Faith, Love & Truth
My Grandma was by no means a fancy lady, but she was a class act all the way. She was old school, from the days ladies were classy. She wore a dress every day of her life. And even when she did wear pants, she wore them under a dress. Yeah girls, UNDER her dress. She was never mean or sassy but she wasn’t afraid to tell you her opinion in love. She came from the days where women didn’t announce their pregnancy, didn’t wear black or red and you wore clothing that covered you from the nape of your neck to your knees.
She was the strongest Christian woman I’ve ever met. She was kind, respectful, accepting and full of love. She never complained about life and the many hardships she endured. She taught Good News Club after school in her living room (in the house I live in now) and showed so so many kids the word of the Lord, His love and grace. Thinking about that now makes my eyes spill over with tears. I can’t imagine how many hearts were given to the Lord inside this mere farmhouse. She knew her Bible, inside and out. And when a Jehovah’s Witness would knock on her door, she wouldn’t turn them away like so many others did. She would invite them in, offer them a cup of tea, grab her Bible and discuss it with them for hours on end. Last summer, a group of Jehovah’s Witnesses were walking around town. I saw them well in advance and knew they were coming. I could have easily ignored their knocks, but instead I grabbed my Bible and headed to the porch.
She taught me so many life lessons that I will always carry in my heart. Repeating the 23rd Psalm every day taught me not only repetition and perseverance but also set those words from it deep in my heart. It taught me to put the Lord before anything in my life. The 23rd Psalm is so, so very dear to me today. She taught me to have class, and to teach my daughter to be classy. She taught me that even during hardships, be thankful for the blessings God gives you every day. Every day might not be good, but you can bet there is something good in every day!
I am so thankful for this dear lady and the amazing part she still has every day in my life. Even though she is gone and rejoicing daily in Glory, she will forever live in my heart.
I am a self-professed bread machine addict. I love love love my bread machine {which, fyi, I bought for $5 at a yard sale}. There are so many things you can do with your bread machine and it’s so super easy! Not to mention the control you have over what your family eats. I wanted to list my top 5 fav recipes for y’all to enjoy! I use a West Bend 41410 Hi-Rise Loaf Programmable Breadmaker, 2.5-Pound
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour (or more)
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
cornmeal
Directions:
Put ingredients in the machine in the order listed.
Start the dough cycle.
Sprinkle corn meal over your work area.
When the cycle is finished, use your hands to pat the dough into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle.
Turn the dough so that each side gets lightly coated with cornmeal.
Using a biscuit cutter, cut into 8 to 10 rounds.
Place the rounds on a baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 20- 30 minutes, until not quite double.
Heat a dry cast iron skillet or griddle over a low flame.
Cook the muffins about 5 to 7 minutes on each side, they should be golden brown when you turn them.
Split the muffins with a fork or serrated knife and serve warm.
1 cup + 1 tbs water
1 large egg
4 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil {I also use garlic olive oil}
3 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
Directions:
Place all ingredients in bread machine in order recommended.
Select the basic bread setting.
Check dough after 5 minutes of mixing, if needed add 1-2T of water or flour.
Bake as normal.
Take out of pan and let completely cool slightly before slicing.
1 cup warm milk
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup margarine or 1/3 cup butter, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
Filling
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup margarine or 1/3 cup butter, softened
Frosting
3 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Place all ingredients in bread machine in order recommended by manufacturer.
Select DOUGH cycle press Start.
In separate bowl combine cinnamon and sugar.
After dough has finished, turn it out onto lightly floured surface and roll into a 16×24 rectangle.
Spread dough with butter and sprinkle evenly with cinnamon and sugar mixture.
Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls.
Place rolls in lightly greased 9×13 pan.
Cover and let rise until almost doubled (about 30 min).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Bake rolls for 14-16 minutes.
While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls.
3/4 cup water
2 extra-large eggs
3 tbl butter
3 tbl sugar
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups flour
2 1/4 tsp yeast
Directions:
Put all ingredients in your bread machine, according to your manufactures directions.
Select the dough setting. Mine lasts 1 hr 20 mins.
Once your dough cycle is finished, punch down dough and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Pull apart the dough in small sections to make balls a little bigger than a golf ball. It really depends on the size of roll you want. Just remember they will rise again. (I normally grease my hands well before I do this. It not only helps the dough to not stick to you but it helps to make the tops of the rolls buttery golden.)
Place them on a lined baking sheet, sprayed with Pam cooking spray.
Let rise for about 10-15 minutes.
They will rise a little, but won’t necessarily double in size.
Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. I check mine often.
Once they are light brown on top I pull them out, rub the tops with butter and let them cool on the pan.
white bread dough {from above}
Filling choices
meatballs and sauce {I use leftover meatballs + sauce from spaghetti night}
ham and cheese
egg, cheese and bacon
chicken, bacon and cheese
chicken, broccoli and cheese
taco meat and cheese
Directions:
Use white bread recipe above. Use dough setting rather than bread setting.
After dough has finished, turn it out onto lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle.
Cut dough into 6×8 pieces.
Fill middle with filling then fold in half and crimp edges with a fork. Wet the edges a bit with water to make sure it sticks well.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place on a stoneware or baking sheet, and bake for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned.
**See an updated version of this post by clicking HERE
