Thursday, May 14, 2020

Entertaining ourselves


I've never had a problem 'entertaining' myself! I'm surrounded by lots of 'favorite things' and can amuse myself for hours on end 'playing' with my toys!


I finally made an inventory of my children's readers on my computer using Libre Office. It's great because I can sort them by title or date or subject. I like the Alice and Jerry readers best but I collect any that I can find at a good price. 


And I took a couple of them off the shelf to read later. 


The stories are so sweet in these old readers from the '50s and '60s.


And I made another bread recipe that is SO quick and easy that I wanted to share it! I call them breadsticks and made them all the time when my kids were growing up. But then I couldn't find the recipe. I think I was confused by the name.


Quick Twist Rolls ....or Breadsticks

2 cups flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp soft shortening
1 beaten egg
1 Tbsp yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup warm milk

Measure all dry ingredients and shortening together and blend.
Add yeast to warm water and let stand a few minutes.
Warm milk and pour into bowl. When lukewarm, add egg, yeast mixture and half of the flour mixture. Beat until smooth.
Add the rest of the ingredients, mixing well. Make dough into a ball with some olive oil on your hands. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes.
Grease 2 cookie sheets.
Punch down dough, toss onto lightly floured board. Roll to a rectangle 8 by 18 inches.
Brush half the rectangle the long way with soft butter.
Fold unbuttered half over buttered, pressing gently to make a rectangle 4 by 18 inches. Cut dough in strips 1 inch wide.
Take strips by ends and twist several times. Place on greased cookie sheets.
Let rise for 15 minutes. Preheat oven, bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Cool on rack.

(I don't put an egg glaze on top of them because it always makes them fall.)


 They are crispy on the outside and tender inside. Pour some garlic infused butter over a few and you'll 'swoon'! lol


Have a good week! Let me know if you bake something good this week!

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I like Thursdays HERE too!


38 comments:

Tom said...

...nice reminders of more simple times!

eileeninmd said...

Hello,

You have a wonderful book collection. Your twist rolls look yummy, the garlic butter would be great with them. The days seem to fly by no matter what we do here. Wishing you a happy day and a great weekend ahead.

Latane Barton said...

What a nice collection of children's books. And, I love the little doll, too.

Joyful said...

I too have a lot I can do to amuse myself so it's nice to hear about someone else who is not bored. I love your collection of children's books. I collected just a very few myself but now I am offloading so many things. I'm hanging on to the few children's books I have so there is something to amuse little ones who visit. Enjoy your weekend and stay safe.

Creations By Cindy said...

Oh those twists looks so good!!! Hugs and blessings, Cindy

Vee said...

Your twist rolls sound yummy. I'm sure that I'd love them. I made Monkey Bread yesterday. I have just batched it up in serving sizes so that I don't eat it all by myself. I may be slowed down by frozen Monkey Bread. 🤞🏼

Your collection of readers is amazing. I agree with you, those stories stick with a person.

Jenn Jilks said...

I made a curry with my grandie yesterday. It was yummy.

SImple and Serene Living said...

I love those sweet old children's books. I think we are all getting better at entertaining ourselves. xo Laura

Julie's Creative Lifestyle said...

Books and homemade bread sounds awesome Diane. Hope you have a nice day and weekend.

The Feminine Energy said...

Oh how wonderful those bread sticks look! Thank you for sharing the recipe too. I love baking bread. I've been busy, during this lockdown, making all sorts of things I normally buy pre-made: yogurt, cheese, bread, distilled water, etc. I had forgotten how much better these all are, when they're homemade. Love, Andrea xoxo

MadSnapper said...

i am with you, I never get bored at home.. i don't have dolls to play with or readers to read, but i do play and read... those bread sticks sound easy and my mouth is watering. that said, i have never purchased yeast or made anything that required it. but i would if i could.... yummmmm

PaintedThread said...

Old readers - they bring back memories of my grandmother's house (the readers probably belonged to my aunts). Those bread sticks look delicious!

Home Sewn By Us said...

Good morning! Oh boy, those twists look delicious. I just might make some of those. I have quick yeast . . . I wonder if that will work as well? I don't often use yeast! Take care. ~smile~ Roseanne

Sandy said...

I too can entertain myself for hours. I would do just that in front of that bookcase. I love old school books and have quite a collection myself. I can spend hours looking at them. Never bored. I made some bread this past weekend in my Dutch oven. IT was so easy. I literally may never buy bread again. It was delicious and bread isn't something I allow myself too much of, so it was a real treat.

Michelle said...

I work as a reading interventionist at my primary school and have a few vintage readers of my own. I learned to read with the Dick and Jane series. Love seeing your books.

Edna B said...

Your book collection is wonderful. And those bread twists look delicious! You have a super day, hugs, Edna B.

A Bit of the Blarney said...

Your post brought back memories of the reader I used in the early grades. Thank you for that...I've not had any trouble entertaining myself either. Peace and quiet is very good! Have a wonderful day!

Cathy
https://abitoftheblarney.wordpress.com

podso said...

Your breadsticks look wonderful! Wish I could partake. When I saw your first photo I thought of the Raggedy Anne Doll that my sister made for me many years go. It's a good size and just as beautiful today as then except the elastic in her panteloons has gotten stretchy. I keep wondering who would like the doll--my grandkids don't even know who Raggedy Ann is.

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

Ann couldn't comment but she wrote me this....I wanted to tell you that the doll in your post today is so adorable. How fun to have all those readers too.The breadsticks look so good and when you mentioned the garlic butter my mouth started watering. 😊Have a great day Ann THANKS Ann!

carol l mckenna said...

Oh what a fun collection of 'toys, books' you have and what delicious looking breadsticks ~ Wow! ~ fun post ~

Be Well, Be Safe,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

happyone said...

I'm good at entertaining myself too. I often wonder how people can be bored!!
Love all your old books.
The 365 Bedtime Stories is a book I had has a kid. I remembered the cover as soon as I saw your picture. Wonder what ever happened to mine.

Teresa said...

Me encantan tus libros y, los palitos de pan ( seguro que los haré un día ) hoy hice mermelada de cerezas y mi hija tarta de cerezas ( ya es temporada de ellas ) Besos.

Pamela M. Steiner said...

Oh my goodness! Those "breadsticks" look wonderful! Making my mouth water!! I may have to try those. I really don't do much bread/roll baking, unless I do it in my bread machine. I think I am kind of "lazy" and like it to do the work for me...but your recipe sounds pretty easy and I might be able to manage it! LOL. I did bake some blueberry bran muffins this week, and will probably make another banana nut bread tomorrow as the bananas are getting too ripe already. I love your old children's books. I don't have that many, but have saved a few. My favorite of all is Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses. And the Little Engine that Could. I still have those from my childhood. I love your dolls. I would love to see you whole collection sometime!! I love to play with dolls too. Okay, it's my bedtime. Gotta run. Talk to you more next time! have a blessed week.

Kathy said...

The breadsticks look so good! I can't wait to try them. I made banana blueberry bread which I didn't have much luck with. It broke in pieces although it tasted great. I also made an apple dump cake. That was yummy.

Shannon said...

Oh I love your collection of readers! Those are fantastic! Have you read the Danny Dunn books? They may be outside your collection since they're not really readers, more juvenile novels from the 50s and 60s. My dad read them as a kid and introduced them to me and I remember them being tons of fun. Lots of hijinks!

Sam I Am...... said...

Thank you for the recipe! I already printed it off! I love old books as they are so sweet and the illustrations are wonderful. I love your rag doll. Did you make her? I need to get a pattern for one. Any recommendations? Stay safe and stay well!

Jocelyn is Canadian Needle Nana said...

Seeing all those book covers was like a walk down memory lane something I love to do. Thanks for sharing your recipe...oh looks so good. Home made bread is a favourite of mine.

Inger said...

What a wonderful collection of readers. You have so many treasures, it's always so much fun when you take some of them out to share with your blogger friends.

Lowcarb team member said...

Oh, you have such a wonderful book collection.

I think your twists/breadsticks look good, thanks for sharing the recipe.

Wishing you a happy weekend ahead.

All the best Jan

betty-NZ said...

I think many are getting a taste of the 'olden days' of growing up! Thanks for all these great ideas.


Feel free to share at My Corner of the World

Caroline said...

You have a nice book collection. I love reading too. The bread sticks are looking delicious. Greetings Caroline

Powell River Books said...

What a fun collection to have. I remember some of the old readers I had as a kid and then those when I started teaching in the 70s. I have a favourite childhood book. I bought a copy during one of the school book sales, The Funny Thing by Wanda Gag. My mother must have read it to me many times because I've always called tasty treats jumjills after the story. - Margy

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Diane, one of those books jumped out at me from the page--365 Bedtime Stories--I had that book! Don't know where my mother got it, but she bought lots of used books.

Siouxzq64@gmail.com said...

Your readers are fun. I remember a set of readers from my days at school. A bunch of teens that solved mysteries and they drove a hearse. There were reading comprehension questions at the end of the story. Your breadsticks remind me of a recipe I saw recently for cheese straws, which I guess used to be a great cocktail party snack.

Kathi said...

I love those sweet childhood readers. That was such an innocent time. Thank you for sharing. Are you still selling make-up bags from your other blogs? I went over there, and saw that cute striped bag. You are very talented. I am trying to be creative during this covid-19 time. Kathi

Butterfly 8)(8 Bungalow said...

I love your unique library. Those older children books are amazing. The vocabulary is usually amazing as well.
I am usually never bored, but I do get stir crazy. I usually can find plenty to do, but I like to get out. It got warm here early, and I can't hike in this heat, unless I get up before dawn. xoxo Su

Jeanie said...

I love all your sweet books. They are really such treasures and I love how you have them displayed. The twist rolls look delish!

Red Rose Alley said...

I love to look at all your children's books. They are so special and delightful. I have to get mine unpacked and put on the shelves. I like how you display them all with that cute little statue of the child reading. The breadsticks sound wonderful, and with a bit of garlic butter, even better. Your doll looks so old and such a treasure. : )

~Sheri