The Bread Project!

So I have been on a super bread kick! I have made many different breads and altered the recipes with everything from raisins to walnuts to chocolate chips! My favorite recipes are as follows.

This is a recipe my mom has made for years. I tried it with dark chocolate chips, with raisins, and with walnuts. The chocolate chips were off to me, but the kids loved it. Everyone hated the golden raisins (lol) but the walnuts stole the show. Who knows? Maybe it was just childhood memories of warm banana bread smothered with cream cheese! But the walnuts will always be my favorite!

Banana Bread with Walnuts

1/3 cup shortening
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 ¾ cups sifted all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe banana
½ cup chopped walnuts


Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Cream together shortening and sugar; add eggs and beat well. Sift together dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with banana, blending well after each addition. Stir in nuts. Pour into well-greased 9 ½ x 5 x 3 loaf pan. Bake in moderate oven 40-45 minutes or till done. Remove from pan; cool on rack.

Favorite bread # 2 = Yam Bread
It was milder than the pumpkin bread, but still moist and sweet! We also tried it 3 ways: chocolate chips, pecans, and cream cheese filled.

Again, maybe I am an established bread and nut girl, but the pecans were amazing! Everthing else seemed odd! lol! Here is the recipe I liked best!

Yam & Pecan Bread

1 ½ cup unbleached white flour
1 tsp ground sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 cup mashed yam

½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 stick of very soft butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup milk
½ cup pecans

Heat the oven to 325°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Spray loaf pan with floured baking spray.
Mix dry ingredients except sugars in a bowl and set aside. Mix warm potatoes, butter, and both sugars. Slowly add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Alternate dry ingredients and milk until completely mixed and fold in nuts.
Pour into loaf pan and bake for 60-70 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean.

The "root" of the matter

October is “plant” month in the Thompson house.

We have learned all the major parts of plants so far, and tomorrow we will be planting seeds. The lesson for today was on plant nutrition! This is a picture from Annelise’s science book. While she was reading, I kept looking at the picture, and it got me to thinking about how it's so much like our walk with God.

He draws up our offerings, and by bathing us in his love and grace he turns those offerings into blessings! So, in a true Alicia ADD moment, we decided to make a blessing tree. It just amazes me how our relationship with God can mirror something so simple as a tree?

The whole thing had me thinking back to the boy with the loaves of bread and fish. Jesus fed thousands with just the contributions of a small boy. I would never be so audacious as to imply that Jesus could not have done it without the boy, but imagine the small boy. The feeling of Jesus needing his contribution. How special he must have felt, and the blessing he received by offering what little he had. The Lord took his humble offering and used it to help others! Just like this tree, imagine the incredible things God could do by simply drawing up what we have to offer, and turning it into nourishing spiritual food for thousands!

Also, in case you noticed, the water droplets are upside down hearts, because our offerings need to be from the heart! Did you know that the KJ Bible mentions the heart an astounding 876 times?

Luke 6:45- the good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

the begining of a beautiful relationship!

As soon as we got orders for Okinawa, Japan, a few friends recommended I start a blog. I thought about it, and did some research. Then as life went on and got busy, I buried it in the back of my head with all the other "I shoulds". Now that I have gotten comfortable in our new house, and in my role as a homeschooler, I have started baking again! The idea resurfaced, and here I am!

My plans this week are to make Mama's Banana Bread, Pumpkin Cheesecake muffins, and Cappuccino muffins. I will take pictures, post recipes, and give my genuine review of how they turn out! Wish me luck!