Pretzels

Back in October my mom and I went about making some pretzels. We had made pretzels a long time ago and I remembered them tasting delicious.  I went online to www.tastykitchen.com to try and find a pretzel recipe that sounded good.  Pretzels are a pretty basic recipe so I found a pretty simple recipe. Sweet Basil on tasty kitchen has a really good recipe.  We sprinkled half of them with salt and the other half with cinnamon sugar.  They were both equally delicious. 

Ingredients

·        4-½ Tablespoons Yeast

·        3 cups Warm Water

·        2 Tablespoons Sugar

·        6 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

·        2-½ teaspoons Salt

·        8 cups Flour

·        2 Tablespoons Baking Soda

·        2 cups Water

·        ¼ cups Margarine, To Brush On Pretzels

Preparation Instructions

Dissolve the yeast in the 3 cups warm water. Combine the sugars, salt, and flour into a mixer. Add the yeast mixture and mix on high speed for 8 minutes.

Put dough in a greased bowl and let rise 1 hour. Roll into 12-16 ropes about 18 inches long. Let rise 15 minutes.

Roll ropes again till about 24 inches long. Twist into pretzels. Dip in a mixture of the baking soda and 2 cups of water. Put on a greased cookie sheet, or parchment sprinkled with flour works best. Let sit 10-15 minutes.

Bake at 450F for 8 minutes. Brush lightly with melted margarine and sprinkle with coarse salt, sea salt, Parmesan cheese or cinnamon and sugar.

Note: for cinnamon crunch pretzels, just add an equal portion of brown sugar to the cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top.

Can I have a copy?

Around ten years ago I broke my third toe on a metal door stop.  It was painful but since doctors don't do much for a broken toe I didn't do much except ice it and wrap it.  All was fine until a few weeks ago when I accidentally bent them backwards beneath me while sitting in a chair looking at the computer.  It was painful right away but not as bad as ten years ago.  It bruised quite badly but I was working through the pain with Tylenol and icing it. The pain was worse when I was working so last week an appointment was made for today to go see a foot doctor.  I had met this doctor before when my dad went to him for a foot procedure.

My mom went with and we met with the MA first who was really nice. I have never really thought of myself as clumsy but I think I found out today I am.  He needed to take my blood pressure and as I was rolling the sleeve up on shirt I accidentally hit myself in the face.  Oh how embarrassing.  He looked at my toe and was pretty sure the doctor would want some x-rays done.  I hadn't ever had x-rays before other than on my back when I was much younger.  The doctor came in and said he didn't think it was fractured but I had traumatized my toe but wanted to have an x-ray done to make sure.  We walked across the street to the hospital where I had to have the hospital patient wristband.  I had three pictures of my foot which the doctor was able to look at right away.  We stopped back by the office to see if it was fractured.  If it was I would have to wear an ugly shoe for five weeks.  We were able to go back in the office right away and he looked at my foot on the computer and said it was sprained not fractured.  He said I had a beautiful, healthy foot.  I just need to ice my toe three times a day and keep it wrapped.  I really wanted to ask if I could have a copy of the x-ray but I didn't.

Sweet Land

Over the weekend I checked out a movie at the library that looked really good. It was called Sweet Land. It is set in 1920, Inge is from Germany and she travels to Minnesota as a mail order bride to marry Olaf Torvik. Inge met his parents in Norway.  The four of them made an agreement that allows her to immigrate to America if she marries Olaf.   She arrives in Minnesota with no immigration papers.  To make matters worse, she accidentally obtained membership papers for the American Socialist Party.  The minister and the county clerk refuse to marry the two because of the obstacles they are facing.  

Inge is feisty and can't speak very much English.  Olaf is very quiet and doesn't say much.  They are quite a pair.  Sweet Land is a winner of the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2005 Hamptons International Film Festival.  Alan Cummings plays Olaf's good friend and neighbor who is a light hearted man with a sense of humor.  This was a very cute movie, and I suggest if you ever see it available somewhere that you take some time to watch it.  

Friday Five - Books to read

I have five books checked out and I really need to get started on reading them.

1. Karen Kingsbury's One Tuesday Morning.  I have read this one before but it has been a long time since I read it.  I thought it might be time to reread it.  The first time I cried throughout the whole book so I am hoping I don't cry as much this time around.












2. Karen Kingsbury wrote a book A Thousand Tomorrows and it is being made into a movie.  I have read this one before also but I can't quite remember what the plot is, so I thought now would be the time to refresh my memory of this book.



3. Sarah Sundin has a series Wings of Glory that is about World War II. I read the first book A Distant Melody and the second book is A Memory Between Us.  I can't wait to get started.













4. Susan May Warren has a book out called Nightingale. I don't know much about this one, I just knew I really liked the front cover.













5. A Most Unsuitable Match by Stephanie Grace Whitson. This story takes place on a steamboat in 1869.



What books are you reading?

Family - How are we related?

How are we related? I have probably asked that question 100's of times growing up.

The family on my mom and dad's are quite large.  My dad is the youngest of 13 kids, and my mom is from a family of five. I grew up in a small town and a small school so there were always lots of people I knew that were related.  As I went to high school with more students I didn't recognize as many of the people but they would have a familiar last name.  I would come home and ask my mom "Do you know who this person is? Are we related." The best person to ask was grandpa because he seemed to know just about everyone.  He would tell you who the person's parents probably were. Coming home and asking if we are related has been going on for quite a few years.  

This all started back up again when a cousin said Happy Birthday.  I went to mom saying "How are we related.  She is one of my mom's cousins daughters.  Most people would think that would make them a second cousin.  She is actually a 1st cousin once removed.  I have been told this more than once and I never can seem to remember it.  So, this week my mom and I went through all of her first cousins to see how many first cousins and first cousins once removed I have.  There are 14 first cousins and 82 first cousins once removed.  That was a shocking number.

My grandma and aunt made a book that is compiled of family records, stories and history of the family.  It is the most amazing book to look through and read all the family stories.

Teaser Tuesday

I am working on a family post, but it should be ready for tomorrow.  Until then I will post the Teaser Tuesday. http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/

The rules for Teaser Tuesday, hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading, are simple:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two "teaser" sentences from that page (without spoiling the book)
4. Include the title and author so others can find the book if they enjoyed your teaser

This week's teaser:


"An unmistakable look of pride as he watched his daughter brought an answering tightening somewhere in the region of Joan's heart. She swallowed, her throat dry. Fathers and daughters always got to her."

Virginia Smith. Stuck in the Middle (Sister-to-Sister, Book 1) (Kindle Locations 80-81). Kindle Edition.

Now on a separate note, I need to think of one  or more books that I believe have been influential to the world.  The library would like a display of staff picks. I look forward to seeing what books have been influential to the staff at the library.


What book do you believe has been influential to the world? 

Book Review: A Great Catch by Lorna Seilstad

From the back cover: 


She wants to change the world.
He wants to change her mind.

It's the beginning of a new century at Lake Manawa resort in Iowa, but some things never change. When Emily Graham's meddlesome aunts and grandmother take it upon themselves to find her a husband among the resort guests, the spunky suffragist is determined to politely decline each and every suitor. She has neither the time nor the need for a man in her busy life.

Carter Stockton, a recent college graduate and a pitcher for the Manawa Owls baseball team, intends to enjoy every minute of the summer before he is forced into the straitlaced business world of his father.

When their worlds collide, neither Emily nor Carter could have guessed what would come next. Will Carter strike out? Or will Emily cast her vote for a love that might cost her dreams?


My Review:
I had tried reading this book once before and I couldn't get into reading it.  I seen it at the library and I just knew I had to try reading it again because the cover was so intriguing.  I am so glad I did.  I really got into the story this time and enjoyed it immensely. 


I didn't realize that this book is the second in a series called "Lake Manawa Summers." It reads like a stand alone novel so you don't have to worry about reading the first book, but I will be requesting it from the library.  


"A Great Catch" has a sweet romance, humor, history, and a great spiritual lesson of learning to put God first in your life.  


This is Lorna Seilstad's second novel.