OK. Enough about sickness and illness and dog food...

Hands up - who wants to change the subject?

That's everyone. So here are what keep me getting up in the mornings... my duties as a wife and mother (of dogs), that's what.

I have four things I must do every week, at varying intervals. All four things are for Paul.

1. MAKE THE BREAD.



I have to make the bread every 5th day. One loaf lasts Paul exactly 4 days. I make a separate loaf for myself, slightly different depending on my mood. His is always made from Bob's Red Mill 10-grain Bread Mix.

Mine is currently made from Hodgson Mill 9-grain Whole Wheat Bread Mix, but sometimes it's Italian Cheese-Herb, sometimes other varieties... I love Hodgson Mill mixes!


2. MAKE THE COOKIES.



I used to make "from-scratch" cookies. But that got old after quite a few years of it. I am tired these days and cooking is not my natural forte... so I use mixes now.

(Same with the bread! I used to make each bread for Paul from scratch, using our Cuisinart bread machine, which isn't all that complicated but it IS a lot easier with the mix. Just add oil and warm water and the mix and the yeast and press the button to go.)

For cookies, I get four different mixes in packets by Betty Crocker: sugar cookies, oatmeal cookies, peanut butter cookies, and chocolate chip cookies.

The sugar cookies are very versatile as I've been experimenting with them lately, adding different flavorings like maple, butterscotch, peppermint extract (oh those are so good!), etc. I have a whole bunch of little bottles of extracts to choose from. I'm thinking that lavender and even rosemary might be a great idea for "savory" cookies!

Yesterday I made chocolate chip, my personal favorite, although I'll only eat one or two of this whole batch. They ARE for the Big Guy, after all.


3. MAKE THE GRANOLA.



For many, many years now I've made Paul's breakfast cereal - homemade granola (pictured above, smaller glass canister. Larger one is Kibble!).

I blogged the recipe once - I'll see if I can find it now... here it is:

Bex's Homemade Granola Recipe

I don't eat a regular structured breakfast - probably my biggest problem! A cup of coffee is all I require want until around noon each day. But Paul is a creature of his habits, and his habit is to have a bowl of granola (before I started making it, he had Cheerios), milk on it, a glass of orange juice, a piece of his 10-grain bread for toast, and jelly or jam on the toast. The same thing every day, 365 days of the year.

For lunch also every single day he has 2 pieces of his bread with peanut butter & jam/jelly on it, a cookie or two, a piece of fruit, and water. Every. Single. Day.


4. MAKE THE ICE CREAM.



Paul works hard enough at his job that he can afford to eat ice cream every night. Unless I forget to make it and he runs out, which only happens maybe twice a year - and it did happen this week! I made it yesterday (coffee w/a scoop of Ovaltine for a mocha flavor), and there it is above. Behind the container is the ice cream maker bowl which has to live in the freezer all the time so it can be frozen and ready for use when you want it. I have a big bag of those white heavy cardboard ice cream containers which can be washed once or twice after use and used again. One batch of ice cream equals one containerful.

Bex's Blog on Making Homemade Ice Cream

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Then, apart from the food, there's this:



Emmalee

and this:


Kip-the-Sous-Chef

Kip says it all:



Slurrrp!

And Em is doing her bed-rest like a good patient. She's feeling much better today, BTW... thanks to your good thoughts and prayers! xox

Cheers for the Homemade Life,

Bex & Co.

I think I could turn and live awhile with the animals...
They are so placid and self-contained,
I stand and look at them sometimes half the day long.

They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
Not one is dissatisfied... not one is demented with the mania of owning things,
Not one kneels to another nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or industrious over the whole earth.

~ [Walt Whitman, from "Leaves of Grass, No. 32"] ~

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