Live Like No One Else So You Can Live Like No One Else

Bruce and I just finished up The Dave Ramsey Class for the second time. For those who don't know who he is, Dave is a financial guy who teaches all about money. Good stuff! Ways to change your family tree! There's just one problem. I'm soooo not a numbers girl! My husband is! He's what you would call the nerd in the relationship and I'm the free spirit! He makes the budget and I show up for a 5 min. meeting to look over it! I'm thankful for my little number nerd! He always takes care of us! With that said, we have been working really hard to become debt free. It's not easy let me tell you! As Dave says "life happens" but it's our job to be prepared and to tell our money where to go. That includes the dreaded B word.....budgets! We have found ourselves here lately passing up going out to dinner with friends. If the money is not there it's not there. Yeah, it would be easy to pull out the credit card but we are done with that life style! It's not easy telling our friends no. I'm a social girl and I love them to pieces but that's the way it is. Being on a budget has changed how we spend. It used to be that we would go out to dinner whenever. If we forgot something at the store we would just go get. With having only having x amount for groceries once it's gone it's gone. This week for example I forgot bread. Yeah, it's just bread and it's only a couple bucks but that's not the point. We had spent our budget already.

So, I pulled out my bread recipe. It's just not any bread recipe. This recipe was given to me by a dear friend. The person who gave me this recipe was like family. Our relationship has changed and I'm not sure it will ever be the same, so every time I pull it out I pray for her. Today was that day. I pulled it out and I prayed and made bread. I miss her and hope some day we will be friends again. I would like to share the recipe with you. I'm sorry I didn't take pictures this time but I promise you will love it and it's easy. And if you think about it, pray for the someone in life that tugs at your heart!

Carol Hess Bread

3 1/2 cups flour

2 TBS Sugar

1/2 tea salt

1 egg

1 package Rapid Rise Yeast

1 cup hot water

Put 2 cups flour, yeast and dry ingredients in large bow and mix. Pour in water mix thoroughly. Add egg. Mix. Add next 1 1/2 cups flour. Make a soft dough ball. Place in a greased bowl, cover. Place in warm dry spot til doubles. On lightly floured surface knead five times. Place in greased loaf pan. cover til doubled. Take out of pan on cooling rack. Brush with melted butter. Sliced when cool.

I also made two more yummy things this week and I will share those recipes as well. If you're anything like me I'm always looking for new yum-o recipes!

Speedy Brownies

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1 tea salt

5 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 tea vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

in mixing bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. beat until smooth. Pour into a greased 13x9 pan baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake 350 until toothpick comes out clean. Makes 3 dozen

Last but not least.......Beef Carbonnade.......a new Dyksen favorite

Beef Carbonnade

2lb beef chuck roast trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes

2 TBS flour, 1/4 tea salt, 1/8 tea pepper, 2 T olive oil

14 oz beef broth

2 large onions halved and sliced thin

1 clove garlic crushed

12 oz dark beer or use can beef broth

12 oz egg noodles cook and drain

fresh parsley leaves chopped

Toss well in bowl beef cubes, flour,salt and pepper. Heat 1 T of oil in skillet on med hi. Brown 1/2 beef remove and repeat with other beef. Remove beef and add 1 can beef broth. Boil 1 min. In crock pot stir onions, garlic thyme and beer. Tom with browned beef and broth. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over noodles.

I hope you enjoy the new recipes!