Little Suzy Homemaker

First off - I can't believe it has been a week since I blogged! I really AM in a funk of sorts! I just don't feel like doing ANYTHING. I drag myself out to run, I drag myself around the house to get things done, I pretty much feel unmotivated to do much of anything but be a slug.

However, yesterday I was non-sluggish as I baked homemade cinnamon roll bread! YUMMMMM!! Last year, I decided that I wanted to learn how to bake my own bread. Not "bread machine" bread, but the honest-to-goodness, proof the yeast, knead for 10 minutes, let it rise twice, bread. Because nothing is better than homemade bread right out of the oven! And my bread machine never seemed to work right anyway.

The whole kneading/rising thing always intimidated me, but after a few tries, I figured it out. I mean, really, it is not that big of a deal, and, many years ago, it was the only way to get fresh bread!

So I have been occasionally making homemade french bread from HERE, homemade pizza dough from HERE, and homemade french baguettes from HERE. And they are all incredible. Couple the warm, fresh-out-of-the-oven baguettes or french bread with some homemade spaghetti sauce and a glass of red wine......and OH MY!!

But yesterday, I hit the jackpot. I made homemade Amish White Bread from HERE. After the first rise, I rolled out the dough and spread melted butter/margarine over it. I then sprinkled a cinnamon/brown sugar mix over the butter and rolled up the dough. After another 30 minute rise - VIOLA! Amazing cinnamon roll bread! A million times better AND cheaper than store bought!!! (Yes, I know this picture is sub par.) I coupled this warm, buttered bread with a cup of homemade, freshly ground Starbucks French Roast, and OH MY!!!!


You know, being a stay at home mom, we definitely don't have a lot of extra spending money. We drive old, used cars, we don't have cable TV, we use prepaid cell phones for quick/emergency calls. And we don't go out to eat very much.

But just think of this - a 5 pound sack of flour costs about $2 or even less. You can get 20 cups of flour from that. And my Amish, cinnamon bread uses about 6 cups of flour and makes 2 loaves. Throw in a bit of yeast, water, salt and a touch of oil, and that is it. How much does my bread cost? Well, maybe a buck, probably less, for TWO loaves!!

Doing something like baking bread instead of buying a $2 loaf of preservative filled store bought bread, or making your own pizza crust instead of buy a $12 pizza at a pizza shop, can really help. And you just know it just tastes so much better.

I remember watching some show (I don't remember which one) about people who were facing hard times. The dad showed how much money he had in his pocket - and said "I can't even eat at McDonald's for that!". Well, holy cow, do you realize how expensive McDonalds can be? I can barely afford to eat there!!!! I occasionally stop and get myself a sandwich and coffee and Kallie some nuggets and we are soon approaching 7 bucks. That is a lot of money for not a lot of food. Can you imagine what kind of meal I can make for $7? Even my french bread, spaghetti, red wine meal costs less than that!!! And is just a bit healthier!

Anyway, today I think I will make homemade pizza. I do feel like a 50's housewife on occasion, but oh well...my family does absolutely LOVE it and that is kinda cool.

Have a good one!