Mondays Suck

Well, actually this one might be all right. I still have a pile of incredibly gross pots and pans to wash out in the kitchen, but that's okay. I'm sitting here in my bathrobe, my feet are actually warm, and it looks like it's going to be a gray drizzly day. *All* day. Perfect for sleeping. And I don't have to be anywhere until 11 pm tonight.

Saturday we went to our niece Jenna's birthday party. We positioned ourselves in another room to eat so we wouldn't have to hear the wheedling power struggles and bite-counting/bargaining as her parents battled yet again to get her to eat. The child has been capable of eating (and refusing) solid food for what, 4 years now? *nostalgic sigh* Seems like just yesterday...

Okay, let's not spiral downward into uncharitable sarcasm just yet. The food power struggles are really getting better. And the party was very nice. Kimm always serves up a feast. Unfortunately we had to leave early because of an obligation at church. Would have loved to stay for cake and ice cream, but it's nothing either of us needed. I satisfied myself with a hurried (but large!) spoonful of the Sander's 'Bumpy Cake' on the way out the door. Yummy.... It's probably a good thing I have no idea where they sell that kind around here.

Sunday, we had planned to go to Grandma and Grandpa Zuckers to rake leaves and do any other helpful chores we could. We got the leaves and dead branches all over the yard cleaned up, but we did it in cold rain most of the time. Between my brother's family and us, we brought a large dinner and served that. The guys finished up the leaves in the dark while I did the dishes (I washed theirs and brought ours home dirty...thus the nasty pile in the kitchen). Poor grandma was having one of her worse days with her back. I don't know if her memory is getting so bad that she forgets mentioning how badly it hurts every 30 seconds, or (and this really is an uncharitable thought) I was getting snowed, but the incessant moans and groans on top of that were driving me out of my flipping tree this particular day. I'd be a horrendous caretaker for a sick person, I know this for a fact. I gave her one of her pain pills, and then shortly afterwards, it was nonstop complaining about how dizzy she was. Shoot me someone, please, before I get to the point where I'm either in excruciating pain from merely existing, or my head is spinning from meds.

And she kept complaining about being cold, while the rest of our faces were glowing pink from the heat in the house. I briefly worried if she had a fever, but I think from what my aunt said this is normal all the time. It felt wonderful to stand outside in the chilly drizzle without a jacket on.

I attempted to tackle some messes in the house that I probably wouldn't have touched if it hadn't been for the 1 or 2 glasses of wine with dinner. I won't share where the messes were. And I also didn't have any luck with vanquishing them, either.

And our dear cousin...he has the finely-honed talent of lumbering in the door just after the last dish has been washed, the last leaf removed, or the sweeper has been put away. I'm sorry, but I had just seen a 'King of the Hill' episode where the Laotian neighbor shouts 'Big White Blob!' when he sees Bobby Hill...I didn't shout it, but I thought it. I let him know what leftovers we'd put in the fridge for later. Maybe, since he'd already eaten at Taco Bell, grandma and grandpa will actually get some of these leftovers today. Or they could already be in his gut, since I hear he's in the habit of getting up in the middle of the night sometimes and raiding the fridge.

Who knows...who cares. We did what we could for an afternoon/evening.

The seafood casserole I made for Sunday is still a work in progress. The apple pie was good, and the kids liked the addition of pears and cranberries. However, I will post the recipe for what I made Saturday: Soft Pretzels. Brooke, if you're feeling better, this would be a good thing to add to your bread-making repertoire. They really aren't too much harder than making regular bread from scratch.

All together now: "Atkins is dead, pass the bread!!!!!"

Soft Pretzels (From a 2003 Flint Journal article by The Culinary Institute of America)

6 cups bread flour
1 and 1/2 tablespoons (or two 1/4-ounce packages) active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
3 and 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon salt

For the dipping solution:

6 cups warm water
6 tablespoons baking soda

Coarse salt for garnish

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, stir together the yeast, a pinch of the brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of the warm water. Allow mixture to sit for 10 minutes.

Add to the yeast mixture the remaining 1 and 1/2 cups warm water, butter, brown sugar, flour and salt. Begin mixing on low speed for 2 minutes and then on medium speed until the dough begins to pull away from the sides, about 2 to 4 minutes. (If mixing by hand, follow the same procedure for the yeast mixture. In a large mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredient in the same order as listed above. Mix with a wooden spoon until incorporated. Turn out onto work surface and knead for about 10 minutes--the dough will be stiff, yet smooth.)

Turn the dough onto a work surface and knead for about 5 minutes--the dough will be stiff, yet smooth. Place dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Allow to double in volume, about 1 hour.

Punch down the dough, transfer to a work surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Form the dough into oblong pieces, cover with plastic wrap and rest dough for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Working with one piece at a time, roll dough to 18 inches in length. For traction when rolling, spray a fine mist of water on the work surface. Lay the dough on the table in a U-shape and cross the ends over each other. Twist the ends together once. Bring the ends down and attach them to either side of the thicker center of the dough, pressing to seal them. Place pretzels on the parchment-lined cookie sheets (6 per sheet) and let rise, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Prepare dipping solution by mixing the baking soda and warm water in a stainless steel bowl. Add a couple pretzels at a time, allowing to soak 10 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, lift the pretzels from the solution and place on lightly oiled parchment lined cookie sheets.

Let pretzels dry slightly and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until deep golden brown.

Homemade pretzels are best eaten the same day. Do not store in a covered containter.

Makes 1 dozen.

Notes: Make sure you cover every surface of the pretzels with the dipping solution. Otherwise the bare spots show up as pale, weird looking patches.

These really are best the same day baked. By the next day, they get dry on the inside, and the salt attracts moisture on the outside. Crack open a beer and enjoy them warm out of the oven with butter, mustard, or the addictive blend of half grainy mustard and half butter they serve at the Frankenmuth Brewery.