Cooking - Homemade Soft Pretzels

I have had a snack of

homemade soft pretzels 

on my to do list for months!!

I (we) finally got around to making them

this week.

We have taken two weeks off from school

to get organized and for a visit from grammy.

I didn't decide this til Monday morning as we

were gathering around the kitchen table

getting ready to start school.

When I told the kids,

you would have thought it was 

Christmas or I told them we were 

going to Disney World (if they knew what that was)
or something...

There were hugs and hollering 

and Thank You's galore!

Mercy!!
(weren't they the ones bugging me
to start their new books just 1 month ago??)

I told them we would do some arts 

and crafts (none of which have occurred yet).

But it also gave us the opportunity to 

make these pretzels!

When it comes to recipes,

to me they are typically just guidelines

or suggestions.

I usually tweak a little to make them

my own.

 I googled soft pretzel recipe

and came upon one called

Almost-Famous Soft Pretzels

With a name like that - we had to try it!

I followed the recipe almost exactly,

I tweaked the flour a little

and did a combo of 

white and wheat flour.

We also didn't go the salt covered route,
we covered them with cinnamon sugar.

Ok - so I didn't follow it "exactly"
just mostly.

I did follow the cooking directions,

but I think they were a little overdone,

so next time I won't cook them quite as long.

But I didn't hear ANY complaints 

as all 6 were being scarfed down!!
(yours truly included!)


A pictorial review

I waited until after the littles had gone down for
naps before the big boys and I started the dough.


We marked the bowl to approximate where the
top of the dough was to see how much it rose.



Then we examined the results after the dough rose.



Then Ms. Priss got to punch it down!



Then I portioned out the dough into
6 pieces and everyone got to work
rolling out and shaping their dough!

Four were the traditional pretzel shape,

then I let the big boys make something of their own.

The results!!!

 

We will definitely be making these again.

I am not sure I will allow all the "help" 

on the front end.

But they enjoyed it.

Recommendation, Warning & Let the Games Begin!!!

Recommendation:

We have ALL seen the 

rotisserie chickens

that the local grocery stores 

have for sale every day.

And if you have ever tried them, 

you know that they are scrumptious!

BUT - unless you found somewhere 

that has them for $3.50 each...

its hard to pay $7/chicken.

(well for me anyways).

Back at my favorite grocery store chain in NC,

they would occasionally run these super specials

on chickens and you could get them for $0.59/lb.

So me being the frugal person I have always been,

I would buy as many as they would let me and

load my freezer.  I was known to have 12

chickens in my freezer at once.

(outside, garage freezer)

Then I had to come up with ways to cook all those

silly chickens!!

I decided to bite the bullet and buy a rotisserie.

We did NOT buy one new.

(remember the frugal statement above)

I wasn't convinced we would love it and use it,

so I wasn't forking out the dough for a new

kitchen toy.

So we found on on Craigslist for $40.

It had ALL the pieces and the lady

said she had only used it a handful of times.

That was the BEST $40 we have EVER spent.

I have learned how to truss the birds,

without those goofy strings they sell specifically 

for trussing.

(I just use cotton thread!)

And after some trial and error -

if you have never brined a bird...

oh good heavens,

you MUST!

There is NO other way to do a chicken!

You have to play with the seasonings in your brine.

But your loved ones,

will be asking for you to make

"one of your rotisserie chickens".

(oh and a little Lawry's seasoning on top is the kicker)

You gotta try it!!

Warning:

Along with the frugalness,

referred to above,

I do my best,

and always have,

to know where our money is going.

When we sign a contract to buy a house,

I want to know where all of those 

costs are coming from on that 

"good faith estimate" 

they present you with.

When we buy a car,

why aren't these numbers adding up?

I ask questions...

Tax documentation,

double check it!

Most of the time,

they are correct

and legit,

but occasionally,

by you asking questions

and double checking,

you can find errors

that could cost you 

literally 

HUNDREDS of dollars.

The past two days, 

I have spent crunching numbers

only to discover an error

significantly to our disadvantage.

So now we have to get it fixed...

let the fun begin!

It doesn't take long,

just give it a shot.

Trust me,

you will thank me one day!

The Usual:

Nothing too exciting this week.

I actually got ALL four of the kids

at the table and occupied this week

(once)

it was beautiful!

(albeit fleeting - I'll take it)

A few years ago,

I discovered dried beans

as a sensory item!

My kids have LOVED them.  

Its easier than rice and sand inside.

But give them: 

different color beans

funnels

bowls

measuring spoons

measuring cups

aluminum pie pans

and 

watch them go!

They will spend quite a while occupying themselves that way.

Just stay close, cause when the beans start flying...

or TOO many are hitting the ground...

they are DONE!  

haha!

Let the Games Begin!!!

Our new sports season is officially in full swing and

we had our first Saturday FULL of games today.

MERCY!!!

10am - A's soccer game

2pm - J's soccer game

4:15 - R's baseball game

This is about what our Saturday's look like

for the next 8 weeks.

OY!

And, of course, the field is too far from the house

to justify going home between games

(most of the time).

Which makes for a VERY long day

with an 18 mo old in tow!

Below are a few pics from our day...

Soccer Girl!!!

Home Sweet Home

(we had to get something but that thing had NO airflow and it was HOT!)

Camera man, videoing his brother's soccer game.

T's perch most of the day.

(poor thing)

Action shot, after a throw in.

J's is doing AMAZING this year in soccer!!

Luckily the camera snapped when it did - cause the ball went

right through his legs.

I would have HATED to get that on camera!

Haha!!

Team M!

Accountability Check In:

1) Getting up before the kids...

not every day.

2) Working out before the kids get up...

NOPE, not at all,

but I have been getting my workout in 

before they get up from their newly 

implemented rest time,

does that count?

3) Dave Ramsey/Budget - 

Done, let me just say, I have NEVER 

looked so forward to the first day of the month

in my LIFE!

Brand new squeaky clean budget to work with!!

The Latest & Greatest

This has been a busy week 

and I have lots to share - 

so bare with me!!

First,

fresh from my sister's blog...

I am going to be an AUNT!!!!

I am so excited and most of the people who read

this know already.

But I am super excited and 

so happy I can finally share!

School is going well.  

We are starting to research next year's curriculum.

But otherwise, seem to be doing pretty well at this

homeschooling thing.  

The meal planning and shopping two weeks

at a time is going well.

I am still getting used to the sticker shock of

grocery shopping for 6 people

every two weeks.

OUCH!!

But the good news is

I manage to feed each 

person in this house for

about $4/day.

Yes, this is breakfast,lunch & dinner

for everyone - including daddy!

Not bad.

It is really nice to stay 

on top of this meal planning thing.

Feels good!

We also had to implement a new

energy saving plan 

around this house.

The boys were getting

REALLY bad at

leaving lights on or

TVs on and leaving the room.

So they are now charged $0.10

everytime I find a light or TV left on.

We are putting it into a jar and will

figure out what to do with the funds 

once we break the cycle.

But so far...it is adding up QUICK!

On another note - 

We have finally found a church!

We have been hunting and going back and forth

to different churches for the past few months.

Today, we finally decided on one.

I mixed up start times.  

We thought we were doing good, got to mass

and walked in.

Then started to realize that they were 

further along in the service than they should have been.

Come to find out - I was 30 min off with the start time!

So, with this in mind, we figured we needed to 

select one and stick with it.

We are joining the scout group 

at this church.

BOTH boys get to join.

Daddy will be J's den leader

I guess I will be den mom.  :)

I am relieved and happy!

We are already finding ways to get involved.

I know it is going to take some time,

but both of us are ready to get a little settled

and this is a HUGE step toward that direction.

Here is the past 10 days in pictures:

Here is a picture of a frog that A made at Co-op.

It was in honor of Leap Day.

Daddy went on an overnight fishing trip 

(this one didn't end with a bunch of stories about

the one that got away...)

So the kids and I grabbed dinner

and then they climbed in my bed

to watch a movie while I cleaned up a little.

We found some Skylander activities at 

1+1+1=1

J really enjoyed using these 

(once I got them printed and laminated)

A replenished her candy stash with some

Valentine candy we found in her bookbag from Co-op.

A is working HARD on her first big kid puzzle.

S-U-C-C-E-S-S!!

She did it with MINIMAL 

help from mommy!!

T LOVES being outside...

I thought this was a cute picture.

We did an art project. 

T really wanted to help...

and I am very proud of how well the kids

did and how they turned out!

We splurged one night and went out to dinner.

We introduced T to sushi, chopsticks and tofu...

A like the tofu too.

T literally drinking the tofu out of the bowl.

Daddy told J to be quiet...

haha!

We decided to tell them that we were celebrating a birthday.

We figured they would just bring out a little bowl of sherbet

or ice cream and sing a quick song...

oh no.  They brought out a HUGE desert

and charged us $7.00 for it!

But the kids enjoyed it.

T wasn't so sure about the fried plantain

but loved the tofu??

The next day, we cleaned up and reorganized a little

and let A decorate a mirror that one of her aunts

sent her for Christmas.

Then I caught her sharing chocolate chips with her brother.

At least she was sharing...

sneaky girl!!

And R cooked lunch for us Saturday!

Then J had to vacuum cause he made a mess.  

And apparently he liked it - 

cause I caught him doing it again today!

T was hungry and decided to help himself to the

first part of dinner that was put on the table.

A is "helping".

Got one cooking, one cleaning...

and one babysitting!

Time for another one!

(JUST KIDDING!!!!)