baking pt 1

Before the baby comes, I have these high intentions of becoming this amazing chef. I want to be the type of mom that has fresh cookies out of the oven as the kids walk in the door from school, award-winning pies for Thanksgiving, and delicious meals for dinner every night... just like my mother. Seriously though, my mom is such an amazing chef. 

So, with all of my free time, I have been spending many hours learning her wisdom. Today's lesson was on homemade 7-grain bread and raspberry jam. To say it is the best bread you'll ever taste, would be an understatement, and it's healthy, too! My absolute favorite is having it as toast in the morning for breakfast. Lucky for you, I have listed to recipes below. Enjoy!

Freezer Jam

2 bags of frozen fruit (raspberries, strawberries, etc.)

5 1/4 cups sugar

1 box pectin

1 cup water

Place fruit in a bowl and add the pectin, stir for 1 minute.

Add pectin mixture to the fruit and stir until sugar os dissolved.

Pour jam into freezer safe containers and freeze.

Makes 7 - 8 oz jars. 

7-Grain Bread (makes 2 loaves)

Mix together:

1 1/2 cups warm water

3/4 cup evaporated canned milk (or 5 oz can + 2 tbsp of water)

2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons honey

2 cups white flour

Then add... 

1 tablespoon instant yeast

1/2-1 cup of grain ("Bob's Red Mill" 7 Grain Hot Cereal)

1 teaspoon salt (mix in yeast before adding salt)

1 tablespoon Wheat Gluten (optional)

2 1/2 - 3 1/2 cups white flour (add slowly - only use enough flour until dough doesn't cling to bowl)

Knead the dough for 4 minutes on medium speed.

Add 1 tablespoon of Dough Enhancer (optional) and continue kneading for 1 minute.

Let the bread rise in the mixing bowl for 30 - 45 minutes, or until doubled in size. 

Punch it down, divide into 2 loaves, roll out and put into greased bread pans.

Let it rise again until almost double in size - maybe an inch or two over the top of the pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes. 

1st Day of School

Another semester at UVU has begun and I couldn't be more excited. I am taking 5 classes (public speaking, anatomy, geology, nutrition, and marriage/family relationships) all online. This semester is definitely going to be busy, and loads of fun! To start the semester off on a good note, I treated myself to a waffle, whipped cream, and strawberries in bed... breakfast is always more fun cuddled up under the sheets. 

Chad and I hiked our favorite trail on Saturday, Battle Creek Falls. We barely missed the big thunderstorm!

I am 17 weeks pregnant today! I had my checkup this morning and heard baby DeVore's heartbeat (139 bpm). It seriously makes my day every time I get to hear it. Baby is growing right on track and I can't wait until I get to hold this baby in my arms! 

16 weeks + Ladies Day Out

Lately, I have noticed Bruno starting to use my growing baby bump as a pillow. It's pretty cute. It's almost like he knows there's a little 5-inch baby growing inside and he just wants to be close to it. I am 16 weeks and I feel like the baby is hitting a growth spur because my stomach is finally starting to get more round. I love watching my body slowly change. 

Being a "stay at home wife", I have loved spending more time with these crazies. How could you not love those adorable faces?? :)

Me, Christine, my mom, Nicole, and their kids, spent the afternoon up at Gardner Village. We go up every year to shop and have a "ladies day out". Needless to say, it was a wonderful afternoon with the girls {+ Isaac and Joshua}.

Farm Country

Can I just tell you how nice it is not working?! I have enjoyed every single minute of it. Today I went with my mom, Christine {& her 2 kids} and sister-in-law, Nicole {& her 5 kids} to the farm country at Thanksgiving Point. It was Two Buck Tuesday so admission was only $2!

We had a little picnic in the park and then ended our little adventure with ice cream sundaes. What a great way to top of a perfect afternoon with the fam :)

So Long

For the past 3 years, I have been working as the receptionist for Dr. Myers in the Riverwoods. I have loved the girls I work with, which has made working so much more fun. As soon as I got pregnant, I decided it would be best to go to school full time in the fall so I can get as much schooling done as I can before the baby comes in February. So, I put in my months notice, and had my last day on Friday. It was sad to say goodbye to that chapter in my life, but I am so excited for what the future holds. I can't wait to become a full-time student and prepare for baby DeVore. Life couldn't be any better right now! 

Buns of Steel

What an eventful weekend. Lately, I have been craving movie theater popcorn with large/sickly amounts of butter. Because of this, we go to a movie at least once a week. We saw Guardians of the Galaxy on Friday and it was amazing!! Judging from the previews, it looks super cheesy, but we decided to give it a shot since it got almost a 5-star review. It was such a fun, witty movie. I would definitely recommend it!

On our way home from the movie, around 11:30 pm, we were driving up 1600 N in Orem and noticed a dog running in the street. Surprisingly, there was a lot of traffic and we decided to pull over and get the dog so it wouldn't get hit. Having 2 dogs, I would be so grateful if someone did that for our dogs.
 As we pulled over, we noticed a cop on a motorcycle that stopped in the middle of the road with his lights on to warn the oncoming traffic, since he couldn't pick up the dog. He started to stop the traffic so Chad could get the dog. All the cars stopped, except for one, and as Chad was picking up the dog, the car hit Chad's butt, going at least 30 mph, and left him on his back. At the time, I had run back to the car to turn it off, and when I came back, I thought the dog got hit, but a lady that was standing on the side watching said it was Chad. My heart immediately stopped and I sprinted to the car.
 Of course, I was expecting the worse, especially after seeing the dent in the car. Chad had already jumped up and said he was perfectly fine, he didn't even have a scratch. The driver pulled over and was so apologetic. Chad and I have always joked that he has buns of steel, and tonight it was proven to us... his little bottom is stronger than the car :) Chad posted a picture of the dog of Facebook and the next day, my friend said the dog was picked up from the shelter. We are just so grateful that someone was watching out for us. It was a miracle he walked away without an injury... plus we saved the little pug!

Saturday, we went with Chad's brother and girlfriend, Brett & Jacquie, to an art show in Ogden that she had a few pieces in. She is such an amazing artist and I want to have at least a couple pieces of her work in our house. We stopped at Blue Lemon at City Creek for some lunch. It was a great afternoon with them!!