Amy's Birthday Party

Amy's birthday falls on Thanksgiving quite often. She complains that it is never given it's just due as far as celebration is concerned. This year we invited all siblings in the valley to go bowling at the Wilk. As you can see in the pictures below, we had a great time. Newcomer Kim (alias Little Bo Peep) was the winner on the adult lane and Tyson was the kid winner.

Check out Carrie's blog. She should have more and better pictures.

Little Girls with Red Hair

It seems like yesterday that this little girl's mother was dancing around our living room in pink ruffles and red pony tails.

Mall Pretzel Bites

One day last week I left early to pick up Luke from school and stopped at the University Mall. I need to get started finding a dress or dresses for Steve and Kim 's wedding. I know it is going to be a challenge so I thought I would get started. As I was walking by a pretzel place, the smell was so inviting I stopped to check it out. I never buy food at the mall, but then the malls are few and far between in Delta so..I guess the temptation usually isn't there. Anyway, I succumbed to the smell and bought a small cup of pretzel bites with caramel dipping sauce. They were wonderful! I was really glad I was alone and didn't have to share.

A couple of days later, I decided that I really shouldn't go to the mall to buy pretzel bites. It is not socially acceptable for little old fat ladies to be seen at the mall pretzel place with that caramel sauce dripping down her arm so I thought I would try to find a recipe and make them in the privacy of home. You can find anything on the Internet. I found several recipes. Most were close to being the same. So I picked one and gave it a try. They were really easy to make and they don't have too many bad for you ingredients. Of course, it is my opinion that you can eat most anything if you don't do it in excess. Right? And...they are only bites not whole pretzels.
And..you don't have to dip them in caramel sauce, there are endless options. I have made them twice now and everyone likes them.

Soft Pretzel Bites

Measure 1 1/2 Cup warm water into a warm large mixing bowl. The water should be quite hot, but not boiling. If you don't warm your bowl, it cools down the water and your yeast won't rise as much.

Add 1 pkg or 1 Tablespoon yeast
2 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/4 Teaspoon salt
Stir to dissolve and let mixture set until it is bubbling..should be just a few minutes.

Add 4 Cups of white flour one at a time. The recipe I found said to use 1 Cup cake flour. Since that is something that I would not have on hand, I used all regular flour. It didn't seem to matter, but then I haven't tried it with cake flour so I can't compare. Add the flour gradually and stop when your mixer has pulled the dough way from the sides of the bowl and isn't sticky. You might not have to use all the last cup of flour.
Let the mixer knead for 5 minutes of so. Turn the dough into a oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth. That is what my mother always did, so I do it too.

Let raise for 1 hour or until double in bulk. You can tell if it is double if you poke your finger in the dough and the hole stays.

While the dough is rising, dissolve 2 Tablespoon Baking Soda in 2 Cups of warm water. I also use this time to clean up so when you are finished baking, all you have left to do is the baking sheets and you are finished.

Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Roll into a rope. You can twist the rope into a pretzel, or do what I do and cut the rope into 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch pieces. Dip the pieces or pretzel into the baking soda water and place on a greased baking sheet. Let rise again for about 15 minutes and

Bake in a 450 oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
Brush with butter and sprinkle with coarse salt. OR..cinnamon sugar or....whatever you think you might like.

These would be a great after school treat for my wonderful grandchildren. Be brave, use those KitchenAid mixers.

I know, I should have taken pictures like the Pioneer Woman, but since not many people will be reading this, it probably isn't necessary, but next recipe, I might consider it!

Never before seen photo of Ted Price

Select MHS Alumni on my blog list below right and select telephone company and then select ...Milford Potato Pits 1940 from the list on the right. Scroll down to the third picture and the second guy from the right is my dad. The first two pictures might be from the 1940's but I am sure the one with Dad in is from the early 60's. He didn't start growing potatoes until we lived at the experiment farm and that was from when I was 9 to 15, so 1959 to 1964 or so. He loved growing potatoes. I remember the first field he grew was on ground that he leased or rented. It was on the east side of the highway. He brought the first shovel full of new little potatoes home to show us. After that success, he convinced Mom to let him buy a farm. Dad was still working on the railroad and that meant he would be gone sometimes when he needed to change the water. Mom would take Jo and me with her. Sometimes it would be in the middle of the night and it meant setting the syphon tubes which wasn't easy. You had to suck on one end until the water came up and hurry and let it down into the ditch. Mom was a pro. I don't think Jo and I did very well. Dad loved farming and always said he was happiest with bugs in his teeth. He meant driving the tractor in the wind. His tractor didn't have a cab. He had a potato pit in town across the street from the new LDS Chapel. I don't know if the picture was taken in his pit or not. I don't remember much about that pit except it's smell. We all spent time in it when it was time to plant or sort and bag potatoes to sell. I remember it being really cold in there in the winter. I don't remember what happened, but it burned one night before we moved from the experiment farm. We still own the land it was on. If you know anyone who would like to buy a city block in Milford let us know!