A City On A Hill | Matthew 5:14 You are light for the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden."

[Whole Wheat] Sourdough English Muffins

Posted on 29 December 2011 :: 11 Comments

Anyone else wanna say, NOM NOM NOM! with me?!

Well, I was really wanting some real bread, like what is made in the oven. Since we haven’t had an oven for about a month and a half, we have been making tortillas and flatbreads on the stove. The flatbread we made were basically just biscuit dough, which is sticky, flattened and browned on both sides in a skillet. Hey, they were pretty good for about three weeks… then they started to taste bland.

I put some of Stinkamus into one of the batches of tortilla dough once, and let it set for about half an hour before I rolled them out and cooked them; they were really good! We had them for dinner, and then the next time I made them, I made some more with Stinkamus. He was enjoying it, because I was feeding him more and more and then using him. He dislikes it when I don’t use him; then he starves and is stuck in the cold fridge. So he’s becoming happier, and so am I, because I get to make things with him.

oh! delicioso!

Because I wanted some real sourdough bread, I went looking for some sourdough English muffins recipes. I wasn’t disappointed by my searching; I found tons of yummy recipes! I also went searching for some other ‘griddle’ bread recipes, to make to give a variety, and found a couple nice ones. One of them is real Irish Soda Bread, which is actually called soda farls.

What we know of ‘traditional’ Irish Soda Bread is what in the north of Ireland people call wheaten. And the soda farls are a little different than the wheaten bread; one is cooked on a griddle and the other in an oven. So there, now you know the difference. :) I plan to try making some soda farls; hopefully they’ll turn out as good as they look! Then, I’ll share the recipe with photos for you all!

*mouth watering*

This recipe for sourdough English muffins was really good; all of my family loved them! Myself included in that loving them part. :) A.d.d.i.c.t.i.n.g. I love all things sourdough; there is just something really awesome and wonderful about sourdough breads; they are da bomb of bread. I love the tangy, soury taste of the bread; toasted with butter, it almost tastes like it has melted cheese on top of it. These muffins are totally awesome! They are a keeper!

[Whole Wheat] Sourdough English Muffins
(adapted from The Pancake Handbook)
– yield- 8-10 –
½ cup sourdough starter, fed
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup water
1 tsp. active dry yeast [1/2 package]
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp honey
cornmeal
Combine starter with 2 cups of flour and water; stir thoroughly, cover with plastic wrap [or a lid slightly offset with a towel draped over it, like me! :)] and let sit out overnight (about 7-10 hours). In the morning, add the yeast, baking soda, salt, honey to the dough and gradually add the remaining 1 cup of flour; add more if needed, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough looses its stickyness. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll until about 1/2 inch thick. Use a lightly floured biscuit cutter and cut the dough into as many rounds as possible. Place rounds on an ungreased baking sheet, covered with cornmeal. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with cornmeal and leave them to rise, covered with a clean dishtowel, for about 45 minutes.
Heat a lightly oiled iron skillet [I didn't oil mine; they didn't stick] over high heat until very hot, then reduce the temperature to medium/medium high. Cook the muffins for about 5 minutes on each side, turning only once. The muffins will reach a light or medium brown (turn town the temperature slightly if they cook too quickly) on both the top and the bottom when they are cooked through. Before the first flip, the sides of the muffin will start to look dry, like the edges of a pancake, when it it ready to be turned. You can peek at the underside, too. Cool completely before storing.

p.s. the original recipe didn’t contain yeast at all but since Stinkamus was having trouble rising well, I added it in to ensure they rose a little bit. Omit it if you want.

So, there you have it! They are so awesome!

I love taking food photos. :happysigh:

Now if I just had some mora berries, I could make some mora berry jam to eat on top of them. NOM NOM NOM! But they are great toasted with butter melting of top with a hot cup of Earl Gray tea. :) Hope you enjoy the muffins if you make them!

ahhh! the delight of a golden piece of bread!
Especially sourdough!

All right, stop listening to my nonsense and go make some!

as ever,
-Ra’chel

p.s. this was submitted to yeastspotting!

untitled.

Posted on 28 December 2011 :: 12 Comments

Soooo. I can’t think of a title. So, this post is titled ‘untitled.’
:)
Enjoy the photos.

Mishle [Proverbs] 27:25
The hay is removed, and the new growth appears,
The grasses of the hills are gathered in.

You know, I will never get tired of Sol, or taking photographs of him.
He is one of the prettiest roosters we’ve ever had.
He’s like one of those roosters in a painting.
I’ve always wanted one; the first one we get here just happened to be one.
Gracias, Padre, para esto gallo.

Sol and Midnight are the best of pals… they always stick together.

”Everybody loves the cackle of the rooster, the colors, the long tail.”
I do too; and Sol’s tail is pretty awesome, you have to admit. :)

moi, ik, mich, ya, ako, watashi, io, mi, me.
That’s ‘me‘ – in nine languages. :) I’m weird like that.
Just myself.
Thought ya’ll would enjoy seeing the authoress of the blog for a change. ;)
In my new shirt from my Great Grandma.
She’s awesome like that.

Hope you all have a great day, wherever you are, whoever you are, with whomever you are with. :) Blessings to you and all of those in your life; may Abba richly bless you all!

as ever,
-Ra’chel

I am still confident of this

Posted on 26 December 2011 :: 3 Comments

Tehillim [Psalm] 27

1The YHVH is my light and my salvation.
Whom shall I fear?
The YHVH is the strength of my life.
Of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evil-doers came at me to eat up my flesh,
Even my adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though a host should encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear.
Though war should rise against me,
Even then I will be confident.

4 One thing have I asked of the YHVH, that will I seek after,
That I may dwell in the house of the YHVH all the days of my life,
To see the beauty of the YHVH,
And to inquire in his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me secretly in his pavilion.
In the covert of his tent will he hide me.
He will lift me up on a rock.
6 Now shall my head be lifted up above my enemies around me.
I will offer sacrifices of joy in his tent.
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the YHVH.

7 Hear, YHVH, when I cry with my voice.
Have mercy also on me, and answer me.
8 When you said, “Seek my face,”
My heart said to you, “I will seek your face, YHVH.”
9 Don’t hide your face from me.
Don’t put your servant away in anger.
You have been my help.
Don’t abandon me, neither forsake me,
Elohim of my salvation.

10 When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the YHVH will take me up.
11 Teach me your way, YHVH.
Lead me in a straight path, because of my enemies.

12 Don’t deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries,
For false witnesses have risen up against me,
Such as breathe out cruelty.
13 I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the YHVH in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the YHVH.
Be strong, and let your heart take courage.
Yes, wait for the YHVH.

Hollywood’s history

Posted on 23 December 2011 :: 6 Comments

Do you believe everything you watch in movies? I don’t; I used to believe things that looked and sounded realistic and true, but not everything I saw. I like wathing movies; who doesn’t? But I sometimes get frustrated by them. A historical movie should be historically correct, right? Or at least 75% correct? Or maybe 50%? I really hate it when they take a book, make it into a movie, and completely ruin the plot of the book/events in the book. The book is sooo good, and they have to go and change it all up for their movies. Hmph.

I recently watched the War of the Worlds movie starring Tom Cruise – not what I thought it would be. They got the main storyline, except they messed up on a few major things. The narrator, who is not named in the book, does not have two children. He not divorced either; his wife was at his home when the attack happened, and they got seperated. She survives; they are reunited. It also happened in England. Obviously since H.G. Wells was English, he would set it in his native country where he knew all the geographical places. I had really been looking forward to seeing the places that he described in the book because I knew them.

Oy. See? they ruined the movie! And the Red Weed; and the preacher dude who he gets stuck with for 15 days; and the actual Martians themselves! I could go on, but I won’t… The movie wasn’t a bad one in light of how it was made, casting, or even the storyline/plot; I liked it for a movie apart from the book. I still like the book better tho. Anyhoo. Not sure where I got off on that little bunnytrail. o.O

Well, I am a history guru; I am also a bookworm. I knew there was no book that was a ‘companion’ or even being based off of it. Soooo, being the history guru I am, I had to look up the actual people in the movie “Gladiator” [with Russell Crowe] and find out if the movie was anywhere near close to the atual people. They somewhat did. However…

…Marcus Aurelius’ death is not entirely known; he could have died of the plague, or a rumoured poisioning.

…Lucilla was not Commodus’ only sister; Marcus actually had 13 children altogether; she was banished/executed two years after Commodus began his reign for an assassination plot failed.

…Commodus reigned for 12 years; he was a very disgusting person; he was a gladiator, but he was not killed in the arena. He was killed by an athlete/wrestler, Narcissus, while he was in his bath.

…Maximus was a facitional character based on a few different people in history.

sooo, Hollywood makes a movie and people think it history. It’s not; even a book made into a movie is not the real ‘history’ of the book. I just wish that the movies that are ‘historical’ were actually… I don’t know, historical, maybe? :) just mho tho.

wordless wednesday: laughing flowers

Posted on 21 December 2011 :: 8 Comments

“The Earth Laughs in Flowers.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

my own sort of ‘da Vinci’-style girl

Posted on 19 December 2011 :: 2 Comments

I didn’t mean to make her like that, in the style that reminds me of the Italian Renaissance and Leonardo da Vinci. Miss Sonja told me that she loved her; I think she looks rather flat. :P Hehe! I am still working on getting that effect which to my mind gives ‘body’ and ‘life’ to a drawing. I mean, if it looks like it is realistic and you could mold a sculpture off of it. Get my drift? :) Hope so… I can be confusing at times! o.O