Friends and Kitties!
Sheebie here, with a kinda-sorta snuggling selfie.
As you can see, I never lack for feline company.
I'd like to apologize for not commenting on as many blogs as often lately--the pure-D fact is that I'm burned out. Don't worry, I'm not considering stopping blogging because I'm incapable of shutting up but I wanted to let y'all know that we still make the rounds and enjoy reading every day.
Thanks for all the nice comments on my yoga post! I'd like to encourage all of you to give it a try sometime, even if you have a disability you can benefit from seated poses either on the floor or in a chair. What I'm doing is the result of a year of practice and I
never, in my wildest dreams, thought I'd be capable of the flexibility I've achieved--not to mention the wonderful feeling of mental centeredness that lasts far beyond the actual routine. Scott practices regularly as well which helps him cope with his arthritis. He uses a series of DVDs put out by a yogi named Peggy Cappy, and she is great; each pose/asana has variations according to your physical ability. (She has stuff on YouTube,
check it out!)
Scott and I have gone back into the kitchen and have been chef-ing up a storm lately. Neither one of us cares for restaurant--or even prepared--food any more (flatus, anyone?) so out of self-preservation we've re-divvied up the household chores and I've made time to bake and cook. It's funny, I wander into the kitchen thinking I'm "just going to do thus-and-such" and HOURS later I stagger out, laden with loaves, meals, and sides. Scott, who up until recently was indifferent to my cooking (he used to be the chef) is now actually requesting certain dishes! It's very fulfilling to prepare something nourishing for someone you love. Even if it's yourself--we all have to eat.
On that note, I had a request for my pretzel roll recipe and it's at the end of the post. I've tweaked it a little to suit our taste, but the unaltered recipe can be found
HERE--as well as lots of other excellent cooking ideas. I find they are best eaten the day you make them (they take about 2 hours start to finish) or frozen then zapped in the microwave. We always have some in the freezer, they are our go-to for sandwiches.
So, you have your instructions for the week:
1. stretch
2. eat well
3. love yourself
Happy Sunday!
XX Sheebie XX
WHOLE WHEAT PRETZEL ROLLS
Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 packet active dry yeast (2-1/2 tsp)
2 tablespoons coconut oil (or other fat)
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup baking soda
Pretzel salt or coarse ground sea salt, for sprinkling
Directions:
In a small saucepan, heat the milk, 1/2 cup water, sugar and molasses to 105 to 110 degrees F. Add to the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the water mixture and wait 10-15 minutes until the yeast blooms.
Combine flours in a mixing bowl.
Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the blooming yeast, and then add in the coconut oil. Mix on medium speed until the dough has come together and is smooth and elastic in texture and pulling away from the sides of the bowl, 5 to 7 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured cutting board and form into a ball. Cut into 12 equal pieces. Using your hands, roll each piece into a ball and place onto a lightly floured surface. Cover with a dish cloth and let them rest in a warm place for 12 to 15 minutes.
Once rested, flour your work surface again and form the balls into flat discs, about 3" across. Place back in the warm spot and let rest for another 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place one oven rack high and one low. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
In a large pot, bring 8 cups water to a boil, and then add the baking soda. In batches (3 or 4), place the discs in the water and cook for 30 seconds on each side.
Using a slotted spatula, remove the buns and place onto the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with pretzel salt as they come out of the water to ensure the salt sticks. Then cut 3 diagonal slits on top of the bread, not too deep.
Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, rotating between the top and bottom racks of the oven halfway through the cooking.
Enjoy!
