatten out during resting and baking. The correctly shaped final product will be smooth and cohesive.

5. Form a narrow, oval-shaped loaf and let it rest. Stretch the ball gently to elongate it, and taper the ends by rolling them between your palms and pinching them.

6. Allow the loaf to rest — covered loosely with plastic wrap — on the pizza peel for 90 minutes (40 minutes if you’re using fresh, unrefrigerated dough).

Alternatively, you can allow the loaf to rest on a silicone mat or greased cookie sheet. Depending on the age of the dough, you may not see much rise during this period. More rising will occur during baking.

7. Thirty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 450 degrees, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray for holding water on any other rack that won’t interfere with the rising bread.

8. Paint and slash. Just before baking, use a pastry brush to paint the top of the loaf with a little water. Sprinkle with the seed and nut mixture. Slash the loaf with quarter-inch-deep parallel cuts across the top, using a serrated bread knife.

9. Baking with steam. After a 30-minute preheat, you’re ready to bake. With a quick forward jerking motion of the wrist, slide the loaf off the pizza peel and onto the preheated baking stone. If you used parchment paper instead of cornmeal, it will slide onto the stone with the loaf. If you used a silicone mat or cookie sheet, just place it on the stone. Quickly but carefully pour about a cup of hot water into the broiler tray and close the door to trap the steam. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is richly browned and firm to the touch (smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in resting and baking time).

If you used parchment paper, a silicone mat, or a cookie sheet under the loaf, carefully remove it and bake the loaf directly on the stone or an oven rack when the loaf is about two-thirds of the way through baking.

When you remove the loaf from the oven, it may audibly crackle, or “sing,” when initially exposed to room-temperature air. Allow the bread to cool completely, preferably on a wire cooling rack. The perfect crust may initially soften, but will firm up again when cooled.

10. Store the remaining dough in your container in the refrigerator and use it over the next couple of weeks. You’ll find that even one day’s storage im¬proves the flavor and texture of your bread. The dough ferments and takes on sourdough characteristics. When your bucket is empty, don’t wash it! Mix another batch in the same container. The aged dough stuck to the sides will give you a head start on sourdough flavor. To take it even further, incorporate up to 2 cups of your old dough.

Mormon Tabernacle Choir Flash Mob

Ft. Lauderdale Groundbreaking

When I was in Florida I went to the groundbreaking.  It was at 10 a.m. at Leslie and Alex' building.  I had never been to a groundbreaking before, so I was especially excited to go.  I kind of felt sorry for the people at the actual site because it was so hot that morning.  Anyway, wanted to share a few factoids from the meeting.

Walter Gonzalez presided.  He also had a couple of young (I would guess 2 and 4) darling grandchildren there.  I won't list the speakers individually, just some of their thoughts.  There are 134 operating temples, 26 under construction.  This temple was announced in 2009.  Groundbreaking is a symbolic beginning for the temple.  The Orlando temple was dedicated in 1984.  There are 136,000 members in Florida.  420,000 in Arizona.  They believe the first member of the church to be baptized in Florida was in 1857.  Florida was officially dedicated for missionary work in 1895.  In 1930 Joseph Fielding Smith dedicated the first building in Florida, the Miami branch.  

We go to the temple for revelation.  We learn the laws of obedience and then obey them.    We honor our pioneer forefathers as we stay faithful.  We come to the temple because we love Him.  The sunshine state will be brighter because of the temple.  The temple is a reminder to focus our lives on the Savior.  Elder Gonzalez said we should be men and women of our word.  Then he referenced the scripture in 3 Nephi about let our communications be yea, yea and nay, nay.  We should do what we say.  As we keep covenants and help others we are working out our salvation.  Of course, many mentioned the eternal nature of families.  

We are all so blessed to have temples so close.  This site is right by the freeway.  It will be a light to the citizens of south Florida.  Leslie heard they are going to call it the South Florida temple. I thought I saw somewhere that it said Ft. Lauderdale temple, but I am not so sure now.  Anyway, it was a wonderful way to start the day.  

I was talking to a lady from Leslie's ward before it started.  She has lived in the area for 31 years.  She said before Orlando was built, they traveled to the Atlanta Temple.  It was a two day trip.  They were so elated to have the Orlando Temple built, because it is only about 3 1/2 hours away.  Now, she said, to think that it will be in our own backyard.  If you hang around long enough, great blessings come.  She is a temple officiator, and they get up at 3 to be at the temple.  I think that is about when my mom and dad used to get up when they worked in the  Idaho Falls Temple.   We are so blessed to have temples again on the earth.

I love all of you.

Mom

Welcome to the World Lola Esparza!

I can't belive I am posting a clip from Glenn Beck's Show

This is soooo, sooooo tender. I have been following the Neilsons since Stephanie and Christian had the accident. My friend, Lindsay told me about them and the blog that was being kept up by her sister. She actually knows them and served her mission at the same time/place Christian served his and went to their sealing ;-)

I have felt such love and inspiration from NieNie's blog often.

The first picture NieNie posted of herself after the accident was actually on a day we were all in Pocatello two Augusts ago. I will never forget looking at that blog post on my laptop that day. My heart aches for her, but then it gets filled right back up again with her spirit and goodness.

Year One

And what a great year it has been! 2 moves, a few thousand miles, and oh so many memories and adventures! I'm so grateful to be married to Abby! She's fun, positive, faithful, hopeful, and so happy. Abby, I love you more today than ever before. (yes, i'm okay with a little blogarific pda.)

Thank you for another wonderful year. There aren't words enough to tell you how much I love you, so I'll
keep it to these three: I love your-awesomely-great-more-fun-than-you-can-imagine-what-could-possibly-be-more-betterer-than-this-self. (it's a real word. trust me I know english and read real good.

PS. Check out these anniversary cookies!

Blast From the Past

One of my favorite movies, really, but this isn't about that movie.  Last year, May 8 to be exact, we went to Abby's graduation.  I was thinking about her graduation today.  That brought to mind that I had never done the post I was going to do then.  It is about the speaker at Abby's graduation.  Since most of you couldn't be there, and I think Matt and Asher missed quite a bit of it, here goes.  The speaker was "Seth Goldman is President and TeaEO of Honest Tea, the company he co-founded in 1998 with Professor Barry Nalebuff of the Yale School of Management. "   Here are my notes for the 7 points he made:
1.  For those who say it cannot be done, don't get in the way of those doing it.


2.  Knowledge is the process of piling up facts.  Wisdom lies in their simplification.  Break things down into small pieces.


3.  Sometimes a bridge is not the best way to cross a river.  If we build a bridge, there will be a road, etc.  (I think the point here was preserving our ecology.)  Abby?, David?


4.  If we don't change the direction we are headed, we will arrive where we are going.  (That goes both ways, doesn't it?  i.e. if we change the direction we were headed, we won't get where we wanted to go?)


5.  Don't dry your hands with a paper towel.  It will save paper.  


6.  Tell your parents you love them.


7.  Be the tea.  Get plenty of sunshine.  Stay away from chemicals.  Don't panic if you end up in hot water, it brings out your real flavor.  Don't be afraid to seek out the places where there are no bridges.


other notes:  The bad news is, there is no key to the universe.  The good news is, there never was.  regarding his product, honest tea, coka cola master(In 2008 The Coca-Cola Company purchased a minority interest in Honest Tea, fueling further growth as Honest becomes the first organic and Fair Trade brand to move into the world's largest beverage distribution system. )  I wrote down WONK?  Tea Gardens Tea leaves are never rinsed.  Matt, Crystal, do you remember the context of any of that?  


Some other speakers at American University that year:  The Honorable Janet Napolitano, who got an honorary degree from the College of Arts and Sciences;   The Honorable Donna E. Shalala, also received an honorary degree, School of Public Affairs, and a couple of other people I am not familiar with.  Congratulations, Abby.  It was a fun day.  Really pretty little university.  It was a nice, warm day, unlike the days here in Eastern Idaho.


Getting new ward boundaries Sunday.  Will keep all informed.  We may not be in the 2nd ward anymore.  A couple of really, really awful murders here in the last week.  One in IF, one here.  babies involved.  


Grandpa is doing well.  Would love to hear from any of you.  Abby is on her way to S. California, as I type.


Have a great weekend.  I hope there is sunshine wherever you are.


xoxo mom


fyi, the photo at the top is one abby took.  it is on the Kogod blog site.  Denise "took over for Abby this summer".  Great photo, Abby


here's the link    http://kogodinmombasa.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html

Grace's Big Day

Grace was baptized this last weekend. It was a fabulous day. Grace was so excited and we are so proud of her for making this decision. Grace has such a sweet, pure spirit and she is such a good example to her brother and sisters. Lots of friends and family were able to attend the baptism and Grace felt very special. Grandma and Grandpa came, so did Aunt Dana and Uncle Jason and the COUSINS!! The kids had such a great time together, they played hard all weekend and were so sad when the Delgadillos had to go home. We are so grateful to everyone who made the long trip up to be here for Grace and everyone who participated in the baptism. It was a perfect weekend, we are very blessed. It was a perfect Mother's Day present, that and getting to be with my mom on Mother's Day, which hasn't happened in a long time. Elliot decided to write about the baptism for his small moment homework this week. I think he summed it up fairly well.




Such a sweet boy :)

Grace with mom and dad before the baptism.

Grace with Dad and Bishop Finn

Everyone :)

We trapped the kids in the little breezeway and let them go wild!

Happy girl :)

(grandma Croshaw made her beautiful dress)

For a recap of the rest of the weekend you can see my sister's post here.