I finally bought a pasta maker. I hunted high and low last summer for one and had no success. ( I could have got one in Victoria, BC for $100, no thanks).
Last week, Bob and I were strolling down the isles in London Drugs just to kill some time before LIam's basketball game and there they were. Seven beauties priced at $29.95. What a bargain. I love it when things like that just happen. So of course we have a new addition to the family. Can't wait to get started.

January is the perfect month to make bread and homemade soups. The smells warm the heart and the oven warms the house.
Sometimes my bread turns out and sometimes it doesn't. Probably because I can't resist adding a little of this and a little of that. This time however, it turned out and was very yummy. I still made a few changes, about 20%. It's nice the recipe has room for a little creativity.
I keep the Oats and Molasses Bread recipe taped to the inside of my cupboard door for a quick find. It's from the February 2007 Issue of Canadian living. You can find it on their website but I'll post it here..............

Oats and Molasses Bread

By The Canadian Living Test Kitchen

Baking bread from scratch is one of the most satisfying endeavours: kneading the dough, watching it rise, smelling it bake, then slathering a warm slice with butter.

Servings: 2 loaves, 12 slices each

1-1/4 cups (300 mL) boiling water

3/4 cup (175 mL) large-flake rolled oats
1/3 cup (75 mL) fancy molasses
2 tbsp (25 mL) butter, softened
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp (5 mL) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (125 mL) warm water
1 tbsp (15 mL) active dry yeast
3 cups (750 mL) all-purpose flour (approx)
1 cup (250 mL) whole wheat flour
1-3/4 tsp (9 mL) salt
Topping:
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp (25 mL) large-flake rolled oats

Preparation:

In heatproof bowl, stir boiling water with rolled oats; let stand until absorbed, about 15 minutes. Stir in molasses, butter and egg.

Meanwhile, in large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water; sprinkle in yeast and let stand until frothy, about 10 minutes. Stir in oat mixture. Stir in 2-1/2 cups (625 mL) of the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour and salt to form sticky dough.

Turn out onto floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding as much of the remaining flour as necessary, about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease all over. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Punch down dough; divide in half. On floured surface, pat each half into 11- x 8-inch (28 x 20 cm) rectangle. Starting at narrow end, roll up into cylinder; pinch edge to seal. Fit into 2 greased 8- x 4-inch (1.5 L) loaf pans. (Or shape each into round, stretching and pinching dough underneath to smooth top.) Cover with tea towel; let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Topping: Brush loaves with egg; sprinkle with oats. Bake in centre of 375°F (190°C) oven until loaves sound hollow when tapped on bottoms, about 40 minutes. Let cool on racks.

Source

Canadian Living Magazine: February 2007

Jan 18, 2009 First Post Ever

Welcome to my first Blog. With the help of my son, Liam I'm all signed up. I took the first step of many more to come. My goal is to have my own business and to sell my products on line for the 2009 Christmas season. So I need to get busy.

I thought I'd add a picture of the Christmas present I made this year for my niece Nova. She's our shining star.

I wasn't really intending starting my Blog until a little later on in February so I'm a little unprepared. The time was just right and we just did it.....that's my new motto actually......JUST DO IT....

I'll do some homework this week and make the second post a little more interesting.

I love all the blogs I've read, mostly artsy ones and they are all so inspiring. I will strive to do that too.