Home-Made, Hand-Made BREAD!

Making bread has been a challenge for me. I almost gave up when I tried this simple recipe for whole wheat bread. I don't even have a bread-making machine so I always knead by hand. I tried to use as little flour as possible when kneading this batch.

At last, success!! Check out the yummy results:





The nice thing about making bread is how the house smells. Bread aromatherapy seems to make the kids calmer, the house homier. It just smells of good memories and fun thoughts. I even made an extra loaf to give away. My mom said the bread was soft and had a mediterranean taste to it. My friends delighted at the half-loaf: "Oh, it really looks like bread!" turning it upside down in disbelief--half-looking for proof that I didn't pick it up at an artisan bakery.

When you eat home-made bread, meticulously sliced, with even just butter or jam, you will wonder how you could have eaten the commercial bread from the grocery. Now I know why they call processed food junk. There's hardly anything in the commercial bread. Home-made bread is bursting with cracked whole-wheat and a nutty taste. You know every ingredient there is in it, and it does not include presevatives, dyes, or chemicals you can't pronounce.

You can almost feel and smell the fiber, in a good, wholesome way. The texture is rougher and the color is darker than any whole wheat loaf I've known. Plus, it came out of your oven a couple of hours ago. I don't know of anyone who makes bread at home, but I will continue to bake my own bread and maybe share with the community.





If you want to make your own, check out the recipe
Mother Earth News. You will need to set aside time and muscle to do it, though. There's something about watching the dough rise and then punching it down. It is simply satisfying to watch the dough rise through the oven. Eating something you made or something you grew is just twice the joy. I find that slicing the bread into 1/4" slices, with ham and mayo was delightful. But the bread was so hefty, just PB and J made for a treat!

Holding on to flexi-time schedule

(photo by jbonnet of flickr.com)

When we migrated to the U.S., I started with no other job but to tend to the house and the kids, watching my garden grow. I liked this simple schedule but finances were too tight to hold on to this lifestyle. So I applied for a freelance writing job with the local paper and after many weeks of waiting and following-up (almost giving up!), my first article got printed in the The Antioch Press. I am paid per article so it took about a year to get myself stable in that set-up. There were times I would run to the driveway early in the morning to fetch the paper and nothing was printed, therefore I had no pay, therefore the grocery budget shrunk and there was not going to be new clothes and toys for the kids. I toyed with applying for a full-time job then. But I truly did not want to trade in my precious flexi-time schedule for more money. So I applied for a home-based online research job for a grant-writing coach and author Dalya Massachi. This job paid me per hour. But remember, home-based is the key word and priority.

Soon, my editors Rick and Dave started to notice me (I think specially after my photos got more vivid. Thanks to my Canon Rebel!) and started not only to print me more, but to actually assign me to more frequent stories. Now, I have an average of 3-4 articles a week--printed. And just about the same time, I found my bearings with the research job, learning deeper Excel and gathering data learning about non-profit organizations, and gaining more hours a week.

Just when I felt my financial contributions to the house budget was already substantial and I gained, at the least, more grocery-buying freedom, (I even afforded a carpet for the living room), my husband was laid-off. . . .

Mom, is It Christmas?

"Mom, is it Christmas?" my youngest shrieked as she opened presents from Manila. My husband had just arrived from a one-month exploratory business trip. But for Filipinos, our culture dictates that you make "padala" or send a gift back. And judging from the number of presents my husband had for us, I can declare that we do have many generous friends and relatives.



We reveled in knock-off bags, cotton blouses and t-shirts--and accessories galore. There were beaded bracelets, polymer rings, bangles, brass necklaces--showcasing the creative prowess of the Pinoy. Some of them I was tasked to sell.



My friends also sent my kids toys, dolls, DVD's. Some have sent (through my son last December) the girls pretty t-shirts that they love to wear. And those Filipino sweets and snacks. Yum! My favorite was the Blue Kitchen Palillos Joe--pie crust strips with sugar merinue on top. My tita sent us Excellent Ham, dripping with honey. Too bad, it stained some of the girls' pictures.




My husband was able to rummage through our things in Manila. He brought me some of my old shoes that I am surprised I had because they were name-branded. It's been a long time since I have seen those. And he brought my favorite red denim rose bag.

He also had my favorite watch restored. It was quoted to be repaired for $200 but he got it done in Manila for $20! He gave it to me 15 years ago. We have taken it scuba-diving and mountain climbing. I think I will wear it all this lifetime. He also got me a vintage watch. After wearing my $7 watch from Walmart (which I kinda like in fairness), having my husband arrive home safely, and all the opening of presents and finding things you like--it sure feels like Christmas.



And to my friends and relatives, any many thanks for your generosity and thoughtfulness--and giving us an extra Christmas Day!