Pesto Swirl Bread with Barilla

It is that wonderful time of year again. The time when the weather is cooling off, and I can bake to my heart’s content to warm the house and our bellies. There is nothing I love eating more than a fresh baked slice (or two) of bread. Just the smell of freshly baking bread brings so much joy and comfort.

Today, I am partnering with Barilla and Mom’s Meet to share a recipe that I created in the autumn kitchen. I made some pesto swirl bread to go with a pasta dish, and four out of five members of my family LOVED it. One is… well, super picky. She liked it alright, but didn’t love it and go back for more. So, take that as you’d like. My husband, who was honestly really unsure of how good it would be, LOVED it. As Rachel Ray would say, here is our cast of characters:

I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

I am going to share the recipe right here, and then move on to some step by step pictures and information. You are welcome.

Pesto Swirl Bread

1 1/2 cup warm water
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons honey or cane sugar
1 egg (can sub 1 Tbsp ground flax seed and 3 Tbsp Water)
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
4 Tbsp Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto

1. In the bowl of your mixer, combine water, yeast, and sugar. Stir and allow to sit until foamy.
2. Add egg and salt- mix until combined.
3. Add the flour one cup at a time until just combined.
4. Turn dough onto a lightly floured countertop and knead for approximately five minutes. You want your dough to be smooth and not sticky.
5. Shape the dough into a ball and place into a clean bowl to rise for one hour, or until doubled.
6. Once doubled, punch the dough down.
7. Turn the dough onto your lightly floured counter and roll with a rolling pin into a rectangle about 12X17 inches. Eyeball it, it doesn’t have to be specific.
8. Spread 4 Tablespoons of Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto onto the dough. Starting at one of the short sides, begin rolling into a long cylinder.
9. Pinch all of your edges together and place seam side down into a bread pan.
10. Allow the prepared dough to rise for 30 minutes or until doubled.
11. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
    

Here are some of my best bread baking tips. The temperature of your water will make or break your yeast. Too hot, and it will kill your yeast. Too cool and it will not activate. Think of a warm bath. What temperature of bath water would you draw for your children? You want it warm, but not hot. That is the ticket. Once you’ve combined your water, yeast, and honey/sugar, it should get foamy. If it isn’t foamy after 15 minutes, throw it out and start over. It’s better to throw out those ingredients than so many more if your bread doesn’t rise. It also saves you a lot of frustration. If you have a drafty, old kitchen (just me?) that isn’t warm enough for bread to rise, turn your oven light on and place your bowl inside. This will create just enough warmth for your dough to be nice and cozy. Just don’t forget and preheat the oven with it inside.

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It is always so fun to see how much the dough rises!

Roll out your dough after the first rise

I know, it does not look very appetizing. Stick with me here. Spread your Creamy Genovese pesto evenly on the rolled out bread and start rolling it up. My father-in-law once told me that he was always amazed at how some of the grossest looking foods could be the best tasting. He was eating green chili chicken enchiladas that I made. He wasn’t wrong.

Make sure you keep all of the edges all tucked to the bottom so that it will not come undone. Fold all of the edges under and pinch them closed the best that you can.

Here is the delicious bread after baking. It smells so good. I wish you could scratch and sniff. You are welcome to try, but I don’t think it will work.

I like to remove my bread from all baking pans after it has cooled for about five minutes. If you leave it in, the bread can get really moist and end up gummy and gross. Pop it out onto a cooling rack or wooden cutting board and cover it with a towel. You can wrap the towel around it completely if you want to keep the bread really soft.

Roll that beautiful swirl footage.

We ate this bread as is– just warm and fresh from the oven. It would also be delicious with some butter and garlic toasted in the oven. A creamy pesto swirl garlic bread? Yum.

Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto is ready to be consumed right from the jar. You don’t have to heat it up at all. You can stir it into fresh pasta, spread it onto sandwiches or toast, marinate meats and vegetables, and use as a dip for veggies and pita chips. It is so versatile.

Barilla respects the ingredients. It is imported from Parma, Italy. To preserve the color fo the basil and the aroma of the Italian Cheese, Barilla minimizes the handling of ingredients. It is prepared in as little as three hours from start to finish– from ingredient preparation to tightening on the lid. That is awesome.

Just a little of the pest goes a long way. One jar mixes best with 16 ounces of pasta. (Get the cute little mini bowties!) How fun would this be on spaghetti for halloween with olive eyeballs in your green pesto pasta?!

You can buy Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto at Target, Publix, Stop & Shop, Meijer, ShopRite, Hy-Vee, Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, and more. Visit momsmeet.link/barillalocate to find a store near you.

Did you know that pesto is usually bought and used in the same day? Sixty-six percent of shoppers consume pesto within three hours of purchasing it. It is so easy to stir into some pasta, serve with some salad and voila! You have a meal.

If you try this bread, be sure to come back and tell me what you think!

Happy Baking!

Eczema Care with Gladskin

‘Tis the season for dry skin. You know the drill. The weather gets cooler, and our hands get drier. Not only are the cooler temperatures causing dry skin, but also the more frequent hand washing as germ season gets underway. Those of us with eczema prone skin are in for double the discomfort.

I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

There are several members of my family that struggle with eczema. It has been a tough battle to get it under control so they aren’t miserable. Finding a cream that works best is a struggle. I have gone through so many creams and prescriptions to try and get my daughters some relief. So much money has gone down the drain. As a mother, I have been extremely frustrated and felt incredibly helpless. It was bad enough to see them uncomfortable when they were infants and toddlers. But now, as they have grown up, we have the added emotional aspect to it. It is embarrassing to them to have large, red, dry patches of skin that is always itchy. It’s hard to resist scratching it, which only draws more attention to it. We knew that something needed to change, and I was feeling desperate.

Gladskin Eczema Cream is a first-of-its-kind cream, formulated with Micreobalance (a patented smart protein) that keeps bad bacteria in check to bring balance back to the skin microbiome. WHAT! I have never seen a product that works to restore your skin microbiome. Micreobalance is their star ingredient, and what makes it so different. By now, you all know how I feel about taking care of our microbiomes. Gladskin with Micreobalance rebalances the good and bad bacteria that naturally live on the skin as it moisturizes. This means that gladskin is leaving the good bacteria untouched while defending against the bad bacteria. This is music to my microbiome-loving ears.

Using clean products on our skin has been the best way to manage eczema flares. Gladskin eczema cream has no fragrance, no drying alcohols, no parabens, no steroids, and no sulfates. I don’t know about you, but I personally want to avoid using steroid creams on my children whenever possible. Gladskin cream is dermatologist recommended and clinically tested. It’s safe for long term use. Other eczema products are either only aimed at managing symptoms after a flare or don’t take yours, or your child’s, health into account holistically. There are no withdrawal reactions when you stop using it.

I love that there is a recommendation to store the product in your refrigerator so that it lasts longer. This is always a good sign of real ingredients as promised. The recommendation is that the product is good for three months from purchase if stored at room temperature, or until the date stamped on the package if kept in the fridge. Mine is stamped with 4/22, just so you get a clear picture of how long you know it is good for. The effects of a cool moisture cream on dry skin are so, so comforting.

My daughters that battle eczema often get flares where their skin creases. The backs of their knees and the bends of their elbows are where we fight eczema the most often. One of my daughters has been in the midst of a flare. She will scratch her skin until she bleeds. We applied Gladskin eczema cream, and she exclaimed “it already looks better!” She felt relief immediately. If you have children that fight with eczema, or you fight with it yourself, you know that most creams burn very badly when applied to the dry and broken skin. That was not the case with this cream. There was no pain or discomfort, just blissful relief.

We live on a homestead. I am HARD on my hands. They are in the garden, cleaning out chicken coops, and baking a lot of bread. I wash my hands frequently, and they show it. It’s like leather. It gets exceptionally dry and painful. This cream was a dream. It went on so thick and creamy. Even an hour later, my skin still felt moisturized, but not greasy or gross. It feels so luxurious, which is a real treat.

You should apply the eczema cream at least twice per day on and around the eczema prone areas. Most people see results in the first few days, but it could take up to three weeks of daily application to see the results. Staying consistent will give you the best results. Man, that fits everything in life, doesn’t it?

Gladskin can be used safely on the most sensitive skin– even your eyelids! It is proven safe and effective on children as young as three months old. Gladskin is non-toxic. It is formulated to work with the nature of you and/or your child’s skin, not against it. You can apply it as often as you like, and it can be used with your other products. Just apply it first and give it five minutes before you apply anything else. Basically, it is incredible, and I may be the new president of Gladskin’s fan club.

Gladskin also has many other products that also support the microbiome-balancing work that Gladskin eczema cream does. These products also do not contain any harsh ingredients or preservatives that most cleansers contain. They are all non-drying products that leave your skin feeling clean without feeling dry or tight. You know that feeling. You MUST try the shampoo bar. My hair is below my waist. That’s over two feet of thick hair, if you don’t know. I LOVE the shampoo bar! I have been trying to find a shampoo that doesn’t dry my scalp, but still cleans my hair. I finally found it with Gladskin’s shampoo bar. Plus, I am not wasting another huge plastic container of shampoo. It’s a win all around.

Head on over and get yourself some luxurious eczema cream, or try out a shampoo bar for yourself. You can save 10% on your order at gladskin.com when you enter the code GLADMOM10 at checkout. Code expires 3/31/22.

**In some rare cases, first-time Gladskin users may see temporarily slightly increased eczema symptoms. Any discomfort should be mild and not last longer than the first 10 days. This is often a sign that the cream is beginning to work as it rebalances the skin’s microbiome. This is not something that we experienced, but something that I do feel you should be aware of.

HOA Conference 2021

Holy cow. I don’t even know where to start.

Earlier this year, Scott and I volunteered to help at the Homesteaders of America conference. We have been learning over the past several years all about gardening, livestock, preserving, etc. Many of the members of HOA are the ones who I have been learning from, so I was excited for the possibility to learn from them in person and help the organization out during the event.

We headed out last week. It was a 10.5 hour drive one way. I am so glad we did it… and so glad that we drove…

I was most looking forward to hearing Jill Winger speak. She has been my #1 mentor for quite a while. She shared how to make the most of your time on the homestead. She gets a ton done, and is super inspiring. We were sitting eating lunch when Scott pointed and said “There’s Jill.” Introverted me almost stayed in my seat, but I got brave. I went up to her and got to chat with her about what we are doing. I walked away completely dumbfounded. She is a wealth of knowledge and inspiration, so go check her out. You can find her Youtube channel, Blog, and Instagram page by clicking on each word there. She also has an incredible podcast called “Old Fashioned On Purpose”. Also, her cook book is excellent. It is not just a cookbook, but also full of tons of homesteading information.

I also got to meet my other mentor, Melissa K. Norris. Once again, a wealth of information and inspiration. Unfortunately, we missed getting to hear her session because we had to get some sleep after being up all night. I will watch it on the membership page later though. You can find her on Youtube, Instagram, blog, and her many books that she has written. She also has a podcast called “Pioneering Today” that is so good. She was so incredibly kind and told us how to take care of the blueberry bush that we bought.. because, yes, we bough a big blueberry bush that rode in a seat home with us.

It really is a gift to be surrounded by thousands of like minded people. We didn’t have to explain any of our choices. It was a group of freedom-loving folks who started each day with prayer and the national anthem. So many people are tired of the system, and see how broken it is. We met several people who were just trying to learn as much as they could before they took the leap into homesteading. Everyone was in a different place with their goals, and it was so refreshing to see what can be accomplished.

We got to see Michelle Visser speak about homeschooling, which was so, so good. Ann Accetta-Scott spoke on food preservation. She had such a packed tent that we couldn’t hear her, and will be watching that one again later. There were so many good sessions that it was hard to pick which ones to go to.

The last night, after most people had gone home, we got to experience “Songs and Stories from the Homestead” that Rory Feek did. His story is so special, and he was so funny and kind.

I am so glad that we decided to take the girls along for the ride. I hope that they learned a lot, and feel just as inspired as Scott and I do. We are home feeling so grateful for all that we got to do and experience.

Thank you, HOA and Amy Fewell for all that you put into this event.

Homemaking Mama

We have had a huge answer to prayer in our household. As you know, I’ve been working part time at the local library for almost three years. Last week, I had my last day working outside of the home.

For the past year, I have really felt a pull to be back home full time. But, as many know, it is difficult to live on one income. Around July, I started feeling an urgency to come home. I don’t know why, and that is the best way I can explain the feelings that I had. I prayed and “told” God that if it is what He wanted for us, He would have to make a way. I kid you not, a week after praying that desperate prayer, He made a way.

Yes, it is a huge sacrifice to live on one income. We have only one car, and it’s not the greatest. We have the oldest phones possible with a cell phone plan. I can’t hear when people call me unless I turn the phone on speaker.. it is what it is. It was also much easier to leave for work and not have to make dinner or clean up messes. But.. and I have a big but…

Hard is not the same thing as bad. Did you catch that? HARD IS NOT THE SAME THING AS BAD!

Yes, baking fresh bread is harder than picking up a loaf at the store, but it is not BAD. Yes, it is hard to have a farm, but it is not bad. Yes, it is hard to be ON all the time at home, but it is not bad. Dishes and laundry are hard, but they are not bad.

The girls cheered when they found out that I wouldn’t be working anymore. I am fully aware of the blessing that we have been given. It is huge and wonderful.

I love homemaking.

I have been loving Shaye Elliot and Angela Reed’s podcast Homemaker Chic Podcast. They are challenging women to “embrace the art of homemaking”. I always laugh my face off and feel so inspired and encouraged by their words. Just thought I would plug that for them, because I appreciate it.

In the true spirit of homemaking, I am now shopping for a kitchen table and cabinet. haha! We have borrowed this beautiful table and hutch form our landlords knowing that it would leave eventually. That time is now. I found a beautiful hoosier cabinet that we can actually afford, and I am praying that it will come into our kitchen soon. We also found a kitchen table we really like a lot. But, we have some time to figure it all out.

Friends, I hope you are doing well. I know that this year has been a rough one for many.

Happy Taco Tuesday!