Cheesy bread from French bread loaf

We are having Italian dishes for supper tonight. The French bread recipe makes two loaves and normally I freeze the second loaf but I decided to make some cheesy bread for my two teenage sons as a midnight snack. There on break from college right now so they stay up late. The extra french loaf was perfect. I cut in half and added 3 types of cheese, italian spices, garlic and butter.  Baked it until the cheese melted and slightly golden brown. It was delicious. So if you have some leftover french bread, try it, makes for an awesome snack and easy to, just add your favorite toppings.

French Bread

This is the best homemade french bread recipe, it is just like you buy in the deli at the supermarket. Light, airy, and fluffy. Perfect sliced up with some garlic butter spread on it for all those Italian dishes.

Ingredients:
recipe adapted from Deals to Meals
This recipe makes 2 large loaves:

2 1/2 c. warm water ( between 105-115 degrees)
2 Tbs. yeast
3 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. white vinegar -Add these ingredients together and let sit until bubbly, about 4 minutes
1 Tbs. salt
1/3 c. oil
6-7 c. all purpose flour

Making the dough:

Add first four ingredients together and let sit until bubbly, about 4 minutes. Then add salt, oil and flour. Add flour 1 cup at a time until incorporated. May need to add a little extra flour is dough is too moist, add just enough flour when dough pulls away from side of bowl.

 Knead for 3-5 mintues and then put in the oven with a small pot of boiling water. The water will keep the dough moist. Watch the dough and punch it down when it gets to the top of the mixing bowl. Do this every time it gets to the top of the bowl, as long as you have time to babysit it (2-5 times). Put the dough on a greased countertop and divide into 2 equal sections.

Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and sprinkle a thin layer of cornmeal on the bottom of the sheet. Roll the dough balls into rectangle/long French bread shapes. Place on cookie sheet.

Slash tops of bread diagonally 3-5 times and cover with a beaten egg.

Let rise 30 minutes (or until doubled) on the counter, or you can put them in your oven at 170 and wait until they are the size you want to cook them at. Once they are to the right size, turn up your stove to 375 (without opening the door!) and let them bake until done. Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes until tops are golden  brown.

     Enjoy!

Homemade Laundry Soap

Homemade laundry soap is an inexpensive way to cut costs in these tough economic times. It only
costs pennies per load to make when you make it yourself.  You can also avoid the harsh chemicals
found in commercial laundry detergents.

You will need:
(1)  5 gallon bucket with a snap on lid  (a free or cheap place to get one is from a bakery or grocery baked
goods dept).
(1) grater-try to find one that grates up fine

To make liquid detergent:

1 gallon hot water
1 Fels Naptha soap bar or Ivory soap
1 cup Arm & Hammer washing soda -found in the laundry section
½ cup borax powder -20 Mule Team brand

* Fels Naptha Soap can be hard to find, if you can't find substitute with Ivory or any other low scented soap.
* Must use Arm & Hammer *Super Washing Soda*-Baking soda or Arm & Hammer Detergent will not
work.  It MUST be sodium carbonate. You can buy both of these online at Amazon if you have trouble
finding them in the laundry isle.

Directions for use:

Grate the soap and put in a large sauce pan on low-medium heat. Add 1 gallon water and heat until soap
melts thoroughly. Add washing soda and borax. Stir until completly dissolved. Remove from heat. Next
pour 4 gallons hot water into your bucket and add soap mixture, stir well. Let the soap in the bucket sit
overnight until it gels. You can then pour into an empty smaller laundry detergent bottle that is easier to handle. Just be sure to stir the bucket first before pouring in smaller container
and shake the smaller bottle before each use.

Use this amount:

*For Top load - 1/2 cup per load
** This recipe makes 5 gallons of detergent.

For Powdered detergent:

1 bar of finely graded Fels Naptha or ivory soap
2 cups Arm & Hammer washing soda
2 cups borax

Mix and store in a reuseable container.  Need to start washer first on hot water cycle ( this helps to melt soap) after it is 1/4 cup of detergent for a large load. After washer fills half way with water start adding clothes in.  About every other load add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle. It softens the clothes and also cleans the washer lines out.
I add vinegar to every load of laundry because it keeps my clothes from fading. It does not add a vinegar smell.

This laundry soap recipe will leave your clothes clean and fresh with basicly no scent and only comes to
about 2 cents per load depending on the costs of your ingredients. If you prefer to have scent to your laundery detergent, just add approx. 10 drops of essential oils per gallon of water like lavender scent.