Homemade Challah

Dear Sis,

We recently signed up for PJ Library. The kids are enjoying the books that come each month and I enjoy sharing Jewish tradition with them with fun age appropriate stories and activities. Charlotte’s most recent board book had a recipe for Challah in the back and both the kids were eager to make it!

Baking Challah in Bulk Batches

Having fresh challah on hand for shabbat and holidays can be as easy as pulling it out of the freezer early in the day. This recipe makes 6 traditional loaves or 12 mini loaves for smaller families who don’t need a full loaf for a single meal. Toppings and add-ins create variety. This time me made two sugar topped with chocolate chips added, two loaves cinnamon sugar topped raisins added, and two loaves topped with sesame seeds.

Ingredients

5 c + 1 T warm water, divided
4 t dry active yeast
1 c granulated sugar
1 (5 lb. bag) unbleached bread flour
4 eggs, divided
1 avocado cup oil, divided
2 T salt

Dough Preparation

Dissolve yeast in 5 c warm water, in a large non-metal bowl. Stand until dissolved. Meanwhile, in another bowl whisk together 1/2 the flour and the salt.
Stir sugar into yeast mixture until dissolved. Stir in remaining flour, 3 eggs, and 1/2 c oil to make a pasty dough.
Stir in 1 c salted flour at a time until too thick. Then knead in each addition until dough is smooth an elastic. Brush surface of dough with oil. Cover and rise 2 hours.

Shaping Loaves

Divide dough into loaf portions, 6 regular or 12 mini. Working with one loaf portion at a time, divide into 4-6 portions and roll out. I prefer 4 strands because it makes a narrow loaf that is perfect for my kids little hands:)
If you wish to incorporate add-ins, press flatten the dough length a bit and arrange the raisins, milk chocolate chips, or other add-in in the center. Then fold the dough around the raisins and roll to seal and reshape into a rope.
Braid the loaf. Video tutorial: How to Braid Challah
Place loaves on parchment lined baking sheets, 2 loaves or 4 mini loaves per sheet. Brush with oil, cover, and rise 45 minutes.

Baking

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, beat together an egg and 1 T warm water to make an egg wash.
Brush each loaf with egg wash.
If you wish to add toppings to your loaves, now is the time. We put sugar on our chocolate chip loaves, cinnamon sugar on our raisin loaves, and sesame seeds on our plain loaves.
Bake 20-30 minutes. Baking time varies by loaf size.

Freezing Loaves for Later Use

Wrap warm loaves in foil. Place in freezer bag. Cool completely. Freeze for later.
Thaw early in the day you intend to use the loaf. Serve challah at room temperature or reheat in foil covering to serve warm.

Shabbat Shalom!

Love,

Homemade Peppermint Yogurt Soap

Dear Sis,

This recipe was originally written in 2015 as three individual posts because the process is done over a span of several days. You pointed out that it would be easier for our visitors to have all the information in one place, so here goes:)

PART ONE

Supplies

Scale
Ice Cube Tray
Glass Liquid Measuring Cups
2 High Side Stainless Bowls or Pots
2 Long Handle Stainless or Plastic Spoons, preferable slotted
Digital Insta-Read Waterproof Thermometer
Immersion Blender
Rubber Spatula
Square Silicone Pan or Soaps Molds
Plastic Dishpan & Vinegar
pH testing strips

Ingredients

4.5 oz distilled water
4.5 oz whole milk yogurt
9 oz coconut oil
21 oz olive oil
4.1 oz bead lye (sodium hydroxide)
2 t peppermint oil

Safety

Hair Tied Back
Onion Googles
Long Sleeve Top
Rubber Gloves
Long Pants or Skirt
Apron
Socks & Closed Toe Shoes

Yogurt Soap Preparation

Measure distilled water and whole milk yogurt.
Whisk together water and yogurt.
Pour into ice cube tray.
Freeze.

PART TWO

Step One – Measure Fats

Place the 21 oz olive oil in the largest of the 2 High Sided Stainless bowls or pots.

Measure 9 oz coconut oil in a microwave safe dish. Microwave until melted.

Step Two – Work Spaces

Lye Station

Place frozen yogurt/water cubes in the smaller of the 2 High Sided Stainless bowls or pots. Set out a thermometer, spoon, contained lye, and the googles, gloves, and apron.

Blending Station

Set out measured fats, immersion blender, spatula, and mold.

Neutralizing Station

Fill dishpan with warm water. Add a few splashes of vinegar.

Vinegar water solution neutralized lye. Use this water solution to wipe down surface and tool that may have come in contact with lye.

Step Three – Measure Lye

Take care to pull back hair, dress in long sleeves, pants or a long skirt, with socks and closed-toe shoes, and put on apron, googles, and gloves.

Gently spoon bead lye into dish to measure 4.1 oz.

Step Four – Dissolve Lye

In a well ventilated area, pour lye into frozen yogurt cubes.

Stir continuously. Begin measuring temperature when cubes are nearly thawed.

Continue stirring continuously, until temperature plateaus. It may take up to five minutes. Don’t jump the gun on this step, for as long as the temperature is rising, the lye is still dissolving. If you proceed too soon, there will be undissolved lye in your soap! You’re pH test will flop for sure. My batch plateaued at 70.3 degrees for a full minute and a half before I went on to the next step.

Step Five – Saponification

Saponification is the chemical process which occurs between the lye (base) and fats (acids), that results in soap.

Sadly, I wasn’t able to get photos for this step. I ran out of hands:( …but I’ll give more written details to compensate.

Combining Fats & Dissolved Lye

Pour melted coconut oil into olive oil. (All fats should now be in the larger of the 2 High Sided Stainless bowls or pots.) Pour dissolve lye into fats. Stir by hand a bit. Then add 2 t peppermint oil, if using.

Blending

Trade spoon for an immersion blender. Place the thermometer in the mixture again. As you blend the oil will loose its translucent quality. You may notice an ammonia like odor as you work. This odor is normal and harmless as long as you are working in a well ventilated area. The mixture will thicken, lighten in color, and become opaque. A low powered immersion blender’s motor will even change pitch as the mixture thickens. The thermometer will show another temperature spike as these changes occur, four degrees or so.

Pour into Mold

Pour saponified mixture into mold(s). Using a spatula to scrape the bowl or pot clean.

Place the molds in the refrigerator for 3 hours. Then remove to room temperature. The soap should be solid in about 12 hours.

Step Six – Clean up

Leave the goggles, gloves, and upon on until clean up is complete.

All items that have lye or soap mixture on them, should be rubbed down with dish soap directly before rinsing well with hot water.
Wipe down all work surfaces with vinegar solution.
Wash gloves in hot soapy water, dip in vinegar solution, and towel dry hands before removing safely gear.

STEP THREE

pH Testing

Moisten soaps surface with distilled water. Rub a pH test strip into the damp paste.

Safe soap is in the range of 7 to 10.

For a pH of 11 or 12, let soap sit a few more days and test again.

For readings above 12, only handle soap with gloves. Although pH will decrease over time, a pH of 12 or higher should be discarded.

Cutting

I prefer a chefs knife, but a large pizza cutter or a cheese wire are also tools practical for cutting soap into bars. I cut my square mold 3×3, for a total of 9 bars.

Curing

Curing means simply allowing the soap to dry out a spell. Place on a rack to increase air circulation in a location free of excessive humidity. Stand 1 month before using.

There is no harm in using uncured soap, it just gets gummy and disappears very quickly. It is well worth the wait!

Happy Soap Making!

Love,

The Races… Go, Dave, Go!

Hi Sis,

This week, I got a text from mom inviting us to to the races. Dave was racing this weekend, for the first time in years, and they both knew how excited Eve gets about race cars! Did I mention, that Dave’s car is blue, which is Eve’s favorite color! Naturally, we had to go to the races!! We were happy to have Great-Grandpa join us too!

The kids had an absolutely wonderful time, and it was great to see everyone. Dave was of course very busy, and his car got hit during one of the first races of the weekend, but hopefully he had fun too.

Here is Nate being a weight, so Dave could move and work on the car. Dave was smart, and took the steering wheel… hehehe… no I think they removed it so Nate could get in and out of the car, it was a squeeze.

Grant has always been very sensitive to noise, so we were worried he would be crying most of the day. But, he was only on alarm for the first race, after that he was having a great time! After all, he was with his Grandma, and Grandma is the funnest person ever!

The kids where exhausted when we left. Grant fell asleep as soon as we pulled out of the parking lot. Here he is playing with his long french fry.

Go Dave Go!!

Love,

Jamie

Family Vacation – Summer 2022

Dear Sis,

This year Josh planned a family vacation. It’s our first one since, that isn’t work or family related since… ever!

June 29th

We made a morning trip the second day of our road trip to break up all the driving. We stopped at Ruby Falls and took a cave tour in Chattanooga, TN.

July 1st

NASA Museum and Kennedy Space Center

We watched the rocket launch that night for the deck at the beach house.

July 2nd and 3rd

The kids enjoyed waking up eating breakfast and going to the beach. Coming home for lunch and a recharge, then returning to the beach. Having dinner and then taking an evening walk on the beach. It was a cereal way to spend four days. Having the beach as our backyard was wonderful. The only downside… the sand! It gets everywhere. I was doing laundry three times a day:)

July 4th

We finished all the attractions at the NASA museum on our second visit.

It was an amazing break from life as usual! The three day drive home, was the only downside. I can’t wait until the kids are old enough for air travel:)

Love,

A Quick Visit – Summer 2022

Dear Sis,

I didn’t take enough pictures during my visit. Maybe you can fill in the gaps.

June 23rd

Your bathroom with a blue sink, toilet, and tub, and pink wall paper has made me bonkers since I first stepped foot in your home. As usual, I forgot to take before photos, but here are the after shots:

Scraping the wallpaper boarder at the top of the wall and in the middle of the wall went better than I expected. No damage to the paint underneath! The stencil boarder I replaced it with matches the fixtures perfectly. So do the towels, shower curtain, cup, and soap dispenser. I love that we were able to use one of great grandma’s oil paintings! The custom wreath I made to go over the toilet fills the wall space nicely without looking too busy. The new mirror adds shape and style. We were not able to swap out the light fixture, but turning it to point upward instead of down made the space feel more open! The tiny touches of replacing the rusty floor vent and the ill matching cabinet handles really pulled everything together for a polished fresh feel. I love this makeover on a budget! It’s one of my favorites so far:)

June 24th

I spent most of the making a five tiered sprinkle filled candy cake, but we squeezed in a family photo session before bedtime:)

The photo has a totally different vibe than the rest, but it is good too:)

June 25th

Eve’s Fourth Birthday Party

I’ve made many cakes, but this is arguably the most challenging one despite it’s simplistic exterior. This is a five layer chocolate cake. The center portion of the four bottom layers were removed and made into the two little cakes. The center was thin lined with a coating of candy melt so that the sprinkle filled center wouldn’t clump after exposure to the moist cake. It took several hours of melting, pouring, and setting to form the perfect well for our sprinkle and Sixlet filled cake. The fifth layer of cake was placed above the welled layers and frosted over to hide the surprise contents.

We made a mess in the dining room, but the kids absolutely went nuts for the cake that drops candy everywhere when cut:)

The girls matching dresses were so stinking cute!

I don’t have any photos from the piñata. Maybe you can add some. I would also love to see some pictures of the completed dining room and sewing room that I helped decorate during the visit.

Thanks for a wonderful visit!

Love,

Pennsylvania Visit – Summer 2022

Dear Sis,

We’ve been on vacation for about three weeks, so I’ve backdated the segments of our adventures to their respective places in our recent timeline. I hope you enjoy this photo journal:)

June 17th

We arrived at Great and Pop’s in the late afternoon. We visited their neighbors who have a train display right in their yard!

Afterward, we met Gran and Dave at a local outdoor diner for supper.

June 18th

Grandma put us to work! We installed lighting under her microwave so her stovetop is nice and bright.

For anyone with a dark kitchen area, these LED strips are super easy to install and plug directly into a wall outlet!

I was then tasked with fitting a curtain to the narrow window by the front door. We ordered some magnetic curtain rods on Amazon. I did have to take the old sheer that was hanging home to refashion it into a proper window treatment. But the completed curtain image fits in the timeline best here:)

The last Grandma project is also out of sequence because I made it at your house and gave it to her at Eve’s birthday party, but again, it makes the most sense here. Grandma saw a sign with this quote in a Dairy Queen bathroom two years ago and has been asking me where she can find one to buy every time I visit. This time she had a photo and everything, so I decided to just make one:)

Photos from Cousin April’s Wedding

Papa Jeff brought bubbles!

Cousin Laura’s daughter Aubry is only a few months younger than William. All the little cousins got along so well! William feels like he made a new friends:)

Trey, Aubry, Chase, and William

July 19th & 20th

William has been asking to go camping for over a year. It’s wonderful that we finally went, even if it was just for one night. It was fun to be back at our old stomping ground… Raccoon Creek State Park. Next year I think the kids will be old enough for a whole weekend!

Our hike to Frankfort Mineral Springs was also a success!

Our Pennsylvania was short, sweet, and action packed!

Love,

Preschool Graduation

Dear Sis,

This evening William graduated from the preschool playgroup he has been attending at the local YMCA, since the age of three. This was a lovely supplement to our homeschooling adventures and a much appreciated change of pace for mom for 2.5 hours two mornings a week.

We have a few things to finish up to complete our homeschool Pre-K school year, but William is excited to start Kindergarten in the fall. Instead of YMCA playgroup, we will be moving on to Monday co-op days where each of the kids will have 4 hours in a preschool and kindergarten classroom respectively, while mom gets to keep her mind sharp teaching American History to middle schoolers:)

No surprise, William wants to be a pilot like daddy.

Celebrate the small things!

Love,

1860s Memorial Day Picnic at Spring Grove Cemetery (2022)

Dear Sis,

Most of the photos featured in todays post are from other living historians who participated in this event and shared their photos on The Amaranth Society page on Facebook.

After just two years, this event feels like a longstanding tradition:)