home(school)

When we moved into our 1980 house a few years ago, there was a fabulous wet bar, complete with mirrored backsplash with a marble effect, a ‘leather look’ bar, and wrought iron galore. It was horrible, and just served as a place to hide boxes that we hadn’t unpacked. There is no before picture, trust me, it was awful.

We had to decide what to do with it….I originally thought I’d expand the next door laundry room, but turns out this nook contains the only window for the entire front of the house. Our dark cave of a house really needs that itty bitty amount of light, so that plan was out. Next idea was a sewing area, but that got moved to another area instead (post to come on that one). So last idea won, a kid zone. We started out just clearing out the space, cabinets, bar, fluorescent light, tile. It was a giant mess.

After hubby got it all cleaned up, he tiled and started on some cabinetry (Maybe I can get him to share some woodworking tips one day….). We decided to go with shallow bookshelves to not block too much light from the window, but deep enough for toys and books. I added a faux roman shade to finish off the window (we never really need to close this off since it looks out into a courtyard. You cant see in from outside without standing in a planter). Underneath the window, a bench seat just seemed like an obvious choice (I made a zippered box cushion for on top….it is not perfect…). It has drawers for some more storage (and capped off plumbing behind). Hubby put in recessed lights instead of the old fluorescent fixture, and it was looking pretty great.

About the time he finished, I decided we should try homeschooling the little man. It would become our school nook, not just a play zone. (I went with the Letter of the Week curriculum from Confessions of a Homeschooler for our ‘3 year old pre-k’)

I added a cork board to hold a calendar. Below that, I had hubby attach some clothespins to a board and paint it white to make an art display area.

On the opposite wall, I put a giant coconut tree to add letters to as we learn them, a la Chikka Chikka Boom Boom. I painted an old frame a fun color, added some scrap fabric in, and it became a place for our weekly memory verse (I just write it on with dry erase or a window marker). Below that, I used a double curtain rod (from Ikea) and some fabric to make a book shelf for theme books for the week.

I have Dex pick out books for the shelf based on what letter we are talking about that week. Here’s the process….

(the cast offs got re-shelved at the end, thankfully)

On the shelves, I keep a lot of books of course, as well as some learning toys that are easy to grab to do activities with, or to give Charlotte to keep her hands busy while Dexter is doing something else.

Hubby also built a rack to hold some trays (from Target) to organize the activities we are doing that day (I fill the boxes at night with whatever he needs, like scissors, glue and a cut and paste page, or counting bears with number cards. It’s nice to have all the materials out and ready to go, and he loves being able to make decisions about what he is going to do first). Dexter can just grab a box and it has all the materials he needs to work. I also keep the binder with his work for the week, a binder to hold past work, the calendar pieces (number and weather cards) and some supplies like pencils, glue sticks, and erasers. Oh, and a flag to practice the Pledge of Allegiance.

The locked cabinets hold things like markers, crayons, rubber bands, paperclips, and handbells.

The drawers contain most of our learning activities, like counting bears, color cubes, pattern blocks, and magnet letters.

This is definitely one of the kids favorite places to be, and they often just take up residence there all day taking out one activity at a time. Cleaning the space up is usually just as fun for them as doing whatever work they take on. I think because I like to have everything so organized, they like sorting it out into where it belongs. We are already planning for this upcoming school year, so stay tuned for more on that 🙂

Anyone else have a school room? How do you organize your craft supplies for the littles?

Deriving (mealtime)

Time for another meal plan! Monday is my last day of work, so not as many hubby meals to prep this week! We still have church on Wednesday (so clean up needs to be on the easy side) and soccer on Thursday, but otherwise the week isn’t too crazy.

(On soccer night, we will get home from practice with two cranky, hungry kiddos so all prep work needs to be done before I leave, and it needs to be thrown together quickly when I get home.)

Here’s the plan for this week:

Monday (Meatless!): Tomato Bisque with Quinoa, Garlic Cheddar Drop Biscuits (I plan to make the soup completely, and just keep it warm in the crock pot. For the biscuits, I’ll partially bake them in advance and hubby can just throw them in the oven to reheat at meal time)

Tuesday: Fish Tacos (make some homemade tortillas, too), Serve with rice and black beans

Wednesday: Steak Sandwiches with Balsamic Vegetables (replacing blue cheese with goat cheese), Chips

Thursday: Cobb Salad with grilled chicken (hubby can grill chicken while I’m still at practice, I’ll prep salads before I leave)

Friday: Pork Chops, Kale Mac n Cheese (replacing sour cream with greek yogurt, and half and half with milk)

Saturday: I’m going out, so I’ll let hubby have pizza with the kids as a special treat. I like to get Papa Murphy’s (take and bake).

Sunday: Beef and broccoli over brown rice

(I did end up cooking yesterday (Sunday)…Cheese Ravioli with Mushrooms and Spinach, so we got our meatless meal in for the week 😉

What are you eating this week?

KCW (brooklyn frock)

I have been mostly planning and cutting for KCW, so not so much to show for it.  I do have another try at the carousel top cut out in a really cute rainbow print and plan to make some Oliver + S shorts to go with it, and an ‘itsy bitsy spider’ outfit for Dex ready to go.

I did manage to get this dress together though.  I had seen this bicycle print at Joanns and fell in love, so bought it without a project in mind.  I wanted some sort of shift dress without having to buy another pattern, so I went with Peek a Boo Pattern Shop’s free Brooklyn Frock.

Let me just say first that I love the directions they have.

Each step is well explained and has a great picture to go with.  This is the first pattern of theirs I’ve sewn but that makes me want to try another.  I am not, however, in love with the fit on this on little C.

The shoulders are a little too wide, and it’s a little too narrow through the chest (which is really only an issue when you are putting it on her).  I really love the ruffled yoke, and Char is in love with the pocket, so I do think it will get worn.

I couldn’t find buttons I really loved to go with it, so I made some covered buttons out of the accent fabric (which is from the same line, it has pink poodles riding scooters with the Eiffel Tower in the background).  I thought it could use more of the blue/teal color so I cut the fabric circles from the teal scooters.

What have you sewn for Kids Clothes Week?

Traveling(kids)

I can’t wait until my kids are big enough to walk and carry their own stuff for an extended period of time, let me start with that, ha ha! I remember the days of carefree traveling and “carry on” only packing. Those were the good ole’ days… Now our lives are riddled with car seats, diapers, suitcases and the ever necessary stuffed panda bear.

This past week we were lucky enough to travel to Colombia to visit my family and I learned a lot about traveling with my kiddos. Here are some tips we picked up along the way:

1. Babywearing to the Rescue

Have you tried to push a stroller and carry your diaper bag and wheel your luggage around at the same time, and then your toddler decides she hates the stroller and wants to be carried? One only has so many hands! We have been wearing our babies in carriers basically since they were born and the little ones do great near us and it frees up our hands! Win-win.

Starr Lily’s backpack is bigger than her!! 🙂

2. Pack Nothing and yet Pack Everything

You’ll want your luggage to be on the lighter side, obviously, but you still want to be prepared for any situation. Find mini, travel-sized, toiletry bottles for everything possible. Keep a separate travel bag with all these items so you can just throw it in your suitcase and not have to worry about packing them last minute (like I always do). And you might want to skip on taking three different types of pumps, just in case you might use them.

3. Make a list

A while back my sister told me she and her hubby have an excel sheet they use to help them remember what they need to pack. So many times I have packed everything and boarded the plane only to remember I didn’t pack my pj’s, or my toothbrush! I have since adopted her list and added a few things. There is a section of essentials: shampoo, soap, glasses… and I also have separate sections for the type of vacation. If we’re going somewhere snowy, pack gloves, boots, etc; if it’s a summer trip, pack bathing suits, sunblock, etc.

4. Laundry

We were going to be gone for two weeks and packing clothes for all of that time would be impossible. So instead, I packed clothes for 5 days for each of us. This seriously reduced the bulk in our suitcases and we just needed access to a laundry machine at my aunt’s house.

5. Check the Weather

The first time we went to Colombia, the hubs packed t-shirts and shorts thinking it would be tropical, warm weather (even though I told him it would be cold in Bogota). Now he knows, jeans and a few sweaters will serve him better. We also packed some warm weather clothes in case there is an impromptu trip to warmer climates. Now that we are here I’ll have to add a mini umbrella or poncho to our list.

6. Take your car seat

This is the first time we took the car seat on the plane and now I wish we had always done it! Starr Lily was well contained, I felt safe and she passed out comfortably for a couple hours. It was magnificent! Baby Stone is still tiny and happy to nurse and sleep through the flight.

so peaceful

7. Toddler Backpacks are Amazing

The week before we left I went to Target looking for coloring books and new little toys that could keep Starr Lily entertained during the flight. I lucked out with their $1 bins! I found mini 24 piece puzzles, markers and coloring books, super cute memory game cards, and adorable mini wood cars. I didn’t want to add that to my luggage, so I put it all in her little backpack and she carried it (for the most part)! I also packed some snacks. A hungry kiddo is never a happy kiddo, so I made sure to pack some of her favorite snacks: popcorn, carrots, apples, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We also took a bottle of water and bought some OJ at the airport. The best part is that none of that took up space in my carry on, which left space for all the diapers I had to lug around.

Hola! International travel with two 2 and under…props to Drea!

So far it has been a great trip and we are enjoying some special time with the family! What tricks have you learned in your travels?

Patio Before and After

I love that our house has a nice large, screened in patio….but was not a huge fan how it looked. Apparently, outdoor carpeting to look like grass seemed like a good idea to someone, sometime. Here’s a glimpse of the before:

That astro turf looks sweet! Ha ha.

My amazing mother-in-law agreed to watch the kids for a weekend so Hubby and I could tackle tiling back there. I found some tile with a little grip to it at Home Depot (since the patio leads out to the pool, and there will be little wet feet running across it frequently).

Here’s some after shots:

Nothing like a little slick tile to keep the kids on their toes.

I sewed her that little outfit awhile back, after-school shirt and pants from Oliver +S 🙂

Target clearance is amazing, and eventually you could cover those cushions if you want to change it up.

I also found some new cushions on clearance at Target last year. The old ones weren’t bad, just very textured fabric that held in dirt well. I wanted to sew my own but after comparing the cost of foam and fabric to the clearance ones, it was an easy decision to save myself the work.

I love those Buckets!

We also added some shelving to hold bubbles, chalk, play-doh, dog leashes, and all the other stuff that seems to collect out on the patio (shelves and buckets from Ikea). The pool towels are stored on a shelf we got awhile back from Homegoods. I liked that we could hang a towel or two on it and still store all the clean ones. I blame the poorly folded stacks on my height.

Yay for ghosting!

Hubby scored a cheap TV from a coworker (it has some ghosting apparently) and mounted it on an articulating mount, so the TV can swing around and be seen from the pool, too. Great for football season 🙂 He ran the cable and power through the attic so we wouldn’t be tripping over the wires, too. We put in another Ikea shelf with buckets to keep us more organized and hold the cable box.

Easy clean up for those painting activities too!

The kids easel fits nicely in the corner. I love that it is double sided so that they can both paint simultaneously. I put some command hooks on it to hold their art smocks. You can also see what’s left of our garden in the background…in the before picture, it was just a wall, but hubby cleared out some old stumps and made a stepped wall to accommodate a garden, which was awesome until the chickens realized how awesome it was, too.

We also replaced the single fan and light with two more our style.

mmm, garlic

And I use the half wall to hold some potted plants (currently scallions and garlic).

We still have plans to paint the exterior of the house in the near future (it will go a little darker, slightly taupe perhaps?) and I have some more plants and rugs and other little details to add in, but so glad I’m done staring at that awful fake turf.

What do you think? Anyone else revamping the outdoor space now that it’s pool season? (well, it’s pool season in Florida at least….maybe not elsewhere…)

Organizing (Playroom)

We moved into our little house over a year ago and it has been a slow process getting everything organized. We had all this momentum when we first moved in, but then life took over again and things just got shifted to the back burner. Does that ever happen to you?
Now that Starr Lily is big enough to play by herself and needs a dedicated play/learn area, we reconfigured the downstairs living room into her playroom. The mister wasn’t always happy with this plan since he’s always wanted his man cave, but for now I’ve convinced him this is necessary, ha ha! After months of going back and forth on what to do with this room, he finally agreed to let me change it up. Now that he has seen how awesome and useful the room is, he loves it!
When we first moved in, the house was ALL beige. The door hinges and banister were all painted the same beige, some windows were painted shut, and most of the flooring was boring beige carpet.

We were so happy to find out that there were gorgeous wood floors under the carpet, except it wasn’t downstairs. It turns out, downstairs still had asbestos tiles from 1969 when the house was built! Scary, right!?

yikes

I did some research and realized if you don’t go breaking up the tiles and inhaling the stuff, you can just leave it alone. We knew we wanted to cover it up and went with a light bamboo pattern laminate floating floor that worked out great! There were lots of flooring options at lumber liquidators, but we went with this one primarily for it’s thickness (12mm) and it had a pad attached as well.  My dad flew up to help us install it, and along with a special visit from my little brother, the three guys pounded out the entire basement in just one weekend.

We also wanted to brighten up the room with some green paint and this is when the hubs and I realized we must never compromise on color. Morgan wanted a cooler, bluer green, I wanted a bolder, yellower green, but we settled somewhere in the middle with Sherwin Williams’ recycled grass. It is a lovely green, but we’re both slightly disappointed with it. Good thing paint is easy to change and we’ll eventually paint a new color.
And then, nothing. We didn’t update that room for a while. It had couches and we used it, but the room didn’t really have a purpose. Then a few weeks ago Morgan put in the crown molding! He’s been wanting to add some to every room in the house and it looks great!

love it! feel free to send him to install crown molding in our house, too!

(Would you like a mini tutorial on what he did? I think we might be able to work something out.)
I went on a Pinterest search to get some inspiration and bought some ikea shelving to organize all of Starr Lily’s toys. First we put up the book shelves. I’d seen examples using picture frame ledges as book shelves but when I saw it at my friend’s house I knew it would be perfect!

I absolutely love these shelves…makes me want to read.

I love that Starr Lily can choose her books and put them back when she’s done, but there are a couple of hazards. One of our friends (quite masterfully) climbed up the shelves! And if there are too many books on a shelf they sometimes topple over. The dress up area will go in this corner behind the door too.  I just need to find the right hooks to hang her little outfits.
Then I used the floating shelves to hold her Montessori-esque works. I placed a few shelves down at Starr Lily’s height and one higher where I keep the paint and play dough and other goodies she’d love to get her little hands into. The bins were a great find at target a while back and help keep the mess contained. (More on the tray work soon!) The art easel and table make it feel a little more school-ish here, but there is lots of space to shift things around if she just wants to work on the floor.

aw, mama….can’t believe you won’t let her have the scissors and paint!

Starr Lily has lots of toys. I often wish this room had a closet so I could store some away, but it doesn’t, so using baskets was the solution. I stole this idea from I Heart Organizing and love that she did all the research into finding the best baskets to fit the expedit ikea shelves! I have some trains, some puzzles, some play silks, etc and it is kept nice and tidy! I’d like to eventually label the baskets to know what’s in each one.

so organized!

On the other expedit shelf is the doll house, (a sweet craigslist find) and a few toys that I change up occasionally.

The toy kitchen is here too and thankfully it has its own storage for all her kitchen toys. This was also a Craigslist find, and for only $50 I can deal with it not being perfect. Finally is the sitting area. We can hangout while my little one plays or we can snuggle up with a good book!

Great idea to divide up the room with the shelves!!  Morgan can just call this side his man cave.

It’s not quite finished.  I want to put up some family pictures and above the doll house make an art display area, but so far we’re using it daily and loving it!

Sometimes the list of improvements just keeps getting longer and longer but I like that we’re putting time and love into our little place. How did you organize your playroom?

Monday Meal Plan

Every Sunday evening, I take stock of the fridge and look at my schedule for the week to determine what we will have for dinner. It’s soccer season, and my last full week of work, so three nights this week are going to be a bit crazy. Work nights need to be meals that hubby can handle, as in, take out of the crock pot or stick something in the oven. Anything beyond that and he will give up and order a pizza.

On soccer night, we will get home from practice with two cranky, hungry kiddos so all prep work needs to be done before I leave, and it needs to be thrown together quickly when I get home.

Here’s the plan for this week:

Monday: Pot Roast (we have potatoes and carrots from the co-op that need to get used soon!)
Tuesday: Salmon Fried Rice with baby bok choy
Wednesday: Slow Cooker Barbeque Beef Sandwiches, corn on the cob
Thursday: Beef Bolognese (I can make the sauce before I leave), Caesar salad, homemade garlic bread
Friday: Roast Chicken, Asparagus Risotto
Saturday: Chicken Fajitas (using up leftover homemade tortillas from last week and leftover chicken from Friday)

Sunday:  ??  Leftovers?

We had meatless Sunday (the day I wrote the meal plan).  I print out my meal plan for the week and keep it on the fridge so I can remember to pull things from the freezer to defrost (I just look two days ahead and take out whatever I need from the freezer for that day).

What are you eating this week?

Spring Top Sewalong: sewing (mommy)

When Rae from Made by Rae announced the Spring Top Sewalong, I knew I was in. The first year, I wasn’t ready to sew for myself. The next year, I just never found the time, but bought fabric anyway like any good home sew-er would, so this year, I needed to make it happen.

I figured I would start off with something I had made before to make it more of an achievable goal. Butterick 5497, view B (the orange one) for the win.

I had made the pattern before from a light blue and white striped stretch poly knit, and though I loved it, and still do, the knit is starting to pill and it is not looking so glamorous anymore. At least I knew it was easy to sew up and very comfortable, so I was ready to tackle it again. I had some stretchy lightweight jersey in a dark charcoal in my stash that I used for a raglan t for Dexter, and was always so jealous of how comfy his little shirt was….

Super cute shirt!

…I wanted a comfy and lightweight shirt for summer too. Bonus that it’s not just a tank top, but I can still wear it in Florida heat without dying.

Time for some awkward self portraits….oh goodness…

It looks great! Where can I sign up for one?

I cut out a size 8 that tapered to a size 6 at the waist, and made a couple small changes. I finished the top neckline the same way as the back, with binding instead of a narrow hem.

I also just encased the elastic for the sleeves in stitching, anchored with a three step zigzag on each end instead of feeding it through a casing.

Knits are great for unfinishing hems!

Oh, and I didn’t hem the sleeves or waist…because it’s knit, and I don’t mind the ragged look.

So there are only 5 pattern pieces to the top and it sews up really quickly. Some tips for working with difficult slippery knits like the one I did…..

1. Use a ball point needle

2. Make sure you turn down the pressure on your presser foot

3. I sewed the whole top using a zigzag stitch to allow the fabric to stretch a little at the seams. Stitch length 3.5, width 0.5 on my machine.

4. I didn’t serge or otherwise finish any seams, since it is knit and you don’t need to.

5. I used a lot of pins, which says a lot since it is VERY rare that I break out pins.

Amanda is notorious for not using pins, ha ha.  A sewalong would be great!

Do you sew for yourself? Any favorite patterns? Want to do a sewalong of this one?

4 Year Old Lego Party

My little man turned 4 on Sunday.  4.  I just can’t believe he’s that old, a solid preschool age, not ambiguously toddler or anything.  He is growing too fast, just like everyone said he would (his sister on the other hand….that is going by quite slowly….).  He has been patiently attending his friends’ birthday parties for the last few months, frustrated that he still couldn’t have one of his own (apparently his giant party last year was too long ago for him to remember at this point).

Happy Birthday Dex!

(Not a bruise on his forehead, by the way.  He seems to always have a smudge of dirt in that spot.  Still haven’t nailed down how that happens…)

I got an invite for a birthday party that is happening in May and then it clicked….aw, man.  I need to throw Dexter a party.  Really soon.  Planning for Easter should have been enough of a reminder.  It was 4 years ago Easter that I was sitting at a picnic, miserably hot and cranky.  Outdoors, Florida, April, 9 months pregnant is only fun if you are a) in a pool or b) ….really, only in a pool.  The next day I was in labor, and he was technically born on Tuesday following Easter, but at 4:56AM so it still felt like Monday to all of us involved.  But I digress.  I asked Dexter what kind of party he wanted.  Do you want to go to the beach with friends?  Do you want to have a party on the playground at home?  “I want pizza, balloons, cake, and friends.  And Legos.”  Ah, I see.  He requested we have the party at home, and demanded the balloons and pizza, copying from some recent birthday parties he has attended.  Easy enough.  But Legos?  He was only turning 4, many of his friends are in the 1-3 age bracket, and itty bitty Legos with 1-year olds seems like a pretty bad call.  I tried my best to convince him of another theme, but he was not having it.  So a Lego party it would be.

I sent out a quick Facebook invite and got to work planning the details.  Menu first, since I love food.  Well, it had to be pizza or I would have a meltdown of disastrous proportions on my hands.  I decided to phone it in and let the local pizza place handle the pizza (and yummy garlic knots…mmmm).  I decided to make a salad to accompany it (with local organic produce, to make up for the pizza perhaps) and a fruit salad (just cut up fruit).  Easy main course!  For appetizers, I made some Kale Pesto White Bean Dip that I’ve been wanting to try (and am snacking on the leftovers as I type) with carrots, pita chips, and pretzels to dip, as well as some Annie’s Trail Mix as a special treat and sliced cheese.

Mmm, bean dip sounds delicious! I’ll have to add it to my snack list.

I decorated the food table with a ‘4’ sign and a utensil holder made out of Duplos.  Aren’t they cute? And I got the idea to spray paint bubble wrap to look like a Lego base plate here.  The banner came together quickly! I wanted to replicate some more legos and used card-stock and punched circles for the front of the table.

What a great idea!

The other table on my patio got similar decorations, with Legos in mason jars as a centerpiece.

Spray painted bubble wrap, huh, who would have thought it.

For activities at the party, I knew that actual Legos just wouldn’t work out.  I like to have activities that don’t require wrangling all the kids together at this age, since most of the partygoers were of the under 4 set (aside from a few cousins and older siblings).  We had ‘Design a Minifig’ Coloring by the playground

I love that Char is coloring inside the lines!

And the bean bag toss set up…

In our parties, the dads usually like this game more than the kids. At least there is something for everyone!

I had seen so many ideas for a ‘Pin the Head on the Lego Man’ or ‘Pin the Brick’ etc, but I know that pin the anything on the anything has not worked at previous parties for this age group…

So I made ‘Build the Lego Man’ instead.

Great matching activity!

I made a Lego Man outline on poster board (I just free handed it, following the minifig outline I found), then made cardstock pieces to fill it out.  I attached Velcro dots and done, easy game.

I’m always so jealous of your sweet drawing skills.

Ages 2-7 enjoyed it, so I’ll call it a win.

Also, I had our Duplos on a parachute in the corner of the patio.  This was very nice for the 1-3 set, who just wanted to sit and play for a little….while also keeping everyone out of the house for the most part, so cleaning up after the party was a breeze 😉

Who has an extra parachute laying around? … Amanda.

I had a few other games ready if necessary, but everyone was so busy with everything we had out already (plus pool and playground time) that they were not necessary.

For party favors, I made Lego bags out of plain color bags, circle punch, and foam sticky dots.  Inside, there were Lego man crayons I made from a mold bought off EBay, a coloring book I printed from some free Lego images, Lego stickers, and bubbles, because everyone loves bubbles.

Starr Lil’s would definitely appreciate the bubbles :).

I stamped one of the circles on the bags with Thank You, too.

Cutest favor bags ever.

I did ask everyone to not bring presents, and most didn’t.  We really don’t want more toys in the house, but D did get a few new Lego sets (he’s already built all of them, so much for that lasting awhile).

Slacker. (I kid! I kid! I’m sure they were tasty, and way to keep your sanity!)

I had everything out to bake cupcakes for the party and was avoiding it as long as I could.  Then I casually check Facebook, and there’s a special at the local cupcake shop for $1 ‘naked’ cupcakes.  I packed up my baking supplies and sent hubby out…I try, but I’m not a superhero or anything.  I made some whipped cream frosting (with a little gelatin to stabilize it in the Florida heat) and topped with some chocolate Lego men.  Done.  I did bake some Lemon Crinkles and made some popsicles (I bought cheap molds, pureed some frozen strawberries from when we went strawberry picking earlier, added in some banana and apple juice).  Both were a big hit.  No pictures, since serving popsicles to toddlers requires all hands on deck 🙂

Dex seems to love them! And I love that robe. (tutorial found at the Made blog)

Anybody else plan birthday parties for a wide range of ages?  How much of your parties are homemade and how much are from the store?

Baking with Papi. “I want to mix”

Every once in a while my hubs gets really into a hobby and dives in. Recently it has been bread baking. I’ve baked some bread in my time, but in all honesty none even come close to how yummy some of his loaves are! The other day he even made some challah bread that reminded me of the little Jewish delis in Miami. Yummm

In the words of Liz Lemon, “I want to go to there!”

It all started with a book. One of his friends recommended, The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, and since then he reads it all. the. time. He talks about it nonstop, to anyone who will listen and critiques every bread we buy!

Even though I love all the bread, my favorite part is really sleeping in on Saturday mornings while he and Starr Lily do some baking in the kitchen.

Much more useful than rolling out play dough. I need to put my kids to work.

I often wake up to her enthusiastically proclaiming. “I want to mix Papi!” Since the arrival of baby Stone (I can’t believe I have a 3 month old already!) Starr Lily has really taken to spending extra time with her dad.

If only all husbands woke up early to play with the kids and bake…..that’s what dreams are made of….

He teaches her how to scoop, how to measure, how to crack eggs, how to turn on machines; they count, they explore different textures, they taste, they make a mess, they dance and they sing. I hope these are the times she remembers when she’s older! Meanwhile, I get to have some morning giggles with baby Stone, and cherish these moments. Oh, and delicious bread is definitely a plus!

Look how big I am, Mommy!

So I asked Morgan if he would like to make some bread to share with you all! He quickly opened his book looking for inspiration, and after flipping through a few pages, stopped on the English Muffin recipe. (Adapted from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice)

Here is what we used:

2 cups milk

2 tbsp butter

2.5 tsp instant (bread machine yeast)

4.5 cups flour ( we used bread flour because it’s what we have on hand, but all purpose or wheat flour work as well)

1.5 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

cornmeal

First, warm the milk and butter to about 105 degrees.

Meanwhile, get your dry ingredients together: flour, sugar, salt, yeast. Make sure your yeast is alive and kicking! There have been many a batch of dud dough that doesn’t rise. Make a little well and add the wet ingredients.

tip: you can proof your yeast before adding it into other ingredients by putting some into a bowl with warm water (like bath temp). Wait a few minutes. If it starts to foam, you’re good! If not, throw it out 😦

Mix and knead.

Maybe have an occasional taste, or 2, or 3!

Starr Lily loves her carbs

And knead some more. You want the dough tacky, but not sticky.

The book suggests your dough pass two checks. 1) the temperature check, where your dough should be between 75-85 degrees.

hehe I love his thermometer. Every kitchen needs one…hint hint…..

and 2) the window test. Hold your dough up to a window and let it stretch out a bit. You should see some light coming through but the dough shouldn’t break.

If it does tear, keep on kneading for another 2-3 minutes and check again.

Then, oil a bowl and let it rise for 90 minutes. Just cover it with some plastic wrap.

or a damp tea towel if you are slightly anti plastic wrap

In the meantime, put on some sunblock and head out to the garden!

Here is the dough after 90 minutes!

It’ll need to rise a second time, so punch it down again and separate it into 12 equally sized pieces and form them into little balls. You want to them coat them in olive oil again and dust them with some cornmeal. Do the same to the surface you place them on.

Cover them with a kitchen towel and let them rise for another hour. Next comes the fun part. You’re going to grill these fantastic little balls of dough! Pull out your griddle or skillet and bring it up to 350 degrees. Oh, and preheat your oven to 350 degrees too. Using a spatula, place them on the griddle about 1 inch from each other. You don’t want to squash them, so be careful. And let them turn golden brown. It’ll take 5-8 minutes.

Flip them over and cook another 5 to 8 minutes. Now they’re starting to look like English muffins!

my stomach literally grumbled….need to make a visit.

Once both sides are nice and browned, place them in the oven for another 5 to 8 minutes to make sure the center is cooked. Let them cool for 30 minutes and there you have it! Delicious English muffins.

Pin Me!!

These didn’t come out exactly like Thomas’ English muffins. They are a little more dense inside and a bit crumbly, but most definitely delicious. Let me know if you try these out and what you think of them! Now I just need some of Amanda’s strawberry jam or some Hollandaise sauce!

Is there something your littles like to do with their dads?