Colorful Bottles

Here's a simple idea to add a pleasant splash of color to your home during the dreary, gray winter months. Take a few clear glass bottles and fill them with water. Add a few drops of food coloring to each bottle. Place on a windowsill. That's it. Easy, right? Try experimenting with different shapes and sizes of bottles and caps. Vary the water levels. Maybe try a monochromatic look with all the bottles full of one color. Leave the labels on the bottles for a different look. Get creative!

Dollar Store Decorating

I really like this "Zen" tabletop theme. It's true that you can find most of the great looking things on that table at a dollar store. Never underestimate the power of the dollar store!

Helping Dough Rise

This is one of my most favorite baking tips:

To help bread dough rise, especially in cool weather, place the bowl with dough inside a larger bowl filled with warm water. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel. This keeps the dough moist and warm which makes it rise more quickly.

I once saw a specially designed double-bowl made for this purpose. It was rather silly since you can just make one yourself.

Stromboli Recipe

This is one of my favorite easy meals:

Stromboli Loaf

Make a batch of bread dough. After the first rising, divide the dough as you normally would for loaves and roll each lump out into a rectangle. Spread a thin layer of spaghetti sauce on it, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese and add any other pizza toppings or spices you like. Roll up the dough, shape into loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Let rise for 30 minutes. Bake as you would bake bread, though I find the loaves need ten to fifteen extra minutes in the oven to bake thoroughly. Allow the baked loaves to cool before slicing. Serve with warm spaghetti sauce to dip the slices in.

Variation: Spread prepared mustard on the rolled out dough and top with cheddar or Swiss cheese and thinly sliced ham. Dip in mustard or mayonnaise.