New Baking Adventure

Justin brought home a big butternut squash that one of his coworkers had given him from his garden. I decided that I wanted to do something creative with it, and started searching on Allrecipes.com. I searched for the ingredients "butternut squash (duh) and brown sugar" hoping to find a tasty looking baked good. I came across a recipe for Butternut Squash Braid. It looked a bit challenging, but I decided to make it last night.

First I had to cook the squash. I cut it in half lengthwise, and then scooped out the seeds and pulp. I smeared a little butter on the flesh, placed cut side up in a pan with about 1/2 an inch of water. I baked at 350 for about an hour, until the flesh was pretty tender. Then I mashed up the squash.

I followed the directions precisely, and ended up with a very soft and moist and yummy bread. I decided to make it again today, but this time take pictures. I also made a couple very slight adjustments.

Without further ado, here is the Butternut Squash Braid recipe and instructions:

BUTTERNUT SQUASH BRAID

Ingredients
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
2 tbsp warm water
1/3 cup warm milk
1 cup cooked, mashed butternut squash
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 egg
3 cups all-purpose flour

Don't these ingredients look pretty? (Not pictured: yeast, water, milk, cinnamon and salt.)

Directions

In a small bowl, mix together the yeast and warm water. (I don't have a food thermometer, so I just turned the hot water on and let it run until it was a nice shower temperature.) The yeast mixture might be a little pasty.

Warm the milk in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stove. (I used the stove, and frequently checked the temperature of the milk with my finger until it was quite warm. Don't worry, my hands were clean.)

In a large mixing bowl, combine the squash, milk, butter, brown sugar, egg, cinnamon and salt. (I used my Kitchenaid stand mixer.) Then add the yeast mixture and flour. Add more flour as necessary to form a soft (and not too sticky) dough.

The dough was a little sticky, so I added a bit more flour.

Turn onto a floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, at least 5 minutes.

Before kneading.

Put dough in a greased bowl, and turn dough so the top gets greased too. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about an hour. The dough should double in size. Punch dough down.

In a greased bowl after kneading.

Ooh bigger.

I think you only need to punch it once. But the dough got sassy, so I showed it who was boss.

Divide the dough into thirds. Stretch and  roll out each third into an 18 inch rope.

From this angle, the back ball looks smaller. Whoops.

3 ropes, that aren't that even as you can see.

Braid together the dough ropes, and pinch the ends together. Gently move to a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes.

Lovely, isn't it?

Large and lovely.

Optional egg wash: In a small bowl, combine an egg and 1 tbsp water. Using a pastry brush, spread all over the braid. You probably won't use it all.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Yum.

The bread should be soft and moist.

How does it look?

Boring...

Sorry I haven't written anything in awhile. Honestly, not much exciting has been going on around these parts.

Deuce is sick right now. He woke up in the middle of the night puking. After I cleaned him up, I brought him to bed with me so I could give him some affection. I'd considered snuggling on the couch, but that would be more of a pain to clean if he upchucked again. Bedsheets are easier to change. He barfed a couple more times, but not since like 8:30. He's been snoozing most of the morning, which I hope is helping him feel better. The way Deuce is feeling and the gross weather outside means we're staying indoors all day. Probably staying in our pajamas too. ;0)

What else? Last weekend we had an awesome first Mommies of Blessings meeting. We had lots of great conversation, and got way behind schedule. I had planned on the the meeting going until 8, and then scrapbooking afterward. The meeting didn't end until around 10:30! Raven, Sarah and I spent the night at church. Even though the pews are padded, they aren't the best for sleeping on. Kim came back in the morning, and Apryl showed up a bit later. We scrapped until about 5. It was a really great time, although I don't have many pages to show for it. I'm a slow scrapper!

I got to hear the baby's heartbeat at my last appointment with my midwife. The kids were with me, and it was cute to have them right by my side. Deuce thought the heartbeat was neat, but I'm pretty sure he had no idea what he was hearing.

In other baby news, Justin and I are still debating on a boy name. I guess I shouldn't say "still" considering that I'm just 12 1/2 weeks pregnant. We've got plenty of time to come up with something. We already have a girl first name picked out, but we're not certain about the middle name yet. I'm sure we'll come to an agreement soon.

Anyway, I better get some lunch made, and then get back to lazing around with my kiddos. Hopefully I'll have something more interesting to write soon.

Life After Facebook

Sometimes it's hard to believe that I used to be obsessed with Facebook. I honestly hardly think about it anymore. Sure, I do miss some of my friends. And I miss being able to share with people little one liners of my life. Occasionally I miss being out of the loop. But I don't miss those things so much that I would go back. I am so thankful that God removed that desire/burden from my life. I pray that I will continue to be open and willing to give things up if and when He asks me to.

I don't pretend to have this amazing and exciting life since quitting the social network world. In truth, I still spend too much time online. But, I'm thankful that I am less hesitant to get up and play with Josie and Deuce when they want me to. There are times when I have to tell myself, "there is nothing on this computer that is more important than my kids." That lights a fire under my butt and gets me in the living room loving on my kids for sure. We've been going to the library more often (we're gonna go tomorrow!), so we've been reading more books together. I love sitting on the couch with Deuce on my lap and Josie beside me under my arm while I read book after book in the middle of the afternoon.

Recently I've gotten a lot more organized. I developed a weekly cleaning schedule for myself, so I now have certain chores I do each day. I'm a lot more disciplined with how I leave the house when I go to bed too. The house is far from perfect, but I definitely feel better about myself as a wife and a homeowner. Another great thing is that the kids seem to enjoy picking up. We usually sing the song "Clean up clean up everybody everywhere! Clean up clean up everybody do your share!" It's really cute how Deuce will hear toys being thrown into a bin, and he'll rush into the room and start helping. I sure hope it stays with them! I was not very tidy for the first 30 years of my life (although adulthood was definitely better than my teenage years!). I hope I instill in them pride in their belongings and their home. Time will tell!

Things are really up in the air right now with Justin's job. Tomorrow night he is supposed to find out the fate of the USPS Milwaukee Processing and Distribution Center where he works. Many of the plants nationwide are going to be shut down and consolidated in order for the Post Office to save money. If Milwaukee's gets closed, there's a good chance we'd have to move, and there's no guarantee he'd have a job somewhere else! This situation has the potential to be stressful, but I've decided there's no point in worrying about what I can't control. I sure hope we don't have to move, but if it comes to that, we'll manage just fine. But I am still very anxious to find out the news!

This weekend my mother in law is coming to town like she does about every 6 weeks. And then we take full advantage of her and plan as many things as possible. Justin and I are going on a date on Thursday, and then going our separate ways (he will be doing dude bible study while I will be hanging out with a couple of my girls). On Friday evening, I have my first Mommies group meeting of the year, followed by a scrapathon at church that lasts until Saturday at 5. I'll be gone for almost 24 hours! I'm not sure what else I'll be doing that weekend. I'll go to church on Sunday by myself like I previously mentioned. And hopefully we'll get to the zoo on Monday if the weather cooperates.

Okay, that's enough rambling for now. I have a sink full of dishes that I need to wash, and I want to start planning some scrapbooking pages. 80)

Some Pictures

My sister-in-law, Lindsay took some photos of us in late July. Here are just a few of the favorites:

 

 

Josie & Grandpa Jones

Waldo

Babies and Church = Oil and Water?

We don't have Sunday nursery available at my church. Mind you, I lobbied for one, but to no avail. Depending on the day and the behavior of my children, my opinion on the matter varies. Some days I understand the idea of family integrated church and think it's a good one. Today, I don't have the best attitude about it. I don't get why it's more valuable to have kids in service. It's not like my kids are sitting quietly, listening to the testimonies and the sermon, and praying. They're playing with their toys, reading books, eating snacks, and sometimes whining/crying. Before I would keep the kids in service until they got out of hand, and then I would take them down to the nursery. There's a speaker down there, so I might get to hear snippets of the sermon.

Anyway, since I know that they will not appease the parents of small children with a scheduled nursery service, I don't take my kids down there. I keep them in the pew with me, and I try to keep them entertained and quiet as much as possible. Today they made a lot of noise. Of course I did my best to get them to be quiet, but I've decided that I'm not going to take them out of service if they cry. If they want kids in the service so badly, then they get noisy, crying ones too. ;0)

I go back and forth about the value of having little kids in service. How much are they gaining spiritually by being there, and how much am I losing spiritually by dealing with them instead of focusing on the Lord? Personally, I don't think it's a net gain. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to be able keep my eyes closed during the worship songs, read from my bible and take notes during the sermon, and respond to an altar call. But I can't do any of that, because I always have to be partially focused on my kids. At the same time, I understand that it's a good opportunity for them to learn to be quiet and behave. I also think that the earlier kids are exposed to the Gospel the better. Plus, I'm sure it's supposed to be an opportunity for me to put the fruits of the Spirit into practice.

This too shall pass, right?

Well, at least next Sunday will be a great service! Grandma Jones is in town, so I get to go to church by myself! And there's fellowship lunch afterwards that I will actually get to enjoy, and probably share some adult conversation! So, I'm excited about that. ;0)

Abiding in the Vine: A Study of John 15:1-8 (Verse 8)

John 15:1-8
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Verse 8: This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Finally we are given a main objective: Bring glory to the Father. That's the whole point of bearing fruit! When we bear good fruit, we resemble Jesus. And Jesus brings glory to God. (If A = B and B = C then A = C)

Like I've said before, anyone can profess to know and love Christ. Only those who bear fruit are true disciples of Him. Only those who bear fruit are truly saved. Now, don't misunderstand what I'm saying. The belief and the profession come before the fruit. The fruit (or works or behavior) do not save. But our works prove that we are saved.

Ephesians 2:8-10 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

James discusses faith and deeds in James 2:14-26. A few verses stand out more than others:

Verse 14 - What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?

Verse 18 - But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

Verse 24 - You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. 

Verse 26 - As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

I don't know about you, but I want to spiritually look like Christ. When I stand (kneel/prostate myself?) before the LORD, I want Him to see His Son, not only in my words, but also in my actions. I know that I have failed to exemplify Christ in more ways than I can count. But I pray that as I continue my Christian walk, I will keep close the words of Jesus telling me to bear much fruit so that I can SHOW that I am His disciple.

I pray also that you would remain in Christ. Be connected to Him through prayer and the reading of the word; and most importantly, live your life as a testimony of what God has done for you.

BTW

For those who don't already know, we're expecting baby #3. I'm 10 weeks along today.

Okay, carry on.  ;0)