John and Amanda De Leo

Best Whole Wheat Bread

2011-06-16T21:43:00.000-07:00

Things my mother's mother taught my mother and my mother taught me!

Who does not love homemade bread? What an incredibly wholesome and economic act of loving service! Making bread is actually not as hard as many people think. After making it a few times, it can be mixed and kneaded in just about 15 or 20 minutes.

I had a favorite recipe that I used frequently. It was a different from the great recipe my mother has always used. She asked me why I switched recipes, and I told her that I thought it tasted just as good. She challenged me to a cook-off! That was a fun day, each of us making our own batch of yummy brown bread. Mine was delicious! Everyone loved it. But when Mom served her bread, mine paled in comparison. Her bread won hands down, without a single vote to the contrary! I humbly present the vastly superior recipe of my mother's brown bread. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
5 cups warm water
1/2 cup honey
3 Tbl yeast (I prefer normal yeast instead of fast acting yeast)
2 Tbl salt
9 to 12 cups of light whole wheat flour*

Optional:
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
2 Tbl dough enhancer (a powder that is nutritious and makes texture even better)
3 Tbl powdered lecithin (so healthy you won't believe it)
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten flour (more healthy stuff)

Very Detailed Directions:
Combine warm water, honey, and yeast in mixing bowl. Let sit for about 5 minutes while you gather the rest of your ingredients. Yeast should foam and bubble at the top of the water. If it doesn't get at least a thin layer of foamy yeast, your yeast is not fresh enough.
Add other ingredients, saving flour for last. You can use a kitchen aid, or any other mixer, or the old fashion way with a bowl and spoon, but who wants to be that old fashioned? Use a mixer if you can! Add flour one cup at a time, letting the flour mix into dough before adding the next cup. The amount of flour needed is different depending on altitude and weather. Crazy, isn't it?
When the bread dough has enough flour in it that it pulls away from the side of the bowl (about 6-7 cups?) it is ready to knead. It will be sticky, but firm enough to hold it's shape. Spread a thin layer of flour on a clean countetop (I use about half a cup). Put the dough on the flour, adding more flour to the top. Kneed the dough until you have added all of the flour that it needs. The dough should be smooth and firm, but not hard. This is probably the hardest part of making bread. If you don't use enough flour, the bread will fall in the oven. If you use too much flour, the bread will be heavy and coarse and not nearly as good. I usually only use about 9 cups.
Cover the dough with a cloth and let it sit until at least double in size. Usually I leave it for half an hour to an hour. Then kneed the bread again. If it is sticky, use some butter or oil on your hands. Divide the dough into 4 or 5 sections. Kneed each one into the shape of a loaf. Place in a buttered or oiled bread pan. Put into the oven to rise for about 30 minutes. Your bread should be double in size. Once bread is double in size, turn oven on to 350 degrees. Cook for 25-30 minutes. Don't open the oven door until bread is done or close-to-done or bread will fall. When bread is done, it will be golden brown on the top, not just in the center of the loaf, but all over, and it will sound a bit hollow when you tap the top of the loaf. Remove from pan and let cool on a cooling rack or on a towel. Rub butter over the top of the loaf for incredible results. Cover hot bread with a cloth until ready to serve. Once bread is completely cooled, store in plastic bag. Bread can also be frozen, but should be double bagged.

*Some ideas on buying the best flour and other nutritious, economic ingredients:
Flour is key to making the best bread ever. Red hard wheat flour is the type of flour sold at most super markets. If you want to use this type, I recommend that you use half red whole wheat flour and half white flour. A better and MUCH cheaper way to make bread is with Hard White Whole Wheat flour. It is very nutritious and makes a lighter tastier bread. The problem with it is the flour doesn't stay fresh for very long. A month is fine, but the fresher the flour the better bread you will have. That is why people like to grind their own flour! Hard wheat stays good for decades and makes the perfect food storage. So if you don't have a flour grinder, just buy what you plan on using in a month. If you have room, it lasts longer in the fridge.
I buy my flour and wheat at Honeyville Grainery in Rancho Cucamonga. The prices are about half of what their online store charges, due to shipping, so make the trip sometime. It is an awesome store with so many things for food storage, emergencies, and healthy eating. They sell in big and small quantities, but if you buy big it is the best price anywhere. Consider sharing a 50 pound bag of flour with 2 or 3 friends. Great prices and really fun foods that are perfect for storage. Today I bought some dried fruits to use in our oat meal at a fraction the cost they are in the grocery store. The kid's were allowed to sample all the hot chocolates and lemonades that they sell. They love the store too!
The address is 9175 Millken, Rancho Cucamongo, Ca 91730, 1-909-243-1050.
Directions: take 15 North, exit Dayton Drive, turn R. on Buffalo Ave, turn R. on 6th St, turn R. on Milliken Ave, turn R. on 7th to get into parking lot.

Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho

2011-06-04T22:34:00.001-07:00

Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego

2011-06-04T22:27:00.000-07:00

Sheep May Safely Graze by JS Bach

2011-06-04T22:17:00.001-07:00

Music Recital Time

2011-06-04T22:06:00.000-07:00

We have been so blessed to have music in our lives. "President J. Reuben Clark Jr. said, “We get nearer to the Lord through music than perhaps through any other thing except prayer.”
http://lds.org/general-conference/2007/04/the-nourishing-power-of-hymns?lang=eng&query=music+testifies+christ

I am so thankful to have wonderful parents who give my children piano and voice lessons. I can not say enough what a blessing they are to us! We are all delighted to have music in our lives!

When I Am Baptized
http://lds.org/churchmusic/detailmusicPlayer/index.html?searchlanguage=1&searchcollection=2&searchseqstart=103&searchsubseqstart= &searchseqend=103&searchsubseqend=ZZZ

Movie at the park

2011-06-02T23:22:00.001-07:00

Did we mention that we love summer time? To celebrate another year of hard work we went to the outdoor movie at the park. It was so fun to be there with our good buddies from our homeschooling group and from our church.

Since we were early the kids even had a caricature made. It was very cute.

Caden's Birthday Disappointment

2011-05-30T22:53:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday sweet little boy of mine!

2011-05-30T22:25:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday sweet little boy of mine!

These four years have flown by! My baby is long gone and this handsome smart sweet boy has taken his place. I am so blessed to be the mother of these incredible young people. Happy birthday Caden! I love you!

We had a fun day celebrating Caden's birthday. We used many of the coupons the kids won from the library reading contest. We ate for free at chick filet and then went to the ceramic paint studio in Norco. Not free but the coupons made it affordable. We all had a great time painting. We even painted a small nativity! We were there for three hours!

We also used our coupons for Sizzler! Yum! (At least the kids thought it was delicious.)

Caden is pretty blessed himself! His three older siblings are so good to him! They did everything they could on his birthday to make his day special. Lila gave him piggy back rides until I thought she would fall over. Emma helped him and waited for him when he fell behind. David played with him and taught him new games. They even spent their own hard earned money buying him gifts. Caden was delighted with his birthday attention. Once later in the afternoon he started to cry and pout about something silly. This warranted a stern rebuke from me. His big brother and sisters reminded me in sweet voices, "But mom, it is his birthday!" Caden liked this way of thinking. He stuck out his bottom lip and said dramatically, "MOM, you ruined my birthday!" Ha! Too bad. I didn't let myself laugh and told him seriously, "If you aren't nice, I won't let you have a birthday." He appologized quickly and we went back to having fun. I think if he pulled tricks like that often, it would be quite annoying. But he is so happy and sweet. He makes us laugh every day.

More pictures from SD Field Trip

2011-05-27T23:28:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day!

http://lds.org/placestovisit/eng/historical-sites/san-diego-mormon-battalion-historic-site

Here the children are learning about the supplies and tools used by the Mormon Battalion on their long trek from Iowa to San Diego.

What a small world! The cute girl in back is my cousin's daughter! Or you could say my kid's second cousin. She is serving a mission in San Diego and was our tour guide! I had not seen Tawni Christiansen since she was a little girl, maybe two years old. Way back then my sisters and I dressed Tawni and her big sister up in pretty petticoats and dresses. Memories!

I knew that she was serving at the Mormon Battalion, and I wondered if we would meet her. She walked in to the room where our big group was waiting and asked, "Are you all family?" I answered, "Yes! We are YOUR family!" Then I introduced myself as her cousin. She was very cute about it.

In this picture you can see how the soldiers and washer women dressed.

Above you can see the intereactive "window" which reminds me of the Harry Potter portraits that are alive. The historical character's portraits came to life to tell of their adventures, life, and faith. It was very entertaining and the kid's were fascinated.

Those are heavy, huge guns. Imagine carrying them with you over such a long and rough distance!

The kids were able to pan for gold. They even were allowed to keep two small pieces of fool's gold.

The girls are cleaning clothes. Just watching them makes me grateful for our two washing machine's and dryers!

Here we are wandering through Old Town San Diego.

The Well's Fargo Bank

We rode the trolley from Santa Fe to Old Town. Very educational if you know what I mean!

Our last stop was at the harbor. Such a beautiful place.

Can you see Caden's face? My hat is so big I felt shaded when Caden wore my hat!

My sweet daughter is BABY CRAZY! Sorry sweetie. We did enjoy playing with Carrie's baby though. I think Lila must have taken 50 pictures of this cutie. Same pose, fifty shots.

Fantastic Field Trips

2011-05-26T19:34:00.001-07:00

We have been enjoying some wonderful learning opportunities with field trips. This year we have loved the trips to the Huntington Library. The museum and gardens are incredible! Our trip to Sea World was fun and very educational too. But our last field trip was hard to beat. John and I, the kids, and our homeschooling friends took the train to San Diego. After a very fun train ride, we hopped on a trolley and visited the Mormon Battalion. Quite a few of our friends joined us. What a beautiful place! The kids were all enthralled by the history and presentation. If you haven't seen this place I recommend it highly. After the short film, tour, pictures, dress up for kids wanting to be soldiers or washer women, and actual panning for fools gold, we walked through Old Town SD.
Finally after much walking and exploring we boarded the train for the trip home. The way home was as entertaining as the ride there. We are train fans! It was an exciting happy and exhausting day.

We never win anything!

2011-05-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

Don't those contests, raffles, and give aways seem pointless? It seems we never win. I can't even think of anyone I know that has had much luck with those. I would never buy a raffle ticket but sometimes they are free...
I don't know if you can imagine how surprised we were to win 2 prizes this week! First at the community fair we won a free haircut at Avedo. The next day John won a free laptop at his yearly work party. We are still shocked and so delighted.

It has been a fun and busy week. The kids sure so much cotton candy they are sick. They are so sick!

Pine wood derby

2011-05-26T15:05:00.001-07:00

Here are all the cub scouts that participated in the pine wood derby.

David and his buddies had a great time racing and showing off their awesome cars. Their fans had a great time too.

Back to Blogging

2011-05-26T00:28:00.000-07:00

My sister Nikki has motivated me to start blogging again. Thank you Nikki!

Here we are enjoying the shade at dos lagos with our giga ball!

Caden looks like he is getting tired. He sure did have a fun time though.

Emma and Lila are always in heaven when their cousins come to California to play.

Thank you Grandma for fixing the broken swing!

More information

2010-09-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

Some of my friends told me that Barnes & Noble had taken down their pornographic magazines from the front counter. Wouldn't that be wonderful? I went to the store to see for myself. I asked a clerk if they had moved the Rolling Stones magazines. She answered, "No, they sold out!" Bummer. So please, if you feel the urge, write or call the corporate office. Let them know if you have a problem with completely naked people, spattered with blood, being placed in front of your kid's eyes.

Together, perhaps we might make a difference. Thank you for helping!

http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/misc/contact_us.html

Protect our kids from pornography! (2)

2010-09-04T14:30:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who has helped and given support about this problem at Barnes & Noble.

My friend Nicole gave me the link that we can use to voice our opinions. Anyone who feels like adding their voice, please email or call Barnes & Noble.

http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/misc/contact_us.html

Protect our kids from pornography!

2010-09-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

All right! I'm on a warpath. Who will join me? Last week when I went into one of my favorite stores, Barnes&Noble, I saw under the register counter (right at my children's eye level) naked magazines. The worst magazine was Rolling Stone and it had 3 NAKED people in a sensual pose, spattered with what looked like blood. Oh my. I scooped them up before my kids noticed and set them on the counter. I asked the cashier nicely to tell her manager that these types of magazines should not be placed where children have to see them. She nicely said she would pass on the message.
Well, the next day we went back to buy something else. I was actually shocked to see them back in front of my legs, still in plain sight of my kids, still right on their eye level. I asked for the manager. He was standing right there. I told him about the previous day and complained (nicely) that still today these horrible images were in this child-prominent location. He hummed and hawed and said, "How can I say this? Hmm. I CHOOSE not to SENSOR my store."
My jaw fell to the floor. I asked him, "But you could put them somewhere else? Why would you want them to be right at a child's eye level? The child has no choice but to see those images. They are completely NAKED and covered in blood besides!"
He answered, "Well it is completely MY choice to put them there and it is YOUR choice to shop somewhere else."
I asked for a district manager's name and number. He gave me a generic card with this phone number: 800-962-6177. He said his name is Steve and he said he is the general manager, not an assistant manager. The store is in Corona, CA at the Crossings.
I called this number and started a process of complaint. They do not give out district manager names and numbers.
Who will join me in making a difference here? If you care about protecting your children from images like these, please help. Call the phone number and make a complaint. Go to your store and complain if they are or are like the store at Corona Crossings. Compliment them if they are being more appropriate and child friendly.
If you have any ideas for me, I would love to do more. I am even tempted to picket their store? Sound worthwhile? Feel free to send this information to your friends if you think they might help. Thank you for reading this!

Heart to Heart

2009-07-24T14:53:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite blogs:

http://dianehopkins.blogspot.com

Diane is a homeschooing mom that I knew as a child. I played with her kids every Wednesday at park day. She is still homeschooling and raising a wonderful family. I love to read about the ideas she shares. Check it out for fun ideas on gardening and sewing, keeping a house clean, teaching kids in fun ways, and so much more.

Thank you Diane for sharing!

Terra Cotta Warriors

2008-10-24T22:39:00.000-07:00

On Emma's birthday we were able to go on an amazing field trip to see the terra cotta warriors at the Bower Museum.

This guy is real and he looks just like the statues!

Caden didn't see why that museum was so interesting to us. He was so happy to be back outside and free!!

Everyone was tired at the end of the tour. I can't wait to scrapbook all the fun postcards and things we have from the museum. I'll post them later.