Well Stew Lemmon, You'd Be Proud...

We spent Conference weekend up at my Mom's house. Aaron went into work early a few mornings in a row so that we could leave early Friday afternoon and make it up there in time for Tanner's football game. He made the school team this year, and plays defensive end. He did a good job and I was glad we got to go support him.

Friday night we left the kids with Mom and Kerry and went to see our good friends Tindy and Ben. We have to get in all the time we can with them before they move even further away from us at the end of the year.

Saturday morning and afternoon we attempted to watch conference, but try as we might, the kids were loud, disruptive, and not wanting to take naps. Let's just say, I'm very thankful they publish the Ensign and put all the talks online so that I can reread/rewatch them again later. Because I'm really going to need to.

After the afternoon session we had an awesome dinner. We'd decided to do an Oktoberfest theme. So everyone contributed some kind of German food. It was delicious. I thought everything turned out so good. Mom and Kerry did bratwurst and sauerkraut. Tanya brought authentic german potato salad, Kyle and Kels made potato soup, Jackson and Brooke brought rootbeer, Steph made German chocolate cake, and I made bauernbrot, which is a sourdough rye bread. It made SO MUCH BREAD. I think we'll be eating rye bread for the rest of our lives. Good thing it's good bread.

I also downloaded some awesome German music to listen to while we ate. I did some traditional stuff, like the Bavarian Polka, and I did some modern stuff my Die Prinzen (Kussen Verboten is my favorite!), and Edelweiss for my mom, who is a big Julie Andrews fan, and I also wanted a few that people would recognize, so I downloaded several Disney songs auf Deutsch. It was fun, and I think everyone had a good time. Stew Lemmon would be proud. (He served his mission in Germany and always took us to Ogden's Oktoberfest growing up.)

While the menfolk went to priesthood session, we girls etched glass. So now most of my pyrex says Swan on it in fancy white letters that are etched right into the glass. So cool. Thanks Mom, for teaching us that little trick. Love it.

Sunday Conference was a little better than Saturday, as far as me getting to listen to any of it, but mostly I am again grateful that I can spend the next few months rereading and feeling the Spirit that I'm sure was present.

On our way home Sunday night, we stopped to see Jackson's new house. Yes. My 20 year old brother owns a house before I do. And yes, My 24 year old brother's house will be done at the end of the year, so he also, will own a house before I do. At this rate, Tanner will own a house before me too. *Sigh* Jack's house is nice though, and I think it's going to be a good place for him.

Authentic German Bread (Bauernbrot)

Rated: Prep Time: 3 Hours Cook Time: 2 Hours Ready In: 2 Days 5 Hours Servings: 20

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces compressed fresh yeast 1 quart warm water 2 tablespoons white sugar 4 cups all-purpose flour

8 cups white rye flour 4 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons salt 1 teaspoon white sugar 2 cups warm water

Directions:

1.	First, make the sourdough starter. Crumble the yeast into a large bowl. Whisk in 1 quart of warm water and 2 tablespoons of sugar until dissolved. The water should be just slightly warmer than body temperature. Gradually whisk in 4 cups of flour, continuing to mix until all lumps are gone. Cover with a dish towel, and let sit for 24 hours at room temperature.
2.	After 24 hours, stir well, cover, and let stand another 24 hours. It will be a thin, light-colored sourdough which is then ready to use.
3.	In a large bowl, stir together the rye flour, 4 cups of all-purpose flour, salt and sugar. Mix in the sourdough starter using a wooden spoon, then stir in 2 cups of warm water. I transfer the dough to a heavy duty stand mixer to mix the first couple of minutes, then it can't handle the heavy dough and I start using my hands by turning the dough out onto a floured surface. A clean countertop works best. Knead the dough, adding a few tablespoons of water at a time if it is too stiff. Fold the dough over, pull it apart, whatever you can do to get it kneaded up good. Total kneading time should be 15 to 20 minutes to get a smooth dough. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, 1 to 2 hours.
4.	When the dough has risen, scrape it out of the bowl and back onto a floured surface. Knead for about 5 minutes. This is important to activate the gluten. Shape into 1 or 2 long loaves. Place on baking sheets, and let rise for about 1 hour, or until your finger leaves an impression when you poke the bread gently.
5.	Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Bake the bread for about 45 minutes for 2 loaves, 1 1/2 hours if you made one big loaf. Don't worry if the crust is dark. The bread will be delicious and so will the crust. Cool completely before cutting. I always freeze half.