Fun In The Kitchen

Today I developed an all purpose baking mix that I am quite pleased with! Here is the recipe to make it in bulk. I included the recipe for the biscuits pictured above. I hope to post more recipes using this mix, as I experiment with it. If you grind your own flour, You could store the mix in your freezer! Here it is:

All Purpose Baking Mix:

Combine in a large bowl: 5 Cups all purpose-unbleached flour, 5 Cups whole wheat pastry flour(the pastry flour makes a much lighter dough for baking than regular whole wheat), 1 1/2 tsp baking soda, 4 Tablespoons (aluminum free) baking powder, and 2 tsp sea salt. Whisk together and store in an airtight container.



Buttermilk Biscuits (using mix):

Cut 6 Tablespoons cold, unsalted butter into 2 2/3 cups mix. Mix lightly until mixture is crumbly. Stir in (very gently) 1 1/3 C buttermilk or a yogurt/milk mixture totalling 1 1/3 cups (this works well when you don't have buttermilk on hand). DO NOT OVERMIX! With your hands, pat out dough lightly onto a floured surface. Using the top of a floured glass or biscuit cutter, cut the biscuits out and place close together on a baking tray(I spray mine with oil). Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes. YUM! Another variation would be to substitue 3 TBSPs Olive Oil for the butter and add your favorite herbs(Rosemary would work well here). Enjoy!

Oliver Update!

Oliver came home from the hospital last week. He has been doing very well, but still no diagnosis! Today i noticed some swelling around his face, so we brought him back to his pediatrician. His kidneys are acting up again, but mo need for hospitalization at this time. He will start some steroid therapy next Wednesday which will hopefully keep the kidney inflammation under control. Needless to say, this has been quite a stressful, busy time for our family. Thank you so much for your continued prayers, and I hope to be back bloggin' soon. (Maybe this weekend?) I have been busy baking Artisan breads with a great book I checked out of the library : Artisan Bread Baking In Five Minutes a Day. It's very rewarding to pull my own home made bread out of the oven!!

At The Hospital

Oliver is quite the cheerful hospital patient. Here is a picture his dad took of him today. Please keep him in your prayers as the doctors try and figure out what is wrong with his kidneys. Thank you!

Praying For Oliver

I am sorry for the long break in blogging! Unfortunately, Oliver's kidneys continued to get worse, causing seizures and high blood pressure. He is currently in the intensive care unit at MCV hospital in Richmond. The underlying condition causing the kidney problems has not been diagnosed at this pont, but we should know more by Friday. I spent last week in Richmond, and Travis has been with Oliver the entire time in the hospital. Thank you for your continued prayers. They are what is holding us up during this difficult time. I hope to blog a little this week if I can find any time; it is a welcome distraction. God's peace and grace to you all!~The Smithdeal Family

Mary Margaret's Favorite Book Today

Check out Mary Margaret's book of the day: www.columbasplace.blogspot.com