Sunrise

 

 

 

 

Stacked Cinnamon Loaf

 

We're bakers, I think we come by it through our genes. I didn't start baking till I moved to Hawaii.  Here, a simple loaf of bread is over $5, so it's a good reason to bake. India loves to dump and mix and if I'm not fast enough, she starts "tasting" the flour mixture.  "Yum, this tastes good!" as her face and shirt become filled w/ flour. Let's face it, the girl loves to eat, even if it is flour and baking soda!

 

My friend Kelley is REALLY a baker. I think she does it almost everyday. I think it's her creative expression and it grounds and adds balance to her day.

 

This recipe and inspiration come from her, however, if she ever saw what I made, she'd say, "That's not what the recipe says to do." I always end up improvising when I bake - I know, it supposded to be more of an exact "science" than cooking, but I never seem to have the right ingredients and who knows what one wants to bake before the moment strikes them? Just ask my family, it's not uncommon to recieve a phone call from me asking what I can use instead of...

 

It turned out alright, even without the vanilla glaze. India and I like butter on it!

STACKED CINNAMON LOAF 

This is so easy and yummy – had to share….

Kelley Lacks

Place in mixer bowl:

3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I use half whole wheat)

¼ cup sugar

1 ½ tsp salt

2 scant Tlbsp (or 2 packets) active dry yeast

Attach bowl to mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed (speed 2 on Kitchenaid) until blended, about 1 minute. In a heavy saucepan, heat until liquids are hot (about 120 degrees F) and butter begins to melt

1 cup milk

½ cup water

¼ cup butter, cut into 4 pieces

Add hot liquids to the dry ingredients. Mix for 2 minutes. Stop machine and scrape down sides of bowl. Mix on low speed tfo an additional 2 minutes. With machine running add, ¼ cup at a time, enough flour for dough to cling to dough hook and clean sides of bowl

½ to 1 cup flour

Mix well after each addition. Continue to knead dough on low speed until smooth and elastic, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer dough to a well-greased bowl, turning dough once to grease the top. Cover and let rise 30 minutes. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and toss until no longer sticky. Divide dough in half. *Roll one-half of dough into a 12-inch square. Brush top of dough with

1 Tlbsp melted butter (I use room temp butter)

Sprinkle with a mixture of:

¼ cup sugar (brown)

½ tsp cinnamon

This is where I like to add some other ingredients such as currants, raisins, nuts, chopped apple

 

Fold dough in from the sides to meet in the center. Fold dough in from the top and the bottom to meet in the center. Fold the package of dough in half and place on a buttered baking sheet or loaf pan. Repeat from * with the second half of dough. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. With a sharp knife, cut a long slash in the top of each loaf (I have never had this work very well. Sometimes it has caused my loaf to deflate a bit). Bake in a preheated 375 F oven for 30-35 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. If desired, when slightly cooled, drizzle tops of loaves with Vanilla Glaze.

Makes 2 loaves.

Vanilla Glaze

Stir together until smooth

½ cup sifted confectioner’s sugar

¼ tsp vanilla

1 Tlbsp boiling water

Does she stay out too late at night?

 

At first I thought maybe Lacey was sick. 

 

She was just laying around on the carpet. I've never seen a chicken lay down before.

 

Oh! She's responsive. I scared her a few times when she saw me looking at her or taking her picture.

 

I think she must not be sleeping well, wherever she's choosing to roost.  She should sleep with Penny, she knows a good spot!

Hanging out with JR

 

Alma and India made Lemon Aid with Jonathan while Sarah and I went garage saling and looking @ places to rent.

 

Alma moved here from Whitefish, Montana and just turned 4, it was our first Big Island birthday party!

 

Alma and India get along great.

 

And they make delicious lemonade!

This chicken can fly!

 

Poor Lacey. There were 2 dogs on the property behind us that we were unaware of. All I know is that Lacey was at the bottom of the property and she flew up over the catchment tank, about 30 feet in the air and 500 feet! (I'm not great with distance, does that sound reasonable?) I think her chest hit the roof before landing on top - there was a dent in the roof! She stayed up there for awhile and made sure it was safe to come down.

 

 

An overnight guest

 

Penny, since being set free, acts like she'd really like to come inside. She comes right up to the screen and looks in and hangs out right by the door. One evening I decided to open the door and see what happened.  She came right in, got up on the table and started roosting on the dining room chair. India and I just hung out with her in the kitchen till we went to bed.

 

 

As you can see, she spend the entire night. She was quiet and stayed there till I got up and let her back out. I've been waking up WAY to early, worrying about what these chickens need in the morning!

 

Lacey came by after Penny left and could not believe that Penny spent the night inside! Lacey is a bit independent and wild, she prefers to find her own roost. Apparently she's found her own nesting place too, we haven't had eggs from her in about 5 days. :(

Guava

      This fruit looks like a lemon, has lots of little seeds that you just eat, tastes like a sweet/tart citrus and smells like a grapefruit. It is often served on planes flying to Hawaii as a juice.  We find these on the road when we walk the dog. 

 

 

Ahhhh, spreading our wings! Wow, there's room!!!

 

Yeah! I like this!!!!

 

I'm a big BAD rooster named BUFF!

We set the Chikens Free!

One of our duties while house sitting in Hawaiian Paradise Park is to care for the chickens, we have 2 hens and a rooster.  They have lived all their life, as far as I know in small cages, and never been able to roam free.  It was very difficult to collect any eggs because the cage was chest high and not built for the ease of collecting eggs.  I dreaded going there every morning because that is not how I would ever want to live or any being that was in my charge.  It was a horrible way to start my day, I actually felt as if I were caring for POWs.  One morning both Jonathan and I woke up with the idea of letting them run free.  They never go far from their home and many people in Hawaii have free roaming chickens.  We did, we set those chicks free!!!  It was fun!  I watched them all day.

 

Here's Lacey with Penny behind her.

 

Here's Buff, the rooster.

 

All three of them together.