Today was great. Nate went to sleep last night happy. And I mean really happy! He was so happy he wouldn't finish nursing; he was all smiles and even when I put him in the swaddler (which he usually fights against) and laid him down for bed he just looked around, wide awake and happy. Then Nate slept in until 7:30am and was...you guessed it...happy! He was smiling and cooing. Adorable.
Then after Austin woke up, Nate and Austin and I shared coffee as we did our quiet time.
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| He's concentrating on the Lord's Word as read by Austin. (Oh, and that toy by his right hand...AMAZING! He loves it! Thanks Jamie M.) |
Then Nate went down for a nice nap in his room! (He has been sleeping in our room for the last 3.5 months).
While the Nater-Gator was napping, I was baking. I made some English Muffin Toasting Bread. It's gotten me excited to start baking again. Perhaps I'll make a point to do so during his nap. The bread recipe is super easy and definitely a keeper:
King Arthur English Muffin Toasting Bread
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
- cornmeal, to sprinkle in pan
directions
1) Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and instant yeast in a large mixing bowl.
2) Combine the milk, water, and oil in a separate, microwave-safe bowl, and heat to between 120°F and 130°F. Be sure to stir the liquid well before measuring its temperature; you want an accurate reading. If you don't have a thermometer, the liquid will feel quite hot (hotter than lukewarm), but not so hot that it would be uncomfortable as bath water.
3) Pour the hot liquid over the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl.
4) Beat at high speed for 1 minute. The dough will be very soft.
5) Lightly grease an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan, and sprinkle the bottom and sides with cornmeal.
6) Scoop the soft dough into the pan, leveling it in the pan as much as possible.
7) Cover the pan, and let the dough rise till it's just barely crowned over the rim of the pan. When you look at the rim of the pan from eye level, you should see the dough, but it shouldn't be more than, say, 1/4" over the rim. This will take about 45 minutes to 1 hour, if you heated the liquid to the correct temperature and your kitchen isn't very cold. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400°F.
8) Remove the cover, and bake the bread for 22 to 27 minutes, till it's golden brown and its interior temperature is 190°F.
9) Remove the bread from the oven, and after 5 minutes turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool. Let the bread cool completely before slicing.
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| And the finished product. Yummy! (Austin showed great restraint and asked me to cut the bread for him instead of just digging in...thanks honey!) |
And I rounded out my great day with playtime with Nate, P90X and finishing up a few Christmas presents. I can't show all of them since some of the recipients have internet access and may check out the blog. And If you get one of these, please be surprised:
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| Great Grandma Hope and Nate at Thanksgiving |
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| Side view. It's not perfect, but I'll work on it! |
Well, Nate and I are going to end our day with a nice warm bath (for him, that is). He loves his baths now and I love seeing him have fun. What a great way to round out a great day.
