THE bread.

Combine 2 1/2 C. warm water

2T Yeast

1/2 C. sugar.

Let sit until bubbly.

Add 2 C. flour and 2 t. salt, and mix (will be soupy, I use a whisk for this part)

Add an additional 4 C. flour slowly (now I use the bread hook on my kitchenaid).

Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, and let rise for 1 hr 20 mins.

Knead briefly to get the air bubbles out and divide into 2 loaves.

Hand roll, score tops, and transfer to a greased cookie sheet (I put both on one sheet), brush with egg whites.

Bake at 350 for 30 mins.

Blueberry Muffins

Everyone who eats these really, really likes them. Kena took them for snack at preschool, and they got rave reviews. We make them with the blueberries we picked at that little blueberry farm out by Fern Ridge for $1.50/lb. It's always a fun outing with the kids and the cousins. We freeze them and eat them all year long!

Preheat oven to 375.

Line muffin tin with 18-20 papers or spray with oil.

Beat 10 T. softened butter with 1 c. sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Add 2 eggs and beat well.

Add 1 1/2 c. plain yogurt or sour cream and 1 t. lemon zest.

Put 3 c. flour, 3 t. baking powder, 1/2 t. baking soda, and 1/2 t. salt into a sifter (I don't have a sifter, so I whisk it all together.)

Pour half of the dry ingredients into the batter and mix until combined.

Sift remaining dry ingredients into batter and mix only until flour disappears.

Gently fold in 1 1/2 c. frozen blueberries (or fresh).

The dough will be thick, almost like a cookie dough. Fill muffins 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for 22-27 mins until tops are golden brown. This one is from smittenkitchen.com

Cashew Rice Pilaf

I made this rice last week for Aunt Haley and Uncle TJ when they came over to babysit while Jason and I went to a Duck Basketball game. I was told Uncle TJ loved it, and scarfed it right up. I tried a bite before we left for the game, and knew that it was a keeper. I found this on one of my favorite cooking websites: the-girl-who-ate-everything.com.

Chop cashews, about 1/2 c

Saute 1/3 c. finely chopped onion in 1/4 c. butter

Add 1 c. long grain rice and stir until coated

Stir in 2 c. chicken broth and 1/2-1 t. salt

Cover and simmer for 25 mins

Stir in cashews and 1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley. (I didn't have fresh parsley, so I sprinkled a lil dried parsley in when I mixed in the broth and salt)

4/6 members of the Salden family liked this meal. The nuts freaked the littles out, I think.